Gandhinagar:

A leopard entered a jungle safari park near Gujarat’s Statue of Unity and killed a blackbuck deer following which seven more deer died of shock. The incident occurred during the early hours of January 1, triggering a probe by the local forest department. 

According to forest officials, the leopard, aged between 2 and 3 years, managed to breach the well-fenced boundaries of the park, which is located within the periphery of the Kevadia forest division. The park, a key attraction near the world’s tallest statue, is surrounded by the dense forests of the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, an area known for its leopard population.

The big cat reportedly entered the herbivore enclosure, where it attacked and killed one blackbuck. The remaining seven blackbucks are believed to have died from shock and panic following the attack. Forest department officials confirmed that all eight carcasses underwent post-mortem examinations, after which they were cremated.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Agneeshwar Vyas, overseeing the Kevadia division, explained that while leopard movements in the surrounding forests are common, this is the first recorded instance of a wild leopard entering the safari park. 

He added that the park is monitored around the clock through more than 400 CCTV cameras, and the leopard’s presence was detected almost immediately. Security personnel were alerted, and their response caused the leopard to flee. However, it is still not known whether the leopard has exited the safari park entirely.

Following the incident, the park was temporarily closed to tourists for 48 hours. Although the park reopened on January 3, concerns remain about the leopard’s potential return.
 

Kewadiya, Gujarat:

Targeting the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said some powers are trying to weaken national unity for the sake of politics and called upon people to identify and fight against this “alliance of urban Naxals”. The Prime Minister was speaking on National Unity Day, which coincided with Diwali this time, near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s grand statue at Kewadiya in Gujarat.

“Countries are growing apart, but coming close to India. This is not ordinary, a new history is being written. The world is watching how India is resolving its issues. So we have to protect our unity,” he said, after paying tributes to Sardar Patel, who played a key role in national integration after India’s Independence in 1947.

“Some perverted powers are worried about India’s rise. Within India, and outside it, such people are trying to create instability and anarchy. They want the wrong message to go to global investors. These people are targeting the forces, running misinformation campaigns. They are trying to divide (people) in the name of caste. They aim to weaken India’s society and unity. They don’t want India to be developed because the politics of ‘poor India, weak India’ suits them. So they are breaking India in the name of the Constitution. We have to identify this alliance of Urban Naxals and fight against them,” the Prime Minister said.

While he did not explicitly name any Opposition party or leader, the reference was clear. The INDIA Opposition bloc, led by the Congress, built its Lok Sabha election campaign around a ‘save Constitution’ slogan and is demanding a caste Census to ensure better representation of backward classes in jobs and education. In this general election, the BJP led by Prime Minister Modi returned to power despite falling short of getting a majority on its own. 

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Sardar Patel and said the BJP government’s vision reflects its commitment to national unity. He said a ‘one nation, one tax’ system and abolished the Article 370 wall, revoking Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

“The discriminatory policies and intent of previous governments weakened national unity. Over the past 10 years, the new governance model has eliminated discrimination. We have chosen the path of sabka saath sabka vikas. This approach has ended the dissatisfaction among people and enhanced their trust in development schemes,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said Aadhaar, which represents ‘one nation, one identity’, is being discussed globally. “We brought ‘one nation, one tax’ system through GST. We brought ‘one nation, one health insurance’ scheme through Ayushman Bharat. Now, we are working towards ‘one nation, one election’ that will strengthen democracy and optimise resources. India is also moving towards ‘one nation, one civil code’.”

The country, he said, is happy that after 70 years of Independence, a ‘one nation, one Constitution’ pledge has been fulfilled. “This is my biggest tribute to Sardar sahab. For 70 years, Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution was not implemented across the country. Those who chant the name of the Constitution insulted it so much. The reason was the wall of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 has been buried forever. For the first time, voting was done without discrimination in this Assembly election. For the first time, the Chief Minister there has taken oath on the Constitution of India. This scene must have given immense satisfaction to the makers of the Indian Constitution, their souls must have found peace and this is our humble tribute to the makers of the Constitution.”

The Prime Minister said this National Unity Day marks the beginning of Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary and the country will celebrate this occasion for two years. 

“Unity is important for economic progress and our goal to become a developed nation. This unity is important for social harmony. If we are committed to social justice, unity is the pre-condition. Let us move forward together,” he said.