Wife of soldier killed in Pulwama joins Army; Lt Gen Joshi puts stars on her shoulders
Jammu, May 29: Following in the footsteps of her husband Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, who laid down his life in Pulwama, Nitika Kaul on Saturday donned the Army uniform with commander of the Army's northern command Lt Gen Y K Joshi piping stars on her shoulders at a ceremony held at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The PRO Udhampur, Ministry of Defence shared the brief video on its official Twitter handle, drawing spontaneous praises for Kaul and the Army.
#MajVibhutiShankarDhoundiyal, made the Supreme Sacrifice at #Pulwama in 2019, was awarded SC (P). Today his wife @Nitikakaul dons #IndianArmy uniform; paying him a befitting tribute. A proud moment for her as Lt Gen Y K Joshi, #ArmyCdrNC himself pips the Stars on her shoulders!, the PRO Udhampur wrote on twitter.
Major Dhoundiyal laid down his life fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama and was awarded Shaurya Chakra (posthumously) for his sacrifice for the nation.
You know why this is important because the Army never leaves its families alone even if the soldier is not there. For him to be there and support a veer nari who was married to a brother officer & now adorns the uniform herself, speaks volume about the Army Values & Code of conduct, a netizen Swapnil Pandey, who was among thousands who viewed the tweet, said.
Several others also praised Kaul and one of them wrote what a befitting tribute to the late husband. Truly inspirational story.
#MajVibhutiShankarDhoundiyal, made the Supreme Sacrifice at #Pulwama in 2019, was awarded SC (P). Today his wife @Nitikakaul dons #IndianArmy uniform; paying him a befitting tribute. A proud moment for her as Lt Gen Y K Joshi, #ArmyCdrNC himself pips the Stars on her shoulders! pic.twitter.com/ovoRDyybTs
— PRO Udhampur, Ministry of Defence (@proudhampur) May 29, 2021
And @NitikaKaul is now Lieutenant Nitika Kaul Dhoundiyal!
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) May 29, 2021
Hard to put into words what a soaring day this is. So proud of my young friend. Her husband Shaurya Chakra Maj Vibhuti made the supreme sacrifice 2019 post-Pulwama.
Godspeed & salute, Lieutenant! ??#IndiasMostFearless pic.twitter.com/uGqcPEEa2V
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
