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From 55 in 2014 to over 100: BJP becomes the first party after Congress in 1988 to cross 100 seats in Rajya Sabha

OpIndia Staff
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From 55 in 2014 to over 100: BJP becomes the first party after Congress in 1988 to cross 100 seats in Rajya Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) tally in the Rajya Sabha has surpassed 100 for the first time. The BJP is also the first party to accomplish the feat since 1988. This achievement came after the BJP won three Rajya Sabha seats in the Northeast on Thursday. The current rally of the BJP in Rajya Sabha stands at 101.

It is the first time a party has attained this number in the 245-member House since 1988 when Congress attained more than 100 members. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, the BJP had 55 seats in the upper house.

The BJP won the Tripura seat in the elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats due to its legislative majority. In Nagaland, the BJP fielded a woman candidate, S Phangnon Konyak, who easily won. She is also Nagaland’s first woman elected to the Rajya Sabha. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, won both RS seats in Assam.

For the first time, Congress does not have a Rajya Sabha representation from the Northeast. The Congress party dominated the north-eastern state of Assam till 2015.

The Aam Aadmi Party has won all five Rajya Sabha seats in Punjab, while the BJP has won five – one each in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland, two in Assam, and one in Tripura.

The BJP’s majority in the Rajya Sabha grew from 97 to 101. The size of the Congress has lowered from 33 to 32 members. With 13 members, the AITC is the second-largest opposition party after the Congress, followed by the DMK (10) and the BJD (9). The CPI-M, TRS, and YSRCP are the only parties with six members apiece.

With 123 constituting a majority in the 245-member House, the BJP’s total, albeit well short of a majority, demonstrates the party’s consistent rise since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

After July, the parties’ positions in the Rajya Sabha will be clearer. The opposition is out of the race for the Vice President election in August, with 13 more members of Congress from the upper house retiring by July.

Rajya Sabha Elections

The Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, has a maximum membership of 250 members, with 12 members selected by the President and 238 representing the States and Union Territories.

The Rajya Sabha currently has 245, with 233 members representing the states and union territories of Delhi and Puducherry and 12 members selected by the President. Persons with particular expertise or practical experience in areas like literature, science, art, and social service are nominated by the President.

Rajya Sabha is a perpetual House that cannot be dissolved. However, one-third of Rajya Sabha members retire every two years. A member who is elected for a full term serves for six years.

Elections to the Upper House of Parliament are held using an indirect voting system. Unlike the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha MPs are chosen by proportional representation using the single transferable vote (STV) system by members of the State Legislative Assembly (called MLAs).

Under the system, an MLA’s vote is only counted once, and he cannot vote for each seat. This ensures that legislators from parties other than the ruling party are fairly represented in the Upper House of Parliament.

Qatar World Cup security official says rainbow flags may be confiscated to “protect” fans for supporting gay rights

OpIndia Staff
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Qatar World Cup security official says rainbow flags may be confiscated to “protect” fans for supporting gay rights

Rainbow flags representing the LGBTQQIP2SAA community could be taken away from football fans attending the World Cup in Qatar as per a senior security official in Qatar. Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari, director of the Department of International Cooperation and chairman of the National Counterterrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior, said this during an interaction with Associated Press.

Qatar, where same-sex relations are criminalized, has said that they will welcome LGBT+ community during the World Cup, however, the latest statement shows that they aren’t entirely comfortable with the idea.

Speaking to AP, the Major General said, “If he (a fan) raised the rainbow flag and I took it from him, it’s not because I really want to, really, take it, to really insult him, but to protect him. Because if it’s not me, somebody else around him might attack (him). I cannot guarantee the behavior of the whole people. And I will tell him, Please, no need to really raise that flag at this point.”

Furthermore, he said, “You want to demonstrate your view about the (LGBTQ) situation, demonstrate it in a society where it will be accepted. We realize that this man got the ticket, comes here to watch the game, not to demonstrate, a political (act) or something which is in his mind. Watch the game. That’s good. But don’t really come in and insult the whole society because of this.”

Qatar won the right to host the summer World Cup in December 2010 against all odds in 50 degrees celsius temperature, before FIFA moved the World Cup to winter for the first time in history to protect players from that heat. The tournament will now be held from 21st November to 18th December in the small Arabian country.

LGBTQ+ rights aren’t the only problem with Qatar hosting the World Cup, there have been some concerns raised over the use of “slave labor” and poor working conditions in the Gulf state. Thousands have reportedly died while working on the infrastructure for the World Cup due to poor working conditions.

