For those who dont know much about him, Dr. Subramanian Swamy has been the pioneer in the anti-corruption fight against the government in the 2G spectrum scam. He has filed the petition in the Supreme Court and it is on his petition that action is being taken and A. Raja has already been arrested. He states that A. Raja was a mere pawn in the scam and at a later date he would also implicate Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Read HERE. (Highly recommended)
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Brief History (Achievements and why you should listen to this man)
Dr. Subramanian Swamy was born on 15 September 1939 in Chennai and is presently the President of Janata party.
Dr. Subramanian Swamy studied his masters degree in statistics at the Indian Statistical Institute. He then went to study at Harvard University on a full scholarship. He did his doctoral research with two Nobel Laureates namely Simon Kuznets and Paul A Samuelson. Dr. Swamy has also jointly authored with Professor Samuelson a path breaking study on Index Number Theory. He was awarded a doctorate in Economics by Harvard University (Class of 1965).
In 1964, Swamy joined the faculty of economics at Harvard and from then on he has till date taught at the Department of Economics for a total period of 12 years. From 1969 to 1991, he was a Professor of Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. He is accounted by some to be an authority on the comparative study of India and China and is also well-versed in the Mandarin Chinese (Hanyu) language.
He was one of the founding members of the Janata Party which formed the 1st ever non-congress govt in the history of Independent India and has been its president since 1990. He was elected Member of Parliament 5 times between 1974 and 1999. He has twice represented the city of Mumbai North East during 1977 and 1980, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the Parliament. He is regarded as a proponent of Hindutva.
Dr. Swamy has been subject to several defamation cases. He is known to argue these cases himself without the agency of lawyers and has won all the cases till now.
He can't be ignored because if you look closely he does not actually lose many legal battles. From the Islamic bank case to one concerning gold-plating of the Tirupati temple to the issue of Ram Sethu his activism brings the results he strives for.
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Full Wikipedia Article
Introduction-Syama Prasad Mookerjee [July 6, 1901 - June 23, 1953) was a nationalist political leader of India, and is considered the godfather of modern Hindutva and Hindu Nationalism. Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the first Hindu nationalist political party of its kind, and was also the leader of the Hindu Mahasabha and closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Relevance to Kashmir-
Syama Prasad Mookerjee opposed the Indian National Congress's decision to grant Kashmir a special status with its own flag and Prime Minister. According to Congress's decision, no one, including the President of India could enter into Kashmir without the permission of Kashmir's Prime Minister. In opposition to this decision, he once said "Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan and Do Nishan nahi challenge" (A single country can't have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two National Emblems).
Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953, and observed a hunger strike to protest the law that prohibited Indian citizens from settling in a state within their own country and mandated that they carry ID cards. He was arrested on May 11 while crossing border into Kashmir. Although the ID card rule was revoked owing to his efforts, he died in detention on June 23, 1953 under mysterious circumstances.
Death-
Shyama Prasad was arrested on entering Kashmir on May 11, 1953. Thereafter, he was jailed in a dilapidated house. Shyama Prasad had suffered from dry pleurisy and coronary troubles, and was taken to hospital one and a half months after his arrest due to complications arising from the same. He was administered penicillin despite having informed the doctor-in-charge of his allergy to penicillin, and he died on May 23, 1953.
Also Read-
A tribute to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee
New Delhi: The Opposition has cornered the Congress-led UPA Government on not one but three scams, including the controversy over the allocation of 2G spectrum. A CAG report accessed by CNN-IBN clearly indicts Telecom Minister A Raja.The CAG report on the 2G spectrum scandal has clearly indicted Raja as well as the telecom regulator TRAI. The report says Raja ignored the advice of the Finance Ministry, the Law Ministry and the Telecom Commission while allocating the spectrum, which was done in an arbitrary manner without giving any logic or reasons.
The report states that the eligibility criteria were changes to suit a few operators. The loss to the exchequer is between Rs 90,000 to Rs 1,40,000 crore.
The CAG report also slams TRAI for being a 'helpless spectator'. It also indicts the Department of Telecom for flouting eligibility guidelines and says of the 122 licences issued, 85 were illegal.
The DoT, the report says, sold off precious natural assets cheaply.
"Action has been initiated against the lieutenants of corruption but the raja of corruption has escaped. The Congress has disassociated itself and made a statement that the enquiry against Raja is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. So the onus is on the Prime Minister," says AIADMK leader Dr V Maitreyan.
