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Inaugurating the world's largest meditation centre Swarved Mahamandir here on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country has declared freedom from the slave mentality and is feeling proud of its heritage. "In the era of slavery, the oppressors who made an effort to weaken India first targeted our symbols. After Independence, re-building of these cultural symbols was essential," he said. Modi said that after India gained Independence, "there was an opposition to the rebuilding of the Somnath temple and this thought process remained dominant for decades." The result of this was this was that the country slipped into the pit of an inferiority complex and forgot to feel proud of its heritage, he said. "After seven decades of Independence, the wheel of time has turned once again. The country has declared from the Red Fort freedom from a slave mentality and a feeling of pride about its heritage. "The work which started from Somnath has now become a campaign. Today, the grande
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday attacked the government over its assertion that the abrogation of Article 370 ushered peace in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that "freedom is suppressed" all over India but it is most severely suppressed in the Union Territory. On the fourth anniversary of Article 370's abrogation, the government on Saturday highlighted that the "historic" decision ushered in peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir. The biggest change after the abrogation of the article is that the common people of Jammu and Kashmir are living life according to their own wishes, Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha had said in Srinagar. In a tweet, Chidambaram said, "The Government and the LG of Jammu & Kashmir celebrate the 'peace' that has descended on the State (now UT) after the abrogation of Article 37." "I wish to quote President (John) Kennedy who warned against the 'peace of the grave and the silence of the slave'," the former home minister said. If there is
On the anniversary of the historic "Dandi March" on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and all others who took part in it, and said it will be remembered as a determined effort against various forms of injustice. The Salt Satyagraha March, also known as the Dandi March of 1930, was a landmark event in the history of India's freedom struggle. As part of the Civil Disobedience Movement against the British rule, "satyagrahis" led by Gandhi marched from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the coastal village of Dandi from March 12 to April 5, 1930 and made salt from seawater, breaking the Salt Law imposed by the British. "I pay homage to Bapu and all those who took part in the Dandi March. This was an important event in our nation's history," Modi said in a tweet. It will be remembered as a determined effort against various forms of injustice, he added.
External Affairs Minister on Monday said that India has flagged issues related to Khalistani separatist forces operating out of Canada to Ottawa, emphasising the need to ensure that freedoms in a democratic society are not misused by forces which actually advocate "violence" and "bigotry". In recent weeks, anti-India activities in Canada have been on the rise. Jaishankar made the comments during a press conference with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong here on Monday after the 13th Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue. "From time to time, we have engaged the Canadian government, I have myself engaged with my counterpart on this (Khalistani) issue. And we have flagged the need to ensure that freedoms in a democratic society are not misused by forces which actually advocate violence and, and bigotry," he responded to a question related to the Khalistani issue. "So it's important, I think, to understand really, how democracies should function not only at home but also the ...