My Opinion

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, for the second year in a row, organized a fabulous Diwali celebration in the holy town of Ayodhya on Tuesday. The difference this year was: South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-Sook took part in the celebration, dressed in a gorgeous saree. More than three lakh diyas were lighted on the banks of the holy river Saryu, and the entire town of Ayodhya wore a festive look, with roads cleaned up and widened, and the entire town was illuminated, with a water laser show thrown in.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Yogi Adityanath announced the setting up of an airport in Ayodhya to be named after Lord Ram, a medical college to be named after Lord Ram’s father King Dashrath, and renaming of Faizabad district as Ayodhya. He did not speak about the installation of Ram statue, but on the issue of building a temple on the disputed site, he spoke in measured tone.

Yogi Adityanath said, everybody knows what the entire nation wants (a Ram temple at his birthplace), and no force on earth can do injustice to Ayodhya.

Yogi is a constitutional functionary, and he spoke to the extent he was expected to, in his constitutional capacity. Yogi maintained the gravity of his position, but the most important part of his speech was that he has sought to bring Ayodhya on the world tourist map.

If the streets of Ayodhya are cleaned up every year before Diwali, grand Diwali celebrations are held every year, if there are good hotels and a world-class hospital and an airport, nobody can stop Ayodhya’s march towards progress and modernity. There could be no bigger gift than this for the people of Ayodhya. Let there be good governance on the lines of Ram Rajya. The building of Ram temple at his birthplace is a foregone conclusion, which nobody can prevent, and that is what the chief minister wanted to convey.

Happy Diwali!

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The Archaeological Survey of India has barred offering of namaz at the mosque inside the world famous Taj Mahal premises, except on Fridays, in compliance with a Supreme Court order given in July this year. Since the Taj Mahal is closed for public on Fridays, local Muslim residents are allowed to offer namaz at the mosque only on Fridays between 12 noon and 2 pm, without any entry fee. On other days, any visitor, who had bought an entry ticket, could offer namaz at the mosque until now. On Sunday, the ASI officials locked the ‘vazu tank’, where namazis clean themselves before offering prayers.

The local Imam and the Taj Mahal Intezamia Committee has questioned the ASI order saying that namaz was being offered for the last many years, and there was no reason why it was being stopped. The ASI has said that it was only complying with the Supreme Court order.

The apex court, in its order, has clearly stated that the Taj Mahal was one of the seven wonders of the world and the monument should be preserved. The bench of Justice A K Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan had then questioned, “Why for such prayers, they should go to Taj Mahal? There are other mosques also. They can offer their prayers there.”

One basic fact should be noted. The Taj Mahal is not a religious place, it is a monument, a mausoleum. Hence the issue should not be viewed from a religious point.

Secondly, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful monuments of the world, it needs to be carefully preserved. It is part of our national heritage and it is the responsibility of all Indians to ensure that this heritage is preserved. The Supreme Court, after due consideration, had given the order and the ASI is only implementing it. There is no point in opposing this order.

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Uttar Pradesh state BJP president Mahendranath Pandey on Friday said that chief minister Yogi Adityanath would be making an important announcement on Diwali day in Ayodhya during the festive celebration. There are reports that Yogi may announce the installation of Lord Ram’s statue in Ayodhya, its location and specifications. This could be a political masterstroke.

The title dispute over Ram Janmabhoomi is still pending in the Supreme Court. The apex court has postponed the hearing to January, and there is no definite time frame when the verdict would be delivered. This has caused unease and impatience in the minds of devotees who desire to see the early construction of a grand temple at Lord Ram’s birthplace.

Already political slugfests have begun over the temple issue, and Yogi’s announcement could be timely. It could provide temporary relief to the devotees of Lord Ram. This could be a good symbolic beginning towards building of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

On Friday in Mumbai, the RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi, at the end of a 3-day meeting of RSS front organisation heads, clearly said that the postponement of hearing on Ayodhya issue in Supreme Court to January has caused disquiet in the minds of devotees of Lord Ram. “We had expected a verdict before Diwali, and the court should have taken into consideration the sentiments of Hindus before adjourning the matter to January”, he said. Joshi added that the Centre had power to issue an ordinance to build the temple, and if the dispute lingered on, it could trigger a 1992-type agitation in Ayodhya.

