Efforts being made to paint me with 'saffron', says Rajinikanth

Agencies
November 8, 2019

Chennai, Nov 8: Superstar Rajinikanth on Friday said the BJP has not invited him to join the party, but insisted efforts were being made to paint him with "saffron", the ideological colour the national party is associated with.

He accused a section of media and "some persons" with making such attempts.

The BJP said it has never claimed the actor was willing to join the party, while the DMK said it was not aware whom the actor was signalling to with his statement on being painted with saffron hues.

On Thursday, Rajinikanth met reporters twice within a span of few hours to talk on issues including his being "painted" with saffron.

Attempts were being made to paint both himself and Thiruvalluvar with saffron, the veteran star said referring to the recent controversy surrounding the Tamil saint-poet.

When asked about senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan's recent meeting with him and the former's repeated assertions that the actor should join the party, Rajinikanth said no such invitation has been made to him.

"No offer has been made (from BJP to join the party)..
definitely not," he said. "Attempts are being made to paint me with BJP colour..

trying to paint me with saffron like Thiruvalluvar was done with.. Neither Thiruvalluvar nor me will get trapped," he said with a big laugh.

Later, when reporters raised the matter with him for a second time, Rajinikanth said "some people, some media--they are trying to colour me as a BJP man."

"But definitely it is not true," he said. Asked if it was the media or BJP that painted him in saffron colour, he said "some persons."

While any party could be happy if he joins it, only he should take a call on the matter, the actor said, adding "but it is wrong to say they are dependent on me."

On November 1, the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit had on its Twitter handle written a couplet from Thiruvalluvar's classic "Thirukkural," questioning the use of education if the Almighty was not worshipped.

Tagging the couplet, the saffron party targeted the Dravidar Kazhagam, DMK and the Left parties for allegedly deriding God and for berating believers and questioned "what is the use of their education."

Also, the party had posted a picture of Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes with sacred ash on his forehead, with the issue leading to a spat between the BJP and the DMK and other opposition parties.

When asked about this episode, Rajinkanth said while many public issues warranted media attention, there was focus on such matters which was "silly".

He said the state BJP had only put up a picture of Thiruvalluvar with saffron robes in its official Twitter handle and that it did not want this to be done all over.

"You (media) had blown up the matter.. there are so many people's issues to be discussed, but you made this big," he said, adding, "it is silly."

Further, Thiruvalluvar was a sage beyond boundaries of religion and caste, he said.

However, the saint-poet was a "believer" and not a "non-believer," which was evident from his Thirukkural couplets, he said.

Responding to Rajinikanth's statement, the BJP said it was its democratic right to meet somebody.

If anybody is interested they were "allowed and invited to join," BJP National General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao said, adding a number of celebrities and eminent persons all over the country including from Tamil Nadu were joining its ranks.

"Now it is very clear that there should not be any misconception. Anywhere in that state, we had never told Rajinikanth--film star, artiste, eminent person who has contributed to the entertainment industry of the entire country--never we told he had joined BJP. Never we told he is willing to join BJP," he told reporters here.

BJP was not interested in such "speculations," he added.

DMK Treasurer Durai Murugan, in his response to the superstar's remarks that attempts were being made to portray him as a BJP man, said it was Rajinikanth's opinion.

However, Durai Murugan said he was not aware whom Rajinikanth was sending a message to in this regard.

Meanwhile, responding to a question the slowing economic growth, Rajinikanth said the government should do whatever it takes to address it.

Asked about his stand on the Centre's demonetisation excercise in 2016, he said he had made his stand known about it "long back."

Last year, he had said the implementation of demonetisation by the Centre was flawed.

On the Ramjanma Bhoomi issue, on which the Supreme Court is likely to give its order any time, he appealed to the people to maintain peace irrespective of the ruling.

To a question, he said there was still a "vacuum" for a powerful leadership in the state, reiterating his remarks made last year in the wake of the death of chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2016 and the illness of then DMK President M Karunanidhi, who died in August 2018.

However, DMK shot back at Rajinikanth's statement, saying its party leader MK Stalin has already filled up that vacuum.

"Stalin has filled up that vacuum a long time back," Durai Murugan said.

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News Network
April 14,2020

New Delhi, Apr 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday requested young scientists of the country to come forward and take the lead in developing a vaccine for novel coronavirus which has claimed over one lakhs lives worldwide.

"While India has limited resources today. I have a special request for India's young scientists. They should come forward and take a lead in developing a vaccine for coronavirus for the welfare of the world, for the welfare of the human race," the Prime Minister said in the address to the nation.

He said that if people continue to be patient and follow rules then the country will be able to defeat even a pandemic like coronavirus.
Prime Minister Modi also announced that the country will remain under lockdown till May 3 to contain COVID-19 cases. The 21-day lockdown, which was announced by the Prime Minister last month, was slated to end today.

However, he indicated at easing of lockdown restrictions in places where there are no hotspots after April 20.

"Till 20th April, all districts, localities, states will be closely monitored, as to how strictly they are implementing norms. The states which will not let hotspots increase, they could be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain conditions," Modi said.

Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have already announced the extension of lockdown.

India's total number of coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today.

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News Network
January 13,2020

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Supreme Court on Monday commenced hearing on issues related to discrimination against women in various religions and at religious places including Kerala's Sabarimala Temple.

A nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said that it was not considering review pleas in the Sabarimala case.

“We are not hearing review pleas of Sabarimala case. We are considering issues referred to by a 5-judge bench earlier,” the bench said.

The apex court had on November 14 asked a larger bench to re-examine various religious issues, including the entry of women into the Sabarimala Temple and mosques and the practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community.

While the five-judge bench unanimously agreed to refer religious issues to a larger bench, it gave a 3:2 split decision on petitions seeking a review of the apex court's September 2018 decision allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala.

A majority verdict by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra decided to keep pending pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding entry of women into the shrine, and said restrictions on women in religious places was not restricted to Sabarimala alone and was prevalent in other religions as well.

The minority verdict by Justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud gave a dissenting view by dismissing all review pleas and directing compliance of its September 28 decision.

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News Network
July 25,2020

New Delhi, Jul 25: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the government of benefitting by making profits during the coronavirus-induced lockdown when people were in trouble.

He tagged a news report that claimed the Indian Railways was making profit by running 'Shramik trains' for transporting migrants during the pandemic.

"There are clouds of disease and people are in trouble, but one seeks to benefit -- this anti-people government is converting a disaster into profits and is earning," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The news report claimed that the railways made a profit of Rs 428 crore by running Shramik special trains during the lockdown that transported migrants to their native places.

In another tweet, he lauded the efforts of the Himachal government in conducting a survey to select 'one district, one product', saying he had suggested this sometime back.

"This is a good idea. I had suggested it some time back. Its implementation will need a complete change of mindset," he said on Twitter.

He also tagged a report that stated the state Industries Department is conducting a baseline survey in all districts to select one district, one product for centrally-sponsored Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP). 

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