News Analysis India

Tag: Mahatma Gandhi

  • Mahatma Gandhi’s Statue Vandalised By Pro-Khalistan Elements Ahead Of PM Modi’s Visit To Italy, MEA Reacts |

    New Delhi: A statue of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Freedom Fighter also known as ‘Father of the Nation’ was vandalised in the Italian city of Brindisi by pro-Khalistani extremists on Wednesday. The incident took place a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit Italy for the G7 Summit.

    The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday raised the issue of the vandalisation of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue by Khalistani separatists in Italy. 

    “We have seen the reports and taken it up with the Italian authorities. We understand that a suitable rectification has already been made. The effort to vandalise the statue, which is, of course, deplorable, has been addressed and the necessary rectification is done,” said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, IANS reported.

    The incident comes just before PM Modi’s visit to Italy for the G7 Summit’s Outreach Sessions which is scheduled to be held on Friday. 

    Earlier, the Khalistani goons had defaced BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Sydney’s Rosehill with anti-India graffiti just before PM Modi arrived in Australia after attending the G7 and Quad Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima.

  • Police Complaint Filed Against PM Modi In Assam Over Mahatma Gandhi Remarks |

    A police complaint has been lodged by National Award-winning filmmaker Luit Kumar Barman against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his controversial remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, news agency PTI reported. Barman claimed that Modi had made a “highly derogatory statement” about the Father of the Nation in his complaint, which was submitted on Wednesday night to the Hatigaon police station in Guwahati. According to the police, no formal complaint has yet been filed in this regard, and a preliminary investigation is ongoing.

    In a recent interview, Prime Minister Modi said, “that Mahatma Gandhi was a great person all over the world. Wasn’t it our responsibility over the last 75 years to make sure the entire world knew about Mahatma Gandhi? I’m sorry to say that no one knows about him. When the film ‘Gandhi’ was first released, there was widespread interest in who this person was. We have not done this…”

    “This is a highly derogatory statement and cannot be accepted by a citizen of India,” Barman said in his complaint. “We cannot tolerate insults to Mahatma Gandhi as citizens. No movie is required to introduce him to the world,” said Barman, the producer of the Rajat Kamal-winning Assamese film “Boomba Ride” from 2021.

    “By comparing Mahatma Gandhi to a film, Narendra Modi has defamed both Gandhi and the people of India. I request that you take action against Narendra Modi under the relevant sections of the law,” Barman added.

    “No FIR had been filed and a preliminary investigation is underway,” PTI quoted Hatigaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Bijay Duwara as saying.

  • siddaramaiah: ‘Don’t we have our own Ram temples in Karnataka?,’ CM Siddaramaiah asks declining to sponsor trips to Ayodhya

    Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday denied any plans from the government to sponsor devotees to Ayodhya even as the BJP is rolling out mega plans to send them in large numbers to the holy site in Uttar Pradesh.

    “Don’t we have our own Ram Mandirs in Karnataka? Aren’t the temples in our own villages those of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Anjaneya?” the CM retorted when the media queried if the government had any plans to send people from the state for a visit to Ayodhya. His comments came in response to a question about BJP’s target to send three crore people to Ayodhya over the next three months.

    The BJP was indulging in politics over Rama, Siddaramaiah said, and added that the Congress worshipped the Rama that Mahatma Gandhi adored, not the BJP version of Rama.The BJP Karnataka unit has targeted to send more than 35,000 persons from all 224 assembly constituencies in the state to Ayodhya from January 31 to March 25. The trip will be for six days. The teams will include BJP workers and interested members of the public.

    BJP state president BY Vijayendra said 25 special trains have been arranged for the purpose. The participants will get an ID card with a QR code.

    The teams will leave in batches and one team will leave every second day.The party has fixed a fee of Rs 3000 per head. In some constituencies, however, local leaders are collecting below what the party has fixed as they will bear part of the cost. President of one mandal in Bengaluru, said they are collecting only Rs 1000 as a token payment. “We will bear the rest of the expenditure to be incurred on food, transportation and accommodation,” he said.

