India

Hyderabad, Sep 17 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that some political parties feel ashamed to call September 17 Hyderabad Liberation Day as they still have fear of 'Razakars' in their mind.

Without naming anyone, he asked these parties to remove the fear from their minds, saying Razakars cannot take decisions in this country which became independent 75 years ago.

Shah made the remarks after hoisting the national flag and reviewing a parade at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad to mark erstwhile Hyderabad state's accession to the Indian Union.

The event was organised by the Union Ministry of Culture and was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Karnataka Transport Minister B. Sriramulu and Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy.

Hyderabad State, which comprised Telangana and parts of the present day Maharashtra and Karnataka, became part of India on September 17, 1948, about 13 months after the country gained independence.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao stayed away from the event but hoisted the Tricolour at a programme organised by the state government, which is celebrating the occasion as National Unity Day.

Shah thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for deciding to organise official celebrations of September 17.

"I am not surprised. In fact, I am happy that as soon as he took the decision, all other parties announced that they will also celebrate the day. They are celebrating but with a different name. They are not calling it liberation as they still have fear of Razakars in their minds. I want to tell them to remove the fear asA Razakars can't take decisions in this country which became independent 75 years ago," he said.

Razakars were supporters of Hyderabad State's ruler Nizam and wanted the state to remain independent.

The Union Home Minister said unfortunately those who were in power for 75 years did not dare to celebrate Liberation Day because of vote bank politics.

"Many people made promises during elections and during movements but after coming to power they went back on their word due to fear of Razakars," he said.

Shah also remarked that those who feel ashamed to call it Liberation day should know that they are enjoying power because of the martyrdom of thousands of people. "If you are not paying them tributes, you are betraying them."

He also told the people of Telangana not to forget those who ignored the aims for which the state was formed.

Paying rich tributes to India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for deciding to launch 'Police Action' (Operation Polo) against the Nizam's army and Razakars to make Hyderabad a part of India.

"If Sardar Patel was not there, it might have taken many more years to liberate Hyderabad," he said and recalled that even after India became independent, there were no celebrations in the then Hyderabad State and for 13 months people were subjected to repression by Razakars.

He said Patel knew that until Nizam's Razakars were defeated dream of 'Akhand Bharat' will not be achieved and if a large area remain independent and excesses continue on people Gandhiji's dream of independent India will not be fulfilled

Shah recalled the supreme sacrifices made by many freedom fighters to liberate Hyderabad. He mentioned the names of Komaram Bheem, Ramji Gond, Swami Ramanand Teerth, M. Chenna Reddy and P. V. Narasimha Rao and other freedom fighters from Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

He also referred to various movements that were launched against Nizam's rule in different parts of the then Hyderabad State, the draconian laws made by the Nizam government to commit repression on people and a few incidents of killings committed by Razakars.

He said that the aim of Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations is to inform the young generation of the liberation movement, sacrifices of great freedom fighters and inculcate a sense of patriotism among them.

Shah suggested to the universities in all three states to do research on the Hyderabad liberation movement and undertake documentation of the excesses that were committed on people so that the entire country knows the history of the freedom movement in this part of the country.

Addressing the event, the Maharashtra Chief Minister said September 17 is celebrated as Marathwada Mukti Din in the state every year.

He paid tributes to those who laid down their lives to liberate Hyderabad State and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for deciding to officially celebrate the day.

--IANS
ms/ksk/

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) After three years of serving as the treasurer of Khushii, Anirudh Khaitan has been unanimously elected by the board and the senior leadership team to take over as the president of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

Founded in 2003 by legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev, Khushii believes in the transformation of children through education.

Khushii focuses on the holistic development of children. Its first-ever project -- The Neemrana Project -- had a massive outreach, monitoring and evaluating 4,80,000 rural and urban beneficiaries.

Khushii today reaches out to approximately 50,306 beneficiaries in 48 schools and 12 learning centres across 12 states pan-India through its 'Shikshaantra Plus' programme.

Its differentiating quotient in addressing a child's mental well-being under the 'Manoshakti wing', and enabling the development of life skills through 'Shiksha Aur Vikas', has been made possible with the support of its 43-plus corporate partners. Their long-standing association and support speak highly about Khushii's credibility and impact.

Additionally, Khaitan serves as the vice-chairman of Khaitan Education Centre, currently running Khaitan Public School, Sahibabad and is a director of Bengal Education Society, which simultaneously runs Khaitan World School, Ghaziabad. He is also the co-chair of FICCI ARISE (Alliance for Re-imagining School Education), a countrywide body of schools across India. He strongly believes that education is the founding stone of a developed nation.

His belief, experience and expertise in this field are bound to help Khushii make a deeper impact.

