Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that in his personal opinion the RSS should be banned as most law and order problems in the country are arising because of the BJP-RSS.

He also charged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insulted the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by allowing government employees to be associated with the Sangh.

Kharge hit back at Prime Minister Modi after he attacked the party on Patel’s birth anniversary, and cited Patel’s remarks criticising the RSS following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

Responding to a question on banning the RSS again, Kharge said, “It is my personal opinion and I will say it openly, it should be done” as most of the issues and law and order problems are all arising because of the BJP-RSS.

He said what Patel put forth before us, the prime minister and Home Minister Amit Shah should pay heed to them.

Asked about government lifting the ban on government employees associating with the RSS, Kharge said when Patel himself banned the RSS, “then naturally he is disrespecting our Vallabhbhai Patel ji, who himself gave all the reasons why he banned the RSS and there is no ambiguity.”

The Congress chief said Patel wanted to bring in unity and peace and he fought for it.

“But after bringing unity in the country, anyone who tries to break that unity should be taught a lesson. And, you know who are those people who are breaking that unity,” he said.

Asked further if this would create an atmosphere of disunity, Kharge said, “I clearly feel that something which had ended, this government has revived that and these people will be responsible for whatever happens in the country”.

He said till 2024, nothing happened and now that it is not good for the country to once again “awaken the people”.

“This is not good for the country and it is like tasting poison, whose result is certain death. There is no need to taste poison once again. The things being done by Modi ji are not good for the country,” he said.

Noting that today is the birth anniversary of Patel and death anniversary of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, the Congress president said these two great leaders –“ “iron man” and “iron lady” — made a big contribution to the country and strived to maintain unity.

This is the history of the Congress and its contribution, Kharge said at a press conference here.

Kharge cited a letter written by Patel to Syama Prasad Mookerjee in which the then home minister said the RSS had created an atmosphere that led to the tragedy of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

They always tried to portray a rift between India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel when they had great ties and both had praised each other, Kharge said.

Nehru hailed Patel for shaping India’s unity and Patel called Nehru an ideal for the country.

Kharge recalled a letter written by Patel to Mukherjee on February 4, 1948, in which he said, “On Gandhiji’s death, the RSS members expressed such joy and distributed sweets, which further intensified the opposition. In these circumstances, the government had no choice but to take steps against the RSS.”

“While writing this letter to Mukherjee, he said — The report proves that the atmosphere created in the country due to the activities of the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha is what led to Gandhiji’s assassination.”

Kharge’s remarks came after Prime Minister Modi said Sardar Patel wanted to unite the entire Kashmir, just as he did with other princely states, into India, but then PM Nehru did not allow it to happen.

Slamming the Congress, Modi said that the party inherited the slave mentality from the British who ruled India. The country is removing every trace of colonial mindset, he added.

Earlier on Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Kharge paid him tributes and said he is a source of inspiration for them as he described him as “the great Iron Man of India” who wove the entire nation into the thread of unity and integrity.

“Pandit Nehru called him the ‘Architect of India’s unity’,” he said, adding that Patel was former Congress chief and the resolution on fundamental rights passed in the Karachi Congress under his leadership is the soul of the Indian Constitution.

“Sardar Patel Saheb resides in our hearts, and his ideas, which emphasise mutual harmony and brotherhood, are an inseparable part of the Congress party’s ideology,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi also paid rich tributes to the country’s first home minister.

“By weaving India into a single thread, he laid a strong foundation for the unity and integrity of the nation – his indomitable courage, foresight, and ideals will forever guide us,” Gandhi said.

Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, in 1875, Patel was a pivotal figure in India’s struggle for Independence. He died in 1950.

—PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said Sardar Patel wanted to unite the entire Kashmir, just as he did with other princely states, into India, but then PM Nehru did not allow it to happen.

“Sardar Patel believed that one should not waste time writing history but we should work hard to create history,” Modi said, addressing the gathering after the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar.

“Sardar Patel wanted to unite the entire Kashmir, just as he did with other princely states. But Nehru ji stopped his wish from being fulfilled. Kashmir was divided, given a separate Constitution and a separate flag – and the nation suffered for decades because of Congress’ mistake,” Modi said.

The policies that Sardar Patel formulated, the decisions he took, created new history, the PM said.

“After Independence, the impossible task of uniting more than 550 princely states was made possible by Sardar Patel. The idea of One India, Excellent India, was paramount for him,” Modi said.

