The Indian Panorama

Month: October 2016

  • Democrat Peter Jacob Capitalizing on Swastika?

    Democrat Peter Jacob Capitalizing on Swastika?

    It is very disturbing to see in a multi-religiousand highly advanced country like America people are still prepared to inflame religious passions on the issue of Swastika. The fact is Swastika originated in 2000BC and is an auspicious symbol for over 1 Billion Hindus and millions of Jains, Buddhists, Europeans, Chinese and a few others. The rotated distortion of Hindu Swastika, the Nazis have used, is markedly different and the differences are clearly visible to human eye.

    Nazi Swastika is drawn with black in a white circle within a red square and it is a symbol of hate. On the other hand, Hindu Swastika is always drawn with red vermillion and can be drawn on any surface including human body, on the head after complete head shave off of a child as per Hindu rituals. It is a symbol of faith and auspiciousness and used for all religious ceremonies, including Hindu weddings, installed/drawn outside & inside homes, Temples and business establishments.

    The first questionthat must come to every one’s mind is what kind of a Swastika was drawn outside Peter Jacob’s house? Was it really an exact replica of Nazirotated Swastika drawn with black in a white circle within a red square?If not, why a media frenzy was created that can very well create unrest among the peace loving,well educated,very religious Hindu community especially their young children, to create a permanent fear in their minds about their own religious symbol that represents faith and auspiciousness.

    The Hindu community has not forgotten the 2013 incident in a Middlesex county school that punished an 8 year- old for drawing a perfect Hindu Swastika along with a Christmas Tree as part of his assignment to draw something related to Holidays, on the complaint of his Jew Teacher. Before mentally traumatizing the 8 year – old, the teacher, school principle and counselor should have spoken to a Hindu Priest or the parent of the child concerning the matter about which they themselves were completely ignorant, and rather lacked any desire to learn about Hindu Swastika. These educators hurt the religious feelings of the child and also the religious feelings of the entire Hindu community, especiallythe children living in New Jersey and other parts of America.

    On top of that, these ignorant Educators lost an opportunity to present the child’s drawing as a show case on “Unity in Diversity”. The child had drawn a perfect Hindu Swastika & Christmas Tree that represents Christianity, together on one sheet. Educators could have shared this with the child’s classmates, rather with every school student of New Jersey and other parts of America by explaining to them the meaning of both symbols. But unfortunately, the child was mentally and emotionally traumatized and humiliated by the ignorant educators of the Middlesex County with a punishment and racial bias counseling.

    We are a highly educated and advanced society; by associating the Swastika with the Nazis we only give credit to the monstrosities of the horrible regime. Symbols have been abused throughout history and hence the importance of explaining to people their true origin lies with the present generation especially the media, educator and the religious leaders of different faiths. Imagine the outcry amongst Christians worldwide if an African American teacher would take offense in a Christian child’s drawing of a cross for a school project because the teacher’s ancestors were killed by the Ku Klux Klan. And I highly doubt that any of our schools all over America would approve racial bias punishment &counseling like the one given to the 8-year-old Hindu child.

    Recently I attended a trial involving a young Hindu who is being accused of masterminding 5 incidents,mostly involving drawing a Swastika and other graffiti outside Synagogues in December, 2011-January, 2012. In one incident there was an amateurish act of arson also. The Hindu boy, at that time 19-year-old was in New Hampshire, campaigning for Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul when these incidents took place. Still he is being charged with domestic terrorism and other criminal offenses for being the master mind and has been incarcerated in solitary confinement since March 2012. The Rabi produced as witness by the Prosecutor was asked by the defense what was his first reaction when he saw the Swastika on the pathway leading to the Synagogue door. He said his initial reaction was may be, a few crazy kids did it to scare us! From his own notes, according to him, someone told him, “this opportunity (act of vandalism) should be capitalized”. He along with other Rabbis produced as witnesses agreed with defense attorneys that these were mostly acts of vandalism.

    14 synagogues with the help of Jewish Federation official and a Bergen county Law enforcement officer got federal grant for enhanced security systems by reporting the act of vandalism as Terrorism. The witness was further asked before this particular act of vandalism, “was there any other incident of similar nature, the answer was “NO”. Any terrorist cell or group or individual connected with them claimed responsibility for the incident, the answer was “NO”. Did he receive any threatening phone calls or e-mails or lettersbefore this incident or after this incident by a terrorist group or a cell or a person connected with them, again the answer was “NO”. Any other similar incident after this incident in Dec. 2011?  the answer was”NO”. Still 14 Synagoguestook federal grants from Homeland Security to enhance their security systems by reporting vandalism as terrorism. The application form for these kinds of grantsclearly states that grants can be availed if there has been an act of terrorism or serious threat of terrorism or valid perception of terrorism.

    Peter Jacob is an educated and mature person. Rather than creating a media frenzy aboutSwastika with a view to creating confusion and fear in the minds of Hindu kids, he could have handled this incident differently. When Peter was growing up as an Orthodox Christian in Kerala State of India his parentsmust have explained to him the importance of Swastika as an article of faith and auspiciousness to Hindus and that the Hindu Swastika was different from the Nazi Swastika. I don’t think Peter is trying to revive his sagging Congressional campaign in Dist. 7 with absolutely “Zero” chance of winning against the 64-year-old 4 term incumbent Republican Leonard Lance; a politically corrupt career politician since 1991, by creating the media frenzy about Swastika.

    Since 1914 Dist. 7 Congressional seat has always been in the Republican column, barring 1975 to 1981 when it was held by a Democrat Andrew Maguire from Ridgewood. In Nov. 1980 he was defeated by a fellow resident Marge Roukema, a Republican. After that only time a serious challenge has ever been given by a Democrat was in 2006 by very popular Assembly Deputy Speaker Linda Stender, acareer politician since 1988. The 2 term incumbent Republican Mike Ferguson won his 3rd term by less than 3000 votes. In 2008, Stender was defeated by current Republican Congressman Lance by a wide margin of almost 30,000 votes. In 2010 Lance defeated Democrat Ed Potosnak by 33,000 votes by re-establishing the Republican style winning of this district by double digit margins of 10-18%. In 2012 he defeated Democrat Upendra Chivukula by a record margin of 55,605 votes and in 2014, defeated Democrat Janice Kovach by 36,000 votes.

