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News : Archive (April 2003)
- For Gujarat’s birthday bash, Modi repackages ‘gaurav’ as theme
Foundation day is planned as a mega event, Chief Minister plans to shift action to cultural capital Vadodara
Milind Ghatwai & Abhishek Kapoor, The Indian Express, April 30, 2003
Vadodara, April 29: Narendra Modi’s Gujarat is once again face to face with its gaurav (pride). It was the magic word which helped the Chief Minister cleanse his conscience, polarise the polls and eventually get a resounding mandate. Now haunted by Haren Pandya’s bloody murder and dissent in his party, he has once again fallen back on that mantra.
- Maya eases rules for registration of madrasas in UP
HT Correspondent, Lucknow, April 29, 2003
Ignoring a police report on "ISI infiltration" in these institutions located at the Indo-Nepal border, the Mayawati Government has taken this measure to keep the Muslim votes intact.
- Politics of 'trishul' taking centre-stage
By K.K. Katyal, The Hindu, April 29, 2003
`Trishul', `lathi', `prasad', `Bhojshala', cow, conversions — these are the issues that figure prominently in the political discourse these days. This is the response of our politicians to the pressures generated in advance by the Assembly election in four States scheduled for later this year.
- After `trishul', it is `pharsa'
By Special Correspondent, The Hindu, April 29, 2003
JAIPUR APRIL 28. After the ``trishul'', which created quite a flutter in the political circles in Rajasthan during the past one month, it is now the ``pharsa'' (axe) that those looking for poltico-religious symbolism want to brandish.
- Sena renews bid to keep out `outsiders'
By Mahesh Vijapurkar, The Hindu, April 29, 2003
MUMBAI APRIL 28. The executive president of the Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray, will write to all political parties in and outside Maharashtra requesting them to keep the "me Mumbaikar" campaign above politics so that "Mumbai stands to benefit". His call will include pleas to keep the city walls clean but the issue of how to keep people living in the city since 1995 out of it remains.
- 'POTA being used selectively in Gujarat'
By Special Correspondent, The Hindu, April 27, 2003
NEW DELHI APRIL 26. Civil rights activists today tried to turn the spotlight back on Gujarat to the plight of the minorities in the "communally-divided" State.
- Muting history
Amulya Ganguli, The Hindustan Times, April 27, 2003
One of Murli Manohar Joshi’s kar sevaks in the academic field has given a laboured explanation as to why he failed to comment on Gandhi’s assassination in his piece on the Mahatma in one of the new saffron textbooks.
- Now, Thackeray sets a cut-off date
By Mahesh Vijapurkar, The Hindu, April 26, 2003
MUMBAI April 25. The Shiv Sena, which originally preached the `Mumbai-for-Maharashtrians' doctrine in the past, has now changed tack. All those who came here prior to 1995, it says, are Mumbaiwallahs. But if intends doing anything about the post-1995 arrivals, it is not known how it would go about it.
- 28 articles found during Ayodhya excavation
PTI, April 25, 2003
AYODHYA: Small bone pieces and an earthen pot were found during the on-going excavation work in the acquired land on Friday, sources said.
- Advani betrayed Hindutva: Singhal
By Special Correspondent, The Hindu, April 25, 2003
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 24. The International Working President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Ashok Singhal, today said that the Home Minister, L. K. Advani, had betrayed the Hindutva cause after having ridden to power in the name of Ram and Hindutva.
- BJP betrayed Hindus on Ram temple: VHP
Press Trust of India, April 24, 2003
Thiruvananthapuram, April 24: VHP working president Ashok Singhal on Thursday said that the BJP had "betrayed" the Hindus on the issue of Ram temple construction after they assumed power.
- Lethal weapons
Vishal Arora, The Hindustan Times, April 24, 2003
How can the religious aggression promoted through ‘Trishul Deeksha’ programmes be the tenets of Hinduism, which is known for its tolerance? This hate campaign is being carried out by politically motivated communal organisations.
