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www.desitalkchicago.com – that’s all you need to know 15 INDIA May 1, 2026 BJP Gains Ground In India’s Upper House After AAP Lawmakers Defect I ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party strengthened its position in parlia- ment’s upper house after seven opposition lawmakers joined it, a parliamentary list showed on Monday, a shift that could ease the government’s passage of legislation. All seven defectors are from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by one of Modi’s most high-pro- file critics, Arvind Kejriwal. The party governs the northern state of Punjab and previously ran the national capital territory of Delhi. The defections leave the AAP with just three seats in the Rajya Sabha house, while Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party now has 113 members, 10 short of a simple majority in the 245-member chamber. Modi’s broader National Democratic Alliance coalition holds about 140 seats in the house, also known as the Council of States. Rajya Sabha members are elected for six-year terms by elected members of state legislatures and federal territories with legislatures, using a proportional representation system. Modi’s coalition rules 19 of India’s 28 states and two of its three federal territories with legislatures. The defectors include former Indian crick- eter Harbhajan Singh and Raghav Chadha, the de facto leader of the group who gained promi- nence by raising middle-class concerns such as the high cost of food at airports. Chadha accused the party of being run by “corrupt and compromised” people. The AAP said the defectors were being opportunistic. All but one of the former AAP members were elected from Punjab, where state polls are due next year and Modi’s party has never won a majority on its own. Several other AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, have faced court cases over corruption allegations. A New Delhi court in February declined to proceed with a trial against Kejriwal and other party colleagues in one such case, which the AAP has described as politically motivated. The matter is now before a higher court. - Reuters Supporters of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) carry Raghav Chadha, one of the party’s candidates, during celebrations after learning of the initial poll results outside the party headquarters in New Delhi, India, February 11, 2020. PHOTO:REUTERS/ANUSHREE FADNAVIS India Has To Be Self-Confident, Prospeous, Harmonious Society To Serve World: RSS General Secretary R ashtriya Swayam Sewak, RSS, General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Thursday, April 23, 2026, outlined India’s civilizational vision and global role while addressing a community reception organized by the Indo American Community of Greater DC in theWashington DC Metro Area. The event, themed “India’s Global Vision & Role in the EmergingWorld: Civilizational Foundations for Prospering Together,” brought together scholars and community leaders, includingWalter K Andersen (Author & Former State Dept) andWalter Russell Mead (Hudson Insti- tute). The event was supported by a wide range of diaspora and community orga- nizations, including the American Hindu Coalition, American Hindus for Engage- ment and Dialogue (AHEAD), India Israel Coalition, Indo American Community (IAC), Indian American Diaspora Associa- tion (IADA), Overseas Friends of BJP, Rajd- hani Mandir of Virginia, Sikhs of America, United Hindu Jain Temples (UHJT), SV Lotus Temple, Vishwa Hindu Parishad Americas (VHPA), US India Security Council, and Samskrita Bharati, reflecting broad-based participation from the Indian diaspora in the United States. Addressing the community reception, Hosabale said, “Great to be here in the midst of you all and thanks are due to the Hudson Institute and also the organizers of this meet. And it’s a special honour to be sitting in the midst of these two great friends of India, and those who have tried to understand the movement of RSS and the RSS movement and its contribution. And really, it is a matter of pleasure for me to address this wonderful audience and also interact with them.” He acknowledged the work of Ander- sen in interpreting the organisation’s role, stating, “I thank Dr. Andersen for his understanding of the organisation and its contribution, and also introducing the organization to a large section outside the RSS world. And what he has said is most welcome.” Clarifying the structure of organizations associated with the RSS, he said, “In the scheme of RSS organisation network, all the organisations that he mentioned or even at the level of introduction, he said they are not wings or controlled by RSS per se. They are all RSS-inspired activities, organizations, fora. And they are in a way we can say that RSS vision in action, the RSS philosophy applied in those fields.” He further explained, “The swayamse- vaks of RSS, the volunteers of RSS, they initiated, and they started these activities in the form of organizations in various fields of national life, which Dr Andersen mentioned. And they have also attracted people those who are inclined to work in those fields. And that is why all mem- bers of those organizations may not be from the RSS background, but they have accepted the views and the philosophy of those organisations. And no doubt each one of them are inspired by the RSS philosophy and its methodology of the organization.” On coordination among these organi- zations, he said, “There is a family coordi- nation with these organisations. They are independent, their policies are indepen- dent, their working is independent, they are all having their own constitutions and rules and regulations which they follow, they have framed.” Reflecting on contemporary global challenges, Hosabale cited what he described as the paradox of modern times, stating, “We have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but we have less. We have bigger houses, but smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees, but less sense, more knowledge, but less judg- ment, more experts, but more problems, more medicines, but less wellness.” He continued, “We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We have learned how to make a living, but not a life. We have been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour. We have conquered outer space, but not inner space. We want to clean up the air, but pollute our souls. We have split the atom, but not our prejudices. We have higher in- comes, but lower morals. We have become long on quantity, but short on quality.” Drawing on India’s historical experi- ence, he highlighted examples of coex- istence, noting, “Not a single Parsi has ever said that because of their minuscule minority they were ill-treated or persecut- ed. Not only that, they did not even claim minority rights when the Constitution was being framed. His Holiness Dalai Lama and his followers, his disciples, Tibetans, they have taken shelter in India for de- cades. And Tibetans have been given the land, and they have been living in India. In India, they have been living with peace, honour, and respect.” Emphasizing India’s global outlook, he said, “When India says that world is one family, it says with some experience, some practice. Wherever Indians have gone, they have contributed to that land. They have contributed in nation building in that country. They have mingled with host society. And Indians, because of their cultural civilisation values, they have lived in peace and contributed to the welfare of that nation. So that is why these visions of India is not shallow words or emotional outburst, they are practised.” Calling for India’s rise in the global order, Hosabale stated, “India has to be a self-confident, prosperous society, and united, harmonious, people. The rise of India to that call of the world time is nec- essary so the RSS unit in India is engaged in this activity which DrWalter Anderson explained.” He added, “To make India a self- confident, prosperous society, accepting modernity rooted in cultural ethos and civilizational values. And thereby India can play this role eminently and with sustained efforts and in cooperation with other nations and societies and civilisa- tions.” Concluding on a forward-looking note, he said, “I hope the time will come sooner that India will be eminently capable of playing this role and the world is looking towards India on many issues. Particularly, the family values, the health, on the basis of yoga and pranayama, and on many other fronts, India can play this historic role with this vision of unity of mankind and world as one family.” -ANI