    Re-districting that should be used to create more competitive Districts is used as a scam run by both parties since 1981 to ensure the winning of the incumbents belonging to both parties for another 10 years. They swap areas to make each other’s constituency more Democrat or Republicanand safe. This is also called “Incumbent Protection Plan” in which Republicans and Democrats both join together to make sure no incumbent loses his/her seat. In 2011 re-districting the Democrats and Republicans agreed to a deal that virtually protected all the incumbents barring one for the sacrificed district to cut down the number of districts to 12 from 13. In other words, they settled for 6-6 split for the future Congress till 2022,rather than creating more competitive districts.

    Looking at all the relevant facts related to “Incumbent Protection Plan” run by unionized Republican and Democrat; Peter Jacob does not fit in this plan to unseat Republican incumbent Lance in Dist. 7. Then for Peter it is his first election and he hardly knows how the State of New Jersey is run by unionized career politicians posing as Republican and Democrat. May be he is living in a fantasy world and has closed his ears and eyes on the issue of “Incumbent Protection Plan.” Then I do not find any record of Peter that he has ever used his vocal cords to raise the issues of political corruption, racism and injustice to minorities in New Jersey. He has never spoken against political corruption or demandedthat NJ needs structural changes. That is, to cut down the number of local governments with a big battalion of elected officials and an army of politically appointed officials and term limits for all public offices. Now he has become the victim of political corruption by his own party. For that he will be committing a political suicide on Nov 8, 2016 believing that minorities can only advance and prosper under Democrat ruled state or municipality or county or country.

    There is a silver lining for Peter that he is not the first Indian-American to commit a political suicide in Dist. 7. Before him another Indian-American Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula committed a political suicide funded by his own community in Dist. 7 in 2012. For Peter his youth and outsider label is there to defeat Lance in the general election but the timing and Republican composition of the district 7 are not in his favor. Even the Swastika frenzy is not going to help him to win the Dist. 7 Congressional seat.

    P.S. This writer has a reputation since 1997 of fighting against all kinds of crimes, misinformation, political & general corruption and issues affecting the Indian-American community. Personally, I do not support, under any circumstances, any kind of criminal activity, communalism, disrespect to any religion and vandalism of any one’s property, especially the Houses of Worship. I very strongly support punishments for crimes committed by any one.

    (The author is a Community activist&Secretary, Indian Americans For Trump 2016)

    The home of an Indian-American social-worker running for the US Congress in New Jersey was recently vandalized and painted with large swastikas by some unidentified miscreants

    “These racists came back to my home and spray painted large swastikas (on) our walls,” said Peter Jacob, 30, who is running for the US House of Representative from 7th Congressional District in New Jersey which is known to be a strong Republican bastion.

    Indian American community has reacted strongly and divergently.  Here is one perspective.

    The views expressed by the author are his own and, in no way, reflect the views of the publication.

  • The alphabet soup at Goa

    The alphabet soup at Goa

    This weekend will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his foreign policy team undertake a complex and significant man oeuvre. This comes at a time when relations with Pakistan have discovered a new trough, the SAARC grouping is gasping for breath, the Chinese continue to demonstrate obstinate determination to hurt, harm and impede India on multiple fronts and the relationship with Russia is in dire need of resuscitation.

    The annual BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Goa on October 15-16 is undeniably the main course but hidden in the main course is a set of ingredients with an independent chemistry, the IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa), along with the plat d’accompagnement, BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), that has as much potential as the main course. South Block will need to use this opportunity to respond to the current realities in India’s north and west, even as it consolidates India’s diplomatic push east and south, while opening new avenues for engaging its western partners in innovative ways.

    The American factor

    Even a cursory reading of India’s foreign policy under Mr. Modi reveals an unmistakable shift of its locus westward. A concrete manifestation of this shift is the vigorous engagement with the U.S. on defense, counterterrorism, as well on global-commons issues such as climate change. Both countries find themselves now (more often than not) speaking in the same voice, articulating the same objectives, and confronting similar challenges, be it the rise of Islamist terror or Chinese ambivalence towards a rules-based order.

    Arguably and beyond the ‘values’ discourse, this deep engagement with the geographical west is a lynchpin of the Indian strategy towards being a putative great power seeking to shape international norms in the 21st century. Even so, it cannot and should not disengage with other powers such as China and Russia, howsoever different their value systems may appear today. They are in one instance a large neighbor with historical antipathy, and in the other India’s only resort to strategic arsenals and high technology pursuits.

    There is also genuine convergence in certain areas – such as non-interventionism and on political-economy issues, between India and China and India and Russia. In the case of China, the tyranny of bilateral disputes (mostly on the strategic side) has prevented both countries from exploring much common ground. And with Russia, the U.S.-India entente is being understood by Moscow as a substantial shift in the intent of India towards the bilateral relationship. In fact, there seems to have been a serious underestimation in both capitals of the drift in the India-Russia relationship. Perhaps the Uri terror attack was an important moment for both to realize that extent.

    This is where BRICS comes in. Through the presence of two other actors, Brazil and South Africa, not party to complicated triangular geopolitical dynamics, India in BRICS seeks to downplay its bilateral disputes with China and engage with it on issues where there is space for beneficial cooperation. The China relationship today is heading south, and with effort, it may at best become a well-managed one. With Russia on the other hand, India needs to use this summit meet and the BRICS engagement to reclaim its traditional space and reassure the Kremlin that Moscow is India’s foremost global partner.

    The decision to invite BIMSTEC countries, in place of SAARC, to the BRICS summit is clearly a decision that relocates India’s ‘neighborhood first’ policy to its east. With this decision, Mr. Modi seeks to bring his neighborhood policy, India’s ‘act east’ policy, and its global governance goals, engaged with through the BRICS, in sync with each other. Brazil, Russia and South Africa have very limited in-roads into the Bay of Bengal littorals and may discover merit in engaging with this community. By playing the role of a ‘sincere interlocutor’ between BRICS and BIMSTEC, India stands to gain influence in both (despite China’s growing presence) as a benign transcontinental bridge.

    The IBSA potential

    This BRICS summit will also be an occasion for the three democracies in that grouping to meet on the sidelines and plot their future course. IBSA is in many ways more organic than BRICS. Beyond the shared commitment to democracy, the three countries are truly southern and developing economies and have the potential to emerge as a marquee example of south-south cooperation of emerging liberal economies across three continents. Without the presence of two military/economic behemoths, IBSA is a grouping of equals, more than BRICS can ever be. However, IBSA, it seems, struggles to excite either South Africa or Brazil, who feel sated in the presence of China and Russia at the BRICS.

