Tributes paid to Gandhi, Shastri on their birth anniversaries in Karnataka
Bengaluru/Mangaluru (PTI): Rich tributes were paid to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries in Karnataka on Sunday.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai joined many others to offer their floral tributes to Gandhiji on his 153rd birth anniversary.
Gehlot offered his respect to Gandhiji at Rajbhavan in the presence of the staff of the Governor House.
The Chief Minister paid his tributes at Gandhiji's statue situated between Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha. He also offered floral tributes to Shastri at Vidhana Soudha.
Bommai also inaugurated an event to mark the occasion and gave away Mahatma Gandhi Seva Prashasti-Karnataka for the year 2022.
BJP Karnataka state president and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, State Minister for Energy, Kannada and Cultue V Sunil Kumar and other leaders paid homage to Gandhiji.
The leaders offered floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in front of the town hall in Mangaluru.
Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyas Kamath also joined them in paying homage to Gandhiji.
The new footpath constructed in front of the town hall was inaugurated by Sunil Kumar, who is also Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge minister.
City Mayor Jayanand Anchan and deputy mayor Poornima were among those present.
The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Karnataka organised various events to mark the occasion.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
