National
‘Competitive communalism’ the agenda of ‘party of Hindutva’: Tharoor
Kolkata, Feb 11 (IANS) Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday made a veiled attack on the BJP, accusing it of practising “competitive communalism” in the name of Hindutva and claimed his party chooses the politics of performance over the ongoing politics of identity to govern the country.
“The issues that touch your wallet, your daily life need to be focused on. Competitive communalism is the agenda only of one party, the party of Hindutva. Our agenda is truly to challenge the government on performance.
“In the battle between politics of identity and politics of performance, we hope we will be prevail with the Indian voters who would want to see their politicians performing for them,” Tharoor said at a session on his latest book “Why I am a Hindu” at the Kolkata Literary Festival here.
He said it is important to make people aware of the nuances of Hinduism as opposed to the hardliner Hindutva ideology practised by some sections of Indian society to put aside the arguments on religion and focus on more pertinent issues like price rise and lack of development under the present regime.
“If we can do that then we can put aside the Hindutva issue, the polarisation argument and talk about development. Then we can talk about the young people who were promised jobs four years ago and still have not got it or the housewives who were paying Rs 390 for a gas cylinder during the UPA, are now paying Rs 790 because the government has removed all the subsidies.
“For a government, the responsibility is if anybody breaks the law, whether they do it in the name of religion or something else, they should not worry about the religion part and focus on their actions to punish them,” he pointed out.
About the acceptance and diverse nature of Hinduism, Tharoor said the argument on religion should not be between the believers and the secular.
“The argument on Hinduism should be within the faith. It cannot be between the Hindu and secular. If you make it that way, then those who practise Hindutva would say vote for us because we are Hindus and they are not. But within the belief we can say to the Hindus, that their teaching of Hindutva is wrong…” he said.
Tharoor said true Hinduism teaches acceptance which is more important than tolerance because while the idea of tolerance is somewhat patronising, acceptance teaches to be respectful of others’ beliefs.
He also said, more than the faith, it is often the “faithful” who creates more problems in the society by choosing use their religious beliefs to hurt others.
“The problem is not the religion but the followers of the religion who distorted the essence to use it as a weapon or an instrument to attack others. There are good things in every religion but those who choose to use religion as a political instrument or an act of violence against other, are the problem,” he added.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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