However, football governing body FIFA, which has banned Russia for the Ukrainian invasion, has chosen to overlook all these human rights abuses.

Jammu & Kashmir: Former minister in PDP-Congress govt Babu Singh goes absconding after named in a hawala case

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu & Kashmir: Former minister in PDP-Congress govt Babu Singh goes absconding after named in a hawala case

Jatinder Singh alias Babu Singh, a former Jammu and Kashmir minister who is a suspect in a hawala transaction case, has reportedly gone absconding. According to authorities, he has been involved in a hawala transaction of Rs 6.90 lakh. Jatinder Singh was a minister in the state in the PDP-Congress coalition government led by Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed and then Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The Jammu & Kashmir Police detained Mohammad Shareef Shah, a resident of Larnoo in Anantnag, on Thursday and confiscated hawala currency worth roughly Rs 7 lakh, exposing Singh to the crime. According to Mukesh Singh, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), the police had set up various checkpoints throughout Jammu city based on particular information to trap and arrest Babu Singh.

According to the ADGP, Shah said that he was entrusted by Jatinder Singh alias Babu Singh, the head of the Nature-Mankind Friendly Global Party and a former minister in Jammu & Kashmir’s PDP-Congress coalition government, to collect money from a person named Omer in Srinagar. Shareef arrived in Jammu after collecting money from Omer.

S Gurdev Singh of Jammu, Sidhant Sharma of Kathua, and Shrief Sartaj of Jammu were also detained for interrogation. An inquiry has begun after a case was filed.

Shah’s local and international partners include Javed and Khatib from PoK and Farooq Khan from Toronto. Shah also manages a confidential WhatsApp group with people from all around the world, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

The cellphone of Babu Singh was switched off and text messages sent received no response.

Babu Singh served as Minister of State for Rural Development, Power, and Finance after being elected to the Kathua Assembly seat for the first time in 2002. He allied with the then-PDP-Congress coalition government, first led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and later Ghulam Nabi Azad. In the 2008 Assembly election, he was beaten by Independent Charanjeet Singh Jasrotia.

Police did not exclude the probability that Babu Singh formed the Nature Mankind Friendly Global Party in order to restructure hawala financing from Pakistan and other countries.

Aryan Khan drug case: Key NCB witness Prabhakar Sail dies of a heart attack at 37

OpIndia Staff
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Aryan Khan drug case: Key NCB witness Prabhakar Sail dies of a heart attack at 37

Prabhakar Sail, one of the prime witnesses in the Aryan Khan drug case reportedly died on Friday, April 1. News agency ANI Saturday quoted his lawyer, Tushar Khandare as confirming that the Narcotics Control Bureau’s witness Prabhakar Sail died of a heart attack at his residence in the Mahul area of Chembur in Mumbai. He was 37.

“NCB’s panch witness in Cordelia cruise drug case, Prabhakar Sail died yesterday. As per his lawyer Tushar Khandare, he died of a heart attack at his residence in the Mahul area of Chembur yesterday,” ANI tweeted.

According to a report by India Today, Prabhakar Sail’s family do not ‘suspect any foul play’.

Prabhakar Sail was the bodyguard of KP Gosavi, whose photographs with Aryan Khan had gone viral on social media after the latter’s arrest. Gosavi was an independent witness of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Cordelia cruise ship drug bust case on October 2 involving Aryan Khan.

After Gosawi’s role became doubtful and he was arrested by Pune police in a cheating case lodged in 2018 pending before them, Sail filed an affidavit. As per documents of one of the documents of an NCB Special Investigation Team (SIT) stated that Sail had turned hostile in the Aryan Khan drugs case. 

The drug probe case had got under relentless political attacks, especially by NCP leader and minister Nawab Malik, whose own son-in-law was arrested in an NCB drug case in January 2021 and remained in jail for over 8 months. It was alleged that Malik’s repeated personal attacks against NCB officer Sameer Wankhede and attempt to derail the cruise ship drug bust case are indicative of a personal vendetta by the minister.

Aryan Khan drug case

On October 3, 2021, Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and other 6 people were detained from a luxury cruise liner where a rave party was going on. As per reports, cocaine and ecstasy pills were found on Khan and others with him.

The Court had then held that a prima facie case is made out against Khan and other co-accused. “Investigation is of prime importance and the presence of the accused is needed for detailed investigation. It is useful for both the prosecution and the accused to prove their innocence,” it said.