"The matter of A Raja has been in focus for many months now and matter is now sub judice and is pending in the court. So until the court takes a view on the matter, it will be difficult for us to comment or take any action," says Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan.
The AIADMK is planning to disrupt Parliament over the Raja issue by putting the heat on the Congress. With the exit of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan over a scam that runs into a few crores, the Congress will be hard pressed to explain why it cannot take action in a scam that is worth at least Rs 1,40,000 crore. The fig leaf of coalition compulsions is something the UPA can no longer hide behind.
WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad -including two Reuters news staff.Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-sight, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.
The military did not reveal how the Reuters staff were killed, and stated that they did not know how the children were injured.
After demands by Reuters, the incident was investigated and the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own "Rules of Engagement".
Consequently, WikiLeaks has released the classified Rules of Engagement for 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealing these rules before, during, and after the killings.
WikiLeaks has released both the original 38 minutes video and a shorter version with an initial analysis. Subtitles have been added to both versions from the radio transmissions.
WikiLeaks obtained this video as well as supporting documents from a number of military whistleblowers. WikiLeaks goes to great lengths to verify the authenticity of the information it receives. We have analyzed the information about this incident from a variety of source material. We have spoken to witnesses and journalists directly involved in the incident.
WikiLeaks wants to ensure that all the leaked information it receives gets the attention it deserves. In this particular case, some of the people killed were journalists that were simply doing their jobs: putting their lives at risk in order to report on war. Iraq is a very dangerous place for journalists: from 2003- 2009, 139 journalists were killed while doing their work.
It may be coincidental, but what a coincidence! A number of public figures who openly criticised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the recent past have been rewarded by the UPA Government, either in the form of a Padma or even a Rajya Sabha nomination.The recent nomination of noted lyricist and screen play writer, Javed Akhtar, to the Rajya Sabha is one such coincidence. He has time and again proved his worth by scripting classics and authoring memorable songs. But equally significant has been his petition filed in the Supreme Court that put the Narendra Modi Government on the mat, by raising a stink on all encounter killings in the State.
Filed in 2007, the petition is pending in the apex court. It was the same year when Akhtar added another feather to his cap — the Padma Bhushan — in the field of literature and education. With notice issued on his petition by the Supreme Court, the petition assumed significance after the Gujarat Government was pulled up by the Supreme Court after the State police admitted its mistake in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing.
With two other instances of Ishrat Jahan and Javed Sheikh alias Pragnesh Pillai also coming under the spotlight, Akhtar’s petition was separated from the bunch of petitions filed on the Godhra riots and is slated for further hearing on May 14 this year.
Akhtar’s case alone is not a coincidence. The same year when he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the Government awarded Teesta Setalvad with Padma Shri — in recognition of her ‘fight for justice’ for Godhra riot victims. Her NGO, Citizens for Justice and Peace, was formed in response to the 2002 Gujarat carnage and her petition filed in the Supreme Court laid the foundation for reopening of riot cases, shifting of trial outside Gujarat in several cases and protection to witnesses. The apex court is seized of the petition.
Another public figure that shot to prominence with her classical dance and won recognition and several awards, is no less known for her tirade against the Modi establishment. Danseuse Mallika Sarabhai too is on the list of Padma Bhushan awardees this year. In 2009, she stood in the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from Gandhinagar (Gujarat) challenging the might of BJP leader LK Advani. For Mallika, who has earlier been endowed with the Padma Shri, the recent accomplishment has come as an added privilege. It was after the Gujarat riots that Sarabhai was vocal in her criticism against Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
One other awarded personality who has found fault with Modi, accusing him of conniving with the perpetrators of the post-Godhra riots, is former Chief Justice of India VN Khare.
As Chief Justice, Khare had castigated Modi Government for failing its “raj dharma” of protecting the life and liberty of its citizens. On his retirement in 2004, Khare gave an interview to a leading national daily where he commented particularly on the State’s ‘collusion’ that he claimed forced him to react to the petitions filed by Teesta and her NGO. He was quoted as saying, “I found there was complete collusion between the accused and the prosecution in Gujarat, throwing rule of law to the winds. The Supreme Court had to step in to break the collusion to ensure protection to the victims and the witnesses.”
It was under him that the riot cases began to be monitored on a periodic basis and the Best Bakery case, where 21 accused were acquitted, got reopened. Khare was the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award for his contribution in the field of public affairs in 2006.
