Home Blog Page 5870

Ajit Pawar removed as Legislative Party leader after NCP admits he went ‘rogue’ to ally with BJP

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Ajit Pawar removed as Legislative Party leader after NCP admits he went ‘rogue’ to ally with BJP

In the latest in Maharashtra’ power-play, Ajit Pawar has now been removed as NCP Legislative Party leader by the party after he allegedly turned ‘rogue’.


The political coup in Maharastra has taken a surprising turn. The President’s Rule in Maharashtra was removed early morning at 5:47 AM on Saturday and by around 8 AM, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in. After Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s deputy in the stunning twist this morning, NCP was left shellshocked.

After accusing Ajit Pawar of back-stabbing, and ‘betraying trust’, the party has now removed him as NCP Legislative Party leader after he takes an oath with BJP in Maharashtra. The action shortly after NCP chief Sharad Pawar indicated that his nephew Ajit Pawar had gone rogue and said that he had taken a “personal decision” not supported by the party. The Party chief had also intimated that ‘action against Ajit Pawar will be taken as per the procedure’.


The overnight coup came as a big shock to the trio (NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena) who had declared the previous night, that the three parties were close to deciding on a Common Minimum Program. Soon after the shocker, Sharad Pawar had tweeted that NCP is placing on record that the party does not endorse Ajit Pawar’s decision to form an alliance with BJP.

Interestingly, 3 days ago, some reports had emerged that Ajit Pawar might be ready to split from NCP with 35 MLAs.

While this development has unsettled many in the opposition, Shiv Sena, which was certain until the morning that they have bagged Maharashtra CM’s post, has especially been swept off their feet.

Almost immediately, the party’s motormouth Sanjay Raut spoke to the press and cursed Ajit Pawar on his decision. After calling him a thief, and backstabber, he added that Ajit Pawar has betrayed everyone and ‘Woh zindagi bhar tadapte rahenge’ (he will have lifelong suffering).

Now, Raut has given a statement that there is a possibility of Ajit Pawar maybe ‘coming back’ as he has been ‘blackmailed’. Raut also claims that out of the 8 MLAs who had gone with Ajit Pawar, 5 have come back. He says that these MLAs were “lied to, put in a car, and sort of kidnapped.” He challenged that the truth would be soon exposed in Shiv Sena’ editorial, Saamana.

NCP leader Nawab Malik has even claimed that the ‘signatures’ Pawar had submitted to the governor for showing support were actually the signatures taken earlier to mark the MLAs’ attendance.

Here is the timeline of the midnight coup that led to BJP and Ajit Pawar forming the Maharashtra government

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Here is the timeline of the midnight coup that led to BJP and Ajit Pawar forming the Maharashtra government

In a massive shocker, in an overnight coup, BJP and NCP leader, Ajit Pawar’ faction formed an alliance in the state of Maharashtra. While people slept, Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy CM.

Until this morning, Congress, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders probably felt they had it in the bag. In fact, last night it was declared that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be the next Maharashtra Chief Minister after a month-long political upheaval in the state. But the tables turned in the wee hours of the morning and Maharashtra got its CM and Deputy CM.

Here is the timeline of how things proceeded that led BJP and Ajit Pawar to form the Maharashtra government.

Friday, 8 PM

Ajit Pawar submitted letter’ of support signed by NCP MLAs to the Governor of Maharashtra.

Friday, 10 PM

The Governor apprised the President of the development.

Saturday, 12 AM

Ajit Pawar along with a few MLAs met the governor and extended their support to BJP’ Devendra Fadnavis.

Saturday, 2 AM

Late night at 2 AM, Devendra Fadnavis met the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to stake a claim.

Saturday, 5.47 AM

President’s Rule, which was imposed in Maharashtra on November 12, was revoked.

Saturday 7:30 AM

Devendra Fadnavis left the official home of the Maharashtra chief minister, Varsha. His family was with him, but not Ajit Pawar. The NCP leader reached Raj Bhavan separately, also accompanied by family. The duo met the governor and claimed the right to form a government.

