Nothing wrong in states having its own flag: Shashi Tharoor

Agencies
July 24, 2017

Bengaluru, Jul 24: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said there is nothing wrong in a state having its own flag and argued that the regional identity of a state would never come in the way of the nation's integration.ShashiTharoor

Tharoor, however, said his observations on the flag issue that has kicked up a row in Karnataka politics, were personal and his party hadn't yet taken an official stand on the matter. "I see no problem in a state having its own flag as long as the rules are complied with. Having a state flag is not anti-national as some people are trying to project it," he told reporters on the sidelines of the conference organized by the state government at Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK) campus, University of Agricultural Sciences.

Tharoor, who took part in a keynote discussion, affirmed both at the session and later at a press conference that the idea of India is one that celebrates pluralism and that divisive ideology has no place in society that's known for its diversity. Referring to the growing resentment against imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi states, he said the Centre is trying to impose an idea that Hindi is the language of the majority , but it's a wrong notion.

"A Hindi-speaking person in Uttar Pradesh can cherish an idea that he represents the majority, but in reality he doesn't. In India, there are 23 scheduled languages and 22,000 dialects. India is a country where the linguistic minorities are the majority," he said, adding that even Hindu religion doesn't represent the majority because of the caste system.

"As far as Hindi is concerned, Bollywood has brought that language to our TV sets and its relevance ends at that.When it comes to official communication, governments must deal with people in their own languages. If they adopt Hindi, then they can speak to a Sharma but can never speak to a Subramanyam or a Siddaramaiah," he added, indicating there are no takers for Hindi in southern states.While stating that the Centre should never impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states, Tharoor averred that English, as a common language, is use ful to a certain extent, but Hindi can never become the common language of India.

Responding to a query about the BJP government's motto of `one-nation-one-culture' in the context of the flag controversy , he said: "India is already a `one-nation-two-flag' country, with Jammu and Kashmir having its own flag.Every state should be allowed to design its own flag and there should be no objection to that, provided the state flag is subordinate to the national flag."

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News Network
June 18,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 18: Examination for PU II English paper, which was postponed for more than three months due to threat of Coronavirus, was held on Thursday across the state.

The authorities were forced to postpone the examination of the English subject, scheduled in March, abruptly due to the threat of Covid-19 which spread like wildfire and has so far claimed lives of more than 100 in the state.

There are over 1,016 examination centres across the state. All the students were put to thermal scanners and were ensured wearing face masks. Each centre has sanitisers. Those with cold, cough and fever were assigned a separate room.

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News Network
June 2,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 2: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday claimed 70 per cent of the people of the country want Narendra Modi to not only complete the current term, but also want him as the Prime Minister for the next term.

He also called PM Modi "iron leader" for scrapping Article 370 that terminated special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

"70 per cent of the people of this nation want Narendra Modiji not only to complete this term, but also want him as the Prime Minister for the next term, so that he can find solution to the problems faced by this country. This is the aspiration of the young India," he said.

Mr Yediyurappa said PM Modi has successfully completed one year of the second term and the country is surging ahead in the path of progress under his "exceptional and far-sighted leadership."

"The Prime Minister is leading the country forward towards development with his Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas, Sab Ka Vishwas principle and inclusive schemes," he said, adding that PM Modi is spearheading the cause of building a "strong and self-reliant Bharath."

Speaking to reporters in the backdrop of the one year of the Modi government''s second term in office, the chief minister said Modi is recognised as an exceptional leader not only in India, but also at the global level, through his mantra - Vasudaiva Kutumbakam.

Mr Yediyurappa termed the PM "iron leader" for scrapping Article 370 that terminated special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and formation of Jammu- Kashmir and Ladakh as Union Territories.

He listed the key decisions of the BJP-led central government such as banning the practice of triple talaq among Muslims, the Vande Bharath Mission, the Citizenship Amendment Act, one country-one ration card scheme, new Motor Vehicle Act, besides also "finding solution to Ram Mandir issue" , among others.

Mr Yediyurappa said PM Modi's decision has played a decisive role in dealing with the COVID-19 situation in India. He has competently handled a huge challenge of combating the coronavirus in a country with a population of 130 crore.

"He implemented the most stringent lockdown restrictions in the world to control the spread of COVID-19 and achieved remarkable success," he said, and lauded the Rs 20 lakh crore package that has been announced to revive the economy amid the pandemic.

"Modiji also supported the State during the devastating floods last year.....the state government is determined to develop Karnataka deriving inspiration from our Prime Minister''s efficiency."

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News Network
January 27,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 27: Leaders cutting across political parties in Karnataka condoled the demise of former minister Amarnath Shetty, who passed away on Monday after a prolonged illness.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa expressed “shock” over the death of the former minister. “May his soul rest in peace. My deepest condolences to his family members,” tweeted CM’s official Twitter handle.

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