India, France to intensify defence relations as Embarrassing his own government – both at the Centre and the state – a senior Congress minister in the Omar Abdullah Cabinet has advocated Azadi for the Valley.Sarkozy backs UNSC bid, India-France ink n-deals!
BJP seeks action on WikiLeaks report on Modi
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data has exposed the double standards of some telecom companies. Data indicates that several telecom companies have been inflating their subscribers in the books.
Chromite mines in Orissa, Kar critical to US interest:US cable
France to set up first two of 6 nuke reactors in Maharashtra
Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, chapter 570
Palash Biswas
http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/
http://basantipurtimes.blogspot.com/
Photos of me at CST were morphed: Kasab
Kasab claimed photos showing him at CST and Cama Hospital during 26/11 attacks were morphed. MoreIndia, France sign $9.3 bn nuclear deal
India and France signed a multi-billion dollar agreement on Monday to build two nuclear power plants in India as French President Nicolas Sarkozy worked to drum up business for his nation during his four-day visit.
Other Top Stories
- At Sikri, Bruni prayer: A son
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- New rules: How to end nuisance calls on mobiles
- Security alert across India on Babri demolition anniversary
- After 26/11, LeT target was Modi
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Babri Mosque - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Babri Masjid, was a mosque in Ayodhya, a city in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh, on Ramkot Hill ("Rama's fort"). It was destroyed in 1992 when a political rally ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babari_Mosque · Cached page
Babari videos - by Video Site
Tags: destruction of babri masjid mosque advani BJP janta dal RSS Shiv ...
www.dvbs.eu.org/Babari · Cached page
Babari mosque graphics pictures as on 02 Dec 2010 page 1 ...
Babari mosque related syndicatable graphics pictures as on 02 Dec 2010 page 1 exclusive Content from Times Syndication Service part of The Times of India Group
timescontent.com/tss/showcase/related/photos/c2/Babari_mosque/1/r/Babari-mosque.html ·Cached page
Ram Janmabhoomi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Accordingly, even as they cleared up Mathura, Bindraban, etc., from the rubbish of non-Islamic practices, the Babari mosque was built up in 923(?)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Janmabhoomi · Cached page
Babri Masjid Demolition Anniversary : The Muslim Observer
Blaming BJP for communally exploiting the crisis to reap electoral gains from the demolition, he said: "Babari Mosque demolition is a turning point and the Sangh Parivar is still ...
muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=1586 · Cached page
Welcome To Ayodhya.com
That the Babari mosque was also called 'masjid-i Janmasthan' and 'masjid-i Sîta kî Rasoî' from long before 1855. 5. That the Hindus had long been carrying on worship at the ...
www.ayodhya.com/ayotemplet.jsp?sno=52&E52=1 · Cached page
babari masjid : The Muslim Observer
"Muslims must not forget that Kalyan Singh was the very person during whose chief ministershipBabari mosque was demolished. Besides, although he has resigned from the BJP he has ...
muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?tag=babari-masjid · Cached page
The Hindu : Metro Plus Delhi / Down Memory Lane : Another Babari ...
Another Babari Mosque in distress
www.hindu.com/mp/2004/10/11/stories/2004101100400200.htm · Cached page
Rama-Janmabhumi Temple Muslim Testimony
Well, granting for the nonce that the Babari mosque cannot be shown to have displaced a temple, there are certain other mosques which can indisputably be shown to have done so.
www.voi.org/books/htemples1/ch9.htm · Cached page
Babari verdict: Uttar Pradesh seeks Central support
"While it is most unlikely that anyone would be able to take the issue to the hype it got in December 1992, when violent Hindu karsewaks stormed and pulled down the Babari Mosque in ...
www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=339891&catid=36 · Cached page
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy Monday backed India's bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council and also called upon Pakistan to fight terrorism even as India and France signed seven deals, most of them for setting up two nuclear plants.'It (UNSC seat) is not just an important matter for India but for the equilibrium of the world,' Sarkozy said in his opening remarks at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the two held talks at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
India's Supreme Court has sought an explanation from the federal vigilance commissioner on why his recent appointment should not be cancelled. As Embarrassing his own government - both at the Centre and the state - a senior Congress minister in the Omar Abdullah Cabinet has advocated 'azadi' for the Valley. Meanwhile,The UPA Government and the Congress party are reportedly veering around to allowing a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe in to the 2G spectrum scam. While the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data has exposed the double standards of some telecom companies. Data indicates that several telecom companies have been inflating their subscribers in the books.
Embarrassing his own government – both at the Centre and the state – a senior Congress minister in the Omar Abdullah Cabinet has advocated 'azadi' for the Valley.
Freeing Kashmir would free a major chunk of central funds that are sent for the state's development, which ultimately end up in the Valley, State Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma said yesterday at a public rally in Bani, nearly 200 kilometres from Jammu.
Sharma urged the Centre to divide the three regions of the state – give 'azadi' to Kashmir, make Jammu a separate state and give the Union Territory status to Ladakh.
Sharma said: "If Kashmiris want 'azadi', give it to them."
Other party leaders, including state president and MP Saifuddin Soz, could be seen squirming on the dais.
Sharma went on: "While there are voices for 'azadi' in Kashmir, people in Jammu and Ladakh complain of discrimination in all spheres."
Expressing concern over a WikiLeaks report that Lashkar-e-Toiba had planned to assassinate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, BJP today accused the US of "inaction on the issue" and wanted to know how the government intends to handle it.
"It is a matter of serious concern. He (Modi) is the target of both - those who call themselves secular in this country and also from Pakistan agencies," BJP leader Balbir Punj told reporters outside Parliament.
According to Information coming out of a secret State Department cable dated June 19, 2009, Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba had planned to assassinate Modi.
"The US should have convened it (information) to India. There was total inaction on the part of the US even after having the information," he charged.
Seeking a response from the government over the issue Punj said, "Government has not taken any tangible steps even after this has come to light. We will like to know from the Prime Minister that how we intend to take up the issue with the USA.
India and France today agreed to intensify their cooperation in the defence sector, particularly in the field of anti-piracy and maritime security and expected to finalise soon a deal for upgrading IAF's Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft.
'After its two-year term, are we going to ask India to simply to stand down?' he asked, referring to India becoming a non-permanent member of the Security Council from Jan 1, 2011.
He reiterated that it was unfair that a country of one billion should be kept out of the UNSC high table. 'India's claim should be rightly as permanent member.'
Calling upon Pakistan to fight terrorism with determination, he appreciated India's efforts to 'stretch out its hand' towards its South Asian neighbour.
'We applaud India's effort to stretch out its hand. We call upon Pakistan to fight terrorism determinedly,' Sarkozy said in reply to a query on counter-terrorism cooperation.
Manmohan Singh thanked France for being a 'consistent advocate' of India's candidature for a permanent Security Council seat.
'France has been a consistent advocate of India's permanent membership of the Security Council. It has also been an active supporter of India in other international forums, for which we are grateful,' he said.
Civil nuclear power was the major theme of the seven bilateral deals signed after delegation-level talks, which included a general framework and early works agreement between India's Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd and France's Areva for setting up two nuclear power plants at Jaitpur, Maharashtra.
Manmohan Singh noted that there were some 'technical matters, such as related to price', which were still 'subject to negotiation'.
Two agreements were signed for joint film production, as well as for cooperation between the national space agencies in the sector of earth sciences and climate change.
The Indian leader said both nations had reasserted their determination to achieve the 'trade target of 12 billion Euros by 2012'.
'We value the role being played by the India-France CEOs Forum. We will examine their recommendations on increasing investments in the energy, water and infrastructure sectors, establishment of joint ventures in third countries, and enhancing collaboration in areas of R&D and higher education,' Manmohan Singh said.
Sarkozy pointed out that France, as the new chairman of G-20 group of nations, wanted to make joint proposals with India on the regulation of commodity prices and food security.
Sarkozy pointed out that France had stood 'shoulder-to-shoulder' with India in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which two French officials were among the 166 victims. 'Our cooperation on counter-terrorism is without limits.'
He said he appreciated Manmohan Singh's effort to reach out to Pakistan, despite the Indian public opinion being 'deeply shocked and traumatised' by the terror savagery.
Sarkozy said in the 21st century, the only way to ensure peace and security was to 'develop together and not against another', making a reference to the European Union, where former foes now work together.
The president said both France and India have the 'same reading on Afghanistan'.
Sarkozy is on a four-day visit to India that ends Tuesday.
"The two States agree to continue and intensify their cooperation on counter-piracy and maritime security. France and India recognise the need for an intensified cooperation in combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden and other areas," said a joint statement issued after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in New Delhi.
It said the two countries welcomed efforts and future prospects for joint programmes in defence industry, which would include joint research and development and transfer of technology and as a first step, they "expect to launch soon the Short Range Surface to Air Missile and Kaveri (aircraft engine) programmes.
"Discussions concerning the upgrading of Mirage-2000 aircraft are expected to be finalised soon," the statement said.
France already has a naval force deployed in the Gulf of Aden to fight the sea brigands from Somalia who had in the recent years adversely impacted movement of merchant vessels in one of the busiest sea lanes for commerce.
India, too, joined the anti-piracy patrols in October 2008 and have so far escorted about 1,300 vessels in the Gulf of Aden to safety apart from warding off about two dozen pirate attacks on cargo ships.
"France is one of India's most important and reliable defence partners. We deeply appreciate France's willingness to supply us advanced defence technologies in a way that contributes to the modernisation of our own defence industry. Singh said in his opening remarks at a joint press conference with Sarkozy after their talks here.
The joint statement also said the two countries "reaffirm their common interest" in continuing their defence relationship "which is an important pillar of their strategic partnership and reflects their common determination to work for global peace and security."
It also welcomed the ongoing exercises between their navies and Air Forces and spoke of their interest in extending the cooperation through joint exercises to their two armies soon.
At the centre of the estimated Rs9,640 crore upgrade programme for 50-odd Mirage-2000 fighter jets in the IAF fleet is the plan for advanced multimode pulse doppler radar and fire-and-forget missiles, to be executed by French companies D'Assault and Thales along with Indian DPSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The IAF currently operates two squadrons of Mirage-2000s and the upgrade programme will enable the aircraft to perform a given mission effectively due to greater fuel and weapon-delivery capacities.
The project will involve providing the aircraft, which IAF inducted first in mid-1980s, a fly-by-wire digital cockpit and an enhanced weapons-carrying capability.
