Modi said peace is paramount for development, and the Centre is committed to achieving it.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said the 'wholesale attack on the democratic system' currently underway in India is the single biggest risk the country is facing, and asserted that allowing different traditions to thrive is very important as 'we cannot do what China does, which is to run an authoritarian system'. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: / Rediff.com Speaking at a seminar titled 'The Future is Today' at the EIA University in Medellin, Colombia, Gandhi also alleged that there are 'huge amounts of corruption at a centralised level' in India now. "In India, we have huge amounts of corruption now at a very centralised level. So, three or four businesses taking over the whole economy, having a direct relationship with the prime minister, is rampant in India," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said. "But I believe decentralising power, making things more transparent, bringing people into conversations, and bringing people into processes is the best way forward," Gandhi said while addressing the seminar on Wednesday. Hitting back at the Congress leader for his remarks, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday accused Gandhi of insulting and degrading India on foreign soil. Posting a video clip of Gandhi's speech on X, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, 'Rahul Gandhi does it again, degrades India on foreign soil. From defaming our democracy in London, to mocking our institutions in the US, now in Colombia he spares no chance to insult Bharat globally.' 'This isn't dissent. It's disgrace to the fake Gandhi. Criticising BJP may be your right but dare you malign Mother India for your cheap and petty politics,' Bhatia said. Speaking at the seminar, Gandhi said India has a much more complex system as compared to China and its strengths are very different from that of the neighbouring country. India also has a very old spiritual tradition and a thought system with profound ideas that are useful in today's world, he said, adding that there is a lot that the country can offer in terms of tradition and way of thinking. "I am very optimistic about India, but at the same time, there are fault lines within the Indian structure. There are risks that India has to overcome. The single-biggest risk is the attack on democracy that is taking place in India," the Leader of Opposition said. "India has multiple religions, traditions and languages. India is actually a conversation between all its people. Different ideas, religions and traditions require space. The best method for creating that space is the democratic system," he said. "Currently, there is a wholesale attack on the democratic system in India, so that is a risk. The other big risk is different conceptions -- some 16-17 different languages, different religions... So, allowing these different traditions to thrive, and giving them space to express themselves is very important for a country like India.
'I fell in love with Suraiya and that was my first real gafla. The more I couldn't get her, the more I wanted her. When I couldn't marry her because the world didn't want it, I cried for the first time.'
'What is it about the institution of faith that makes somebody get a sense of impunity, that they believe they can get away with anything?'
'They are clueless about the man on the currency notes.' 'They have been fed with WhatsApp forwards, so either Gandhi is vilified or deified. There's nothing in between.'
Protesters blocked the Gorakhpur-Pipraich road on Tuesday morning after that forces from four police stations and PAC were deployed.
From social editor to Vogue's new leader, Chloe Malle embraces her 'nepo baby' status, ready to shape the future of fashion media.
The mother of a 14-year-old girl who died in the June 4 stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the IPL victory celebrations of RCB has filed a police complaint, alleging that her daughter's belongings, including a pair of gold earrings, were stolen during the post-mortem.
'Story-telling is at the core of everything I do.'
Two Union Ministers visited the family of a 23-year-old woman in Kothamangalam who allegedly took her own life due to harassment by her lover. The family is demanding an NIA probe into the incident, alleging forced religious conversion.
A profile of veteran Nepali politician K P Sharma Oli, detailing his rise to power, his various stints as prime minister, and his impact on Nepal's political landscape.
'Dayanand never needed an occasion to be present -- just a reason. And I've never had to look far when I needed a shoulder,' says Arun Khanna.
'You know the situation in Yemen now. There is no government there.' 'The rebels are in control. So, there is no diplomatic channel through which we can negotiate.'
'This incident is being given a Hindu-Muslim angle too. I don't know why it is being done. I don't have anything to do with this case...'
Sickness on screen is a sure shot way of seeking audience sympathy and turning on the waterworks.
The Delhi police Special Cell has busted a terror module with links to Pakistan and arrested five suspected operatives after raids across multiple states, an official said on Thursday.
Kiran Joneja opened up about her personal life and her marriage with Sholay Director Ramesh Sippy in a conversation with Lehren TV.
'On our first day at the Kumbh Mela, there was a fire and shook our confidence. 'There must have been a few crore people there.' 'How do we place the camera in between them?'
rediffGURU Ravi Mittal, CEO, Quack Quack, shares expert advice on how to deal with trust issues in a marital relationship.
'It is daunting, for sure, because you're rowing upstream.'
Kareena has been a leading lady now for 25 years, Deepika for almost two decades and Alia for over a decade. Dinesh Raheja chronicles the changing ways Bollywood has treated actor-moms.
The man accused of attacking Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta told investigators he planned a protest against the Supreme Court's order on relocating stray dogs, similar to Anna Hazare's anti-corruption protests.
'I don't know how long cinema will survive.'
Parents of the RG Medical College rape victim met CBI Director Praveen Sood to express their dissatisfaction with the agency's probe. They believe more than one person was involved in the rape and murder of their daughter and allege a cover-up. The CBI has challenged the life imprisonment sentence given to the convicted, seeking the death penalty.
The principal of a college in Odisha was arrested after a student set herself ablaze following alleged sexual harassment. The incident has sparked protests and political tensions in the state.
Manisha, from Rathauda village under Chhaprauli police station limits, recorded a video and left a three-page suicide note before her death, they said.
Healthcare services at AIIMS-Patna remain affected as resident doctors continue their strike against the alleged high-handedness of a local MLA. The strike stems from an incident where the MLA and his guards allegedly assaulted staff and brandished a firearm within the hospital premises.
A victim of alleged human trafficking and forceful conversion in Chhattisgarh claims she was coerced by Bajrang Dal activists to give a false statement. She also alleges police did not record her statement properly and that the arrested nuns are innocent.
'... had gone to South Africa from India over a hundred years ago.'
After the plane crash incident, Imtiyaz and his uncle rushed to Ahmedabad to help the authorities in the identification of victims by providing their DNA samples.
"I've lost everything... I had only two children, a boy and a girl, and both are gone. My home is empty... There's no one left to play in the courtyard. I wish God had taken me instead and spared my children," she said.
The mother of Sanjoy Roy, convicted for the rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, has said she accepts the verdict and believes her son should be punished, even if it means hanging. The court will announce the sentence on Monday.
Mamdani, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan author of Indian ancestry, was declared victorious in the Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday night.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's mother on Wednesday that the 'churma' prepared by her reminded him of his mother and turned him emotional.
Abundantly talented but more significantly, incredibly cool in crunch situations, that's how India's 88th Grandmaster and World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh was described by her formative coach Srinath Narayanan, who feels the 19-year-old chess wizard's composure is comparable only to cricket great Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
In a heinous terror attack, two Indians were killed while one was abducted in the Dosso region of Niger, as noted by the Indian Embassy in Niger.
Flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, resulted in casualties and widespread damage, prompting rescue operations and relief efforts.
'I am not a mother and never had an abortion either, so I had to understand motherhood and child loss from anecdotal experiences of others.'
'So my question was, 'What is it that you are proud of? What have you achieved? What is your contribution?' 'He had no answer.'
'You need the drishti, the experience. I am beginning to see things differently.'
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