New
Delhi: Still reeling from the impact of the arrest of
its senior pontiff, Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati, the
Kanchi Mutt has asked Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil
to provide Central protection to his likely successor, Acharya
Vijayendra Saraswati. The mutt has also in its first reaction
to the seer's arrest said that Tamil Nadu police personnel
had forcibly taken him away.
Elsewhere, saffron outfits throughout the country have decided
to carry on their protest against the arrest. While the
VHP had called a protest demonstration in Chennai today,
the VHP-led Hindu Aikya Vedi called for a dawn-to-dusk strike
in Kerala. The VHP and the Bajrang Dal have staged dharnas,
sit-ins and processions in Kanpur and Bhopal. The VHP has
said that if the Sankaracharya is not granted bail by Tuesday,
religious leaders and saints would hold demonstrations before
Parliament House in the Capital. The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara
Parishad has also threatened to launch a countrywide movement
from Tuesday.
Joshi
to meet Sankaracharya on Tuesday (Go
To Top)
Chennai:
Tamil Nadu government has granted permission to senior
BJP leader and former Human Resources Development Minister
Dr Murli Manohar Joshi to meet the Kanchi Sankaracharya,
Jayendra Saraswati, at the Vellore jail on Tuesday. Joshi,
who will be accompanied by BJP national secretary L Ganesan
during his meeting with the pontiff, said that he had hoped
to get the permission on Monday, but the government said
that the day being a holiday, he could be permitted to meet
Sankaracharya on Tuesday. "I came here with the belief that
I, being a Member of Parliament, will be able to meet His
Holiness. There are rules but exceptions are also there.
But according to the rule, on a holiday nobody could meet",
he said.
Rightists
protest, Dalits hail Sankaracharya's arrest (Go
To Top)
Amritsar/
Bangalore/ Dehradun: The protests and demonstrations
against the arrest of Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati
continued today. While many rightist organisations came
out in the open in the seer's support, Dalits in Bangalore
hailed the arrest saying that no concession should be extended
and no undue favours should be shown to him. In Amritsar,
the state wing of the Shiv Sena set ablaze the effigy of
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and DMK chief and Tamil
Nadu Opposition leader M. Karunanidhi in protest against
the seer's arrest. They demanded immediate release of the
seer. SS district president Baldev Bhardwaj alleged that
the Centre had committed a "blunder" by arresting the Sankracharya
which, he said, "wouldn't be tolerated".
He
added that his party would continue its agitation in Sankracharya's
support till he was released. He also issued a warning that
they would go up to any extent to safeguard the Hindus'
pride. In Dehradun, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar
had to face the brunt. Youths belonging to various rightist
organisations, including the RSS, showed black flags to
the Union minister and shouted slogans against him apparently
holding him responsible for the seer's arrest. The police
had a tough time to shoo away the agitated protesters. Aiyar
had come to Dehradun to visit ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas
Commission) headquarters. Notably, Aiyar belongs to Tamil
Nadu where one of Shankaracharya's mutts is located. And,
incidentally, the Tamil Nadu police only had arrested the
seer from Andhra Pradesh last week. Meanwhile, in Bangalore
the Dalits hailed the Tamil Nadu government and its police's
action in arresting him. They urged the Jayalalitha government
not to extend any special concession to the seer. At a meeting
held here, the Dalit activists and intellectuals decided
to urge the concerned state government not to show any concession
and abide by the law of the land.
VHP
takes to streets in Kerala (Go
To Top)
Thiruvananthapuram:
The VHP-led Hindu Akiya Vedi took the streets in Thiruvanantapuram
on Monday to protest the arrest and confinement of Acharya
Jayendra Saraswati, the Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Mutt,
in the Central Jail at Vellore. Police had to resort to
a mild baton charge and even resorted to the arrest of some
VHP activists. While shops remained shut throughout the
day, vehicles also remained off the road in anticipation
of possible violence. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation
(KSRTC) suspended all bus services except the bus service
to the Sabarimala Temple, as the Mandala pilgrimage season
begins from Tuesday. "This is a political conspiracy between
Tamil Nadu government and Sonia Gandhi. We are protesting
against the arrest of Kanchi Sankaracharya. We will continue
our protest all over India including Tamil Nadu and Kochi.
I think CPI is also involved in this conspiracy," said Sisupalan,
the VHP's Kerala chief.
NDA
calls for 'negotiated settlement' to Ayodhya row (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: Main Opposition alliance, the NDA, today called
for a negotiated settlement to resolve the disputed Ayodhya
temple-mosque row, a bone of contention between the Hindus
and the Muslims for long. The Alliance held a meeting in
New Delhi to discuss the coalition leader Bharatiya Janata
Party's (BJP) attempt to revive the Hindutva issue. "The
NDA believes that an early and amicable resolution of the
Ayodhya issue will promote national integration and strengthen
India socially as no other issue can. We continue to hold
that the judiciary's verdict in this matter must be accepted
by all," NDA Convenor and JD (U) leader George Fernandes
told reporters.
Muslims
celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: The month-long Ramadan fast came to an end on
Monday, with Muslims from all walks of life celebrating
Eid-ul-Fitr a day after the sighting of the new moon. Muslims
gathered in various pockets across the country to offer
their prayers at various mosques, exchange greetings and
embraces with fellow bretheren on the successful conclusion
of the fasting month of Ramadan that began on October 15.
Sweets were also exchanged or delivered on the occasion.
On Sunday, various Indian leaders like President A.P.J.Abdul
Kalam, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairman Sonia Gandhi extended
their greetings and warm wishes to Muslims across the country
on the eve of Eid, calling for greater communal harmony,
peace and stability to ensure socio-economic well-being
and prosperity. Earlier, the new moon was expected to have
been sighted on Saturday evening and Eid-ul-Fitr to be celebrated
on Sunday.
