The BJP today mocked Congress president Rahul Gandhi's fast at Rajghat as a "farce" and described the party's decision to keep the 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler away from the main dais as its "<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/was-jagdish-tytler-asked-to-leave-congress-protest-at-rajghat-129339">admission of guilt</a>".

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra ridiculed the opposition party's nation-wide fast against the alleged caste violence and communalism, saying its leaders had come to the Mahatma Gandhi's memorial to talk about non-violence but the presence of Kumar and Tytler exposed the party's "real violent" face.

"The Congress has fallen into its own trap. What we have seen from Rahul Gandhi today is not a fast but the farce of a fast. (It was) an attempt by his party to fast track his politics to burnish his credentials despite people rejecting him time and again," he told reporters.

The Congress was forced to asked them to leave and it was its admission of guilt, he said.

Also read:&nbsp<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/instead-of-running-country-bjp-concentrates-on-what-we-eat-arvinder-singh-lovely--129342">Instead of running country, BJP concentrates on what we eat, says Arvinder Singh Lovely</a>

Taking a dig at Gandhi over his attack on the Modi government over Dalit issues, Patra asked if he had abstained even from one meal when anti-Dalit violence had happened in places like Mirchpur, Gohana and Jhajjar when the Congress was in power.

Citing figures of anti-Dalit violence in five years of the Congress rule in the poll-bound Karnataka, he said the state had reported 9,080 cases crimes against the community and over 358 Dalits were killed.

Gandhi should tell them when he plans to sit on a fast against crimes against Dalits in Karnataka, he asked.

Another BJP spokesperson Bizay Sonkar Shastri raked up the Congress' alleged ill-treatment of Dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar and said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had been working overtime to fulfil Ambedkar's dreams.

Erstwhile Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had worked to ensure that Ambedkar lost his deposit in the first Lok Sabha elections, he claimed.

While Dalits believed in peaceful protests, it is the opposition which had fanned violence, he alleged.

The Congress has been "jolted" by the Dalits' growing association of with the BJP, he said.

Patra and Shastri also quoted from Ambedkar's resignation letter to quit the Nehru Cabinet in which the Dalit icon had accused the erstwhile PM of devoting his time only for protection of Muslims. While Ambedkar was equally committed to protect

Muslims, the Nehru government did not do much to protect Dalits and tribals, they said quoting from the letter.&nbsp

The BJP added that the Congress' decision to keep the 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar away from the main dais at Delhi's Raj Ghat was an 'admission of guilt'

The BJP today mocked Congress president Rahul Gandhi's fast at Rajghat as a "farce" and described the party's decision to keep the 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler away from the main dais as its "admission of guilt". BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra ridiculed the opposition party's nation-wide fast against the alleged caste violence and communalism, saying its leaders had come to the Mahatma Gandhi's memorial to talk about non-violence but the presence of Kumar and Tytler exposed the party's "real violent" face. "The Congress has fallen into its own trap. What we have seen from Rahul Gandhi today is not a fast but the farce of a fast. (It was) an attempt by his party to fast track his politics to burnish his credentials despite people rejecting him time and again," he told reporters. The Congress was forced to asked them to leave and it was its admission of guilt, he said. Also read: Instead of running country, BJP concentrates on what we eat, says Arvinder Singh Lovely Taking a dig at Gandhi over his attack on the Modi government over Dalit issues, Patra asked if he had abstained even from one meal when anti-Dalit violence had happened in places like Mirchpur, Gohana and Jhajjar when the Congress was in power. Citing figures of anti-Dalit violence in five years of the Congress rule in the poll-bound Karnataka, he said the state had reported 9,080 cases crimes against the community and over 358 Dalits were killed. Gandhi should tell them when he plans to sit on a fast against crimes against Dalits in Karnataka, he asked. Another BJP spokesperson Bizay Sonkar Shastri raked up the Congress' alleged ill-treatment of Dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar and said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had been working overtime to fulfil Ambedkar's dreams. Erstwhile Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had worked to ensure that Ambedkar lost his deposit in the first Lok Sabha elections, he claimed. While Dalits believed in peaceful protests, it is the opposition which had fanned violence, he alleged. The Congress has been "jolted" by the Dalits' growing association of with the BJP, he said. Patra and Shastri also quoted from Ambedkar's resignation letter to quit the Nehru Cabinet in which the Dalit icon had accused the erstwhile PM of devoting his time only for protection of Muslims. While Ambedkar was equally committed to protect Muslims, the Nehru government did not do much to protect Dalits and tribals, they said quoting from the letter.

