Gandhi, Nehru were NRIs, Congress was an NRI movement: Rahul Gandhi

Agencies
September 22, 2017

New York, Sept 22: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today said that originally Congress was an NRI movement and prominent freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were NRIs.

"Mahatma Gandhi was an NRI, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru came back from England, Dr Ambedkar, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel- these were all NRIs. Every single one of them went to the outside world, saw the outside world, returned to India and used some of the ideas they got and transformed India," he said.

Speaking at an event here on Wednesday organised by the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC), Gandhi said when an idea is good, India absorbs it quickly and shows how it can be used.

He said that he views India not as a piece of land but as a set of ideas and anybody who has the ideas that make up India is an Indian.

"Some people view India as a geographical construct. They view India as a piece of land. I don't view India as a piece of land. I view India as a set of ideas. So for me, anybody who has the ideas that make up India is an Indian," Gandhi said.

"Ideas take time to travel into India. But, when an idea is good, India understands it very quickly, and uses it and shows the world how it can be used," he added.

Gandhi, who is on a two week visit to the US, said he felt proud of the work done by NRIs in the US.

He said NRIs work in different fields and have tremendous knowledge and understanding.

Citing examples, Gandhi said Verghese Kurien had helped usher in the White Revolution, while Sam Pitroda, who was on the dias, had "single handedly transformed the telecom industry".

"We don't want one Sam Pitroda. We want at least 10-15 Sam Pitrodas to transform India, because there's a lot of work to be done in India," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader also narrated an anecdote about being asked by his father Rajiv Gandhi, who later became Prime Minister, to attend in 1982 a presentation on computers by Pitroda.

Gandhi said he was 12 years old and sat in the room for six hours with his sister and did not quite understand what a computer was as most people did not in 1982.

"And four or five years later, I started to see the result of that presentation."

Gandhi recalled that there were typewriters in the Prime Minister's Office then and there was reluctance to shift to computers despite the keenness of his father and Pitroda.

He said his father and Pitroda convinced the PMO staff that they would replace typewriters with computers only for a month but once it was done, no one wanted to go back to the typewriters.

Gandhi described agriculture "as a strategic asset" and said the country needs to develop a cold chain as 40 per cent of vegetables rot.

He said a very large number of surgeries, including those related to the heart and eye, are carried out in India and the country can become the healthcare centre of the world.

Gandhi said US universities were knowledge networks where information travels within them and they are connected to businesses and economy.

"Our IITs are tremendous institutions but they are not networks. If we connect our IITs to our industries and businesses across the world, they will start to compete with the best businesses in the world. These are things that can be done."

Pitroda, who is chairman of Overseas Congress and spoke before Gandhi, said the Congress leader was "extremely well read, very analytical, sincere, courageous and honest".

He said India was passing through a difficult phase. "Favour to one community over other worries me personally," Pitroda said.

Urging the NRIs to stand up for the right cause, he said Congress "needs help today".

He said NRIs can be "ambassadors for our values" and make a difference.

"We are going to show a new path," Pitroda said and urged people not to spread gossip or lies on social media.

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News Network
November 13,2024

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court took a firm stance on ‘bulldozer justice’ today, affirming that the Executive cannot bypass the Judiciary and that the legal process must not prejudge the guilt of an accused. In a significant judgment, the bench led by Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan set new guidelines for demolition practices, responding to petitions challenging the controversial bulldozer actions taken against individuals accused of crimes.

The rise of this practice, termed 'bulldozer justice,' has seen authorities in various states demolish what they claim to be illegal structures belonging to accused individuals. However, multiple petitions questioned the legality and fairness of this approach, bringing the matter before the court.

Justice Gavai highlighted that owning a home is a cherished goal for many families, and an essential question was whether the Executive should have the authority to strip individuals of their shelter. “In a democracy, the rule of law protects citizens from arbitrary actions by the state. The criminal justice system must not assume guilt,” stated the bench, underscoring that due process is a fundamental right under the Constitution.

On the principle of separation of powers, the bench reinforced that the Judiciary alone holds adjudicatory powers and that the Executive cannot overstep these boundaries. Justice Gavai remarked, “When the state demolishes a home purely because its resident is accused of a crime, it violates the doctrine of separation of powers.”