    This can be changed. Going forward, IBSA should engage with both the U.S. and one European power, like Germany, to promote a true concert of democracies across each continent, bringing advanced economies alongside emerging ones. At a time when illiberal impulses are in ascendancy, IBSA in tandem with the U.S. and the sole resurgent European power, Germany, can emerge as strong defenders of the rules-based open order across political and economic spaces.

    Brazil and South Africa have had differences with China in the past over Beijing’s heavy-handed economic policies. Brazil, under its new president Michel Temer, wants to pivot back to its traditional economic partners, the U.S. in particular. This bodes well for IBSA to emerge as a liberal bridge between the north and the south. Put differently, the antidote to the common (if somewhat misplaced) perception of BRICS as a pawn in the grand strategy of China and Russia lies within BRICS itself, the IBSA. Along with BIMSTEC, IBSA points to the multiple collateral possibilities at Goa, and to a new moment that may see recalibration of Indian foreign policy.

    (The authors- Samir Saran is Vice President, and Abhijnan Rej is a Fellow, at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi)

  • RSS drops shorts for pants

    RSS drops shorts for pants

    GANDHINAGAR (TIP): On Vijaya Dashmi day on Tuesday, the 90th foundation day of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), its volunteers – donning the new uniform in which pants have supplanted shorts -vowed to end discrimination against dalits and adivasis. The volunteers pledged to strive for social harmony in Hindu society. Around 5,000 volunteers across Ahmedabad participated in seven sthapana-din

    (foundation day) pathsanchalan (parades), wearing the new dark-brown trousers that have replaced the flared khaki shorts. Brown-green socks and brown belts are part of the kit. White shirts and black caps have been retained from the traditional uniform.

    Drawing inspiration from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s speech delivered in Nagpur, RSS volunteers in Ahmedabad, and across Gujarat, affirmed the new goals of the RSS. Vijay Thakkar, 45, a senior bank officer and prant prachar pramukh (state publicity in-charge) said: “Barring fundamental ideas such as Hindu Rashtra, bhagwa (saffron) flag, and unity in the country, all traditions can be changed in the sangh with changing times.”

  • HONOURED TO WELCOME PRESIDENT PUTIN, LOOKING FORWARD TO TALKS WITH CHINA: PM MODI

    HONOURED TO WELCOME PRESIDENT PUTIN, LOOKING FORWARD TO TALKS WITH CHINA: PM MODI

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Asserting that India is delighted to host the 8th BRICS Summit in Goa followed by a first-ever BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended a warm welcome to all nations participating in the event and said that India looks forward to finding common resolve and solutions.

    Taking to Facebook to post a welcome message for the arriving delegations, the Prime Minister said that he is honoured to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Michel Temer of Brazil for a bilateral visit.

    “President Putin’s visit will give us an opportunity to consolidate and reaffirm a unique time-tested friendship and partnership with Russia. President Temer’s visit will open up new areas for cooperation with Brazil, an important strategic partner,” he said.

    He further stated that he looks forward to useful conversations with his fellow leaders from China, South Africa, Brazil and Russia on addressing pressing international and regional challenges that stand in the way of their goals.

    “As Chair of the BRICS this year, India has embraced a stronger emphasis on promoting people-to-people linkages in diverse fields including trade, sports, education, films, scholarship, and tourism. It is anchored in the belief that our people are pivotal partners in our effort to craft responsive, collective and inclusive solutions,” the Prime Minister said.

    Emphasising on the new initiatives that will be launched in Goa during the Summit, Prime Minister Modi expressed his optimism that the BRICS Summit will strengthen intra-BRICS cooperation and advance our common agenda for development, peace, stability and reform.He further said that he is happy that India is facilitating an outreach Summit with the BIMSTEC leaders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sir Lanka and Thailand.”Representing nearly two thirds of humanity together, we hope to tap the potential for cooperation and the dividends this will bring. India looks forward to building bridges to new partnerships and finding common resolve and solutions to our entrenched problems,” the Prime Minister said.

     

     

  • WINTER SESSION ADVANCED BY A MONTH, TO START FROM NOV 16

    WINTER SESSION ADVANCED BY A MONTH, TO START FROM NOV 16

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Winter session of Parliament will start on November 16. It will be a monthlong session that will end on December 16, the cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs decided on Thursday.

    The winter session usually starts in the third or fourth week of November, but was advanced to achieve the government’s ambitious target of rolling out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) — a uniform indirect tax regime that will subsume all central and local levies such as excise, octroi and value added tax — from April 1 next year. It’s also in keeping with the government’s plan to advance the presentation of the general budget by about a month. The budget is usually presented on the last working day of February, but the government has decided to advance it to start the process of revenue mobilisation and capital expenditures from April 1, the first day of the financial year.

    Parliament passed the Constitution (122nd) Amendment Bill for GST in August, but it has to clear the Central GST and Integrated GST bills before its rollout from April 1, 2017, as envisaged by the NDA government.

  • Moscow offers ‘safe withdrawal’ for armed rebels in Aleppo

    Moscow offers ‘safe withdrawal’ for armed rebels in Aleppo

    MOSCOW (TIP): Russia on Oct 13 said it was ready to guarantee safe passage for rebels to quit eastern Aleppo with their weapons, amid fierce Western criticism of its bombing campaign.

    “We are ready to ensure the safe withdrawal of armed rebels, the unimpeded passage of civilians to and from eastern Aleppo, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid there,” Russian Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoy said in a televised briefing.

    The announcement comes as Moscow and Washington gear up for international Syria talks on Saturday, the first since the United States suspended ceasefire negotiations with Russia in protest at the fierce assault on Aleppo.

    Moscow- which is backing Syrian regime forces- first announced in late July the creation of corridors for civilians and armed rebels to leave eastern Aleppo, but the plan was viewed by some as a cynical ploy to force the evacuation of the city and failed to work.

    Rudskoy said that the Syrian army has already offered to guarantee the safety of armed rebels wishing to leave Aleppo using the Castello Road, the main route for humanitarian assistance into the divided city.

    He added that Russia was ready to hear “all initiatives and proposals” that would ensure rebels’ safe withdrawal.

    A brutal government offensive against rebel-held eastern Aleppo backed up by Russian airpower has plunged Syria into some of the worst violence it has seen since the five-year-old conflict erupted.