Congress goes on nationwide fast against communalism, BJP calls it a farce

Taking a dig at those who recently whipped up the issue of religion in the Indian Army, Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu, General Officer, Northern Command said, &quot;We don&#39;t communalise martyrs, those making statements don&#39;t know the Army well.&quot;

&nbsp;

Having served in the Indian Army for more than a decade, I know for sure how the secular nationalist spirit of the forces binds our soldiers together.

&nbsp;

Almost two decades back when I joined the Indian Army as an officer, I participated in the Mandir Parade which is a customary practice for all the soldiers of Army. It is called parade because everyone available must attend it and there is no exemption. All officers and jawans are expected to perform as per the religion of the regiment. If a regiment is predominantly Sikh then all will go for ardas and if Hindu then everyone will perform aarti.&nbsp; In some Christian dominated regiments, such as those populated by people from Nagaland and Assam, Christmas is a regimental function. If the regiment is dominated by Muslim soldiers, everyone will be present at the time of Eid Namaz and keep Roza.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It is a standard practice in the Army that all the religious places of different religion share the same premises and is called the &ldquo;Sarva Dharma Sambhav Sthal&rdquo;. It is a common scene in a regiment to see officers moving out of Mandir after aarti and rushing to gurudwara or church or mosque for prayers.

&nbsp;

This is the form of religion in the Armed forces. There is another interesting custom in the Infantry Regiments which are primarily raised around regional (Punjab, Garhwal, Kumaon), community (Mahar, Naga, Jat) or religious (Sikh) identities. The newly commissioned officer is not sent to the unit but to the regimental centre where he learns about his men. He learns their religion, habits, language so that he can become one of them. Then only he can go and command those troops.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

To put it simply, all the religious divisiveness cease to exist when a person joins the armed forces. The olive-green skin dominates all religions and faiths. The person joins a force of believers who are following only one religion- Indian, and that&rsquo;s the peculiarity of the secular nature of Indian Armed Forces.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This was the reason why many of the Muslim Indian Army officers decided to stay back with their troops after the Indian Partition and refused the offer of Pakistani Generals to join their army even when offered a promotion. Here, I would like to quote the example of Brigadier Mohammad Usman, Mahavir Chakra (Posthumous) who chose to stay with the Indian Army and laid down his life saving our borders.

&nbsp;

Indian army had been accused of human rights violation, and such accusations are common for any force operating in the disturbed areas but there had never ever been a single incident where anyone has accused it of religious or caste-based differentiations. This was the reason why Indian Armed forces could work in complex peacekeeping operations under United Nations.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In 1984, during Operation Blue Star, when the Army was tasked to move in, the soldiers removed their shoes, prayed for the almighty and then entered the Golden Temple Complex. They had been given instructions not to cause any harm to Harmandir Sahib. They laid down their lives but followed the orders to the letter and spirit. Such is the secular nature of Indian Army. On the other hand, at the time of great mosque seize in Mecca in 1979 even Pakistani Commandoes entered the complex in full battle gear and created havoc.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There are other examples too. When I was posted on the Line of Control in Poonch area, the Jat regiment was replaced by a battalion of grenadiers which had a company of all Muslim soldiers. The Jats had a small temple on that post. Soon after the grenadiers took over, the senior most JCO of the company appointed one of the Muslim soldiers to the service of the temple. His logic was clear, the temple belongs to the post and not to any religion. The person was responsible for not only cleaning the temple but also to light up the diya before the deity twice a day.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

