Home   Contact Us                                                                   Dateline New Delhi, Saturday, June 25, 2005

 

 


Main Page                                                       Archive

 

MP Muslims protest against singing Vande Mataram

     Bhopal: Muslims in Madhya Pradesh are strongly protesting against the State Government's order to introduce singing of 'Vande Mataram' in schools and government offices. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has decided to make recitation of "Vande Matram" mandatory from next month in all offices and schools, saying the song holds the constitutional status of national song. Considering its immense contribution in country's freedom movement, the national song has the same status as the national anthem Jana Gana Mana, the order states. But Muslim organisations, clerics and rights groups have denounced it saying the national song Vande Mataram versed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee invoking a Goddess is un-Islamic as it preached poytheism. Maulana Masood Madani, President, All India Minority Union, said the Muslims should be exempted from this order. "Every one has the right and freedom to perform one's religious rituals in their own way. While our religion prescribes us certain things, it doesn't permit us to do certain things. We are not allowed to pray anything other than Allah. We do not have any problem if people from other religious communities follow the decision. But we say that our religion does not permit it and so it should not be made compulsory for the Muslims," Madani said in Bhopal. Government statement said that its aim is to awaken patriotic feelings among citizens. Vande Mataram is sung in the Indian parliament and Madhya Pradesh state assembly.

Congress: Digvijay Singh gets Bihar, Khurshid retains UP (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today assigned the charge of Bihar to Digvijay Singh, General Secretary, All India Congress Committee (AICC) with immediate effect. According to a party press release, the AICC announced the appointment of 17 PCC Presidents retaining Salman Khurshid in Uttar Pradesh even after the recent failure in bypolls. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh's appointment as the in-charge of Bihar is being seen as party's fresh efforts to make an identity in the forthcoming state assembly elections. Digvijay replaced senior leader Harikesh Bahadur. Following are the persons who have been elected as PCC Chiefs - Keshav Rao (Andhra Pradesh), Bhubaneshwar Kalita (Assam), Ravi Naik (Goa), O. L. Nongtudu (Meghalaya), Lalthanwala (Mizoram), Hoketo Sumi (Nagaland), Jayadev Jana (Orissa), Nar Bahadur Bhandari (Sikkim), Kuldeep Sharma (Andaman and Nicobar), Ketan Patel (Daman and Diu), Moosa Manikfar Kallikagothi (Lakshdweep) and Gurudas Kamat (Mumbai Regional Congress Committee). The names, which have been cleared by the Congress President for the Presidentship of their respective Pradesh Congress Committees as per resolutions passed by the PCC delegates, are - Mukut Mithi (Arunachal Pradesh), Peerzada Mohd. Sayeed (Jammu and Kashmir), Prabha Rau (Maharashtra), B. D. Kalla (Rajasthan) and Salman Khurshid. According to the sources, Digvijay's appointment as the in-charge of Bihar means that Union Minister Arjun Singh who along with senior party leader M L Fotedar had devised party's strategy in last assembly polls would be out of scene this time. However, no announcement was made today regarding the PCC President of Bihar.

Another NCP MLA inducted in Rane ministry (Go To Top)

     Panjim: Nationlist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Benaulim, Francisco (Micky) Pacheco was today sworn in as a minister in the Pratapsingh Rane government at a function at the Raj Bhawan this evening. The induction of Pacheco ended the deadlock between the two alliance partners -Congress and NCP over the tussle for berth in the council of ministers. Governor S C Jamir administered the oath of office and secrecy to Pacheco, who opted to take the oath in English. With the induction of of pacheco, the strength of the Rane ministry has gone up to 11. The maximum strength of the ministry is limited to 12 ministers. "I am feeling very happy," Pacheco told reporters after the ceremony. "We have just shaken hands today and so far it is stable. Let us see in the future," said Pacheco when asked whether the Rane government was stable now. NCP had been threatening to withdraw support to the Congress-led government, accusing Congress of breaking the promise of giving ministerial berths to all those MLAs who had resigned from their seats to topple the BJP government. The Congress was opposed to giving ministerial berths to both the NCP MLAs as it would mean giving cent percent representation to the party. Micky was one among five MLAS who had quit the BJP in January this year rsulting in the fall of the Manohar Parrikar government.

Tehri dam readies for power generation next year (Go To Top)

     Tehri (Uttaranchal): Tehri Dam, the largest dam in Asia, will be ready for first phase of power generation by March 2006. This was announced by the Union Power Secretary R V Shahi, who was on a one day visit to the state. Although the dam has always been in news for the various protests it faced and rehabilitation issues but the Power Secretary says that the work for the dam is going on smoothly and as per the plan. "The work on the dam is complete. Only the work of outer lining is left. We hope that by next October, diversion tunnel T-2 will be closed. After that water will be impounded and the dam will be filled with water. We are trying that by next year, all the four units from January to March will be commissioned. All four units will have total capacity of 1000 Megawatt. Each unit of 250 Mega watt. Three units are ready and the fourth one is in full swing," said R.V. Shahi, Power Secretary, Government of India. Work is on for the last fifteen years for the dam often mired in controversy over the rehabilitation of the displaced people. Rs.4000 crores has already been spent on the dam including the Rs.900 crores spent on the rehabilitation. The multi-purpose dam is being built by the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation and is the world's fourth biggest dam. The second phase of the dam will take the combined power generation to 2000 MW. Environmentalists and scientists have been opposing the construction of the 260-metre high dam, as they say it is coming up in an earthquake-prone area.

References: Burns happy talks Delhi, flood scam Goswami, Fernandes BJP, cholera, MP Muslims Vande Mataram, Congress Digvijay Singh Bihar Khurshid UP, NCP MLA Rane ministry Goa, Tehri Dam, tiger security task force, Iranian president Ahamdinejad, Pak police mullahs, Indian call centres alert fraud, Tendulkar Chappell, Jessica Simpson hairstyle, Beyonce gowns, Earl Jones illness Pond, Timberlake Black Snake Moan, Close Encounters Third Kind, Nicole Kidman, Scottish Live 8, India, India News, Newspaper, Indian, News, Travel News, India Travel Times, Travel,Tourism, Tour, Tourist, India, Times, News, Hotels, Airlines, Ayurveda, Yoga, Hindu, Taj Mahal, Cuisine, Festival, Temple, Trekking, Hindu, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Odissi, Dance, Shimla,Varanasi, Kullu, Manali, Dehra Dun, Mussourie, Mussoorie, Haridwar, Hardwar, Rishikesh, Nainital, Delhi, Goa, Kovalam, Darjeeling, Bodh Gaya, Kancheepuram, Kanchipuram, Thekkady, Badrinath, Amar Nath,Vaishno Devi, Tirupati, Sabarimala, Guruvayoor, Kanyakumari, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Chennai,

     Previous File                 Go To Top
Home    Contact Us
NOTE:  Free contributions of articles and reports may be sent to editor@indiatraveltimes.com
DISCLAIMER
All Rights Reserved ©indiatraveltimes.com