Saturday 8 AM

When barely a few people had been awake long enough to worry about breakfast, a swearing-in ceremony was taking place in Raj Bhavan. BJP’ Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Cheif Minister whereas NCP’ Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister.

Minutes after Fadnavis and Pawar were sworn in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated them and said he was “confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra”.

President’s Rule, which was imposed in Maharashtra on November 12, was revoked at 5.47 am after a signoff by President Ram Nath Kovind and a month-long logjam finally reached its conclusion.

The BJP made a stunning comeback in Maharashtra even though just hours before NCP had pledged support to a Shiv Sena-led alliance along with the Congress. Ajit Pawar’s uncle Sharad Pawar, the chief of the NCP, distanced himself from his nephew’s decision and said his party is still with the Shiv Sena and it’s chief Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP would lose the trust vote, said Sharad Pawar, alleging that Ajit Pawar had misled the Governor and handed him letters of support that had been taken for the Shiv Sena-led alliance. Devendra Fadnavis has to prove his majority by November 30.

Maharashtra: Congress decides MLAs will be safer in Jaipur rather than Bhopal, Shiv Sena and NCP to ship off their MLAs too

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Maharashtra: Congress decides MLAs will be safer in Jaipur rather than Bhopal, Shiv Sena and NCP to ship off their MLAs too

In a massive political twist, Devendra Fadnavis returned as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra with Ajit Pawar as its deputy. It is still unclear whether the move by the NCP leader with the consent of supremo Sharad Pawar or the party is heading for a split. Under such circumstances, it is being reported that the Congress party has decided to lock up its MLAs in Madhya Pradesh until the 30th of November.


It is also being reported that the Shiv Sena, the Congress party and the NCP are mulling the idea of keeping all their MLAs together. It is pertinent to mention here that an alliance between the three parties never officially materialized, therefore, keeping all their MLAs together at one place will certainly be a show of intent. Regardless, it appears that the return of ‘Resort Politics’ could very well be upon us again.


The Congress then changed its mind and decided that their MLAs will be safer in Jaipur as compared to Bhopal.


The last time ‘Resort Politics’ made a return was during the Karnataka elections when the BJP had emerged as the single largest party. It is pertinent to mention here that during the drama, two Congress politicians engaged in mortal combat where one of them smashed a bottle on the other’s head.

Given the fact that the three parties are now considering keeping all their MLAs together, a repeat of what happened in Karnataka cannot be ruled out; especially considering the fact that the three parties have a history of enmity between themselves. Moreover, trouble seems to be brewing within the NCP as well, therefore, the parties involved may have to take necessary precautions before embarking on such a venture. However, it appears almost certain that the parties will definitely park their MLAs in some resort.

Anti-Islam rally in Norway turns violent after SIAN leader is attacked by Muslim man for burning the Quran

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Anti-Islam rally in Norway turns violent after SIAN leader is attacked by Muslim man for burning the Quran

A video has surfaced wherein a man is seen attacking another who has a burning book in his hand, thereafter the mob is seen going into a frenzy and police intervening to stop the skirmish. The crowd from behind the barricades can he heard hooting.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsIJmk3aTZE]

This footage had been shot in the city of Kristiansand in Norway where a leader of a group, which has been holding rallies against the Islamification of Norway, was attacked initially by a Muslim man then subsequently by a mob for defying the police orders against burning the Quran.

According to reports, Lars Thorsen, the leader of an organisation named Stop Islamization of Norway (SIAN) burnt a copy of the Quran while two copies of the religious text (The Holy Quran) were thrown in a trash can during the rally.

The rally had been approved by local authorities, but police had warned SIAN against desecrating the Quran after the group said it planned to do so.

The action infuriated counter-protesters, who vaulted over the barricades and attacked the SIAN’s leader. The demonstration soon took an ugly turn and the Norwegian police were seen intervening, trying to calm down the situation.

The video of the confrontation shows Thorsen tossing away a burning Quran as a Muslim man, reportedly named Ilyas comes charging at him. The man manages to grab Thorsen’s jacket, jerking him around. However, the assailant falls to the ground after attempting to kick the anti-Islam activist. Police then scuttles to break up the fight as the mob is seen rushing at Thorsen.

