Jharkhand celebrates Ram Navami with festive fervour, CM Soren offers prayers at Ranchi temple
Ranchi (PTI): Devotees thronged temples across Jharkhand on Friday on the occasion of Ram Navami, with Chief Minister Hemant Soren offering puja at a shrine in state capital Ranchi.
The CM, along with his wife, Kalpana Soren, visited the Shri Ram Janaki Tapovan Temple in Nivaranpur to take part in the rituals.
"Celebrating Ram Navami is a great joy for all. This grand celebration would not have been possible without the people's support and cooperation," he said.
"The respect and reverence for Lord Ram, along with the sacrifice and penance of Lord Hanuman, will surely remain enshrined in our hearts and in the atmosphere for ages to come," he added.
Soren said the beautification work of 'Tapovan Bhoomi' is underway.
"I pray to Lord Ram that this beautification work gets completed at the earliest," he said, adding that all devotees should also pray that the identity of this shrine gets strengthened.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up across the state in view of the festival, officials said.
Surveillance has been intensified with the deployment of drones, CCTV cameras and quick response teams, they said, adding that special focus is being given to sensitive areas.
Religious processions will be taken out in most districts later in the day, while in Hazaribag and Jamshedpur, considered sensitive zones, these will be organised on Saturday, officials said.
Cities and towns have been decked in saffron flags ahead of the celebrations.
Since early morning, devotees have been making a beeline outside temples to offer prayers.
Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Chief Minister Hemant Soren extended greetings to the people on the occasion.
In a post on X, Gangwar said, "May the ideals of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram -- truth, righteousness, sacrifice, and propriety -- forever illuminate the lives of all. I wish this auspicious festival brings happiness, peace and prosperity to all."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Defeat of Constitution Amendment Bill betrayal of nation's woman power: Adityanath
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of seats of the Lok Sabha "betrayal of the woman power" of the nation.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated on Friday.
In a post on X in Hindi, late on Friday night, Adityanath said, "Today, a dark chapter has been added to the history of India's great democracy. The Opposition's obstruction of the passage of the Constitutional Amendment Bill essential for the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' is a blow to the honour of 'Bharat Mata' (Mother India). It is a betrayal of the entire woman power of the nation; it is an infringement upon their democratic rights.
"The Congress-led 'INDI' alliance has exposed its anti-women mindset. The women of the nation are watching and understanding everything. They will remember this deceit and injustice, and when the time comes, they will surely give a reply. Under the leadership of our Prime Minister @narendramodi ji, the NDA alliance will continue its unwavering efforts to protect the honour, dignity, and rights of women, and to ensure their empowerment."
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. The Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
According to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in state and Union Territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
This was for the first time that a Bill under the Modi government was defeated in Parliament.