However, Aryan Khan was granted relief by the Bombay High Court in December 2021 after it modified its bail conditions to appear before NCB weekly.

Karnataka: Campaign against Halal meat reaches High Court, petition seeks directions to not impose restrictions on Muslim meat traders

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Campaign against Halal meat reaches High Court, petition seeks directions to not impose restrictions on Muslim meat traders

Amid the ongoing halal row in the state of Karnataka where some Hindu organizations have launched a nationwide campaign demanding a ban on Halal products, a petitioner has knocked on the doors of the Karnataka High Court seeking directions to not impose any restrictions upon the Muslim meat traders.

According to the reports, Lawyer Rehmatullah Kotwal has filed the petition and also seeking directions from the court to refrain politicians from giving ‘provocative’ statements immediately. However, the High Court has refused to hear the matter urgently, saying it will hear the case as per the list.

This is a day after the state chief of the BJP hinted that a legal solution would calm the spurring debate on the issue. He said that the halal meat business is a kind of ‘economic jihad’. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai opined that social issues should be resolved peacefully and that everyone should show restraint. “We have been living with our beliefs on various issues over the years. Karnataka is known for peace and progress. It is possible to resolve social issues through peaceful talks. So everyone should behave with restraint and cooperate to maintain peace and order,” Bommai said on March 31.

Also, state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Thursday said that people who do not respect the Constitution and honour the court verdict should be taught a lesson. “Those who do not respect the Indian Constitution and say that the court verdict is not applicable to them should be taught a lesson. We are telling them sincerely that you should not function this way in this country. Nobody hates you and we have to live like brothers only,” he was quoted.

On March 28, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti called for a boycott of halal meat as it launched a nationwide campaign demanding a ban on Halal products. Spokesperson Mohan Gowda in the statement said that crores of rupees were being collected over certifying meat as halal and that it would pave the way for India to become an Islamic state.

“Islamic organizations are trying to make a parallel financial system in the country. It is dangerous for the security of the country. When there are Government certifying agencies FSSAI and FDA for food certification, where is the need for certification based on religion? This is a conspiracy by the Muslim community to take control over the financial assets of the country”, he stated.

Gowda also said that Halal certification was against the precepts of Secularism and gross injustice to the traditional butchers and meat traders. He requested the entire Hindu community to use Jhatka meat instead of Halal for the post-Ugadi celebration in the state.

However, Former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy has criticized the Hindu activists for seeking a ban on Muslim merchants and halal meat. On Thursday gave a call to farmers in the rural areas of the state and asked them to not encourage the Hindutva activists. “I will not sit quietly with what is happening in the state,” he said. Kumaraswamy also instigated the state CM and said that if he has ‘mardaangi’ (manliness), he would not sit quiet, but take action.

What is Halal meat?

As the Halal controversy is gaining grounds in the state of Karnataka, it becomes important to understand what actually is Halal meat and how is it different from the Jhatka meat. As reported earlier, Halal can only be performed by a ‘sane Muslim adult’ who is supposed to invoke the name of Allah while slaughtering. If at the time of slaughtering anyone else’s name other than Allah is invoked (i.e. animal sacrificed for him/her), then the meat becomes Haram ‘unlawful’ as per the Islamic law. However, if a Muslim man forgets to invoke the name of Allah at the time of slaughtering, the meat remains Halal.

The animal in the halal method of slaughtering is cut slowly with a sharp knife from the front part of the neck allowing to cause blood loss. Whereas, Jhatka is a form of slaughter in which an animal is killed immediately with a single strike from being the neck, with no need for the animal to bleed steadily for a period of time before dying.

According to the reports, a Hindu activist Prashant Sambaragi has written to the state’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Umesh Katti to give directions to online shopping portals and websites to provide an option to buy non-halal meat.

Further, as the campaign to boycott halal meat has intensified in the state of Karnataka, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) said on Friday that it would stage protests across talukas and district centres in the state. The police have made tight security arrangements to maintain law and order during the demonstrations.

Google says it won’t allow anti-Ukraine content to make money, removes ads from article talking about Nazi aspects of Azov Battalion

OpIndia Staff
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Google says it won’t allow anti-Ukraine content to make money, removes ads from article talking about Nazi aspects of Azov Battalion

Google has sent a fresh communication to all publishers reminding them that the tech giant will not allow monetization of content that “exploits, dismisses, or condones the war” in Ukraine. The communication is a reinforcement of a new content policy that Google had notified on 23 March 2022.

