RSS trying to crush Karnataka's spirit: Rahul
Bengaluru, May 10: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of trying to crush the spirit of the people of Karnataka and said the Congress will win Saturday's Assembly polls hands down.
Gandhi, who addressed a press conference here on the last day of campaigning, said that the Karnataka polls were not just between two political parties but between two ideologies.
He alleged that the RSS was imposing its idea of oneness and was against the people of Karnataka to express themselves.
"There is an idea in India that says the entire country must be ruled with one idea, one imposition and everybody must submit to that idea. That is what RSS is trying to do. Institution after institution is being attacked by the RSS," he said.
"Supreme Court judges for the first time are asking people for justice. The reason for this is because the RSS is placing its people everywhere. My friends in Karnataka listen to this carefully. The idea is to crush your spirit. We will never ever allow your spirit and ideas of Basavanna to be crushed," he said
The Congress President also ruled out the possibility of a hung assembly in the state.
"I am pretty clear that there is going to be one outcome here which is the Congress party winning the elections hands down," Gandhi said.
"On one side you have the RSS idea of one concept in the whole country. On the other, you have an idea that every single person in the country should be able to express himself, that all my friends in Karnataka should have pride in their language, in their food. That is what this fight has become. There is no half-way answer possible in this," he noted.
Gandhi said the media had estimated only a few seats to Congress in Gujarat but the party came very close to defeating the BJP whose campaign was spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"In Gujarat, my friends in the media said Congress will not get more than 20-30 seats. Congress came very close to defeating BJP. The Prime Minister put whatever effort he could," he added.
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.
To see the sea: Waves of challenges in a day of a fisherman
The fishermen who brave the seas to earn their livelihoods face numerous problems each and every day. The challenges, dangers and anxious moments that await them across the bounding waves build a world where the elements of nature reign supreme and man turns into a mere toy in their hands. The fishing boats which go about their business swaying in the surging waves, struggle in the wake of speeding cargo vessels, face checks and enquiries of the Coast Guard, and sometimes encounter terrific occurrences and fall into strange predicaments.
The waves that welcome you below!!
The trouble of a fisherman begins at the estuary, gateway to the sea, which creates a hindrance to boats sometimes due to the silt deposited. There are numerous instances where a fellow fisherman was thrown overboard, never to resurface, without the awareness of his comrades in a rough sea. Such unfortunate souls drown silently into the depths of an all welcoming sea. A few fortunate individuals receive help immediately or other boats which happened to notice them rush to rescue, all depending upon favourable conditions. Every time a fisherman enters the sea, he is never sure if he will make it home.
The Unwanted Guests
Fishing is never a sail across a smooth sea. One of the great woes of the fishermen is those fish which can’t be sold due to lack of demand and also due to their inedibility. Puffer fish, puche meen, coral snakes and jelly fish belong to this category. This marine life not only harms the valuable fishing net but also is hazardous due to its venom.
Whale-Dolphin Connection
Whales, the kings of the deep ocean, sometimes rise above water and teach the philosophy of life to the fishermen. These gargantuan sea creatures make the punitive men in sea realize how small their existence is. Every fisherman who has seen a whale in the sea remembers its dignified demeanor. Similarly, one of the happiest moments in a fisherman’s life is witnessing the antics of dolphins. Called suyimpe, kheeri and panji meen in Tulu, dolphins are considered man’s best friends. Their hops, leaps and stunts at very close quarters are really mesmerizing. There is no doubt that the close association of these intelligent creatures with human beings is a cause of envy among all marine life.
A Cry that Melts Hearts
The fishing nets sometimes catch sea turtles and dolphins too. When the turtles bite and destroy the nets in a bid to escape, dolphins exhibit a heard rending behavior on realizing their proximity to death. As the fishermen retract the net, it starts wriggling to indicate that it isn’t ready to be taken away. Many fishermen report hearing a baby-like weeping sound that emanates from these marine creatures. Dolphins literally shed tears and make a fervent plea with their eyes if pulled to surface. A fisherman fishes only to feed his family, he is not a cruel hearted beast. When he sees the crying dolphin, he clears the net out of its path, pats it head as if it was his own child and sends the bag of joy on its path to freedom.
Robbers in the middle of sea!!
Yes, you heard it right. Our coastal line is witnessing a new phenomenon of robbers in the middle of the sea. In last January, a fishing boat in the deep seas near Kapu in Udupi district was raided by a band of robbers who arrived on a boat. They assaulted the 6 fishermen and snatched away 12 boxes of catch worth lakhs, along with 4 smart phones. In the present times of extreme fish scarcity, such crimes hit the fishermen, who are mere daily wagers, much harder. Administrators need to look into these issues to ease the lives of these poor folk.
Shipwrecks of the depths
Wrecks of large modern cargo ships, timber-built sailing ships called manjis and the remains of fishing trawlers stay waiting in the depths to trouble the fishing boats. Called kolpu in Tulu, these wrecks spell trouble to the fishing nets, completely destroying them. Sometimes the rocks in seabed also destroy the nets. Occasionally, ropes and nets get entangled in the propellers of their own boats. This is really lethal for the divers who will have to swim under the boats in shark infested waters and untangle them.