Both Thorsen and his attackers were detained by police, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, the Muslim organisations in Norway have announced that they plan to press hate crime charges against the SIAN leader for burning their holy book as well as for verbal assault. Twitter users have also accused the Norwegian government and authorities to ignite religious hatred and humiliate Muslims.

Ajit Pawar’s decision is an act of indiscipline, no NCP worker will support alliance with BJP: Sharad Pawar

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Ajit Pawar’s decision is an act of indiscipline, no NCP worker will support alliance with BJP: Sharad Pawar

After losing out on the opportunity of forming a government in Maharashtra, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray addressed a joint press conference on Saturday along with other senior party leaders on Saturday.

In an early morning twist, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister for a second time at Raj Bhavan. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.

Addressing a joint press conference with Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said that his nephew Ajit Pawar’s decision to join hands with the BJP was an act of indiscipline, and no NCP worker is in favour of this government.

“Except for Ajit Pawar, none of the other NCP MLAs went for the swearing-n the ceremony. A true NCP member will never ever join hands with the BJP.” said Pawar.

Sharad Pawar added that the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance is still active and all the elected MLAs have given their support to this alliance. “Some people of the NCP called me in the morning saying that they have reached Raj Bhawan along with Ajit Pawar,” said Sharad Pawar.

The NCP supremo said that there will action against Ajit Pawar. He added that the decision on action against Ajit Pawar will be taken at the party meeting later today.

“Our discipline committee will take action against all those who have participated in the swearing-in ceremony today. All the MLAs who are going must know that there is an anti-defection law and the possibility of them losing their assembly membership is high,” Sharad Pawar added.

Sharad Pawar also said that the Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP leaders had come together to form Government and had the numbers that had supported the new government. “Several independents were also with us and we had numbers around 170,” he added.

Pawar also added that they cannot rule out a possibility of “cheating by the governor”. Ajit Pawar may have submitted ‘ready-made’ list of NCP MLAs, he added.

Four-time NCP MLA Rajendra Shingane said that they were “misled” by Ajit Pawar. He added, “None of us there had any idea of what was happening, we were taken to Raj Bhawan by Ajit Pawar. This was the case of misunderstanding and of not knowing what was really going on.”

Another NCP MLA Sandeep Shivsagar echoed similar statements after he said, “We did not know anything about the oath-taking ceremony. As soon as the swearing-in happened I called up Sharad Pawar”.

Continuing his attack on the BJP, Pawar said that saffron party has always believed in forming an alliance with anyone and in any manner to come to power. But NCP can never join hands with BJP, said Sharad Pawar.

“We are firm that the leadership of this government should stay with Shiv Sena. Governor has given time till 30th to prove majority. We will all be together with them. Congress leaders were to come, but their LLP meeting is today. So they gave gone there,” added Sharad Pawar.

Speaking at the press conference, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray launched an attack on its former ally BJP, stating, “The child play in the name of democracy is laughable. They should stick Fevicol and sit there. Instead of saying, I will come back, he should have said, I won’t ever go.” Uddhav added that the BJP did the same thing in Haryana and Bihar.

Thackeray added that the BJP did not want opposition or friends. They are narcissistic. Nobody should try to backstab us, said Shiv Sena chief who was visibly angry at the BJP.

Calling the BJP government formation as a ‘furgical strike’, Uddhav Thackeray asked the BJP  not to “ploy midnight plots”.

“Earlier EVM Khel (game) was going on and now this is new Khel (game). From here onwards I don’t think elections are even needed. Everyone knows what Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj did when betrayed and attacked from the back,” said Uddhav Thackeray.

Vindicated: Sanjay Nirupam slams Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjuna Khadge and CWC, blames senior Congress leadership

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Vindicated: Sanjay Nirupam slams Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjuna Khadge and CWC, blames senior Congress leadership

Senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam has been apprehensive about the party’s proposed alliance with the Shiv Sena from the very beginning. According to him, it wasn’t a very good idea and there would be political instability in the state if such an alliance were to be formed. Considering the recent political developments in Maharashtra, it appears Sanjay Nirupam has been vindicated. And he is certainly furious.


