JAIPUR/NEW DELHI/CHENNAI : BJP leaders on Sunday took aim at Tamil Nadu sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, accusing him of “insulting Sanatana Dharma,” and used the opportunity to target the INDIA alliance, of which DMK is a part. While the BJP’s TN unit wrote to the governor seeking action against the DMK youth wing chief, an activist filed a police complaint against him in Delhi. 

Union home minister Amit Shah, speaking at a Rajasthan rally, lashed out at the INDIA alliance and accused the DMK and its ally, the Congress, of insulting Sanatana Dharma for vote bank politics. At an event on Saturday, Udhayanidhi said Sanatana Dharma is against social justice. Comparing it to dengue, mosquitoes and Corona, he said a few things cannot be merely opposed but must be eradicated. On Sunday, he said he stood by his remarks, clarifying on X (formerly Twitter) that he had not called for genocide against anyone as alleged by BJP’s Amit Malviya.

Leaders of DMK and Congress are talking about ending Sanatana Dharma just for vote bank politics. This is not the first time they have insulted our Sanatana Dharma. Before this, Manmohan Singh also said the first right on the budget is for the minorities, but we say that the first right is for the poor, tribals, Dalits and backwards. Today, the Congress says that if Modi ji will win, Sanatana will rule.” 

BJP president J P Nadda in Bhopal too urged the people to reject the opposition grouping, which is spreading “hatred, poison and attacking the country’s culture and tradition”. For his part, Udhayanidhi said on X that he is willing to confront any challenges or consequences that might come his way. 

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday attacked the Centre over its handling of the situation in Manipur, alleging that four months after ethnic violence broke out, the state lies ‘forgotten’ by the Modi government.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that in the last four months, the world has witnessed “how the prime minister (Narendra Modi) has failed Manipur during its worst crisis”.

In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that “while the prime minister and his drum-beaters are obsessed with G20, four months after ethnic violence broke out on May 3rd, Manipur lies forgotten by the Modi government”.

The chief minister (N Biren Singh) has ensured that the Manipuri society is more divided today than ever before, he said.h

“The Union home minister (Amit Shah) has failed to put an end to the violence and ensure the recovery of arms and ammunition. Instead, many more armed groups have entered the conflict,” Ramesh said.

The prime minister ‘refuses’ to visit Manipur, lead an all-party delegation, or initiate any credible peace process, he said.

“Has he even met his own colleague from Manipur in the cabinet,” the Congress general secretary asked.

“In the midst of a humanitarian tragedy, there is a complete and total breakdown of the Constitutional machinery and trust between communities in Manipur,” he alleged.

His remarks come after the Manipur government shifted the last of 10 Kuki families comprising 24 members from Imphal’s New Lambulane area where they had been living for decades and did not move elsewhere even after the ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern state four months ago.

These families were taken to the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district on the northern side of the Imphal Valley early on Saturday, as they had become “vulnerable targets”, an official said.

The Kuki families alleged that they were forcibly evicted from their residences in the New Lambulane area to Motbung.

More than 160 people lost their lives and several hundreds were injured in early May after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley.

Nagas and Kukis constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.

MUMBAI:  In the Mumbai conclave of Opposition alliance, Congress strongly pitched for party president Mallikarjun Kharge as INDIA convenor to which other parties agreed in principle. They also pitched for constituting a 11-member panel comprising regional party leaders.

“Besides, there will be other region-wise and state-wise committees that will coordinate with each other. The strategy will be decided in such a fashion that there is no clash of party interest. We have to work very smoothly,” said senior leader requesting anonymity.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, and  Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also attended the dinner. Highly placed sources said in the meeting it was decided that INDIA has to take forward the agenda discussed in the Bengaluru meet with a clear vision. 

“Congress pushed for Kharge as the convenor while other parties agreed in principle. They said regional parties are a major force in Opposition alliance, so equal importance should be given to them as well. The regional parties should have more representations and therefore a 11-member committee should be constituted where all prominent regional party leaders will be members.