Daily Pioneer link
For all those who don't know Afzal guru was the mastermind behind the parliament attack which happened around 10 years ago. He has been given death sentence by Supreme Court of India yet it doesn't look like anything will happen in near future! Now the general belief in people is that the delay is because he has sent a mercy petition to the president and he will be hanged when his turn comes and when president rejects the petition. But president would reject the petition when it reaches him (her in this case). In reality the congress govt have been sitting on the file for years and have not sent the file to the president! Now the basic question is "Why?" and the answer is there for all of you to see. Another bigger question is-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Parliament was attacked on December 13, 2001, the Congress and all political parties described it as an attack on democracy. Ten years later, the Congress dismisses an important letter on the punishment to be given to Mohd Afzal Guru as `routine’ and tucks it into some dog-eared file.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs sends a letter to the Delhi Government on April 27 asking the government headed by Shiela Dikshit to furnish its views on the mercy petition of Afzal Guru. The letter gets buried and the MHA sends a reminder. Again no reply. And the Home Ministry of the Delhi Government is under Shiela Dikshit herself!
The MHA letter was rather strongly worded, but the Delhi Chief Minster chose to sit over the file. In fact, the Delhi Government has been sitting on Guru's file since September 2006!
This is not the first time that Sheila Dikshit is getting a letter from the MHA located a few blocks away from her office. A similar notice was sent in April last year. At that time, Dikshit had said she would study the matter after the elections and take appropriate action. But, a year after the Lok Sabha elections, Dikshit has not decided on the matter.
It was in August 2005 that the President sought the MHA's views. The MHA, in turn, sought the opinion of the Delhi Government as the comments of the government of the state where the crime has been committed are sought before deciding a mercy petition. That is where Afzal Guru is stuck - on the table of Shiela Dikshit.
So who is fooling the public? The MHA or the Delhi Government or both?
So, is the Congress going soft on terrorists just for petty vote bank politics? One Congress leader sits over an important letter on Afzal Guru, another senior leader - Digvijay Singh -- visits Azamgarh, the hotbed of terrorists and give the Batla House encounter in Delhi a new spin.
Probably Shiela Dikshit does not want to take any action on the letter before the Commonwealth Games. If Guru is hanged now, there may be a backlash and this is the last thing that the Delhi Govt wants before the Games. One minor backlash and the Games would be `up for a toss'.
"I have not received any letter (from the MHA). Maybe the Home Department (of the Delhi government) received it," said Dikshit. Maybe? This is no routine letter on the weather or traffic jams in Delhi. This was a letter on a terrorist who attacked the symbol of democracy.
The reminder from the MHA came just a week before a Mumbai court sentenced Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab to death for the 26/11 attacks.
The letter had a sense of urgency as Kasab cannot be hanged before Afzal Guru. Questions are bound to arise on why.
"We are aware questions may be asked on what we are doing about the Afzal Guru case once the file pertaining to Kasab's death sentence lands with us if somebody files a mercy plea," a senior MHA functionary was quoted in The Indian Express.
Source: R Shankar, India Syndicate
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Communal Riot- A public act of violence by an unruly mob with religion as the reason.
The "communal riots" have been the favourite topic of National and electronic media for quite sometime now. The "news" about Godhra episode was telecasted 24 x 7 on news channels. And even after 7-8 years of the episode, for media its just like a thing of yesterday and every other week there is a show to discuss its impact on India. Gujarat with re-election of Modi 2 times and with no.1 on development seems to have moved on but not the news channels. More recently Media reported "Kandhamal riots" with great zeal and words like "Hindu extremists", "Bajrang dal", "Right wing extremists" etc were frequently used.
To the common citizen it looks like only 2 riots happened ever! But the question for common man is-
"What happened in Bareilly?"
WHY THE RIOT HAPPENED?
Lucknow, March 2 (IANS) A minor communal clash followed by sporadic arson late Tuesday afternoon led the administration to clamp curfew in several parts of Bareilly city, officials said. Timely action by District Magistrate Ashish Goel was stated to have saved the situation from taking an ugly turn.
Trouble sparked off over the passage of a Barawafat procession. What started with exchange of hot words between members of rival communities, almost instantly snowballed into a violent clash as members of a particular community went on an arson spree, burning down a few shops.
Who was responsible? What action did the police take?
Maulana Tauquir Raza Khan, president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, was arrested late Monday from Bareilly, about 250 km from here. It was his “rabble rousing speech” that had led to communal tension in the district last week, officials said.
What did the Government do?