Sanjay Nirupam said, “People may be thinking I will be happy by today’s developments, but I am actually very sad. Congress has been unnecessarily defamed in this and exploring an alliance with Shiv Sena was a mistake. I appeal to Sonia ji to dissolve the Congress Working Committee (CWC) at once.” He also believes that the alliance has been formed with full knowledge of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. He stated, “How did Sharad Pawar ji not know when so many of his MLAs signed the letter of support? Why did he go and meet the PM all on his own? For the sake of farmers? Who would go alone for such a cause?”

Even senior leaders such as Mallikarjuna Kharge and Ahmed Patel were not spared by Sanjay Nirupam. He said, “People who sit in the CWC, I want to ask them, do you have enough knowledge about Maharashtra politics? People like Ahmed Patel, K.C. Venugopal, who was involved in the negotiations, they don’t have much knowledge about Maharashtra, they are based in Delhi.”

Read: Grab power or we will be finished in the state: Maharashtra Congress leaders urge Sonia Gandhi to agree for an alliance with Sena and NCP

Sanjay Nirupam continued, “The person who knew the most was Mallikarjuna Khadge, what input did he provide to the leadership of the Congress party, the CWC? Why was there such a massive hole in his input? Why did he not emphasize the fact that any such move will be disastrous for the Congress party?” “Today, such questions have to be asked,” he added.

When Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar was appointed the Deputy CM, Sanjay Nirupam’s concerns were validated. Until now, the Congress party was prepared to compromise with its core ideology in order to secure power in Maharashtra. But it has come back to bite them. The leadership of the party again appears clueless and all the senior leaders of the party have been made to look like clowns by Amit Shah.

The Congress party has been suffering from a leadership crisis even though Sonia Gandhi came back to serve as the interim president of the party. Rahul Gandhi appears as disinterested as the day he decided to join politics. Complaints regarding the CWC has been made earlier as well and Sanjay Nirupam’s words echo the sentiments that have been voiced by various others within the party.

Read: Maharashtra’s bullet train funds to be given away as farm-loan waivers by Sena-NCP-Congress government

The Congress party faces a serious threat of being relegated to irrelevance. And unfortunately for them, they do not appear to have anyone in their midst to combat the ruthlessness of the Modi-Shah duo. If the results of the three state elections towards the end of 2018 it won last year are ignored, the Congress party has suffered a continuous decline in its fortunes. And despite the numerous defeats, there has been no attempt at all on their part to make structural changes within their ranks. Under such circumstances, the resurgence of the party appears to be a distant fantasy.

Here are the five biggest losers of the Maharashtra Tragicomedy

Editorial Desk
-
0
Here are the five biggest losers of the Maharashtra Tragicomedy

The Maharashtra Tragicomedy finally appears to have come to a close today. Devendra Fadnavis has returned as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra with senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar as the Deputy Chief Minister. Along the many twists and turns, some people stick out like a sore thumb as the biggest losers in the whole ruckus. In this article, we look at some of them.

1. Sanjay Raut

A prominent part of Sanjay Raut’s daily routine was to remind everyone through the media or social media that the next Chief Minister would be from Shiv Sena. He declared that Shiv Sena will have its Chief Minister of Maharashtra at any cost. The alarm bells should have started ringing when the Shiv Sena failed to show the requisite letters of support when they were invited to form the government by the Governor. Conveniently enough, Sanjay Raut at that moment was at the hospital.

Read: An analysis of Maharashtra politics in the last few weeks through Sanjay Raut’s poetry

Meanwhile, Raut is having a severe meltdown on Twitter. He doesn’t appear to be doing too well. One wonders how the other leaders of the Shiv Sena feel about him. They were all led down a rabbit hole by Raut and in the end, they were left with nothing in their hands to show for it. Raut flew too close to the stars and his political career turned into ashes.

2. Uddhav Thackeray

Uddhav Thackeray had a comfortable alliance going for him with its traditional partner. They fought the Maharashtra elections together, secured a comfortable majority in the Assembly and then disaster struck. It’s unclear whether Uddhav bought into the fancy tales of glory sold to him by Sanjay Raut or the latter was merely carrying out his master’s wishes. In the end, they have been made to look like clowns of the highest order.

