India News
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement a challenge to SC, say Muslim bodies and opposition
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Before the final hearings in the Ram Janmabhoomi case start in the Supreme Court on December 5, a day before the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition 25 years ago on Dec 6, 1992, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat passed his own judgment on the issue, saying only Ram temple will be built at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
While ignoring the court case, Bhagwat also went ahead and rejected efforts for an out-of-court settlement of the issue being made by Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Shia Waqf Board.
As was to be expected, he managed to provoke a flurry of protests. The statement was criticised by Muslim organisations and opposition parties alike as an affront to the apex court and the Constitution of the land.
The timing of the statement and the dates related to the controversial issue also coincides with the Gujarat Assembly polls where the BJP is banking again on emotive issues for its campaign.
Bhagwat had made a similar statement in 2013, in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in which he described Ram Janmabhoomi as a question of “India’s identity”.
The RSS insists – unconvincingly – that it has nothing to do with politics or elections.
Bhagwat’s statement came on Friday at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) ‘Dharma Sansad’ in Karnataka’s Udupi town. He said, “The Ram temple will be built at the Ram Janmabhoomi and nothing else will be constructed on that land. It will be built using the same stones and under the leadership of people who fought for it for the last 20-25 years.”
“We will construct it. It is not a populist declaration but a matter of our faith. It will not change,” he added, observing that after years of efforts and sacrifice, building the Ram temple seemed possible now. The RSS political wing BJP holds the reins of government at the Centre and, with NDA partners, in 18 states and is the dominant political party in the country. The 18 states include the crucial Uttar Pradesh, where the saffron party came to power with a thumping majority and the new Hindutva mascot Yogi Adityanath was anointed chief minister.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also rejected any moves by AoL founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar towards an out-of-court settlement in the Ayodhya Ram Temple issue. He mentioned how Ravi Shankar had approached him and VHP’s Acharya Dharmendra at a function and put forth his proposal, despite being warned not try it, and how it (the proposal) was dismissed outright.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had, earlier this month, traveled to Lucknow and Ayodhya to speak to all major stake holders to find an amicable solution to the issue. However, most of the concerned parties remained cold to the proposal espoused by the spiritual leader.
Bhagwat asserted that any decision on the issue has to be made by seers and saints who have led the movement. “If anyone wants to make an effort, let them do that. It is a democracy,” he added.
Bhagwat’s statement that only the temple will be built at the disputed site in Ayodhya came even as the Supreme Court is going to start final hearings in the Ram Janmabhoomi case from December 5. The court will hear appeals against the Allahabad High Court verdict dividing the 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya between the main deity Ram Lalla, Sunni Wakf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.
The case had come up before a three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra on August 11 and was adjourned for three months to give time for translation of relevant documents into English: there are nearly 90,000 pages of oral evidence and 533 documentary exhibits in eight different languages, including Sanskrit and Persian.
As The Indian Express reported, while litigants await hearing in the Supreme Court, the change of government in Uttar Pradesh saw a new cast of characters jumping in. First, there was the Shia Wakf Board of Uttar Pradesh, its chairman proclaiming that a mosque at the disputed site made no sense. Then came a glittering Diwali celebration in Ayodhya in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and, subsequently, the abrupt entry of spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar as a mediator.
Bhagwat’s statement predictably drew strong reactions.
Muslim organisations said Bhagwat had challenged the Supreme Court court, and demanded action against him, PTI reported. The RSS chief, they said, was attempting to assist the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Gujarat Assembly elections by diverting voters’ attention from “real” matters.
“The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has faith in the judiciary and will try to implement its order. By issuing this statement, Mohan Bhagwat has taken [the] law into his hands,” the organisation’s spokesperson Maulana Khaild Saifullah Rehmani said.
“Despite the issue pending in the court, Mohan Bhagwat has given this statement only to divert the attention of voters in Gujarat from real issues,” All India Shia Personal Law Board Maulana Yasoob Abbas said.
Convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee and lawyer for the UP Sunni Wakf Board Zafaryab Jilani said Bhagwat’s statement was a “challenge” to the Supreme Court and the Constitution of India. “As per the Constitution, the Supreme Court is the highest authority and it is that authority which is adjudicating on whether there can be construction there or not. The country runs by rule of law and we are all awaiting the verdict of the SC. This statement amounts to a challenge to both the SC and Constitution,” he said.
Member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) executive committee Asaduddin Owaisi said: “This is obnoxious, a deliberate ploy to vitiate the atmosphere. How can such a statement be made when the matter is in the Supreme Court? This is a title suit and the RSS is saying it is a matter of faith. I hope the SC takes note of it. This is dangerous.”
The opposition parties criticised Bhagwat’s statement saying that the RSS chief is not above the Supreme Court and that the country is run by the Constitution and not faith.
“Mr Bhagwat is not above the Supreme Court and the country is run by the constitution and not by faith,” Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik told ANI. “BJP Is losing public faith and that is why the Ram Mandir issue has been raised by BJP and Sangh parivar,” he added.
He further stated that the matter is before the Supreme Court and the verdict of the highest court should be binding on everybody.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
India News
PM Modi says change in government certain in Chhattisgarh
According to PM Modi, the second Parivartan Yatra was launched from Jashpur in north Chhattisgarh on September 15 while the first one left Dantewada in south Chhattisgarh on September 12.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the closing ceremony of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) two Parivartan Yatras in Bilaspur. This is PM Modi’s third trip to the state, which is governed by the Congress and will host assembly elections later this year.
