India like a train headed to disaster by incompetent driver: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that after four years of his rule, India looked "like a train being driven to disaster by an autocratic, incompetent and arrogant driver".
Asking his party MPs to tap the rising anger against the BJP, Gandhi also accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of making a "systematic attack on every single institution" and "destroying" them since the NDA came to power.
Speaking at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting here, he alleged that in the last four years corruption had peaked amid failing economy due to incompetence.
Gandhi recalled how Modi, before he was elected in 2014, used to say India was a slow "passenger train" for 70 years after independence and how under his guidance the country would become a sleek and shining "magical train" destined for "achche din".
"Four years of Modi rule later, sadly, India today looks more like a train that is being driven to disaster by an autocratic, incompetent and arrogant driver, who does not care what happens to the passengers he is responsible for," Gandhi said.
"The people of India are demanding change. They will no longer be fooled by your magical train that is headed for a bad accident."
He said the people were looking up to the Congress and allied parties to remove the Modi government and replace it with one which will listen to them, understand their problems and provide solutions that reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality.
"In other words, there is a great responsibility that is being placed on all of us today, to win this historic struggle between the forces of democracy and social justice versus those of autocracy and social hierarchy.
"We have to ensure that the forces of hate, division and violence that are trampling upon the Constitution are prevented from coming back to power. We have to restore hope in the eyes of the Indian farmers and youth, about their right to dignified life and decent incomes. We have to give relief to ordinary families being crushed under the dual burden of household debt and rising prices of essential goods. We have to ensure the safety of Indian women."
Gandhi said since the RSS and the BJP have come to power, "we have seen a systematic attack on every single one of our institutions. In modern India, these institutions were called temples of democracy and today the RSS is intent in destroying every single one of them. Every single institution is being penetrated by their people and nature of institutions itself is being changed".
"In 2014, Modi claimed if he was elected there would be creation of two crore jobs for youth a year, doubling of farmers' incomes, prosperity and growth for businesses, the return of black money stored in Swiss banks, Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of every Indian citizen, lowering of petrol prices, safety for women, justice for Dalits...
"Leave alone creating new jobs the reality is that existing jobs have been disappearing... The unemployment rate in India has doubled between July 2017 and April 2018, whereas the number of jobs in the last financial year also fell... Unemployment rate in the country almost doubled from 3.39 per cent in July 2017 to 6.23 per cent in March 2018 and is projected to reach even higher."
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
