Cows safe, but India most unsafe for women: Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai, July 23 : In the name of protecting the cow, India has now become the most unsafe country in the world for women and everyone should be ashamed of this, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray said on Monday.
"Yes, of course, we must protect our Cow Mother, but what about 'my mother'? This is no Hindutva," he said, in a marathon interview ahead of his 58th birthday on July 27, given to party mouthpieces 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana', the first instalment of which was published on Monday.
Thackeray said that for over 25 years, the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party were allies because of the shared ideology of Hindutva, status of Hindus, national interest and the country's security among others.
"But what is Hindutva, my father, the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray was often asked. His reply: Nationalism is our Hindutva. We don't want Hindus who just go to ring bells in temples sporting a 'choti' and a 'janoi thread'. Balasaheb's idea of Hindutva has to be propagated and implemented vigorously now," Thackeray urged.
On last week's no-confidence vote in the Lok Sabha against the BJP government in which the Sena kept out, he said the trust motion was the outcome of the "betrayal of the people" by the ruling party.
"Normally, the opposition brings up a no-confidence motion, but here it was the Telugu Desam - the first instance in India that a former ruling ally lost confidence in the government," Thackeray said.
Justifying the Sena stance, he made it clear that "nobody can shoot the gun from our shoulders" and the "Sena will not fire from someone else's shoulders either".
"Where were all these parties when we raked up issues concerning 'peoples confidence' in the government? And anyway, if we wanted to vote for the government, why should we oppose it since past over four years? I have a gun in my hand, and when the target is in sight, will fire it," he said, serving a political warning to the BJP.
He reiterated that "the Sena always spoke up for the peoples' interest, the poor, the farmers, the needy" and hence it remained severely and openly critical of the National Democratic Alliance at the centre and in Maharashtra where it is a partner.
The Sena leader said that his Ministers "kept a check on the government," raised issues which were in public interest and virtually played the role of the opposition.
"We were the first to protest against demonetization which hit the poor people badly, GST, land acquisition bill, fuel prices and other matters. And, most importantly, we spoke at a time when it was even considered 'treason' to oppose the government," Thackeray said.
Hitting out indirectly at BJP President Amit Shah's 'Chanakya-niti', Thackeray asked whether its modern day practitioners were "doing it in the national interest or the party's interest".
In the nearly 8,000-word first part of the interview, Thackeray also criticized the BJP on delays in building the Thackeray memorial, reduction in the height of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial coming up in the Arabian Sea and long-pending writing off of farm debts.
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Not having memorial for Manmohan Singh deliberate insult to India's 1st Sikh PM: Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi, Dec 27: The Congress on Friday said that not finding a location for the cremation and memorial for Manmohan Singh is a deliberate insult to the country's first Sikh prime minister.
The Congress raked up the issue after the Union home ministry said in a statement that Singh's last rites will be held at New Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat at 11:45 AM on Saturday with full state honours.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct Singh's last rites at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.
"The people of our country are simply unable to understand why the Government of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh," the Congress leader said.
Kharge wrote the letter after speaking to Modi about setting up a memorial for Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country.
"Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India.
"This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge said in his two-page letter.
The Congress chief said Dr Manmohan Singh holds a highly revered place in the psyche of the country and the people of this nation, and his contributions and achievements were phenomenal.
He also said that Dr Singh's erudition on economic and fiscal matters came from his vast experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, chief economic advisor to the government of India and in various other capacities in several organisations, and the respect and regard that world leaders had for him bears testimony to this fact.
Kharge said Singh's wise counsel, leadership and contribution in mitigating the global economic financial crisis is well-acknowledged. He also recalled President Obama's words when as the US president, he mentioned that "whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him".
He also said that when the nation was in the throes of a grave economic crisis, it was Dr Manmohan Singh, along with former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who took India out of the crisis and also led the country towards economic prosperity and stability.
The nation today reaps the benefits of the robust economic foundations built by them, Kharge noted.
"Coming from a humble background and having experienced the pains and sufferings of the Partition, it is through his sheer grit and determination that he rose to become one of the leading statesmen of the world. I hope and trust that befitting stature of Dr Manmohan Singh, request to have the funeral of Dr Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded," Kharge said in the letter.
Congress Legislature Party leader in Punjab assembly Pratap Singh Bajwa also separately urged Prime Minister Modi to have Manmohan Singh's funeral at a place where a memorial could be built later in his honour.
"I urge Prime Minister @narendramodi to honour Dr Manmohan Singh, one of the most towering Sikhs of modern times, with a memorial befitting his immense contributions to our nation. Rising from humble beginnings in a historic state, representing a community that has always stood steadfast for India's unity and progress, Dr Singh's life is a testament to intellect, integrity, and selfless service," he posted on X.
Bajwa said Punjabis across faiths and political lines unite in their heartfelt plea to recognise this son of Punjab, who played an instrumental role in shaping India's destiny, with the respect he deserves.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed the Centre has "declined" the request of Manmohan Singh's family for performing the funeral and last rites at a place where an appropriate memorial may be built.
There is no official word from the government on Kharge's request.
However, Badal took to X to post, "Shocking and unbelievable! It is condemnable in the extreme that Union Govt has declined the request of Dr Manmohan Singh Ji's family for performing the funeral and last rites of the highly distinguished leader at a place where an appropriate and historic memorial may be built to commemorate his unparalleled services to the nation."
He further said this place should be Raj Ghat.
"This will be in keeping with the settled practice and tradition followed in the past," Badal said.
He said it is "inexplicable" why the government is "showing such disrespect to the great leader who was the only member of the Sikh community to rise to become the Prime Minister".
"As of now, the cremation is slated to be performed at the common cremation ground at Nigambodh ghat. I am unable to believe that the BJP govt's bias would go to such extremes in utter disregard of the towering global stature which Dr Manmohan Singh ji enjoyed and will always enjoy," Badal further said in his post.
He said Singh took the country to great international heights.
"Our political differences with the Congress apart, we have always held Dr Manmohan Singh in the highest esteem as he transcends politics and political affiliations. He belongs to the entire nation.
"Dr Sahib showed great sensitivity and compassion in his dealings with Shiromani Akali Dal over Sikh and Punjab issues," said Badal urging Modi to "intervene personally to change this deplorable decision of the government".
Singh passed away on Thursday night at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the age of 92.
आज सुबह कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष ने प्रधानमंत्री को पत्र लिखकर प्रस्ताव दिया था कि पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री डॉ. मनमोहन सिंह का अंतिम संस्कार ऐसे स्थान पर किया जाए जहां उनकी विरासत का सम्मान करने के लिए एक स्मारक बनाया जा सके।
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 27, 2024
हमारे देश के लोग यह नहीं समझ पा रहे हैं कि भारत सरकार उनके वैश्विक…