Under the programme, the French companies would deliver the first two upgraded aircraft within 40 months of the contract being finalised and at the same time, HAL would upgrade another two aircraft. Later, the Indian DPSU would take charge of the programme for the rest of the Mirage-2000 fleet within India.
India and France have also decided to co-develop the SRSAM missile under an agreement between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and French missile manufacturer MBDA.
The missile is being developed to provide Indian armed forces better air defence capabilities to protect its vital installations.
While India and France initiated the project in 2007, the missile project, tentatively named 'Maitri', took over three years to finalise. The next generation air defence missile, which will be inducted by the Army, Navy and Air Force, could also be made available for export.
The Kaveri engine, being codeveloped by the two countries, is for India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) or 'Tejas' for which HAL has partnered with French Snecma.
Chromite mines in Orissa, Kar critical to US interest:US cable
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Washington, Dec 6 (PTI) Two little known chromite mines in Orissaand Karnataka, besides a factory in Gujarat that manufactures critical chemotherapy drugs are among global "key infrastructures" which could pose a danger to America�s national security if they come under terrorist attack, a secret US cable released by WikiLeaks has revealed.
The classified State Department cable dated February 18, 2009 asks its diplomatic posts to update a secret list of key infrastructures across the globe which are vital of America''s national security interests and needs to be protected from any terrorist attacks.
The secret list includes only three infrastructure projects from India. "Orissa (chromite mines) and Karnataka (chromite mines) Generamedix Gujurat: Chemotherapy agents, including florouracil and methotrexate," the cable said.
"Loss" of these infrastructures in foreign countries "could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States," it underlined.
The highly secretive American list, which has now appeared in the public domain, include undersea cables, key communications, ports, mineral resources and firms of strategic importance in countries from the Uk to New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East andChina.
A Siemens factory in Germany does "essentially irreplaceable production of key chemicals" while a Canadian hydroelectric plant is termed as a "critical irreplaceable source of power to portions of Northeast US.
It also included European manufacturers of vaccines for smallpox and rabies, an Italian maker of treatment for snake-bite venom, and a German company making treatment for plutonium poisoning.
"Critical infrastructure" is defined as systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States the incapacitation or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters," according to cable leaked by the whistle-blower website.
The newly released diplomatic cable is one of the most explosive yet out of many leaked by the website that have heaped embarrassment on Washington and caused anger around the world.
The US, which has charged Wikileaks of indulging in a criminal act by stealing and releasing these cables, has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of these documents.
Tata Steel says Riversdale Mining stake strategic for it
Global steel major Tata Steel today said it views Africa-focused Riversdale Mining as a strategic investment.
The statement comes in the wake of global miner Rio Tinto''s USD 3.5 billion bid for possible acquision of Riversdale, in which Tata Steel has significant about 24 per cent stake.
"Tata Steel views Riversdale Mining as a valuable strategic investment and continues to be interested in developing the tenements of the company," the steel maker said in a statement.
Tata Steel will continue to monitor the situation and will take appropriate action as deemed necessary, it said, adding that the company has taken note of media speculation regarding Riversdale Mining and the subsequent release.
Riversdale Mining in a statement today said, "The company has had discussions with Rio Tinto concerning a possible transaction at the corporate level for indicative consideration of USD 15.00 per Riversdale share."
Riversdale further said, "While discussions with Rio Tinto are ongoing, there is no certainty that Rio Tinto or any other party will proceed with any proposal for the acquisition of Riversdale or, if it does, the timing of such a proposal or the terms and conditions on which any such proposal will be made."
Riversdale''s statment followed media reports concerning a possible takeover bid by Rio Tinto for the company.
Shares of Tata Steel surged as much as 3.38 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange and witnessed a day''s high of Rs 639.70, up from its previous close of Rs 614.20.
SC sets aside telecom tribunal order on spectrum charges
The Supreme Court today set aside an order of telecom tribunal TDSAT, directing the Department of Telecom to charge CDMA mobile operators for spectrum from the day radio waves were allotted to them, and not from the time when licences were issued.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia set aside the TDSAT order and directed it to decide the issue afresh.
"We set aside the order passed by the tribunal. We direct TDSAT decide it de novo," said the bench, asking the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal to decide the matter expeditiously.
DoT has challenged the TDSAT order in the apex court.
Earlier, the court had issued notices to Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and the CDMA lobby group Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI).
The dispute centres on whether the royalty for microwave spectrum should be levied from the date of earmarking it for operators or the date of the license fee.
On February 5, 2009, TDSAT held that spectrum charges would be collected by DoT from CDMA players from the date of issue of microwave spectrum.
It said that if the spectrum was allotted to operators in the first half of a quarter, they would have to pay the license fee for the entire quarter. However, if it was alloted in the second half of the quarter, then the liability was to be on pro rata basis.
DoT submitted that according to its licence agreement with the operators, they have to pay royalty in accordance with various factors such as frequency, hop and link length, area of operation and so on.
It said that for efficient and optimal use of spectrum, the government had decided to levy spectrum charges from the date of earmarking of the frequency.
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Dec 6 like any other day in Ayodhya
Mangalorean.com - 2 hours ago... the heavy presence of policemen on the roads in the temple town of Ayodhya that hinted Monday was the 18th anniversary of the Babri Mosque's demolition. ...Ayodhya peaceful; Muslims, Hindus vow to build mosque, temple - Daily News & Analysis
Indian police on alert on 18th anniversary of Babri mosque demolition -People's Daily Online
Ayodhya: The justified injustice - Zee News
Business Recorder - Hindustan Times
all 80 news articles »
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Babri panel appeals for peace on Dec. 6
The Hindu - 3 days agoPTI Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) today appealed to members of Muslim ... on the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque on December 6. ...Muslims in Uttar Pradesh to observe December 6 as black day - Daily News & Analysis
all 6 news articles »
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New Delhi Lok Sabha adjourns for the day over JPC demand
Hindustan Times - 8 hours agoShafiq-ur-Rehman Barq (BSP) was seen raising slogans demanding action against those involved in the demolition of the Babri mosque on this day in 1992. ...Lok Sabha adjourned for 17th day over panel demand - Economic Times
all 36 news articles »
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Checking at Ald junction
Times of India - 21 hours agoALLAHABAD: In wake of the Babri mosque demolition anniversary on December 6, the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police carried out a ... -
Storm over JPC demand threatens to wash out Parliament session
The Hindu - 7 hours agoThey were countered by Congress members who protested the demolition of Babri mosqueon this day in 1992. Shafiq-ur Rehman Barq (BSP) was seen raising ... -
Your Honour! Justice must be Blind, Not Deaf and Dumb...
Radiance Viewsweekly - Suhail Kk - 24 Nov 2010
It was in this meeting, LK Advani and Vinay Katiyar in the presence of the applicant, conspired to demolish the Babri mosque and discussed the details and ...Does the Verdict Legitimise Masjid Demolition? - Radiance Viewsweekly
The Jamaat Chief Speaks Out - Radiance Viewsweekly
all 3 news articles » -
India Digest:India to Look for Scam Cash Trail in 15 Nations
Wall Street Journal (blog) - 12 hours ago
(Source: Mint) Maoists Demand Mosque at Babri Site: The CPI (Maoist) has given a call to observe Monday, December 6 — when the Babri Masjid was demolished ... -
Food items should be exempted from RGST sphere: Zaidi
Associated Press of Pakistan - 7 hours ago
... of India (Maoists) joined Indian Muslims in observing the anniversary of the destruction of 500-year old Babri Mosque on Monday (Dec 6) as a black day. ... -
Swami held in Mewat Gurukul blast case
Indian Express - 3 days agoHe told the police that the bomb was given to him by a former Gurukul teacher, Swami Amranand, for protection after the Babri mosque demolition in 1993. ... -
Saffron Terror
Radiance Viewsweekly - Mohammad Yacoob - 21 Nov 2010
The Sadhvi has been importing racism and hate to the United States of America after thedemolition of the Babri-Masjid Mosque and brainwashing decent Hindus ...
Stay up to date on these results:
France to set up first two of 6 nuke reactors in Maharashtra
New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) France today became the first country to sign agreements to set up nuclear reactors in India, two years after the country''s nuclear isolation prompted by Pokhran tests in 1998 ended.Five path-breaking agreements to establish first two of the six reactors in Jaitapur in Maharashtra at a cost of approx USD 25 billion were inked in the presence of visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who paved the way for that during their talks over dinner yesterday.
Besides, a General Framework Agreement for building the European Pressure Reactors, signed between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and French company Areva, the two sides also inked pacts for Early Works Agreement for implementation of EPR units at Jaitapur and confidentiality and Intellectual Property Rights.
However, operationalisation of the agreement will take some time as negotiations on technical issues like pricing are still underway.
"The framework agreement has been signed between Areva and NPCIL. There are issues with regard to other technical matters including pricing. These are subject matter of negotiations," Singh told reporters at a joint press conference with Sarkozy.
Following India�s enactment of a civil nuclear liability legislation, both countries stand ready to further exchange views on this issue so as to ensure the appropriate framework for the sound development of their cooperation, a joint statement, issued after the meeting, said.
Noting the innovative, broad-based and dynamic nature of their partnership in the field of civil nuclear energy cooperation, France and India welcome the progress towards further strengthening cooperation between the two countries including in research and development and in setting up joint nuclear power projects, it said.
India and France also signed two agreements--one pertaining to co-production of films and other in the field of Earth System Sciences and Climate cooperation.
Singh and Sarkozy also decided to work for doubling bilateral trade to 12 billion Euros by 2012, much of which is expected to be propelled by enhanced cooperation in the fields of civil nuclear energy and civil aviation.
