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Journalism of Courage
In the BJP’s election programme calendar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stands only next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when it comes to addressing most political rallies. Shah has addressed about a dozen election rallies in Haryana and Jammu Kashmir. During his last visit to Haryana, Shah learnt to have told his party colleagues that he had addressed 11,800 election rallies in his political career.
BSP chief Mayawati, during an election rally in Haryana on Tuesday, schooled a senior leader of ally Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Since INLD secretary general Abhay Singh Chautala could not reach the rally venue due to a snag in his helicopter, he sent Sher Singh Barshami, who, in his speech, referred to Dalits as ‘Harijans’. Later, Mayawati said there was no mention of ‘Harijan’ in the Constitution and Dalits are mentioned as SCs and STs. Mayawati said he (Barshami) should study the Constitution, while recalling an event in 1977 when she had corrected Janata Party leaders over the same issue.
In keeping with the Swachh Bharat Mission’s agenda, the mementos presented to PM Narendra Modi on the 10th anniversary of the mission on Wednesday, too, sent the message of making wealth from waste. The PM was given a Bhagalpuri silk shawl made of Eri silk yarn, which is produced from Tasar cocoon waste, it is learnt. He was also given a jar of ‘sona khaad’ (gold compost) made from dried faecal material obtained from a twin-pit toilet system at a rural household in Warangal district of Telangana.
