Build a university at Babri mosque site, says AAP leader

Agencies
December 5, 2018

New Delhi, Dec 5: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said a university should come up at the site of the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. He emphasised that ‘Ram Rajya’ can be ushered through education and not by constructing a grand temple.

“My stand is that with a consensus from both sides (Hindus and Muslims), let’s build a good university at that place,” Sisodia said in an interview with NDTV that was aired on Sunday. “Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Indian, foreigner — students from all communities may attend that university and from there should spring Lord Ram’s ideals. Ram Rajya would come if we teach our children and not by building a mandir,” Sisodia said when asked what was the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) stand on Ram Mandir debate.

Asked about the current wave of caste politics in Indian politics, Sisodia, who is also Delhi’s Education Minister, said that the only way to end it was through education. “When I was at Japan University, the people there were talking about a new concept of running cars with hydrogen and on the same day on Twitter we were debating about Lord Hanuman’s caste. It is really unfortunate but the only way to move forward is by education,” he said.

Without taking any particular name, Sisodia slammed the political parties of spreading casteism at university levels “by appointing Vice Chancellors subscribing to Hindutva who try to impose it on the students”. “On one hand, you talk about ‘Digital India’ but your actions resemble that of Vijay Mallya,” Sisodia said.

Talking about the Lok Sabha elections due next year, Sisodia said the AAP government would be focusing on all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. “We will also keep our focus on Punjab and Haryana for the 2019 elections,” he said.

When asked whether Delhi Police should be with the state government, Sisodia remarked that even if his government plans to take an action, it never gets implemented on the ground level because of different governments controlling different authorities in Delhi. “Delhi Police need to be under the Delhi government,” he said. He also said the previous Sheila Dikshit-led government “didn’t do any work” in Delhi. “If her government had done anything, we wouldn’t have to struggle like this to get work done,” he said.

Comments

Mute spectator
 - 
Thursday, 6 Dec 2018

Dear Fairman,

 

Please don't convert an unfair activity of demolishing Babri Masjid as fair.  It is a cowardly act of safeguarding democracy.  Tomorrow another praying place will be demolished in the guise of similar reason and you keep on constructing hospitals?

 

 

 

FAIRMAN
 - 
Wednesday, 5 Dec 2018

Well said,

Very Very Well said, as the same was suggested by many in the past.

 

Such a contraversials  definitely devide the nation. Animity can spike without bounds and borders.

 

-  Yesterday there was Masjid.

- Today someone destroying it telling Baber had destroyed the Masjid and built temple.

- Tomorrow when Muslims become stronger, they might distroy the Mandir and build Masjid.

 

Our future children will die, suffer. We dont want to repeat again as what haened;

The God does not want to spill the blood for Masjid or Mandir.

 

Let us make our future generation live in peace than today we do.

 

God bless India.

 

 

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Agencies
July 20,2020

Mumbai, Jul 20: The Bombay High Court on Monday asked the NIA and the Maharashtra government to inform it about the health condition of poet Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoists links case, and if his family could be allowed to see him "from a reasonable distance".

The directions came after Rao's lawyer told the court that the activist was "almost on his deathbed".

Rao, 81, is currently admitted in the Nanavati Hospital here. He tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month and is also suffering from several other ailments.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and S P Tavade asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the state to inform the court about Rao's health condition and clarify by July 22 whether his family members could be permitted to see him.

Rao's lawyer Sudeep Pasbola told the court that the activist was "almost on his deathbed" and that if he were to die, it should be in the presence of his family.

"His condition is very serious. He hit his head against the hospital bed while he was at the J J hospital and sustained severe injuries. Besides COVID-19, he suffers from several ailments, he is hallucinating and is delirious," Pasbola said.

"His days are numbered and if he is to die, at least let him die in the presence of his family members," the lawyer said while seeking that Rao be granted bail. Pasbola said Rao was in no condition to cause any prejudice to the probe in the case and even the NIA could not dispute this fact.

The bench, however, asked if Rao was in such a critical condition, wouldn't it be counterproductive to move him out of the hospital, and take him to any other place? "Also, if he has COVID-19, then how can he meet his family?" the court asked.