The Prime Minister attacked the Bhupesh Baghel-led governance during a public rally by claiming that Chhattisgarh is steeped in corruption and misrule. Every plan of the Congress government contains a fraud.
According to PM Modi, the second Parivartan Yatra was launched from Jashpur in north Chhattisgarh on September 15 while the first one left Dantewada in south Chhattisgarh on September 12.
Before reaching their conclusion in Bilaspur, both yatras covered a distance of more than 3,000 km over 87 assembly segments (out of the total 90), he said, and included 83 Swagat Sabhas (welcome gatherings), four roadshows, and several public meetings.
The Maoist-affected districts of Bijapur, Sukma, and Antagarh are not on the schedule, although residents from these districts participated in the yatra when it went through their neighbouring districts.
The party officials and employees spirits were unaffected by the rain, he said, and they joyfully took part in the two yatras, which attracted a large number of people.
According to Sao, who expressed confidence that the Congress will be defeated in the 2019 elections, the two yatras, in which almost 50 lakh people participated, have converted the tide of change into a storm.
The program’s location has been heavily fortified with security, according to the police. There will be a total of 1,500 security personnel deployed, including police officers, members of the Special Protection Group (SPG), members of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force, and members of the National Security Guard (NSG).
According to a police, a three-kilometer radius around the city has been designated a no-fly zone, and anti-drone weaponry have also been deployed in anticipation of the PM’s visit.
The Congress gave the BJP, which had been in power for 15 years under Raman Singh, a crushing loss in the 2018 assembly elections. The BJP had only won 15 seats, while the Congress had won 68. There are 71 seats in the current Congress.
India News
Punjab: Farmer’s rail roko protest enters 3rd day, disrupts train services
Many trains have been cancelled, short-terminated, or diverted as a result of the unrest, according to railway officials.
The rail roko protest of Punjabi farmers demanding MSP legal protection, a broad debt relief, and compensation for crops damaged in the recent floods began its third day today.
Many trains have been cancelled, short-terminated, or diverted as a result of the unrest, according to railway officials.
As part of their three-day agitation, the farmers have been blocking railway tracks at various locations in Faridkot, Samrala, Moga, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Sangrur, Patiala, Ferozepur, Bathinda, and Amritsar since Thursday.
In Punjab and Haryana, the protest has halted hundreds of rail passengers.
A train passenger at the Ludhiana station claimed that he had travelled by road from Jalandhar City in order to board a train to Gorakhpur, but the arrival time of the train was unknown.
Another passenger at the station claimed that the Amritsar-bound train that was scheduled to carry 12 members of his family to Bihar had to be cancelled due to the unrest.
Later, they discovered that the family had journeyed by road from Amritsar and that the train would leave from Ludhiana. He continued, however, there has still been no update on the train.
According to officials, the Ambala and Ferozepur railway divisions have suffered specifically as a result of the farmers’ unrest.
The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Bharti Kisan Union (Krantikari), Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Azaad), Azaad Kisan Committee, Doaba, Bharti Kisan Union (Behramke), Bharti Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), and Bharti Kisan Union (Chottu Ram) are among the farmer organisations taking part in the three-day demonstration.
The angry farmers have stated that the three-day protest will end on Saturday.
Their requests include a financial aid package for those in north India hit by floods, a statutory guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, and a farmer debt forgiveness programme.
The Swaminathan Commission report’s proposals for MSP and a 50,000 crore flood relief package for the states of northern India are what the farmers are asking for.
In addition, they want the debt of all farmers and labourers to be forgiven, as well as compensation of Rs 10 lakh and a government job for the families of each farmer killed during the protests against the three farm laws that have since been repealed.
India News
Sankalp Saptaah: PM Modi today launches week-long initiative for aspirational blocks at Bharat Mandapam
The country’s Sankalp Saptah programme, which is being implemented in 500 aspirational blocks throughout 329 districts, seeks to increase block-level government while also improving civilian quality of life.
At Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced a week-long project named Sankalp Saptaah for the country’s aspirational groups.
He also conversed with attendees, including members from the panchayat and the block level.
The week-long programme, which is described in an official news release, is closely correlated with the national Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP), which Modi introduced in January of this year.
The country’s Sankalp Saptah programme, which is being implemented in 500 aspirational blocks throughout 329 districts, seeks to increase block-level government while also improving civilian quality of life.
Chintan Shivirs were held nationwide at the village and block levels to help with the effective execution of the ABP and to create strong block development strategies. The result of these careful considerations, which will be seen in each of the 500 aspirational blocks, is Sankalp Saptaah.
On October 9, the final day of the seven-day event, a celebration of the week’s worth of effort will take place under the banner of Sankalp Saptaah – Samavesh Samaroh.
Speaking at the inaugural function, the prime minister claimed that more than 25 crore people’s lives in 112 districts throughout the nation had been improved by the aspirational districts plan. He asserted that the quality of living had changed. Now, the aspirational blocks programme will be built on the success of the aspirational districts programme, he said.
According to the statement, about 3,000 panchayat and block level functionaries and representatives of the people are expected to attend the inaugural event at Bharat Mandapam, in addition to about two lakh farmers, block and panchayat level functionaries, and people from other walks of life who will participate virtually.
Starting on October 3 and running through October 9, each day of Sankalp Saptaah is devoted to a distinct development subject on which all aspirational blocks will focus. Sampoorna Swasthya, Suposhit Pariwaar, Swachhta, Krishi, Shiksha, and Samridhi Diwas are some of the themes for the first six days, according to the statement.
