Students will influence journey of 'Viksit Bharat': Modi
NEW DELHI, Aug 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday told students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, that the decisions they make over the next three to four decades will influence India’s journey towards becoming a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
Addressing the 57th convocation ceremony of IIT Delhi, Modi said every generation faces its own challenges and carries a specific national responsibility. He asked the students to consider how their decisions could contribute to the country and address its needs, according to reports.
“You are all aware that every generation faces the specific challenges of its time and also bears its own national responsibility. Whatever you do over the next 30 to 35 years of your lives will influence our journey towards a 'Viksit Bharat'. Therefore, the basis of every decision you make should also be: how will this benefit the country? Which of the nation's needs will this fulfil?” he said.
Modi also urged students to keep their curiosity alive and continue learning, saying the world and technology are changing rapidly and that “those who learn, win.”
He said the rapid pace of change means nobody can predict what the next 20 to 30 years will look like. He encouraged students to remain open to new situations and challenges.
"Today, the world is changing rapidly. Nobody can say what will happen 20-30 years from now. Keep your curiosity alive in life... Keep your learning instinct alive. Those who learn, win," he said.
The prime minister said challenges can become opportunities for people who dare to find new solutions. He said being receptive to new situations and challenges would help students turn difficult circumstances into opportunities.
Modi said this ability was among the lessons students had learned during their time at IIT Delhi.
"People who are open to new situations and challenges will turn challenges into chances and this is what you have learned at IIT Delhi," Modi said.
He also highlighted India's efforts to become self-reliant across sectors, saying new areas were opening up for young people in the country.
"Today, new sectors are emerging in the country for our youth," he said.
The prime minister also pointed to the rapidly changing global power balance, saying technology was the biggest force driving these changes.
"The global power balance is changing every moment and the biggest force behind it is the speed of technology," Modi said.
Referring to developments in artificial intelligence, Modi said some new initiatives related to AI had also been launched at IIT Delhi.
"I extend my very best wishes to all of you for this as well," he said.
Highlighting India's progress in the semiconductor sector, Modi recalled that questions had been raised when the government began taking steps to develop the industry.
"But today, production has begun at the first semiconductor unit. I firmly believe that from chips to ships, everything will be made here by your hands," the PM said.
More than 3,000 graduating students, including 587 PhD scholars, were conferred their degrees at the convocation ceremony.
After Vijay-led all-party meet, Tamil Nadu leaders vow united front against delimitation
CHENNAI, Aug 8: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday said the state’s parliamentary representation must remain completely untouched, asserting that the state's place in the Parliament must be preserved.
His comments came during a meeting with the state’s MPs to formulate a united response to the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, even as major regional parties DMK and AIADMK stayed away from the meeting.
Speaking about the consensus reached at the all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Vijay, Congress Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram said Tamil Nadu’s parliamentary representation must remain completely untouched.
The meeting, held at Kalaivanar Arangam, was attended by around 21 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, primarily from the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), MDMK and IUML.
The participating leaders unanimously agreed to strongly oppose any population-based redrawing of constituencies that could diminish Tamil Nadu’s political representation.
“This is an issue beyond party politics. This is an issue that concerns Tamil Nadu’s rights and Tamil Nadu’s representation in the Parliament of India. Tamil Nadu can’t be diminished in the Parliament of India. Tamil Nadu’s place in the Parliament of India must be preserved. Any delimitation, whatever might be that formula, whether it is based on population or a uniform increase, will diminish our role in Parliament, and that can’t be allowed,” Chidambaram told reporters.
He stressed that this issue was beyond party politics and urged all parties to speak in unison for the rights of Tamil Nadu.
"We discussed the repercussions of delimitation, in whichever manner it takes place. We are very clear that we want the Parliament to be frozen at 543 and Tamil Nadu's representation to be guaranteed at 39," he said.
Chidambaram further shared that of Tamil Nadu's MPs from both Houses, about 21 attended and were unanimous that the state's seat share could not be altered.
"Our representation in the Parliament can't be diminished. Any kind of alteration and delimitation, either on the basis of population or on a proportionate increase, will be resisted. We want the Parliament to be frozen at 543, and the distribution among the states to be preserved as it is, which means Tamil Nadu will have 39 members in a house of 543," he said, adding that a larger Parliament would be an "ineffective Parliament" and would not serve the state well.