Singh and Sarkozy held extensive talks on a host of issues like enhancement of bilateral ties in a wide range of areas such as defence, counter-terrorism, space, science and technology besides discussing the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Showman v/s the Tellman
By Suma Nagaraj — Sun, Dec 5, 2010 7:19 AM PST
Adding to the miserable run of A-list starrers that failed at the box office this year are Bhansali's Guzaarish and Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey. Is it time for the two of them to make a movie together to hush up their critics? Read More»2010: India's Year of Scandals
By Ramakrishna S R — Thu, Dec 2, 2010 9:38 PM PST
This was clearly the year of scandals for India. It was also the year of leaks (and not just WikiLeaks). How did scandal after scandal spill out this year? Perhaps something happened somewhere that emboldened whistle-blowers. Read More»Why Rajini is the Boss
By Padma Swaminathan — Thu, Dec 2, 2010 8:09 PM PST
After many superstars refused to star in 'Robot', as he's fondly called down south, namma thalaivar Rajinikanth agreed to star in this ambitious bilingual project, clearly cementing his position as The Boss of Indian cinema. Read More»Previous
http://in.yearinreview.yahoo.com/
National News
Bengal wants CBI to take over Madan Tamang murder probe
PTI - 08:35 PMKolkata, Dec 6 (PTI) The West Bengal government wants to hand over the probe into the murder of All India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang to CBI in view of the failure by state agencies to make any breakthrough in the case.
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- Is PCPA banned under Unlawful Activities Act, asks HC PTI - 08:19 PM
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Ayodhya disputeHarmony Centre to come up near disputed site
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BJP asks CongWhy silent on CWG, Adarsh scam: BJP to Cong
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PM on MalaysiaMalaysia can handle its ethnic issue, says PM
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Kalmadi jokesNow, a brand of Suresh Kalmadi SMS jokes
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Sonia on 26/11It's crystal clear who masterminded 26/11 attacks
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General
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Victim relates about killings of husband, others in 1984 riotsPTI - 08:17 PM
New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) A woman victim today related before a local court, which is trying senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and others, the sequence of events leading to killings of her husband and parents-in-law during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots but said she had not seen the rioters including Kumar.
BHEL to set up power plant in cityPTI - 08:14 PM
New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) Public sector engineering firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) will set up a 750 mw gas based power plant in the national capital.
Pak doing nothing to prosecute 26/11 masterminds: Home SecyPTI - 08:14 PM
New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) India today said Pakistan's move to take ahead the prosecution of masterminds of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks is nothing but a "facade" as it is doing nothing to pursue the people who were instructing the group of terrorists from the "control room" on that day.
222 trainees complete naval coursesPTI - 08:13 PM
Ezhimala, Dec 6 (PTI) A total of 222 trainees today successfully completed their naval academy and orientation courses at the Indian Naval Academy here.
Farmer commits suicidePTI - 08:10 PM
Sangrur (Punjab), Dec 6 (PTI) A farmer today committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance after allegedly being unable to pay mounting debts in Khiali village of Barnala district near here.
Politics
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Chavan meets over 50 delegations in three hoursIANS - 08:12 PM
Nagpur, Dec 6 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan set a record of sorts when he met more than 50 delegations in just three hours here Monday, an aide said.
Karnataka in poll mode againIANS - 08:09 PM
Bangalore, Dec 6 (IANS) Karnataka will hold elections to 30 district and 176 taluq councils Dec 26 and Dec 31, the third state-wide elections in less than three years.
Congress holds meeting on media strategyIANS - 07:58 PM
New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS) The Congress party Monday began a meeting of its panel of spokespersons and leaders authorised to participate in TV debates to decide on its media strategy in the wake of controversies dogging the government.
Mayawati opens Ambedkar statuesIANS - 07:36 PM
Lucknow, Dec 6 (IANS) Buoyed by the Supreme Court's green signal to her dream project, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Monday inaugurated her dream parks here - dedicated to B.R. Ambedkar.
Congress Minister in Kashmir cabinet suggests autonomy for Jammu and LadakhANI - 07:35 PM
Bani (Jammu and Kashmir), Dec.6 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Health, Horticulture and Floriculture Minister Sham Lal Sharma said on Monday that the state should be trifurcated for better development.
Features
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Polanski's "Ghost Writer" tops Europe film awardsReuters - Sun, Dec 5
French-Polish director Roman Polanski's political thriller "The Ghost Writer" swept the European Film Awards on Saturday, picking up six prizes including best movie, director, actor and screenplay.
Justin Bieber sweeps American Music AwardsReuters - Mon, Nov 22
Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber swept the American Music Awards on Sunday, overshadowing Eminem to take home four prizes, including artist of the year.
Britons want William, not Charles as next king - PollReuters - Sun, Nov 21
Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton should be Britain's next king and queen, not the heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, two polls showed on Saturday.
Book Talk: The secret of Pakistan's swish setReuters - Wed, Nov 17
When Maha Khan Phillips set out to write a novel as part of a creative writing programme, she didn't have to look much further than her native Pakistan for ideas.
Reformed addict vs octogenarian in Costa Book awardsReuters -Wed, Nov 17
A reformed heroin addict is up against an octogenarian in the poetry category in one of the more intriguing tussles for the Costa Book Awards.
Crime
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Execs in bribery probe granted bailReuters - Fri, Dec 3
All eight executives arrested in the bribes-for-loans investigation were granted bail on Friday, as a lawyer for the government said investigators would seek to rearrest three of them on other related charges.
Scandals, uncertainty dent India investment caseReuters - Wed, Dec 1
The number may be huge -- up to $39 billion lost in one of India's biggest corruption cases -- but the damage to India's position as an investment star may be in the regulatory backlash.
Govt vows telecom action; loan probe may widen - sourceReuters - Mon, Nov 29
The government vowed action against companies that allegedly secured valuable telecom licenses at rock-bottom prices, while investigators from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) built their case in a bribes-for-loans probe that a source said would be widened.
Govt to send 85 notices to telcos: SibalReuters -Mon, Nov 29
The government will send 85 notices to telecom operators questioning their licences, the new telecoms minister said on Monday, the latest move in a telecom corruption scam that has paralysed parliament.
Kapil Sibal: to send notices to same telcos named in CAG reportReuters - Mon, Nov 29
Notices questioning the validity of their licences will be sent to the same telecom operators that were named in a report by the government watchdog agency, the new telecoms minister said on Monday.
Business News
Arvind Ltd promotes CEO J Suresh to Managing Director
PTI - 08:35 PMMumbai, Dec 6 (PTI) Textiles maker Arvind Ltd today announced the induction of J Suresh into the board of directors of its units, Arvind Lifestyle Brands Ltd and Arvind Retail Ltd, as Managing Director.
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General
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India, France to cooperate in food processing sectorPTI - 08:11 PM
New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) India and France today agreed to cooperate in the field of food processing to take advantage of each others expertise in the sector.
Late sell-off halts initial bull run, NSE Nifty ends flatPTI - 08:07 PM
Mumbai, Dec 6 (PTI) The early gains were lost during the late session as the market encountered a sudden bout of selling in financial-space, leading the key index Nifty to end flat on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) today.
Volvo buys out JV partner Azad Group''s stakePTI - 08:02 PM
Bangalore, Dec 6 (PTI) Swedish bus maker Volvo Bus Corporation today announced the buyout of 30 per cent stake of its joint venture partner Azad Group in the Volvo Buses India Private Limited, increasing its stake from the existing 70 per cent to 100 per cent.
Indian, French agencies sign pacts to offer investor servicesPTI - 07:40 PM
New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) Indian and French investment promotion agencies have signed agreements under which they will provide advisory and 'hand-holding' services to businesses investing in each other's country.
Volvo announces buyout of Azad Group stake in its JVPTI -07:25 PM
Bangalore, Dec 6 (PTI) Volvo Bus India Private Limited today announced the buyout of its joint venture partner Azad Group's 30 per cent stake in the JV.
India
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Airlines told to publish date-wise air faresIANS - 08:07 PM
New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS) The airline industry Monday agreed to publish data-wise fares in all categories by Dec 8 on their websites following a directive from the aviation regulator.
Judges withdraw from Lavasa Lake City hearingIANS - 07:58 PM
Mumbai, Dec 6 (IANS) Two judges constituting a bench of the Bombay High Court Monday withdrew themselves from the hearing on the Lavasa Corporation Limited's plea challenging the union environment and forests ministry's decision to put a stop to its construction project near Pune.
Michelin to set up $1 billion tyre plant near ChennaiIANS - 07:58 PM
New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS) French tyre major Michelin will set up a manufacturing plant near Chennai with an estimated investment of over $1 billion, government and company officials said Monday.
Volvo Bus sees $1 bln revenue in India in 5 yearsReuters - 07:46 PM
Swedish bus maker Volvo Bus Corp expects to grow revenue to $1 billion at its India unit in the next five years as it prepares to make Bangalore a manufacturing and product development hub, a senior company executive said on Monday.
SBI to raise deposit rates from Dec 7Reuters -02:40 PM
State Bank of India , the country's top lender, said on Monday it will raise deposit rates by between 50 and 150 basis points for various maturities, with effect from Dec. 7.
International
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WikiLeaks strikes a blow at US global interestsIANS - 07:26 PM
Washington, Dec 6 (IANS) In its latest blow, WikiLeaks has released a secret list of infrastructure from British telecommunications facilities to chromite mines in India, whose loss or attack by terrorists could 'critically impact' US security.
A hotel where 5 kg gold is used yearly for decorationIANS - 05:34 PM
Abu Dhabi, Dec 6 (IANS) The two-day summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is being held at a hotel that cost $3 billion to build and where five kg of gold is used every year for decoration.
Bangladesh to probe charges against Grameen Bank founderIANS - 05:17 PM
Dhaka, Dec 6 (IANS) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government would investigate the alleged unauthorised fund transfer by Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus.
Russia reports $3.8 tln in suspect transfers - paperReuters - 03:29 PM
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OECD says Europe recovery not far off - paperReuters - 01:28 PM
An economic recovery in Europe is not that far off but risks remain and more steps are needed after a Europen Central Bank intervention last week calmed markets, the OECD's chief economist said in an interview published on Monday.
Personal-Finance
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Sensex up 145 points in morning tradeIANS - 09:40 AM
Mumbai, Dec 6 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities Monday was ruling 145 points higher in early trade.
Wall Street ends week up despite unemployment rate increaseIANS - Sat, Dec 4
New York, Dec 4 (DPA) US stocks produced gains Friday, ending the week in the black, despite an increase in the jobless rate that had pushed shares down earlier in the day.
US, South Korea reach tentative deal on free-trade agreementIANS - Sat, Dec 4
Washington, Dec 4 (DPA) The US and South Korea Friday reached a tentative deal on a long-stalled free-trade agreement, according to the top US trade official.
US unemployment climbs to 9.8 percentIANS - Sat, Dec 4
Washington, Dec 4 (DPA) The US unemployment rate climbed to 9.8 percent in November, the Labour Department reported Friday, sharply denting hopes that the labour market was beginning to recover after months of stagnation.
