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VHP demands new mosque at Ayodhya be named after patriots like APJ Kalam or Ashfaqullah Khan, not a ‘foreigner’ or ‘attacker’ like Babur

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VHP demands new mosque at Ayodhya be named after patriots like APJ Kalam or Ashfaqullah Khan, not a ‘foreigner’ or ‘attacker’ like Babur

Days after the Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, handed over the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya to the Hindu parties and asked the centre to allot 5 acres of alternate land at a prominent location in Ayodhya to the Sunni Waqf Board for the re-construction of a mosque, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Monday said that they would request the Centre not to allow the new mosque to be named Babri Masjid after Babur.


Terming the founder and first Emperor of the Mughal dynasty as an aggressor and foreigner on Indian soil, the VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma, who looks after the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas Karyashala, where engraved stones for the Ram temple have been kept, said: “Babar was an aakranta (attacker) from a foreign country. We will approach the government to not allow this. There are a lot of good Muslims in India. Their contributions to India’s peace and development are huge..such as Vir Abdul Hamid, Ashfaqullah Khan and former President APJ Abdul Kalam. The new mosque should be named after any of them.

The VHP functionary also said that they demand that Union Minister Amit Shah be a part of the trust which will decide on the planning and construction of the Ram temple.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Central government to formulate a scheme within three months from the verdict for setting up of Trust to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The apex court also ordered the union government to provide 5 acres of land at an alternative site at a prominent location in Ayodhya to the Sunni Waqf Board to rebuild the Babri Masjid which was demolished in 1992.

Read- A walk down memory lane: The ‘liberals’ and ‘seculars’ who mocked Ram Mandir

However, one of the Muslim petitioners said that that name of the mosque was not important. The primary issue was of consensus on whether or not to accept the land for the mosque.

While most of the citizens had welcomed the Supreme Court verdict in the long-pending dispute, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had sulked after the decision ‘rejecting’ the 5 acres of land offered by the apex court saying, “We were fighting for our right, we don’t need 5 acres of land as a donation, we should reject this offer”.

Owaisi had admitted that he was hurt by the judgment of the Supreme Court as he had asserted that the latest verdict will throw open a can of worms as it will serve to bolster the morale of Sangh Parivar, who will now lay claim to other ‘Muslim’ sites where mosques are standing.

Bailable warrant issued against Shashi Tharoor in defamation case over ‘scorpion on Shivling’ remark

OpIndia Staff
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Bailable warrant issued against Shashi Tharoor in defamation case over ‘scorpion on Shivling’ remark

A bailable warrant has been issued against Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor in a defamation case over the ‘scorpion on a Shivling’ remark he had made against PM Modi last year. As per reports, the warrant has been issued by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court after Shashi Tharoor failed to appear.


As per reports, the warrant was issued by the district court yesterday after neither Tharoor nor his counsel appeared before the court on the scheduled date. No exemption application has also been reportedly moved from Tharoor’s side.

The court has issued a bailable warrant for the sum of Rs 5000 and has also passed a notice for surety for the next hearing date of 27th November. The complainant, a BJP leader named Rajeev Babbar has also been fined Rs 500 by the court for failing to appear.

As per reports, the case against Tharoor was filed by BJP leader Rajeev Babbar after Tharoor’s controversial remark last year. Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court had on August 7 this year reserved its order.

Read: Shashi Tharoor says PM Modi is like ‘Scorpion on a Shivling, cannot even hit him with the chappal

A number of cases were filed against Tharoor after he made the remarks against PM Modi. Speaking at an event in Bengaluru on October 28 last year, Tharoor had quoted an unnamed ‘source’ in the RSS and had stated that PM Modi is like a scorpion that is sitting on a Shivling, it can neither be hit with a chappal nor can be removed with hand.

Cases were lodged by many BJP leaders against Tharoor in Delhi. In June this year, Tharoor was granted bail by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 after he appeared before the court and moved bail application.

Congress should not have said they support building Ram Temple: Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Ayodhya verdict

OpIndia Staff
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Congress should not have said they support building Ram Temple: Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Ayodhya verdict

On 9th November 2019, the Supreme Court of India delivered a historic verdict in the Ayodhya case. The entire 67 acre land of Ram Janmabhoomi was handed over to the Hindus to build a Bhavya Ram Mandir and Muslims were granted 5 acres of land alternatively where they could choose to build a mosque. This Supreme Court judgement is perhaps one of the first where the judicial process has been used to solve a historic-cultural issue that has gone on for centuries. The Congress party released an official statement through their spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. The official stand of the Congress party was that they support and accept the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case and are in favour of the construction of the Ram Temple at Ram Janmabhoomi.

