India will stay secular: PM tells Staines widow

Agencies
Published on Mon, Dec 31, 2007 at 14:23, Updated at Mon, Dec 31, 2007 in Nation section
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday assured Gladys Staines, widow of Australian missionary Graham Staines who was murdered in Orissa nine years ago, that his government would take steps to ensure that the secular fabric of the country was not disturbed.
"I assure you that the government will take all necessary steps to safeguard the fundamental rights and liberties of all sections of our society and protect their religious freedoms as enshrined in the constitution,” Singh said while replying to Staines' letter expressing concern over the increasing communal violence in Orissa’s Kandhamal district.
"Please be assured that we will not tolerate any efforts aimed at disturbing the communal harmony or secular fabric of our country," Singh said in the letter.
Gladys Staines has stayed on in the state even after the brutal killing of her husband and two sons who were burnt alive while sleeping in their jeep in Keonjhar district on Jan 23, 1999.
Singh said he had spoken to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about the situation in the state and assured Staines that the central government was taking steps to ensure "restoration of normalcy" and peace to the affected areas.
Kandhamal district has been tense since Christmas Eve with Hindus and Christians clashing repeatedly. At least five people have died and hundreds of houses torched in the last few days.
Christian groups staged a demonstration in Bhubaneswar on Monday to press for their demand that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe the violence in Kandhamal.
A group of Christian leaders met Singh on Monday and demanded compensation for loss of life and property, a government statement on what measures are being taken for the safety of Christians and the PM to publicly condemn the violence.
“In riots everyone is a looser. All the leaders should sit and find permanent solution to the problem. We are not serving there (in Kandhamal) to convert people into Christianity. Many Hindu organizations like ISKCON do good work abroad, do we say that they are converting—no,” said Sajan K. George, president of Global council of Indian Christians, told CNN-IBN.
The Orissa government has announced it will give Rs 1 lakh as compensation to relatives of people who died in the violence. Houses will be given under Indira Awas Yojana to those whose properties were burnt.


Conversions implicitly mean the abandonment of one religion to take to another. Religions that teach theirs is the only true one sow the seeds of religious conflict. Only religions that teach there are many ways to God can effect a culture of religious coexistence and India, as a nation, is the prime example of a culture affording the practice of various religions without conflict. The only historical record of the tearing of this social fabric of religious harmony is the conversion activities of Semitic religions that proclaim that theirs is the only true religion. Such religions must be banned in India.

Al-Qaeda plot to assassinate Musharraf foiled

Karachi, Dec 13:

Pakistani intelligence agencies have foiled a plot to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf by arresting some members of al Qaeda from Karachi’s Malir area, and seizing a large amount of ammunition from their possession, sources have said. Sources said that al Qaeda members told interrogators that they were plotting to kill Musharraf during his next trip to Karachi. The terrorists had planned to blow up the entire bridge on Drig Road at the precise moment when Musharraf’s convoy would reach there while coming from the airport to Shahrah-e-Faisal, a website quoted sources, as saying. They further said that two more attacks were planned in case Musharraf survived the first one. The arrested al Qaeda members told interrogators that their plans would be carried out despite their arrest as the group had been divided into smaller groups to execute their tasks. Earlier, in July a rocket was fired on Musharraf`s plane when it was flying above Rawalpindi and the President survived the attack narrowly. Islamic fundamentalists had reportedly threatened Musharraf with suicide bombings after he ordered a crack down on the Lal Masjid in Islamabad. Till now there has been four unsuccessful attempts on his life. He was first attacked in 2003, but somehow he survived the bomb attack on his car. Bureau Report
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It is ironic that Pakistan, which was formed in the name of Islam, is again sought to be recreated by terrorists in the name of Islam. - K.Venugopal

Sonia`s remark meant for entire Gujarat machinery: Congress

Zeenews Bureau New Delhi, December 11:

Responding to EC’s notice over Sonia Gandhi’s “Merchants of Death” remark, Congress on Tuesday clarified that her remark was actually meant for the entire government machinery and not individual specific. The party added that the UPA chairperson had not said “anything” objectionable during her election rallies in Gujarat. The Congress president made the controversial remark during her speech at a rally in Navasari district on December 01. The EC had acted after the BJP accused the commission of going soft on the Congress when it had taken serious note of Modi’s utterings on Sohrabuddin’s fake encounter case. Besides Sonia, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh also responded to the Election Commission’s (EC) notice sent to him over his “Hindu terrorism” remark. Defending himself, Singh said that he did not mention “Hindu terrorism” and all the allegations against him are baseless. Singh also sought more evidence and CDs from the Election Commission to prove allegations that he violated the moral code of conduct. Congress had been flip-flopping on the "merchants of death" controversy so far and the top brass of the party on Monday suggested that Sonia Gandhi did not name Modi but had the entire state administration including the Chief Minister in mind when she made those remarks. Earlier, defending Sonia Gandhi and Singh, the Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the AICC president had not mentioned any individual at all. Singhvi made it clear that the Congress party would not deviate from its stand while adding that there was no need to overreact to the issue. The party made it clear that Sonia Gandhi’s statement was not meant to undermine any one or settle any political score with any individual. The party added that Sonia’s speech was a reflection of the voices of those being suppressed and harassed by the fundamentalists and was a harsh comment on the pathetic political situation of the state. The Congress’ expected reply to the EC coincides with the first phase of the state Assembly elections in Gujarat, which began today amid tight security. The political wrangling between the incumbent BJP and the Congress party continues, as the former had attacked the latter for failing to protect the Hindu nationalism where as the other seems to be going hard on the Modi’s Hindutva card and fake killings in the state. The fuss over Sonia’s remarks started after Modi received a notice from the Election Commission for justifying the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a fake encounter.
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Sonia Gandhi may have made a case out if she had called only Modi a Merchant of Death. But calling an entire government machinery Merchants of Death is not going to be condoned by any educated person. She is going to get her comeuppance on this one. - K.Venugopal

Merchant of Death

Zeenews Bureau New Delhi, Dec 08: On BJP’s complaint, the Election Commission on Saturday sought a report from Congress over Sonia Gandhi’s alleged remarks referring to Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a “merchant of death" at a rally in Navasari district, Gujarat on December 01. Earlier, BJP had complained to EC over Sonia’s comments and Modi in his reply to EC’s notice also sought action against Sonia Gandhi and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh for using the term "Hindu Terrorism". Sonia had referred to the Gujarat CM as “maut key saudagar” (merchant of death) while referring to the communal riots of 2002, one the goriest in the country. There had been some confusion over Sonia’s remarks. Initially Kapil Sibbal had said that the comment was targetted at Gujarat government functionaries and the like of DIG(Border) D G Vanzara, accused in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. But today Congress disowned his statement and Abhishek Manu Singhvi reiterated that those remarks were targetted at Narendra Modi himself. Modi, as a counter, took credit for the killing of Sohrabuddin challenging the Central government to hang him if they felt it was unjustified. In a reply to a notice issued by Election Commission for his alleged comments, BJP stated that Modi was provoked by Sonia Gandhi. However, they added that all comments attributed by the media to Modi were not true.
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The Congress appears to be on the side of terrorists, whether Afzal Guru or Shorabuddin. - K.Venugopal

Buddha questions the existence of Ram, says Setu natural

Zeenews BureauKolkata, Dec 07:

Adding fuel to the fire over the contentious Ram Setu issue, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that there is no historical evidence of the existence of Lord Ram or Ram Setu. In a recent public function held in Kolkata on early Friday, to mark the 15th anniversary of Babri demolition, the Buddhadeb said, "Ram is the imagination of a poet. What is the Ram Setu controversy about? Why are they agitating over Ram Setu? Ram Setu is a natural formation in the sea. They are just trying to create a religious hysteria.” In his speech, the West Bengal CM blamed the BJP saying that it was using Ram Setu as tool to bring divisions in the society as a whole. Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK patriarch, M Karunanidhi had questioned the existence of Lord Ram, which was followed by massive protests across India with mobs resorting to arson and even attacking his house in Bangalore. Ram Setu or Adam’s bridge is a chain of limestone shoals forming a link between Sri Lanka and India. The setu, which holds a sacred place in the heart of many Hindus, finds evidence in the ancient texts of Ramayana, which mentions that, Lord Ram and his army of monkeys built the setu to rescue Sita, who was abducted by King of Lanka, Ravana. The dredging of Ram Setu came into light when the Indian government gave its nod to the multi-million dollar Sethusamudram project, which requires breaking a portion of Ram Setu to make the routes navigable for ships around the Indian peninsula. Many organisations have stepped up the attack on the government over the breaking of the Setu citing religious and environmental grounds.
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Buddhadeb would not question the existence of Karl Marx, because he lived only a little more than 100 years ago. But so fast has Communism become irrelevant except in a few pocket boroughs around the world that this leader of one such pocket borough is clearly uncomfortable with a Rama of many thousand years ago being still relevant to over a billion people worldwide. - K.Venugopal