In its latest communication, Google has reached out to publishers to explain the ramifications of this policy. “This update is meant to clarify, and in some cases expand, our publisher guidance as it relates to this conflict,” the communication says.

Publishers – bloggers, news websites, app content developers, and other such groups – earn money by displaying Google ads alongside their content. They also earn money by using Google’s Ad Manager tool, where they could choose to display advertisements that they directly get from clients without Google being the intermediary party. The policies set by Google affect even displaying such direct advertisements that use Google Ad Manager.

In simple terms, Google has said that it will not show any ads on pages that have content that in their worldview ‘exploits, dismisses, or condones the war’. This process is called the demonetization of articles or the pause of monetization. As a result, publishers will not be able to earn revenues if they publish anti-Ukraine articles.

The latest communication expounds a little on what kind of content Google thinks is not fit for monetization. It is pertinent to note that earlier, while the COVID pandemic was raging, Google was demonetizing several articles that were referring to COVID as the Wuhan Coronavirus or were discussing the lab leak theory.

“This pause (on monetization) includes, but is not limited to, claims that imply victims are responsible for their own tragedy or similar instances of victim-blaming, such as claims that Ukraine is committing genocide or deliberately attacking its own citizens,” Google has told the publishers.

OpIndia too received the communication and one of its articles titled “Winning ‘hearts’ and PR war, but Ukraine has a “Nazi” problem that NATO and USA do not talk about” was demonetized. The article doesn’t blame the people of Ukraine or justify the war in Ukraine in any way, but it just talks about some of the uncomfortable aspects of the conflict that many other people have also been pointing out i.e. presence of neo-Nazi elements in Ukraine’s establishment. Azov Battalion is one such element.

The war in Ukraine has also brought out how the big tech and social media companies could align themselves in international conflict and act as supernational entities. Russia has been at loggerheads with both Google and Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) of late. Russia has banned Meta calling it an extremist organisation while it has also banned Google News for spreading misinformation.

Centre slaps eviction notice on Congress to vacate bungalow occupied by Sonia Gandhi’s secretary Vincent George, total unpaid rent over Rs 3 crores

OpIndia Staff
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Centre slaps eviction notice on Congress to vacate bungalow occupied by Sonia Gandhi’s secretary Vincent George, total unpaid rent over Rs 3 crores

The Centre has issued an eviction notice to the Congress party, instructing them to vacate the accommodation in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri in the Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone which was occupied by Sonia Gandhi’s secretary Vincent George.

Notably, even though V George no longer resides at C-II/109 Chanakyapuri, the bungalow is still owned by the Congress party. The last rent paid for the property was in the year 2013. The total unpaid rent since then amounts to a whopping Rs 3.08 crore.

The Directorate of Estates (DoE), part of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, stated in the eviction notice dated March 25 that the bungalow in the posh area had been under “unauthorised occupation” and thus should be vacated.

It further said that in February, a notice was sent by the Central government to the Congress party to pay the pending rent and dues for three properties including the Congress office, Sonia Gandhi’s official residence, and this palatial bungalow which is occupied by her secretary.

The notice also stated that the directorate cancelled the allotment for the accommodation in June 2013.

The Directorate of Estates (DoE) has given three business days to the Congress party to respond to the notice. The central department has also requested the party to appear in person to explain why an eviction order should not be issued.

The eviction notice sent to the Congress party read:

“Whereas, I, the undersigned, am of the opinion on the grounds specified below that you are in unauthorized occupation of the Public Premises mentioned in the SCHEDULE below and that you should be evicted from the said premises…You have been continuing to occupy Public Premises as specified in the SCHEDULE below even after its allotment stands cancelled w.c.f. 26-06-2013 vide letter No. 7/259/94-TS dated 22.01.2015 issued by the Die. of Estates.“

“Now. therefore, in pursuance of sub-section (1) of Section 3B of the Public Premises Act. 1971, I hereby call upon you to show cause within 3 working days at 02:30 P.M. for personal hearing as to why an order of eviction should not be made. You may appear before me in person or through a duly authorized representative capable to answer all material questions connected with the matter along with the evidence which you intend to produce in support of the cause. In case, you fail to show cause and/ or appear within the stipulated time, the case will be decided ex parte.”

