Security heightened for Air India crash probe officers amid threat report
Kerala has introduced Zumba classes in schools as part of an anti-drug campaign. Muslim groups are protesting, calling it an imposition of vulgarity in the name of fitness. The Education Minister stated, 'This mindset is more communal and more poisonous than drugs in society.' The government remains firm on continuing the classes, which include Zumba, aerobics, and yoga, despite opposition from some teachers and students.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Ministers call for review of 'socialist, secular' words in preamble
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said "there is no need for socialism in India", adding "secularism is not the core of our culture". Chouhan's remarks assume significance as RSS Thursday called for reviewing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. Addressing an event organised at Delhi on 50 years of Emergency, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said, "The Preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words. During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, the judiciary became lame, then these words were added." Speaking at a programme held in Varanasi to mark 50 years of Emergency, Chouhan said, "'Bharat mein samajwad kee zaroorat nahi hai... Dharmanirapeksh hamaaree sanskrti ka mool nahin hai aur issliye is par zaroor vichaar hona chaahiye' (There is no need for socialism in India... 'Secular' is not the core of our culture and hence, this must be deliberated upon)," he said. In indirect support to RSS' call to review the words "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble of the Constitution, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday also said any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everybody knows that these words were not part of the original Constitution written by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed Saturday that 'socialism' and 'secularism' are "western concepts", and these words should be struck off Constitution. "How can I be secular? I am a hardcore Hindu. A Muslim person is a hardcore Muslim person. How can he be secular?" Sarma said. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar Saturday said the words inserted in Preamble through an amendment during Emergency era were a 'nasoor' (festering wound).
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘Some BJP MPs backing our Waqf stand': Top Muslim body chief on eve of Patna rally
After holding scores of protest meetings against the amended Waqf law across Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, Imarat-e-Shariah, one of the country's leading Muslim organisations, is set to hold a mega rally in Patna's Gandhi Maidan on Sunday to keep the heat on the BJP-led Centre over the row. Imarat-e-Shariah, headquartered in Patna, has rejected the Waqf amendment legislation, calling for its withdrawal. The legislation was passed by Parliament in April. In May, after hearing multiple petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, the Supreme Court reserved its decision on the prayer for interim directions. Speaking to The Indian Express, Imarat-e-Shariah head Faisal Rahmani said: 'Though we have been protesting against the draconian Waqf Amendment Bill right from the start, we want to keep the pressure on the Centre. We have been creating awareness among public about how the Centre's Waqf amendments are against several provisions of the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings. It is nothing but a bid to take away our places of worship and heritage buildings. This law undermines the spirit of brotherhood in the country.' Rahmani said: 'We accept the 1995 Waqf law. Going by the amendments to it, how can one disallow Hindus to donate their land for a good cause? Our records show that there are thousands of educational, medical and social organisations and institutions being run on Waqf land, some of which even have more Hindu beneficiaries in comparison to Muslims. Take for example Maulana Mazharul Haque University in Patna, which has 88% Hindu students in courses.' He said, 'The Centre summarily rejected our more than 300 representations against the Waqf Bill – we are also rejecting their amended Waqf law.' Calling the Waqf law 'irrational', the Imarat-e-Shariah chief also said: 'What will happen when someone asks for proof of Ashokan pillars or a whole lot of our historical monuments cutting across religions? This law aims at creating enmity among citizens… Public is a great force. It had made the NDA-led central government withdraw three farm laws. Patna rally is just the beginning, we will keep the pressure on the Centre.' Asked about timing of the Imarat-e-Shariah's protests ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls, Rahmani said they have been seeking support from all parties. 'We are getting calls of solidarity from various political parties. In fact, some BJP MPs have also been supporting our Waqf stand,' he claimed. The Muslim community accounts for over 17% of Bihar's population. Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Chechen leader says Putin congratulated him on son's wedding
FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov in Grozny, Russia August 20, 2024. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo (Reuters) -The head of Russia's Caucasus region of Chechnya, a fervent supporter of Moscow's war in Ukraine, said Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin telephoned him on Saturday to congratulate him on his son's wedding. Ramzan Kadyrov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said Putin "personally congratulated me ... on this important event and offered his warmest words of congratulation." Kadyrov said he was particularly touched that Putin had found the time to call "despite being so colossally busy with matters of state. This is a very dear thing." Kadyrov has led Chechnya, a mountainous Muslim region in southern Russia that tried to break away from Moscow in wars that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, since 2007. He has sent large contingents of troops to boost Russian ranks in the 40-month-old war against Ukraine and in the conflict's early stages commented frequently on events on the battlefield. His son, Adam, who turns 18 in November, already holds several positions in the region's security structures. Reports from the region said he was appointed secretary of Chechnya's security council in April. He also serves as his father's top bodyguard, a trustee of Chechnya's Special Forces University, and an observer in a new army battalion. (Reporting by Reuters)