BAREILLY: Parts of the western UP city of Bareilly witnessed rioting again after Mayawati government, in a late Thursday night decision, freed Muslim leader Tauqir Raza Khan, who had been arrested allegedly for inciting violence.
Khan was ordered to be released soon after all the charges, except a milder one under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, were removed by the Uttar Pradesh administration and As reported by Times of India earlier in the evening, the UP government was under immense pressure from members of his community to release Tauqir Raza Khan. He was arrested on March 8 as he was he was allowed to walk free following immense pressure from the members of his community.accused of fomenting trouble, engineering riots and inciting people by police.
LINK
Why the electronic media didnt report this?
Links-
1.)LINK
2.) LINK
3.) LINK
1.) Rahul Gandhi travels to Mumbai.
More than 21,000 personnel from Mumbai Police, State Reserve Police, Quick Response Team, Special Branch, Railway Police, Central Industrial Security Force, and Special Protection Group ar deployed for Rahul Gandhi’s security.
Apart from the Mumbai police commissioner, three joint commissioners, eight deputy commissioners and 16 assistant commissioners supervise the security arrangements. [1]
2.) Even after no action on 26/11 by Pakistan, India offers to resume peace talks with Pakistan! [2]
3.) Home Minister P. Chidambaram says Kashmiris wanting to return from PoK welcome. Ex-cm Ghulam Nabi Azad questions the idea apprehending it could be used as a cover by Pakistan to push foreign militants into India.
"Who will take guarantee of these youth willing to return? How can you prove that these are the same youth who had gone to that side for arms training and are now willing to come back on their own choice? Some foreign terrorists can take advantage of this move," said the Union Health Minister and senior Congress leader from the state on Tuesday. [3]
4.) Cong general secretary Digvijay singh plays the Minority card by casting doubts on the Batla house encounter.
The National Human Rights Commission gave a clean chit to the Delhi Police in the Batla House encounter case. 1 police officer died in the enocunter. [4]
5.) SRK's Proximity to Gandhi family lead to diversion of massive security for the film release. [5]
6.) Times of India start "Aman Ki Asha" campaign to promote peace with Pakistan.
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Is Indian govt taking the terror threat too lightly?
In an embarrassment to President Pratibha Patil [ Images ], a revenue court in Amravati has ordered that the names of her relatives, including her husband Devisingh Shekhawat, be deleted from the title of a disputed piece of agricultural land in a village.
The order by Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) Ashok Amankar, in quasi-judicial authority, came on a petition by one Kishore Bansod, who had claimed that the Shekhawat clan had allegedly got their names included in the land title.
Reacting to the order, Devisingh Shekhawat said there is no question of his family taking anyone's land.
"Remeasuring the land is part of the order but it also says that the record should be changed to include the farmer's name(Kishore Bansod) as well," he said, adding, "There is no question of taking over the land."
Pratibha's son and Congress MLA Rajinder Shekhawat, denied his family had been accused of land grabbing in Maharashtra [ Images ].
"The order of Sub Divisional Officer was that a fresh measurement of the land will take place...believe me, there is no such issue of land grabbing," Shekhawat told PTI.
He said the land in question relates a four-decade-old case which was filed by his grandfather. Since the case is old, the land records were not available, he said.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said he would not be in a position to react without knowing the details.
In a recent order, the SDO had directed that the entry relating to the names of six persons belonging to the Shekhawat family be deleted from the official land records.
The six respondents in the case include Devisingh Shekhawat, five of his relatives, the local Revenue Inspector and village 'Talathi', a lower-level official who maintains land records.
Link
New Delhi,January 24 (Vijay Kumar) - Roots In Kashmir, a frontline global youth initiative of Kashmiri Pandits on Sunday condemned statement of Congress Spokesperson Manish Tiwari stating that Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of the valley in 1990 due to "fear psychosis of Governor Jagmohan". On Saturday , during a news debate (Big Fight on NDTV) on Constitutional reforms when a panelist raised the issue of forced exodus of Pandits due to terrorism and failure of the Indian Constitution to protect them; Manish Tiwari intervened and said ‘we should know the real reason why Pandits left, which was due to fear psychosis of then Governor Jagmohan’.
“To escape persecution, more than 5,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their home and hearths back in the valley, of which more than 50,000 refugees are still languishing in uninhabitable refugee camps in Jammu” said RIK Chief Coordinator Sanjay Peshin in a statement.
“Then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah of National Conference (NC), had abandoned his responsibilities and the administration, the state and people lay like cattle on an open road. It was Governor Jagmohan who ensured safety for the minority Pandits who were selectively being targeted by terrorist groups Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and Hizbul Mujahideen” he added.