The court issued a strong warning about accountability, stating that public officials who misuse their power or act arbitrarily must face consequences. Justice Gavai observed that selectively demolishing one property while ignoring similar cases suggests that the aim might be to penalize rather than enforce legality. “For most citizens, a house is the product of years of labor and dreams. Taking it away must be an action of last resort, thoroughly justified,” he said.

In its directives under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court established new demolition guidelines. These include:

Mandatory Show-Cause Notice: No demolition should occur without first issuing a show-cause notice. The person served has a minimum of 15 days or the duration stated in local laws to respond.

Transparency of Notice Content: The notice must include specifics about the alleged unauthorized construction, the nature of the violation, and the rationale for demolition.

Hearing and Final Order: Authorities are required to hear the response of the affected individual before issuing a final order. The homeowner will have 15 days to address the issue, with demolition proceeding only if no stay order is obtained from an appellate authority.

Contempt Proceedings: Any breach of these guidelines would lead to contempt proceedings. Officials who disregard these norms will be personally accountable for restitution, with costs deducted from their salaries.

Additionally, the court mandated that all municipal bodies establish digital portals within three months, displaying show-cause notices and final orders on unauthorized structures to ensure public transparency and accountability.

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News Network
November 10,2024

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has warned that disciplinary action will be taken against those officials who change the land mutation records and serve eviction notices to farmers under the Waqf Act.

In a letter, the Revenue Department Principal Secretary Rajender Kumar Kataria reminded all regional commissioners and deputy commissioners in the districts that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently had a meeting following complaints about certain land properties being made in favour of the Karnataka Board of Waqfs.

In the meeting it was decided that all the directions issued previously by any government office or authority to change the mutation records has been withdrawn, the letter said.

It added that all the notices served in the past have also been withdrawn and no action should be taken against the farmers who are cultivating on the said land.

On the directions of the chief minister, the previous letters and the latest reminders served on November 7 to the farmers and land owners have been withdraw, the letter said.

"The officials who served reminder-2 despite the chief minister's direction will face appropriate disciplinary action," Kataria said in his letter.

He said he has been instructed to strictly implement the chief minister's direction.

The fresh direction was issued in poll-bound Karnataka, where bypolls to three crucial assembly segments are due on November 13.

Some farmers in Honwad village in Vijayapura in north Karnataka had alleged last month that they were served eviction notices as the Waqf Board claimed rights over it.

Subsequently, complaints started in pouring in from some other parts of the state.

BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on October 25 alleged that Karnataka Waqf Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan directed the deputy commissioners and revenue officials to register lands in favour of the Waqf Board within 15 days, which resulted in confusion.

On Surya's request, the Chairman of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Jagdambika Pal visited Karnataka on November 7 and met farmers in Hubballi, Vijayapura and Belagavi districts who had alleged that their lands were marked as Waqf properties.

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News Network
November 15,2024

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Union minister Amit Shah on Friday, November 15, said PM Narendra Modi will amend the Waqf Act despite opposition from leaders like Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.

"Modi ji wants to change the Waqf Board law, but Uddhav ji, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule are opposing it," Shah said, addressing a rally at Umarkhed in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district.

"Uddhav ji, listen carefully, you all can protest as much as you want, but Modi ji will amend the Waqf Act," he said. Shah said there are two camps in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, one of 'Pandavas' represented by the BJP-led Mahayuti and the other of 'Kauravas' represented by Maha Vikas Aghadi.

"Uddhav Thackeray claims that his Shiv Sena is the real one. Can the real Shiv Sena go against renaming Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar? Can the real Shiv Sena go against renaming Ahmednagar to Ahilyanagar? The real Shiv Sena stands with the BJP," Shah said.

"Rahul Baba used to say that his government would credit money in the accounts of the people instantly. You were unable to fulfil your promises in Himachal, Karnataka, and Telangana," he said.

Shah said the Mahayuti alliance has promised that women will get Rs 2,100 per month under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. "Kashmir is an integral part of India and no power in the world can snatch it away from us," Shah said.

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