  • India has strayed from Gandhi’s ideal of love, tolerance: Mehbooba Mufti

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday claimed that the country had strayed from the ideal of love, compassion and tolerance espoused by Mahatma Gandhi but hoped that, sooner or later, people will reclaim the India he envisaged.

    “Today, as we remember Gandhiji, one is painfully aware of how far this country has strayed from the ideals of love, compassion and tolerance that he laid his life down for,” Mufti posted on X.

    “I’d still like to believe that his sacrifice wasn’t in vain & that sooner or later we will reclaim the India that he envisaged,” Mufti added in the post.

    Monday is being celebrated as the 154th birth anniversary of Gandhi, hailed as the Father of the Nation, who led a non-violent struggle for India’s freedom, and continues to be a globally revered figure.

    SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday claimed that the country had strayed from the ideal of love, compassion and tolerance espoused by Mahatma Gandhi but hoped that, sooner or later, people will reclaim the India he envisaged.

    “Today, as we remember Gandhiji, one is painfully aware of how far this country has strayed from the ideals of love, compassion and tolerance that he laid his life down for,” Mufti posted on X.

    “I’d still like to believe that his sacrifice wasn’t in vain & that sooner or later we will reclaim the India that he envisaged,” Mufti added in the post.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Monday is being celebrated as the 154th birth anniversary of Gandhi, hailed as the Father of the Nation, who led a non-violent struggle for India’s freedom, and continues to be a globally revered figure.

  • Let’s pledge to fight those glorifying ideas and actions of Godse: Congress on Gandhi Jayanti

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Gandhi Jayanti on Monday vowed to “expose” the “total hypocrisy” of those who appropriate Gandhian symbols and project his legacy to the world, “but are simply unable and unwilling to uphold the values he championed.”

    The opposition party also resolved to work towards the victory of “truth over lies”, and ensure that the politics of compassion prevails over the “politics of hate, vengeance and prejudice.”

    The Congress paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge hailing him as not just an individual, but an ideology and the moral compass of the country.

    Congress chief Kharge paid floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat here. In a post on X, he said, “Mahatma Gandhi ji is not just an individual, he is an idea, an ideology and the moral compass of our great nation.”

    “His ideals of truth, non-violence, freedom, equality and coexistence have eternal value. We bow in reverence to Bapu’s ideals on his Jayanti,” Kharge said.

    In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi remembering him as the man who showed people the path of truth, non-violence, harmony, and united India.

    सत्य, अहिंसा और सौहार्द का रास्ता, भारत को जोड़ने का रास्ता महात्मा गांधी ने ही दिखाया था। बापू को उनकी जयंती पर शत शत नमन। pic.twitter.com/8mNGpSYcP6
    — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 2, 2023
    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that this Gandhi Jayanti, “let us stand with those Gandhian organisations in different parts of the country, especially Varanasi, Ahmedabad and New Delhi which are under siege and assault by the forces who not only fought the Mahatma all his life but played a key role in creating a climate that led to his assassination.”

    “Let us pledge to fight those elements who glorify the ideas and actions of Godse,” he said.

    “This Gandhi Jayanti, let us expose the total and complete hypocrisy of those who appropriate Gandhian symbols — his spectacles, charkha and walking stick — and project his legacy to the world, but are simply unable and unwilling to uphold all the values he championed and ultimately laid down his life for,” Ramesh said.

    On this Gandhi Jayanti, let us stand with those Gandhian organisations in different parts of the country, especially Varanasi, Ahmedabad and New Delhi which are under seige and assault by the forces who not only fought the Mahatma all his life but played a key role in creating a… pic.twitter.com/YKc8KNNIgO
    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 2, 2023
    He also urged people to recall that the Mahatma practised complete transparency and openness, and had no vengeful feelings for his opponents.

    Gandhi shunned bigotry, prejudice and hatred, and never misused religion to inflame people’s passions, Ramesh said. Vengeance and showmanship was alien to his character, he added.

    “This Gandhi Jayanti, let us all resolve to work towards the victory of truth over lies, and ensure that the politics of compassion prevails over the politics of hate, vengeance and prejudice,” he said.

    In a post on X, the Congress said, “On Gandhi Jayanti, we pay a billion tributes to the Mahatma, whose life-long dedication to the cause of freedom won India her Independence.”

