Seers oppose UP govt's proposal to erect Lord Ram's statue on the banks of Sarayu
Varanasi, Nov 27 : A three-day "Param Dharma Sansad" was held in Varanasi, where seers opposed the Uttar Pradesh government's proposal to install a 221-metre statue of Lord Ram on the bank of the Sarayu river in Ayodhya.
Terming the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) "Dharma Sabha", organised on November 25 in Ayodhya, as a "politically-motivated event", Dwarka-Sharda and Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati said Lord Ram should not be politicised, adding that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could only erect statues, but not build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
"The government can only erect statues, not build the temple," he said, addressing the gathering at the event held at Seer Govardhan from November 25 to 27.
He said the government erected a huge statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat, but there was a need to build a temple for Lord Ram, not erect his statue as he was not a human being.
Opposing the Yogi Adityanath government's proposal to install a 221-metre statue of Lord Ram on the bank of the Sarayu, the Dwarka Peeth seer said it was an inappropriate step which was also against people's faith.
Advocating the cause of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Saraswati claimed that no mosque ever existed at Lord Ram's birthplace in Ayodhya and that the structure demolished by "karsevaks" in 1992 was a temple and not a mosque.
He said it was a propaganda that the Babri Masjid existed at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi site. He even said that he had seen with his eyes that a Ram temple existed in Ayodhya.
Saraswati claimed that the Muslim community had failed to furnish any proof in the high court to confirm the existence of a mosque on the disputed site.
The Dwarka Peeth seer said no political party would ever build the Ram temple but politicise the issue. He also claimed that the government was preparing to bring a law to encroach upon religious sites.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