Four-day rally cut short, Sensex ends below 20,000 pointsIANS -Fri, Dec 3
Mumbai, Dec 3 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities market Friday ended on a lacklustre note as consolidation set in after four consecutive days of gains.
Markets
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Shipping Corp prices share sale at top end of rangeReuters - 08:01 PM
State-run Shipping Corp of India priced its follow-on share offering at 140 rupees a share, the top end of the indicative price range, Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan said on Monday.
Merkel rebuffs IMF call to raise euro zone fundReuters - 07:54 PM
Euro zone finance ministers meeting on Monday face IMF pressure to increase the size of a 750 billion euro ($1,006 billion) safety net for debt-stricken members to halt contagion in the single currency bloc.
EXCLUSIVE - EU exec plans 2012 clampdown on energy market abuseReuters - 07:11 PM
Europe's energy chief will this week reveal plans to clamp down from 2012 on potential market abuse by traders in gas and power markets, EU documents show.
Rio Tinto in talks on $3.5 bln bid for RiversdaleReuters - 09:01 AM
Global miner Rio Tinto has made a $3.5 billion bid approach for Africa-focused Riversdale Mining , sending the target firm's shares surging 13 percent and setting up a potential takeover battle.
OUTLOOK - India gold seen touching record highReuters - 06:29 PM
India gold futures are likely to extend gains for a third week to hit a record high helped by the overseas markets, where concerns over euro zone debt and the outlook for the U.S. economy stoked widespread risk aversion.
2002 riots: After SIT clean chit to Modi, ex-DGP says team ignored evidence
Thiruvananthapuram: Former Gujarat director general of police R B Sreekumar alleged on Monday that the Special Investigation Team probing the Gujarat riots has actually functioned as a 'B' team of the Gujarat police.
"None of the evidence provided by me have been considered by the SIT for reasons known to them," Sreekumar said at a meeting organised by the Press Club here.
The Supreme Court monitored SIT, headed by ex-CBI Chief R K Raghavan, has recently cleared Chief Minister Narendra Modi of any involvement in the post-Godhra riots.
Reacting to this, Sreekumar said the leaked information was indeed 'credible'.
"SIT did not follow procedures," Sreekumar said, adding, he was consulting lawyers on the possibility of approaching the Supreme Court on the matter again.
Sreekumar said 35 pages of evidence on what happened in Gujarat during the riots in 2002 was submitted to the SIT. But, it chose to ignore the evidence, he said.
"As per the law too, there was no provision to record the statements," he said.
He, however, said if justice was not delivered to the victims, the moderate Muslims would be the most unhappy.
"It was not proper to discredit the NGO run by social activist Teesta Setalvad who is fighting for riot victms," he said to a question.
Referring to the WekiLeaks recent exposure that the Lashkar-e-Toiba had planned to kill Modi, Sreekumar said: "Modi is a threatened person.:
"The threat of Let is very much there," said Sreekumar, who worked in various capacities in the Gujarat police force.
To a question on the popularity of Modi in Gujarat, he said Modi survived because of the caste wave and the "sub-nationalism of the Gujarat people".
Source: Agencies
06/12/2010
India, France sign multi-billion dollar nuclear power deal
New Delhi: India and France signed a multi-billion dollar agreement on Monday to build two nuclear power plants in India as French President Nicolas Sarkozy worked to drum up business for his nation during his four-day visit here.
Areva SA, one of France's main nuclear power companies, will build two European pressurized reactors of 1,650 megawatts each at Jaitapur in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
The agreement, valued at about $9.3 billion, was signed in the presence of Sarkozy and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The deal marked the first two of 20 nuclear reactors India wants to build to meet its soaring energy demand.
Foreign governments have been courting India to try to get a piece of that lucrative market, but there have been concerns that India's recently passed liability law might prove too onerous for international companies to risk entering the market here.
Indian officials assured France that their liability laws were in keeping with international standards and the security of nuclear operators was ensured, a French official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Sarkozy and Singh later met to discuss regional security, trade and investment.
The talks were also expected to touch on plans for the structural reform of the international monetary system through the Group of 20 countries, currently headed by France.
Sarkozy, who arrived on Saturday, is accompanied by his defense, foreign and finance ministers and nearly 60 business leaders.
No defense agreements are expected during the visit, but Sarkozy is likely to push for French companies to win contracts to supply military hardware.
French companies are negotiating to upgrade 51 Mirage-2000 jet fighters in the Indian air force. India is also in the market to buy 126 fighter jets, a deal worth $11 billion, and about 200 helicopters worth another $4 billion.
According to defense experts, India is expected to spend $80 billion between 2012 and 2022 to upgrade its military.
Sarkozy's visit also coincides with at least two important meetings with Indian business leaders. The French president is keen to attract Indian companies to invest in France, even as French companies are seeking a slice of India's booming economy.
Bilateral trade declined in 2009 due to global economic woes, but was on the upswing this year, said Vishnu Prakash, India's external affairs ministry spokesman. The two countries have set a trade target of 12 billion euros ($15.8 billion) for 2012.
Sarkozy is to visit Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital, before returning home on Tuesday.
Source: AP
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1-10 of 10
Vijay Singh06 December 2010 17:54:27
Please stop propaganda machinery Mr. Satchandra. India will gain nothing out of your posted comments. Stop playing Almighty Gods role and only saviour of India. India chosen right path and time and history will prove that decision taken by our present leaders have given right direction to our motherland.
Assault Arumugam
06 December 2010 17:13:03
@Satchandra you DUMMYPIECE
Russian light water reactors are being constructed in Koodankulam.
There is only one reactor coming up in Kalpakkam and it is a fully
indigenous venture - a Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor.It is the second stage
in the three stage program envisioned by Homi Bhabha.
Some expert you are !! As for your blog -
satchandra
06 December 2010 14:57:50
DEADLY TAMIL SCAM: LOOTING INDIA & SABOTAGING ITS DEFENCE-II:
I wrote on July 27, 2010:-
"I am India's expert in strategic defence and the father of India's strategic program, including the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. I have shown in my blog titled 'Nuclear Supremacy For India Over U.S.', which can be found by a Yahoo search with the title, that all terrorism and insurgencies in the Indian subcontinent and in much of the rest of the world is sponsored by the C.I.A. Both Pakistan's ISI and India's RAW function as branches of the C.I.A. and participate in terrorism and insurgencies throughout the Subcontinent, under direction of the C.I.A. Yes, the ISI secretly supports the Taliban but it does so under direction from the C.I.A. whose modus operandi is support for ALL sides of a conflict to control the course of the conflict in service of its own goals. The goal of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and partial occupation of Pakistan is eventual occupation and overt colonial rule over the Subcontinent as a whole. This will not be permitted and all those participating in this enterprise, including the U.K., will be duly punished; see my blog. The document leak currently in the news has been made in preparation for abandonment of this goal and withdrawal from Afghanistan because of steps I have already taken for the nuclear destruction of New Delhi and then the coast-to-coast destruction of the United States by India with 5,000 thermonuclear warheads and extermination of its population; see my blog."
I have said (see my blog) "almost all terrorism and separatism in India since 1983 has been sponsored by the C.I.A. -- K. Subrahmanyam has been the kingpin of all this C.I.A.-sponsored terrorism and separatism in India, not just in Sri Lanka and East Pakistan and in even more serious crimes than terrorism and separatism against India; why doesn't someone torture him and investigate him? I can provide a lot of evidence, though I know that only the nuclear destruction of New Delhi will do the job -- through RAW and other intelligence agencies in the region using several layers of intermediaries in various religious groups, army officers, corporate houses, politicians and others -- and piracy, which is sea-based terrorism sponsored by the C.I.A. and, like the land-based terrorism, aims to draw India into a U.S.-led war on terrorism and piracy."
K. Subrahmanyam, a Tamil, has been sabotaging India's defence in various ways and his son, S. Jaishankar, while India's ambassador in Singapore, negotiated in Washington the nuclear deal -- which fatally injures India's defence and economically loots it in numerous ways(see my blog) -- and later, when ambassador to China, asked the U.S. to be India's daddy in protecting India from "bully" China ("Indian envoy sought U.S. help against China", Times of India, December 6, 2010, Internet; "India complained about 'bully' China", Hindustan Times, December 6, 2010, Internet) -- while K. Subrahmanyam has been doing the same.
While RAW has always been a branch of the C.I.A., the Tamil traitor-enemy P. Chidambaram has made other Indian intelligence agencies branches of the United States intelligence agencies, on the pretext of fighting terrorism, bringing in U.S. equipment to India to enable comprehensive real-time monitoring and interception ability for the U.S. of all communications in India, a comprehensive and total censorship power to the United States of not only what gets into the Indian media of all kinds but even communications between individuals, bringing India into a colonial grip of and slavery to the United States such as has never been seen in human history.
Satish Chandra
satchandra
06 December 2010 14:57:17
DEADLY TAMIL SCAM: LOOTING INDIA & SABOTAGING ITS DEFENCE-I
I am India's expert in strategic defence and the father of India's strategic program including the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program and I have repeatedly said in my blog titled 'Nuclear Supremacy for India Over U.S.', which can be found by a Yahoo search with the title, that there is no substitute for full-yield explosive tests of nuclear weapons.
In a press release dated November 24, 2010 I said: Besides C.I.A.-RAW disinformation about R. Chidambaram's sense of superiority to white countries in designing thermonuclear weapons being responsible for the failed 1998 thermonuclear weapon test, Russian and French help has been offered with thermonuclear weapons designs and to test the weapon(s) in a laboratory -- so as to bring India's strategic program at its most vital core under control of white countries and keep the inferior Indian njggers in their place.
In a press release dated November 26, 2010 I said: When I say there is no substitute for full yield explosive tests of nuclear weapons, I say this from a purely engineering point of view and not for demonstrating to the world that our weapons work. As I said in a letter to the press after the 1998 tests when R. Chidambaram claimed that his computer models enable him to build higher yield weapons which need not undergo explosive tests, 'One could not legitimately rely on an automobile engine developed on that basis if your life depended on its working the very first time it is ever used, much less a nuclear weapon'. This applies to both computer models and laboratory models. What happens in a high energy lab is a highly imperfect laboratory model of a nuclear weapon which does not take account of a multitude of things. If computer models and laboratory models were sufficient, there will be no need for flight tests of missiles and jet aircraft, etc.
