Modi plays nationalism card, rakes up surgical strike in Karnataka

Agencies
May 3, 2018

Kalaburagi, May 3: Playing the nationalism card, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Congress of "insulting national heroes" and the Indian Army by "questioning" the veracity of the cross-border surgical strikes.

He also said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi "disrespected" the national song 'vande mataram'.

"Forgetting the national heroes, patriots and history is the nature of a family in the Congress. (Jawaharlal) Nehru and V K Krishna Menon insulted General (KS) Thimayya, who had to resign. They neglected General (K M) Cariappa," Modi told an election rally in Kalaburagi in Karnataka, as he sought to connect with the voters of the home state of the two legends of the Army.

Invoking Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the prime minister said independent India's first home minister, was instrumental in forcing the Nizam of Hyderabad, who controlled the region where Kalaburagi is located, to accede to the country.

"But one family in the Congress loses its sleep whenever Sardar Patel's name crops up," he said.

Seeking to appeal to patriotic sentiments of voters, the prime minister raked up the issue of cross-LoC surgical strikes, claiming the Congress questioned the genuineness of the assault by the Indian Army.

"They (Congress) sought proof about the genuineness of the surgical strike. Bodies of Pakistani soldiers were carried on trucks, a newspaper said that...and they need proof. Should our soldiers go on such operations with a camera or a gun?" he said.

The prime minister said a Congress leader even called the Army chief a "goonda" (gangster) after the surgical strike.

The prime minister reached out to farmers of Karnataka, saying his government would take up farming of pulses in a big way.

Rejecting the Congress claim that it was a champion of Dalit causes, Modi referred to "atrocity" on a Dalit girl in Karnataka's Bidar. "But the state's ruling party did not speak about it. they had no candlelight protests," he said.

"This party (Congress) only knows how to prostrate before the members of one family. But we have decided to construct memorials to the tribals who fought against the British since 1857 to 1947 when India became independent," he said.

Comments

shahid
 - 
Thursday, 3 May 2018

This PM even doesnt know to stand still while the national anthem is played in russia, rather he started walking facing the russian army..... later a russian official stopped him by pulling his hand..... waa marl maraya..... can u speak on this topic Mr. PM???

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News Network
January 8,2026

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Bengaluru: A 26-year-old tech professional of Mangaluru origin died after allegedly falling from the 16th floor of a residential apartment in Bengaluru on Wednesday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Nikshap Bangera, an electronics engineering graduate who had recently returned to India after completing his education in Europe and had begun working here. He was residing with his parents at Prince Town Apartments in Bengaluru’s Shettihalli area.

According to police, Nikshap’s father Kishore said his son called him around 5 am, informing him that he would return home soon. However, at about 8.30 am, the apartment association president, Ravi, contacted the family and asked them to come to the ground floor.

“When we went down, we saw that our son had fallen from the 16th floor of the apartment and died,” Kishore said.

Personnel from the Bagalagunte Police Station visited the spot and registered a case. Police said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Officials further stated that Kishore informed them that Nikshap had been suffering from schizophrenia for the past few years. The body has been shifted to Victoria Hospital for post-mortem examination.

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News Network
January 14,2026

Bengaluru, Jan 14: Adding to speculation over a possible power tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday shared a cryptic message on social media platform X.

In a Kannada post accompanied by his photograph, Shivakumar wrote, “Even if the effort fails, the prayer does not fail.”

The post came a day after his brief meeting with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the Mysuru airport runway, where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was also present.

According to sources, Gandhi spoke separately with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for a few minutes each, before holding a short joint interaction with both leaders.

A Congress leader said Siddaramaiah discussed preparations for the upcoming state Budget and the need for a Cabinet reshuffle during his interaction with Gandhi. The leader added that Shivakumar may have raised the issue of the government completing two-and-a-half years in office and the alleged promise of making him Chief Minister.

However, Siddaramaiah denied that any political matters were discussed during the meeting. Responding to speculation about a possible leadership change, he dismissed it as media conjecture, saying there was “no such issue within the party,” while adding that he would abide by whatever decision the party high command takes.

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