Mysuru (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with securing respect for India's cultural heritage on the world stage, citing the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the promotion of other key pilgrimage centres as examples.
Speaking at 'Sutturu Jathra' (fair) event near here, he lauded Modi for promoting the preservation of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Indian languages, along with making the country secure and prosperous.
"Narendra Modi has worked to gain respect for the country's cultural heritage on the world stage. Modiji has worked for the revival of several of our cultural centres such as Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Kashi, Mahakal Corridor (Mahakal Lok Corridor in Ujjain), and resurrection of Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham," Shah said.
Sutturu Math on the banks of river Kapila, located in Nanjangud taluk in this district, is one of the prominent spiritual centres in the state that propagates Veerashaiva/Lingayat faith.
Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji of Sutturu Math, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, and state BJP President B Y Vijayendra, were among those present at the event.
Shah lauded Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamij for deciding to open a branch of the Sutturu Math in Ayodhya, and start working there.
Offering tributes to 12th century social reformer and philosopher Basaveshwara, he also acknowledged the contributions on Sutturu Math and its seers in promoting the welfare of society.
"I want to tell Mahaswamiji that I myself and every worker of the BJP will always respect the contributions of Sutturu Math to the society and, in the coming days, will in every way support the efforts to take it forward amidst the people," he added.
Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, who chiselled the idol of 'Ram Lalla', consecrated in the newly-constructed temple in Ayodhya, was felicitated at the event.
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Thanjavur/Pudukottai (PTI): Tamil Nadu currently stands as the number one state among India’s developing regions, boasting a significant growth rate of 11.19 per cent, despite a stark lack of support from the BJP-led union government, Deputy Chief Minister Udhyanidhi Stalin said on Sunday.
"The central administration has failed to provide requested projects or the funds rightfully due to the state. This neglect reached a peak in the last Union Budget, where the name "Tamil Nadu" was entirely absent, with no new projects allocated to the region," Udhayanidhi told the gathered crowd at Peravurani in Thanjavur.
He also accused the central government of "attempting to undermine" the state's cultural identity by re-imposing a 'Three-Language Policy' and pushing Hindi and Sanskrit into the territory.
"While these threats loom, the opposition leader, Edappadi Palaniswami, remains silent. Instead of questioning these injustices, he has formed an alliance with the BJP, effectively facilitating the entry of these policies into Tamil Nadu," the Deputy Chief Minister added.
According to him, the upcoming assembly election presents a critical opportunity for the people to respond to this continuous neglect.
"It is time for the voters to decide whether to support the Tamil Nadu team or a Delhi team that ignores the state’s developmental needs and linguistic heritage," he added.
Earlier, speaking at Viralimalai in Pudukottai, he argued that this election "is a war between the Delhi Team and the Tamil Nadu Team".
"We are the Tamil Nadu Team...we must send Delhi Team back to where they came from with a decisive win," he said.
He urged the electorate to break the "remote control" Delhi uses to try and control Tamil Nadu.
Udhayanidhi attacked the opposition, specifically targeting incumbent MLA and AIADMK candidate C Vijayabaskar by calling him a "drama company actor", who is part of a "slave group" being threatened by the CBI and ED.
The deputy CM listed the infrastructure and welfare achievements of the "Dravidian Model" government, specifically mentioning quality road works worth Rs 25 crore for 30 km and drinking water connections worth Rs 17 crore in the region.
He also claimed that the DMK revived the laptop scheme for college students after the AIADMK abandoned it in 2019.
Looking toward a second term, he promised that the government would increase the women's entitlement amount to Rs 2,000 and build Rs 10 lakh houses under the 'Kalaignar Kanavu Illam' initiative for those without homes.
Invoking his political lineage, he told the local cadre to set a high target, noting that while the party lost the seat by a narrow margin previously, this time DMK must win by a margin of "50,000 votes to drive away the slave group".