Three taped slogans which were repeatedly being played the whole night (19th January 1990) from mosques: ‘Kashmir mei agar rehna hai, Allah-o-Akbar kehna hai’ (If you want to stay in Kashmir, you have to say Allah-o-Akbar); ‘Yahan kya chalega, Nizam-e-Mustafa’ (What do we want here? Rule of Sharia’h); ‘Asi gachchi Pakistan, Batao roas te Batanev san’ (We want Pakistan along with Hindu women but without their men).
The statement of the Congress Spokesperson has hurt the Pandit community which completed two decades in exile on 19th January, 2010. Manish Tiwari certainly needs a crash course in the history of Kashmir. It pains us more to know that the statement comes from a person whose father Prof. V.N. Tiwari was killed in the 1984 riots. Would he have tolerated mockery of his father’s killing?
The illogical and mindless statement comes under the shadow of ‘Quiet Diplomacy’. We Kashmiri Pandits wonder if Manish Tiwari has changed colours and is a ‘separatist spokesperson’! An entire community uprooted from the land of their ancestors is today struggling for its identity. The weak-kneed Indian state shamelessly panders to Islamic terrorists and separatists who claim they are the final arbiters of Jammu and Kashmir’s destiny.
Panun Kashmir, the frontline Pandit organisation demanding separate homeland; also came heavily on the statement of Congress Spokesperson calling it a ‘shame’ and ‘mockery of democracy’.
Dr. Agnishekhar, Convenor, Panun Kashmir, said Pandits will protest this statement in public and demand an apology from the Congress leader.
Link-
http://www.groundreport.com/World/Kashmiri-Pandits-lambast-Congress-Spokesperson-s-s_3/2916612
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On the contrary the govt gives PENSION to families of terrorists-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK6xwFRQ7BQ
There are many kinds of war- Civil war, Biological war, Nuclear war but the worst kind is PROPAGANDA WAR.The reason is that it is the propaganda spread against things leads to the actual war.
In today's world most people have very strong opinions which generally dont change. Now whats the source on which the opinions are based? Newspapers, News channels, Radio etc i.e. THE MEDIA.
Now pause for a moment and think- Is the media controlling you? Is it making you believe what they want you to believe?
Its important and correct to have an opinion but is it flexible enough to change once you know the other side of story? Or have people been "brainwashed" that they dont want to even look at the other side!!
Its dangerous if you are controlled by someone else and its even more dangerous if the masses are controlled by someone else!
CHANDIGARH: Even as the Chandigarh administration gives final touches to its report on the role of Sacred Heart School in expelling Ruchika, the school is reportedly planning to move the National Minorities Commission, alleging harassment.The UT administration, which had earlier said the report would be ready by Tuesday, was mum on its deadline. Sources said the report is likely to make adverse comments on school’s role, which may have allegedly led to this move.
Voicing apprehension, Ruchuka’s friend Anuradha’s sister Adhunika, said “the delay may work in favour of the school, if the panel stepped in.” “We would approach the administration to urge them for speedy action in submitting the report,” she said.
Technically, once the commission steps in, it would then become the supreme authority and any future action on the part of the administration could be put under its purview.
However, a senior functionary of the commission in Delhi said the panel was also aware of public and media attention, which would guide its actions as well. ”
According to sources, the fact finding report has pointed out the anomaly that Ruchika had been a defaulter in 1989 also, but neither her name was scrapped off the rolls nor was she was expelled. It was only after her molestation in 1990 that, within a month, she was asked to leave the school. The report is expected to be submitted on Wednesday to the UT home secretary.
Link
AYODHYA: The indictment of Deoraha Baba — the yogi with followers from the elite to the hoi polloi — by the Liberhan commission report has set off a tsunami of protest from Ayodhya’s sadhus, not least because the seer isn’t alive to defend himself anymore. In fact, he died in June 1990, more than two years before the Ayodhya demolition. Two most powerful mahants of the temple town, the president of Ram Janma Bhoomi Trust, Nritya Gopal Das, and the head Akhil Bhartiya Akhada Parishad, Mahant Gyan Das, have sought ‘‘public apology from Justice Liberhan or prepare to face the consequences of his evil doings’’.
For the record, while Gopal Das commands unflinching loyalty of more than 2,000 temples in Ayodhya and heads the body empowered to grant holy affiliation, Gyan Das is the leader of the highest recognised body of seers combining both Shaiv and Vaishnav sects. The parishad, among other things, charts out the agenda at the Kumbha congregations.