The Physics of what happens in a nuclear explosion cannot adequately be replicated in a high energy lab. Laboratory models of missiles and jet aircraft may not have this deficiency but laboratory models of nuclear weapons do.
In a press release dated November 29, 2010 I said: It is now being put out that a "fix" has been applied to the 1998 failed thermonuclear weapon design and there is no need for an explosive test of the "fixed" design because the designers have "confidence" it will work. But it is a very foolish designer who does not test his "fix" with an explosive test. Didn't R. Chidambaram have confidence in his 1998 design which failed? There has been no "fix" until the weapon is shown to work in an explosive test -- shown as much to the designer as to the world. A designer who says it is not necessary is too stupid to design even a toaster, much less a nuclear weapon.
See my blog, above, for the rest.
Satish Chandra
satchandra
06 December 2010 14:56:51
(Continued)
I have said India's nuclear program should be designed and operated so that electricity is a byproduct of producing material for making weapons rather than material for making weapons being a byproduct of producing electricity. Manmohan Singh is still starving the Indian nuclear program of funds and still blocking the option of getting uranium from non-NSG countries, if necessary, though simply exploiting the uranium reserves in the country already known — at present only 300 tons per year is mined though the known reserves are over 78,000 tons not counting the extremely rich deposits recently found in Ladakh — is quite enough for India's needs. It is a lie to say that India's nuclear power production cannot be expanded beyond 10,000 MW on domestic uranium, though the production of electricity must be a byproduct of producing material for making weapons. A country that has ten thousand nuclear warheads and the means to deliver them to the continental United States cannot be restricted from importing, without IAEA inspections, etc., however much uranium it wants from wherever it wants by the United States or any other power; the power of nuclear weapons is what India needs; electricity can be produced in numerous other ways for the time being. Agreeing to even talks on new inspections with the IAEA — an instrument of American imperialism — are acts of treason and deserve punishment as severe as for the rest of the nuclear deal.
Nuclear supremacy over the United States has to be India's national objective and its one point agenda (see my articles 'What is nuclear supremacy?' and 'Why nuclear supremacy?' in my blog). The nuclear deal is totally incompatible with nuclear supremacy over the United States and deserves to be summarily rejected without going into any details. This is the most fundamental objection of all.
I have repeatedly said there will be no nuclear deal and described in my blog steps I have already taken to enforce this by the nuclear destruction of New Delhi and then the coast-to-coast destruction of the United States by India with 5,000 nuclear warheads and extermination of its population.
satchandra
06 December 2010 14:55:58
(Continued)
5) Then there is the United States' propensity and certainty of doing things to India– once it has India dependent on U.S. reactors, fuel, permissions, etc.– to arm-twist, blackmail and invade if the lesser breeds don't do everything it wants them to do– the kind of things it has done and is doing to Iraq and will certainly do to India, including its complete nuclear disarmament, participation in U.S.-led military campaigns against other countries, the total colonisation of its economy and manpower to serve American needs, etc.
Indians on the C.I.A.'s payroll have been pushing this deal which should have been and was instantly and totally rejected, not just by me. The BJP/Vajpayee came out with a written statement rejecting the deal within a couple days of the joint statement of July 18 '05 (before the Hyde Act, the 123 agreement, etc.) but they have been yielding to the transgressions of Manmohan Singh progressively and now Advani says everything is fine so long as India can conduct nuclear tests in a Pokhran III! This is extremely stupid, to take the most charitable view of him. [Since I wrote the above, it has become clear that the BJP's Jaswant Singh had made the deal with the U.S. in his numerous meetings with U.S. State Department official Talbott and subsequently, because of which he later congratulated Foreign Secretay Menon for having done a "superb job" of negotiating the 123 agreement and still later said there will be no major changes in the nuclear deal if the BJP returns to power. The BJP's show of opposition was to throw dust in the eyes of the people; see my blog for how, after British rule, India has been under C.I.A. rule].
Getting India's nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, whether or not India imports American reactors, has been a prime American goal because at least 75% of the damage to India's nuclear program would have been done once the facilities are placed under IAEA inspections, even if nothing further is done and no nuclear deal with the United States is finally signed and no foreign reactors, from the United States or from Russia or France, are bought. Any move to put Indian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, beyond the ones under IAEA inspections at present, is a grave injury to the nation and an invasion of India like the American invasion of Iraq and deserves a response appropriate to an invasion. If the nuclear deal with the United States is abandoned but IAEA inspections are brought in on the pretext that they are needed to import reactors and fuel from Russia — one prong of the American strategy and the Americans' Indian collaborators has been to get the IAEA inspections in place without completing the nuclear deal with the United States and buy Russian reactors instead of American ones, to begin with — the import of Russian reactors instead of pumping the money into the indigenous nuclear program will be an additional injury.
satchandra
06 December 2010 14:54:29
(Continued)
When the Russians offered the two light water reactors, now under construction in India at Kalpakkam, the Department of Atomic Energy had strongly opposed it correctly saying that it will only benefit the Russian nuclear industry and light water reactors will break India's control over the nuclear fuel cycle and subvert India's 3-stage nuclear power program as well as its nuclear weapons program. But Vajpayee shoved it down India's throat on the instructions of the C.I.A. which calculated that there will be less resistance to such a disadvantageous deal with the Russians and once a couple of light water reactors have been brought in, it will set the stage for a full-scale American assault to subjugate and disembowel India's nuclear program. A bought up Kakodkar is now lying and saying that importing Russian reactors was always in the plans. Press reports at the time of Manmohan Singh's visit to Washington in July, 2004, during which he signed the joint statement of July 18, 2004 with Bush about the nuclear deal, etc., had said Kakodkar had strenuously objected to the deal but was silenced by the traitor ambassador of India in Washington by saying the Prime Minister had to have a "successful" visit. After he was bribed, Bush asked Kakodkar, during his visit to New Delhi in March, 2006 if he was happy now.
3) Then there are the various requirements in the July 18 '05 joint statement such as separation of civilian and military reactors, IAEA inspections on the civilian reactors including all imported ones, the necessity to get Nuclear Suppliers Group approvals, etc. which cripple India's nuclear program as a whole and bind it hand and foot to the United States.
4) Then there is the blizzard of demands and restrictions in the Hyde Act and previous U.S. legislation including the prohibition of testing (the latest 'concession' by the U.S. on testing simply says that, rather than a test resulting in automatic return of all imported U.S. equipment, the U.S. president may ALLOW India to conduct a test at his pleasure if India begs and convinces the White Master) that make India a total slave to the United States which, even under the documents, will be able to do any damn thing it wants to India in all its internal and external affairs– a serfdom that is comprehensive and complete.
(Continued)
satchandra
06 December 2010 14:53:02
I am India's expert in strategic defence and the father of India's strategic program, including the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. I stated the objections to the nuclear deal in my blog titled 'Nuclear Supremacy For India Over U.S.' which can be found by a Yahoo search with the title, as follows:-
1) The first and a fundamental objection is spending untold billions of dollars on imported reactors instead of ploughing the money into India's own nuclear power program more advanced and more capable (thanks to its nuclear "isolation" and apartheid) than that of the United States in important ways. It can be expanded 10 or 20-fold so India becomes one of the world's biggest EXPORTERS, not an IMPORTER, of the world's best and most economical reactors with the shortest time for installation (all this is true of Indian reactors even at this moment). There is significant demand for Indian reactors from other countries. This by itself is enough reason to summarily and totally reject the nuclear deal. Indians, such as the head of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, S. K. Jain, say they will not export them unless they receive permission from the white master. In an act of treason, the National Security Adviser M. K. Nayanan has said that importing uranium from non-NSG countries — the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a cartel like OPEC — will be against "international law". Similarly, in another act of treason, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his recent visit to Egypt said that India cannot engage in nuclear trade with other countries because it is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. These statements have gone unchallenged in India's media controlled by CIA-RAW. India can extract an unlimited amount of uranium from sea water for which the Japanese demonstrated the technology and economic viability decades ago and for which India's Department of Atomic Energy has developed indigenous technology but the United States has been suppressing this option because it will subvert its attempts to bring and keep countries like India in slavery and Indian politicians and scientists, bought up by the United States, are keeping quiet about it.
2) The second objection is that the imported reactors will be light water reactors. These will not only make India dependent in perpetuity on imported fuel and vulnerable to all kinds of pressures but, even if an unlimited amount of fuel was somehow magically guaranteed, it will fatally injure both India's 3-stage nuclear power program and its nuclear weapons program. This is so even if there was not an upper limit of 20% enrichment while reprocessing the waste fuel from the imported reactors. Light water reactors are inherently"proliferation-resistant" (that is, it is difficult to get bomb-grade material from them), though not "proliferation-proof". In any case, the 20% cap on enrichment (weapons and certain types of reactors require around 95% enrichment) cripples India's strategic (nuclear weapons) program– because parity with or supremacy over the United States requires at least ten thousand nuclear warheads– and ensures permanent slavery to the white man and permanent serfdom to India. (Continued)
Bhasi1
06 December 2010 14:13:47
We can expect some more scams and more pocket money in the Kongress kitty.... out of the nine million only 1 million will be spent on the project and the remaining money will go to the netas pockets to build their own projects. Eg: appartments, agriculture land, biks and cars for their sons and daughters.....
Bobby Sakariah
06 December 2010 14:07:13
The Nuclear power plants for India, which needs energy for its growing needs, is a great achievement of Mr. Manmohan Singh.
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4663120&page=0
06/12/2010
2G scam: Oppn adamant on JPC, also wants PM to appear before it
The tug-of-war in Parliament on the 2G spectrum issue intensified on Monday with non-NDA Opposition parties declaring that nothing short of a JPC will suffice and wanted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to appear before the panel.
"There is nobody who cannot be called. If Bill Clinton could be called by a parliamentary committee and if British Prime Minister could come... what is wrong in inviting our head of the government to explain," CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said.
He was talking to reporters after 11 non-NDA Opposition parties met to chalk out a common strategy on the issue as the government has consistently rejected the demand.
The BJP-led NDA has also made it clear that it stood for JPC and threatened that the winter session of Parliament, concluding this week, would not function till the demand is met.
Dasgupta also made it clear that the Opposition was not accusing anybody except former Telecom Minister A Raja.
