Modi has waged a war against dynastic politics in last 10 years, says BJP MP Tejasvi Surya
Bengaluru (PTI): Member of Parliament from Bangalore South Tejasvi Surya has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only waged a war against dynastic politics, but has also democratised the country's economic space in the last ten years. Calling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a "dynast", the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha President said he is something today, only because of the fact that he has inherited his parents and family's monetary as well as political legacy.
"A dynast like Rahul Gandhi, can only view the country's economy from the lens of entitlement, from the lens of dynasty. What has happened over the last ten years is that the Prime Minister has not only waged a war against a dynasty in politics but he has also democratised the country's economic space in the last ten years, thanks to the multi-dimensional effort the government has made to formalise the country's economy," Surya told PTI video.
He was responding to a question on the Congress' narrative that the Modi government is in the hands of a few crony capitalists.
Pointing out that today one can find first generation billionaires in India who do not inherit a business legacy, he further said, "But for Rahul Gandhi, who is something today only because of the fact that he has inherited his parents and family's monetary as well as political legacy, he is not ready to acknowledge and recognise the democratisation of the country's economy."
The first generation millionaires and billionaires coming up in India are higher than any time in the past seventy years, Surya said as he questioned "How can you make this absurd allegation that this country and the country's government is supporting one or two generational entrepreneurs?"
"How can one accuse this government of crony capitalism when it is empowering, encouraging young people with strong dreams, who are hardworking, and have the ability to go and build unicorns," he asked, while noting that India has positioned itself as a very strong entity in geopolitics.
Highlighting that the Prime Minister has on multiple occasions made it very clear that the third term of the Modi government is the most important term insofar as laying the foundation for a "Viksit Bharat" is concerned, the MP said, the next five years are going to be a multi-dimensional transformation at a much faster pace and a more accelerated pace than what we have seen the last five years of the Prime Minister.
Do not be surprised if Karnataka gives a clean sweep to the BJP, to Narendra Modi in the general elections, he further said, as he accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state of corruption and being bankrupt.
Responding to a question on the Karnataka government's bill that sought to collect funds from temples with over Rs 10 lakh annual income, Tejasvi asked, Why should the government, which claims to be secular, be in the business of running temples for a very long time?
"Personally, my position has been that the government, whichever party it may be, whichever state it may be, must not directly involve itself in the business of running religious institutions if it claims to be a secular government.
In Karnataka, while the government does not involve like this with respect to religious institutions of any other denominations, this interference is seen only with respect to Hindus so my personal position on this is that the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act itself must be revisited and repealed, and the government must not involve itself in the business of running religious institutions of the Hindus," he added.
Claiming that the Modi government has done more to protect the interests of the country's farmers than any other government earlier, the MP in response to a question, while highlighting various measures taken by the Centre said, "The argument that the government is anti-farmer is not bought by the farmers themselves."
Summing up his journey in the last five years as an MP from Bangalore South, Surya said it has been a very big learning experience for him and has made him more humble and more hopeful.
"I know it has given me more energy to contribute much more to the city and to the country," he said, as he expressed gratitude to the people of his constituency and the city for giving him this opportunity to serve the city.
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Empowering Future Generations on World Tsunami Awareness Day - Learning from the Past
It was a holiday, everyone at home was relaxing. My sister-in-law and I decided to prepare a light breakfast and planned a special biryani for lunch. With this decision, we set about cleaning the house and getting other chores done. Suddenly, I felt as if I were going to faint. I mentioned it to my sister-in-law, who was in the kitchen at the time, telling her, “I feel like I’m going to fall.” She responded, “It's not dizziness, it’s an earthquake! Run!”
We both dashed to our respective rooms to pick our children and joined the rest of the family outside on the road.
It was December 26, 2004, at precisely 7:58:53 in the morning, a massive earthquake, measuring between 9.2 and 9.3 in magnitude, struck off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Known to the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, this underwater mega thrust earthquake was caused by the rupture between the Burma and Indian tectonic plates. Though theoretically, the Richter scale has no upper limit, in practice, earthquakes of magnitude greater than 8.6 are rarely recorded.
This was a new and terrifying experience for me; it felt as though the world was ending. The earthquake was marked by the longest fault rupture ever recorded, spanning between 1,200 to 1,300 kilometers (around 720 to 780 miles), and the faulting itself lasted for an unprecedented ten minutes. The planet’s surface trembled by as much as 10 millimeters (0.4 inches), and the quake was powerful enough to trigger tremors in remote regions like Alaska.
Once the ground ceased its violent shaking, we all, shaken and sharing our fear and disbelief, made our way back inside. Unaware that this was only the beginning, we noticed that both electricity and phone lines were down. Those who had ventured out early to gather essentials returned with alarming news: “The water is rising!” At that moment, none of us in these islands knew what that meant. Soon, our world would change forever as we encountered, for the first time, the word "tsunami"- a phenomenon that was about to become the world's first global disaster.
This massive tsunami resulted from an underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean. It devastated fourteen countries with approximately 230,000 deaths globally. At Andaman and Nicobar alone, official statistics confirm 3,077 persons missing declared dead. Over 50,000 persons from the local population residing on both islands were ravaged by these waves with, perhaps, many other silent lives engulfed by those mighty waves. Entire livelihoods were destroyed as sea water ruined the agricultural land in Nicobar Islands while submerging large areas of farmland in South Andaman. Since then, December 26th comes to be known as 'Boxing Day' in these islands.
As we approach the 20th anniversary of the disaster, today, the 5th November commemorates the event known as Inamura-no-hi of 1854, when Japanese farmer Hamaguchi Goryō foresaw the approach of a tsunami following an earthquake.He noticed the warning sign and set fire to his paddy sheaves to warn his village so that they could save themselves before the disaster struck. This is one of the earliest examples of He noticed the warning sign and set fire to his paddy sheaves to warn his village so that they could save themselves before the disaster struck. This is one of the earliest examples of community preparedness in the face of natural disasters.
The observance underscores the need for community awareness about the risks of tsunamis since more than 700 million people live along vulnerable coastlines. It also focuses on the strengthening of global cooperation to increase tsunami readiness, especially as the population density in coastal regions continues to rise.
The lead agency of the UN for coordinating disaster risk reduction is the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, known as UNDRR, in the UK. Using its area of expertise, it helps strengthen partnerships with national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector.
The observance reminds global leaders the need for community awareness about the risks of tsunamis since more than 700 million people live along vulnerable coastlines. It also focuses on the strengthening of global cooperation to increase tsunami readiness, especially as the population density in coastal regions continues to rise.
The lead agency of the UN for coordinating disaster risk reduction is the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, known as UNDRR, in the UK. Using its area of expertise, it helps strengthen partnerships with national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector. This year’s theme for World Tsunami Awareness Day resonates with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Summit of the Future, emphasizing the role of “youth and future generations.” With the campaign #AreYouReady24, observance activities aim to honor the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami by passing on valuable lessons to today’s youth. UNDRR is encouraging tsunami-prone nations to enhance evacuation routes, install updated warning systems, and promote awareness among children and young people. Additionally, they invite youth and educational institutions to engage with the *Stop Disasters* online game, fostering practical knowledge on saving lives during disasters.
The memories of this tsunami unleashed by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which, 20 years on, released energy equivalent to 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs taking only 15 minutes to 7 hours to devastate fourteen countries and killing over 230,000 people are a potent reminder of the catastrophic consequences in the event of inadequate preparation. We have to learn from this tragedy so that the same mistake does not happen in the future. The administration should give emphasis to efficient disaster risk management and resilient early warning systems so that vulnerable communities are protected from such serious disasters.
