The BJP on Tuesday accused the INDIA bloc of having a hidden agenda to attack Sanatan Dharma for its vote bank politics as it questioned the "silence" of opposition leaders amid frequent critical remarks by DMK leaders about the ancient faith.
Firing a fresh salvo at the opposition over the issue, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad targeted the Congress leadership saying the longer Sonia Gandhi maintains silence over the matter the more it will be clear that opposing Sanatan Dharma is part of the INDIA bloc's common minimum programme.
Prasad seized on a recent comment by a DMK leader that it is the bloc's agenda to oppose Sanatan Dharma, and said what the Tamil Nadu leader has said is right.
"The BJP will urge this alliance to come out with a categorical resolution that we completely disassociate ourselves (from DMK's criticism) and this is not our agenda," he said at a press conference.
With the DMK linking Sanatan Dharma with the practice of caste ...

How identity politics plays a significant role in general, state elections

A senior US official on Monday said far too many governments, including Russia, India, China and Saudi Arabia, continue to freely target faith community members, as the state department released its Congressional-mandatory annual report on international religious freedom that documents the status of religious freedom in countries across the world.
"Far too many governments continue to freely target faith community members within their borders," Rashad Hussain, Ambassador at Large, Office of International Religious Freedom, told reporters at a news conference here soon after the annual 2022 "Report on International Religious Freedom" was released by Secretary of State Tony Blinken.
The report provides a fact-based, comprehensive view of the state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories around the world, Blinken said, noting that it aims to highlight areas where freedom of religion or belief is being repressed to promote accountability and ultimately, drive progres

Books

This past week there was also a review of a book on the Big Bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala

Supreme Court

Madhya Pradesh High Court, in its decision in November 2022, had restrained the state government from prosecuting "adult citizens if they solemnise marriage on their own volition"

The United States has made it clear that India will not be placed on its list of 'Countries of Particular Concern' or 'Special Watch list' this year for violations of religious freedom

Gyanvapi Mosque

In simpler terms, Places of Worship Act, 1991, says that the character of a religious place cannot be changed from what it was on August 15, 1947-- the day India got its independence

Salman Rushdie

In a piece of dreadful irony, last week's brutal knife attack on Salman Rushdie came just days before the 75th anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan

Leena Manimekal

Manimekalai shared a poster where Goddess Kaali was seen smoking in the background and was also seen holding a pride flag of the LGBTQ community

The Supreme Court Friday observed that ascertaining the religious character of a place of worship is not barred under the Places of Worship Act of 1991.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and PS Narasimha made the important observation during an hour-long hearing of the Gyanvapi mosque dispute and said that it has dealt with provisions of the Places of Worship Act in its 2019 Ayodhya verdict and section 3 does not expressly bar ascertaining of the religious character of the place of worship.
We have dealt with the provisions in our Ayodhya verdict. The ascertainment of the religious character of the place of worship is not expressly barred, the bench said and also clarified that it is not its opinion but is in dialogue with the parties.
Justice Chandrachud, who made the observation, was also part of the five-judge bench that delivered its verdict on the Ayodhya dispute in 2019.
The judge said, Suppose there is an Agiyari (a Parsi fire temple) and there is a Cross in ..

illustration

Rescuing the liberal state from failure requires engagement with traditional institutions,not their ostracism

Batting for tolerance

A sportsman steps in where politicians fail

AIIMS

The skit, allegedly giving a modern spin to some characters of Ramayana with a comic flavour, was performed on the occasion of Dusshera by some first-year MBBS students

UNGA

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution to promote a culture of peace and tolerance to safeguard religious sites

Netflix

An FIR was registered in Madhya Pradesh on Monday against two executives of OTT platform  Netflix for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through its web series "A Suitable Boy", an official said.

Illustration

All citizens can be persuaded to cross at least the first few stages of tolerance that require us to accept the principles of democracy and respect others

Religious tolerance deteriorated in India in 2016: USCIRF

New Delhi maintains that the Indian Constitution has granted religious freedom to every citizen

Half of India's population between the age of 30-55 years believes 59 years should be the age of retirement and thirty-two years is when one should ideally start retirement planning,

investment,saving, money, retirement, rupee

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max stands out within the iPhone 15 series and offers substantial improvements over the previous generation model, the iPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max - Natural Titanium

India has been expanding its electronics manufacturing sector as companies diversify production beyond China amid growing Washington-Beijing tensions

Chromebook, Google laptop

Stock market holiday: After Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, the market will be closed on October 24, Tuesday, for Dussehra

