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Pak’s Hindu minority decides to ‘pardon’ the Muslim mob that demolished 100-year old temple

Pakistan Hindu temple

The minority Hindu community in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has decided to ‘pardon’ the radical Islamist mob that vandalised and burned down the century-old Krishna Dwara temple in the area, reports Times Of India.

A meeting was held between members of the persecuted Hindu community and some clerics from the area to resolve the dispute. In the conciliatory dialogue, informally called ‘jirga’, the accused have tendered an apology over the attack and a similar incident in 1997.

The Hindu community has reportedly agreed to pardon the mob accused of vandalising the century-old temple. In return, the Muslim clerics have assured full protection to the Hindus and their rights as per the Constitution of the Islamic Republic.

The temple, which is situated in Terri village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district was vandalised last December by a mob led by local clerics and members of radical Islamist party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. The mob has also destroyed an adjoining ‘samadhi’ and set it on fire along with an under-construction house owned by a Hindu.

The shrine built before 1920 was a historic place of worship. A Muslim cleric from Karak, who enjoys the support of a militant group, had allegedly instigated the local Muslims against the Hindu community and provoked them to demolish the temple.

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UP govt unearths irregularities in leasing out of govt land to Kamala Nehru Educational Society in Rae Bareli

sonia rahul gandhi national herald congress india

In another setback and embarrassment for the Indian National Congress, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police have uncovered mammoth irregularities in leasing out of government land to Kamala Nehru Educational Society in Rae Bareli in 2001, reports Times of India.

The UP Police has so far booked 12 people for fraud, including former staffers of the Society, revenue officials, and the then additional district magistrate (ADM) on the charges of tampering with government documents and causing damage to public property.

Rebel Congress MLA from Rae Bareli Aditi Singh said, “I would like to thank UP CM for pushing for a probe and registering a case against the culprits. The Gandhi family has huge stakes in the Trust with Vikram Kaul and Salman Khursheed being members. The land was allocated for the education of girls, but was never used for this purpose.”

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Leader of Mahila Congress in Kerala shaves her head for being denied ticket

Things took an unfortunate turn for the Congress party in Kerala when its Mahila Congress chief Lathika Subhash shaved her head after being denied a party ticket to contest elections. She has alleged that she was denied the ticket due to coalition politics and the agreement hat was reached between the Congress and the Communist party.

Lathika Subhash decided to shave her head as an act of protest and injustice right in front of the Congress’s office in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (14 March).

After shaving off her hair, Lathika said, “I removed my hair for women’s justice. I will resign from my post as Kerala Mahila Congress chief. I have even spoken to high command.”

Incidentally it was Rahul Gandhi who had appointed Lathika Subhash as the new president of the Mahila Congress in the state in 2018.

Already the party is facing a exodus of leaders and supporters. Last week senior Congress leader Chacko resigned from the party after he accused the party of rampant ‘groupism’.

“There is no democracy left in Congress. Candidate list has not been discussed with the state Congress committee. I have sent my resignation to Sonia Gandhi,” Chacko had said. “Being a Congressman in Kerala is very difficult. If you belong to some group in Congress then only you can survive. The leadership of Congress is not that much active,” Chacko had added.

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Unique green rose found growing in Coonoor’s Sims park

Sims Park Coonoor green rose

Green roses, which are a unique form of roses and are rarely found in India, were found to have bloomed in Coonoor’s Sims Park. They were last found in 2019 after which they are found in full bloom only this year.

Over 3.10 lakh flower seedlings were planted in Coonoo’s Sims Park in January and were set to bloom in the summer season. These planted seedlings were watered and maintained by the park staff. As for the botanical nursery, green roses were grown and are now in full bloom. The fresh green rose plants were taken from the soil and re-planted in flower pots. Soon, they are to be placed for sightseeing purposes for the tourists.

In 2019, when this programme was first started, an official from the Horticulture Department in charge of maintaining the park, said, “We are planning to include the ‘Green Rose’ in the upcoming summer festival for it would be a sure attraction for tourists. The ‘Green Rose’ sapling which was planted by the late Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, adorns the entrance to Sims Park with tourists in awe of the new rose variety.”

About 50 ‘Green Rose’ saplings were originally brought to the Sims Park to add colour to the flower beds and attract more tourists in the months leading to the summer season in 2019.

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Khalistani militants donate $10,000 to the UNHRC

SFJ Khalistan UNHRC

Khalistani activists have made a sizeable donation to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). This donation was not made directly. Instead, it was made via another organisation called Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

A spokesperson from Geneva for the UNHRC confirmed the identity of the donor and the details of the donation. Speaking to the press, he said: “We confirm we received a contribution of $ 10,000 on 1 March from an individual representing the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) group via our online donation function. In general, we do not decline online contributions, unless they are from groups or individuals listed on UN sanctions lists or the organisation/individual is engaged in activities manifestly contrary to the UN Charter or its principles.”

SFJ has alleged links with Pakistan’s premier spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence.

The SFJ is banned in India on July 10, 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and its founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been declared as an “individual terrorist” for promoting secessionism and encouraging Punjabi Sikh youth to take up arms. In 2019, the central government via an order of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs banned 40 websites belonging to the group for attracting people to its cause.

This donation by SFJ to the UNHRC carried a letter alongside it. This letter is a supposed plea to the UNHRC, urging them to ‘look into’ what had happened on the day of the Republic Day riots in Delhi in India. It also beseeched the UNHRC to form a special investigation committee in order to probe into this issue.

The organisation has also launched a secure portal to collect data on anyone who has “suffered mistreatment at the hands of Indian officials for supporting the farmers’ protest”. The portal claims this data is being sent directly to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.

