Opposition indulging in 'Nehru bhajan' instead of 'ISRO bhajan': BJP MP Tejasvi Surya
New Delhi (PTI): Hitting out at the opposition for "indulging in Nehru bhajan" instead of "ISRO bhajan", BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said the reality is that most of the scientific institutions were started by people in pre-independence period and former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had no role in it.
Participating in a discussion on the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission, he said Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar and Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar established the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1942.
"What role did Nehru play - in one of the meetings, Pandit Nehru said 'the members of the governing body will appreciate that it is difficult for me to devote much time to many aspects of the work of the Council.... For the present, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee will, however, look after the day-to-day routine work of the Council'," Surya said.
He said it was Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of Jana Sangh, under whom the country's earliest scientific establishments were strengthened.
"The opposition indulged in 'Nehru bhajan' since morning instead of ISRO bhajan. An impression is being given that every scientific achievement is credited to Nehru but the reality is far from that...most of the scientific institutions were started by people in pre-independence period when Nehru had no role in it," he said.
Surya said it was former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who approved Chandrayaan-1 in 2003 but the Congress-led UPA government named the Moon Impact Probe of the Chandrayaan-1 as Jawahar point even though Nehru had no role in the Chandrayaan mission.
"When Chandrayaan-3 landed, Modi ji named the point as tiranga point and did not do bhajan (sing paeans) of any particular person," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
CPI(M) rebel Kunhikrishnan hopes for 5,000-vote win in Payyanur
Kannur (Kerala) (PTI): CPI(M) rebel candidate V Kunhikrishnan, who contested as a UDF-backed Independent from Payyanur here, on Saturday said he was hoping to win the Assembly election by a margin of 5,000 votes.
Kunhikrishnan was expelled from the CPI(M) earlier this year after raising allegations of corruption in the party’s martyrs’ fund against sitting MLA T I Madhusoodanan.
Speaking to a TV channel, Kunhikrishnan said he had announced his candidature as a mark of protest and not with expectations of victory.
However, he said the situation had changed drastically, with a strong undercurrent within CPI(M) votes favouring him.
"The undercurrent in CPI(M) votes cannot be measured. Now people are giving a response indicating victory with a margin of at least 5,000 votes," he said.
Payyanur is considered a CPI(M) stronghold, and a defeat for Madhusoodanan there would be a major setback for the party.
On political violence in Payyanur, Kunhikrishnan said he had been facing it since filing his nomination.
"The people leading this violence should think about how long they can continue it. It is the police which has to take the initiative to stop this violence as part of maintaining law and order. But the police are not intervening at the required level," he said.
Regarding his political future, Kunhikrishnan said efforts were underway to strengthen Left groups, and discussions were being held across Kerala in that regard.
"After discussing with others, a decision will be taken," he said.
Kunhikrishnan is among six former CPI(M) leaders who either exited the party or were suspended before contesting for the UDF in the April 9 Assembly elections.
Elections to the 140-seat Kerala Assembly were held on April 9, and the counting of votes will be held on May 4.