- Trishul plan to help attain Hindu Rashtra: Togadia
Press Trust of India, April 23, 2003
Unfazed by his recent arrest in Rajasthan over the trident issue, firebrand VHP leader Praveen Togadia on Wednesday said the "trishul deeksha" will be used as an instrument to achieve the outfit's goal of Hindu Rashtra.
- Maharashtra: Sena-BJP to revive Hindutva agenda
The Hindu, April 20, 2003
Mumbai, Apr. 20. (PTI): With assembly elections in Maharashtra scheduled next year, the Shiv Sena-BJP saffron combine has decided to pull its socks up by reviving its pet Hindutva agenda and fine-tune a joint strategy for taking on the ruling DF combine, BJP sources said here today.
- Miffed by Jaswant, Gujarat, Dutch review aid to India
Akshaya Mukul, Times News Network, April 23, 2003
Though Singh did not identify the countries whose aid was no longer welcome, at least one European donor, Holland, feels targeted. Making a reference to the budget proposal as well as to the lack of progress in the rehabilitation of riot victims in Gujarat, the Dutch government told the European parliament on April 11 that it "feels obliged to reconsider the whole development cooperation relation with India". Holland was India’s fourth largest bilateral donor in 2002-03, giving about 24 million euros (Rs 120 crore) to primary education, drinking water and urban environment projects in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Gujarat.
- 'Trishul diksha' to continue in Gujarat: VHP
Times News Network, April 22, 2003
AHMEDABAD: Even as a fierce controversy over 'trishul diksha' rages following the arrest of VHP international general secretary Pravin Togadia, the Gujarat unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal have decided to continue with such programmes in the state.
- Togadia gets bail
PTI, The Hindu, April 22, 2003
Ajmer April 21. A local court today granted bail to the VHP leader, Praveen Togadia, on condition that he would not defy the ban on distribution of tridents, a charge on which he was arrested eight days ago.
- VHP to continue 'trishul diksha' in Rajasthan
Press Trust of India, Jaipur, April 19, 2003
Describing it as a "right under Hindutva", VHP international president Ashok Singhal on Saturday said the "trishul diksha" programme would be intensified in Rajasthan.
- Bail plea of Togadia deferred till Monday
Press Trust of India, Ajmer, April 19, 2003
A local court on Saturday adjourned till Monday the hearing of the bail plea of VHP leader Pravin Togadia and directed the prosecution to produce the transcript of his speech on which the case of conspiring to wage war against the government was registered against the accused.
- Stabbing at communal harmony
Editorial, The Hindustan Times, April 18, 2003
Is Rajasthan the next communal flashpoint after Gujarat? In the recent past, several places in Rajasthan have witnessed ugly scenes which stopped short of riots mainly due to a watchful administration.
By putting a ban on carrying or distributing trishuls, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has shown his commitment to those who seem equally determined to inflame communal passions before the next elections due in November.
- Violating the rule of law
Editorial, The Hindu, April 18, 2003
FOR TOO LONG, the international general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Praveen Togadia, has been throwing a direct challenge to the rule of law, not only making inflammatory speeches of communal hatred, but also defying bans and prohibitory orders in force. At each of his meeting venues in States ruled by parties other than the BJP, Mr. Togadia has been inviting arrest, seemingly determined to achieve his own version of `martyrdom' in the cause of Hindutva.
- Finally, Togadia on a leash
Editorial, The Hindustan Times, April 18, 2003
At last, a state government has found the courage to put a venomous rabble-rouser behind bars. For far too long, the VHP’s so-called international secretary, Praveen Togadia, has been allowed to indulge in his poisonous anti-minority propaganda without any let or hindrance.
- POTA court rejects bail applications of 56 accused
Press Trust of India, April 17, 2003
A special POTA court on Thursday rejected bail applications of 56 accused in the Godhra train carnage and extended police remand of one of the main conspirators, Sayed Abdul Sattar, till April 24.
