Hate speeches: Speakers must be punished, U'khand Dharma Sansad no exception, says RSS leader
New Delhi, Feb 3: Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar has condemned the alleged hate speeches against minorities at a recent Dharma Sansad in Haridwar and said all those who make provocative and divisive remarks should be punished as per law without any exception.
In an interview with PTI, he termed the politics of hate as corruption and called all political parties and their leaders to refrain from indulging in hate-mongering and pitting one section of the society against the other.
Instead of making provocative and divisive remarks against any community, caste or group, they should practice politics of brotherhood and development in the best interest of the country and its people, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) national executive member said.
Any kind of hate speech is condemnable. All hate speeches must be condemned and punished as per law. Nobody should be treated as an exception, he said when asked for his view on the alleged hate speeches delivered at a Dharma Sansad in Uttarakhand's Haridwar and a similar event in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur recently.
Kumar said there are multiple examples of cruel hate speeches and insisted that it is the need of the hour to take legal action against all such divisive acts as they vitiate the atmosphere of the country.
He slammed the Congress and other opposition parties for blaming the RSS and its ideology for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, saying that they were levelling baseless allegations even as they do not have any proof to substantiate their charge.
For more than 60 years, we have been hearing that the RSS and its ideology were behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. A ban was also imposed on the Sangh. But the Congress and other parties could not prove it (the allegation) even after they remained in power for so many years, he said.
Their baseless and unfounded allegations against the RSS also amount to a cruel hate speech, he charged and asked why no action had been taken against them so far.
Kumar also trained guns on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks that a Hindutvawadi' had shot Mahatma Gandhi dead.
Now, he says Hindutvawadis got Gandhi killed. It is also a hate speech, the RSS leader said without naming Rahul Gandhi.
He argued that unfounded allegations that create hatred against one section of people or an organization should also be considered as hate speeches .
All hate speeches should be looked at through the same prism. We cannot make a distinction between one set of action or speech with the other while both are same in its nature and essence hateful, provocative and divisive, he said.
Action should be taken against all those who deliver hate speeches, no matter how big and influential they are or which party or group they belong to. It is the need of the hour, he added.
Kumar is also the founder of the Sangh's affiliate Muslim Rashtriya Manch whose stated objective is to bring Muslims closer to Hindus. To reach out to the Christian community, he founded another outfit, Christian Rashtriya Manch, a few years ago on the lines of the RSS' Muslim wing.
Ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, both the RSS-backed outfits are canvassing for the BJP in the poll-bound states.
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Donald Trump threatens more tariffs on China as global markets plunge
Washington, Apr 7 (AP): President Donald Trump threatened additional tariffs on China on Monday, raising fresh concerns that his drive to rebalance the global economy could lead to a trade war.
Trump's threat, which he delivered on social media, came after China said it would retaliate against US tariffs announced last week.
“If China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th,” he wrote on Truth Social. "Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated!"
Trump has remained defiant as the stock market continued plunging and fears of a recession grew.
“Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!” he wrote.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,200 points as trading began on Monday morning, and the S&P 500 was on track to enter a bear market, which means falling 20% from a recent high. Even some of Trump's allies are raising alarms about the economic damage, and financial forecasts suggest more pain on the horizon for U.S. businesses, consumers and investors.
The Republican president has insisted his tariffs are necessary to rebalance global trade and rebuild domestic manufacturing. He accused other countries of “taking advantage of the Good OL' USA!” on international trade and said “our past leaders' are to blame for allowing this.” He singled out China as “the biggest abuser of them all” and criticized Beijing for increasing its own tariffs in retaliation.
Trump also called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. On Friday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that the tariffs could increase inflation, and he said “there's a lot of waiting and seeing going on, including by us,” before any decisions would be made.
Investors expect the U.S. central bank to cut its benchmark interest rates at least four times by the end of this year, according to CME Group's FedWatch, a sign that concerns about inflation will be eclipsed by fears of layoffs and a shrinking economy.
Trump spent the weekend in Florida, arriving on Thursday night to attend a Saudi-funded tournament at his Miami golf course. He stayed at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, and golfed at two of his properties nearby.
On Sunday, he posted a video of himself hitting a drive, and he told reporters aboard Air Force One that evening that he won a club championship.
“It's good to win,” Trump said. "You heard I won, right?”
He also said that he wouldn't back down from his tariffs despite the turmoil in the global markets.
“Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something," Trump said.
Goldman Sachs issued a new forecast saying a recession has become more likely even if Trump backtracks from his tariffs. The financial firm said economic growth would slow dramatically “following a sharp tightening in financial conditions, foreign consumer boycotts, and a continued spike in policy uncertainty that is likely to depress capital spending by more than we had previously assumed."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union would focus on trade with other countries besides the United States, saying there are “vast opportunities” elsewhere.
Trump said he spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to start trade negotiations. He complained on Truth Social “they have treated the U.S. very poorly on Trade” and “they don't take our cars, but we take MILLIONS of theirs.”
Ishiba said he told Trump that he's “strongly concerned” that tariffs would discourage investment from Japan, which has been the world's biggest investor in the U.S. in the past five years. He described the situation as a “national crisis” and said that his government would negotiate with Washington to urge Trump to reconsider the tariffs.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro suggested countries would need to do much more than simply lower their own tariff rates to reach deals, saying they would have to make structural changes to their tax and regulatory codes.
“Let's take Vietnam," he said on CNBC. “When they come to us and say, We'll go to zero tariffs,' that means nothing to us because it's the non-tariff cheating that matters.”
On Monday, the president is scheduled to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House to celebrate their World Series victory. He's also meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and they're expected to hold a joint press conference in the afternoon.
Trump has strived for a united front after the chaotic infighting of his first term. However, the economic turbulence has exposed some fractures within his disparate coalition of supporters.
Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager, lashed out at Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Sunday as “indifferent to the stock market and the economy crashing.” He said Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial firm led by Lutnick before he joined the Trump administration, stood to profit because of bond investments.
On Monday, Ackman apologized for his criticism but reiterated his concerns about Trump's tariffs.
“I am just frustrated watching what I believe to be a major policy error occur after our country and the president have been making huge economic progress that is now at risk due to the tariffs," he wrote on X.
Top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox News Channel that Ackman should “ease off the rhetoric a little bit.”
He insisted that other countries, not the United States, are “going to bear the brunt of the tariffs.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, a top adviser to Trump on overhauling the federal government, expressed scepticism about tariffs over the weekend. Musk has said that tariffs would drive up costs for Tesla, his electric automaker.
“I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally in my view to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” Musk said in a video conference with Italian politicians.
He added, “That certainly has been my advice to the president.”
Navarro later told Fox News that Musk “doesn't understand” the situation.
“He sells cars,” Navarro said. “That's what he does.” He added that, “He's simply protecting his own interests as any business person would do.”