The problem lies with the politicians. Every politician, big or small, is looking at each other on the temple issue. While the Congress says it supported the building of Ram temple but would wait for the apex court’s verdict, BJP says it is ready to bring an ordinance, but the bill has to be supported by the Congress in Parliament. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray says, it had been demanding the construction of Ram temple since long, but the Centre did not take any concrete step in the last four and a half years. Questons may be asked of Uddhav Thackeray why his party remained silent on the issue all these years.

The Ayodhya dispute has been a bone of contention between Hindus and Muslims for the last 500 years, and for the last 150 years, the dispute has been lying in courts. The people cannot wait any longer. A decision has to come, whether from the court, or from the government.

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India TV-CNX opinion poll on Rajasthan assembly elections has predicted a clear win for the opposition Congress party and a severe drubbing for BJP. Several other poll surveys have made similar projections. This is not surprising.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s popularity is waning fast. Her own partymen are not happy with her style of functioning. The Rajput community is unhappy. The Gurjar community had been unhappy with Vasundhara since long.

On the other hand, Congress leader Sachin Pilot had been toiling hard visiting almost all the assembly constituencies for the last two years. Sachin Pilot has been rarely seen in Delhi’s power circles lately. He has been giving Vasundhara a tough time over local issues and this is clearly showing in opinion poll projections.

However Congress workers should not underestimate the potential of former CM Ashok Gehlot. Gehlot is a silent worker and he is popular among the public. Therefore, it would be too early to predict the name of the new Chief Minister.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to furnish in sealed cover, details of pricing of the 36 Rafale fighter jets, and its advantages, within the next 10 days.

When Attorney General K K Venugopal told the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice U U Lalit and Justice K M Joseph that the government may not be able to provide details of the fully loaded version of Rafale jets to the court, since most aspects of the Rafale deal, including pricing, weaponry and technical advantages, are covered under the Official Secrets Act, the bench asked him to file an affidavit about this in the next 10 days.

The apex court however directed the government to place in the public domain details about the process used for the induction of offset partners, and also details about the decision-making process.

Congress leaders and other PIL petitioners may express happiness over the Supreme Court’s latest order, but the fact remains that the pricing and details of weaponry will not be shared with them, as of now. These will be submitted to the Supreme Court in sealed cover. The pricing and other weaponry details shall remain shrouded in secrecy.

Pricing and weaponry details of fighter jets are confidential issues that are directly related to national security and disclosure of these in public could harm national interests. That is why the apex court has sought these details in a sealed cover, and it will not be shared with the PIL petitioners.

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Today is the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Home Minister, known as the Iron Man of India. On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the world’s tallest statue, a 153-metre high Statue of Unity in Gujarat.

It is a fitting tribute to this great son of India, who, immediately after independence, went about with quick precision, strong political will and administrative efficiency to bring about the merger of over 550 diverse princely states into the Indian Union. Sardar Patel and his team patiently negotiated with all the princely states one by one and ensured that the princely states became part of free India. The map of India is what it is today, because of this Herculean effort.

Installation of a statue is not as important as developing the space around the statue. The entire space surrounding the Statue of Unity has been developed as a tourist spot. There is a viewing gallery offering a 360-degree view, a flower valley created by skilled artisans, a museum, and a boating place.

The tourist spot is going to provide immense job opportunities to the people of Narmada district. This was a plan, which Narendra Modi could have envisioned, when he was Chief Minister, and the entire credit goes to him for bringing this dream project to reality.

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The National Capital Region of Delhi recorded the worst air quality of the season on Monday, with the Air Quality Index reaching 367, which is considered ‘very poor’. This is the state of Delhi’s air as of now, nine days before Diwali, when the atmosphere of the capital will be filled with unbearable, choking smoke with the bursting of millions of firecrackers.

