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Urdu poet Munawwar Rana to meet Modi soon over writers returning awards

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Munawwar Rana

Lucknow: Urdu poet Munawwar Rana, who has returned his Sahitya Akademi award would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon.

“I got a call from PMO on Tuesday with a request to meet him the next day. As I was in Gwalior I said that it was not possible and the date and time should be fixed for some other day…On this I was told that it will take some time,” Mr. Rana said on Thursday.

Mr. Rana, a big name in contemporary Urdu poetry said that whenever Prime Minister would call him he would meet him and narrate his grief over the present scenario and would explain the reason behind his decision of returning award.

“I will meet the PM as a poet with reference to Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb of the country. My intention is to live the life which I was born with,” he said.

On being asked if he will meet PM along with other litterateurs, he said, “Somebody goes with me or not is his or her personal choice, but if Modi calls me I will definitely meet him.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Rana evaded the question of accepting his award again if Prime Minister would request.

Mr. Rana had recently announced to give up his Sahitya Akademi award dramatically during a live TV debate over the killing of Kannada writer M M Kalburgi and lynching of a man in Dadri for allegedly consuming beef.

The Rae Bareli-born writer conferred the Sahitya Akademi award by the Modi government in 2014 for his book Shahdaba.

(PTI)

Modi lays foundation stone for Andhra capital Amaravati

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modi-amaravati

Vijayawada: History was made in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone for new state capital Amaravati near here.

Amid chanting of Vedic hymns by priests, Modi along with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu performed ‘puja’ and the associated rituals to formally lay the foundation stone of what is being promised a ‘world-class’ and ‘people’s capital’.

Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah, Assam and Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Acharya, central ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu, Ashok Gajapathi Raju Nirmala Sitaraman, Y.S. Chowdary and Bandaru Dattatreya also participated in the rituals.

Japan’s State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Yosuke Takagi and Singapore’s Second Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran also participated in the ceremony watched by thousands of people.

The prime minister unveiled a pylon. He flew into Uddandarayunipalem in Guntur district in a helicopter from Gannavarm Airport in Vijayawada, where he arrived by a special aircraft from New Delhi.

Naidu and central ministers received Modi at the airport. Modi was greeted by Naidu’s wife Bhuvaneswari, son N. Lokesh and daughter-in-law Brahmani when he reached the venue.

The prime minister went around Amaravati Pavilion, a special exhibition arranged to highlight the glorious dynasty of Amaravati and the plans to develop the world-class capital.

(IANS)

Dadri lynching was premeditated, moral policing spreading fast: Minorities panel

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Dadri

New Delhi: The lynching of man in Dadri last month strongly appeared to be the result of “pre-meditated planning” under which people were incited using a temple, the National Minorities Commission has said.

In its report, the minority panel also described as “disturbing” the “irreponsible comments” by politicians to make “capital” out of it

In an obvious reference to statements made by Union Minister Mahesh Sharma and some other BJP leaders following the lyching of Mohammed Iqlakh over rumours of beef eating that triggered a nation-wide outrage, the NCM said it will be “quite an understatement” to say the killing was merely an “accident as has been claimed even by some persons in authority”

A three-member team of the Commission headed by its chairman Naseem Ahmad had visited Bishada village near Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and interacted with family members of the victim, the concerned authorities and locals

“The team feels that a crowd of large numbers appearing within minutes of an announcement from temple’s loudspeaker and at a time when most villagers claimed they were asleep seems to point to some pre-meditated planning

“The facts as reported to the NCM team point strongly that the whole episode was the result of a planning in which a sacred place like temple was used for exhorting people of one community to attack a hapless family,” the report said

Quoting district officials, the NCM noted that two more attempts had been made to “incite” people by spreading a rumour that a cow had been killed but police responded instantly and did not allow the situation to escalate

50-year-old Iqlakh was beaten to death and his 22-year-old son Danish was critically injured by a 200-strong mob on September 28 following rumours that the family had consumed and stored beef

In an apparent criticism of BJP leaders who made controversial comments after the incident, the NCM said such statements further “vitiate” the relations between different communities and this should be stopped at all cost or “things will go out of hand”

What is more “disturbing”, the report said, is that “responsible persons converge at the place of any such incident and make irresponsible statements that further vitiates the relations between communities”

“All the political establishments need to counsel their cadres and sympathisers to desist from making irresponsible statements and making capital out of such outrages,” it said

The malaise of moral policing was spreading fast, especially in Western UP, it said and sought vigilance and curb on the use of social media as it was being extensively used to flare up communal passions.