During the Kargil War, several hundreds of Pakistani soldiers were killed. Indian government offered their mortal remains to Pakistan but our rogue neighbour refused to identify their officers and soldiers. This was a crucial time and the Indian Army not only arranged the respectful burial of those bodies but managed to get maulvis and Muslim soldiers to do the Salat-El-Janazah for them. They are peacefully buried in Indian territory and the graves are periodically looked after by the Indian soldiers only.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Till date, the entire Indian Army avoids having non-vegetarian food and alcohol on Tuesday and Thursday, the two days considered auspicious for the Hindu and Muslim communities.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Indian Army is the only force in the world, wherein I have seen Captain Ahmad with a tilak on his forehead, Major James bowing before Guru Granth Sahib and speaking fluent Punjabi, Lieutenant Chaturvedi keeping all the 30 Rozas and Major Gurkirat Singh decorating his house for Christmas.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There are people in this country who see the armed forces through religious lenses but the reality is far from their perception. The only faith Indian Army follows is the National Faith and no other faith comes after that.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Having served in the Indian Army for more than a decade, I know for sure how the secular nationalist spirit of the forces binds our soldiers together.

Taking a dig at those who recently whipped up the issue of religion in the Indian Army, Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu, General Officer, Northern Command said, "We don't communalise martyrs, those making statements don't know the Army well." Having served in the Indian Army for more than a decade, I know for sure how the secular nationalist spirit of the forces binds our soldiers together. Almost two decades back when I joined the Indian Army as an officer, I participated in the Mandir Parade which is a customary practice for all the soldiers of Army. It is called parade because everyone available must attend it and there is no exemption. All officers and jawans are expected to perform as per the religion of the regiment. If a regiment is predominantly Sikh then all will go for ardas and if Hindu then everyone will perform aarti. In some Christian dominated regiments, such as those populated by people from Nagaland and Assam, Christmas is a regimental function. If the regiment is dominated by Muslim soldiers, everyone will be present at the time of Eid Namaz and keep Roza. It is a standard practice in the Army that all the religious places of different religion share the same premises and is called the “Sarva Dharma Sambhav Sthal”. It is a common scene in a regiment to see officers moving out of Mandir after aarti and rushing to gurudwara or church or mosque for prayers. This is the form of religion in the Armed forces. There is another interesting custom in the Infantry Regiments which are primarily raised around regional (Punjab, Garhwal, Kumaon), community (Mahar, Naga, Jat) or religious (Sikh) identities. The newly commissioned officer is not sent to the unit but to the regimental centre where he learns about his men. He learns their religion, habits, language so that he can become one of them. Then only he can go and command those troops. To put it simply, all the religious divisiveness cease to exist when a person joins the armed forces. The olive-green skin dominates all religions and faiths. The person joins a force of believers who are following only one religion- Indian, and that’s the peculiarity of the secular nature of Indian Armed Forces. This was the reason why many of the Muslim Indian Army officers decided to stay back with their troops after the Indian Partition and refused the offer of Pakistani Generals to join their army even when offered a promotion. Here, I would like to quote the example of Brigadier Mohammad Usman, Mahavir Chakra (Posthumous) who chose to stay with the Indian Army and laid down his life saving our borders. Indian army had been accused of human rights violation, and such accusations are common for any force operating in the disturbed areas but there had never ever been a single incident where anyone has accused it of religious or caste-based differentiations. This was the reason why Indian Armed forces could work in complex peacekeeping operations under United Nations. In 1984, during Operation Blue Star, when the Army was tasked to move in, the soldiers removed their shoes, prayed for the almighty and then entered the Golden Temple Complex. They had been given instructions not to cause any harm to Harmandir Sahib. They laid down their lives but followed the orders to the letter and spirit. Such is the secular nature of Indian Army. On the other hand, at the time of great mosque seize in Mecca in 1979 even Pakistani Commandoes entered the complex in full battle gear and created havoc. There are other examples too. When I was posted on the Line of Control in Poonch area, the Jat regiment was replaced by a battalion of grenadiers which had a company of all Muslim soldiers. The Jats had a small temple on that post. Soon after the grenadiers took over, the senior most JCO of the company appointed one of the Muslim soldiers to the service of the temple. His logic was clear, the temple belongs to the post and not to any religion. The person was responsible for not only cleaning the temple but also to light up the diya before the deity twice a day. During the Kargil War, several hundreds of Pakistani soldiers were killed. Indian government offered their mortal remains to Pakistan but our rogue neighbour refused to identify their officers and soldiers. This was a crucial time and the Indian Army not only arranged the respectful burial of those bodies but managed to get maulvis and Muslim soldiers to do the Salat-El-Janazah for them. They are peacefully buried in Indian territory and the graves are periodically looked after by the Indian soldiers only. Till date, the entire Indian Army avoids having non-vegetarian food and alcohol on Tuesday and Thursday, the two days considered auspicious for the Hindu and Muslim communities. The Indian Army is the only force in the world, wherein I have seen Captain Ahmad with a tilak on his forehead, Major James bowing before Guru Granth Sahib and speaking fluent Punjabi, Lieutenant Chaturvedi keeping all the 30 Rozas and Major Gurkirat Singh decorating his house for Christmas. There are people in this country who see the armed forces through religious lenses but the reality is far from their perception. The only faith Indian Army follows is the National Faith and no other faith comes after that. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Not religion, nationalism is sole inspiration of Indian Army

