Senior Congress leader Aryadan Mohammed dies
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Kozhikode (PTI): Senior Congress leader and eight-time legislator Aryadan Mohammed died here on Sunday, his family said. He was 87.
Mohammed, a three-time minister, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital here for the past one week.
He represented Nilambur constituency eight times from 1977 to 2011.
Mohammed was a minister in the first E K Nayanar ministry. He also became a minister in the A K Antony cabinet and the Oommen Chandy-led government.
"The body will be taken to Nilambur later in the day where the public can pay respects. He was admitted in the ICU for the past one week," his son Aryadan Shoukath reporters.
The funeral will be held on Monday at 9 am, he said.
Meanwhile, leaders cutting across political lines condoled the demise of the senior Congress leader.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the senior Congress leader's death and said he was a noted legislator.
"Mohammed had a political experience in working with and against the Left party. He was a noted legislator. He always upheld secular values," Vijayan said.
KPCC president K Sudhakaan said Mohammed was a Congress leader who held the spirit of the party close to his heart.
"He worked for the Congress party for seven decades. He had a strong political stand and was a secular leader with great knowledge," Sudhakaran said.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala condoled the death of Mohammed and said he was a strong leader of the party.
"He has proven himself as an able administrator. For a long time, he played a major role in guiding the Congress party," Chennithala said.
Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani condoled the demise, and said Mohammed was an experienced leader and a scholar.
Kerala Legislative Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer said as a legislator, Mohammed upheld secular values.
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Kangana Ranaut sparks row: Claims Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem
New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.
The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.
When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.
"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."
Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."
Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."
Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.
"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."
मनरेगा का नाम बदलने की केंद्र सरकार की कवायद महात्मा गांधी के प्रति उनकी ओछी मानसिकता और असम्मान का प्रमाण है। सरकार पहले 'पूज्य बापू' के नाम का शिगूफा छोड़ती है और फजीहत होने पर अब 'विकसित भारत-गारंटी फॉर रोजगार एंड आजीविका मिशन (VB-G RAM G)' जैसा नाम थोपना चाहती है। बार-बार नाम…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 15, 2025
गांधी जी ने ‘रघुपति राघव राजा राम’ को लेकर नेशनल एंथम बनाया था
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 16, 2025
BJP MP कंगना रनौत
चलो भाई आज नया नेशनल एंथम भी पता चला है!
BJP में एक से एक शिरोमणि भरे पड़े हैं 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/9DvyV5xLb1
