Govt fund should not be used for building any statue: Union minister Nitin Gadkari
Mumbai, Jun 18: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said he was against erecting any statue using government funds.
He also said people do not value things which are given for free.
Gadkari was speaking in Nagpur at the ground-breaking ceremony for the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the premises of the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU).
"I welcome the move of the committee which is constructing the statue from the contribution given by the people. I feel that government funds should not be used for erecting the statue. People do not value things which are given for free," the BJP MP said.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Samiti was formed in Nagpur in 2015 and the work, including obtaining necessary clearances and permissions, has been going on since then.
Gadkari also announced to donate Rs 5 lakh to the works undertaken by this committee.
"Even if someone donates Rs 11 or Rs 51 for this work, it should be seen as the person's attachment to the work and teachings of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
"There is no need to seek financial support from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, the Nagpur Improvement Trust, the Maharashtra government or the RTMNU," he added.
Gadkari said people should bear some cost of the work so that they will realise the importance of the work or service.
"It is good that lakhs of people have come forward and contributed to the committee," he added.
Gadkari said Shivaji Maharaj's thoughts and teachings should be spread from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
