Atishi says 35 cr. Indians hungry; BJP accuses her of defaming nation
The Hindu
The Delhi BJP has hit out at Education Minister Atishi after she remarked at an event in London that 35 crore people in India are hungry.
A day after Delhi Education Minister Atishi said at an event that India has 35 crore hungry people at an event, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva on Friday accused her of “defaming” the country on the global stage.
At the Cambridge India Conference in London on Thursday, Ms. Atishi said the number of hungry people in India grew from 19 crore in 2020 to 35 crore in 2022.
Hitting back, Mr. Sachdeva said, “The whole country wants to know where did Ms. Atishi get this figure of 35 crore hungry people. The leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, who call themselves staunch patriots, have left no stone unturned to embarrass the country today.” No response was issued by AAP on the matter.
At Thursday’s event, Ms. Atishi said it is often highlighted that India has the largest number of growing billionaires, with the number increasing from 102 in 2020 to 166 in 2022. In contrast, another figure during this period is the number of hungry people in the country, which grew from 19 crores to 35 crores, she pointed. “This is alarming considering that India is the second-largest producer of food in the world. Despite this, it has the largest number of malnourished or undernourished people,” she added.
Speaking on the topic ‘Education — Building India’s Future at 100’, Ms. Atishi said that during her school days, her textbooks labelled India a ‘developing country’ and at that time the narrative was that India would become a ‘developed country’ by 2020. However, India still carries the tag of a ‘developing nation’, she added.
The Minister also lauded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for bringing a major shift in politics in India, saying that it was for the first time in the country’s democratic history that parties have education and health as their top agenda.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.