    “Let us pledge that his values of peace, unity and non-violence, the bedrock of our nation, continue to act as our guiding light,” the party said.

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Gandhi Jayanti on Monday vowed to “expose” the “total hypocrisy” of those who appropriate Gandhian symbols and project his legacy to the world, “but are simply unable and unwilling to uphold the values he championed.”

    The opposition party also resolved to work towards the victory of “truth over lies”, and ensure that the politics of compassion prevails over the “politics of hate, vengeance and prejudice.”

    The Congress paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge hailing him as not just an individual, but an ideology and the moral compass of the country.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Congress chief Kharge paid floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat here. In a post on X, he said, “Mahatma Gandhi ji is not just an individual, he is an idea, an ideology and the moral compass of our great nation.”

    “His ideals of truth, non-violence, freedom, equality and coexistence have eternal value. We bow in reverence to Bapu’s ideals on his Jayanti,” Kharge said.

    In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi remembering him as the man who showed people the path of truth, non-violence, harmony, and united India.

    सत्य, अहिंसा और सौहार्द का रास्ता, भारत को जोड़ने का रास्ता महात्मा गांधी ने ही दिखाया था। बापू को उनकी जयंती पर शत शत नमन। pic.twitter.com/8mNGpSYcP6
    — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 2, 2023
    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that this Gandhi Jayanti, “let us stand with those Gandhian organisations in different parts of the country, especially Varanasi, Ahmedabad and New Delhi which are under siege and assault by the forces who not only fought the Mahatma all his life but played a key role in creating a climate that led to his assassination.”

    “Let us pledge to fight those elements who glorify the ideas and actions of Godse,” he said.

    “This Gandhi Jayanti, let us expose the total and complete hypocrisy of those who appropriate Gandhian symbols — his spectacles, charkha and walking stick — and project his legacy to the world, but are simply unable and unwilling to uphold all the values he championed and ultimately laid down his life for,” Ramesh said.

    On this Gandhi Jayanti, let us stand with those Gandhian organisations in different parts of the country, especially Varanasi, Ahmedabad and New Delhi which are under seige and assault by the forces who not only fought the Mahatma all his life but played a key role in creating a… pic.twitter.com/YKc8KNNIgO
    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 2, 2023
    He also urged people to recall that the Mahatma practised complete transparency and openness, and had no vengeful feelings for his opponents.

    Gandhi shunned bigotry, prejudice and hatred, and never misused religion to inflame people’s passions, Ramesh said. Vengeance and showmanship was alien to his character, he added.

    “This Gandhi Jayanti, let us all resolve to work towards the victory of truth over lies, and ensure that the politics of compassion prevails over the politics of hate, vengeance and prejudice,” he said.

    In a post on X, the Congress said, “On Gandhi Jayanti, we pay a billion tributes to the Mahatma, whose life-long dedication to the cause of freedom won India her Independence.”

    “Let us pledge that his values of peace, unity and non-violence, the bedrock of our nation, continue to act as our guiding light,” the party said.

  • Mahatma only a matriculate, had no law degree, claims Jammu and Kashmir L-G

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR:  Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has courted controversy by stating that the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi did not possess any law degree and his only qualification was a high school diploma.

    “There is a misconception among educated people that Mahatma Gandhi had a law degree. Gandhi had no degree,” Lt Governor Sinha said while delivering a keynote address for Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Memorial Lecture at ITM Gwalior on Thursday.

    He said “Who will say Gandhi was not educated? I don’t think anyone can dare to say so. But do you know that he did not have a single University degree or qualification? There are many of us who think that Gandhi had a law degree. No, he didn’t. His only qualification was a high school diploma. He qualified to practice law but did not have a law degree. He had no degree. Just look how educated he was. He became the father of the nation,” he said.

    “Let me make it clear that don’t only indulge in formal connection with the degree and what you think is education. Only a degree is not education,” he asserted.

    SRINAGAR:  Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has courted controversy by stating that the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi did not possess any law degree and his only qualification was a high school diploma.

    “There is a misconception among educated people that Mahatma Gandhi had a law degree. Gandhi had no degree,” Lt Governor Sinha said while delivering a keynote address for Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Memorial Lecture at ITM Gwalior on Thursday.

