India

By Atul Aneja
New Delhi, Sep 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed to the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries on Friday the mantra of fusing technology with traditional assets to foster their collective rise in the post-Covid era.


With New Delhi set to hold the rotating presidency of the SCO, PM Modi nailed three areas where India can make a significant contribution to the eight countries of Eurasia - a region with which India has for thousands of years established deep commercial and spiritual links.

PM Modi cited start-ups, traditional medicine, and food security as domains where India can pioneer a collective initiative for the region.

"Today, there are more than 70,000 Start-ups in India, of which more than 100 are unicorns. Our experience can also be useful for many other SCO members. For this purpose, we are ready to share our experience with SCO member countries by establishing a new Special Working Group on Start-ups and Innovation," PM Modi said.

Referring to food security which has been disrupted due to Covid and the Ukraine war, the Prime Minister homed on to millets - a traditional grain grown in the SCO - as the "superfood" to fight hunger. The PM proposed that the SCO should hold a "Millet food festival".

"Millets are a superfood that have been grown for thousands of years, not just in SCO countries, but in many parts of the world, and is a traditional, nutritious, and low-cost alternative to dealing with the food crisis. The year 2023 will be celebrated as the UN International Year of Millets. We should consider organising a 'Millet Food Festival' under the SCO."

PM Modi also announced that India will set up an SCO working group on traditional medicine. "WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine was inaugurated in Gujarat in April 2022. This will be WHO's first and only global centre for traditional medicine. We must increase cooperation on traditional medicine among SCO countries."

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative

Bhopal, Sep 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said cheetahs are back on Indian soil after 70 years and the move will lead to restoration of forest and grassland ecosystems.

The Prime Minister released the big cats -- five male and three female, brought from Namibia, into enclosures of Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park and termed it endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation.

Prime Minister Modi said, "Cheetahs had become extinct from the country in 1952, but for decades, no meaningful effort was made to rehabilitate them. Today, as we celebrate 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the country has started rehabilitating cheetahs with a new energy."

He said that tourists and wildlife enthusiasts will have to wait a few months before they can see cheetahs at KNP.

"Bringing Cheetahs back to India will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems and also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community," the Prime Minister added.

He said 'Project Cheetah' is the world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

Notably, the special event was scheduled for September 17 to mark Prime Minister Modi's 72nd birthday.

The felines will be living under an earmarked area of KNP for two weeks after which they will be released in the park.

According to a senior forest officer in Madhya Pradesh: "Cheetahs will be living in an earmarked area under KNP for two weeks. Once they will adapt to the climate of this area, they will be released into the park."

All cheetahs have special radio-collar fitted to their necks so that their movement can be easily located. Their health and movement will be monitored every day by a special joint team of African and Indian wild animals experts," the senior forest officer added.

Spread over 748 square km in the vast forest landscape of Madhya Pradesh, KNP is the new home of the eight cheetahs. Notably, the region is very close to the Sal forests of Koriya in Chhattisgarh, where the native Asiatic Cheetah was last spotted almost 70 years ago.

As per the forest officials in Madhya Pradesh, KNP was chosen as suitable destination for cheetahs after a survey of nearly a dozen national parks located in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.

"These surveys were carried between 2010 and 2012. Later, it was observed that Kuno was the suitable destination. It was the most preferred habitat based on the assessment carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) based on climatic variables, prey densities, population of competing predators, and the historical range," the officer said.

Kuno is probably one of the few wildlife sites in the country where there has been a complete relocation of roughly 24 villages and their domesticated livestock from inside the park years ago. The village sites and their agricultural fields have now been taken over by grasses and are managed as savannah habitats.

According to the government's plan, Kuno offers the prospect of housing four large felines in India -- tiger, lion, leopard and cheetah -- and ensuring they coexist as they did in the past. While the only surviving population of lions is in Gujarat, Kuno was initially proposed to provide a second home.

The forest has a significant population of leopards with a density of about nine leopards per 100 square km. This remains a concern, taking into account, that the much-stronger leopard has an advantage over the slender cheetah, whose strength mainly lies in its blazingly fast speed. They are also believed to have more adaptive potential and a wider habitat than the cheetah.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Pate, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Union Ministers -- Narendra Singh Tomar, Bhupender Yadav, Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Ashwini Choubey -- were among those present on the occasion.

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday had said, "We were a tiger state, a leopard state and now becoming a Cheetah state."