    An international monitor said Syrian and Russian warplanes carried out fresh strikes on rebel-held districts of Aleppo early Thursday, after an intense bombardment over the previous two days killed more than 70 civilians.

    Russia’s defence ministry on Thursday denied that its airforce was bombing Aleppo at all. “I want to stress that Russian planes are conducting targeted, single air strikes against pre-verified targets outside the city of Aleppo and outside residential areas,” Rudskoy said.

    Washington earlier this month pulled the plug on talks with Moscow on ways to revive a short-lived ceasefire that unravelled in September.

    The West has accused Moscow and Damascus of committing potential war crimes in the operations against eastern Aleppo.

  • Seven top IITs will get a free hand to fix fee structures

    Seven top IITs will get a free hand to fix fee structures

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Seven top Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will be allowed to fix their own fee structure without consulting the apex council that governs these premier institutes for technical education in the country.

    The move to grant them fee autonomy is part of a larger project called Vishwajeet, which is aimed at assisting the IITs to improve their global university rankings. None of the IITs are in the top 200 of the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Ranking for 2016-17, in which IIT Bombay is the lone entry in the 351-400 rankings.

    “The decision to fix the fee of students would be delegated to the board of governors (BoG) of these institutions,” a source said.

    At present, the fee structure is determined by the IIT council, the top decision-making body, which is chaired by the Union human resource development minister and includes IIT directors and board of governors of each institute.

    Each IIT charges Rs 2 lakh from BTech students, though these institutes spend almost Rs 6 lakh a year on each student.

     

  • Trump is toast at polls after more women come forward to report “Groper-in-chief”

    Trump is toast at polls after more women come forward to report “Groper-in-chief”

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Several women have come forward over the past 24 hours to accuse Donald Trump of pawing or groping them over the years, even as new polls show Hillary Clinton surging to a 15-point lead among women — enough to sink him at the polls.

    The Trump campaign and its conservative support base, including the right wing media, has trashed the charges, dismissing them as “fabrications” by the liberal media, but coming on the heels of Trump’s own bragging on a hot mic of assaulting women, the allegations are widely seen as credible. “He was like an octopus, his hands were everywhere,” Jessica Leeds, one of he women who claimed to be at the wrong end of Trump’s attention told the New York Times. Now 74, Leeds said Trump began pawing her on a flight in 1980 and described how she bolted from the first class cabin to the back of the plane to escape him. Leeds, and Rachel Crooks, another woman who related a similar experience to NYT when she was a 22-year old receptionist in a realty firm, said they did not make a hue and cry about it because such behavior considered normal in that era, but they told family and friends about it immediately, something the paper confirmed.

    Even as the NYT story was splashing through social media, more women — including a journalist — came forward with similar charges, shaking the Trump campaign to its foundation. Meanwhile, another videotape surfaced of a Trump interview in 1992 in which he is heard boasting that he is going to be dating a girl who was only about ten then in another ten years. At the time Trump was in his mid-40s and had been divorced from his first wife, Ivanka, and was dating Marla Maples, who was to become his second wife. The footage shows Trump asking a young girl: “Are you going up the escalator?” while both are out of view.

  • New York Times dares Donald Trump to sue over sexual assault claims

    New York Times dares Donald Trump to sue over sexual assault claims

    NEW YORK (TIP): The New York Times has refused to retract an article in which two women accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, after the Republican presidential nominee threatened to sue the newspaper. In a letter made public yesterday, a lawyer for theTimes all but dared the property developer to make good on his threat.

    “We published newsworthy information about a subject of deep public concern,” wrote David McCraw, the paper’s assistant general counsel. “If Mr Trump disagrees, if he believes that American citizens had no right to hear what these women had to say and that the law of this country forces us and those who would criticise him to stand silent or be punished, we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight.”

    The article, published late on Wednesday, featured interviews with 74-year-old Jessica Leeds, who said Mr Trump had groped her on a flight more than 30 years ago, and with Rachel Crooks, whom Mr Trump allegedly kissed “on the mouth” against her will as she introduced herself to him in 2005, when she was 22.

  • New US President should meet PM Modi in 100 days: American think-tank

    New US President should meet PM Modi in 100 days: American think-tank

    WASHINGTON (TIP): With just 100 days left in Barack Obama’s presidency, a top American think-tank has suggested the new US president should meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi within first 100 days to strongly signal importance of continuing close relations between the two countries.

    In a major report on ‘India-US Security Co-operation’, the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS+ ) urges the upcoming administration to ensure that India signs the foundational agreements, which it believes is important for strengthening the India-US defense relationship.

    The absence of such agreements will also make it nearly impossible (if not completely impossible) for the US to provide to India certain advanced sensing, computing and communications technologies that India believes are necessary for its own defense capabilities, it said. “The next administration should work with Australia, India and Japan to establish a quadrilateral security dialogue, led by the US State Department and foreign ministries. The dialogue should focus on issues of common interest across the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions,” the report said.

    It said creating a specific opportunity for the US president and Indian Prime Minister to meet in the first 100 days will send a strong signal about the importance of bilateral ties.

    CSIS in its report recommends that the US and India should deepen announced efforts on submarine safety and anti-submarine warfare to include combined training and exercises to expand the capability of both countries as well as their interoperability with each other.

    Seeking to increase the FDI limit in defense sector to 100 per cent, the report also calls for strengthening and expanding the homeland security dialogue. The think-tank recommends the new president should invite India to participate (as an observer or stakeholder) in the Quadrilateral Coordination Group talks with the Taliban.

    It also urges for establishing a US-India dialogue on the Middle East, modeled on the “East Asia Consults” of the US State Department and India’s Ministry of External Affairs. CSIS said Modi’s emergence as a strong leader, just as the US was seeking to consolidate its strategy of re-balance to the Asia Pacific, gave America an opportunity to engage with a rising leader in India, and India an opportunity to reprioritise and rethink its engagement with the world. (PTI)

  • 12 dead in clashes in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine: State media

    12 dead in clashes in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine: State media

    YANGON (TIP): Twelve people have died in the north of Myanmar’s Rakhine state in clashes between armed men and troops, state media reported on Wednesday, in a sharp escalation of violence in the restive region.

    Four soldiers and one attacker were killed on Tuesday when hundreds of men wielding pistols and swords assailed troops in Pyaungpit village, in Maungdaw township.

