PM Modi found time to go all over world but didn't reach out to distressed people of Manipur: Cong
New Delhi (PTI): In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting violence-hit Manipur, the Congress on Tuesday said he has found time, inclination and energy to go all over the world but has not considered it necessary to reach out to the distressed people in the northeastern state.
The Congress' attack came on the first anniversary of the launch of the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' that began in Manipur.
The Congress had launched the Rahul Gandhi-led yatra from Manipur on January 14 last year, aiming to put the spotlight on issues such as unemployment, price rise and social justice.
A Congress rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai had marked the culmination of the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', which was carried out in a hybrid mode in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.
In a post on X, Gandhi recalled his journey of 6700 kilometres and the support of people, "a confluence of diversity and inclusiveness".
"From Manipur to Mumbai we saw every form of injustice, understood the suffering of every class, felt the social, economic and political discrimination. We started with the goal of justice - change came, India woke up, we fought for our rights and privileges. The fight is long but the resolve is firm - the right to justice, until it is achieved," Gandhi said in his post in Hindi on X.
"Today, exactly a year ago, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was launched by the Indian National Congress from Manipur. The BJNY followed in the wake of the historic Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra and covered 6,600 km going through 15 states, culminating in Mumbai on March 16, 2024," Congress general secretary in-charge, communications, Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
"Manipur still awaits a visit by the prime minister, who has found the time, inclination, and energy to go all over the world - but has not seen it necessary to reach out to the distressed people of Manipur," he added.
The prime minister has "steadfastly refused to meet with political leaders of Manipur, including his own party legislators and the CM himself," Ramesh alleged.
"The agony of Manipur has continued unabated since May 3, 2023. Just a few days back the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports was asked to put off its proposed study tour to the state," he said.
Gandhi had concluded his 63-day-old yatra in Mumbai by paying tributes to Dr B R Ambedkar at his memorial Chaityabhoomi and reading the Preamble of the Constitution.
The Congress has been attacking the prime minister for not visiting Manipur, besides slamming the Centre for its handling of the situation in the ethnic strife-torn northeastern state.
More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