--IANS
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By Mahua Venkatesh
New Delhi, Sep 17: Amid the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) renewed thrust to expand trade, economic, and investment cooperation among the member countries, India's participation in the forum will be scrutinised with a fine tooth comb. Why? India is the only common member country to be a part of the SCO and the US-driven Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).


This will be the first major international forum where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be present in person right after Indian and Chinese troops completed the disengagement exercise at the Gogra and Hot Springs friction points.

With the rapid geopolitical shifts, it is crucial for countries to boost regional cooperation for economic revival. Given the current contours and the rising tension between the US and China, Beijing, for its own interests, would not want a weak India.

Therefore, China has heaved a sigh of relief after India decided to opt out of the IPEF's trade pillar.

Beijing based Global Times said that as a major Asian economy, India is inseparable from the Asian supply chain and industrial chain.

"India's participation will also help the SCO to further expand cooperation in a wide range of areas. Therefore, it is hoped that New Delhi can put aside its geopolitical calculations and resist pressure from Washington and actively promote economic and trade cooperation within the SCO," it said.

Interestingly, India had also pulled out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2020.

The SCO members account for about 30 per cent of global GDP (based on purchasing power parity) and almost half the world's population. Its recent decision to stay out of the IPEF's trade pillar has been once again hailed by China, which highlighted that India's foreign policy continues to be driven by strategic autonomy.

"New Delhi has not mixed politics with economics. Pulling out of RCEP, which was touted as a mother of all trade deals, was based purely on economic reasons- it was to protect our manufacturing sector. Similarly, now, the decision not to be part of the IPEF trade pillar is also based on pure economic reasons," an insider told India Narrative.

India has maintained that it will be guided by its strategic autonomy. Despite building pressure on India from the US and the west to condemn Russia after its Ukraine invasion, New Delhi refrained from calling out Moscow. Not just that. It has also increased its crude imports from Russia.

Why India should be excited about the Samarkand SCO summit? Many policymakers among the SCO member countries are hoping that "India will be more united with other SCO members including China and Russia, and play a more positive role to promote multipolarisation of the world together."

China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were the first members of the SCO when it was formed in 2001, In 2017, India and Pakistan were included in the SCO forum. Iran is expected to get full membership of the SCO bloc by the next year.


(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The Congress on Saturday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's releasing of the eight cheetahs into the wild at a Madhya Pradesh national park as "tamasha" (drama), adding that it was a diversion from pressing issues.

In a series of tweets, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said: "PM hardly ever acknowledges continuity in governance. Cheetah project going back to my visit to Capetown on 25.04.2010 is the latest example. The tamasha orchestrated by PM today is unwarranted and is yet another diversion from pressing national issues and Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"When tigers were first translocated to Panna and Sariska during 2009-11, there were many prophets of doom. They were proved wrong. Similar predictions are being made on the Cheetah project. The professionals involved are first-rate and I wish the project the very best!"

Earlier in the day on the occasion of his 72nd birthday, the Prime Minister released the cheetahs flown in from Namibia into a special enclosure in the Kuno National Park, as part of the programme to reintroduce the feline in India seven decades after it was declared extinct in the country.

The big cats arrived in Gwalior on board a special plane on Saturday morning as part of the cheetah reintroduction programme.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has analysed the complete genome sequences of Monkeypox cases from Kerala and Delhi confirmed during July to August 2022.

It has found three sub clusters among A.2 lineage - first cluster Kerala (n5) and Delhi (n2) aligned with the USA-2022 ON674051.1; while second of Delhi (n3) aligned with USA-2022 ON675438.1 and third cluster consists of the UK, US and Thailand - in the study conducted by ICMR-NIV Pune.

According to the study, all the retrieved MPXV sequences from India covering 90 to 99 per cent of the genome belong to the A.2 lineage of clade IIb.

"All the retrieved MPXV sequences from India covering 90 to 99 per cent genome belong to A.2 lineage of clade IIb. The A.2 MPXV lineage divided in three sub clusters; first cluster Kerala n5, Delhi n2 aligned with the USA-2022 ON674051.1; while second of Delhi n3 aligned with USA-2022 ON675438.1 and third consists of the UK, USA and Thailand. Recent update in MPXV lineage designated all the five sequences from Kerala as A.2.1.", the ICMR study has revealed, emphasizing the need of enhancing genomic surveillance to understand the mutation and its linkage.

