Oppn criticise Bhagwat's remarks at WHC; Madhav defends

Agencies

September 9, 2018

Nagpur/New Delhi, Sept 9: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's strong pitch for the consolidation of Hindus invited criticism from Opposition parties on Saturday, while BJP general secretary Ram Madhav defended the statement.

Speaking at the second World Hindu Congress in Chicago, US on Friday, Bhagwat had said that Hindus had no aspiration of dominance and the community would prosper only when it worked as a society.

"If a lion is alone, wild dogs can invade and destroy the lion. We must not forget that," the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief had said.

"We want to make the world better. We have no aspiration of dominance. Our influence is not a result of conquest or colonisation," he added.

Attacking Bhagwat over his remarks, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the RSS was demeaning others.

"The RSS is trying to demean people by calling others dogs and assuming themselves as the tiger," Owaisi said.

This has been the language of RSS and people will reject it, he added.

Meanwhile, Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar claimed that the "dog" reference was for the "Opposition parties" in the country.

"I condemn this 'mansikta' (mentality) of Mohan Bhagwat that he has referred to Opposition parties in the country as dogs," the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader said.

The Opposition Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra too slammed the RSS and alleged that its ideology was "anti-Hindu".

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, "The ideology of RSS and BJP is anti-Hindu and they only know how to do caste politics."

"The day they stop dividing Hindus on the basis of caste, every Hindu and people from other religions as well will be lions," Malik added.

Congress leader Sachin Sawant said, "RSS ideology is anti-Hindu. It is known for hatred towards other castes and religions. It is shameful of the RSS chief to describe any religion in this way."

However, Madhav defended Bhagwat and said that the RSS chief has always spoken for the welfare of Hindu society and the country.

The WHC marks the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's historic speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893 in Chicago.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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