India TV on Monday carried out a reality check across the NCR and found the air quality deteriorating. Ghaziabad reached an AQI of 430 (severe), Gurgaon reached 389, Noida 374 and Faridabad 358 (all very poor). A reading between 201 and 301 is treated as ‘poor’ on the AQI index set up by Central Pollution Control Board. Readings between 301 and 400 are classified as ‘very severe’ and those above 400 are treated as ‘severe’ with the maximum limit kept at 500.

To add to these woes, the number of crop stubble fires in Punjab and Haryana has shot up dramatically in the last two days. NASA satellite data predict that pollutants from crop stubble fires are likely to impact air quality in NCR over the next few days.

The Supreme Court on Monday directed transport departments of Delhi and neighbouring states to impound all 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles, after it was revealed by the amicus curiae that there has been 40 per cent increase in vehicular pollution in NCR. Vehicular pollution contributes 41 per cent to the overall air pollution in NCR, the apex court was told.

Experts say that the air quality in NCR is so toxic that on a rough average, a child inhales smoke equivalent to smoking 6.5 cigarettes. The air is so polluted that every day the average life of a citizen living in NCR gets reduced by two and a half hours.

Even as the judiciary and executive are trying to find out means to tackle air pollution, companies selling air purifies and masks are raking in the moolah. Air purifiers are being sold anywhere from Rs 12,000 to Rs 1,30,000, but India TV reality checks showed these air purifies are useless considering the level of air quality.

I would like to share a simple step to tackle air pollution at home. A research was conducted in IIT Kanpur on three plants –

1. Areca palm (also known as living room plant) which absorbs formaldehyde and carbon monoxide and gives out fresh air,
2. Mother in law tongue plant (also known as snake plant or bedroom plant) which can convert carbon dioxide into oxygen even at night, and
3. Money plant, which absorbs most of the toxins from air and provides fresh air.

One may not be able to tackle air pollution in this megapolis, but use of these easily available plants at home can give people at least a breath of fresh air in their domestic environs. Widespread use of these plants can also help in reducing air pollution in the city to some extent.

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The Supreme Court on Friday took a balanced view in the ongoing feud between top CBI officials, by refusing to give immediate stay on the government order sending CBI director Alok Verma on leave.

It also directed the CVC probe against Verma to be completed within 14 days under supervision of a retired SC Judge A K Patnaik, and restrained the interim director M. Nageswara Rao from taking any major policy decision.

Had the apex court stayed the government order sending Verma on leave, it could have been a major embarrassment for the Centre and would have come as a big boost to Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who led countrywide protests by his partmen on Friday against the Centre’s role in the CBI feud.

Rahul Gandhi has been alleging that the CBI director was going to order probe into the Rafale deal, but he was sent on leave to scuttle the probe. Rahul Gandhi should understand that the government’s step to untangle the CBI mess has nothing to do with Rafale deal. Neither was there any file in CBI on Rafale, nor any inquiry ordered.

To allege that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed the CBI chief because he was going to probe the Rafale deal, may be a good political move for Rahul Gandhi, but this charge is not supported by facts. The Congress had hoped that the Supreme Court would stay the order against Alok Verma, but it did not happen. Naturally, the protests fizzled out soon after the SC gave its order.

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In a dramatic midnight operation, the Centre on Tuesday sent both the feuding No.1 and No.2 officials of CBI on leave, appointed a joint director as interim chief and transferred as many as 13 CBI officers. This was done after the Central Vigilance Commission sent its report to the government complaining that the outgoing CBI director Alok Verma was stonewalling information on complaints made by his deputy Rakesh Asthana against his chief.

The Centre’s action, though belated, is fair and justified. In one stroke, it removed both the feuding senior CBI officials who were involved in an internecine war for the last one year. The CVC’s report against the CBI chief clearly underlined the need for urgent action on part of the PMO. Till Tuesday, the PMO had stayed away from the internal feud in CBI, because it was wary of charges of interference from the opposition, but the moment the CVC gave its report, the government galvanized itself into action and axed both the feuding officers.