    He said “Who will say Gandhi was not educated? I don’t think anyone can dare to say so. But do you know that he did not have a single University degree or qualification? There are many of us who think that Gandhi had a law degree. No, he didn’t. His only qualification was a high school diploma. He qualified to practice law but did not have a law degree. He had no degree. Just look how educated he was. He became the father of the nation,” he said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “Let me make it clear that don’t only indulge in formal connection with the degree and what you think is education. Only a degree is not education,” he asserted.

  • Power Games: Rahul plans Bharat Jodo-2 from Guj to Arunachal

    Express News Service

    Direct actionRahul plans Bharat Jodo-2 from Guj to Arunachal

    Gandhi’s political guru Gopal Krishna Gokhale gave him a piece of critical advice when the Mahatma returned from South Africa to take a plunge into India’s freedom movement. He asked Gandhi to travel across India, meet the common people and listen to them to understand the country. Gandhi followed the advice and the rest is history. Rahul Gandhi seems to have taken this leaf out of the Mahatma’s playbook. Sources say he plans to follow up the first leg of the Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra with another one from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh — a Porbandar to Parshuram Kund yatra. The unexpected success of the yatra with an overwhelming response across the south and central India has removed whatever doubts and dilemmas he had over the direct contact plan, according to sources. Rahul has repeatedly complained that the mainstream media was not raising issues concerning common people and ignoring the voice of opposition. Sources say the first leg of the yatra has convinced him that direct contact with the people by walking through the villages, towns and cities was more effective than reaching out to them through the media. He feels that the vast swathes of the country comprising Gujarat, UP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, all the way to Arunachal need to be covered too. Sources say there is no doubt over Bharat Jodo-2, only the dates are to be finalised. It can start anytime after the first leg ends in February next year.

    Flying highReliance to provide aerospace solutions with DRDO

    Mukesh Ambani’s technology company Jio Platforms has quietly entered into teaming agreements with several aerospace laboratories of the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation, and also joined hands with the public sector Bharat Electronics Ltd and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for offering indigenously-developed software tools for designing, operating and maintaining aerospace and defence products. Jio Platforms will be India’s first company which will be offering such indigenous software tools. This market in India has so far been dominated by French and US defence companies. Sources said Jio Platforms plans to establish a dedicated aerospace engineering centre in Bengaluru in the next two years and recruit over one thousand aerospace engineers for research activities. Jio Platforms’ parent company Reliance Industries Ltd had earlier acquired an 83 per cent stake in Bangalore-based software simulation tools company SankhyaSutra Labs with an investment of $30.85 million. SankhyaSutra Labs has developed Computational Fluid Dynamics-based simulation software for the indigenous manufacturing of various hardware components for aerospace systems. This technology will help Indian companies to develop components, and sub-assembly of western and Russian weapons and platforms. With its new tieups, Jio Platforms will now provide design solutions for fighters, stealth drones, aero-jet engines, etc.

    Delhi liquor scamCBI chargesheets small fish, spares policymakers

    After hundreds of raids and months of investigation and interrogation into the Delhi excise policy which was allegedly framed to favour a few, the CBI has failed to chargesheet any of the policymakers. The chargesheet filed by the agency names two junior officers of the Delhi government. They were involved only in the implementation of the policy after it was notified. They had no role in the drafting of the policy. The new excise policy was drafted by an empowered group of ministers comprising Excise Minister Manish Sisodia and his Cabinet colleagues, Satyendra Jain and Kailash Gehlot. The AAP government was accused of bringing in a policy to favour a handful of friendly businessmen. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi had raised questions about the process of formulating the policy and its content. The BJP and its ministers in the Union government flagged lacunae in the policy. But the CBI’s chargesheet indicates that it has focussed only on the implementation side of the policy and not on the process of its formulation, which was in the eye of the storm. Sources said that the case made out against the junior officers in the chargesheet is weak, to say the least, and it would collapse like a house of cards in the first hearing itself as they have merely implemented a policy notified by the government. The CBI chargesheet does not provide answers to many questions; it has instead raised more questions.

