There's drumbeat to find silver linings in 'moral, political, personal' defeat for Modi: Congress
New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday claimed the mandate of the Lok Sabha polls has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said efforts were now being made to justify his "pathetic" electoral performance.
The BJP has won 240 seats in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, falling short of the halfway mark in the 543-member House, but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) together won 293 seats. The Congress has won 99 seats.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the drumbeat to find silver linings in the mandate that has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Modi has started.
"It is being propagated that Mr. Narendra Modi is the first to receive a mandate thrice in a row after Jawaharlal Nehru. How leading a party to 240 seats and becoming an 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is a mandate is not explained," the Congress leader said.
"Nehru, on the other hand, got 364 seats in 1952, 371 seats in 1957, and 361 seats in 1962 - a 2/3rd majority each time. Yet he remained a complete democrat, nurturing Parliament so very carefully with his constant presence," Ramesh said.
Neither is Modi the only man since Nehru to be sworn in thrice - in a row or not, he said.
Ramesh pointed out that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in thrice in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
And Indira Gandhi was sworn in 4 times in 1966, 1967, 1971 and 1980, he said.
"The drumbeaters will look for anything to justify Mr Narendra Modi's pathetic electoral performance in 2024," Ramesh said.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
