Congress having "vicious and divisive design", alleges BJP President Nadda
Shivamogga (PTI): Accusing the Congress of supporting the idea of religion-based reservation, despite the fact that it cannot be done as per the Constitution, BJP President J P Nadda on Tuesday charged the grand old party with having "vicious and divisive designs".
He said this while speaking at "professionals meet" organised here as part of the BJP's campaign for Shimoga Lok Sabha candidate B Y Raghavendra.
"In the Constitution, it is very clearly written that there is no place for religious reservation, but what they (Congress) did -- 4 per cent reservation to Muslims, from OBC quota (in Karnataka). Who is against the OBC? They are neither friends of Muslim brethren nor sympathisers of OBC," Nadda said.
Addressing the gathering, he noted that in undivided Andhra Pradesh, Congress came out with a law four times, where they tried to take reservation of SC/ST and OBCs, to give it to the Muslim community.
"We are not against the Muslim community, but we have to understand that the Constitution clearly says that there will be no reservation based on religion, and it is a very deep thought...but these people (Congress) the kind of vicious and divisive designs they have. Are we going to support them?" he asked.
Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, Raghavendra and other party leaders were present.
Accusing opposition parties of indulging in 'divisive politics', Nadda said, "a few days ago there was a video and they were trying to create an impression and environment that BJP is against SC/ST and OBC, and if we (BJP) come to power the reservations for these communities will go."
"They came out with a fabricated video... people and media exposed the INDI Alliance's deep fake video. the sad part of it is that the fake video was uploaded on social media from Telangana CM Revanth Reddy's phone, and all partners of the INDI Alliance tried to make it viral....they are in deep depression about BJP and NDA crossing 400 seats under PM's leadership. This shows their mentality," he added.
Nadda said on the one hand there is BJP, which is being led by PM Modi, under whom India was becoming stronger by the day and things have changed. He said it was sad to note on the other hand was the INDI Alliance, which has got "no perspective, no objective and no direction."
"They (INDIA bloc) are so frustrated that they are trying to build divisive forces and encourage divisive forces, they want to create a north and south divide. When PM speaks about 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas Sabka Prayaas', they talk about division of north and south," he added.
Claiming that the country has undergone a sea change in the last 10 years, Nadda said, "10 years ago the political discourse was-- nothing is going to change, full of depression, there was no enthusiasm and nothing is going to change; but today we can say with confidence that here is a country which is aspiring to become a developed nation under PM Modi."
Speaking about India's growth on the global stage and the country having its say in the multilateral forums and "neighborhood first" policy under Modi rule, he said the PM paid more than a hundred overseas visits and ensured that the voice of India and its people should echo in every part of the world in the right perspective.
Shimoga goes to polls along with 13 other Lok Sabha segments in the state on May 7.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah always talks about Karnataka not getting its due, Nadda said. "Siddaramaiah will never get his due, because they (Congress) don't believe in mission, they believe in commission, that they are not going to get."
"There is a raise of 275 per cent from the UPA era, as far as allocating funds to Karnataka (from Centre during NDA) is concerned," he said, highlighting several centrally sponsored developmental and infrastructure projects in the state.
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Several Indians inducted into Russian Army remain missing: Report
New Delhi: In a concerning development, several Indians who were illegally enlisted in the Russian Army and forcibly sent to the war zone on the Russia-Ukraine border are reportedly still missing.
According to a report published by The Hindu on Sunday, citing communication from the Ministry of External Affairs and statements from the families of two missing men, Mohammad Amin Sheikh, a 65-year-old resident of Kupwara in Tangdhar, Jammu and Kashmir, said that his 27-year-old son, Zahoor Sheikh, last contacted the family on December 31, 2023.
Amin Sheikh mentioned that his son said that he was going for training and would not be available for the next three months on phone. “But when we started getting news about the deaths of Indians in Russia in January, we got worried and called on his number. We could not reach him. We are yet to hear from him,” Sheikh, a retired Inspector from the Public Health Department in Jammu and Kashmir, was quoted as saying by the publication.
Last week, Mohammad Amin Sheikh and his two other sons travelled to New Delhi to seek answers from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Russian Embassy after the Indian Embassy in Moscow failed to give them information about Zahoor Sheikh.
“We submitted a petition at the Russian Embassy,” 31-year-old Aijaz Amin, Zahoor Sheikh’s elder brother, told The Hindu. “They said they are looking into the matter. The MEA officials said that at least 15 Indians are still missing and though the Russian government is cooperative, their commanders on the ground are not responsive,” he added.
Zahoor had travelled to Russia after he came across a YouTube video promising the job of a security helper in Russia. Instead, he was reportedly deceived into joining the Russian Army.
Similarly, 30-year-old Mandeep, from Jalandhar in Punjab, has been missing since March. His brother, Jagdeep Kumar, also arrived in Delhi, looking for answers from the government about his sibling's whereabouts.
“We last spoke on March 3. He initially went to Armenia and was supposed to go to Italy from there in search of work. Instead, he was tricked by an agent to go to Russia and was forced to join the Russian Army. He was sent to the war zone after a few days of training,” Kumar told The Hindu.
Kumar said he met officials from the External Affairs Ministry in the capital city, who told him that at least 25 Indians were reported missing in Russia.