Speaking on the need to reach out to every child, Khaitan said, "The need to reach out to every child possible is essential. I pledge to expand Khushii's reach to 2,50,000 children by the end of 2025. I look forward to achieving this ambitious goal with the unceasing support of our long-standing patrons, corporate partners, my fellow office-bearers and the passionate team.

"We take it as my responsibility to take forward the vision of Mr. Kapil Dev to ensure that each and every child under Khushii's reach to march forward towards a better and brighter future and no one is left behind."

Khushii is focused on building brighter futures for our nation's children by offering a holistic approach to empower those who do not have access to quality education and, most importantly, need to take care of their social and emotional health.

--IANS

san/akm

By Amita Verma
Lucknow, Sep 17 (IANS) In December 2023, just months before the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the sanctum sanctorum of the grand Ram temple will be thrown open to devotees.


As euphoria fills the air, the Gyanvapi dispute will also be simmering in the communal cauldron and Mathura will also be waiting to be served hot by then.

The BJP has got all its calculations in place and has finalised a perfect recipe for return to power at the Centre in the general elections.

Despite RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's advice to 'stop searching for a 'Shivling' under every monument', the BJP is forging ahead with its temple agenda.

Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, during the UP assembly elections, had tweeted "Ayodhya-Kashi jaari hai, Mathura ki tayyari hai" which was a clear indication of the party's game plan.

Soon after the court upheld the maintainability of pleas by five Hindu women this week, Maurya put out a pinned tweet that read "karvat leti Mathura, Kashi" (things are turning in Mathura and Kashi).

Later, however, he pointed out that the tweet was 'personal'.

According to party strategists, the BJP may not make an all-out effort to cash in on the situation in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura but the developments are bound to benefit the party - directly or indirectly.

"We are a Hindu-centric party and our leaders have fought for liberation of shrines that were demolished by invaders."

"For Ayodhya, we waged a long battle and now the dream of Ram temple is turning into reality. This is undoubtedly going to benefit us," said a senior party functionary.

The functionary, however, pointed out that the BJP had no direct involvement in the Kashi and Mathura issues.

Former union minister Uma Bharti said, "I pray that the courts will rule in our favour in Mathura and Kashi just as the SC did in the Ayodhya case because the structures that currently exist (Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah) remind Hindus of how Muslim invaders destroyed our temples and oppressed us."

Interestingly, while the BJP in UP forcefully underlines the good governance factor and the welfare schemes of the Yogi Adityanath government that are reaching out to the poor, it also continues to emphasize on its pro-Hindu leanings.

Its leaders begin their speeches with 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Har Har Mahadev' and have no qualms about donning saffron.

Yogi Adityanath's office put out more photographs of his offering prayers at various temples than those of his inaugurating development projects.

The idea is obviously to keep reiterating the fact that religion comes before everything else in his scheme of things.

A former BJP MP said, "If the governance factor provides a good base for the party, it is the Hindutva factor that comes as the icing on the cake. In fact, people have begun to rely more on Hindutva and I believe that it is this that will ensure our return to power in 2024."

Significantly, the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act that was enacted by Parliament in 1991 with the specific purpose of preventing such legal suits or demands against historic religious structures -- apart from the Ayodhya issue -- is now being challenged before the Supreme Court.

The fact that a court has allowed such pleas could open the floodgates for similar cases being filed against other historic Islamic monuments. This, again, is what the BJP wants in the coming months.

The political landscape in Uttar Pradesh is already deeply divided by communal polarisation and the ruling BJP is eager to stoke the fires further for electoral gains.

The legal difference between the Varanasi and Ayodhya cases is likely to be lost on the ever-increasing cheerleaders of Hindutva.

Reclaiming the Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah -- among sundry other Islamic sites -- for the Hindus has been a stated plank of the RSS-BJP combine for a long time.

There is jubilation in the BJP ranks and its cadres are already terming the Varanasi court verdict as a "victory for Hindus".

--IANS
amita/bg

Lucknow, Sep 17 (IANS) The Ayodhya verdict has not dampened the Muslims and after the Varanasi verdict, the community is bracing up for a legal battle - howsoever long drawn it may be.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid (AIM), the Gyanvapi mosque management committee, has said that they will file a revision petition before the Allahabad high court.

Rekha Pathak, a woman plaintiff in the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri case, has already filed a caveat in the Allahabad high court to ensure that her side would be heard before any relief is given to the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid when it files a revision petition against the rejection of its application in the matter by the Varanasi district judge on September 12.

AIM joint secretary S M Yasin said that the timing to file a revision petition in the high court by the panel of lawyers would be decided after going through the court order in detail.