Earlier in 2015, The Urban Development Ministry had asked the All India Congress Committee to vacate the possession of 26 Akbar Road, C-II/109 Chanakyapuri and two other properties. Letter to the General Secretary, AICC said that the allotments for the above properties were already cancelled in June 2013 after allowing a concessional period of three years.

RTI reveals Congress has not paid rent for Lutyens Delhi bungalows for almost a decade

In February 2022, a reply to an RTI application had revealed that Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party have not paid rent dues for three properties held by them in Lutyens’ Delhi since 2013.

According to the response to the RTI application by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the dues for 10, Janpath were last paid in September 2020 the monthly rent accounted for the same is Rs. 4610/- only. For the 26, Akbar Road bungalow which is a type VIII property next to Congress’ headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, the monthly rent for which is more than Rs. 12 lakh has not been cleared since December 2012. The Bungalow in Chanakyapuri which is used as a residence has been in possession of the Congress Party with a monthly rent of Rs. 5,07,911/-. Dues for the same have not been deposited since August 2013.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra clears unpaid rent for her Lutyens’ bungalow after government sends her a notice to vacate the house

Interestingly, Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi had also only last year cleared her pending dues of Rs 3,46,677 for the government accommodation at 35, Lodhi Estate in Delhi after she was asked to vacate it. She was continuing to live there despite the removal of the SPG cover in November 2020.

Imran Khan is like the Kizlar Agha in the Ottoman Court: All Indians can do, at this point, is grab a tub of popcorn

Ganesh R
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Imran Khan is like the Kizlar Agha in the Ottoman Court: All Indians can do, at this point, is grab a tub of popcorn

If you go by trends in our online forums that right-wing people frequent, the country’s stock of popcorns must be running low. The steady supply of news from Pakistan has seriously threatened the livelihood of standup comedians, far more effectively than any boycotts or protests. Why pay for something you get free every day?

Take this sample – Imran Khan proudly declaring Pakistan is the cheapest country in the world! If you are ever in the market for a begging bowl or suicide vest, you know where to go.

It has also reportedly disturbed Arvind Kejriwal, ever since he read about the alleged assassination attempt on Imran. “OMG! This guy is even ahead of me! At least I wait for a few guys to shout slogans near my house to cry assassination attempt!”. In fact, a PTI leader even had come out with a fantastic reason for why Imran is sought to be killed – he refused to sell the country. This indeed sets the bar high for all future conspiracy theories. One hopes our Yugpurush can do better. 

Kejriwal should also seriously consider suing Imran Khan for breach of patents and copyright. How can Khan wave a blank paper in a public meeting alleging saazish without any permission?!

Will he make it? Won’t he? Is there a sunroof lever waiting to malfunction somewhere? Will the Supreme Court black coats take a cue from the lordships in uniform and declare Imran has failed the SAT test? No that is not the Scholastic Aptitude Test, stupid, it is the “Sadiq and Ameen Test”. 

The entire affair has been a bookmaker’s dream come true. What are the odds MQM will change their mind again? Your guess is as good as mine. In fact, there is so much drama going on there, that Pakistan’s Information Minister wants higher taxes on foreign dramas. Naturally, if there’s a local oversupply.

Coming back to the Khan market, or rather the market for Khan, what does the future hold? Some are boldly suggesting that Imran should seize the moment and sack the Army chief and go down a martyr. After all, as the Tamil saying goes, if the flood is above your head, how does it matter if it’s 9 or 18 inches? Most Pakistani PMs despite owing their jobs to the generals have often wished to do this. 

All the while, the one with the finger on the trigger literally as well as metaphorically, Gen Bajwa is smiling quietly. Like a cat that plays with the mouse before going for the kill, he must be like “let the circus go on! It’s fun” 

Pakistanis, on odd days, like to claim Turkish origins. On even days it is of pure Arab descent, some even claiming to be from Prophet’s (PBUH) clan. Of course, when they are in good mood, they claim Persian heritage as well. It is only the Wagah candle kissers that remind us Pakistanis are our own Indian blood, much to the horror of purebreds who proudly talk about fair-skinned Arab ancestors arriving on horseback. Please don’t spoil their pride telling them such invaders don’t bring their womenfolk along and rarely seek permission or get into wedlock before ravaging local women.

The extreme, of course, is that some Pakistanis like to claim Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar is a Pakistani simply because he was born in Lahore when his father was posted there! 

Talking of Turkish origins, there is enough evidence that it is true. If you study the role of Wazir-e-Azam in Pakistan, it closely resembles that of Kizlar Agha (Chief Eunuch) in the Ottoman court. Of course, there is no real castration, only political. This is the 21st century after all. 

