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Gujarat polls ahead: Modi, BJP go all out to appropriate Sardar Patel

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9 years ago

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering on the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas – to mark the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. Photo credit: PIB

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]To commemorate 142nd birth anniversary of Vallabhbhai Patel, Prime Minister flags of Run for Unity and claims earlier governments attempted to erase Patel’s legacy

As the country remembered India’s first home minister and deputy prime minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 142nd birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP also went all out to appropriate the ‘Iron Man of India’ who, ironically, had once banned the saffron party’s parent organisation – the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

As Modi flagged off the Run for Unity from a flamboyant event organised at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the national capital to mark the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas – celebrated to mark Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary and his contribution in uniting India’s over 500 princely states into a composite Republic – it seemed too much of a coincidence that the BJP’s display of an ever-increasing fondness for Patel came weeks before the Gujarat assembly polls.

Modi launched a not-so-veiled attack at the Congress while underscoring the contributions of Sardar Patel towards building the Indian republic.

“There have been attempts to run down Sardar Patel, to ensure that his contribution is forgotten. But Sardar is Sardar, whether any government or any party recognises his contribution or not but the nation and the youth will not forget him,” Modi said while addressing the mega-event at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium.

However, the rich tributes to Sardar Patel, which are obviously well-deserved and undoubtedly should have been made more often by previous Congress regimes, also have a great political significance for Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh, minister of state for youth affairs and sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore flagging off the Run For Unity from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Phot credit: PIB

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh, minister of state for youth affairs and sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore flagging off the Run For Unity from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Phot credit: PIB

Sardar Patel belonged to a humble agricultural land holding Patidar family from Gujarat, the home state of both, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah. The BJP currently faces its toughest poll battle in the past 22 years as Gujarat goes to polls next month and a major reason for this party’s troubles is the raging Patidar agitation in the state that is being led by Hardik Patel, who is threatening to align with the Congress to bring down the state’s saffron government.

In Gujarat, Sardar Patel is an iconic figure whose popularity as the ‘Iron Man of India’ and a hard-nosed realist in Indian politics during the era of Nehruvian socialism arguably surpasses that of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and perhaps even of the Mahatma himself. By batting for Patel’s legacy and trying to project the BJP as the party that is fighting to get the Congress icon his true place in history, Modi is cleverly reaching out to the Gujarati electorate – especially the agitating Patidar community which has also chosen Sardar Patel as their icon.

Paying rich tributes to Sardar Patel, Modi said: “The British government wished that India was disintegrated into smaller states. But Patel used all means (saam, daam, dand, bhed, rajneeti, kutneeti) and succeeded in uniting all princely states into a single nation within a very small span of time,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that it was Rajendra Prasad – India’s first President – who had declared that India had become a united nation only due to the administrative acumen and strong leadership of Sardar Patel but that the country was not giving him due respect.

“Rajendra Babu must be happy now, wherever his soul may be, that we are remembering the contribution of Sardar Patel today even though some people tried to run down and erase his contribution. The nation will continue to remember Patel,” Modi declared.

The Prime Minister hailed Sardar Patel as “the main force behind upholding India’s unity and integrity at the time of Independence.”

In recent years, Modi and his BJP have made repeated attempts to appropriate Sardar Patel – a staunch Congressman, acolyte of Mahatma Gandhi and comrade-in-arms of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In the absence of any freedom fighters within their own ranks who can be projected to rival the popularity and stature of Pandit Nehru, the BJP-RSS combine have repeatedly sought to take Sardar Patel for their icon. The saffron combine has floated misrepresentations and grossly exaggerated claims of how the Congress under Pandit Nehru “insulted” Patel and how, in the past six decades since the death of both Nehru and Patel, the Congress party has sought to erase the contributions of Sardar in an effort to ensure that the aura around Nehru doesn’t pale in comparison.

Modi’s efforts to showcase himself and his party as the force that is keeping Patel’s legacy alive have often led the Prime Minister and his party colleagues from making gaffes at public events while trying to portray the reportedly strained relationship between Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel . The Prime Minister had once famously declared that Pandit Nehru had skipped the funeral of Sardar Patel in December 1950 – a lie that was immediately exposed by the Congress party which released video footage of the country’s first Prime Minister standing beside the funeral pyre of his deputy.

While there is no doubt that Sardar Patel had a huge role to play in uniting India and ensuring that the newly born country of multiple princely states, religions, castes and languages didn’t implode under the sheer pressure of its enormous diversity, Modi and his BJP’s bid to appropriate the icon’s legacy for incremental political and electoral gains in poll-bound Gujarat can’t be ignored either.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Journalist files police complaint against Rahul Gandhi over push allegation

Journalist Richa Parashar has filed a criminal complaint against Rahul Gandhi and others, alleging that she was pushed while covering the Opposition’s march to the Supreme Court. The Congress has denied the allegation.

Published

14 hours ago

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October 17, 2026

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Journalist Richa Parashar has filed a police complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over an alleged incident during the INDIA bloc’s march to the Supreme Court in New Delhi on October 12. She has sought the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Gandhi and others, alleging that she was pushed while covering the protest.

Parashar submitted her complaint to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), New Delhi district, on Friday, seeking immediate action. She has said she was three months pregnant at the time of the alleged incident and accused those involved of mistreatment, threats and the use of force.

What Richa Parashar alleged in her complaint

Parashar alleged that she was reporting on the Opposition’s march when the incident occurred. According to her earlier account, she was waiting near a gate on the Supreme Court premises to seek a response from Gandhi when he allegedly grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. She further alleged that his security personnel pushed her away, causing her to fall on the Supreme Court steps.

