Politics

Ahead of the Lord Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya on 22 January, the supreme spiritual leaders of Sanatan Hindu Dharma have made a public statement that they would not participate in the inauguration ceremony in Ayodhya, causing a big embarrassment for the ruling Hindutva forces. 

I attended the hearing on Thursday of South Africa’s case against Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice. I was able to sit in the public gallery and watch all the proceedings. I was, however, handicapped in reporting by the fact that we were not allowed pens or pencils (though we were allowed paper). I asked the Head of Security at the ICJ why pens were not allowed in the public gallery. He told me, with a perfectly straight face, that they could be used as a weapon. So bereft of my deadly ballpoint, this account is less detailed and more impressionistic than I would wish to give you.

Some key Hindu religious heads, including the Shankaracharyas, who have decided to stay away from the consecration have objected to the ceremony being advanced for electoral gain. Some others have asked whether they have been invited to just clap at an event where Modi would perform the religious rituals.

The latest report released the Human Rights Watch has criticised India’s government for not protecting the rights of minorities and has presented a detailed list of accounts from issues concerning press freedom, sexual abuse, and the ethnic conflict in Manipur.

On January 10, 2024, the ‘grand old party’, the Congress, finally declined to attend the inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya on January 22, stating the blatant politicisation of religion and state behind the event as its reason, in its rather belated and vacillating response. Now, with the BJP attacking this move, the Congress has gone all out to counter the BJP’s ‘anti-Hindu’ slur

Increasing cold weather conditions have led to many vulnerable people remaining indoors as far as possible in Delhi. The pollution of the city mixed with fog and cold weather has also prompted those having vulnerable health conditions to avoid going out particularly in night and early morning.

In two well-coordinated programmes, prime minister Narendra Modi and union minister for minorities (also Women and Child Welfare) continents apart, on January 8 and January 9, led two programmes with all the optics in place, to show case their empathy with Muslims, at least, internationally

'Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain,' read a statement from senior party leader Jairam Ramesh.

Even as the Gujarat government is all set to launch another edition of its high-profile Vibrant Gujarat world business meet (January 10-12), a top state document has gone out of the way to admit one of the severest issues which the state badly needs to urgently tackle: “pollution control, especially industrial and urban pollution”.

On December 25th, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited many...