    Direct action
    Rahul plans Bharat Jodo-2 from Guj to Arunachal

    Gandhi’s political guru Gopal Krishna Gokhale gave him a piece of critical advice when the Mahatma returned from South Africa to take a plunge into India’s freedom movement. He asked Gandhi to travel across India, meet the common people and listen to them to understand the country. Gandhi followed the advice and the rest is history. Rahul Gandhi seems to have taken this leaf out of the Mahatma’s playbook. Sources say he plans to follow up the first leg of the Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra with another one from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh — a Porbandar to Parshuram Kund yatra. The unexpected success of the yatra with an overwhelming response across the south and central India has removed whatever doubts and dilemmas he had over the direct contact plan, according to sources. Rahul has repeatedly complained that the mainstream media was not raising issues concerning common people and ignoring the voice of opposition. Sources say the first leg of the yatra has convinced him that direct contact with the people by walking through the villages, towns and cities was more effective than reaching out to them through the media. He feels that the vast swathes of the country comprising Gujarat, UP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, all the way to Arunachal need to be covered too. Sources say there is no doubt over Bharat Jodo-2, only the dates are to be finalised. It can start anytime after the first leg ends in February next year.

    Flying high
    Reliance to provide aerospace solutions with DRDO

    Mukesh Ambani’s technology company Jio Platforms has quietly entered into teaming agreements with several aerospace laboratories of the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation, and also joined hands with the public sector Bharat Electronics Ltd and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for offering indigenously-developed software tools for designing, operating and maintaining aerospace and defence products. Jio Platforms will be India’s first company which will be offering such indigenous software tools. This market in India has so far been dominated by French and US defence companies. Sources said Jio Platforms plans to establish a dedicated aerospace engineering centre in Bengaluru in the next two years and recruit over one thousand aerospace engineers for research activities. Jio Platforms’ parent company Reliance Industries Ltd had earlier acquired an 83 per cent stake in Bangalore-based software simulation tools company SankhyaSutra Labs with an investment of $30.85 million. SankhyaSutra Labs has developed Computational Fluid Dynamics-based simulation software for the indigenous manufacturing of various hardware components for aerospace systems. This technology will help Indian companies to develop components, and sub-assembly of western and Russian weapons and platforms. With its new tieups, Jio Platforms will now provide design solutions for fighters, stealth drones, aero-jet engines, etc.

    Delhi liquor scam
    CBI chargesheets small fish, spares policymakers

    After hundreds of raids and months of investigation and interrogation into the Delhi excise policy which was allegedly framed to favour a few, the CBI has failed to chargesheet any of the policymakers. The chargesheet filed by the agency names two junior officers of the Delhi government. They were involved only in the implementation of the policy after it was notified. They had no role in the drafting of the policy. The new excise policy was drafted by an empowered group of ministers comprising Excise Minister Manish Sisodia and his Cabinet colleagues, Satyendra Jain and Kailash Gehlot. The AAP government was accused of bringing in a policy to favour a handful of friendly businessmen. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi had raised questions about the process of formulating the policy and its content. The BJP and its ministers in the Union government flagged lacunae in the policy. But the CBI’s chargesheet indicates that it has focussed only on the implementation side of the policy and not on the process of its formulation, which was in the eye of the storm. Sources said that the case made out against the junior officers in the chargesheet is weak, to say the least, and it would collapse like a house of cards in the first hearing itself as they have merely implemented a policy notified by the government. The CBI chargesheet does not provide answers to many questions; it has instead raised more questions.

  • Netizens seek action against organisers of Durga Puja that had Asura looking like Gandhi 

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Outraged over the installation of a Mahishasur idol that resembled Mahatma Gandhi at a pandal in southwest Kolkata, people on social media sought immediate arrest of Hindu Mahasabha leaders who organised the Durga puja.

    Organisers Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, however, claimed that it was a “coincidence” that the Mahishasur idol, which had a bald head and was dressed in a white dhoti and round glasses, bore resemblance to Gandhi, but social media was not convinced.

    “Immediately arrest the officials of Hindu Mahasabha for depicting Mahatma Gandhi as asura in a Durga Puja at Kolkata,” tweeted one Atanu Chakravarty, tagging Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

    As the photos of the Durga Puja pandal went viral on social media, the Kolkata Police told the Mahasabha to change the look of the idol and also asked journalist Indradeep Bhattacharyya, who shared it on Twitter, to delete the photograph as it “may create tension” amid the festival.

