Bhatkal: An inter-faith get-together was organised on Thursday in Bhatkal as a part of millenary celebrations of Jamatul Muslimeen Bhatkal. Several key figures from different religions and beliefs attended the event.

Vartha Bharati editor-in-chief Abdussalam Puthige, All India Muslim Personal Law Board General Secretary, Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, General Secretary of All India Message for Humanity Forum, Moulana Bilal Hasani Nadvi, Basava Dharma Peetha, Kudalasangama Swamiji were present during the event as Chief Guests.

Speaking at the event, Abdussalam Puthige spoke about the importance of peace and communal harmony among different faiths in current scenario and pointed how it can be restored.

"If we have to become a proud country, it doesn't matter if we win lesser medal at Olympics, but what is important is we should have a crime-free, hate-free society, a society which is above communalism." He said.

AIMPLB General Secretary Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani recalled the last sermon of Prophet Mohammed and spoke about the brotherhood and message of peace that Islam promotes.

He called on people to come out of religious lines to build a stronger society together.

"Humanity is the greatest relationship that we share with one another. Whenever one is in need we should all come together for the sake of humanity and help each other. That's how an ideal society can be built." He said.

Moulana Bilal Hasani Nadvi also spoke about spreading peace and harmony in the country and added that the diversity and exclusiveness of India need to be restored.

"India found glory only because of its unity and diversity. Today, the unity is being destroyed, the diversity has been marred by hate and communalism, we need to restore our lost glory,"

"The hate that is being spread today in this country, is posing greater threat to this country than any other enemy is posing today." He added.

Basava Dharma Peetha, Kudalasangama Swamiji lauded Islam for spreading peace and communal harmony for centuries and added that Islam essentially stands for peace and non-violence.

"Every religion bats for non-violence and peace, but today people are spreading hate and violence using religion as a medium. These are all political gimmicks. 

"The politicians are targeting common people by visiting temples like Hindus, Mosques like Muslims and Churches like Christian and then triggering hate among people of these faiths only." Swamiji said.

"We can only become Vishwaguru by implementing principles of Constitution that was given to us by Ambedkar, merely by standing on podiums and calling out that we have become Vishwaguru wouldn't take us anywhere," he added.

"Those who offer Pujas and those who offer Namaz should not fight among themselves, only then this country can attain peace and harmony." He further said.

Managing Director of Hangyo Ice Creams also lauded the contributions of Nawayath Community in upliftment of the town and local businesses and Congratulated Jamatul Muslimeen Bhatkal on completing one thousand years.

Former Bhatkal MLAs Mankal Vaidya, JD Naik and otgers were also present during the event.

 

 

 


 

 

 

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New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday came down heavily on the Congress for the shirtless protest by its youth wing members at the AI Impact Summit recently, saying the opposition party can tear as many clothes as it wants, but his government will continue to work for the country's progress.

Addressing the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, Modi also said that the Congress did not just remove its clothes in front of foreign guests but also exposed its intellectual bankruptcy, asserting that the millennials have already taught the country's oldest party a lesson, and now Gen-Z is ready to do the same.

In an apparent jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Modi said the opposition was unhappy seeing the statue of "Babbar Shers" (lions) installed atop the new Parliament building, but their own “Babbar Shers" were running away after facing the "shoes" of the general public.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had said on February 24 that he was proud of the "Babbar Shers" of the Indian Youth Congress, who "fearlessly" raised their voice at the AI Summit.

"Congress ke Babbar Sher logon ki jute kha ke bhaag gaye (The 'lions' of Congress ran away after being hit by shoes by the public)," Modi said.

The prime minister was apparently referring to the protesting Youth Congress workers being heckled by some people at the AI Summit.

On February 20, a group of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a dramatic protest inside Hall No. 5 of the summit venue in Delhi by removing their shirts to reveal T-shirts printed with anti-government slogans, triggering a political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress.

“Congress can tear as many clothes as it wants, but we will continue to work for India's development. Congress not just shed clothes at the AI Summit, it also exposed its incapabilities in front of foreign guests,” Modi said in his nearly 45-minute speech.

He said the AI Summit was a moment of pride for the entire nation, but unfortunately, Congress attempted to tarnish this national celebration.

"When the frustration and despair of failure weigh on the mind, and arrogance makes one's head spin, such a mindset emerges to defame the country," he said.

The prime minister also alleged that the Congress always takes refuge in Mahatma Gandhi to hide its failures, but tries to give credit to one family for anything good.

"People of our country welcomed every good step taken by our government, but the Congress only knows how to oppose everything. The votes of Congress are not stolen; rather, people do not consider Congress worthy of their votes. Millennials first taught a lesson to Congress, now Gen-Z is ready to do the same," he said.

Modi also said that in a democracy, the role of the opposition is not just about blindly opposing every move of the government, but presenting an alternative vision, and that is why the "enlightened public" of the country is "teaching a lesson" to Congress now.

In 1984, the Congress got 39 per cent of the votes and more than 400 seats. But its votes declined consistently in the subsequent elections, Modi said.

"Today, the condition of the Congress is such that it has more than 50 MLAs in just four states. Over the past 40 years, the number of young voters in the country has increased, but the Congress has clearly diminished," Modi said.

On the recent trade deals that India signed with foreign countries, Modi said the country has discovered its inherent strength and strengthened its institutions, which prompted developed nations to come forward and sign deals with India.

He also said that even after Independence, some people ensured that the colonial mindset remained for their own benefits.

"No country would have done trade deals with us had we not discovered our inherent strength and strengthened our institutions. Because of this, developed nations have come forward to sign trade deals (with India)," he said.

Modi also said that even after Independence, India was unable to break free from the mentality of slavery, for which the country is still paying the price.

"The latest example of this can be seen in the ongoing discussions on trade deals. Some people are shocked – ‘what has happened, how did this happen? Why are developed countries so eager to do trade deals with India?’ The answer is – a confident India is emerging from despair and frustration," he said.

Over the long span of history, centuries of slavery had instilled a feeling of inferiority, while the ideology imported from other countries deeply ingrained in society the notion that Indians were uneducated and subservient, the prime minister said.

"If the country was still mired in the despair of the pre-2014 era, counted among the 'Fragile Five', and gripped by policy paralysis, who would strike a trade deal with us?

"Over the past 11 years, a new surge of energy has flowed into the nation's consciousness. India is now striving to reclaim its lost potential," Modi said.

The prime minister also said that due to the recent series of reforms initiated by his government, the world's most powerful nations are now coming forward to sign trade deals with India.

"There was a time when India was only a consumer of new technology. But now we are not just developing them, but also setting standards," he said.

The prime minister also said that India's digital public infrastructure has become a subject of global discussion today, and every move India makes is closely watched and analysed across the world.

"The AI Summit was a clear example of this," he said.

The government's 'Viksit Bharat by 2047' is not a political slogan but an effort to correct the mistakes of the previous Congress governments by making India self-reliant, he said.

“So far, in every industrial revolution, India and the Global South largely remained followers, but in this age of artificial intelligence (AI), India is not only participating but is also shaping it. India now has its own AI startup ecosystem,” Modi said.

He also said the world is astonished that India, where around 30 million families lived in darkness until 2014, has now risen to become one of the top countries in solar power capacity.

India, where many cities had no hope of improving their public transport system, has now become the country with the world's third-largest Metro network, Modi said.

“The Indian Railways was known only for chronic delays and sluggish speeds, yet semi-high-speed connectivity like Vande Bharat and Namo Bharat has now become possible,” he said.

Nation-building never happens through short-term thinking; it is shaped by a long-term vision, patience and timely decisions, the prime minister added.