'I dreaded meeting him these days because every time he'd say: We have to fight this government, even if it means going to jail.' 'He'd been in jails run by the British, he'd also been in jails in independent India, now he was ready to go to jail under this government.'
'Gandhi had given the call 'Do or Die'. And with all the leaders arrested, you had to be your own leader.'
On the 83rd anniversary of the Quit India movement, Utkarsh Mishra recalls the conditions under which the Congress, led by Mahatma Gandhi, launched the final struggle for independence.
Freedom fighter Dr G G Parikh, activists Tushar Gandhi and Teesta Setalvad were prevented from reaching the August Kranti Maidan on Wednesday morning by the Mumbai police.
'They said that my leaving for the Quit India Movement event would be a threat to law and order so I should not leave the police station and to be stationed there till the time they do not get permission.'
Hundreds of Mumbaikars, draped in rainbow colours, participated and showed solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community.
Word spread that Leo was in the vicinity and hundreds of fans gathered outside the Don Julio restaurant for a glimpse of the man who brought the World Cup to Argentina in December.
'The 2024 general elections proved that UP is not Gujarat.'
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said nothing much happened during his meeting with his uncle and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar in Pune last week.
Students and social activists held a protest against the act and the NRC at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, while a large number of people gathered for a pro-CAA rally at the historic August Kranti Maidan, where a massive protest against the Citizenship Act was held last week.
Denizens of the fast-paced financial capital, who value their time over everything else, came out to protest against the controversial legislation.
Thousands of people congregated at August Kranti Maidan in Grant Road area of south Mumbai to protest the new legislation -- the Citizenship Amendment Act -- which many claim is discriminatory, communal in nature and goes against the very fabric of our nation. Incidentally, the venue -- August Kranti Maidan -- is the same where Mahatma Gandhi had in 1942 called for British to 'Quit India'. As the thousands gathered and shouted slogans like 'Modi-Shah se aazaadi' and 'Tanashahi nahi chalegi (dictatorship won't work)', Rediff.com's Hitesh Harsinghani was there to capture the mood. And the one takeaway from there: They may look different, they may be from different parts of the city, but their anger is the same.
Filmmakers Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap and Aditi Rao Hydari were among the prominent faces from the Hindi film industry to join the public protesting against the Citizenship Act at Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan on Thursday. The gathering included workers of political parties, students and also a smattering of Bollywood personalities, who made out a strong case against the Act and the National Register of Citizens.
The actor also shared an image that sought to explain the ramifications of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizen.
'Today, the BJP is using power in such a manner that they not only crush the Opposition, but even their own supporters can't rebel.'
Amidst a sizeable police presence, lesbians, gays, transgenders and people who support them marched their distance without any interference by the 'moral police'.
Defying prohibitory orders, protests were held in Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and several other cities. Protesters, mostly students and activists, were detained on a large scale in national capital and other places.
'Today, the State is permanently going after politicians, but also civil society, academics and all those it is threatened by or irritated with.'
'In a democracy, there is nothing like 'I am right'.' 'You can be wrong, so somebody has to point that out.'
The leaders alleged that those who had no contribution in the freedom struggle wanted to spread fear 'in the name of nationalism', suppress the voice of people and were questioning the legacy of Congress.
'I remember the confusion over the slogan, 'Karenge Ya Marenge! (Do Or Die!)'.' 'I think this confusion arose because Gandhiji was arrested.' 'People used to wonder: What are we supposed to do?' 'How are we supposed to die?' 'How are we to fight the British?'
'The government may backpedal for now to stave off bad international press and diplomatic demarches, but that it will go ahead with putting religion at the centre of citizenship rules is certain.' 'For it is convinced that this is the magic bullet that will ensure its return to power in 2024,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
A large number of people took out a 'solidarity march' in South Delhi on Sunday in support of Jamia Millia Islamia students and those facing police action during protests against the contentious law.
Nearly 30 per cent work on casting of the monumental bronze statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, billed as the world's tallest sculptural work, has been completed, says noted artist Ram Sutar.
'It was a battle that took many forms, ranging from non-violent mass satyagrahas, mammoth public meetings, huge protest rallies in cities and towns to underground organisation of sabotage of communication and transport networks, an underground radio, illegal patrikas (newsletters) and the formation of parallel governments in Ballia, Midnapore and Satara.'
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com recalls his encounters with the late Gopinath Munde many years ago, when he was Maharashtra's home minister.
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