In her complaint, Parashar said she asked Gandhi questions before he allegedly pushed her towards a gate. She claimed that the force caused her to lose her balance and fall, and that her repeated requests not to be pushed were ignored.

Parashar has sought legal action against Gandhi and others whom she alleges were involved. The complaint reportedly seeks action under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 74, 115(2), 131, 125 and 3(5). These provisions concern alleged assault or criminal force against a woman, voluntarily causing hurt, assault or criminal force, acts endangering human life or personal safety, and joint liability for acts committed with common intention.

The allegations and the sections cited in the complaint do not, by themselves, establish criminal liability.

Congress disputes the allegation

The Congress has challenged Parashar’s account of the incident. According to report, the party said a video released by the journalist did not show the sequence of events she described.

Congress leader Alka Lamba also questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident and accused those raising the issue of attempting to manufacture propaganda.

The allegations remain disputed. The complaint and the competing accounts should not be treated as an established finding of wrongdoing.

Incident took place during Opposition’s Supreme Court march

The alleged incident occurred on October 12, when Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders marched to the Supreme Court to submit a petition concerning alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Opposition has raised concerns about the voter-list revision process and alleged irregularities.

Parashar’s police complaint adds a legal dimension to the controversy surrounding the march. Any further action will depend on the police process and the relevant legal proceedings.

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Delhi court orders release of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke

A Delhi court on Saturday ordered the conditional release of Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, who was detained and subsequently arrested ahead of a planned protest march at Connaught Place.

Published

15 hours ago

on

October 17, 2026

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Abhijit Dipke

A Delhi court on Saturday ordered the conditional release of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, a day after he was detained and subsequently arrested ahead of a planned protest march in the national capital. The march was scheduled to take place at Connaught Place as part of demonstrations against alleged electoral irregularities.

Dipke was asked to furnish a bond and undertake to maintain peace as a condition of his release, according to reports. The court’s order came after he was produced before a Special Executive Magistrate following his arrest on Friday.

Why Abhijeet Dipke was detained

Dipke had planned to participate in the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march at Connaught Place, where participants intended to gather and wave the national flag. The proposed demonstration was part of ongoing protests over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

According to the Delhi Police, Dipke was taken into preventive custody before being formally arrested in a case related to the apprehension of a breach of peace. Police cited Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

Neha Bora was also detained

All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora was also detained on Friday ahead of the planned march. She was released early Saturday morning after completing the formalities associated with her detention, according to the report.

Bora criticised the police action and called for the release of protesters who remained in custody. She also demanded an end to the SIR exercise and sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. These were her demands and allegations, rather than findings established by the court.

Protests over electoral rolls continue

The demonstrations involving CJP, student groups and opposition supporters have centred on allegations of irregularities in the voter-list revision process. Critics have questioned the exercise, while the Election Commission has maintained that its decisions were approved by the Supreme Court. The BJP has criticised the protests, describing them as attempts to spread anarchy, according to the report.

Dipke’s conditional release marks the latest development in the dispute over the planned Delhi protest. The court’s order concerns his release under specified conditions; it should not be interpreted as a judicial finding on the wider allegations surrounding the electoral-roll revision.

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Anirudh Ravichander to marry Kavya Maran in November, reception on November 21

Anirudh Ravichander and Kavya Maran are set to marry in November, with their Chennai wedding reception scheduled for November 21.

Published

15 hours ago

on

October 17, 2026

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Music composer Anirudh Ravichander and Sunrisers Hyderabad executive Kavya Maran are set to marry in November. Their wedding reception is scheduled to take place in Chennai on November 21, according to an announcement by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s office.

The development followed a meeting between Revanth Reddy and Kavya’s parents, Sun Group chairman Kalanithi Maran and Kavery Maran, at the chief minister’s residence in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

According to the Telangana Chief Minister’s Office, the couple’s reception is scheduled for November 21, with Kavya’s parents extending an invitation to the chief minister.

Telangana CM’s office announces reception date

The Telangana CMO shared photographs and videos of the meeting on its official social media account on October 16. The announcement stated that Kalanithi Maran and his wife had met Revanth Reddy to invite him to their daughter’s wedding reception.

The post specifically confirmed that the reception of Kavya Maran and Anirudh Ravichander would be held in Chennai on November 21.

The announcement provided an official confirmation of the reception date and venue, while details about the wedding ceremony itself have also been reported separately.

Who are Anirudh Ravichander and Kavya Maran?

Anirudh Ravichander is a prominent music composer in the Indian film industry. He gained widespread recognition with the song “Why This Kolaveri Di” and has since composed music for several major films, including Leo, Indian 2, Vettaiyan, Vidaamuyarchi and Coolie.

Kavya Maran is the daughter of Kalanithi Maran, chairman of the Sun Group. She serves as an executive director at Sun TV Network and is widely recognised in cricket circles for her association with Sunrisers Hyderabad, the IPL franchise.

Wedding rumours and reported ceremony details

Speculation about a possible marriage between Anirudh Ravichander and Kavya Maran had circulated before the latest announcement. Earlier reports in August 2026 discussed the possibility of a November wedding in Greece.

A subsequent report said the wedding was reportedly scheduled to take place in Greece on November 11. However, the couple had not directly confirmed their wedding plans in the cited report.

The Telangana Chief Minister’s Office has confirmed that the reception is scheduled for November 21 in Chennai. The reported wedding ceremony details should therefore be attributed to reports rather than presented as officially confirmed information.

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