“While the sub-committee such as draft committee for common minimum agenda should be constituted with people who understand policies, those from other minor parties should be given representation too. There will be other committees for elections strategy, resources funding, media, etc,” said the senior leader. He said in the Bengaluru meeting, the Opposition came out with INDIA as the name for the bloc that surprised the BJP and was a great success by itself. “We want to work out such things that will continue to surprise the BJP,” he added.

INDIA bloc had planned to unveil the logo on Thursday, but was pushed to Friday as some partners had suggestions. A senior Congress leader said the party has asked to incorporate the welfare schemes that clicked in Karnataka and Delhi elections. Tackling inflation, generating employment, farm loan waivers, financial aid to pooor women and special welfare for SC/STs are some promises that are part of the common minimum agenda. 

Another leader said it was decided that contentious issues such as seat-sharing, fund-raising will be kept for last. “The Opposition leaders who always crossed swords have come at one dinner table thrice. A bonhomie has been created. We have to keep aside our ego, else 2024 Lok Sabha election will be the last election,” he said.

Key points

On Agenda

• Mallikarjun Kharge as convenor 
• Constitution of an 11-member committee with all prominent regional party leaders as members
• Sub-committees such as draft committee for common minimum agenda to be constituted with people who understand policies
• To give representation to minor parties, there will be other committees such as those for election strategy, resource funding, media management, etc

Promises

• Incorporate welfare scheme that clicked in Karnataka and Delhi elections
• Tackling inflation and generating employment
•  Farm loan waivers, since there is a drought-like situation in many states
•  Financial aid to poor women 
•  Special welfare for scheduled caste and scheduled trib

THANE: A woman allegedly jumped to death along with her one-year-old son from a high-rise in Thane city of Maharashtra in the wee hours of Friday, police said.

The incident was a fallout of a quarrel between the 26-year-old woman with her husband over a family matter, they said.

The victim, Priyanka Mohite, resided with her husband and their toddler son in a building located on the Ghodbunder Road, inspector (crime) Y S Awhad of Kasarvadavali police station said.

On the day of Raksha Bandhan, celebrated on August 30, the woman wanted to go to her sister’s place. But her husband advised her not to travel with their child. This resulted in a heated argument between the couple, he said.

As a result of the discord between them, she jumped to death along with their son from the balcony of their flat around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, he added.

On hearing the sound, other residents of the building came out. They saw the mother-son duo lying in a pool of blood and rushed them to a hospital where they were declared dead.

Their bodies were later sent to a government hospital for post-mortem and a case of accidental death was registered.

The police did not specify the number of floors in the building and on which floor the victim resided.

NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu has approved the renaming as the Prime Ministers’ Museum, a  Union cabinet secretariat notification said.

The notification dated 30th August said: “In the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, in THE SECOND SCHEDULE, under the heading “MINISTRY OF CULTURE (SANSKRITI MANTRALAYA)”, in entry 9, for the words ‘Nehru Memorial Museum and Library’, the following words shall be substituted, namely:-‘Prime Ministers Museum and Library”.

The Culture Ministry then said that it had decided to change the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society to Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society.

The decision was taken at a special meeting of the Memorial Museum and Library Society which was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the Vice-President of the Society.

This project was approved by Executive Council, NMML in its 162nd meeting held in November 2016. The Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was opened to the public on April 21 last year.

During the inauguration, despite having received an invitation from the government, no member of the Nehru-Gandhi family was present for the function.

Three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi have served as Prime Ministers of the country.

The Culture Ministry release said that the Museum is a seamless blend that begins at the renovated and refurbished Nehru Museum building, “now completely updated with technologically advanced displays on the life and contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru”.

“Housed in a new building the museum then goes on to tell the story of how our Prime Ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured the all-round progress of the country. It recognizes all the Prime Ministers, thereby democratizing the institutional memory,” the release had said.