    “The Hindu Mahasabha claimed to have changed the idol on Kolkata Police’s request and ‘put moustache and hair’ on it. What an easy solution found by KP,” tweeted Ujjaini.

    Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena alleged that this was a “deliberate attempt” to demonise freedom fighters.

    “Nope, this isn’t coincidence. This is a deliberate attempt to change the narrative to suit the current narrative of demonising our freedom movement heroes. We have truly lost our moral compass as a nation,” Chaturvedi tweeted.

    One Partha Pratim Bhattacharya on Facebook urged the police to take action against the organisers of the Durga Puja as the idol “has hurt the religious sentiments of many Hindus like me”.

    “I don’t have an inkling as to what steps the law enforcement people are taking to curb this nuisance. It’s a shame for us, Indians and Bengalis is particular,” Kumar Mukherjee posted on Facebook.

    “It’s such a disgrace to my city!” posted Dwaipayan Banerjee. According to mythology, Goddess Durga slew Mahishasur in an epic battle to end his evil reign. Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha state working president Chandrachur Goswami told PTI that the organisation didn’t want to hurt anybody’s sentiments.

    “The Durga idol that was worshipped here initially had a Mahisasur whose face looked similar to that of Mahatma Gandhi. The similarities are just a coincidence. After photos of it went viral, a police team visited the pandal and asked us to make changes to the face,” he said.

    KOLKATA: Outraged over the installation of a Mahishasur idol that resembled Mahatma Gandhi at a pandal in southwest Kolkata, people on social media sought immediate arrest of Hindu Mahasabha leaders who organised the Durga puja.

    Organisers Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, however, claimed that it was a “coincidence” that the Mahishasur idol, which had a bald head and was dressed in a white dhoti and round glasses, bore resemblance to Gandhi, but social media was not convinced.

    “Immediately arrest the officials of Hindu Mahasabha for depicting Mahatma Gandhi as asura in a Durga Puja at Kolkata,” tweeted one Atanu Chakravarty, tagging Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

    As the photos of the Durga Puja pandal went viral on social media, the Kolkata Police told the Mahasabha to change the look of the idol and also asked journalist Indradeep Bhattacharyya, who shared it on Twitter, to delete the photograph as it “may create tension” amid the festival.

    “The Hindu Mahasabha claimed to have changed the idol on Kolkata Police’s request and ‘put moustache and hair’ on it. What an easy solution found by KP,” tweeted Ujjaini.

    Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena alleged that this was a “deliberate attempt” to demonise freedom fighters.

    “Nope, this isn’t coincidence. This is a deliberate attempt to change the narrative to suit the current narrative of demonising our freedom movement heroes. We have truly lost our moral compass as a nation,” Chaturvedi tweeted.

    One Partha Pratim Bhattacharya on Facebook urged the police to take action against the organisers of the Durga Puja as the idol “has hurt the religious sentiments of many Hindus like me”.

    “I don’t have an inkling as to what steps the law enforcement people are taking to curb this nuisance. It’s a shame for us, Indians and Bengalis is particular,” Kumar Mukherjee posted on Facebook.

    “It’s such a disgrace to my city!” posted Dwaipayan Banerjee. According to mythology, Goddess Durga slew Mahishasur in an epic battle to end his evil reign. Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha state working president Chandrachur Goswami told PTI that the organisation didn’t want to hurt anybody’s sentiments.

    “The Durga idol that was worshipped here initially had a Mahisasur whose face looked similar to that of Mahatma Gandhi. The similarities are just a coincidence. After photos of it went viral, a police team visited the pandal and asked us to make changes to the face,” he said.

  • ‘Swayampurna Goa’ initiative inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj concept: CM Sawant 

    Pramod Sawant was addressing a state-level function held on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

  • We pledge to unite India like Mahatma Gandhi united country against injustice: Rahul 

    Rahul Gandhi shared a video montage of Mahatma Gandhi along with glimpses from the Congress' ongoing Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Bodo Yatra.