The lowest point surely was when the Shiv Sena met the Governor in its attempt to form an alliance with the NCP and Congress but were left in the lurch without any letters of support. Then, Uddhav Thackeray ran from pillar to post in his bid to secure an alliance but to no avail. He could have led a political career with dignity with Devendra Fadnavis in the lead but then, a snake oil salesman came along and fed delusions of grandeur in his ears. Or was it him all along?

3. Arvind Sawant

This man was a Minister in the Modi government. Then, Sanjay Raut and Uddhav Thackeray had delusions of grandeur and they made him suffer for it. Sanjay Raut will be advised to stay clear of Arvind Sawant’s path for the next few weeks. Otherwise, the stay at the hospital could be much longer this time around.

People who believe this is an exaggeration should remember what happened between Congress MLAs in Karnataka. During the political drama that had erupted in the state, two Congress leaders ended up fighting with each other and one of them hit the other one with a bottle. So such things are not of the realm of possibilities. And as we have seen, in politics, anything can happen.

Moreover, the Shiv Sena has been spending a lot of time with the Congress lately. Therefore, some of its MLAs may have imbibed some of the Congress cultures. And it’s unclear by the way whether the Shiv Sena still remains a Hindutva party or has turned into a secular one.

4. Sharad Pawar

Although this could be a dodgy as the entire thing could very well have been planned with the consent of Sharad Pawar himself, there doesn’t appear to be any indication of it. Supriya Sule is reported to have posted a WhatsApp status that says there has been a split within the family and the party. Sharad Pawar has also said that this wasn’t the decision of the party. Regardless of what happens afterwards, today, he has been made to look like a fool.

Sharad Pawar was all hyped up and he was supposed to be the ‘Wily Fox’ who brought the march of the ‘Chanakya’ of Indian Politics to a halt but today, it appears he has been outfoxed entirely. All those who believed that he still ran the roost in Maharashtra are obviously mistaken. Sharad Pawar has been made to bow before the might of the Modi-Shah duo.

5. The ‘Neutral’ Media

Rajdeep Sardesai appears personally affected by the turn of events. He was so dumbstruck that he was finding it difficult to get words out of his mouth on national television. Journalists have never been known to be neutral but their partisanship was unbearable during the entire saga. They were salivating at the prospect of a Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance.

Read: Liberal meltdown begins as Ajit Pawar joins hands with BJP to form government in Maharashtra

Nikhil Wagle was waxing eloquence on how the Shiv Sena was not exactly ‘Hindutva-Hindutva’ but only ‘Hindutva-Hindutva’ and so, the Congress shouldn’t hesitate to ally with the party. Arun Giri, reputed to be the first ‘election junkie’ in history who has never ever made an accurate prediction in his life, was desperate to see an alliance materialize between the three non-BJP parties.

Some were more partisan than others but there was partisanship across the spectrum. ‘Neutral’ journalists were openly trying to egg Congress towards an alliance with the Shiv Sena. Apart from the usual suspects, it’s these journalists and their credibility who have been dealt another crushing defeat.

The ‘entitled prince’ Rahul Gandhi does it again, skips Winter Session of Parliament for five consecutive days

OpIndia Staff
-
0
The ‘entitled prince’ Rahul Gandhi does it again, skips Winter Session of Parliament for five consecutive days

Five days into the Parliament’s winter session, which commenced on November 18, and Congress Supremo Rahul Gandhi who is a member of parliament from Wayanad constituency chooses to remain absent. His absence from the Parliament’ winter session for five consecutive days have raised several questions. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal questioned Gandhi’s absence and commented that the attitude of young leaders like Rahul Gandhi towards the Parliament is quite disappointing.

“These are youth leaders. They should come to the House. Even being so old, we are regularly present in the House and remain active in our constituencies as well. The attitude of these young leaders is very disappointing, the public elects and sends us to Parliament, so that, we raise their issues in the House and find some solutions. But Rahul Gandhi is often found missing from the House,” he said.