    Troops also found seven dead along with with rudimentary weapons after fighting broke out in the nearby village of Taung Paing Nyar.

    “After the incident, troops found seven dead bodies,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

    “Swords and sticks were found with the bodies.” The military been scouring the region, not far from the border with Bangladesh, after nine police officers were killed on Sunday in coordinated attacks on three border posts.

    Most people in the impoverished area are Muslim Rohingya, a stateless minority Buddhist nationalists vilify as illegal immigrants. The unrest has raised the spectre of a repeat of 2012 when sectarian violence ripped through Rakhine, killing more than 100 people and driving tens of thousands of Rohingya into displacement camps.

  • Afghan army helicopter crashes in north Afghanistan; 8 dead

    Afghan army helicopter crashes in north Afghanistan; 8 dead

    KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (TIP): Eight Afghan soldiers were killed early Oct 10 morning when a military helicopter crashed in northern Baghlan province, officials said.

    Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said that five crew members and three army soldiers were killed in the crash. The crash took place in Dand Ghori district while the helicopter was supplying a military base, he said.

    Waziri blamed a technical problem with the aircraft and said he rejected any claims by insurgents to have downed the helicopter. One helicopter was on the ground while a second was patrolling in the air above, when suddenly a technical problem caused the helicopter to catch fire and hit the ground,” Waziri said.

    However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement claiming responsibility for downing the helicopter, saying the aircraft was shot down by fighters. (AP)

  • Blast kills 14 Shiites in northern Afghanistan: Officials

    Blast kills 14 Shiites in northern Afghanistan: Officials

    MAZAR-I-SHARIF (TIP): At least 14 Shiites were killed on Oct 12 in a powerful blast at a mosque in northern Afghanistan, the second deadly attack on the minority in as many days during the major festival of Ashura.

    “The explosion happened at the gate of the Shiite mosque in the centre of Balkh district (in Balkh province),” said the provincial governor’s spokesman Munir Ahmad Farhad, adding that 14 people were killed and 28 injured.

    His account was confirmed by the provincial deputy police chief.

    The blast came as the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for twin attacks in Kabul on Tuesday that also targeted Shiites, killing up to 18 people and wounding dozens.

    Witnesses said gunmen entered the Karte Sakhi shrine near Kabul University late Tuesday, firing indiscriminately on men, women and children as they tried to flee. The interior ministry said one was wearing a suicide vest.

    At the same time, another attacker entered a nearby mosque and took an unspecified number of people hostage as they were commemorating Ashura, the ministry said.

    The UN called the attack an “atrocity” and put the toll at 18, though the interior ministry later said it was 16.

    The threat of attacks on Shiites was considered particularly serious during Ashura, and many foreign embassies in Kabul had restricted staff movements until the end of the week.

    Ashura, marked on Wednesday, commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was assassinated in the year 680 and whose tragic end laid the foundation for the faith practised by the Shiite community.

    For Shiites around the world, Ashura is a symbol of the struggle against oppression.

    In 2011 about 80 people were killed and more than 100 wounded when a suicide bomber struck a gathering of Shiites during Ashura in the heart of Kabul.

    Grieving worshippers today described desperately trying to shelter their children against a hail of gunfire during the Kabul attacks.

    One mother who gave her name as Saleha told AFP of a gunman who was “killing everyone”. She was shot in the leg as she tried to protect her child.

     

     

  • Spanish diplomat found dead in home: Pakistan

    Spanish diplomat found dead in home: Pakistan

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): A Spanish diplomat was found dead Oct 13 in his Islamabad home in what authorities suspect is a suicide, Pakistani police said.

    The 60-year-old man was found in his bedroom by a domestic servant with a revolver by his side, said police officer Iftikhar Chatha.

    A doctor at Islamabad’s Federal Government Services Hospital said the man died of a gunshot wound to the head. But the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media, said there would be no ruling on whether the death was suicide until an autopsy had been performed.

    There was no immediate reaction from the Spanish embassy. Catha said the embassy had been informed and embassy officers had visited the scene.

    (AP)

     

     

  • After the surgery: BJP’s chest-thumping comes at a cost

    After the surgery: BJP’s chest-thumping comes at a cost

    Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar is not someone who holds himself back for long. His remarks in Mumbai on the Indian army’s post-Uri surgical strikes yielded several indicators. The government will milk the successful, nil-casualty army operation for all it is worth. After the statutory homage to the armed forces, the Defense Minister indicated why an operation like this must have been in the works. Three attacks had dented the Prime Minister’s strong man image and the constituency that vociferously backs him was thirsting for the kind of revenge promised in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. “The major share for the credit goes to the Prime Minister for decision-making and planning,” Parrikar had observed.

    Parrikar made the statutory denial about reaping political mileage. But the surgical raids have come as oxygen for the government. This was clear from Parrikar’s hagiographic positioning of Modi in the entire episode, the BJP’s massive hoardings thanking Modi for the strikes and the Prime Minister himself promising that this Ussher was a “very special occasion for the country”. In the by-now familiar good cop-bad cop routine, Modi refrained from commenting on the strikes during his Ussher address in Lucknow. He instead opted for coded references, symbols of political Hindutva and battle cries of communal mobilization. This left the audience in no doubt about the identity of the targeted “other” in the elections to the UP assembly.

    However, the army action may not have a long political shelf life. In Punjab, the BJP-Akali Dal faces 10 years of anti-incumbency. The fiasco of evacuating all border villages may have neutralized the advantage of the surgical strikes. Kashmir, the cause of the trouble since Burhan Wani was shot dead, does not buy into this discourse at all. A different narrative is required to put an end to three months of curfew, encounters and mass vandalism. There is little doubt that adroit packaging has helped New Delhi shore up its core constituency. But it cannot continue to trivialize the pain and aspirations of the people of Kashmir. This chest-thumping will affect efforts to turn around the situation in the Valley.

  • NYC Council Members and Street Sellers advocate for ‘Vendor Power’

    NYC Council Members and Street Sellers advocate for ‘Vendor Power’

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Hundreds of street vendorsgathered, October 13, atNew YorkCity Hall steps where NYCCouncil Member Mark Levine along with others formally announced the introduction of Street Vending Modernization Act (SVMA), a legislation that will reform street vending in New York City and create new enforcement tools.

    Hundreds of street sellers, most of them immigrants, waved signs demanding, “We want Permits Now””More permits now” or ‘I’ve waited 15 years for a permit now.”