'Gen Z are our own, protesting doesn't make them anti-national': Mohan Bhagwat
MUMBAI, Aug 6: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said that if Gen Z is protesting, they aren't anti-nationals but “our own people”.
Addressing an event in Mumbai, Bhagwat said that Gen Z is not like the previous generation, which did not question elders, and that it wants logical answers.
“When we were of their age (youth), we would listen to our elders. We never used to question. Now, the Gen Z wants logical answers,” he said.
"If Gen Z is protesting, they are not anti-nationals. They are our own people, our next generation... I do not believe Gen Z is like that... I think the new generation - the Gen Z and Gen Alpha - is more honest than our existing generation, and the honest appeal of patriotism and service works with them," he added.
His remarks came against the backdrop of the recent Jantar Mantar protests in Delhi against the NEET paper leak, which was largely joined by Gen Z students.
Talking about the police action on the students at the protest on July 20, Bhagwat said he does not know why the police resorted to lathi charge and pellet guns.
“Why did the lathi charge happen? Why are pellet guns used? We need to study the reasons,” he said.
Bhagwat also backed comprehensive reforms in the education system, saying one or two reforms are not enough.
“I'll tell you, two or three are needed. Education is not a business, and we need to provide education to all. We need to work on fee structures," he said, while backing a demand for the share of education in India's budget to be increased to six per cent.
“Public participation is important in education, from school development to quality education. Focus on teachers' training. We are giving education to educate people, not for business,” he said while elaborating on the needed reforms.
Bhagwat said conflicts between countries should not permanently damage bilateral relations. He asserted that nations such as Pakistan and China should not be viewed as India's "wholehearted enemies". He said disputes may temporarily put ties on hold, but should not bring them to an end.
"In times of conflict, we should not spoil bilateral ties. They can be put on hold till the issue is resolved, but they cannot be severed. Conflicts may halt ties, but they should not end them. It is not that Pakistan and China are whole-heartedly our enemies. State politics also plays a role," he said.
Bhagwat also said people should stand with the government during times of conflict, while stressing that humanity ultimately transcends political divisions.
"During conflict, we are with the government, but we also know that sometimes we have to become one. Humanity is one," he said.
'Making a 15-year-old girl apologise is complete nonsense', says Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI, Aug 5: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Modi government of forcing students to apologise and intimidating their families. "Sending goons to their homes, sending goons into women's homes, forcibly making them apologise, making a 15-year-old girl apologise, and then accepting that apology, that is complete nonsense. We do not accept it," Gandhi said.
Addressing a press conference here, Rahul Gandhi said the students were only demanding an end to exam paper leaks and improvements in the education system. Calling the current system "flawed", "collapsing" and "useless", he said it needed to be corrected.
"They were not being violent. They were not being aggressive. They were not being nasty. They were beaten, they were assaulted, and they were threatened," he said.
Rahul Gandhi addressed the media alongside CJP protester Rhiya Ahir and other students who were subject to police action during the NEET protests in Delhi on July 20.
The Congress leader praised the student protesters, saying they had "defended the Constitution", protected the idea of India and stood up for the country's future. He said raising concerns over the education system and demanding reforms was not a crime.
Gandhi said the Congress wanted an education system that functions properly and respects students. "We want an education system that works. We want exam leaks to stop. And we want the future of this country, our students, to be respected and protected," he said.
Model Rhiya Ahir introduced herself as the woman seen confronting the Mumbai Police during the protests. Rejecting the description of her as merely the "girl who went viral", she said, "I am the girl who stopped 20 children from being unlawfully detained." She asked the media to "change your narrative" and focus on why she intervened.
Ahir alleged that she had faced sustained online harassment after the incident. She claimed that party workers had circulated false and defamatory posts about her on social media, including allegations that she was "selling my body for ₹140". "This is not trolling, it is a crime," she said.
Student protester Muskan Sharma alleged that she was assaulted by a Rapid Action Force (RAF) officer during the police action on the CJP protest. "The people who are supposed to protect me are the ones beating me. Where should I go for my protection?" she said.
