Let love and affection unite world: President Ramanath Kovind
President visits Pejawara Mutt, Sri Krishna Mutt
Udupi, December 27: President Ramanath Kovind stressed the need to unite the people in the world through love and affection.
The President was speaking after visiting the Pejawara Mutt and Sri Krishna Mutt here on Thursday.
The God has created many beings in the world. Among them, man was the best creation. Nowadays, there should be love and affection among them. Though the God was called in different names and different shapes, the God was one, he said.
"I was planning to visit the Sri Krishna Mutt since many days. I am happy that I have visited today. Union Minister Uma Bharathi told me many things about Pejawara Swamiji. At the age of 89, the Swamiji is active and I am happy to see his activeness. Let him complete hundred years. Let him do more religious and social works", the President said.
Rama Rajya was a model state. It was a model on how to rule and treat the subjects. If the model was followed, the world would be happy, he said.
Vishveshwara Thirtha Swamiji of Pejawara Mutt said that he was happy that the President visited the Sri Krishna Mutt, established by Madhwacharya.
Vidyadeesha Thirtha Swamiji of Paryaya Palimaru Mutt felicitated the President with the idol of Lord Sri Krishna on the occasion.
Savitha Kovind, wife of President Ramanath Kovind, Governor Vajubhai Vala, Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Acharya, Udupi District Minister Dr Jayamala, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojary, MLA Raghupathi Bhat, ZP president Dinakar Babu, former minister Pramod Madhwaraj, Dakshina Kannada district Kannada Sahitya Parishat Pradeep Kalkura, Mysure Division Regional Commissioner Yashwanth, Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis, ADGP Kamal Panth, IGP Arun Chakravarthy, SP Lakshman Nimbaragi and other senior officers were present.
Ramanath Kovind’s first visit to Udupi
For the first time, President Ramanath Kovind visited Udupi district on Thursday to pay his respect to Vishvesha Thirtha Swamiji of Pejawar Mutt who completed 80 years of his coronation.
President Ramanath Kovind, along with his wife Savitha Kovind, arrived at Adi Udupi helipad from Mangaluru airport at 11.20 am. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Acharya, District Minister Dr Jayamala, ZP president Dinakar Babu and others welcomed the President at the helipad. Later, the President reached Pejawar Mutt at 11.40 am and Mutt Diwan Raghuram Acharya received the President and took him into the Pejawar Mutt, where Vishvesha Thirtha Swamiji, junior pontiff Vishwaprasanna Thirtha and Vidyadeesha Thirtha of Paryaya Palimaru Mutt who were waiting for the President inside the Mutt, received Kovind and explained the history of the Mutt.
Later, the Pejawar Swamiji offered special pooja to Rama Vittala, mooladevaru of the Mutt and the President also participated in the ritual. Swamiji honoured the President with the idol of Lord Sri Krishna and the President also felicitated the Pejawar swamiji on the occasion.
At 12.20 pm, the President left the Pejawar Mutt for Sri Krishna Mutt, where the first citizen of the country was received with the chanting of hymns and Mangala Vadya and took him into the Sri Krishna Mutt.
The President had the darshan of Lord Sri Krishna and sat at the Chandrashale along with other dignitaries. Along with Pejawar swamiji and Palimaru Swamiji, the swamijis of Sode, Kaniyur and Adamaru mutts were also present on the occasion. Paryaya Vidyadeesh Thirtha Swamiji welcomed the President and expressed his pleasure for the President’s visit to Sri Krishna Mutt.
Paryaya Swamiji also felicitated the President with shawl, the idol of Lord Sri Krishna.
Speaking on the occasion, President Ramanath Kovind said that he was happy that Pejawar Swamiji was travelling across the country at this age and invited him to the Rashtrapathi Bhavan once.
At 12.45 pm, the President left for helipad from Sri Krishna Mutt and from there, he reached Mangaluru airport.
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Lok Sabha extends tenure of parliamentary panel on Waqf bill
New Delhi (PTI): The Lok Sabha on Thursday adopted a resolution to extend the tenure of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill till the last day of the Budget session of Parliament next year.
Committee Chairman and BJP leader Jagdambika Pal moved the resolution in the Lok Sabha, which approved it with a voice vote.
The parliamentary panel’s meetings have become a virtual battleground between the opposition and the ruling party members, who have been vociferously debating the changes to the Waqf Bill proposed by the government.
On Wednesday, the opposition members of the committee staged a walkout and slammed Pal for asserting that the panel's draft report was ready.
Pal and the BJP members of the committee then reached out to opposition members and indicated their willingness to press for an extension of the committee's deadline of November 29 to submit its report to the Lok Sabha.
The Lok Sabha had constituted the committee on August 8 and asked to submit its report on the last day of the first week of the Winter session, which is on Friday.
Following the last meeting of the committee on November 21, Pal had said its draft report is ready. He indicated that the committee's consultation with stakeholders is over and its members will now discuss the report and suggest changes, if any, before it is adopted.
The opposition members took strong exception to this stand in Wednesday's meeting and soon stormed out. They claimed that Birla had assured them that its tenure would be extended.
Opposition parties have stridently criticised the amendments proposed by the bill in the existing Waqf Act, alleging they violate the religious rights of Muslims.
The ruling BJP has asserted that the amendments will bring transparency in the functioning of the waqf boards and make them accountable.