    There are as many as 20,000 street vendors in New York City – hot dog vendors, flower vendors, t-shirt vendors, street artists, fancy food trucks, and many others.The city capped the number of permits it issues to vendors at 5,000 in 1981.

    According to the Street Vendor Project, a membership-based project with nearly 2,000 vendor members who are working together to create a vendors’ movement for permanent change, some 15,000 vendors operate illegally – or pay up to $25,000 to rent a permit that would only cost $200 through legal channels.

    Sean Basinski, director of the Street Vendor Project, said, “The vendors just want the right to work legally.”

    Daras mia, who migrated from Bangladesh 17 years ago, has been selling Bengal peanuts in Manhattan for many years. Though he has a green card, he did not get a permit to have his own food stall. He wore a yellow “American Dream” T-shirt just to say that his dream is not yet fulfilled. “I want my own legal permit. I’m working for someone else. I want to be on my own to support my family.”

    “Street vendors add life to our neighborhood. They add flavor to our community, they add vitality to our streets. They are part of our economy. But they have been left with a system with confusing rules and artificial cap of number of permits,” said Council Member Mark Levine. “The establishment of a Street Vendor Advisory Board and the creation of a first-of-its-kind Office of Street Vendor Enforcement will ensure fairness and consistency in the way street vendors are regulated.”

    The SVMA will:

    • Double the number of food vendor permits over seven years with 5% of new permits being set aside for veterans and the disabled
    • Create a new dedicated vendor law enforcement unit to make sure vending rules and regulations are followed and applied fairly and consistently
    • Focus initial enforcement efforts on congested areas and around supermarkets
    • Improve compliance by installing street signs on blocks without legal vending, creating an app with a satellite view of legal vending spots, and requiring vendor training
    • Establish a street vendor advisory panel to monitor enforcement and new permit rollouts and to examine and make recommendations for streamlining vendor laws and rules
    • Establish a pilot program to examine methods of maintaining order in congested areas and create model-vending zones
    • Establish a pilot program to test the use of public school and other underutilized kitchens for use by food vendors
    • Refine various outdated rules governing food vending

    Others who spoke at the gathering and strongly advocated for the legislation, include Council Members Rafael Espinal and Margaret Chin, Manhattan Borough President Gale A Brewer, and State Senator Josa Peraita (D-Queens).

  • Mangano honors Police Officersfor Saving the Lives of Two Boaters & their Dog

    Mangano honors Police Officersfor Saving the Lives of Two Boaters & their Dog

    MINEOLA, NY (TIP): Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter honored Nassau County Marine Bureau Police Officers Joseph Nappi, John Ciatarella, and Joseph Schoepher for their actions in rescuing two boaters and their dog from a capsized boat in the waters of Reynolds Channel.

    “The quick thinking of these three NCPD Marine Bureau Officers helped save the lives of these two boaters and especially their dog,” said County Executive Mangano.

    “This could have ended tragically for everyone involved but it is thanks to the bravery of these officers that these three were able to escape without injury.”

    On Tuesday, October 4th at 11:20 a.m. the Nassau County Marine Bureau Police received a distress call for the boat near the Meadowbrook 3 Bridge, and after pulling Joe Aveivi and Shaun Morales from the water they were told there had been a dog on board who was still unaccounted for.

    The officers searched the area but still could not find the dog, a 14-month old Cane Corso named Amirror.

    The officers determined that Amirror was likely still stuck inside the overturned boat and quickly began to right the vessel with the help of Tow Boat US, making sure that any air pockets that were formed did not get broken.

    After nearly an hour, they were able get to Amirror out safe and sound. She was then taken to a local animal hospital where she received a clean bill of health.

  • BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Long Island, NY Inaugurated

    BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Long Island, NY Inaugurated

    LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): “I am absolutely ecstatic to be here today. This is a great day for Long Island. This Mandir is absolutely beautiful. It is gorgeous,” said, Steven Bellone, Suffolk County Executive during the inauguration of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, in Melville, New York. SadguruPujya Kothari Swami (PujyaBhaktipriya Swami) – one of the most senior Swami of BAPS, and revered swamis from India and North America inaugurated the temple on October 9, 2016.

    After two decades of unflinching dedication and thousands of hours of volunteer work, the Mandir stood glistening as the much-anticipated inauguration ceremony started on the morning of October 9, 2016. SadguruPujya Kothari Swami (PujyaBhaktipriya Swami) performed the consecration ceremony in accordance with Hindu Vedic rituals to infuse divinity into the sacred images inside the Mandir in the presence of devotees and well-wishers from across the Tri-state area. The Mandir is the vision of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. It was inaugurated with the blessing of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

    HavanYajna being performed as part of the inauguration
    Havan Yajna being performed as part of the inauguration

    “The inauguration of the Mandir is a dream come true for me,” said, Girish Patel, a lead volunteer for the Mandir. “We were trying to acquire land since a long time and put in a lot of effort for the timely completion of the construction. The inauguration of the Mandir is a great moment of joy and celebration for all of us. Today onwards, the Mandir is open to one and all.” The inauguration was a culmination of a host of events, held over three days. The festivities for the opening began with a melodious “KirtanAradhana” (singing of devotional songs) by BAPS Swamis.

    On Saturday, October 8th, a yagna was performed with prayers for family unity and world peace. Speaking on occasion, Steven Bellone, Suffolk County Executive said, “Long Island, Suffolk County, this nation, this world is enriched, has been made better by all of the people inside this room today. There are a lot of problems in the world today, lot of strife, war; we have problems here in our own country, and sometimes when I think about the future I think what is that going to look like. Then I come here and look out into this room and I see an army of people who are good and fighting for good and what is best about humanity in our world today. So I feel good, and I feel confident, and I feel proud about our future. ” Other dignitaries present for the event were Assemblyman Chad A. Lupinacci, Steve Zimmerman from Newsday Corporation and community leaders from New York and New Jersey. “I have been waiting for this day for years. I can’t believe it it’s finally here and it’s so beautiful, said Sheena Shah, a devotee.