To this, Pasbola said if permitted, Rao's family could take precautions, and see him from a distance. The state's counsel, Deepak Thakare, told the high court that it could arrange for video-conferencing facilities for Rao's family.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, who appeared for the NIA, said as far as he knew, "COVID-19 patients could not be permitted to meet anyone". He also said Rao had been admitted to "one of the best multi-speciality hospitals in the city," and that he was being taken care of in accordance with guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

"We are providing the best treatment to him, all his medical needs are being attended to and we are following ICMR guidelines in treating him for COVID-19," Singh said. The court, while seeking details from the NIA and the state, said, "Can his family members see him from a reasonable distance in the hospital?"

Rao earlier filed two pleas in HC through his lawyer. One was to direct the state to produce all his medical reports from the state-run J J Hospital, where he was admitted in May but discharged hurriedly on June 2 and sent back to Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

The other plea sought bail on health grounds.

The same bench also heard a petition filed by Rao's co-accused in the case, activists Vernon Gonsalves and Anand Teltumbde, seeking that they be tested for COVID-19 as they had been in close contact with Rao in the jail.

The court directed the prison authorities and the NIA to respond to the plea by July 23. "The prayer in the petition is limited. You (authorities) carry out the test for COVID-19 and see. If they are negative then good," the court said.

It noted that they (Gonsalves and Teltumbde) are lodged in the Taloja jail where there have been cases of inmates testing positive for coronavirus. Besides, the hearing on the plea of activist Sudha Bharadwaj, also an accused in the case, seeking bail on health grounds was adjourned after the court found the Byculla women prison superintendent's report on her health to be "illegible".

Her plea will also be heard on July 23.

Bharadwaj has been in jail since September 2018. She applied for bail on health grounds after an inmate at the Byculla prison tested positive for coronavirus last month.

Rao and nine other activists were arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, which was initially probed by the Pune Police and later transferred to the NIA.

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News Network
July 1,2020

Jul 1: Gold prices in India hit an all-time high on Wednesday, tracking a global rally, as surging coronavirus cases in many countries raised the metal's safe-haven appeal.

Local gold futures hit an all-time high of Rs 48,871 ($646.66) per 10 grams in early trade, taking their gains to 25% in 2020 so far. The contract had gained nearly 25% in 2019.

However, this dampened the retail demand for gold in India, the world's second-largest consumer of the precious metal.

"Retail demand is negligible. Buyers are postponing purchases anticipating a correction in prices," said a Mumbai-based bank dealer with a bullion importing bank.

In thin trade, dealers were offering a discount of up to $22 an ounce over official domestic prices on Wednesday afternoon, up from the last week's $18. The domestic price includes a 12.5% import tax and 3% sales tax.

The country's gold imports in May plunged 99% from a year earlier as international air travel was banned and jewellery shops were closed amid a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

In overseas market, spot gold firmed near an eight-year peak on Wednesday, as a spike in coronavirus cases in the United and States and many other countries has cast a shadow on hopes for a quicker global economic recovery, driving inflows into safe-haven assets.

According to a latest Reuters tally, the coronavirus has infected more than 10.48 million people worldwide so far.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Kochi, Jul 30: The Kerala High Court on Thursday refused to grant the extension for the stay of a 74-year-old US citizen, Johnny Paul Pierce, who had earlier said that he felt safer to remain in India than in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The single-judge bench of Justice CS Dias, which considered the writ petition, observed that the grant or extension of visa to foreign nationals fall exclusively within the domain of the Government of India (GoI) and that judicial review in such matters is minimal.

The power of the GoI to expel foreigners is absolute and unlimited, the bench said.

"In view of the categoric declaration of law by the Supreme Court, the plea of the petitioner to permit him to stay back in India cannot be accepted, as it falls within the purview of the guidelines and the discretion of the Government of India," the order said.

"The petitioner cannot be heard that the guidelines/policies/regulations formulated by the Government of India, that an American national though has been granted a visa having validity of five years has to leave India within 180 days, is irrational or unreasonable," it added.

The High Court, which was hearing a plea to permit the US citizen to stay in India for a further period of six months, said that the petitioner does not have a case that there is an infraction of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

"The petitioner was well aware of the visa conditions when he arrived in India, and it is too late in the day for him to raise a grievance on the visa conditions," the bench said noting that the petitioner's love for India was heartening.

The High Court also directed the Foreigners Registration Officer to consider the petitioner's representation within a period of two weeks in accordance with the applicable guidelines and policies.

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