Echoing similar views, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the government knows the Prime Minister was the most experienced person and he had faced JPC as finance minister.
"If that (JPC on 2G) happens, he will face it as Prime Minister. I do not think he is afraid of (facing the JPC), if necessary, in the interest of the country. If somebody else is afraid, it is the problem of the Congress," he said.
Asked whether the Opposition can give an assurance that the Prime Minister will not be summoned before the JPC, Yechury said, "the Opposition cannot give any assurance to presumed fears."
Accusing the Prime Minister of "dereliction of duty", Dasgupta said being the chief of the government, he should be held morally responsible while the "whole government is in the dock".
He wondered how the Prime Minister could be isolated from the government. "If the Prime Minister is called for a discussion, what is wrong?" he posed.
Leaders belonging to the CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc, RSP, TDP, JD(S), AIADMK, AGP, BJD, MDMK and RLD squarely blamed the government for the Parliament stalemate.
CPI(M) and CPI, however, had different views on whether the Budget session next year will also not be allowed to function if the government did not concede to their demand for a JPC.
"Naturally. If there is no JPC, how can the Budget session run? It entirely depends on the Congress. If the Congress and UPA agree for a JPC, even the rest of the winter session can continue," Yechury said.
Dasgupta, however, said, "The Budget session will continue. We are not in favour of holding up the Budget session even if the government does not accept a JPC demand. There are other ways to protest. We will go to the people against the government on this issue."
Dismissing the government's suggestion that the Public Accounts Committee was the right forum to go into the 2G issue, Yechury said the PAC could examine every para of the CAG report, but the Opposition's demand is to probe what led to the irregularities and this was beyond the purview of the PAC.
To a question on whether Opposition MPs would also resign as they did in 1989 on the Bofors issue, he said, "That has not yet come on our agenda."
Asked how do they view the decision of Congress MPs to forego their daily allowances for the days Parliament did not do business, Yechury said, "It reflects their guilty conscience."
He said Opposition MPs are coming every day hoping Parliament would function but the ruling party members are disturbing the House.
"The government and the ruling coalition are squarely responsible for jettisoning the winter session based on their obstinate refusal to constitute a JPC," Yechury said.
Dasgupta said, "There is a growing trend of authoritarianism within the government," and criticised it for getting appropriation bills passed without any discussion.
Leaders of the 11 parties also decided to stage a dharna in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament House complex tomorrow and "take the issue to the people".
The non-NDA parties also attacked BJP over the issue of corruption saying the main Opposition party's fight against the evil smacks of opportunism.
Dasgupta said the BJP government in Karnataka is seriously embroiled in "known and established" corrupt practices to keep the party in power.
Yechury also said if the BJP does not apply a similar yardstick on the issue of corruption for its government in Karnataka and runs a campaign on the 2G issue, "this too raises a question of credibility among people".
JD-S chief H D Devegowda alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurppa has directed departments not to give documents relating to land deals pertaining to his family even if they were sought under RTI.
"BJP has no moral right to debate on the issue of corruption," he said.
Source: Agencies
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Babri Mosque
 | The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (December 2009) |
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| Babri Mosque | |
|---|---|
 Rear view of the Babri Mosque | |
| Coordinates: 26.7956°N 82.1945°ECoordinates: 26.7956°N 82.1945°E | |
| Location | Ayodhya, India |
| Established | Constructed - 1527 Destroyed - 1992 |
| Architectural information | |
| Style | Tughlaq |
The Babri Masjid (Hindi: बाबरी मस्जिद, Urdu: بابری مسجد, translation: Mosque of Babur), was amosque in Ayodhya, a city in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh, on Ramkot Hill ("Rama's fort"). It was destroyed in 1992 when a political rally developed into a riot involving 150,000 people,[1] despite a commitment to the Indian Supreme Court by the rally organisers that the mosque would not be harmed.[2][3] More than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in ensuing riots in many major Indian cities including Mumbai and Delhi.[4]
The mosque was constructed in 1527 by order of Babur, the first Mughal emperor ofIndia.[5][6] Mir Baki, after seizing the Hindu structure from priests, named it Babri Masjid. Before the 1940s, the mosque was called Masjid-i-Janmasthan (Hindi: मस्जिद ए जन्मस्थान,Urdu: مسجدِ جنمستھان, translation: "mosque of the birthplace"), acknowledging the site as the birthplace of the Hindu deity, Lord Rama.[7] Mir Baki, after seizing the Hindu structure from priests, named it Babri Masjid.
The Babri Mosque was one of the largest mosques in Uttar Pradesh, a state in India with some 31 million Muslims.[8] Although there were several older mosques in the surrounding district, including the Hazrat Bal Mosque constructed by the Shariqi kings, the Babri Mosque became the largest, due to the importance of the disputed site. Despite its size and fame, the mosque was little used by the Muslim community of the district and numerous petitions by Hindus to the courts resulted in Hindu worshippers' of Rama gaining access to the site. The political, historical and socio-religious debate over the history and location of the Babri Mosque and whether a previous temple was demolished or modified to create it, is known as the Ayodhya Debate.
Contents[hide] |
Architecture of the mosque
The rulers of the Sultanate of Delhi and its successor, the Mugal Empire, were great patrons of art and architecture and constructed many fine tombs, mosques and madrasas. These have a distinctive style which bears influences of 'later Tughlaq' architecture. Mosques all over India were built in different styles; the most elegant styles developed in areas where indigenous art traditions were strong and local artisans were highly skilled. Thus regional or provincial styles of mosques grew out of local temple or domestic styles, which were conditioned in their turn by climate, terrain, materials, hence the enormous difference between the mosques of Bengal, Kashmir and Gujarat. The Babri Mosque followed the architectural school of Jaunpur.
Babri was an important mosque of a distinct style, preserved mainly in architecture, developed after the Delhi Sultanate was established (1192). The square CharMinar of Hyderabad (1591) with large arches, arcades, and minarets is typical. This art made extensive use of stone and reflected Indian adaptation to Muslim rule, until Mughals art replaced it in the 17th century, as typified by structures like the Taj Mahal.
The traditional hypostyle plan with an enclosed courtyard, imported from Western Asia was generally associated with the introduction of Islam in new areas, but was abandoned in favour of schemes more suited to local climate and needs. The Babri Masjid was a mixture of the local influence and the Western Asian style and examples of this type of mosque are common in India.
The Babri Mosque was a large imposing structure with three domes, one central and two secondary. It is surrounded by two high walls, running parallel to each other and enclosing a large central courtyard with a deep well, which was known for its cold and sweet water. On the high entrance of the domed structure are fixed two stone tablets which bear two inscriptions in Persian declaring that this structure was built by one Mir Baqi on the orders of Babur. The walls of the Babri Mosque are made of coarse-grained whitish sandstone blocks, rectangular in shape, while the domes are made of thin and small burnt bricks. Both these structural ingredients are plastered with thick chunam paste mixed with coarse sand.
The Central Courtyard was surrounded by lavishly curved columns superimposed to increase the height of the ceilings. The plan and the architecture followed the Begumpur Friday mosque of Jahanpanah rather than the Moghul style where Hindu masons used their own trabeated structural and decorative traditions. The excellence of their craftsmanship is noticeable in their vegetal scrolls and lotus patterns. These motifs are also present in the Firuyyz Shah Mosque in Firuzabad (c.1354) now in a ruined state, Qila Kuhna Mosque (c.1540), The Darasbari Mosque in the Southern suburb of the walled city of Gaur, and the Jamali Kamili Mosque built by Sher Shah Suri. This was the forerunner of the Indo Islamic style adopted by Akbar.
Babri Masjid acoustic and cooling system
"A whisper from the Babri Masjid Mihrab could be heard clearly at the other end, 200 feet [60 m] away and through the length and breadth of the central court" according to Graham Pickford, architect to Lord William Bentinck (1828–1833). The mosque's acoustics were mentioned by him in his book 'Historic Structures of Oudhe' where he says "for a 16th century building the deployment and projection of voice from the pulpit is considerably advanced, the unique deployment of sound in this structure will astonish the visitor".
Modern architects have attributed this intriguing acoustic feature to a large recess in the wall of the Mihrab and several recesses in the surrounding walls which functioned as resonators; this design helped everyone to hear the speaker at the Mihrab. The sandstone used in building the Babri Mosque also had resonant qualities which contributed to the unique acoustics.
The Babri mosque's Tughluquid style integrated other indigenous design components and techniques, such as air cooling systems disguised as Islamic architectural elements like arches, vaults and domes. In the Babri Masjid a passive environmental control system comprised the high ceiling, domes, and six large grille windows. The system helped keep the interior cool by allowing natural ventilation as well as daylight.
Legend of the Babri Mosque's miraculous well
The reported medicinal properties of the deep well in the central courtyard have been featured in various news reports such as the BBC report of December 1989 and in various newspapers. The earliest mention of the Babri water well was in a two line reference to the Mosque in the Gazette of Faizabad District 1918 which says "There are no significant historical buildings here, except for various Buddhist shrines. The Babri Mosque is an ancient structure with a well which, both the Hindus and Mussalmans claim, has miraculous properties."
Ayodhya is a pilgrimage site for Hindus and the annual Ram festival is regularly attended by over 500,000 people of both the Hindu and Muslim faiths, and many devotees came to drink water from the well in the Babri Mosque's courtyard. It was believed drinking water from this well could cure a range of illnesses. Hindu pilgrims also believed that the Babri water well was the original well in the Ram Temple under the mosque. Ayodhya Muslims believed that the well was a gift from God. Local women regularly brought their new borns to drink from the reputedly curative water.
The 125-foot (40 m) deep well was situated in the south-eastern section of the large rectangular courtyard of the Babri Mosque. There was a small Hindu shrine built in 1890 joining the well with a statue of Lord Rama. It was an artesian well and drew water from a considerable distance below the water table. Eleven feet (3 m) in radius, the first 30 feet (10 m) from ground level were bricked. It drew water from a reservoir trapped in a bed of shale sand and gravel, which would explain the unusually cool temperature of the water. The water contained almost no sodium, giving it a reputation of tasting 'sweet.' Accessing the well involved climbing onto a three foot (1 m) platform, where the well was covered with planks of thick wood with an unhinged trapdoor. Water was drawn by means of a bucket and long lengths of rope and due to its claimed 'spiritual properties' was used only for drinking. Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya had a profound belief in the miraculous properties of this cold and pure underground water, which was reinforced by abundant local folklore.
