Priyanka hits out at PM for "dig my grave" comment, says Karnataka polls is not about Modi
T Narasipura (K'taka) (PTI): Taking a strong exception to Narendra Modi's comments that the opposition party wants to "dig his grave", Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said there won't be anyone in this country who doesn't want the Prime Minister's good health and that he has a long life.
Calling such statements "strange" and questioning as to whether it is an election issue as it is being used during the campaigning, she called on the people of the state to ensure this election is not about Modi or any other leader, irrespective of their party.
"I have seen that BJP leaders come here and speak strange things. I heard the Prime Minister was saying that opposition leaders want to dig his grave, what kind of talk is this? There won't be anyone in this country who doesn't want our Prime Minister's good health and that he has a long life," Vadra said.
Addressing a public meeting here, as part of the party's campaigning for the May 10 Assembly polls, she said, "But, I want to ask you (people)- is this an election issue? They raise strange issues, but why don't they speak about you? Why don't they speak about price rise, unemployment, talk about taking you forward?"
Hitting out at the Congress members, who had purportedly raised the Modi teri khabar khudegi' (Modi your grave will be dug) slogan, Modi had on several occasions during his campaigning in Karnataka has asserted that people, instead, are chanting 'Modi tera kamal khilega' (Modi, your lotus will bloom).
"I want to tell you that it is your duty to ensure that this election is centered around your issues. This election is not about Modi ji. This election is not about any leader, irrespective of the party they are from. This election is about your Karnataka, it is about your pride, your daily life, which has been destroyed by their loot," Vardra said.
If people of Karnataka fail to realise that this election is about them, the future of their children, this election to save their state and culture, "you will be committing a big mistake", she said.
AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, former Minister H C Mahadevappa, and MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah among others were present.
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RSS mouthpiece Organiser's article claims Catholic Church surpasses Waqf Board in landholdings: Repo
Thiruvananthapuram: An article in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece Organiser has stated that the Catholic Church of India holds more land than the Waqf Board, which has long been believed to be the second-largest landowner in the country.
The article, titled "Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs Waqf Board Debate," as cited by The New Indian Express, challenges the commonly held view and asserts that the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental landholder in India.
"For many years, there has been a common belief that the Waqf Board is the second largest landowner in India after the government, however, this claim does not align with the actual data on land ownership in the country. The Catholic Church of India holds the distinction of being the largest non-governmental landowner, possessing vast tracts of land spread across the country,” the article stated.
The Church is said to own approximately 17.29 crore acres (7 crore hectares) of land, with an estimated value of Rs 20,000 crore.
The article further noted the significant influence of the Catholic Church in India’s real estate landscape, listing scores of schools, hospitals, nursing colleges, and other institutions under its management. “As of 2012, the Catholic Church has 2,457 hospital dispensaries, 240 medical or nursing colleges, 28 general colleges, 5 engineering colleges, 3,765 secondary schools, 7,319 primary schools and 3,187 nursery schools in the field of education and healthcare sector in the country. Much of its land was acquired during British rule. In 1927, the British administration passed the Indian Church Act, facilitating large-scale land grants to the Church," it added.
However, the Organiser article also raised contentious issues, alleging that some of the Church's land acquisitions might have been questionable. It suggested that the Church’s charitable services, particularly in education and healthcare, could be a way of luring economically disadvantaged individuals into converting to Christianity, with some reports claiming that tribal and rural landowners were coerced into converting in exchange for Church-run services.
“Several cases have surfaced where tribal lands, once belonging to indigenous communities, were gradually transferred to Church authorities under various pretexts," the article stated.
This published write-up comes at a time when BJP leaders, particularly in Kerala, are celebrating the passing of the Waqf Amendment Bill, which they have described as a "gift" to the Munambam protesters, who are led by the Catholic Church.
Interestingly, Organiser has deleted the article after it was published.
Article deleted but RSS mouthpiece @eOrganiser forgot to delete the tweet https://t.co/CTjvIwFeor pic.twitter.com/cFIT3can5J
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