(PTI)

Lynching, killing cannot damage Hindu culture: Mohan Bhagwat

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Mohan Bhagwat

Nagpur: With Dadri-like incidents triggering outrage, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today said such “small episodes” cannot damage “Hindu culture” and praised the Modi government for ushering in hope and confidence in the country and enhancing India’s standing abroad.

 

In his annual Dussehra address at RSS headquarters here, Bhagwat hailed Dalit ikon B R Ambedkar for making provisions in Constitution to remove social and economic inequality faced by the weaker sections, a reference to the quota system, whose review he had recently suggested that pushed BJP on the backfoot in Bihar polls.

In his 55-minute speech, telecast live by Doordarshan for the second consecutive year, he also called for a holistic discussion on population, saying its continuous rise becomes a burden.

“Small episodes happen. They get exaggerated and presented in a big way… Small incidents keep happening but it does not distort Indian culture, Hindu culture. Since time immemorial, it respects diversity, coordinates among diversities to establish unity… This is Hindutva,” he said.

“Our country has stood as one and will stand as one. The Sangh has been doing the work of keeping the nation one on the basis of Hindutva for the last 90 years,” he said.

Bhagwat, however, refrained from making any direct reference to recent incidents of communal and caste tensions.

With several fringe Hindutva elements repeatedly demanding a curb on Muslim population, Bhagwat, without naming any community, favoured a “uniform population policy which is applicable to all”.

He deplored that no holistic discussion has taken place in the country on controlling population.

“With rise in population, the burden on the country will grow. Population growth can be an asset too. If we have more mouths to feed, we will also have more hands to work. We have to plan for 50 years hence. How to provide for the education and health of the people,” he said.

Praising the Centre, he said it had brought about hope and confidence among people that had hit rock bottom under the previous government and spoke about the pet schemes of the Modi government like Jan Dhan, Swachh Bharat and Mudra bank.

(Agencies)

If a dog is stoned, don’t blame govt: VK Singh on Dalit children’s killings

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vk singh

New Delhi: The government has nothing to do with the murder of the two Dalit children in Haryana, Union Minister VK Singh said today. And in an afterthought that is expected to land him in controversy, added, “If someone throws stones at a dog, the government is not responsible”.

Asked if the government has failed in view of the Monday’s killings on the sidelines of an event in Ghaziabad, Mr Singh said, “Don’t connect the government with it. It was a feud between two families, the matter in under inquiry.”

The administration failed there, the minister said, then added the controversial comment. Haryana is ruled by the BJP, Mr Singh’s party.

The children — two-and-a-half year old Vaibhav and 11-month-old Divya – had died after their house was set on fire, allegedly by members of an upper caste community at a village in Haryana near Delhi, on Monday. Their father — who sustained burn injuries to save them — said petrol was poured through the window and the house was set on fire.

While Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar put off his to Sonped yesterday in view of the escalating protests in the area, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had met the family and launched a scathing attack on Mr Khattar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and their party, the BJP.

“This is an attitude shared by Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, the BJP and the RSS — If somebody is weak, they can be crushed. What you are seeing is the result of this attitude,” he said. “They are weak and poor, that is why they are being treated like this. This is not the government of the weak.”

Under attack from the opposition, the Haryana government has asked for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the deaths. Seven people have been arrested in the case so far.

The children were cremated on Wednesday evening, after daylong protests by the locals and the blockade of a national highway.

(Agencies)

Cricketer Amit Mishra accused of sexually assaulting Bengaluru woman

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Amit Mishra

New Delhi: Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra has been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Police has summoned Mishra and has directed him to appear within seven days regarding the case. A complaint was registered in Ashok Nagar Police Station, Bengaluru.

