Barely 100 Turn Up For Ram Temple Rally In Delhi, RSS Expected Lakhs
New Delhi, Dec 01: A rally taken out by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in New Delhi to push for the early construction of the Ram temple got off to an underwhelming start today, with barely a hundred activists turning up to show support. The organisers had expected lakhs of people to participate.
Flagged off from New Delhi's Jhandewala temple, the Sankalp Yatra will run for nine days before culminating at the Ramlila Ground on December 9. It is being organised by the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, a group affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Swadeshi Jagran Manch co-convenor Kamal Tewari, however, tried to shrug off the poor showing at the event. "These are just a few karyakartas (activists) from a particular segment. Soon, they will be joined by another 100-200 karyakartas from a different segment. There are hundreds of karyakartas from different segments who will join us eventually," he said, adding that he expects to see around 6-8 lakh people at the Ramlila Maidan on the final day of the event.
The Ram temple issue has assumed significance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year, with several right-wing groups -- including the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) -- demanding an early decision. Organisers of the Sankalp Yatra believe that the Supreme Court is delaying its construction by not taking up the matter urgently, and want the centre to introduce an ordinance in this regard.
Today, the rally had just a few kar sevaks following a single truck -- raising chants of "Jai Shree Ram" and "Mandir Wahin Banayenge" -- and their count was not expected to grow significantly by the time the yatra halts for the day at Shadipur depot around 8 pm. By contrast, lakhs of people had attended a similar rally organised jointly by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Shiv Sena in Ayodhya on November 25.
An RSS supporter at the rally alleged that the judiciary was not treating the Ram temple issue with the importance it deserves. "We are taking out this rally to send a message to the Supreme Court. While the court opens its doors at night even for small cases, it doesn't believe the Ram temple is an important public matter," he said.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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K'taka HC criticises BJP MLA Yatnal for "half pakistani" remark, refuses to stay defamation case
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday expressed its disapproval of a statement made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal, in which he referred to the State Health Minister, Dinesh Gundu Rao, as "half Pakistani."
A single-judge bench led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna declined to stay defamation proceedings initiated by Rao's wife, Tabbasum Dinesh Rao, under s. 499 and s. 500 of the Indian Penal Code. The court noted, “The statement directly attracts these provisions, contributing to the rise of defamation cases.”
During the hearing, the judge questioned the MLA’s counsel, stating, “Why make such statements? You cannot label a community this way; this is not the right approach.”
Yatnal's counsel, Venkatesh Dalwai, argued that his client’s statement was a response to one made by the minister in the public domain. However, Rao's wife contended that the remark was directed at her.
The court further observed, “Just because someone's wife is a Muslim, can you call him 'half Pakistani'? This is unacceptable.”
Dalwai also argued that the magistrate court had not followed proper procedure when taking cognizance of the complaint, as no notice was issued to Yatnal. The High Court agreed with this argument and indicated that it would instruct the Magistrate to reconsider the case, noting a procedural lapse.
The court is expected to release its order on Monday.