Stock market, NSE

Catch all the latest news updates LIVE from across the globe here

Aam Aadmi Party national convenor, AAP national convenor, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed on Friday as hard-right holdouts rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain.
McCarthy's right-flank Republicans refused to support the bill despite its steep spending cuts of nearly 30 per cent to many agencies and severe border security provisions, calling it insufficient.
The White House and Democrats rejected the Republican approach as too extreme.
The bill's failure a day before Saturday's deadline to fund the government leaves few options left to prevent a shutdown that will furlough federal workers, keep the military working without pay and disrupt programmes and services for millions of Americans.
The outcome puts McCarthy's speakership in serious jeopardy with almost no political leverage to lead the House at a critical moment that has pushed the government into crisis.
Ahead of voting, the Republican speaker all but dared his hold-out colleagues to oppose t

Kevin McCarthy

There could be a more than $100 billion global market for such medicines, with sales climbing quickly through the end of the decade

Airlines, airport, aviation, flights

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday directed the installation of RO-ATMs at locations, besides JJ clusters, where water supply is provided by tankers, to eliminate the tanker culture in the national capital.
He announced the decision in a meeting with Delhi Jal Board and Water Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj.
In the meeting, the CM assessed the state of water supply in Delhi, RO-ATMs, Yamuna cleanliness, and the cleaning of the trunk and peripheral sewer systems happening for the first time in Delhi, said a government statement.
Kejriwal requested a detailed plan from the DJB on the complete clean up of the Yamuna by June 2024.
So far, RO plants have been installed in Hari Nagar's Khajan Basti, Shakurbasti, Deshbandhu Apartments in Kalkaji, and Jharoda, with 30 more RO plants in the process of being installed. There is a plan to install approximately 500 RO plants in Delhi.
The results of these RO plants have been quite promising, and people have been provided with Water ATMs

Arvind Kejriwal

In which we munch over the week's platter of news and views

Vinay Dube

India's Kabaddi matches at the Asian Games 2023 will take place at 6 AM IST and 1:30 PM IST from October 3 to October 5 before semifinals and final take place on October 6 and 7 respectively

Asian Games India Kabaddi full schedule 2023

The pace of loan growth for the private lender was higher than the 15.1% y-o-y growth in advances of the banking system until 8 September 2023, according to RBI data

Federal Bank net profit up 18%

Monday's meeting in Kyiv was touted by Borrell as an historic first but it comes at an awkward time for the Western alliance that has supported Kyiv

Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday released the second list of its candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.AAP issued a list of 29 candidates for Madhya Pradesh and 12 candidates for Chhattisgarh.In Chhattisgarh, the party has fielded Tarun Vaidh from the Raipur Gramin constituency, Raja Ram Shyam from Pratappur, and Dev Prasad Koshle from the Sarangarh constituency.Releasing the list of candidates for Madhya Pradesh, the AAP wrote on X, "Our second list of candidates for Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023. Many congratulations to all our candidates, and best wishes for the campaign."The AAP has fielded Ramani Devi Jatav, a candidate belonging to the Scheduled Caste from Bhander, Rahul Kushwah from Bhind, Satinder Bhadoriya from Mehgaon, Mohammad Sood from Bhopal Uttar, Raisa Begam Malik from Narela, Chanda Kinnar from Malhara and Vijay Mohan Palha from Patan.Earlier on September 8, the party ...

Poll, election, lok sabha

The pan-European STOXX 600 index reversed early gains to fall 1.0% on Monday, hitting its lowest intra-day low in since end of March

market, stocks, stock market trading, stock market

The trains have seats for 50 passengers and the space for 300 to stand

Religious tolerance

BJP fires fresh salvo at Opposition over 'Sanatan Dharma' remark row

Russia, India, China, among others target faith community members: US

The shadow of Xi Jinping, misinformation and hurt religious sentiments

All conversions can't be illegal: SC on HC order on MP anti-conversion law

US not to put India on list of nations violating religious freedom: Report

Preserving the identity of religious places: What is Places of Worship Act?

Rushdie attack: Cost of prizing religious identity over defence of liberty

Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai slammed after 'Kaali' seen smoking in poster

1991 law doesn't bar finding religious character of place of worship: SC

The state is not what one thinks it is

Batting for tolerance

Ramleela skit row: Amid social media outcry, AIIMS student body apologises

UNGA adopts resolution to safeguard religious sites across the world

Web series row: MP Police books 2 Netflix officials for hurting sentiments

Faith and tolerance

Religious tolerance deteriorated in India in 2016: USCIRF