“We have shot off a notice, summoning India cricketer Amit Mishra for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in the city last month,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central, Sandeep Patil said.

“The woman in her complaint had alleged that she was sexually assaulted after she had visited the cricketer’s room,” the DCP said.
The tweaker was in the city last month for training when he had met the woman, Patil said.

It is learnt that the incident took place in September in Bengaluru.

Mishra is a part of the Indian team which is playing the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series against South Africa on their home soil.

(Agencies)

Ahmed the clockmaker is moving to Qatar to study

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Teenage student, who was arrested in Texas after taking a homemade clock to school, accepts scholarship offer in Doha.

Many believe Mohamed's arrest was influenced by bias against his Muslim religion [AP]

Many believe Mohamed’s arrest was influenced by bias against his Muslim religion [AP]

by Al Jazeera

An American boy arrested for bringing a homemade clock to his Texas school, that was mistaken for a bomb, is moving to Qatar after accepting a scholarship offer to study there.

Fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed’s family announced the move in a statement on Tuesday, a few hours after he was at the White House for an astronomy night hosted by President Barack Obama.

The bespectacled ninth-grader became a global sensation after his September arrest, which many believe was influenced by bias against his Muslim religion.

Mohamed accepted an offer from the Qatar Foundation to study in its Young Innovators Programme.

“This means, that we, as a family, will relocate to Qatar where Ahmed will receive a full scholarship for secondary and undergraduate education,” his family said in a statement.

Mohamed visited Doha earlier in the month and has been on a worldwide tour, visiting a number of foreign dignitaries, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, according to Sudanese media.

A statement released by the Qatar Foundation on Tuesday said the Young Innovators Programme “encourages recipients to follow their aspirations in education while fostering a culture of innovation and creativity”.

Quoted in the Qatar Foundation’s statement , Mohamed said, “I was really impressed with everything that Qatar Foundation has to offer and the campuses are really cool.

“I got to meet other kids who are also really interested in science and technology. I think I will learn a lot and also have lots of fun there.”

At the White House on Monday night, Obama briefly met Mohamed as he shook hands with students at the event, giving the student a hug.

At the time of the arrest, Obama’s Twitter feed had a message of support for Mohammed, which read: “Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.”

“It was amazing, and a honour meeting President Obama,” Mohamed said on Twitter after meeting Obama.

Syria’s Assad in surprise visit to Moscow

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President Assad visits Russian President Putin, believed to be his first trip abroad since the start of the war in 2011.

assad-putin

by Al Jazeera

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew into Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in what is believed to be his first trip abroad since start of the war in 2011.

The leaders discussed their joint military campaign against rebels in Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, calling the meeting a “working visit”.

The Syrian presidency confirmed that Assad and Putin held three meetings in which Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu were present.

After the meetings, Putin said he was hopeful that a solution may be reached for the war in Syria, where Russia has been carrying out air strikes since the end of September.

“We assume that a long-term solution may be reached on the basis of the latest military developments and political process with participation from all political, ethnic and religious groups,” Putin said.

“This decision can be made only by the Syrian people. Syria is a friendly country. And we are ready to support it not only militarily but politically as well.”

It appears the Kremlin waited for the Syrian leader to return home before breaking the news of the one-day visit.

Political steps

The Syrian leader stressed the importance of “further political steps,” according to a Kremlin statement.

He thanked Putin for his decision to launch its air campaign in Syria on September 30, Russia’s first military foray outside the former Soviet Union since its occupation of Afghanistan in 1979.

“I need to say that the political steps which Russia has taken since the start of the crisis prevented the events in Syria from developing along a more tragic scenario,” Assad said in quotes released by the Kremlin.

“Terrorism which has now spread through the region would have consumed much larger areas and would have spread throughout much more territory if it were not for your actions and your decisions,” he said in comments translated into Russian.

About 250,000 people have been killed since the conflict first began in March 2011, and half the population has been made homeless.

Putin said it was the Syrian people that should decide the fate of their country.