    “If one word could sum up the construction of this Mandir, it would be: sacrifice. It was, indeed, the dedication, service, effort and sacrifice of hundreds of volunteers from doctors to lawyers to engineers to architects who completed this Mandir”, said, Hardik Patel. “Whether it was raining or sweltering outside, volunteers came every evening and on all weekends to do everything from heavy duty labor to planning and execution of the smallest thing for making this Mandir.” The Mandir was constructed utilizing a suite of eco-friendly and cost-effective technological advancements including natural lighting techniques, and LED lights to help reduce its carbon footprint. The building includes youth classrooms, a gymnasium, and an assembly hall to host the weekly Satsang or spiritual assemblies.

    “The new Mandir will surely be home for cultural, social, and religious activities for the Hindu American community will also be a hub for community service activities. Very soon we will see various activities in the areas of education, environment, health, social welfare, and culture being organized here. The Mandir will help improve the quality of life of individuals and families,” said, Samir Bhatt, a BAPS representative. For more information about the new Mandir and the activities of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, please visit www.baps.org/longisland.

    About BAPS: The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a worldwide socio-spiritual organization in Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, is dedicated to community service, peace, and harmony. Motivated by Hindu principles, BAPS strives to care for the world by caring for societies, families and individuals. Through a number of social and spiritual activities at its 3,850 international centers, BAPS endeavors to produce better citizens of tomorrow who have a high esteem for their roots – their rich Hindu culture. Under the guidance and leadership of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, BAPS aspires to build a community that is morally, ethically and spiritually pure, and free of addictions. Contact: BAPS North American Headquarters – Media Department Phone: 732-777-1414 ext 140 Email: media@na.baps.org

    (Report and photos by Asian Media USA)

  • Five Indian Americans featured in Forbes’ Richest People in America list

    Five Indian Americans featured in Forbes’ Richest People in America list

    NEW YORK (TIP): Forbes’ ‘The Richest People in America 2016’ list features 5 prominent Indian Americans.

    Symphony Technology founder Romesh Wadhwani, co-founders of outsourcing firm Syntel Bharat & Neerja Desai, airline veteran Rakesh Gangwal, entrepreneur John Kapoor and Silicon Valley angel investor Kavitark Ram Shriram are among the 400 richest people in the US.

    Wadhwani, CEO of Symphony Technology Group, an empire of 17 data, technology, healthcare and analytics companies that together take in more than $2.8 billion in annual revenue, has been ranked 222nd on the list with a net worth of $3 billion.

    Bharat & Neerja Desai, rank 274th on the list with a net worth of $2.5 billion. Their outsourcing firm Syntel generates over $950 million in revenue and has nearly 24,000 employees across the globe, according to Forbes.

    Gangwal who co-founded IndiGo and now serves as a board member, is ranked 321 on the list with a net worth of$2.2 billion.

    John Kapoor, who is the chairman of two drug outfits, ranks 335 on the list with a net worth of $2.1 billion.

    Shriram, who has been investing in young technology startups through his firm, Sherpalo Ventures since 2000, ranks 361 on the list with a net worth of $1.9 billion.

  • Modi to meet Xi, Putin, Hasina

    Modi to meet Xi, Putin, Hasina

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the weekend in a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

    The three meetings assume great significance in the context of the India-Pakistan tension also because of the many important bilateral issues India has with each of the three countries. Modi is likely to discuss a variety of defense-related issues with Putin. The first joint Russia-Pakistan military exercise was held recently and that adds to India’s headache as it attempts to isolate Pakistan globally. However, sources indicate both countries are likely to make progress on India’s desire to purchase Russian air defense missile systems, helicopters and upgrading of Sukhoi-30 MKI.

    The tricky bilateral will be with the Chinese President. While it is reliably learnt that Modi will raise the issues of India’s renewed efforts to get membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and that of Masood Azhar’s designation as an international terrorist, China is unlikely to go along with India in either case.

    The statements coming out of China in the last few days are a fair indication that on the NSG, China will stick to “consensus” and also drag Pakistan’s membership issue alongside India’s. On Masood Azar issue, China is likely to stand by its friend Pakistan.

    The third important bilateral that Modi is scheduled to hold is with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina. Sources privy to developments said Bangladesh would raise the Teesta water treaty issue. Bangladesh, under Hasina, has been extremely supportive of India and has backed India on terror-related issues vis-a-vis Pakistan. Hasina now expects the Modi government to go along with her on the Teesta treaty as a sign that her support to India is recognized.

    The spotlight during the summit will be on terror. Though Pakistan will not be present at the summit, it will remain a constant point of reference. The future of BRICS-a club made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa-has become a little uncertain with India reaching out to the US in a tighter embrace.

    Besides BRICS, India will also host BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Initiative) member countries and most heads of state have confirmed their participation. BIMSTEC comprises Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

     

  • Telangana minister projects his state as ‘The Most Exciting Investment Destination in India’

    Telangana minister projects his state as ‘The Most Exciting Investment Destination in India’

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Madison Square Garden Event in 2014, it has become a trend for Chief Ministers of different states of India to visit USA for FDI in their respective states. After Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh among others, this time it was India’s newest state Telangana’s turn. In this case not Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, but his son Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, Minister for Industries, IT, Mining, Urban Development and NRI Affairs for the State, has taken up the responsibility to project his state as ‘The Most Exciting Investment Destination in India.’

    The India-America Chamber of Commercehosted an event on October 13 at Tulsi restaurant in Manhattanwhere the minister spoke about how Telangana has catapulted to be the most exciting investment destination in India with its pro-business and investor friendly polices, coupled with rich opportunities.

    In his welcome speech, President of India-America Chamber of Commerce Rajiv Khanna set the tone by explaining why corporate giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, FaceBook, Ikea or Uber preferTelangana over the other 28 states in India. “The answer is simple. Telangana is a state where the entrepreneurial spirit leads to innovation, which leads to industry, which leads to prosperity.”

    Now it was KTR’s turn to explain the pro-business and pro-investor policies of the state to make it ‘A magnet for foreign investors.’ He explained how Telangana has become the ‘Most progressive state’ in only two and half years and of course Hyderabad became fastest growing economic hub with effective policies and best practices adopted from across the globe.

    KTR briefed the gathering about the TS government’s investment policies that he feels to be ‘One of the best policies in the world.’ “We have introduced the real single window system for investors. First, self-certification. You don’t need to meet anybody – no minister or bureaucrat. Second, your online application has to be processed in 15 days and the government must get back to you with a yes or no. If they fail to do so, on the 16th day you will get the approval by default. Third, you can sue the government for not getting the answer in 15 days and the bureaucrats will be penalized for the delay.”