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people on Sunday to make communalism, casteism, poverty, corruption, and terrorism &quot;quit India&quot;.

Modi was speaking on his monthly radio programme &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;We have to come together and resolve to let filth quit India, poverty quit India, corruption quit India, terrorism quit India, casteism quit India and communalism quit India,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

The deadline he gave for ridding India of the aforementioned ills was 2022 -- India&#39;s 75th year of independence.&nbsp;

&quot;Just like five years between 1942 and 1947 became the decisive period, I can see another five-year period from 2017 to 2022 to make a resolve to end the problems of our nation,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

He also referred to Mahatma Gandhi&rsquo;s call of &ldquo;do or die&rdquo;. (The Quit India Movement, calling for the British to leave India, had also been launched by Gandhi in 1942.)&nbsp;

&quot;The need for today is not &#39;do or die&#39;, instead it is to resolve, to come together, persevere, and work relentlessly with our utmost strength towards the making of a new India,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He said we should also rid the country of casteism, poverty, corruption, and terrorism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people on Sunday to make communalism, casteism, poverty, corruption, and terrorism "quit India". Modi was speaking on his monthly radio programme "Mann ki Baat". "We have to come together and resolve to let filth quit India, poverty quit India, corruption quit India, terrorism quit India, casteism quit India and communalism quit India," he said. The deadline he gave for ridding India of the aforementioned ills was 2022 -- India's 75th year of independence. "Just like five years between 1942 and 1947 became the decisive period, I can see another five-year period from 2017 to 2022 to make a resolve to end the problems of our nation," he said. He also referred to Mahatma Gandhi’s call of “do or die”. (The Quit India Movement, calling for the British to leave India, had also been launched by Gandhi in 1942.) "The need for today is not 'do or die', instead it is to resolve, to come together, persevere, and work relentlessly with our utmost strength towards the making of a new India,” he said.

Make communalism quit India: PM Modi

communalism

Communalism, News on Communalism, stories on Communalism, articles on Communalism, Communalism stories at Wion, Communalism news, Communalism latest news