During the period of July to August 2022, clinical specimens i.e., oropharyngeal swab (OPS), nasopharyngeal swab (NPS), lesion crust and lesion fluids of 96 suspected Monkeypox cases were referred from 18 states and 3 Union Territories to ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, India for diagnosis of Monkeypox.

The clinical specimens of all the cases were tested using Monkeypox specific real time PCR. Of them, five cases each from Kerala and Delhi were found to be positive for MPXV. All the monkeypox negative cases were also screened for Varicella zoster virus (VZV) and enterovirus (EV) specific real time PCR.

Of 114 cases, the MPXV infection was confirmed in ten cases from India using both Orthopox and Monkeypox specific real time PCR. Further the screening of monkeypox negative cases indicated the presence of VZV and EV by real time PCR. The ten monkeypox confirmed cases were three male and two female from New Delhi with no international travel history; while five males were from Kerala with travel history from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to India.

All the cases were immunocompetent with no comorbidities with their mean age 31 years and presented with short prodromal phase of fever, myalgia, vesiculo-pustular lesions primarily in genital area, face, trunk and extremities.

"Of all, nine cases had non tender firm lymphadenopathy in one or more sites (inguinal, cervical, submental, submandibular, retro-auricular), while one case didn't show lymphadenopathy. All the cases have recovered without complications except a case from Kerala who succumbed to the infection following acute onset encephalitis", the ICMR said.

"The MPXV sequences from India were grouped in two sub clusters; 7 sequences (Kerala n5, Delhi n2) aligned with the USA-2022 strain ON674051.1 and UK-2022 OP331335.1 formed the first cluster. In this sub cluster, five sequences from Kerala were designated as A.2.1 based on the lineage defining mutations in the position C 25072 T, A 140492 C, C 179537 T. Two sequences from Delhi are lacking all three mutations, hence still defined into A.2 lineage", said the ICMR study.

The study further added, "While it was noted that A.2.1 lineage defining mutations are lacking in the 3 sequences from the second sub cluster of Delhi; aligned with USA-2022 strain ON675438.1. The third sub cluster consists of the MPXV sequences obtained from UK-2022 OP331336.1, USA-2021 ON676707.1 and three sequences of Thailand-2022".

--IANS
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By Brij Khandelwal
Agra, Sep 17 (IANS) Over a dozen reported cases of monkey attacks on unsuspecting tourists at Taj Mahal has created a scare and alarmed visitors. Though the security services have now woken up and are keeping a vigil, the sight of rampaging gangs of simians has become a major problem for the authorities in the Taj city.


The Archaeological Survey of India has put up hoardings and cut-outs to warn tourists to stay away from monkeys, as some tourists try to get friendly with the primates and pose for selfies. Officials said that they were trying to seek help from the Agra Municipal Corporation and some NGOs to round up the monkeys. But so far, no one has come forward with a solution. They say that the state Forest and Wildlife Departments are not supporting them or giving permission to catch the monkeys.

Locals have now demanded drastic action against violent and aggressive monkeys who have made life hell for people living in the old city areas.

Agra, these days, is living in the scare of bovine, canine, and simian menace. Even tourists have become victims. Two years ago, there was a hue and cry when a monkey snatched a new-born from the lap of a mother and killed the infant in Runukta village, 20 kms away.

The district authorities had then made a number of promises but nothing much happened. "The elected representatives have ignored the problem, but the condition is appalling as citizens live in constant fear of attacks from the monkey. Thousands of violent monkeys live in this area along the river Yamuna, as the faithfuls regularly feed them bananas and bread," the local MLA, Purushottam Khandelwal, expressed his helplessness.

Mukesh Jain, trustee of a local NGO Satya Mev Jayate, said: "We have been regularly approaching the authorities with our suggestions and even an offer to help financially, but for some strange reasons, the administration has been dragging its feet. Twice efforts have been made to shift some monkeys to forest areas, but the green activists have stalled the process of transfer."

The situation is grave. Estimates of the simian population vary from 20,000 to nearly a lakh. "Their population is more in the old city areas where terraces are contiguous. People are no longer able to enjoy terrace facilities as the monkeys have been regularly attacking women and children, in particular," Vijay Nagar colony resident Sudhir Gupta said.

