National
RSS-BJP washes hands off Karpoori Thakur statue vandalism controversy
Darbhanga/Patna, Jan 24 (IANS) Soon after a report about the RSS and BJP workers allegedly painting former Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur’s statue “saffron” in Bihar’s Darbhanga appeared in the media on Wednesday, the pro-Hindutva outfits strongly refuted the claim.
Sanjay Saraogi, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Darbhanga town assembly constituency, said the Sangh Pariwar workers did not paint the statue of Karpoori Thakur saffron.
“Unlike what has been reported by some media outlets, no such thing has happened. Why the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or the BJP will paint (Karpoori Thakur’s statue) saffron?” he said.
Sanjay also said that he had no information about a protest by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over the issue, as claimed in the reports.
Earlier in the day, news reports said that upbeat over the two-day visit of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to the city starting Tuesday, the Sangh and BJP activists had painted saffron a statue of veteran socialist leader and two-time Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakur. The statue was said to be close to the programme venue of the Sangh chief.
“They turned the entire town saffron with flags, posters, banners, welcome arches and even painted the statue of Karpoori Thakur saffron to welcome the RSS chief on Tuesday,” a district police official was quoted as having said.
Avinash Kumar, an RSS leader in Darbhanga, said the Sangh had nothing to do with painting any statue saffron. “Why will we do anything like it?”
The Sangh leader said the RJD people had wrongly blamed the Sangh for painting the statue of Thakur saffron. “RJD has no work left other than making wrong accusations against us.”
Darbhanga ASP Dilnawaz Ahmad also denied having received any such information. “There is no such news so far,” he said.
However, on condition of anonymity, a district police official told IANS that some people associated with the Sangh Parivar had indeed painted the statue of Thakur with saffron colour on Tuesday. But after the RJD protested, the statue was wiped clean.
“Something had happened with the statue, but following the hue and cry, the statue was restored to its original colour,” he said.
Corroborating the earlier report, district RJD president Ram Naresh Yadav also said that his party had opposed the act and hundreds of party workers staged a protest against the “saffronisation” of Thakur’s statue.
“We have not only protested against it but also submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate to take action against those who painted the statue saffron,” Yadav said.
Popularly known as “Jan Nayak” (people’s leader), Thakur was one of the socialist leaders close to Jayaprakash Narayan, who spearheaded the movement for “Total Revolution” as well as protests against the Emergency (1975-77).
Belonging to the extremely backward caste (EBC), he emerged as an important icon for consolidating EBC votes in caste-ridden Bihar. The EBCs are a cluster of over 100 castes accounting for around 32 per cent of the electorate.
Regarded as an honest and hard working leader, Karpoori Thakur was the Chief Minister of Bihar from December 1970 to June 1971 and from December 1977 to April 1979.
Thakur passed away in 1988.
–IANS
ik/nir/bg
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
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.