Sharma also questioned the officer's conduct, asking, "Why did he try to jab a baton into my buttocks?" She made the remarks while addressing the media alongside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
2 losses, 1 win: BJP election scorecard days after Gen Z delivered a setback to Modi govt
NEW DELHI, Aug 3: The BJP had a mixed day, at best, in the assembly bypolls on Monday, winning just one of the three seats that went to polls, all of them in states it rules. The party lost the high-profile Bankipur seat in Bihar and failed to wrest Datia in Madhya Pradesh, though it held on to Manjalpur in Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat.
The results came just days after the Centre came under pressure — and the education minister had to be replaced — over protests that saw massive participation of youth in Delhi against examination paper leaks. Track election results live here
The biggest setback for the BJP came from Bihar, where Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes in Bankipur.
The BJP had held the seat since 1995.
The bypoll was held after BJP national president Nitin Nabin resigned from the assembly upon moving to the Rajya Sabha.
This was Kishor's first election victory since entering politics and gave Jan Suraaj its first MLA. The party had failed to open its account in the 2025 Bihar elections.
During the campaign last week, Kishor said Jan Suraaj had already changed Bihar's political debate despite not being in power.
RJD's vote share also dropped sharply. Its candidate, who had polled more than 46,000 votes in the last assembly election, got fewer than 15,000 votes this time.
The BJP also lost the Datia assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh, with Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeating BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari by 6,016 votes.
The Congress retained the seat, which it had won in the 2023 elections.
The BJP's only win came from Gujarat, where it comfortably retained the Manjalpur Assembly seat.
BJP candidate Satendrabhai Patel defeated Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari by a margin of over 30,000 votes.
The bypoll results came days after the Centre took a beating from non-stop GenZ-driven protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over exam paper leaks and education reforms. The agitation, led by the satirical digital collective Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), began over the NEET paper leaks before expanding into a mass movement on education, jobs and governance.
SC says states can withdraw FIRs against students who participated in NEET protests
NEW DELHI, Aug 3: The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that the expression "criminal antecedents" in its order on releasing student protesters referred only to those involved in grave and heinous offences, and said states could close or withdraw FIRs against the remaining students in accordance with law.
The clarification came after the Centre submitted that it was "serious" about not pursuing FIRs against students who participated in the NEET examination paper leak protests, including the July 20 Parliament march in Delhi, provided they did not have criminal antecedents.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing a batch of pleas alleging police excesses against student protesters during the agitation spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party .
"It is clarified that NCT of Delhi and any other state shall be at liberty to close or withdraw FIRs against protesters... The word criminal antecedents is to be read as grave and heinous offences," it said.
At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that there was some misconception regarding how to implement the Union government's commitment to withdraw the FIRs against students.
"There was some misapprehension about what to do with the FIRs against the protesters. I have instructions to say that the government is serious about that commitment. Those who had criminal antecedents... except them, everything can be taken care of," Mehta said.
Modi says he forgives students who abused him in Cockroach protests
NEW DELHI, Aug 1: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he forgives students who hurled expletives at him during protests last month, describing them as “misled children” who must be shown “the right path” rather than be prosecuted and punished.
The biggest political crisis of Modi’s third term was caused by growing support for the youth-led Cockroach protest movement, which emerged in May after a crucial exam was voided after the questions were leaked, forcing more than two million students to resit the exam the following month.
The Cockroach Janta Party – as the protesters called themselves after the chief justice of the Supreme Court described unemployed youths and activists as “cockroaches” – was initially a social media campaign calling for educational reform via viral memes. But it morphed into a mass movement mobilising tens of thousands of supporters in capital New Delhi and inspired similar protests in cities across India.
The protests eventually ended after the Modi government agreed to all the protesters’ demands, including the resignation of the education minister, and pledged not to pursue criminal cases against any demonstrators.
But despite Modi’s assurances, the authorities in states ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party filed cases against hundreds of protesters after some clashed with security forces and shouted abusive slogans about the prime minister.
Supporters of Modi’s far-right Hindu nationalist politics have doxed female protesters, including teenagers, on social media, hurling rape and death threats at them, and demanding the local authorities take criminal action against them.
“These are misled children. Showing them the right path is our duty. Punishing them, making them run around courts, or tormenting them in society will not change the situation,” Modi said in a video posted on social media late on Friday, adding that “disgusting expletives” were targeted at him and his late mother at the protest.
“It is a cultural shock to us that how can our daughters use this language,” he said, before adding: “I want to forgive them.” |
