One nation-one language will never be a reality, says Jairam Ramesh in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 15: Amid a raging debate over Hindi as a common language for the country, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said it would never be a reality.
The Rajya Sabha member also noted that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was under daily attack by forces out to "denigrate and obliterate" his legacy and the very idea of India would "die" if his ideas were abandoned.
...we may have one nation-one tax, but one nation-one language will never be a reality...we are one nation- we are many languages, we are one nation- many countries," he said.
Ramesh, who began his speech by addressing the dignitaries, including the Governor and Chief Minister and the audience in English Kannada, Hindi, said "I have spoken in three languages in one minute,just to give you a message...."
"We may have one nation-one tax, one nation-one election, but under no circumstances can we have one nation-one culture, one nation-one language," he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday had pitched for Hindi as a common language for the country, reigniting the debate on the issue as parties in the South said they would oppose any attempt to "impose" the language.
Congress too had cautioned against stirring up "emotive" issues "settled" by those who framed the Constitution, after Shah said that while diversity in languages is India's strength, a national language is needed so that foreign languages and cultures do not overpower the country's own.
Ramesh was delivering the Sir M Visvesvaraya memorial lecture- "A Prime Minister and an Engineer" at an event organized by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry to commemorate the birth anniversary of its founder Visvesvaraya, who was also the Diwan of Mysore state.
Listing out various accounts related to Nehru and Visvesvaraya, Ramesh said he was a perfect model of intellectual integrity and financial probity, both values that are endangered today.
"Today we recall this remarkable man as an annual ritual.
How much our country would gain if we were to follow his example the other 364 days as well," he said.
Ramesh said Nehru, the architect of the modern Indian nation state, had anchored in an open, liberal, representative democracy, secularism, a celebration of diversities amidst unity, scientific temper and planned economic development, all of which was now under 'daily attack' by forces out to 'denigrate and obliterate" his legacy.
"As an unabashed but not uncritical admirer of his, I must say that the very idea of India will die if we abandon the ideas of Nehru.
Recognizing his contributions and standing up for the causes he championed would be the best tribute we would be paying to Visvesvaraya himself," he added.
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa were present at the event, where Advaith Hyundai Director Dr S V S Subramanya Gupta was conferred with the Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya memorial award, 2019.
Referring to Gupta's request to the Chief Minister for better infrastructure in Bengaluru, Ramesh mocked at Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjola’s recent comment that good roads were responsible for accidents, without taking his name.
"There are some people who think that good roads in Bengaluru lead to more deaths," he said.
Amid calls that the government should first improve road infrastructure before imposing hefty fines for traffic violations, Karjol had recently said good roads were responsible for accidents.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
West Asia conflict: PM Modi takes stock of fuel, power, fertiliser supply
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reviewed with senior ministers the situation related to crude, gas and other petroleum products, and power and fertiliser sectors in view of the evolving West Asia situation.
Government sources said the focus of the meeting was on ensuring uninterrupted supply, stable logistics and efficient distribution across the country.
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh (Defence), Amit Shah (Home), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Agriculture), S Jaishankar (External Affairs), Nirmala Sitharaman (Finance), J P Nadda (Health), Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry) and Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways) were among those who attended the high-level meeting, sources said.
Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal (Ports and Shipping), Manohar Lal Khattar (Power), Pralhad Joshi (Food and Consumer Affairs), Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu (Civil Aviation) and Hardeep Singh Puri (Petroleum), NSA Ajit Doval and the prime minister's two principal secretaries, P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, were also present.
The situation related to crude, gas, petroleum products, and power and fertiliser sectors was reviewed in view of the evolving West Asia situation, the sources said.
The government is taking proactive steps to ensure an uninterrupted supply of all essential goods, including petroleum products, they said.
The meeting took stock of the current global situation in the wake of the West Asia conflict and the measures taken to protect consumer and industry interests, which is the key focus of the government, the sources said.
On March 12, PM Modi had said that the war in West Asia has triggered a worldwide energy crisis, posing a critical test of national character that requires dealing with circumstances through peace, patience and increased public awareness.
The prime minister emphasised that his government is working relentlessly to address disruptions that have emerged in international supply chains.
"Continuous efforts are also underway to determine how we can overcome the disruptions that have occurred in the supply chain," Modi had said.
The prime minister has spoken to many global leaders since the West Asia conflict started on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Iran has retaliated by targeting Israel and several of its Gulf neighbours.
Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which 20 per cent of the world's energy is transported. Since the conflict, very few ships have been allowed by Iran to cross it.
The blockade has resulted in severe disruptions in energy supply to many countries, including India.
Since the conflict, Modi has had telephonic conversations with leaders from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, France, Malaysia, Israel and Iran.