“Sardar Patel once remarked that his greatest joy came from serving the nation. I want to convey to the people of our country that there is no greater source of happiness than dedicating oneself to the service of the nation,” he said.

“The country has decided to have a decisive fight against infiltrators. On Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, we should pledge to remove each and every infiltrator from the country,” Modi said.

“Today, the unity and internal security of our nation face serious threat from infiltrators. For decades, infiltrators have been entering our country and disrupting its demographic balance,” Modi said.

Highlighting the work against Naxal terror, Modi said his government will not stop till Naxalism and Maoism is rooted out of the country.

Slamming the Congress, Modi said that party inherited “slave mentality” from the British who ruled India. The country is removing every trace of colonial mindset, he added.

“Every thought or action that weakens the unity of our nation must be shunned by every citizen. This is the need of the hour for our country,” the prime minister said.

Before his speech, Modi reviewed the National Unity Day parade in which contingents from police and paramilitary forces took part.

Women officers commanded all the contingents, including paramilitary forces like BSF, CISF, ITBP, CRPF and SSB, and police contingents from Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

A contingent of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) also participated in the parade.

The parade featured 16 BSF personnel who were awarded gallantry medals for their participation in Operation Sindoor.

The parade showcased a marching contingent of Indian breed dogs from the BSF, including the celebrated Mudhol hound Riya which recently won the All-India Police Dog Competition.

Rampur hounds and Mudhol hounds demonstrated their skills at the event, which included a spectacular air show by the Surya Kiran team of the Indian Air Force.

The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team was formed in 1996 and is among the very few nine-aircraft aerobatics teams in the world, and the only one of its kind in Asia.

The parade also featured a motorcycle daredevil show by Assam Police, and a camel mounted contingent and band by the BSF.

Ten tableaux from various states and union territories, including the NSG and NDRF, reinforce the theme of unity in diversity.

—PTI

In a significant ruling, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has declared that citizens have both a statutory and fundamental right to correct errors in their Aadhaar data. The court said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) must ensure that people can exercise this right without facing unnecessary hardship.

Justice GR Swaminathan, who delivered the judgment in Pushpam v. UIDAI, observed that the right to receive government benefits through Aadhaar inherently includes the right to rectify inaccuracies in it. “When the right to receive benefits is a fundamental right and Aadhaar card is a mandatory vehicle through which the benefit can be received, the cardholder has the concomitant fundamental right to seek alteration,” the judge said.

Elderly widow’s pension delay triggers landmark judgment

The order came in response to a plea filed by 74-year-old P Pushpam, a widow from Paramakudi, whose family pension was delayed because her Aadhaar card contained incorrect details — her name was misspelled as “Pushbam,” and her date of birth was wrong.

Pushpam’s husband, an ex-serviceman who served in the Indian Army for 21 years, passed away in May 2025. Her pension transfer request was rejected by the Defence Accounts Department due to the mismatch between her Aadhaar and pension records. After multiple failed attempts to make corrections through e-Sevai and postal centres, she approached the High Court for relief.

UIDAI duty to ensure accuracy of Aadhaar data

Referring to Section 31 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, the court noted that although the section uses the word “may,” UIDAI’s obligation becomes mandatory once it is satisfied about the accuracy of the provided information. Justice Swaminathan said that correcting errors in Aadhaar is integral to the statutory framework and a core responsibility of UIDAI.

“The whole purpose of Section 31 is to ensure that one’s Aadhaar card contains the correct details,” the court said, emphasizing that inaccuracies can deprive citizens of their rightful benefits and essential services.

Call for decentralised correction centres

The court also expressed concern that only one Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK) caters to all southern districts of Tamil Nadu, forcing elderly and vulnerable citizens to wait in long queues. Citing a 2025 media report on the challenges of Aadhaar corrections, the court urged UIDAI to expand its facilities and make them physically accessible at local levels.

Justice Swaminathan observed, “The facility to alter demographic information must be available at the local level,” and directed UIDAI to expedite its plan to set up 28 new Aadhaar Seva Kendras in Tamil Nadu by March 2026. However, noting the petitioner’s urgency, the court ordered the Madurai ASK to immediately correct Pushpam’s Aadhaar details and directed the Defence Accounts Department to transfer her pension without further delay.

Pushpam was represented by Advocate N Kamesh, while UIDAI was represented by Advocate Gnanamuthu.