Modi extends best wishes to those embarking on yatras
*Those who fought Emergency should always be remembered
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today mentioned annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji in South Kashmir Himalayas starting July 3 and International Yoga Day event held at Chenab rail bridge, the highest railway bridge in the world, in Reasi district of the Jammu region in his monthly `Mann Ki Baat’ Radio address aired on last Sunday of month.
“The holy Amarnath yatra is going to commence on the 3rd of July and holy month of Sawan is also just a few days away. Recently, we also witnessed the ‘Rath Yatra’ of Lord Jagannath Ji. From North to South and East to West, these yatras are a reflection of the spirit of “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat,” Modi said.
Annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji this year is beginning on July 3 and will conclude on August 9 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan. The yatra will last 38 days. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will flag off first batch of the pilgrims from Jammu on July 2 while the yatra will leave for the cave shrine from Nunwan (Pahalgam) and Baltal base camps on July 3.
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Extending best wishes to all fortunate devotees embarking on the pilgrimages, the Prime Minister commended those engaged in making these yatras successful and safe with a spirit of service.
Asserting that the pilgrimages are a means of disciplining the body, purifying the mind, mutual love and brotherhood and connecting with God, Modi said when someone embarks on a pilgrimage, the first feeling that comes to mind is `Chalo Bulawa Aaya Hai’ i.e. let’s proceed amid the divine call.
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“This very feeling is the soul of our religious pilgrimages,” he added.
He also mentioned Kailash Mansarovar yatra saying it was after a long time that this yatra had an auspicious re-start. He said Kailash Mansarovar, that is the abode of Lord Shiva, is considered as the centre of faith and devotion in every tradition; be it Hindu, Buddhist or Jain.
The Prime Minister also made a mention of International Yoga Day celebrated on June 21 including in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In Jammu and Kashmir, people also did yoga on the Chenab bridge, which is world’s highest railway bridge, in Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir. The snowy peaks of Himalayas and ITBP soldiers…yoga was seen there too; courage and sadhana were hand in hand,” he said.
The Yoga Day event at Chenab bridge was organized by the district administration Reasi.
Modi also referred to `Mission for Million Trees’ campaign in Ahmedabad City of Gujarat saying a special aspect about this campaign is ‘Sindoor Van’, a forest dedicated to the bravehearts of Operation Sindoor.
“Sindoor saplings are being planted in the memory of those brave people who have sacrificed everything for the country,” he said.
Operation Sindoor was conducted by the Indian Armed Forces from May 6-10 targeting terror infrastructure and military installations deep inside Pakistan and PoJK as a revenge for April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians including 25 tourists and a local were killed. Large number of terrorists were killed and their headquarters, training centres and camps were destroyed by the Indian Armed Forces besides military establishments.
PTI adds:-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday played remarks of leading anti-Emergency politicians in his monthly radio broadcast to slam the then Congress Government for atrocities on people, and said they should always be remembered as it inspires people to stay alert to keep the Constitution strong.
Speaking in his Mann Ki Baat programme, Modi said those who imposed the Emergency not only murdered the Constitution but also made judiciary their puppet.
His condemnation of the Congress for the Emergency-era excesses without naming the party or the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi came amid an ongoing bitter war of words between the ruling BJP and opposition parties, which have claimed that an undeclared Emergency prevails under the Modi government.
Modi said in his address that with the power of public participation, big crises can be confronted.
He said, “I will play an audio for you. In this audio you will get an idea of the magnitude of that crisis. How grave that crisis was.”
In the audio, Morarji Desai, the Prime Minister after the Emergency, said the “oppression” of the Indira Gandhi regime was going on for several years but reached its peak in the last two years after the Emergency was imposed.
Desai said, “People’s right to freedom was snatched away, newspapers were left without freedom. Courts were made completely powerless. And the way more than one lakh people were put in jail and then arbitrary rule continued, it is difficult to find its traces in the history of the world.”
Modi said in the broadcast that people were tortured on a large scale during the Emergency for the 21-month period between 1975 and 1977. There are countless examples of atrocities on people that cannot be forgotten, he added.
He also played bits of speeches of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and former Deputy PM Jagjivan Ram related to the period.
George Fernandes was shackled, he noted and recalled that anyone could be arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) at that time.
Students were harassed and freedom of expression throttled, he added.
Thousands of people were arrested and subjected to inhuman treatment, but it is the strength of Indians that they did now bow and accept any compromise with democracy, he said.
People finally won, the Emergency was lifted and those who imposed it lost, he said.
Modi said around 95 crore people are now benefiting from one social security scheme or the other, while till 2015, the Government schemes were reaching less than 25 crore people.
He cited an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report which stated that more than 64 per cent of India’s population is now availing some social protection benefit or the other.
“Presently, most of the populace in India is taking advantage of one social protection benefit or the other and recently a very important report of the ILO has come out. It has been mentioned in this report that more than 64% of the population of India is now definitely availing some sort of social protection benefit or the other,” Modi said.
Social Security is one of the biggest coverages in the world, he said.
“Today, around 95 crore people of the country are getting the benefit of some or the other social security scheme; whereas, till 2015, the government schemes were reaching less than 25 crore people,” Modi said.
From health to social security, the country is moving ahead with the feeling of saturation in every field, he said.
“This is also a great picture of social justice. These successes have instilled a belief that the coming times will be even better; India will become even stronger at every step,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also hailed as a “remarkable milestone” the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring India Trachoma-free and lauded the efforts of healthcare workers for the success.
Trachoma is a highly contagious bacterial infection, which has been a major cause of preventable blindness worldwide.
“The ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ also helped in eradicating it. The ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ also contributed a lot to this success. Today, when clean water is reaching every home through taps, the risk of such ailments has reduced,” Modi said,
The WHO has also appreciated the fact that along with tackling the disease, India has also got rid of its root causes, he said.
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