This is clear indication that the Centre is going to take a similar action in the case of other investigating agencies where such feuds are taking place. As far as the Opposition is concerned, those who were complaining about Prime Minister Narendra Modi being silent about the feud in CBI till Tuesday, are now asking why the surgical operation was carried out. The answer to this needs no elaboration.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that only “green” firecrackers will be allowed during fireworks on Diwali, Gurpurab and other festival days strictly from 8 pm till 10 pm, and on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, fireworks will be allowed from 11.55 pm till 12.30 am.

The apex court turned down the plea for a blanket ban on manufacture and sale of firecrackers across India, but set stringent standards for their manufacture. Online sale of firecrackers has been banned. The “green” firecrackers are supposed to have reduced noise and emission levels. The court also banned “joined firecrackers” (‘ladi’) and directed police to ensure that only “green” firecrackers are sold throughout the country.

“Say No to crackers” campaign has been carried out in schools and colleges for the last several decades. Students are taught about air pollution created by firecrackers. While the campaign has been successful to a large extent, yet fireworks continue to take place on Diwali nights and during other festivals. The Supreme Court directive may have the desired results to some extent.

Air pollution is caused not by fireworks alone but also due to indiscriminate burning of stubble in fields by farmers. This too needs to be curbed. Industries near big cities also add poison to the air through emission of fumes and smoke. Dust emanating from construction sites, and fumes from vehicles exhaust also add to air pollution.

It is not possible to curb all these through strict enforcement of laws only, nor through stern court directives. Mass public cooperation is needed. People must be made to understand that minor mistakes can cause serious air pollution. Schools and colleges, parents in homes, spiritual gurus and other leaders of civil society must come forward to create awareness about air pollution.

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On Dussehra evening, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur addressed a crowd at a Ravana effigy burning event in Amritsar. As the effigies were being burnt, a train crossed the railway tracks crushing more than 61 people to death in a gruesome tragedy. Seeing the melee, she immediately left the venue in her car.

As more and more injured people were brought to hospital, she appeared on TV to say that she came to know about the accident 15 minutes after she left the spot. That was a plain white lie. The videos from the accident spot clearly nail her lie.

Nobody would have blamed Dr Navjot Kaur had she not uttered this lie. First, she reached the venue late, gave her speech, and as soon as the accident took place, she just vanished. Dr Navjot Kaur was told at the venue that many people had been run over by a train, and yet she left the spot.

Nobody is saying that Navjot Kaur’s action to leave the spot was deliberate. Mistakes sometimes do occur. It would have been better if she had admitted her mistake. But in order to hide one lie, more and more lies are being spouted not only by her, but by her husband Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. The former cricketer is now shifting the blame on Railways to hide his wife’s mistake.

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The tragic train accident that took place in Amritsar on Friday evening during Dussehra celebrations is truly spine chilling. It was a disaster in the making and it raises several questions about our system.

Railway officers claim that the crowd had gathered on the tracks despite the gates remaining closed at Joda Phatak crossing, because two trains were to pass at that time. But local eyewitnesses have a different view.

There are some disturbing questions that remain, and the nation needs answers. One, the Dussehra effigy burning event used to take place at that spot every year, which was close to rail tracks, then why didn’t the administration took steps to control the crowd?

Two, why didn’t the local railway officials sent employees to stop the crowd from spilling over the rail tracks ?

Three, the railway crossing gate may have remained closed, but why weren’t the local residents alerted by railway officials about two trains passing through simultaneously?

Four, when railway officials knew that a Dussehra event was taking place close to the rail tracks, why wasn’t the speed of train reduced ?

Five, two trains were to cross the tracks at that time, and local railway officials had prior information. Then, why didn’t they take the initiative to caution the crowd that had gathered on the tracks ?

Six, since the Dussehra event was well publicized, why didn’t the railway officials at Amritsar station delay the crossing of the trains till the event was over ?

Seven, Why was there no coordination between the local administration and railway officials?

Eight, why didn’t the local police fail to keep people away from rail tracks ?

And Nine, the last question: If Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu was present at the event, why did she leave in haste and did not stay back for rescue operations?

These are questions, and we shall continuously try to seek the right answers.

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