On Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (Aug 14), UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath led his ministers and party colleagues in a silent procession in Lucknow. It was to commemorate the death and displacement of lakhs of Hindus and Sikhs during 1947 Partition. Yogi said, Hindus and Sikhs were killed in lakhs by rioters, but Congress leaders, in their lust for power, remained silent. Yogi said, the basic character of Congress has not changed. He said, if he had not been in power in UP, Congress and Samajwadi Party could have engineered communal riots in UP during the CAA agitation.
Yogi said, had there been a leader of Narendra Modi’s mettle during 1947, India would not have been partitioned and lives of lakhs of Indians could have been saved. Yogi has to face assembly elections early next year and he is already in campaign mode. He is facing two challenges with whom he does not have a direct connect. First, the theft of crores of money from the Ram Mandir donation boxes. Akhilesh Yadav and his party tried their best to raise this issue during Parliament’s monsoon session. Secondly, the GenZ students protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which Rahul Gandhi is trying his utmost to make it an issue. Both these issues are going to be reflected in the UP assembly elections.
Yogi is targeting both these issues in his campaign. He reminded people that the Samajwadi Party leaders, who are now speaking about donation theft and Lord Ram, are “late arrivals”. They are actually “Babri bhakts” (devotees), he said. As far as Ram mandir, Sanatan dharma and Bajrangbali issues are concerned, Yogi is several steps ahead of Akhilesh Yadav. On the GenZ protest issue, Yogi is not going to face much of a challenge because the Congress party lacks mass base in UP. The GenZ show that Rahul Gandhi addressed in Prayagraj had no impact on the ground. The biggest advantage that Yogi has, is his personal connect with the youths of UP. Improvement in law and order and the projection of Yogi as protector of Hindus have become his big advantage.
Why is Rajnath angry with Rahul?
Normally, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh always keeps his cool and he avoids wading into controversial issues. But on Friday, Rajnath Singh lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for what he called, his mimicry and antics to denigrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit made an insulting reference about Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Rajnath Singh said, Rahul Gandhi has crossed all limits and he has become a threat to democracy. He said, the fact that a leader with the surname Gandhi can stoop to such a low, is really shameful. Singh said, Congress leaders should get a mental checkup done for Rahul. I have seen Rajnath Singh angry for the first time in public. It seems Rahul’s comments and antics have hurt him badly. There could be two reasons. One, a person holding the post of Leader of Opposition mimicking the Prime Minister of India, is really an embarrassment. Two, Rajnath Singh feels, it is sad that the member of a family that ruled India for a long period, which had leaders of the stature of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, is now resorting to cheap antics.
Rajnath Singh has a reputation of maintaining decency in public life. He never made any remarks which could hurt his rivals. I do not think it will have any impact on Rahul Gandhi. He will continue with his antics. In the past, he had tendered apology in court, and then went on to do the same act again. He had to face embarrassment in Parliament several times. On Friday, the Speaker admitted a privilege motion notice from Anurag Thakur and Sanjay Jaiswal. Rahul Gandhi will have to reply by August 28. If the reply is not found satisfactory, action can be taken against him.
Who is Manan Mishra to dictate to students?
The Chief Justice of India snubbed Bar Council of India president Manan Mishra for issuing a circular asking state bar councils not to enrol 2026 graduate students from NALSAR University, Hyderabad, as advocates. Chief Justice Surya Kant said, the matter is between NALSAR university students and the CJI, and the Bar Council has no business interfering. After an outcry on social media, the Bar Council chief hurriedly withdrew his circular.
What Manan Mishra did was illegal, immoral and objectionable. A Supreme Court lawyer should at least have the knowledge on how to react when such issues arise. He misused his position as Bar Council of India chief. It is a good thing that he withdrew his circular immediately after good sense prevailed.