Priyanka Gandhi's arrogance to compare Gandhi family with Lord Ram: Anurag Thakur
New Delhi (PTI): Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday hit out Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, saying it was out of "arrogance" that she compared the Gandhi family with the dynasty of Lord Ram.
While addressing a rally on Sunday to protest the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a member of Lok Sabha, Priyanka Gandhi had criticised the BJP for labelling the Congress as a "dynastic" party.
"They (the BJP) accuse us of dynasticism then what was Lord Ram? He was exiled but still fulfilled his responsibilities towards his family and motherland. Was this dynasticism? Did the Pandavas indulge in dynasticism," she had asked.
The senior BJP leader said there can be nothing more unfortunate than the comparisons drawn between Lord Ram and the Gandhi family.
"Hey Prabhu (Oh God.). India only had to wait to see this day. A family which believes it is above India's democracy, above Parliament, above the country. That family is equating itself with Lord Ram," said the information and broadcasting minister.
"This arrogance of the brother and sister. The entire nation is watching. Let alone the country, now they are not even sparing Lord Ram," Thakur said while responding to questions from reporters outside Parliament on Priyanka Gandhi's remarks at the rally.
Earlier, hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, Thakur said the Congress leader can never be Veer Savarkar even in his "best dreams" as it required strong determination and love for the country.
Thakur was responding to repeated assertions by Rahul Gandhi that Savarkar was an "apologist" of the British colonisers and that he would never express any regret for criticising the BJP-led government.
"Dear Shri Gandhi, you can never be SAVARKAR even in your best dreams because being Savarkar requires strong determination, love for Bharat, selflessness and commitment," the senior BJP leader said on Twitter on Sunday.
Rahul Gandhi can never be Savarkar even by a long shot because the freedom fighter neither travelled abroad for six months of the year nor sought help from foreigners against his country, Thakur said.
"He went to Britain to launch a movement to free Mother India from the chains of slavery," the information and broadcasting minister said and added that it is time to "expose lie master Rahul Gandhi for his non-stop nonsense against Veer Savarkar ji".
Thakur also posted on Twitter a letter written by former prime minister Indira Gandhi on the occasion of the birth centenary of Savarkar.
"Veer Savarkar's daring defiance of the British government has its own important place in the annals of our freedom movement. I wish success to the plans to celebrate the birth centenary of this remarkable son of India," Indira Gandhi had written in her letter dated May 20, 1980.
Thakur said the central government had released a documentary on Savarkar during the tenure of Indira Gandhi as prime minister to "acknowledge his valour, sacrifice, and selfless service to the nation".
The minister also shared excerpts from "Bhagat Singh's Jail Notebook" in which the revolutionary freedom fighter had made notes from books authored by Savarkar.
Even the Congress at its Kakinada Session in 1923 had passed resolutions supporting Savarkar, the BJP leader said. He said Indira Gandhi had even issued a postal stamp to acknowledge the contribution of Savarkar to the freedom movement.
"Just imagine, a person whose grandmother had honoured the great personality Veer Savarkar and none of the great men of that era have spoken ill about him. By saying all these things Rahul Gandhi is not insulting Savarkar but his grandmother, Netaji Bose, Bhagat Singh and even (Mahatma) Gandhiji," Thakur said.
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Jamaat-e-Islami Hind says Waqf Bill paves way for legislative discrimination against Muslims
New Delhi (PTI): Muslim organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Wednesday slammed the Waqf Bill as "highly condemnable" and alleged that it paves the way for legislative discrimination against Muslims.
The assertion came as the Bill was being debated in the Lok Sabha.
JIH president Syed Sadatullah Husaini strongly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill terming it "a highly condemnable" move that paves the way for legislative discrimination against Muslims.
He pointed out that the provisions of the Waqf Act of 1995, which the bill seeks to revoke, are not exclusive to Muslims, and other religious communities also have similar rights.
The endowment laws of various religious communities include provisions that restrict their management boards to members of their respective faiths, he said.
"They also allow for 'temples by users' similar to 'Waqf by user' and grant exemptions from laws such as the Limitation Act. However, Muslims alone are being singled out and deprived of these rights, which is blatant legislative discrimination and a dangerous precedent," Husaini alleged.
"The Bill introduces sweeping changes to the Waqf Act, 1995, increasing governmental interference in managing Waqf properties and fundamentally altering their religious character," he said.
This is a direct violation of Article 26 of the Constitution, which guarantees religious minorities the right to manage their religious institutions, the Jamaat president said.
Despite widespread opposition and millions of objections from the public, the government disregarded the feedback it received from the main stakeholders of the Bill, he claimed.
It appeared as if the consultative process was just a formality and the decision to pass the Bill had been predetermined, rendering public opinion and stakeholder concerns irrelevant, Husaini said.
He strongly criticised certain media outlets for misleading the public with false narratives. Husaini emphasised that the Bill does nothing to curb corruption, illegal occupation, or misuse of Waqf properties.
The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind calls upon all secular parties, opposition leaders, and NDA allies to resist this unjust Bill, he said.
"It is disappointing that some parties, despite claiming to be secular, have chosen to support it. They must not succumb to political pressure from the BJP and participate in communal politics. If they fail to oppose this bill, history will remember their betrayal, and justice-loving citizens will hold them accountable," he said.
If this bill is passed undemocratically, protests will be expanded nationwide under the leadership of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) along with other Muslim organisations, Husaini said.
"The law would be challenged through all constitutional, legal, democratic, and peaceful means. The struggle against this injustice will continue until the rights of the community are fully restored," he said.
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