- ‘Saffron tide is rising...Govt making inroads for fascism’
Excerpts from the interview, The Indian Express, April 16, 2003
In his latest book, The End of India, Khushwant Singh warns about the lethal combination of religion and politics. ‘‘These are dark times for India — fascism has well and truly crossed our thresholds and dug its heels in our courtyard,’’ he says. The writer spoke to Humra Quraishi on why he feels that way.
- The reduction of Ambedkar
Babasaheb was not just a Dalit leader, but a democrat and rationalist
Vivek Kumar, The Indian Express, April 16, 2003
As the nation celebrates the 113th birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar his legacy has brought Dalits a paradox of hope and despair. Despair because 50 per cent Dalits are living under poverty line, approximately 70 per cent are still illiterate and about 80 per cent tied to agricultural activities. The spate of violence against them makes their reality painful. In 1999 alone the SC&ST commission registered 25093 cases of atrocities on the Dalits. During the same period one thousand Dalit women were raped, 506 Dalits were murdered and 3241 suffered grievous injury.
- Whose Raj is it anyway?
Shamsul Islam, The Hindustan Times, April 15, 2003
The flag-bearers of Hindutva, in their task of manufacturing history, have now picked on B.R. Ambedkar as the subject. The RSS has presented him as a leader in league with Hedgewar and Golwalkar and as a defender for the cause of the Hindu Rashtra.
- Togadia sent to custody
The Hindu, April 15, 2003
AJMER APRIL 14. The VHP leader, Praveen Togadia, was today sent to judicial custody for two days in connection with the alleged violation of prohibitory orders and ban on distribution of tridents yesterday after a local court rejected his bail application.
- Not larger than law
By arresting Togadia, the Gehlot government lays down a very welcome bottomline
Editorial, The Indian Express, April 15, 2003
What should the state do with Praveenbhai Togadia, general secretary VHP and rabble rouser at large, who unabashedly plays communal politics and dares the law? How, specifically, must a Congress government deal with Togadia and the Togadia-like?
- Sangh Parivar in Government
By C. P. Bhambhri, The Hindu, April 14, 2003
The Vajpayee Government has consolidated the forces of Hindutva by using state power during its tenure of five years.
THE BJP recently celebrated its so-called successful governance for five years from March 19, 1998, to March 19, 2003. The party leadership congratulated itself on managing a non-Congress coalition for five years. The BJP-led Government at the Centre has successfully implemented the agenda of Hindutva as concretised by the Sangh Parivar. And none of its 22 coalition partners has made even a faint noise to stop the march of Hindutva.
- Togadia defies ban, distributes tridents
The Hindu, April 14, 2003
Ajmer April 13. The VHP leader, Praveen Togadia, was tonight arrested after he distributed tridents to Bajrang Dal activists here defying ban and prohibitory orders.
- ASI: history to politics
Hartosh Singh Bal, The Sunday Express, Sunday, April 13, 2003
Neither the Sangh nor Digvijay Singh can claim victory in the Bhojshala debacle. But, as the monument was thrown open to Hindu worship, there emerged a clear loser - The Archaeological Survey of India.
- Lok Sabha adopts resolution against cow slaughter
By Special correspondent, The Hindu, April 10, 2003
NEW DELHI April 10. The Lok Sabha today adopted by voice vote a private member's resolution moved by a BJP member, asking the Centre to enact a law banning cow slaughter. The move, however, met with stiff resistance from the Opposition parties, which walked out in protest.
- Need for consensus
The Hindu, April 10, 2003
FAR FROM ENDING the controversy over allowing access to Hindus for worship at the Bhojshala temple complex, the directive of the Archaeological Survey of India to the Madhya Pradesh Government to permit dawn-to-dusk prayers on Tuesdays may well set off another bout of confrontation between Hindus and Muslims.
- VHP to continue with 'trishul deeksha' despite ban
PTI, April 09, 2003
JAIPUR: A day after the Rajasthan government banned carrying of tridents, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Wednesday declared that its "trishul-deeksha" would continue in the state and BJP charged the ruling Congress of vitiating communal atmosphere by resorting to "cheap tactics".