History
Hindu account
When the Muslim emperor Babur came down from Ferghana in 1527, he defeated the Hindu King of Chittodgad, Rana Sangrama Singh at Sikri, using cannon and artillery. After this victory, Babur took over the region, leaving his general, Mir Baqi, in charge as viceroy.
Mir Baqi built the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya naming it after Emperor Babur.[9] Although there is no reference to the new mosque in Babur's diary, the Baburnama, the pages of the relevant period are missing in the diary. The contemporary Tarikh-i-Babari records that Babur's troops "demolished many Hindu temples at Chanderi"[10]
Palaeographic evidence of an older Hindu temple on the site emerged from an inscription on a thick stone slab recovered from the debris of the demolished structure in 1992. Over 260 other artifacts were recovered on the day of demolition, and many point to being part of the ancient temple. The inscription on the slab has 20 lines, 30 shlokas (verses), and is composed in Sanskrit written in the Nagari script. The 'Nagari Lipi' script was prevalent in the eleventh and twelfth century. The crucial part of the message as deciphered by a team comprising epigraphists, Sanskrit scholars, historians and archaeologists including Prof. A.M. Shastri, Dr. K.V. Ramesh, Dr. T.P. Verma, Prof. B.R. Grover, Dr. A.K. Sinha, Dr. Sudha Malaiya, Dr. D.P. Dubey and Dr. G.C. Tripathi.
The first twenty verses are the praises of the king Govind Chandra Gharhwal (AD 1114 to 1154) and his dynasty. The twenty-first verse says the following; "For the salvation of his soul the King, after paying his obeisance at the little feet of Vamana Avatar (the incarnation of Vishnuas a midget Brahmana), went about constructing a wondrous temple for Vishnu Hari (Shri Rama) with marvelous pillars and structure of stone reaching the skies and culminating in a superb top with a massive sphere of gold and projecting shafts in the sky - a temple so grand that no other King in the History of the nation had ever built before."
It further states that this temple was built in the temple-city of Ayodhya.
In another reference, the Faizabad District Judge on a plaint filed by Mahant Raghubar Das gave a judgment on 18 March, 1886. Though the plaint was dismissed, the judgment brought out two relevant points:
"I found that Masjid built by Emperor Babur stands on the border of the town of Ayodhya. It is most unfortunate that Masjid should have been built on land specially held sacred by the Hindus, but as that event occurred 358 years ago, it is too late now to remedy the grievance. All that can be done is to maintain the parties in status quo. In such a case as the present one any innovation would cause more harm and derangement of order than benefit."
Jain account
According to Jain Samata Vahini, a social organization of the Jains, "the only structure that could be found during excavation would be a sixth century Jain temple".
Sohan Mehta, the General Secretary of Jain Samata Vahini, claims that the demolished disputed structure was actually built on the remnants of an ancient Jain temple, and that the excavation by ASI, ordered by Allahabad High Court to settle the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute, would prove it.
Mehta quoted writings of 18th century Jain monks stating Ayodhya was the place where five Jain tirthankars, Rishabhdeo, Ajitnath,Abhinandannath, Sumatinath and Anantnath stayed. The ancient city was among the five biggest centers of Jainism and Buddhism prior to 1527.[11]
Muslim account
There is no historical record pointing to the destruction of even the existence of the Hindu Temple at the site when Mir Baqi erected the Masjid in 1528. When Ram idols were placed in the Mosque illegally on December 23, 1949, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to UP chief minister G B Pant demanding the mischief to be undone because "a dangerous example is being set there." The local administrator, Faizabad's deputy commissioner K K Nayar dismissed Nehru's concerns. While he admitted that the installation of the idols was "an illegal act", Nayar refused to remove them from the mosque claiming that "the depth of feeling behind the movement ... should not be underestimated." In the 2010 High Court verdict that gives two-third of the land to Hindu Temple, thousands of pages of the verdict have been devoted to quotes from Hindu scriptures, but little effort was made to examine the illegality of the 1949 act. According to Manoj Mitta, "The mischief played with the idols, in a bid to convert a masjid into a mandir, was central to the adjudication of the title suits." [12]
Muslims and other critics claim that the archeological reports, that are relied upon by Hindu extremist groups like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Munnani to lay claim to the Babri Masjid site are politically motivated. Critics point out that the "presence of animal bones throughout as well as of the use of 'surkhi' and lime mortar" that was found by ASI are all characteristic of Muslim presence "that rule out the possibility of a Hindu temple having been there beneath the mosque," but the report claimed otherwise on the basis of 'pillar bases' was "manifestly fraudulent" in its assertions since no pillars were found, and the alleged existence of 'pillar bases' has been debated by archaeologists[13].
British account
"After Babar had gained a footing in Hindustan by his victory at Panipat in 1526 and had advanced to Agra, the defeated Afghan house of Lodhi still occupied the Central Doab, Oudh, and the eastern districts of the present United Provinces. In 1527, Babar, on his return from Central India, defeated his opponents in Southern Oudh near Kanauj, and passed on through the Province as far as Ajodhya where he built a mosque in 1528, on the site renowned as the birthplace of Rama. The Afghans remained in opposition after the death of Babar in 1530, but were defeated near Lucknow in the following year." Imperial Gazetteer of India 1908 Vol XIX pp 279-280
Conflicts over the site
The first recorded incident of violence over the issue between Hindus and Muslims in modern times took place in 1853 during the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. A Hindu sect called the Nirmohis claimed the structure, contending that the mosque stood on the spot where a temple had been destroyed during Babar's time. Violence erupted from time to time over the issue in the next two years and the civil administration had to step in, refusing permission to build a temple or to use it as a place of worship.
According to the District Gazetteer Faizabad 1905, "up to this time (1855), both the Hindus and Muslims used to worship in the same building. But since the Mutiny (1857), an outer enclosure has been put up in front of the Masjid and the Hindus forbidden access to the inner yard, make the offerings on a platform (chabootra), which they have raised in the outer one."
Efforts in 1883 to construct a temple on this chabootra were halted by the Deputy Commissioner who prohibited it on January 19, 1885. Raghubir Das, a mahant, filed a suit before the Faizabad Sub-Judge. Pandit Harikishan was seeking permission to construct a temple on this chabootra measuring 17 ft. x 21 ft., but the suit was dismissed. An appeal was filed before the Faizabad District Judge, Colonel J.E.A. Chambiar who, after an inspection of spot on March 17, 1886, dismissed the appeal. A Second Appeal was filed on May 25, 1886, before the Judicial Commissioner of Awadh, W. Young, who also dismissed the appeal. With this, the first round of legal battles fought by the Hindus came to an end.
During the "communal riots" of 1934, walls around the Masjid and one of the domes of the Masjid were damaged. These were reconstructed by the British Government.
The mosque and its appurtenant land, a graveyard known as Ganj-e-Shaheedan Qabristan, were registered as Waqf No. 26 Faizabad with the UP Sunni Central Board of Waqfs (Muslim holy places) under the Act of 1936. The background of harassment of Muslims during the period has been recorded in two reports by the waqf inspector Mohammad Ibrahim, dated December 10 and 23, 1949, respectively to the secretary of the Waqf Board.
The first report states "any Muslim going towards the Masjid is accosted and called names, etc…. People there told me that there is a danger to the Masjid from the Hindus… When the namazis (worshippers) leave, from the surrounding houses shoes and stones are hurled towards them. Muslims, out of fear, do not utter a word. Lohia also visited Ayodhya after Raghodas and gave a lecture…. Don't harm the graves… The Bairagis said Masjid is Janmabhoomi and so give it to us… I spent the night in Ayodhya and the Bairagis are forcibly taking possession of the Masjid….."
At midnight on December 22, 1949, when the police guards were asleep, statues of Rama and Sita were quietly brought into the mosque and erected. This was reported by the constable, Mata Prasad, the next morning and recorded at the Ayodhya police station. The FIR lodged by Sub-Inspector Ram Dube, Police Station Ayodhya, on December 23, 1949 states: "A group of 50-60 persons had entered Babri Mosque after breaking the compound gate lock of the mosque or through jumping across the walls... and established therein an idol of Shri Bhagwan and painted Sita Ram, on the outer and inner walls with geru (red loam)... Afterward, a crowd of 5-6 thousand persons gathered around and while chanting bhajans and raising religious slogans tried to enter the mosque but were deferred." The following morning, a large Hindu crowd attempted to enter the mosque to make offerings to the deities. The District Magistrate K.K. Nair has recorded that "The crowd made a most determined attempt to force entry. The lock was broken and policemen were rushed off their feet. All of us, officers and men, somehow pushed the crowd back and held the gate. The sadhus recklessly hurled themselves against men and arms and it was with great difficulty that we managed to hold the gate. The gate was secured and locked with a powerful lock brought from outside and police force was strengthened (5:00 pm)."
On hearing this news Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru directed UP Chief Minister Govind Ballabh Pant, to see that the deities were removed. Under Pant's orders, Chief Secretary Bhagwan Sahay and Inspector-General of Police V.N. Lahiri sent immediate instructions to Faizabad to remove the deities. However, K.K. Nair feared that the Hindus would retaliate and pleaded inability to carry out the orders.
In 1984, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) launched a massive movement for the opening of the locks of the mosque, and in 1985 the Rajiv Gandhi government ordered the locks on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid in Ayodhya to be removed. Prior to that date the only Hindu ceremonmy permitted was a Hindu priest performing a yearly puja for the icons there. After the ruling, all Hindus were given access to what they consider the birthplace of Rama, and the mosque gained some function as a Hindu temple.[14]
Communal tension in the region worsened when the VHP received permission to perform a shilanyas (stone-laying ceremony) at the disputed site before the national election in November 1989. A senior BJP leader, LK Advani, started a Rath yatra, embarking on a 10,000 km journey starting from the south and heading towards Ayodhya.
Archaeological Survey of India report
Archaeological excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 1970, 1992 and 2003 in and around the disputed site have indicated a large Hindu complex existed on the site.
