Good governance is our birthright, says Modi as he remembers Tilak
New Delhi, July 29 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that "Suraaj" (good governance), like "Swaraj" (self rule), is the "birthright" of every Indian and they should have it.
Remembering freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak -- who was born on July 23, 1856 and died on August 1, 1920 -- Modi said: "Lokmanya Tilak evoked self-confidence amongst our countrymen and gave the slogan ‘Swaraj is our birth right and I shall have it'. Today is the time to say that good governance is our birth right and we will have it."
"Every Indian should have access to good governance and positive results of development. It is the factoring in of this outreach that will create a new India," he said in his monthly radio show "Mann Ki Baat".
During his election campaign in 2014, Modi had frequently promised the people that he would ensure "good governance."
The Prime Minister also remembered revolutionary freedom fighters Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan and Bhagat Singh. Azad was born on July 23, 1906.
"After 50 years of Tilak's birth, on the same day, that is, July 23, another son of Mother India was born who sacrificed his life so that his countrymen could breathe freely in an atmosphere of freedom. I am talking about none other than Chandra Shekhar Azad," Modi said.
He said couplets like Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai/ Dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-qaatil mein hai (The desire to lay down our lives is burning in our hearts/ Let's see the strength of our executioner's arms) inspired the youth like Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan, Bhagat Singh and many others did.
"Azad's courage and passion for freedom inspired the youth of the day. He put his life at stake, but never bowed in front of the foreign rule," Modi said.
Azad famously shot himself with the last bullet in his pistol during an encounter with the police on February 27, 1931 at a park in Allahabad, to keep his vow to never surrender to the British.
"Once again, I bow and pay tributes to the two great sons of Bharat Mata - Lokmanya Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad," Modi said.
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