The Chief Eunuch technically reports to the Sultan (Army chief) and is “selected” and appointed by him. But there are times with palace intrigue and clever manipulations, he ends up deciding who the Sultan is. And the chosen Sultan, lacking all sense of gratitude, promptly sends his benefactor to the gallows or exile. Remember Zia and Bhutto? Or Nawaz and Musharraf?

Imran too entertains fond hopes of one day selecting the next Sultan. In fact, that is what got him into trouble in the first place. He prefers one particular shezade, Gen Faiz Hameed, who has been promptly shunted off distant lands to manage local rebellion in true Ottoman tradition.

With such illustrious DNA, can there be no harems? Of course not! Since I am not in favour of spreading unverified rumours, I will just let you google for General Rani.

But we Indians, lacking such glorious heritage, can only afford to stock up on popcorns and watch the fun. It hardly matters who gets ‘selected’ next. The three “A” that controls Pakistan are not going to change.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath orders exemption of water, house tax for Temples, Monasteries, Dharamshalas etc in Ayodhya

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath orders exemption of water, house tax for Temples, Monasteries, Dharamshalas etc in Ayodhya

Yogi Adityanath, after being sworn in as Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister for the second time, visited Ayodhya for the first time on Friday and directed the city’s municipal corporation not to levy commercial and civic body taxes on temples and other holy shrines in the region. He also went through the preparations for the upcoming Ram Navami Mela in the holy city.

He prayed at the Hanumangarhi temple and went to the Ram Mandir building site. Later, the chief minister visited the Balrampur region and offered prayers at three temples. He would spend the night at the Devi Patan temple before continuing on to Siddharthnagar on Saturday.

Because all of these institutions do charity work and public service, CM Adityanath decided that the municipal corporation not levy monasteries, temples, Dharamshalas, and charitable organisations’ commercial rates for house tax, water tax, and sewer tax.

In addition, the chief minister recommended that the local administration accept only symbolic monetary offerings from the city’s religious shrines. He suggested that the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation prepare a plan for this purpose and get it approved by the state government.

CM Adityanath remarked in his address while assessing the Mela preparations that construction of the Ram Mandir has begun and that millions of pilgrims from all across India would visit Ayodhya every day. Keeping this in mind, he advised creating an appealing setting and adorning Ayodhya in such a way that worshipers find the entire atmosphere full of the Ramayana era.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, this will be the first Ram Navami Fair in the region. Also after the laying of the foundation stone for the Ram Mandir in August 2020, it will be held for the first time.

The CM was joined by Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Ram Temple Trust, who indicated that roughly 10% to 15% of the foundation work had been finished. “We plan to finish the structure’s foundation-laying work by July,” Rai said to reporters.

Ahead of the no-confidence motion, Pakistan PM Imran Khan praises Indian foreign policy yet again: Here is what he said this time

OpIndia Staff
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Ahead of the no-confidence motion, Pakistan PM Imran Khan praises Indian foreign policy yet again: Here is what he said this time

Ahead of the no-confidence motion in the Parliament, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan conceded that the Indian passport is respected across the globe while the case is opposite with that of the Pakistani passport.

He made the remarks during an hour-long interview with ARY News. “Because of India’s foreign policy, you can see the respect that the Indian passport commands while there is no respect for Pakistan’s passport,” Khan was heard as saying.

The Pakistani Prime Minister’s remarks come at a time when he has virtually lost the majority in the 342-member National Assembly due to the defection of two key allies. The united opposition has now 177 supporters in the national assembly, and they do not need the support of PTI lawmakers.

Imran Khan praises India’s independent foreign policy

Last month, Imran Khan had praised India’s independent foreign policy while slamming his political opponents at a public meeting in Malakand in Pakistan.

He had stated, “When I was asked by the representatives of the European Union to condemn Russia, I asked them, do you have the courage to ask the same question to India? Pakistan is with you for peace and not for war.”

 “Today, I salute India, our neighboring country. It has always maintained an independent foreign policy. India is a member of the QUAD alliance with the United States as one of its members. But still, it calls itself neutral. India is importing oil from Russia which is facing sanctions. This is because India’s foreign policy is for its people,” he further added.

Imran Khan had also commented on the Indian Army and the Indian government. He said, “India’s Foreign Policy is better than Pakistan. They work for their people. India’s army is not corrupt and they never interfere in Civilian government.”

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