Modi government distances itself from Hegde's remarks
New Delh: The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday distanced itself from the remarks of Minister of State Anant Kumar Hegde who had criticised the word "secular" and said the BJP government would "amend the Constitution" to remove the word from the Preamble.
As a combined opposition in the Rajya Sabha protested against Hegde's remarks, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel told the House: "We are committed to the Constitution. We do not agree with the Minister's remarks."
Minister of State for Skill Development Hegde had on Sunday said at a public event in Karnataka that the Modi government would remove the word "Secular" from the Preamble of the Constitution.
"Seculars do not know what their blood is. Yes Constitution has given that right to say 'we are secular'.... but Constitution has been amended many times, we will also amend it. We have come to power for that," Hegde was reported as saying.
On Wednesday, the opposition sought Hegde's removal from the Council of Ministers and Parliament, saying he had insulted the Constitution of India as well as its architect Bhimrao Ambedkar.
The Opposition forced repeated adjournments over the issue.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