Read: Supreme Court hands over Ram Janmabhoomi site to Hindus to build Ram Mandir, Sunni Waqf Board to be given an alternate site for the mosque

However, this statement has not gone down well with Salman Khurshid, senior Congress leader who had claimed that Sonia Gandhi cried bitterly for the terrorists after the Batla House encounter.

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Salman Khurshid has said that he would have preferred for Congress to simply say that they support the Supreme Court judgement instead of saying that they support the building of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

Read: Hindu massacres and demand for Sharia: The story of Rahul Gandhi’s ally IUML, an offshoot of Jinnah’s Muslim league

Salman Khurshid started off by saying that there is an incorrect assumption that Congress is only for minorities and not for the majorities, but after being prodded by the HT journalist Sunetra Choudhury, who asked him if he as a Muslim leader accepts the Congress stand that a Ram Temple must be built, Salman Khurshid said that if it were him, he would have said things differently.

He said that in their party manifesto, it was clearly mentioned that Congress would honour and respect the Supreme Court judgement in Ayodhya. Further, he said that there were several elements to the judgement. Where the 67 acres land has been given to the Trust that will build a Ram Temple there, another land has been given to Muslims for the mosque. The judgement also talks about 3 incidents that were illegal aggressions against the mosque. Saying that many people would pick and choose what they want to highlight, the Congress party doing so gives the wrong message.

Read: For the first time, Congress mouthpiece National Herald apologizes for article denigrating Hindu sentiments

He said if he had to mention, he would have mentioned the Temple and the mosque both. He said that this question would not have arisen if the Congress party had simply said that they support the Supreme Court judgement.

While defending Randeep Surjewala, Salman Khurshid said that he does his job as the spokesperson and tries to present a balanced view, however, they are not slaves and he would have said things differently.

Read: Congress mouthpiece compares the Supreme Court of India to Pakistan’s after Ayodhya judgement

Salman also admitted that it was decided in the party that the only stand that would be publicly furthered was that they support the Supreme Court judgement. He also said that Congress should have supposed the judgement in totality instead of listing out what specifically they support or not.

On the question, whether this has alienated the Muslim votebank of Congress, Khurshid said that the Muslims of the country also have to understand that these are ‘difficult times’. And they would be alienated if someone walked all over them and trampled them, but the Congress party is not doing that. In respect to Maharashtra and the tie-up with Shiv Sena too, Salman Khurshid said that political parties have to move ahead and cannot be frozen in time. That Shiv Sena has recently been taking stands that should be encouraged and they should be ‘mainstreamed’ by Congress.

BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party to fight Jharkhand elections solo on 50 seats

OpIndia Staff
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BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party to fight Jharkhand elections solo on 50 seats

BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will fight the upcoming Jharkhand elections alone on 50 seats. LJP National President and Jamui, Bihar, Member of Parliament Chirag Paswan today took to Twitter to make the announcement.


Paswan tweeted that the final decision regarding the upcoming Jharkhand elections was to be taken up by the state unit of LJP. The Jharkhand unit of the party decided to go contest elections alone on 50 seats.

Read: Maharashtra Tragicomedy: Shiv Sena digs itself a hole and jumps right in, state possibly headed towards President Rule

He even said that by end of the day the party will release first list of candidates.

The 2019 Jharkhand Assembly elections will be held in 5 phases to elect 81 members from 30th November to 20th December. The results will be declared on 23rd December.

Tamil Nadu: As Pon Manickavel’s Idol Wing wades through legal and bureaucratic delays, hundreds of seized artefacts lie in the open

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: As Pon Manickavel’s Idol Wing wades through legal and bureaucratic delays, hundreds of seized artefacts lie in the open

Hundreds of ancient idols and artefacts carved out of wood, stone, bronze and other metals are reportedly lying out in the open at the premises of the CBI-CID’s Economic Offence Wing in Guindy, Chennai.

As per a report in The Hindu, the Tamil Nadu government’s Idol Wing police has its offices at the CBI-CID’s EOW building. The artefacts and idols, seized over the years by the Idol Wing from different locations have simply been dumped on the premises at the mercy of the elements.

The artefacts include centuries-old stone sculptures, idols, stone pillars, wooden artefacts, ‘vahanas’ or ritual vehicles, and other antiquities. They have simply been dumped in the open garages and ground of the building premises. As per the report, the artefacts are separated from the Adyar river by just a wall.

