Skip to main content

Modi coined the term divyang, why is he mocking dyslexic people?: Disabled rights body

By A Representative
The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), condemning what it called "the disrespectful and insensitive" remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interaction with students at the Smart India Hackathon 2019 organised by the India Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, has said, these were "all the more unpardonable as it comes from a person holding such a high office."
"Instead of answering a question posed by a student, the Prime Minister sought to take potshots at his political rivals. In an uncalled for and totally insensitive response the Prime Minister tried to portray all dyslexic people in poor light", said NPRD, adding, "And this disgusting attitude comes from a person who had equated disability with divinity and coined the term 'divyang'."
According to NPRD, "Even during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign Modi had used terms like blind, deaf, lame etc. to belittle his rivals. It is a reflection of a totally regressive mindset", adding, "Some of his political rivals also display the same tendency. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had called the PM schizophrenic, in the not-too-distant past."
 "The PM should under no circumstances should be making such a remark. It also displays scant respect for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 according to which this constitutes an offence. The least the PM can do is apologies for his remarks", Muralidharn, general secretary, NPRD, asserts.

Comments

TRENDING

The making of a self-made woman: How eighty sheep changed everything for Kalawati Ninama

By Vikas Meshram*  About forty-two kilometres from Rajasthan's Banswara district, in the tribal heartland of Ghatol block, lies the small village of Ubapana. This is where Kalawati Ninama, her husband Dhulji, and their four children make their home. Their days unfold much like those of their neighbours—bustling mornings, long hours of farm labour through the afternoon, and evenings spent tending livestock. For this family, farming and livestock were once simply a means of putting food on the table. Today, they have become the sturdy foundation of something far greater: genuine self-sufficiency.

Ahmedabad world’s least climate resilient major city: AlphaGeo study

By Rajiv Shah  A new study has ranked Ahmedabad as the least climate-resilient major city in the world , highlighting a dangerous gap between the city’s extreme physical vulnerability to climate hazards and its capacity to adapt. Cited by The New York Times , the analysis, conducted by geospatial artificial intelligence firm AlphaGeo , places the Indian city at the top of a list of global urban centres most exposed to climate risk.

India has spent billions on skilling. Where are the jobs?

By Vikas Gupta   India loves the photograph of a certificate ceremony. A minister on a stage. A banner bearing the word “skill.” Young people holding folders that promise a future. It is a reassuring image because it tells us the problem has a manageable answer: train the young, make them job-ready, and work will follow.