Remove 'secular' from Constitution, demands Sanatan Sanstha
Mumbai, Aug 27 : Under the scanner of various investigating agencies, the right-wing Sanatan Sanstha on Monday demanded that the word 'secular' be removed from the Indian Constitution.
Sanstha spokesperson Chetan Rajhans said the words 'socialist' and 'secular' were added in the Constitution by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
"So, if there is a provision to add words, these can also be removed by the same provisions," he told a media conference in Mumbai.
Facing a barrage of questions, Rajhans said that the issue is "nothing new" and that the organisation has been demanding this for long through constitutional means.
Although Sanstha as well as another outfit, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, are currently facing the heat of various investigating agencies, Rajhans said none of the two was involved in any terror activity. "These are purely religious organizations," he added.
"We are being defamed in a pre-planned manner. We do not support or approve of violence in any form. Our mission for the past 27 years is to propagate 'dharma and spirituality," Rajhans said.
He also brushed aside any involvement of Sanatan Sanstha in the killings rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, Communist leader Govind Pansare (both in Maharashtra), and author M.M. Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh (both in Karnataka).
"As per our information, nine persons have been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad and the Central Bureau of Investigation. None of them is the Sanatan Sanstha's sadhak (seeker). In fact, we have heard of the five names among the accused for the first time. So nobody should link them with us," Rajhans said.
Besides, he pointed out, neither the ATS-CBI chargesheets nor the remand applications have named Sanatan Sanstha. "It is only parties like the Congress, communists, some intellectuals and thinkers and progressive organisations who are targeting the small organisation," he said.
"Demanding a ban on us or arresting our leader, just because the accused are arrested, is ridiculous," Rajhans said.
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Jammu-Srinagar NH shut for second day as road clearance operations continue in Ramban
Jammu (PTI): Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as the work to clear the fresh landslides is going on amid heavy rains in the Ramban district, officials said.
The strategic 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by multiple landslides early Monday. Though it was reopened for a few hours on Tuesday morning, two major landslides forced its closure, they said.
According to a traffic update issued at 10 am, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) continues to remain blocked, with road clearance operations underway at Shalgarhi and Banihal.
“Road clearance is going on, but it will take some time. Moreover, there is continuous rainfall along the highway,” the advisory said.
A traffic police spokesperson said movement has been stopped in both directions — from Jammu towards Srinagar and vice versa — due to a heavy landslide between Digdol and Khooni Nallah on Tuesday. “The road is completely blocked,” he said.
Officials said more than 400 vehicles are stranded at various points along the highway.
Men and machinery have been pressed into service to clear the debris, but intermittent rains are disrupting the restoration efforts.
Authorities have advised commuters not to travel on NH-44 until the road is fully restored.
“People are advised not to pay heed to rumours and check the status of roads through the traffic police’s official social media handles and traffic control units,” the spokesperson added.