Read: 1000-year-old stolen idols returned to Tamil Nadu, Temple officials allegedly did not notify the Police

The report further states that the artefacts include seized antiquities from several Idol Wing raids over the years. Among these are over 800 stone sculptures that the Idol Wing had recovered in 2016 from the godown and gallery of antique dealer G Deenadayalan in Alwarpet.

Following the Alwarpet raid, 200 wooden artefacts had been recovered from an associate of Deenadayalan in Kuchikadu on the outskirts of Chennai.

These artefacts were seized when the legendary officer AG Pon Manickavel was the Inspector General of the Idol Wing police.

Legal Hurdles

As per The Hindu report, there are several legal and bureaucratic hurdles before the artefacts and idols can be handed over to the rightful owners or custodians. The Idol Wing cannot hand them over before the court trial is over and the trials usually take years.

Read: 600-year-old stolen Nataraja idol being brought back to India, idol wing head reveals TN govt refused fund to bring it back

The Idol Wing has managed to restore some stolen idols in their rightful place after completing the due legal procedure. The famous Kallidaikurichi Nataraja idol was retrieved from Australia and was finally returned to the Sri Kulasekaramudaiyar Temple. Similarly, some idols from the Tanjavur Brihadeeshwara temple that were recovered from the Sarabhai Museum were also restored. However, hundreds of artefacts are still waiting for the completion of legal procedures.

Bureaucratic Red Tape

AG Pon Manickavel, who has been made the special officer of the Idol Wing by court order after his retirement, has been quoted by The Hindu as saying that the government museum at Egmore has refused to allocate space to house the artefacts. Other efforts to procure shelter for the artefacts are also tangled up in departmental process and paperwork.

A Times Of India report in March this year had mentioned how the government museum at Egmore had asked the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) department to provide strong rooms for the over 410 artefacts dumped on their campus by the Idol Wing police.

Unable to find a suitable place for the artefacts, the museum had finally asked the HR & CE department to take the artefacts back as they needed the space for development work.

Some experts have suggested that just as the ASI has opened a special museum in Delhi’s Purana Quilla for seized artefacts, the Tamil Nadu government should also do something similar.

Give us 5 acres within 67 acres of Ram Janmabhoomi only, our kabristan and dargah are there: Muslim litigants demand

OpIndia Staff
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Give us 5 acres within 67 acres of Ram Janmabhoomi only, our kabristan and dargah are there: Muslim litigants demand

Iqbal Ansari, the main litigant in Ayodhya case, has demanded that the 5 acre land allotted to the Muslim parties be given on the 67 acres land that has been given for the Ram Janmabhoomi. The Supreme Court in a historic judgement on Saturday gave the entire 67 acre land, which included the disputed property where Babri Masjid was constructed after destroying existing temple, to the Hindus for construction of Ram Mandir.

Ansari, along with several other Muslim leaders has demanded that if the central government is to give them the land as per Supreme Court’s directive, “it should be according to their convenience and only on that 67 acres of land.” Reportedly, he has said that if the land is not allotted as per their demands then they will not accept it.

Read: We don’t want donation, we don’t need 5 acres land: AIMIM chief Owaisi whines after SC verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi

A local cleric, Maulana Jalal Ashraf said that Muslims are capable of buying their own land building a mosque and are not dependent on the government for the same. However, to ‘pacify their sentiments to some extent’, the five acre of land must be given on the 67 acre land which has been allotted to the Hindus as many ‘kabristan (graveyards) and dargahs’ are on that land. Khaliq Ahmed Khan, All India Milli Council General Secretary and also a litigant from Muslims’ side in Babri case, said that the government must give them the 16 plots of land within the 67 acres which have ‘graveyard’ and a ‘dargah’ on it.

Another litigant from the Muslim side, Haji Mahboob, said that they will not accept the five acre plot which is given as a ‘lollipop’. Ayodhya Municipal corporator, Haji Asad Ahmad said that they would not like this ‘donation’ given in lieu of Babri Masjid. “If the court or government wants to give us land, it must be on the 67 acres land or we don’t want it,” he was quoted by news agency PTI.

Read: Mughal descendant Prince Tucy says he will keep up his promise and donate the first ‘gold brick’ for Ram Temple

Echoing these sentiments, Maulana Badshah Khan, Ayodhya President of Jamiat Ulema Hind said that since their fight was for Babri Masjid and not for any other land, and hence they don’t want any land for mosque.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) members is to be held on 17th November to decide the future course of action.