In 2003, by the order of an Indian Court, The Archaeological Survey of India was asked to conduct a more indepth study and an excavation to ascertain the type of structure that was beneath the rubble.[15] The summary of the ASI report [16] indicated definite proof of a temple under the mosque. In the words of ASI researchers, they discovered "distinctive features associated with... temples of north India". The excavations yielded:
| " | stone and decorated bricks as well as mutilated sculpture of a divine couple and carved architectural features, including foliage patterns, amalaka, kapotapali, doorjamb with semi-circular shrine pilaster, broke octagonal shaft of black schist pillar, lotus motif, circular shrine having pranjala (watershute) in the north and 50 pillar bases in association with a huge structure" [17] | " |
Criticism
The Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (Sahmat) criticized the report saying that it said that "presence of animal bones throughout as well as of the use of 'surkhi' and lime mortar" that was found by ASI are all characteristic of Muslim presence "that rule out the possibility of a Hindu temple having been there beneath the mosque," but the report claimed otherwise on the basis of 'pillar bases' was "manifestly fraudulent" in its assertions since no pillars were found, and the alleged existence of 'pillar bases' has been debated by archaeologists[13]. Syed Rabe Hasan Nadvi, chairman of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) pointed out that ASI failed to mention any evidence of a temple in its interim reports and only revealed it in the final report which was submitted during a time of national tension, making the report highly suspect.[18].
However, one of the judges that divided the area, Judge Agarwal, noted that many of the "independent historians" displayed an "ostrich-like attitude" toward the facts and in fact lacked any expertise on the subject while they were "withering under scrutiny". Apart from this, most "experts" were found to be interconnected: either they had built up their expertise reading news articles or they had professional associations with other "expert witnesses" for the Waqf Board.[19]
Examining the ASI's conclusion of a mandir (Hindu temple) under the structure, the VHP and the RSS stepped up demands for Muslims to restore the three holiest North Indian mandirs to Hindus.[17]
Demolition
On 16 December 1992, the Liberhan Commission was set up by the Government of India to probe the circumstances that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid. It has been the longest running commission in India's history with 48 extensions granted by various governments. The commission submitted its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 30 June 2009, more than 16 years after the incident.[20]
Contents of the report were leaked to the news media in November 2009. The report blamed the high-ranking members of the Indian government and Hindu nationalists for the destruction of the mosque. Its contents caused uproar in the Indian parliament.
The Liberhan report has pieced together a sequence of events as they happened on December 6, 1992, the day the Babri Masjid was demolished by Kar Sevaks.
On that Sunday morning, LK Advani and others met at Vinay Katiyar's residence. They then proceeded to the disputed structure, the report says. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Katiyar reached the puja platform where symbolic Kar Seva was to be performed, and Advani and Joshi checked arrangements for the next 20 minutes. The two senior leaders then moved 200 metre away to the Ram Katha Kunj. This was a building facing the disputed structure where a dais had been erected for senior leaders.
At noon, a teenage Kar Sevak was "vaulted" on to the dome and that signaled the breaking of the outer cordon. The report notes that at this time Advani, Joshi and Vijay Raje Scindia made "feeble requests to the Kar Sevaks to come down... either in earnest or for the media's benefit". No appeal was made to the Kar Sevaks not to enter the sanctum sanctorum or not to demolish the structure. The report notes: "This selected act of the leaders itself speaks of the hidden intentions of one and all being to accomplish demolition of the disputed structure."
The report holds that the "icons of the movement present at the Ram Katha Kunj... could just as easily have... prevented the demolition." [21]
Demolition planned in advance
In a 2005 book former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Joint Director Maloy Krishna Dhar claimed that Babri Masjid demolition was planned 10 months in advance by top leaders of RSS, BJP and VHP and raised questions over the way the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, had handled the issue. Dhar claimed that he was directed to arrange the coverage of a key meeting of the BJP/Sangh Parivar and that the meeting "proved beyond doubt that they (RSS, BJP, VHP) had drawn up the blueprint of the Hindutva assault in the coming months and choreographed the 'pralaya nritya' (dance of destruction) at Ayodhya in December 1992... The RSS, BJP, VHP and the Bajrang Dal leaders present in the meeting amply agreed to work in a well-orchestrated manner." Claiming that the tapes of the meeting were personally handed over by him to his boss, he asserts that he has no doubts that his boss had shared the contents with the Prime Minister (Rao) and the Home Minister (S B Chavan). The author claimed that there was silent agreement that Ayodhya offered "a unique opportunity to take the Hindutva wave to the peak for deriving political benefit."[3]
Liberhan Commission findings
A 2009 report, authored by Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, blamed 68 people for the demolition of the mosque - mostly leaders from the BJP and a few bureaucrats. Among those named in the report were AB Vajpayee, the former BJP prime minister, and LK Advani, the party's then (2009) leader in parliament. Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during the mosque's demolition, has also come in for harsh criticism in the report. He is accused of posting bureaucrats and police officers who would stay silent during the mosque's demolition in Ayodhya.[22] Former Education Minister in NDA Government Mr. Murli Manohar Joshi have also been found culpable in the demolition in the Liberhan Commissions' Report. Anju Gupta, an Indian police officer appeared as a prosecution witness. She was in charge of Advani's security on the day of the demolition and she revealed that Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi made inflammatory speeches.[23]
In popular culture
In fiction, Lajja, a controversial 1993 novel in Bengali by Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin, has a story based in the days after the demolition. After its release, the author received death threats in her home country and has been living in exile ever since.
The events that transpired in aftermath of the demolition and the riots are an important part of the plot of the films Bombay (1995),Daivanamathil (2005), both the films won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration at the respective National Film Awards; Naseem (1995), Striker (2010), and also mentioned in Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
See also
- Ram Janmabhoomi
- Conversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosques
- Indian secularism
- In fiction: Bombay
- Bombay Riots
References
- ^ Babri mosque demolition case hearing today. Yahoo News - September 18, 2007
- ^ Tearing down the Babri Masjid - Eye Witness BBC's Mark Tully BBC - Thursday, 5 December 2002, 19:05 GMT
- ^ a b Babri Masjid demolition was planned 10 months in advance - PTI
- ^ The Ayodhya dispute. BBC News. November 15, 2004.
- ^ Flint, Colin (2005). The geography of war and peace. Oxford University Press.ISBN 9780195162080.
- ^ Vitelli, Karen (2006). Archaeological ethics(2 ed.). Rowman Altamira.ISBN 9780759109636.
- ^ Sayyid Shahabuddin Abdur Rahman, Babri Masjid, 3rd print, Azamgarh: Darul Musannifin Shibli Academy, 1987, pp. 29-30.
- ^ Indian Census
- ^ "Babri Mosjid -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Encyclopædia. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
- ^ Sharma, Religious policy of the Mughal Emperors, page 9
- ^http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=19686
- ^ Ayodhya verdict Times of India, October 3, 2010
- ^ a b Ayodhya verdict yet another blow to secularism: Sahmat The Hindu, October 3, 2010
- ^ http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?224878
- ^ Ratnagar, Shereen (2004) "CA Forum on Anthropology in Public: Archaeology at the Heart of a Political Confrontation: The Case of Ayodhya" Current Anthropology 45(2): pp. 239-259, p. 239
- ^ Prasannan, R. (7 September 2003) "Ayodhya: Layers of truth" The Week (India), from Web Archive
- ^ a b Suryamurthy, R. (August 2003) "ASI findings may not resolve title dispute" The Tribune - August 26, 2003
- ^ Muralidharan, Sukumar (September 2003)."Ayodhya: Not the last word yet".
- ^ Abhinav Garg (October 9, 2010). "How Allahabad HC exposed 'experts' espousing Masjid cause". The Times Of India.
- ^ Press Trust of India (June 30, 2009). Babri Masjid case: Liberhan Commission submits report to PM. Business Standard.
- ^http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/report_sequence_of_events_on_december_6.php
- ^ Uproar over India mosque report: Inquiry into Babri mosque's demolition in 1992 indicts opposition BJP leaders Al-Jazeera English - November 24, 2009
- ^ In the dock, again, Frontline
Further reading
- Ram Sharan Sharma. Communal History and Rama's Ayodhya, People's Publishing House (PPH), 2nd Revised Edition, September, 1999,Delhi. Translated into Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Two versions in Bengali.
- Puniyani, Ram. Communal Politics: Myths Versus Facts. Sage Publications Inc, 2003
- Bacchetta, Paola. "Sacred Space in Conflict in India: The Babri Masjid Affair." Growth & Change. Spring2000, Vol. 31, Issue 2.
- Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor. 1996. Edited, translated and annotated by Wheeler M. Thacktson. New York and London: Oxford University Press.
- Ayodhya and the Future of India. 1993. Edited by Jitendra Bajaj. Madras: Centre for Policy Studies. ISBN 81-86041-02-8 hb ISBN 81-86041-03-6 pb
- Elst, Koenraad. 1991. Ayodhya and After: Issues Before Hindu Society. 1991. New Delhi: Voice of India. [1]
- Emmanuel, Dominic. 'The Mumbai bomb blasts and the Ayodhya tangle', National Catholic Reporter (Kansas City, August 27, 2003).
- Sita Ram Goel: Hindu Temples - What Happened to Them, Voice of India, Delhi 1991. [2] [3]
- Harsh Narain. 1993. The Ayodhya Temple Mosque Dispute: Focus on Muslim Sources. Delhi: Penman Publishers.
- Hassner, Ron E., War on Sacred Grounds. 2009. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. [4]
- Romey, Kristin M., "Flashpoint Ayodhya." Archaeology Jul/Aug2004, Vol. 57, Issue 4.
- Romila Thapar. 'A Historical Perspective on the Story of Rama' in Thapar (2000).
- Ayodhya ka Itihas evam Puratattva — Rigveda kal se ab tak ('History and Archaeology of Ayodhya — From the Time of the Rigveda to the Present') by Thakur Prasad Varma and Swarajya Prakash Gupta. Bharatiya Itihasa evam Samskrit Parishad and DK Printworld. New Delhi.
- Ayodhya 6 December 1992 (ISBN 0-670-05858-0) by P. V. Narasimha Rao
External links
- Report of Liberhan Enquiry Commission on Demolition of Babri Masjid
- Advani charged with Ayodhya riots - BBC News
- Mumbai riots of 1992-93: Letting sleeping dogs lie
- Holy work destroys peace in India - Time Magazine
- The wrath of Rama - Time Magazine
- 'Timeline: Ayodhya crisis', BBC News (October 17, 2003)
- 'Q&A: The Ayodhya dispute', BBC News (November 15, 2004)
- The Demolition Video from Youtube
- Hindus and Muslims to Share Holy Site - slideshow by The New York Times
- Research Papers
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