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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New Delhi, Sep 24: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from the 2017 Unnao rape survivor and her family members on the Centre's plea seeking withdrawal of CRPF security cover provided to them following the court's order in 2019. Expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar is serving a life term for kidnapping and raping the minor girl in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao area in 2017.

Taking note of the sensational rape case and the threat to lives of the survivor and others, the apex court on August 1, 2019, directed that the rape survivor, her mother, other members of the family and their lawyer be provided CRPF security.

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma asked that the application of the Centre to be served on the victim and her family members. The bench also observed that since there is hardly any threat perception, it would like to close the case.

The Centre's counsel said no security cover is needed according to the threat analysis of the victim and her family members.

Advocate Ruchira Goel, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, submitted that everything, including the trial, was transferred to Delhi after the incident following the apex court's order.

The bench asked Goel where the victim resides at present. She replied that the woman and her family stay in Delhi.

On May 14, the top court had asked the Centre to file a separate application seeking withdrawal of CRPF security cover provided to the survivor, her family members and their lawyers.

The Centre submitted that the security cover may be provided by either the Delhi or Uttar Pradesh police and the CRPF be permitted to withdraw.

In 2019, the top court transferred all five cases registered in connection with the Unnao rape incident from a Lucknow court to a court in Delhi with the direction to hold trial on daily basis and complete it within 45 days.

The Supreme Court also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide Rs 25 lakh as interim compensation to the rape survivor.

The court had added that the CBI will have to complete within seven days the investigation into the accident in which the survivor and her lawyer were critically injured and two of her aunts killed.

Her father was arrested at the behest of Sengar in a case under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018.

Sengar has sought the quashing of the trial court's December 2019 judgment that has sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life. His appeal is pending in the Delhi High Court.

On March 13, 2020, Sengar was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the case of death of the woman's father in custody. He was also slapped with a fine of Rs 10 lakh. The court had awarded a 10-year jail term to Sengar's brother Atul Singh Sengar and five others in the case.