The whole of Braj Mandal, from Mathura, Vrindavan to Goverdhan and Bateshwar in Agra is living under threat from simians who now resort to all kinds of tricks to snatch food or attack women and children. Their population has gone up phenomenally. During the pandemic lockdown, they became more violent as food supply was snapped.

Green activist Dr. Devashish Bhattacharya said: "The dwindling forest cover, and fewer fruit-bearing trees being planted has compounded the problem. The need is to develop forests and plant more fruit-bearing trees rather than ornamental ones. The monkeys too are a part of the ecological system, they too have some rights. Let us provide for them instead of cursing them."

Tourist guides are now warning visitors in advance to remain alert against monkeys. Last year a video went viral of a group of monkeys snatching a water bottle from a foreigner. A tourist, guide Ved Gautam said: "We always warn our clients of sudden bovine, canine or simian attacks in and around monuments in Agra."

For some time now, tourists have been avoiding lonely romantic walks along the pathways which are lined up with dense green foliage.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel keep an eye on the monkeys. Two years ago catapults were used to shoo away the monkeys but after a furore by animal rights activists, catapults and sling shots disappeared. The CISF personnel and the staffers of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), are at their wit's end trying to cope with the simian nuisance. "Cats, dogs, monkeys, bees, are proving to be big safety menace in the Taj premises," said a local tourist guide.

Frequent attempts are made to contain the simian menace in Agra, Mathura and Vrindavan visited by thousands of tourists and pilgrims daily. A Former Divisional Commissioner engaged an NGO, Wildlife SOS, to round up 10,000 monkeys, but the plan did not materialise due to lack of permission from appropriate authorities. But now the situation is really alarming. Monkeys are seen in armies marching from one area to the other. The city has more than 50,000 monkeys.

Due to provisions of the Wildlife Act, monkeys can not be attacked or rounded up without adequate safeguards and precautions. Plans to shift the monkeys to other areas have failed, as no district wants to shelter them.

Indeed, the state faces the biggest threat to peace in the form of exploding simian population in Agra and neighbouring religious shrines in Mathura district and Vrindavan. Pilgrims are almost daily attacked in Vrindavan. Usually, monkeys target spectacles or purses which are returned only when some eatables or cold drinks are offered to the monkeys.

Civic authorities seem helpless in tackling the menace. "We have written so many times to the Municipal Corporation but there has been no action," an ASI official said.

Agra Development Foundation Secretary, K.C. Jain has petitioned the Allahabad High Court, which has asked for detailed plans to contain the simian menace in Agra.

Jain requested everyone to plant fruit bearing trees this monsoon season. Jain said: "On one hand there is large scale deforestation, on the other hand, trees that are being planted are basically ornamental and can not support monkeys. The whole Agra region is infested with Vilayati Babool, Julie flora, with thorns. We have demanded government agencies clear these trees and plant fruit bearing trees to attract the simian population."

--IANS
brij/kvd

Bhopal, Sep 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released eight cheetahs, which had become extinct in India, into special enclosures in Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Modi said, "Cheetahs had become extinct from the country in 1952, but for decades, no meaningful effort was made to rehabilitate them. Today, as we celebrate 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the country has started rehabilitating cheetahs with a new energy."

He said that tourists and wildlife enthusiasts will have to wait a few months before they can see cheetahs at KNP.

The Prime Minister said cheetahs - brought from Namibia - are being introduced in India under Project Cheetah, which is world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

"Bringing Cheetahs back to India will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems and also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community," the Prime Minister added.

He said, "Project Cheetah is our endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation."

A special Jumbo Jet Boeing 747 carrying eight cheetahs landed at Gwalior airport this morning.

Several teams of wildlife doctors/experts will monitor the health condition of cheetahs who arrived in the state after 16 hours of air journey from Namibia, forest officials said.

Notably, the special event was scheduled for September 17 to mark Prime Minister Modi's 72nd birthday.

Madhya Pradesh houses six tiger reserves and 25 wildlife sancturies.

As per the All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, the state was home to 526 tigers, the highest for any state in the country.

However, with having tag of maximum number of tigers in the state, Madhya Pradesh also has registered maximum number of death of wild animals almost every year.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Pate, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Union Ministers -- Narendra Singh Tomar, Bhupender Yadav, Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Ashwini Choubey -- were among those present on the occasion.

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday had said, "We were a tiger state, a leopard state and now becoming a Cheetah state."

--IANS
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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
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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

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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
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