Read: After Rahul Gandhi’s infamous ‘hug and wink’ in Parliament, now Congress MLA blows kisses in Odisha Assembly

During the first five days, several important issues and bills, including the Chit Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which was moved, discussed and passed in the lower house Moreover, issues like air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, withdrawal of SPG security cover to Gandhi family, and electoral bonds were raised and discussed in the Parliament which Rahul Gandhi could not be a part of since he chose to remain absent.

Even during the first session of the newly elected Parliament and the 17th Lok Sabha, Congress President Rahul Gandhi did not attend the parliament, raising questions over his respect for democratic values and traditions.

Read: Read how Rahul Gandhi and Congress continue to lie and misrepresent even after SC throws out Rafale review petitions

Apart from this, the Congress supremo has many a time been caught disrespecting the Parliamentary protocols. He ran into a controversy when he was caught using his mobile phone during President’s address to the joint session of Parliament on June 20, 2019. During the entire presidential speech which was telecast live by Lok Sabha TV and several other News channels, Rahul Gandhi was seen busy with his mobile phone several times.

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘infamous winks’ during the parliament sessions is yet another example of the ‘entitled prince’’ disregard for the supreme legislative body which has attracted severe criticisms and mockery in the past.

However, Rahul’s buffoonery is not limited to only his ‘hugs and winks’. Earlier, in 2016, Rahul Gandhi, who was the party vice-president then, was caught taking a ‘nap’ in Lok Sabha.

After BHU SVDV controversy, Dr Firoz Khan applies for Ayurveda Department, interview on 29th November: Read details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
After BHU SVDV controversy, Dr Firoz Khan applies for Ayurveda Department, interview on 29th November: Read details

The Banaras Hindu University has been embroiled in a massive controversy. For the past fortnight, students of the Dharma Vigyan Department have been protesting against the appointment of a Muslim professor in SVDV. It seems their protest has been paid heed to. Dr Firoz Khan has now applied to the Ayurveda Department of BHU. His interview is set to be held on the 29th of November 2019.

Dr Firoz Khan shortlisted for interview in Ayurveda Department

There is no vacancy for Sanskrit teacher in the Arts Faculty’s Sanskrit department, but there is one in Ayurveda department where Dr Firoz can apply and be selected. Then, he will resign from SVDV as he has already joined through the office of VC, formally. It is seen as a move to end the whole fiasco which has escalated and reached even the PMO. At present, students are marching from Singh Dwar to Ravindra Puri‘s PMO to submit their memorandum.

Read: BHU researcher’s detailed interview: 26 OBC Hindus disqualified to favour Firoze Khan, corruption should be investigated

On one hand, this move is seen as a personal decision of Dr Feroze Khan who might have had too much of this controversy and thinks this as the best possible way, while on the other hand, students believe this is a face-saving move by the administration to end the whole fiasco altogether.

This development comes after yesterday, the BHU SVDV students had said that they were temporarily ending their ‘dharna’ but will continue to boycott classes and examinations till the administration responds to their questions. The students had forwarded certain questions to the administration and the BHU administration, in turn, had asked for 10 days to respond. It was also reported yesterday that the Prime Minister’s Office had got involved in trying to smooth tensions.

Read: BHU protests: SVDV professors, former professor and Acharyas of Vishwanath Mandir support students, here is what they say

The PMO had asked for a detailed report of the protests in BHU. At the same time, Shankaracharya had also written a letter to the PMO about the student’s demands. The students had also said while putting their dharna on pause that they are slated to meet the Prime Minister’s Office today to submit a letter of their demands.

Read: How the BHU students were demonised and the ones who refused to be ‘secularised’ unfairly called ‘bigots’

The BHU students of the Dharma Vigyan department have been protesting the appointment of a Muslim professor, Dr Firoz Khan, in the Dharma Vigyan department. A professor of Sanskrit, Dr Khan was appointed in the theology department of BHU instead of the Arts department which teaches Sanskrit purely as a linguistic subject. In the Dharma Vigyan Department, even Sanskrit is learnt with an interpretation of theology and hence, the students were demanding that only a practising Hindu be allowed to teach them in the Dharma Vigyan department.

1...5,8695,8705,871...7,604Page 5,870 of 7,604