    Like last year, KTR is on a weeklong tour to the US with the agenda of discussing and reaching partnerships with corporate giants on various areas of collaboration with the Government of Telangana.

  • Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize for Literature

    Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize for Literature

    STOCKHOLM (TIP): Bob Dylan, regarded as the voice of a generation for his influential songs from the 1960s onwards, has won the Nobel Prize for Literature in a surprise decision that gave a singer-songwriter one of the world’s most prestigious cultural awards. His songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Masters of War”, “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall”, “The Times They Are a-Changin”, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Like a Rolling Stone” captured a spirit of rebellion, dissent and independence.

    “Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound,” the Swedish Academy said on Thursday, when it awarded the 8 million Swedish crown ($930,000) prize.

    Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941 and began his musical career in 1959, playing in coffee houses in Minnesota.

    More than 50 years on, Dylan is still writing songs and is often on tour.

    “He is probably the greatest living poet,” Swedish Academy Member Per Wastberg said.

    Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Nobel Academy, told a news conference there was “great unity” in the panel’s decision to give Dylan the prize.

    The literature award caps the 2016 Nobel season, following more than a week of announcements for the prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry, economics and peace, with the latter going to Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos for his efforts to end a half-century war with the FARC rebels.

    The 2016 laureates will receive their awards — a gold medal and a diploma — at a formal ceremony in Stockholm as tradition dictates on December 10, the anniversary of the death of prize creator Alfred Nobel.

    A separate ceremony is held in Oslo for the peace prize laureate on the same day, as the Norwegian Nobel Committee grants that award.

    The prize is named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with his will.

     

  • An Invitation to Media and all Eligible Diwali Stamp Buyers

    An Invitation to Media and all Eligible Diwali Stamp Buyers

    The Consulate General of India (CGI), New York, in association with Diwali Stamp Project (DSP) and Air India (AI)invites media and all eligible Diwali stamp buyers to a reception celebrating the Diwali Stamp on October 20, 2016 at 7pm, when a Raffle-draw by Air India will occur.

    All who purchased Pre-Sale Diwali Stamps through DSP and/or purchased at CGI-NY on the first day – when USPS Dedicated and unveiled the Stamp are eligible for the Raffle Draw. They are encouraged to come with their raffle tickets, and if they did not receive a raffle ticket, they should come with proof of Diwali Stamp-purchase, and theywill be given appropriate number of Raffle tickets to be part of this historic draw.

    The Air India Raffle in support of the Diwali Stamp will take place on Thursday, October 20, 2016 at the Consulate General of India, 3 East 64th Street (between Madison & 5th Avenues), New York City. 7 PM: Reception and raffle ticket availability. 7.45 PM: AI Raffle Draw. 8..15 PM: Dinner.

    RSVP: No later than Tuesday, October 18, 2016, to ranjubatra@aol.com

    Organizers thank USPS and Postmaster Megan Brennan and her team for making this Diwali, and every Diwali hereinafter, brighter forever. Happy Diwali!

  • Saffron leaders push for Ram Mandir before UP polls

    Saffron leaders push for Ram Mandir before UP polls

    MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (TIP): The Shiv Sena asked the Narendra Modi government on Oct 13 to start constructing the Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, joining other pro-Hindut va leaders in ra king up the contentious issue ahead of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

    An editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana said the BJP was well placed to settle the issue. “If the temple cannot be built today, it will never be built,” the Sena said.

    The Sena comments followed B JP parliamentarian Sub ram an ian Swamy and firebrand Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Toga di a prod ding the government on temple construction at the site where the historic Babri mosque was demolished by a Hindu mob on December 6, 1992.

    The Sena’s stand on the temple is seen as an attempt to woo hardline Hindu voters in the state where it plans to expand its presence by fielding candidates in 200 constituencies despite failing to win a single seat in 2012.

    The BJP is attempting to capture power in UP where it has been out of power for 14 years.

    However, the party has so far taken a neutral stand apparently in a bid to not antagonise the sizeable Muslim voters.

    “There has been plenty of politics over the Ram mandir issue. Now, decide once and for how long you want to go on politicising it… Don’t just raise slogans, start picking up bricks,” the Sena mouthpiece said, taunting Modi by pointing out that his own constituency was in the state.

    In an interview to a TV channel on Wednesday, Swamy said Ram mandir will be a crucial issue in the UP elections.

    “If we don’t raise it in UP, then where will we raise it? It is on our manifesto and will definitely be our main focus,” Swamy was quoted as saying.

    After Modi chanted ‘Jai Shree Ram’ in Lucknow’ on Tuesday, To g adia asked the Prime Minister to build the temple.

    BJP leaders, however, remained non-committal.

    “We appreciate the emotions and faith in Ram mandir and even (the) BJP manifesto is a reflection of that faith and emotion. However, being a responsible government, we have to follow the Constitution, which says either though discussion or court,” BJP secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said.

  • CBI to probe three cases of Jat quota violence in Haryana

    CBI to probe three cases of Jat quota violence in Haryana

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The CBI registered three cases on Thursday to probe incidents of violence and arson during the Jat quota agitation in Rohtak in February.

    This is the first instance of the agency formally taking over the probe in a case related to the quota violence.

    Two of the three cases pertain to violence and arson at the residence of Haryana’s finance minister Captain Abhimanyu in Rohtak that was the hotbed of the agitation.

    “The third case relates to allegations of looting of weapons by thousands of armed rioters from a company of BSF and Haryana police and attempting to murder them while they were on law and order duty at the Delhi bypass in Rohtak,” said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s spokesperson Devpreet Singh.

    The FIRs have been filed at the agency’s Chandigarh branch.

    Only one of the three FIRs, pertaining to arson at Captain Abhimanyu’s residence, has around 40 persons named as accused.

    The remaining are against unknown persons.

    The spokesperson said the CBI took over the investigation on the request of the Ha ryana government and further orders from the department of personnel and training.

    A total of 2,104 FIRs, including one for alleged gang rapes in Murthal, were registered in connection with the Jat quota violence and 701 people were arrested.

    “A large number of persons were allegedly injured and some of them grievously in these violent attacks. It was further alleged that property worth crores of rupees was burnt and weapons of police guards were looted by the agitators,” said the spokesperson.

    During a hearing on a petition with regard to violence during the agitation, the Punjab and Haryana high court had hinted last month that it may hand over all cases registered by the state police to the CBI.