 

Ration supplies to be delivered door-to-door in Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal Delhi ration

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is all set to launch a door-to-door distribution system of ration items on 25 March. The Chief Minister has announced a scheme to distribute ration items to the people by delivering the items directly to their homes under the Mukhyamantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana. Under the scheme, ration items will be distributed door-to-door to the people of Delhi.

This will avoid hassle incurred while collecting ration from the public distribution shops for the elderly and the invalid, as well as standing in line in the sun and wasting time. Food and Public Distribution Minister Imran Usain has said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will launch Chief Minister’s Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana on 25 March.

Accordingly, he is initiating a project to distribute ration items to 100 households in the Seemapuri circle. He said that the scheme would be extended to other circles from April 1.

This project was cleared by the Delhi Cabinet in March 2018 but could not be rolled out because of several administrative issues, some of which even led to stand-offs between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and officials in charge of the department.

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AMMK candidate slips up, asks people to vote for ADMK in Tamil Nadu polls

AMMK ADMK Tamil Nadu

A recent slipup by an AMMK candidate has made the headlines, making the candidate and the party the butt of all jokes. MLA Rajavarman, who belongs to the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) was found campaigning near Saathoor, near Rajapalayam in the Virudhunagar district. He is contesting the upcoming Tamil Nadu state polls under the AMMK’s cooker symbol.

Rajavarman recently attended a public meeting on Saturday, where he campaigned for the AMMK and asked people for votes. While doing so, Rajavarman accidentally said that people should vote for Irattai Elai (“Double Leaves”), instead of the cooker symbol. The “Double Leaves” happens to be the symbol of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK). Rajavarman is a former member of the ADMK.

Realising his mistake moments later, he quickly tried to cover it up, saying that it is exactly what the people should not do, and added that the voters should replace the ADMK with the AMMK in that constituency.

Rajavarman joined the AMMK immediately after he was not given a chance to contest the elections on behalf of the ADMK. He has been given the opportunity to compete in Sattur on behalf of the AMMK, which is headed by TTV Dinakaran, the nephew of VK Sasikala, former CM Jayalalitha’s aide.

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A lemon sells for ₹13,000 in auction

The news of a lemon selling for ₹13,000 in an auction in Tamil Nadu’s Erode District’s Modakkurichi Taluk, has made eyes pop.

Pazhandhinni Karuppanna Eeswarar Temple is a very famous temple that is present in the Vilakkethi village of Erode’s Modakkurichi Taluk. This temple is said to belong to a Siddhar, who was considered to be a very powerful entity. Here, on the eve of Shivratri, a special puja is held for two days every year.

On the second day of the festival, the regular puja was done following which an auction took place. The lemon placed in the puja was auctioned off. A devotee from Vilakkedhi bought the auctioned lemon for ₹13,000.

In a similar incident that happened in 2016, a sacred lemon was auctioned by a temple and it fetched an unbelievable price of ₹39,000. This happened in the Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, as a part of the Panguni Uthiram festival. A report in the Times of India stated that it is a custom of the temple authorities to auction “the fruit spiked on the spear of the deity, Lord Muruga, at the Balathandayuthapani temple during the last day of the 11-day festival in Tiruvanainallur.” The significance of this fruit was that the villagers strongly believed that whoever possesses it, would bring prosperity to themselves and couples would beget children. The successful bid was made by a couple named Jayaraman and Amaravathi.

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Meghan Markle to run for POTUS?

After the fallout with the Royals following their fiery and heartwrenching interview with Oprah, there are heavy rumours circulating the Downing Street as well as in the US that the Duchess of Sussex could consider running for the US Presidential race.

One senior Labour figure – a veteran of Tony Blair‘s Downing Street administration with strong links to Washington – claimed to The Mail on Sunday that Ms Markle, 39, was networking among senior Democrats with a view to building a campaign and fundraising teams for a tilt at the US Presidency.

This is not the first time speculation has unfolded around a possible political career for Markle, as, last year, after reports emerged saying that the reason Meghan would not give up her US citizenship was that she wanted to retain a path to American politics. This could potentially mean that she would be running opposite the incumbent 82-year-old Biden in 2024, and could potentially consider running for a second term. This would also mean that she would have to renounce her title as the Duchess since the US Constitution prohibits leaders in power form holding any ‘noble’ titles.

Notably, during the 2020 presidential election, the Sussex couple recorded a video urging Americans to vote, raising some eyebrows and prompting some to suggest that they support Democrat Joe Biden.

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DMK MLA Saravanan joins BJP after being denied party ticket for TN polls

DMK BJP

Sitting Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLA P Saravanan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier on Sunday after he was denied a ticket to contest in the upcoming assembly elections. He represents the Thiruparankundram constituency.

The candidates’ list from the DMK for the upcoming assembly elections was released earlier this week. The name of P Saravanan, who is a sitting MLA, was absent from the list. Instead, his seat was given to a candidate from DMK ally Communist Party of India (Marxist). Infuriated by this, Saravanan left the DMK to join the BJP, ahead of the elections.

Speaking to ANI, Saravanan said, “I was a member of BJP 6 years ago. Today I’ve rejoined it under the able leadership of PM Modi. I am very happy. The vaccine is not only being provided to the country but also being sent across the world. It’s an achievement of our leadership that no one can deny”.

“As a doctor, I seriously doubted a vaccine for COVID-19. But now, the vaccine for COVID-19 is not only given to the people of the country but also being transported to other countries as well. This itself is a bright example of the able leadership under which our country is running today,” he added.

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