RSS an association of upper castes, PM Modi a great dramatist: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Aug 9: Calling the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh an "association of upper castes", senior Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday called the central government's 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign a "drama", and Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "great dramatist".
The former state chief minister questioned BJP's and RSS' contribution to India's freedom struggle and alleged that they have opposed the national flag, anthem and the Constitution. "How can they be patriots?" he asked.
"I have been opposing the RSS from the beginning as it is just an association of upper castes, that's the reason they believe in the 'Chaturvarna' system (caste system). Chaturvarna system believes in the supremacy of upper castes; if that system continues, there will be inequality which may in turn lead to exploitation," Siddaramaiah said.
All Sangh Parivar organisations like the RSS, BJP, Hindu Mahasabha, Hindu Jagarana Vedike and Bajrang Dal believe in such a caste system and ideology, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly alleged while speaking during an event organised at Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office here to commemorate the Quit India Movement's anniversary.
Calling BJP's 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign a "drama", he alleged that "their (BJP) ideological leaders like V D Savarkar, M S Golwalkar and RSS mouthpiece 'Organiser' had opposed the national tricolour. We must expose them."
For about 52 years, the national flag was not hoisted on RSS headquarters at Nagpur in Maharashtra, Siddaramaiah alleged.
Claiming that it is the Congress and its leaders who are responsible for "free India", Siddaramaiah alleged that Savarakar had written an apology letter to the British to be freed from jail, and he is being called "Veer Savarkar".
"Had Golwalkar or Hedgewar (RSS leaders) fought for this country's freedom, been to jail or sacrificed their lives for it?... (PM) Narendra Modi was born in free India, while I at least was born 12 days ahead of Independence; these people today, preach us about patriotism and independence," he said.
"Theirs (BJP/RSS) is a complete drama, Modi is a great dramatist...we should expose these fake patriots, only Congress has morality...we should inform people and make them aware," he added.
State Congress chief D K Shivakumar, citing the Enforcement Directorate's action against his party leadership in the National Herald cases, said, there is an "undeclared emergency" in the country.
He said the Congress was the "true inheritor" of the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and India's freedom struggle, as he accused the BJP government of "trying to change history and insulting the national flag and anthem".
The Karnataka Congress has decided to take out a mega foot march carrying the tricolour from the Sangolli Rayanna Circle to the National College ground in Basavanagudi on August 15, in which, according to the party, at least one lakh people are likely to take part. Similar marches are being organised by the party across the state.
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.
Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
