PM Modi pays homage to Gandhi, Shastri on birth anniversary
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid his tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, and said his government will follow his path for building a developed India.
He said on X, "Gandhi Jayanti is about paying homage to the extraordinary life of beloved Bapu, whose ideals transformed the course of human history. He demonstrated how courage and simplicity could become instruments of great change."
Modi said Gandhi believed in the power of service and compassion as essential means of empowering people.
He also paid homage to India's second prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, whose birth anniversary, too, fell on Thursday.
He lauded him as an extraordinary statesman whose integrity, humility, and determination strengthened India.
"He personified exemplary leadership, strength and decisive action. His clarion call of 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' ignited a spirit of patriotism among our people. He continues to motivate us in the endeavour of building a strong and self-reliant India," the prime minister said.
Modi, who has been passionately promoting swadeshi, said buying products made by Indians will be a true tribute to Gandhi and Shastri.
Swadeshi is the foundation of a self-reliant and developed India, he added.
Born in Gujarat in 1869, Gandhi is considered the most influential Indian of his era as he shaped the country's freedom movement through truth and non-violence, winning worldwide following.
Shastri was born in Uttar Pradesh in 1904 and rose to become the country's prime minister after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru.
His honesty and leadership of the country in his short stint as prime minister during which India fought a war with Pakistan earned him universal praise.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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