AIM lawyer Merajuddin Siddiqui said that the AIM would challenge the court order that said that the suit is not barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, The Waqf Act, 1995 and the UP Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act, 1983.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) said a committee of lawyers will study the district court's judgment and accordingly challenge it in the high court.

Muslim petitioners involved in the Gyanvapi mosque case said that they will consider approaching the Allahabad high court with their request to throw out a plea by a group of Hindu women to pray at a site at the mosque complex.

"There is always an option to move the high court. Our team of lawyers will study the judgment first, especially the ground on which our plea was rejected, and then will move the high court," Mohammed Touhid Khan, a counsel of the AIMC in the case, said.

Khan is also a part of the team that has been formed to study the judgment.

Muslim cleric and senior All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali said the community respects the judgment of the district court and "the option to move the high court and the Supreme Court is open".

Athar Husain, secretary, Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), a trust of the Sunni Central Waqf Board that is taking care of the construction of the mosque in Ayodhya's Dhannipur village, said, "Having complete faith in the Indian judiciary, all the law abiding citizens, including Muslims, believe that the applicability of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, will ensure that the character of no other religious place in India will be changed now, as this is a part of the Ayodhya verdict of the five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court and it has to be accepted in totality by all Indians."

The AIMPLB has already termed the Varanasi district court's decision on the maintainability of the Gyanvapi mosque case as 'disappointing' and has urged the government to implement the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, with full force.

AIMPLB General Secretary, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, said the preliminary decision of the district judge's court was "disappointing and saddening".

Rahmani said in the midst of the Babri Masjid controversy in 1991, Parliament had approved that the status quo at all religious places, except the Babri Masjid, would be maintained as in 1947, and no dispute against it would be valid.

Then in the Babri Masjid case, the Supreme Court upheld the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, and declared it mandatory, he pointed out.

"But in spite of this, those who want to serve hatred and who do not care about the unity of this country, raised the issue of the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi and it is a pity that the district judge's court ignored the 1991 law and allowed the petition," Rahmani said.

He added, "Now, this sad phase has come where the court has initially accepted the claim of Hindu groups and has paved the way for them. It is a painful thing for the country and the people."

--IANS
amita/bg

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) After the Varanasi court admitted the maintainability of the petition filed by five Hindu women, the Congress has maintained a safe distance from the whole controversy and has not reacted since the court order came. The Congress strategy is not to be embroiled in the controversy which will harm the party but focus on the real economic issues.

Congress leaders when approached refused to speak and said that our priorities are different from that of the BJP. The people are groaning under inflation and unemployment which are the real issues. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is to bridge the gap between the different faiths and overcome the hatred propagated by the BJP-RSS, they added.

Political analyst Shakil Akhtar said "The whole issue is to keep the pot boiling. The Congress has spoken on the issue of Bilkis Bano and not giving a commentary on the court hearings is a good thing. However, the media should stop referring to Hindu- Muslim but call them petitioners and defendants."

The Congress hopes to counter the communal issue through the Yatra. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has said, "the Congress party through the Yatra is attempting to undo the damage done by the BJP in the last eight years. They have divided the country."

The party leaders are terming it as a "diversionary tactic" of the ruling BJP. The Congress wants strict adherence to the provisions of the 1991 Act in letter and spirit, saying that any kind of change in the status of places of worship would lead to a massive conflict.

Seeking maintenance of status quo at the places of worship, Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken had said in May when the issue came to the fore: "The matter is under the purview of the Supreme Court and we hope justice would be delivered as the case of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute was decided on the basis of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which says that the religious character of a place of worship shall continue to be the same as it existed on August 15, 1947."

Dubbing it a "political" move, the Congress says it is a "diversionary" tactic by the BJP to push the issues of inflation, unemployment and the falling rupee onto the back-burner.

Former Home Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram had said that the status quo at all places of worship should be maintained else it would lead to a conflict.

"Places of Worship Act was passed by the Narasimha Rao government with the lone exception of Ram Janmabhoomi. All other places should have status quo as any kind of change could lead to a huge conflict," he had said.

The Congress insists that the ideological differences with the BJP is core to the Congress politics and to fight for the people's cause is the key takeaway from the brainstorming session. But the party has now been put on test in the Gyanvapi row which could be a new controversy in political discourse. It now has to rethink its strategy on the issue.

Rajasthan's Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said, "the BJP policies are dividing the country and it is dangerous which can bring the nation to the verge of civil war. The Congress will not allow it and this yatra's focus is to counter polarisation."

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said that this Yatra will be a turning point in Indian politics and will mark a new beginning.

--IANS
miz/bg

Mumbai, Sep 17 (IANS) As it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Saturday, a string of Bollywood stars including Anil Kapoor have wished the leader.