NDTV’s Nidhi Razdan peddles another dangerous narrative about Kashmir, this time, about Hazaratbal shrine and Eid Milad

OpIndia Staff
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NDTV’s Nidhi Razdan peddles another dangerous narrative about Kashmir, this time, about Hazaratbal shrine and Eid Milad

Nidhi Razdan from NDTV was caught spreading a dangerous narrative about Kashmir all over again that only helped Pakistan. This time, about thee Hazaratbal shrine and the supposed ‘restriction’ imposed on the Eid Milad prayers. Nidhi quoted a fellow journalist and claimed that it is perhaps the first time that “prayers have been restricted at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar”.


She made the tall claim that Kashmiris are not being allowed to pray and are being denied full communication.

Soon, Nidhi was countered by several people who posted videos of thousands of people congregated at Hazaratbal shrine to offer prayers on the occasion of Eid-Milad-un-Nabi.


Even Shahid Choudhary, who is the District Magistrate of Srinagar posted photographs of the Eid-Milad-un-Nabi prayers being offered and several people congregated to see the holy relic which is considered to be the hail of the Prophet of Islam.


Her explanation was equally astounding. Nidhi said that she had referred to restrictions without claiming that people were not allowed to pray. However, in her tweet, it is evident that she editorialised a sensitive situation to claim that Kashmiris do not have the ‘right to pray’ unlike other Indian citizens.


The claim by Pakistan and several media channels were that ‘all roads leading up to the shrine were sealed’. However, if thousands of people were praying in the shrine, that claim seems incorrect. There were, however, reasonable restrictions on large crowds congregating at the shrine, however, even the Supreme Court has held that the government is well within its rights to place reasonable restrictions.

Read: Islamists celebrate the brutal murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, NDTV leading the charge with their attempts to trivialise the crime 

In fact, the tweet quoted by Nidhi has a Tribune India link embedded that quotes the District Magistrate of Srinagar saying that “Restrictions in many parts of the city were made on Saturday in wake of the Ayodhya verdict”. In the wake of the Ayodhya verdict, several parts of the country were under restrictions including parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. One obviously doesn’t see Nidhi mentioning these facts when she insinuates that there was a deliberate, almost malicious attempt on the part of the authorities to ensure Kashmiris cannot offer prayers.

The narrative being peddled is rather simple – that such restrictions have been imposed in Kashmir for the first time. Nidhi too claims that it is perhaps the first time that prayers have been restricted at the Hazratbal shrine. However, that is far from the truth.

Even a cursory Google search will reveal that this is not the first time such restrictions have been imposed.

Earlier too all roads leading up to the Hazratbal shrine and Jama Masjid were also closed fearing clashes. In 2016 too, during Eid, people from adjoining areas were not allowed to congregate at Hazratbal. And this is just one of the incidents.

Kashmir is a disturned area mainly due to Pakistan sponsored terrorists and deep-rooted Islamic radicalisation in the area. It is no secret that governments throughout the decades have imposed restrictions in Kashmir, whether it is communication, media or even congregating for prayers.

What Nidhi Razdan essentially does is further the Pakistan narrative that it is only after the abrogation of Article 370 by the centre that Kashmir has been in a state of strife and earlier, it was peaceful without any restrictions that were imposed or any tension. In fact, Pakistan would like people to believe that Kashmir was peaceful earlier because the abrogation of Article 370 has only dampened Pakistan’s nefarious plans in Kashmir.

With regards to the current news, Pakistan Foreign Ministry in a statement on Sunday made a false claim that all roads leading to the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar and other holy shrines and mosques in Jammu and Kashmir were sealed to stop any procession on this auspicious occasion. While this was patently false, the same narrative being peddled by several elements in the media including Nidhi Razdan only furthers the cause of Pakistan against India.

Rohingyas are a threat to national and regional security, says Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

OpIndia Staff
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Rohingyas are a threat to national and regional security, says Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has stated that the 10 lakh Rohingyas that have fled from Myanmar’s Rakhine province into Bangladesh are a threat to the security of the entire region. The Bangladesh PM has urged the international community to help resolve the issue.

As per reports, Hasina was addressing the three-day ‘Dhaka Global Dialogue-2019’ in the Bangladeshi capital. Hasina said, ” In terms of regional security, I would like to say that more than 1.1 million Rohingya citizens of Myanmar fled to Bangladesh in the face of persecution and they are a threat to the security of not only Bangladesh but also the entire region.”

“I urge the world community to take appropriate action, realising the gravity of the threat. It is not possible to ensure development and prosperity in any country without having peace and safety”, said Hasina.

The three-day event was jointly organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), a government think tank in Bangladesh and India’s Observer Research Foundation (ORF). Over 150 delegates from 50 countries have participated in the dialogue.

It is notable here that as per UN data, as of May 2018, more than 9,00,000 Rohingyas had fled Rakhine province. Most of them have been staying in the cramped refugee camps in Cox Bazar.

