Hindu-Muslim unity stands tall in Malerkotla amidst poll cacophony

Agencies
May 18, 2019

Malerkotla, May 18: In Punjab's only Muslim-majority city of Malerkotla, a mosque and a temple share a common wall, a Muslim man sells prasad outside a Hanuman Mandir and a Brahmin-owned press prints greeting cards for Ramzan. 

Azan blends with the aarti and clerics and priests recount tales of love and brotherhood, unfazed by the political hustle and bustle in the city in the election season.

Mohammad Yaseen, 33, who sells prasad outside the Hanuman Mandir in the bustling Tajpora market, says Malerkotla did not witness a single communal clash even at the time of Partition.

"The incidents you have heard of were the handiwork of outsiders. Here, Muslims attend Mata ki chowki and Hindus prepare sharbat for Iftar," he says. 

"The recent burning of Guru Granth Sahib in Hathoa village of the city was accidental. In 2016, some outsiders desecrated our holy book. Earlier too, inimical elements tried to breach the peace in the city but failed. Our brotherhood has withstood the tests of time," he says. 

Across the street, inside the Hanuman Mandir, the 73-year-old chief priest, Phoolchand Sharma, says the people of Malerkotla don't judge each other by their religion.

"The city remains unaffected by the politics of hatred and religion. Candidates do try to seek votes on religious lines, but their attempts to polarise people have proved futile," he says. 

'Muslims who own badge-making workshops employ Hindu artisans. The Sikh businessmen hand over the responsibility of their establishments to Muslim employees. And, they never fight over who should become the prime minister of the country," he says.

A kilometre away, in Somsons Colony, a three-year-old temple and a 60-year-old mosque share a nine-inch thick wall and the pujari and the Maulvi's laughter. 

The leaves priest Chetan Sharma offers at the Shivling in the Lakshmir Narayan Mandir come from the Bel tree inside the compound of the Aqsa Masjid.

Sharma says he wraps up with the aarti before the namaz starts to avoid any inconvenience to the Muslim devotees. 

"Maulvi Sahab greets me with 'Ram Ram' every day. We talk about a lot of things from village life to food but stay away from the politics of mandir-masjid. This place is like Ayodhya but a peaceful one," he says.

Maulvi Mohammad Hashim says the mosque administration provided electricity and water for the construction of the temple and distributed sweets at its inauguration. 

"During the 2016 flare-up over the Quran desecration incident, our Sikh and Hindu brothers stood with us shoulder to shoulder. From ladder to water, we share everything," he says. 

"No politician can drive a wedge between us. It doesn't matter if it's Rahul Gandhi or Narendra Modi. Elections will come and go, but we have to live together daily," Hashim says. 

As he packs a bunch of freshly-printed greeting cards for Ramzan, Ashok Sharma, 61, owner of a printing press, says nobody bothers who is voting for whom in the elections. 

"We do not think much about it. In a democracy, every person has the right to elect the person of his choice, but we do not engage in futile political debates," he says. 

Arijit Singh, a 52-year-old kitchenware dealer, has five employees, all Muslims. He says the tricolor is more important to him than the flag of any political party. 

"What's the need for fighting over mandir and masjid when everything means the same," he says.

Malerkotla falls under the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, where the AAP's Bhagwant Mann is pitted against the Congress's Kewal Singh Dhillon and the Shrimani Akali Dal's Parminder Singh Dhindsa. 

As per Census 2011, there are around 92,000 Muslims, 28,000 Hindus and 12,800 Sikhs in the city.

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News Network
January 27,2020

New Delhi, Jan 27: The government on Monday issued the preliminary information memorandum for 100 per cent stake sale in national carrier Air India. As part of the strategic disinvestment, Air India would also sell 100 per cent stake in low cost airline Air India Express and 50 per cent shareholding in joint venture AISATS, as per the bid document issued on Monday.

Management control of the airline would also be transferred to the successful bidder.

The government has set March 17 as the deadline for submitting the Expression of Interest (EoI).

EY is the transaction adviser for Air India disinvestment process.

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News Network
January 28,2020

Mumbai, Jan 28: Flag carrier Air India has kept one of its 423-seater jumbo planes ready in Mumbai for the evacuation of Indian citizens from Wuhan in China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in that country, an official source said on Tuesday.

The airline is awaiting necessary approvals from the ministries of external affairs and health to operate the special flight, the source said. The health ministry's nod is required because the operating crew has to fly in a virus outbreak territory.

"We have kept a Boeing 747-400 ready in Mumbai to operate an evacuation flight to China whenever we get a go ahead from the government," the source said.

Some 250 Indians are to be evacuated.

At a meeting of top secretaries called by the cabinet secretary on Monday, the government decided to be prepared for possible evacuation of Indian nationals in Wuhan.

Accordingly, Ministry of External Affairs will make a request to the Chinese authorities for evacuation of Indian nationals, mostly students, stuck in Wuhan city. The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Health will make arrangements for transport and quarantine facilities respectively, an official release said on Monday.

Wuhan along 12 other cities have been completely sealed by the Chinese authorities to stop the virus from spreading. The death toll climbed to 80 with 2,744 confirmed cases.

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Agencies
July 7,2020

New Delhi, Jul 7: Diesel price in the national capital on Tuesday touched an all-time high following a rate hike after a week-long hiatus.

Diesel price on Tuesday was increased by 25 paise per litre, according to a price notification of state-owned oil marketing companies.

This took the retail selling price of diesel to Rs 80.78 per litre in the national capital - the highest ever.

There was no change in petrol price for the 8th straight day, and it continues to be priced at Rs 80.43 per litre.

Rates vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

Petrol and diesel price were last revised on June 29.

In the last one month, diesel price has been increased on 23 occasions while petrol rates have risen 21 times.

The cumulative increase since the oil companies started the cycle on June 7, totals to Rs 9.17 for petrol and Rs 11.39 in diesel.

In Mumbai, petrol is priced at Rs 87.19 - unchanged since June 29, while diesel was hiked to Rs 79.05 a litre from Rs 78.83.

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