Anil took to Twitter and shared two pictures with Modi. In the first photo, the actor is seen sitting next to the leader while in the second picture shows the two shaking hands.

He then wrote on the microblogging website: "A very Happy Birthday to the man who has put India on the world map in a way we could never have imagined."

Anil added: "The harbinger of acche din, the leader of our proud nation. May you live long and stay healthy! @narendramodi."

--IANS
dc/kvd

Mumbai, Sep 17 (IANS) Veteran actor Anupam Kher has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership and wished him good health and longevity on his birthday on Saturday.

Anupam took to Instagram where he shared a video of the Prime Minister taking oath.

He wrote the caption in Hindi: "Honourable Prime Minister Shree @narendramodi ji! A very happy birthday to you. May god bless you with longevity and good health."

"You are dutifully accomplishing everything that you had promised and you will continue to do so in the coming years. Thank you for your leadership. Happy Birthday Prime Minister #NarendraModiJi! #India #BirthdayWishes."


--IANS
dc/kvd

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) India on Saturday reported 5,747 fresh Covid cases and 29 deaths in the last 24 hrs, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.

With the fresh fatalities, the death toll due to Covid rose to 5,28,302.

Meanwhile, the active caseload has marginally risen to 46,848 cases, accounting for 0.11 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The recovery of 5,618 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,39,53,374. Consequently, the recovery rate stands at 98.71 per cent.

Meanwhile, daily positivity rate stands at 1.69 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate at 1.74 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 3,40,211 tests were conducted, increasing the overall tally to over 89.12 crore.

As of Saturday morning, Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 216.41 crore.

Over 4.07 crore adolescents have been administered with first dose of Covid vaccine since the beginning of drive for this age bracket.

On Friday, the country had reported 6,298 infections.

--IANS
avr/svn

Hyderabad, Sep 17 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao stayed away from Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations organised by Union Culture Ministry here on Saturday to mark erstwhile Hyderabad State's accession to the Indian Union.

With Telangana government celebrating September 17 as Telangana National Unity Day, the Chief Minister skipped the event organised by Government of India, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah hoisted the national flag and reviewed a colourful parade by the Central paramilitary forces.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Karnataka's Transport Minister B. Sriramulu attended the event which saw performances by 1,200 artists from the three states.

Erstwhile Hyderabad State, which was spread over Telangana and parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, acceded to the Indian Union on September 17, 1948, following India's military operation.

For the first time, Government of India organised official celebrations to mark the occasion. Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy had invited Chief Ministers of all the three states for the event.

Telangana government has also announced year-long celebrations to mark 75 years of Hyderabad State's accession.

Kishan Reddy said that BJP had been fighting for the last 25 years for official celebrations of the day. The Union Minister said this was the occasion people had been waiting for 74 years.

He said that 74 years after India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel hoisted the national flag on the soil of Hyderabad after defeating Nizam's Army, Home Minister Amit Shah unfurled the tricolour here.

He claimed that the decision of the Telangana government to organise the celebrations is a victory for the people.

"It doesn't matter what you call it but it is a matter of happiness that the national flag is being hoisted across the state," he said.

Without naming MIM, Kishan Reddy said that even the party which inherited the legacy of 'Razakars' was forced to celebrate the day by hoisting the tricolour.

--IANS
ms/kvd

Bengaluru, Sep 17 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s summons to Karnataka Congress President D.K Shivakumar in connection with the Rs 74.93 crore disproportionate assets case has thrown a spanner in the party's efforts to wrestle power from the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections.

This has come at a time when Shivakumar has announced that he will mercilessly initiate action against MLAs who are not taking up a proactive role in 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by former party president Rahul Gandhi. He also stated that he would not share any information with Opposition leader Siddaramaiah regarding prospective candidates.

Shivakumar, who is aspiring for the chief minister's post, has also managed to get an upperhand in the party affairs against his competitor and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah

As per party insiders, with this development Siddaramaiah camp will have an upper hand.

The ED has taken up the case filed by the CBI against Shivakumar in 2020. The CBI had raided 14 locations in Bengaluru and other places. Adding to his woes, he will also have to attend an inquiry before the Income Tax department on September 27. Shivakumar was sent to Tihar Jail in connection with this case.

Sources are drawing similarities between AAP leader Satyendra Jain and Shivakumar case. Jain, who was the Health Minister between 2015 and 2017, has been sent to jail in a disproportionate assets case. The ED had arrested Jain's wife and associates and seized Rs 4.81 crore assets.

At a time when Assembly elections are fast approaching, ED notice to Shivakumar is also said to be a setback for the Congress party and might impact 'Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka.

--IANS
mka/shb/