- Hindus pray at Bhojshala
The Hindu, April 9, 2003
DHAR APRIL 8. A day after the Archaeological Survey of India ordered opening of the disputed Bhojshala shrine to Hindus every Tuesday, around 2,000 people, under the banner of the Hindu Jagran Manch, today offered prayers at the temple. The complex was thrown open to Hindus the whole day for the first time since 1997.
- Hanging on to the Hindutva lifeline
Editorial, The Hindustan Times, April 7, 2003
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee put the matter in perspective at the BJP’s Indore session last week when he underlined that voters were likely to place a government’s performance above other considerations in making their choice.
- The white lily
A warrior worth recalling
Renuka Narayanan, The Hindustan Times, April 7, 2993
The Jagannath Rath Yatra is set to roll again and, alas, it brings to mind war chariots at home and abroad. It also recalls Satyabhama, Krishna’s warrior queen, who fought his battles.
- BJP, RSS close ranks for polls
Shekhar Iyer, The Hindustan Times, April 6, 2003
The Indore conclave of the BJP has set the stage for greater coordination between the party and the RSS. The reason: both sides fear damage to their future in the event of the BJP losing the coming Assembly elections in four states.
- No Hindutva in polls: Mahajan
Times News Network, April 06, 2003
JAIPUR: BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan on Sunday made it clear that his party will not use Hindutva as a plank in the forthcoming assembly elections in four states.
Mahajan, overall incharge of the election campaign in Rajasthan, Delhi, MP and Chhattisgarh, was speaking at the Press Club here.
- BJP eyes Parivar strength for polls
Smita Gupta, Times News Network, April 04, 2003
NEW DELHI: The BJP has decided to employ the energies of the entire Sangh Parivar, as it had successfully done in Gujarat, in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chhatisgarh later this year. These polls will set the stage for the general elections in 2004.
- Enact law on temple or face consequences: VHP
HT Correspondent, New Delhi, April 3, 2003
The VHP-sponsored satyagraha to demand the undisputed land in Ayodhya concluded on Wednesday. On the last day, the outfit said the recent Supreme Court verdict on the issue had closed the judicial option.
- Muslims guard Pandits in this Valley village
‘All this years we stayed back only because of faith in neighbours’
Muzamil Jaleel, The Indian Express, April 2, 2003
In the old Kashmiri brick-and-mud house, as Jeevan Lal spoke of his faith in his neighbours, it was evident that there was nothing else for these families to draw confidence from.
- Human rights and wrongs
Manoj Mitta, The Indian Express, April 2, 2003
India may well be justified in claiming that “this game of selective ‘naming and shaming’ that many in this commission are engaged in can only harm the cause of human rights”. Its success in warding off adverse resolutions has however reinforced the culture of impunity within the country. Had the Rajiv Gandhi government been “named and shamed” for the Delhi massacre, it could have had some deterrent effect on Narendra Modi in Gujarat.
- Abide by the law
Editorial, The Hindustan Times, April 2, 2003
The Supreme Court order asking the Centre to ensure that the status quo is maintained in respect of all the land acquired by it in Ayodhya until the title suit is disposed of by the Allahabad High Court will be widely welcomed.
- Maintaining communal harmony
Editorial, The Hindu, April 1, 2003
In the face of the Hindutva outfit's declared intention to intensify the
agitation — with all the dangerous implications it has for communal
harmony and public peace — how exactly the Union Government handles the
evolving situation will determine its commitment to the rule of law.
- SC rejects Centre's plea to lift ban on religious activities
By J. Venkatesan, The Hindu, April 1, 2003
NEW DELHI March 31. The Supreme Court today dealt a severe blow to the Centre's efforts to hand over the 67.703 acres of "undisputed land" to a
trust or an organisation for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, by
ordering that the "status quo" should be maintained till adjudication of
the title suits by the Allahabad High Court.
More - Archive (March, 2003)
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