Hindus, Muslims should fight poverty, not each other: PM Modi

October 9, 2015

harmonyPatna/New Delhi, Oct 9: Ten days after a man was lynched in Dadri for apparently consuming beef, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Hindus and Muslims should be fighting poverty and not each other.

Modi’s message is an answer to the criticism he is facing for being silent despite the BJP and other Hindutva leaders attempting to polarise the situation in Dadri where one Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched.

The prime minister also strongly appealed to the people to ignore passion-rousing statements from politicians, including him, if he made any.

Winding up his first day’s campaigning at Nawada ahead of the phase one of Bihar Assembly polls on Monday, Modi requested the nation to follow President Pranab Mukherjee’s peace prescription he delivered at a launch of a book in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday.

“I have said it earlier also. Hindus should decide whether to fight Muslims or poverty. Muslims have to decide whether to fight Hindus or poverty....Both need to fight poverty together.... The country has to stay united,” said Modi.

As always, Modi appreciated Mukherjee, whom he also fondly addressed as “Dada”, for his political wisdom saying: “Yesterday (Wednesday), the President showed the path. Whatever the head of the country of 125 crore people has said, there can be no bigger message, no bigger direction and no bigger inspiration.”

“It is unity, communal harmony, brotherhood and peace that will take the nation forward,” Modi said, echoing Mukherjee’s lesson on secularism and the need to preserve the core values of pluralism and tolerance.

“Some politicians are making irresponsible statements for political interests... Such statements should end... Do not pay attention to such statements, even if Modi makes such statements,” the prime minister appealed. Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav hinted at the BJP’s hand in the incident. Describing it a “pre-planned conspiracy”, Mulayam said three people belonging to a particular party, which was also behind the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, were behind the Dadri killing.

Prior to answering his critics, Modi reined in BJP leaders–Union minister Mahesh Sharma, MLA Sangeet Som, and MPs Sakshi Maharaj and Yogi Adityanath–who are feasting on beef politics. The BJP leaders have also been asked not to venture around Dadri area to ensure that peace returns.

Since coming to power last May, Modi has been battling Hindutva motormouths who have been making controversial remarks, which began with the “ghar wapsi” program, at regular intervals ignoring his appeal that it would derail the government’s development agenda.

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March 24,2020

New Delhi, Mar 24: Thirty-two states and Union Territories (UTs) have announced complete lockdown to check the spread of the coronavirus in the country, informed the Central government on Tuesday.
There is a complete lockdown in as many as 560 districts of the country affecting several hundred million people.
Earlier, the complete lockdown was imposed in 30 districts, as of now, almost the entire country is in lockdown to restrict public movement in an attempt to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus.
Three states -- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha -- have announced lockdown in select districts with the governments continuously monitoring the situation and ready to extend the restrictions to other districts as well.
The Union Territory of Lakshadweep has announced restrictions on certain activities.
The Indian Railways has suspended all passenger train operations till March 31 in view of coronavirus.

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News Network
April 9,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 9: Kerala, which was among the first state in the country to report a Corona positive case, has turned its entire public healthcare system into a single interconnected grid to generate uninterrupted information and provide flawless services, thanks to the daily zoom or video conferences of top health authorities for chalking out a dynamic strategy to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The daily zoom or remote conferences held by Health Minister K K Shailaja and top health sector officials with the medical and paramedical personnel on the ground have lent a cutting edge to the state government’s all out efforts in monitoring the situation on the ground and formulating effective responses to address the various needs and concerns of the people, an official release said on Thursday.

The Minister is joined in this meticulous exercise by top administrators and planners, including Dr Rajan N Khobragade, Principal Secretary, Health; Dr. Rathan U Kelker, State Mission Director, National Health Mission, Dr Saritha, Director of Health Services, Dr Ramla Beevi, Director of Medical Education and other senior officials.

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News Network
June 17,2020

New Delhi, Jun 17: Police Surender Jeet Kaur, Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police Surender Jeet Kaur, has held herself responsible for the death of her husband Charan Jeet Singh, who succumbed to Covid at a hospital in Delhi.

“My husband didn’t step out of the house when the lockdown started, but I went out daily because of my job… I will never be able to forgive myself,” Kaur on Tuesday, a day after losing her husband.

54-year-old Singh, a resident of Lajpat Nagar and a businessman, is survived by his wife and their 26-year-old son who lives in Canada.

Kaur, 57, ACP (Crimes Against Women) in the South-East district of the Delhi Police, is also ACP (Covid Cell) of the district. On May 20, five days after Kaur tested positive for the virus, her husband Singh tested positive, followed by the ACP’s 80-year-old father on May 24.

All of them had symptoms and while Kaur and Singh were admitted to Indraprastha Apollo hospital, her father was admitted to Max hospital in Saket. On May 26, Kaur returned home after recovering from the virus.

Kaur said, “I last spoke to my husband on May 22 night, when we were both admitted in the hospital in different wards. The doctor called me and said that my husband needs to be put on ventilator support. I had a video call with my husband. He was breathless and told me that his oxygen level was dropping. He showed me the monitor, the doctors in the room, and then said he was having trouble speaking and that he would send me WhatsApp messages.”

A day after he passed away, Kaur recalled the messages that Singh sent her just before being put on ventilator support. “He started sending me details of our finances, accounts… I told him to stop and asked him why he was telling me all this. He said I needed to know… Maybe he feared he wouldn’t come back. I prayed every day, at temples, mosques, churches and gurdwaras for him. I am devastated that he’s gone. We were to move to Canada to live with our son in 2023 after my retirement. We had so many plans.”

Kaur’s brother Maninder Ahluwalia said the hospital tried plasma therapy but Singh didn’t respond to the treatment. “He had diabetes and high BP, but those were always under control. We were hopeful,” he said.

The couple’s son joined on video call from Canada to watch his father’s last journey from the ambulance to the entrance of the crematorium. “My son couldn’t attend his father’s last rites because there are no flights… It’s so unfortunate,” said Kaur.

Friends and family remember Singh as a “jolly, disciplined and brave man”, while Kaur said he was the “perfect partner”. She said, “When I was an SHO-rank officer, I would work for 36 hours straight some days, and he would handle the house and our son who was growing up. I would miss family functions and important occasions but he would always go and make up for my absence. I was able to do this job for decades because of his support.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Singh was cremated in the presence of close family and members of the police fraternity. “The DCP and the Joint CP called me daily to enquire about my husband, other police officers too. I am grateful for their support. They didn’t let me feel alone for a single day,” said Kaur.

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