B’luru: Actor Kishore Kumar criticises political use of ‘Vande Mataram’, says slogan being misused
Bengaluru: Pan India Actor Kishore Kumar has criticised what he calls an attempt to use the national song Vande Mataram for political gain by dividing people on religious lines.
On Thursday, he posted on Facebook a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking in the Lok Sabha, with the caption ‘Jai Shri Ram to Vande Mataram.’ In his post, Kishore said the song, which once energised the freedom movement and united people across India, was now being turned into a tool for political advantage.
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He wrote that expressions once used to welcome others with love were being taken over and converted into war cries and weapons of hatred, especially against Muslims. Just as this shift happened, he said, those in power who had no role in the freedom struggle and had no hesitation in selling what true patriots created, were now trying to appropriate a song used by freedom fighters.
Kishore also said many serious issues such as the falling value of the rupee, the state of the economy, weakening democratic institutions, what he called false GDP claims, unfulfilled promises to farmers, healthcare challenges, unemployment, situations in Manipur and Ladakh, and the arrests of scientists and scholars were being ignored.
According to him, the government had shown that it was unable to deal with real problems. He said their only approach now was to divide people and distract them, expressing his frustration over the current political climate.
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Nine killed, 23 injured as bus falls off ghat road in Andhra Pradesh
Chinturu (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Nine people were killed and 23 others injured after a bus fell off a ghat road and turned turtle here in Alluri Sitaramaraju district in the early hours of Friday, police said.
They said the bus, which was heading to neighbouring Telangana, was carrying 37 people, including the driver and the cleaner. Six of them are safe.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar said the accident occurred around 4.30 am on Chintoor-Maredumilli ghat road near a Durga temple.
"At least nine people were killed, and 23 were injured as the bus fell off the ghat road. It turned turtle... and got stuck," Bardar told PTI, adding that four of the injured are critical.
According to the officer, it is likely that the bus driver did not see a curve at the accident site due to heavy fog.
Police said the bus plunged from a higher ghat road and was lying upside down by a road located below. The accident occurred near the China Wall, which was built to prevent vehicles from plunging off the road. "We don't think the death toll will rise, and the four critically injured persons are doing okay," said a police official.
The SP noted that the bus was carrying people from Chittoor area, who had completed a visit to Araku and were proceeding to Sri Rama temple at Bhadrachalam in Telangana district.
Mothugudem police station booked a case under Section 106 (which deals with causing death by rash and negligent driving) of BNS. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed anguish over the accident.
The Chief Minister spoke to officials over the accident to enquire about the treatment being offered to the injured persons, said an official press release.
Officials informed Naidu that the injured persons were shifted to Chinturu hospital and other hospitals for better treatment.