‘‘The indictment of Deoraha Baba is low mischief aimed at hurting Hindu sentiments,’’ Gopal Das said. ‘‘Baba was a spiritual guide to all: from a pauper to the most powerful. He was above narrow confines of caste and community. Each saint and guru in Ayodhya is deeply anguished at Liberhan’s folly and meetings are being held across the town to chalk out a retaliatory strategy,’’ he said. ‘‘Does Justice Liberhan know that the departed saint he slandered so casually in his useless report could quote from Quran, Guru Granth Saheb and Vedas with equal felicity? Or that the list of his callers included Zakir Hussain? Dragging his name into his report is a sin which must be atoned,’’ a visibly disturbed Gopal Das told TOI.
Link-
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Baba-indicted-by-Liberhan-died-in-1990/articleshow/5290189.cms
So What is Love Jihad?
Well to put it simply in Islam a Muslim man can marry a woman of another religion but its not possible vice-versa. This policy itself was made to increase "followers" of Islam. So now under Love Jihad muslims are encouraged by Radicals to TRAP girls of other religion in love and convert them into Islam! Its more popular in southern state of Kerala and has spread its wings to other states also. The new bollywood movie Qurbaan is also based on this!
At a time when the government is practicing austerity, eyebrows have been raised on the composition of President Pratibha Patil’s ongoing entourage during her visit to Saurashtra. According to media reports, more than 100 persons are part of the entourage and this has started exerting strain on the Gujarat government.The State Government is in a bind and does not know who will foot the bill for avalanche of relatives from Maharashtra who have come in and will stay on till Sunday.
Almost all the Government guest houses and all other suitable accommodation are full and overflowing with the VVIPs, including many from the Patil clan. The five day visit -- the longest that any President has stayed in Gujarat -- includes visits to Somnath, Porbandar, Gir and Dwarka.The President's itinerary includes visits to temples, enjoying wildlife and paying obeisance at places linked to Mahatma Gandhi.
Media reports said that the Rashtrapati Bhavan had informed the Gujarat government that, 47 persons were to land in Ahmedabad on September 30. This apart, 45 persons were to join her from Jalgaon and another 25 persons from Bhusaval. Most of them travelled by train to join the President. Air-conditioned buses and cars were booked locally for them to be taken to different places.
The media quoted an official as saying: "There is lack of clarity who will pay for their arrangement. The state protocol department was told to make arrangements, which it did promptly. So far, everything is running on credit. The President's officials are not telling us whether they will be paying for private individuals."
But the Gujarat government has refrained from any comments keeping the high office of the President in mind. Chief Minister Narendra Modi accompanied the President for most of the visit. An official release said it was Gujarat's honour that the President was spending five days in the state.
Source-
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3270267
Chandigarh: Bittu and Danny, the two young Lok Sabha candidates handpicked by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi to contest the forthcoming elections, have become an embarrassment to the party in Punjab.
Twenty-nine-year-old Ravneet Singh Bittu, grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and the party's candidate in the Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, has never been to college. Bittu is facing the Akali Dal's Diljeet Singh Cheema, who has an MBBS degree and has been a practising doctor for more than 10 years.
A political novice, Bittu's only qualification is his proximity to Rahul Gandhi, and this does not seem to be helping him. Though his candidature was preferred over many senior Congress leaders, he has become an embarrassment to the party as the Akalis, as part of their election ploy, have decided to "start a literacy movement in the constituency".
Cheema said the movement, called 'Jago Bittu school chalo', would target school dropouts. He said his party proposed to make his Congress rival a model for the movement, adding that it was surprising that Rahul Gandhi had picked a school dropout as the new youth icon in the constituency.
He said he would appeal to his voters to tell Bittu to first "complete his school and college education, instead of going to Parliament".
The second Congress candidate handpicked by Rahul is Sukhvinder Singh Danny, who is contesting from the Faridkot Lok Sabha seat. The son of a former Punjab cabinet minister Sardool Singh, Danny is making things awkward for party workers after his selection on compassionate grounds as a police inspector was cancelled for producing the "wrong certificate".
Danny faces Akali Dal nominee Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, who earlier represented the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat. In her campaign, she has often highlighted how her rival earlier "chose to join the police through fraudulent means". She said it was surprising that the Congress was trying to send "such elements to Parliament".
Also see
Read the full article