Thousands of Rohingyas have infiltrated into India too, as per reports. India has firmly stated time and again that Rohingyas are a threat to national security and the government will take necessary steps to deport them.

Bangladesh has been planning to relocate the Rohingyas from the cramped Cox Bazar refugee camps to an uninhabited island ‘Bhasan Char’ 21 miles off the Bangladesh coast in the Bay of Bengal.

Read: Ignoring Human Rights Activists, Bangladesh to start relocating Rohingyas to the flood-prone island from early November

Bhashan Char, which literally means ‘floating island’ emerged as an island about 20 years ago from a slit. The area was declared a forest reserve in 2013 and it regularly gets flooded between the monsoon months of June to September. The island’s area is around 10,000 acres at high tide and 15,000 acres at low tide.

Earlier, Bangladesh had declared that despite concerns by human rights groups, it will start relocating the Rohingyas in phase by phase manner from November.

Case registered against National Award winning Gujarati film ‘Hellaro’ for allegedly using casteist slur in dialogue

OpIndia Staff
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Case registered against National Award winning Gujarati film ‘Hellaro’ for allegedly using casteist slur in dialogue

Within four days of release, a complaint has been filed against seven people including director of the National Award winning Gujarati film ‘Hellaro’ for allegedly using casteist slur in a dialogue. Complaint has been filed in Ahmedabad against the director, producer, script writer and editor of the film.

AMC (Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation) councillor Jamnaben Vegda has accused the movie of using a casteist slur to refer to one of the main characters. As per reports, Vegda took an objection to one of the dialogues in the movie where Mulji, a dhol player, is asked by sarpanch which caste he belongs to. AMC councillor has said that Mulji’s reply was a casteist slur which has hurt her feelings.

A police complaint has sought action against Hellaro film director Abhishek Shah, producer Ashish C Patel, Nirav C Patel, Ayush Patel, Meet Jani as well as dialogue writer Saumya Joshi and editor Pratik Gupta for allegedly using a word ‘banned by the government’ to ‘insult the community and hurt sentiments’.

Ahmedabad’s Kagdapith Police Inspector U D Jadeja has said that a complaint has been filed and has been forwarded to the SC/ST cell for further investigation.

Hellaro is the first Gujarati film which has been conferred with a National Award. It was adjudged ‘Best Feature Film’ at the 66th Annual National Film Awards. The film is set in remote village in Rann of Kutch of Gujarat in 1975. Garba, the dance form from Gujarat, plays a significant part in the film. It is a story about patriarchy in rural Gujarat and how a bunch of women escape the suppression. The film was released commercially on 8th November. Its trailer can be seen here.

 

Days after Turkey supported Pakistan in UN, Congress opens its overseas office in Turkey: Turkish media report

OpIndia Staff
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Days after Turkey supported Pakistan in UN, Congress opens its overseas office in Turkey: Turkish media report

Just days after Turkey extended its support to Pakistan at the UN on Kashmir issue, India’s grand old party, Congress, has opened its overseas office in Turkey as per a media report. According to a report by Anadolu Agency, a news agency headquartered in Turkey, Congress’ Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) has issued a press statement about opening an office in Istanbul. One Muhammad Yusuf Khan will be heading this office in Turkey.

Reportedly, the statement further read that Khan will work with others to lead various initiatives of Congress, especially ‘polish bilateral relations between India and Turkey’ with emphasis on politics, culture, trade, tourism, education and health.

Read: ‘His Excellency, Recep Erdogan, Don’t be a fool!’ Donald Trump warns Turkey of consequences for persecution of Kurds

Indian Overseas Congress is a group of Congress supporters and evangelists who promote Indian National Congress overseas. Rahul Gandhi confidante Sam Pitroda is the chairman of IOC.

Read: ‘Attacks happen all the time, Airstrikes on Pakistan wrong approach’: Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Sam Pitroda shields Pakistan

This move of Congress comes days after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had mirrored Pakistan’s lines on the Kashmir issue, saying that the issue needs to be resolved through “dialogue on the basis of justice, equity and not through collision”, in an attempt to create an illusion that India has been in the wrong . Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, the Turkish President further added that the stability and prosperity of South Asia with India’s western neighbour is inseparable from the Kashmir issue.

Read: India issues travel advisory for Indians travelling to Turkey

Later, Erdogan defended his statements on Kashmir saying that he would continue to raise the Kashmir issue. After Erdogan’s hostile comments on Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi had retorted back in the same coin by meeting the heads of Ankara’s rivals- Greece, Cyprus and Armenia, who have a bone to pick with Turkey.

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