“At the end of the day a long-term settlement can be achieved on the basis of a political process with the participation of all political forces, ethnic and religious groups,” the Kremlin strongman said.

“And ultimately, the final word no doubt should rest solely with the Syrian people.”

‘Assad’s departure needed’

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday said a transition was needed in Syria which guaranteed the departure of Assad.

Davutoglu said there was no change in Turkey’s position that Assad’s government had lost legitimacy.

He was responding to questions from reporters after senior government officials said on Tuesday that Ankara was ready to accept a political transition in which Assad remains in symbolic power for six months before leaving office.

I do not recognise India of the present time, says writer Anita Desai

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Image by Ramin Talaie/Corbis

Image by Ramin Talaie/Corbis

London: Noted novelist Anita Desai has said she will return her Sahitya Award if the Akademi does not make it clear that it is not a government body but an independent one that exists to defend free speech and the right to question and dissent.

Her comments came after at least 34 writers, over the past weeks, handed over their Sahitya Akademi awards in the aftermath of the killing of Kannada writer M M Kalburgi and Dadri lynching incident, among other issues.

“If it is not able to declare and pursue such a policy, I will be obliged, in solidarity with my fellow writers, to renounce my membership of the Akademi and the award it gave me when I was a young writer in more hopeful times,” Desai said in a statement distributed by PEN International here.

The 78-year-old author who received a Sahitya Award in 1978 for her novel “Fire on the Mountain” said she was born in an India that enshrined democracy, pluralism and the freedom of speech in its constitution.

“I do not recognise India of the present time where, under the banner of ‘Hindutva,’ intimidation and bigotry seek to silence writers, scholars and all who believe in secular and rational thought,” she said.

The author said in an atmosphere where there is no security or support for those who voice dissent, criticism or rational thought, there can be no intellectual or artistic work of any worth.

“It saddens me that the august body of the Sahitya Akademi has not been able to support and protect writers from the intimidation and violence, verbal and physical, watched publishers withdraw books, universities delete texts from syllabi, distort and manipulate history, and silently witnessed institutions like the National Book Trust, the Nehru Museum and Library, and the University of Nalanda replace distinguished scholars,” Desai said.

“At this crucial moment I appeal to the Sahitya Akademi to make clear that it does not represent any government or its policies, but is an independent body that exists to defend free speech and the right to question and dissent, in short what the constitution of the country promised us,” she said.

Desai, who was shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize was in 2007, was elected as a Sahitya Akademi Fellow, one of the highest honour conferred by the literary body on a writer.

Recently, writers from 150 countries expressed solidarity with Indian authors and artistes who returned their prestigious awards in protest against “rising intolerance” in the country and have asked the BJP government to provide better protection and safeguard free speech.

The president of 1921 founded body PEN International had earlier in a letter to the President, the Prime Minister and the Sahitya Akedemi, urged them to take “immediate steps” to protect the rights of everyone, including writers and artists.

Desai is among many writers including noted writers Nayantar Seghal, Ashok Vajpeyi, Shashi Deshpande and Ganesh Devy who have spoken out against the rising intolerance in the country.

(PTI)

Bachchan requests UP govt to donate pension for charity

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Amitabh Bachchan

Mumbai: Actor Amitabh Bachchan has requested the Uttar Pradesh government to donate the monthly pension announced for him, his wife Jaya and actor son Abhishek as Yash Bharti awardees of the state, to charity.

UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had yesterday announced Rs 50,000 monthly pension to Yash Bharti awardees of the state.

The award is given to eminent persons belonging to the state in the fields of art, culture, sports, literature, medicine, journalism and social service.

The 73-year-old actor, who originally hails from Allahabad, UP, stated that he will write to Yadav on the matter.

“Whereas I respect the UP Govt’s honour of the Yash Bharati Award to members of my family, and their decision as per reports in the press, for providing pension of Rs 50,000 per month to each recipient, I am requesting the UP Govt, with all humility, to redirect the entire amount designated for my family towards any noble charitable scheme or cause that benefits the poor and the needy.

“I shall be writing to the Chief Minister in this regard, in a separate communication,” Bachchan said in a statement.

(Agencies)

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