Gujarati folk singer Aditya Gadhvi has publicly distanced himself from an incident where non-Hindus and Muslims were asked to leave a high-end garba event in Ahmedabad during Navratri. The announcement was made from the stage by anchor-RJ Akash Trivedi, reportedly at the behest of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) volunteers. Gadhvi stated that the action was not his doing or message, emphasising that his stage is for music and devotion, and garba welcomes everyone with love and respect for Maa Durga.
The Gujarat unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday withdrew its protest against Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan, a day before its release, expressing satisfaction over the removal of 'objectionable' contents from the film.
A reading session of Malala Yousafzai's memoir 'I Am Malala' in Ahmedabad turned violent when right-wing activists attacked participants, injuring two. Police have arrested three individuals in connection with the incident, which involved groups claiming affiliation with Bajrang Dal and VHP.
Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput said stand-up comedian Raina had planned four shows in the state -- one each in Surat on April 17 and Vadodara on April 18, and two in Ahmedabad on April 19 and 20.
The Gujarat High Court has upheld the death sentences for 38 Indian Mujahideen operatives and life imprisonment for 11 others involved in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, which killed 56 people. The court also directed the state government to pay significant compensation to victims' families and those grievously injured.
In a video shared by the VHP, activists can be seen shouting slogans and tearing posters as well as large cut-outs of Pathaan's star cast.
A year ago, VHP international president Pravin Togadia had allegedly advised VHP members and other residents of that area to insult Muslims to make them vacate their properties in areas dominated by the majority community.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a sister organisation of the Bajrang Dal, said its workers carried out the act to register their protest against Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor's recent statement regarding minorities.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad will declare Gujarat a "Hindu state" by 2015 besides having its presence in all 18,000 villages of the state in the next two years, the outfit's leader Pravin Togadia claimed.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists on Friday tore down the posters of Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'My Name is Khan' and caused ruckus in a bid to halt the release of the film in Ahmedabad and Jamnagar in Gujarat.
The city unit of the VHP on Tuesday said it would stage protests on the riverfront against the Valentine's Day celebrations, which, the outfit claimed was "against Indian culture".
The Nagpur violence may have been prevented had the police considered the dangerous potential of the VHP/Bajrang Dal's demonstration; had they immediately stopped the burning of the chaddar and arrested the demonstrators; and had they fanned out to counter the rumours that spread among Muslims, observes Jyoti Punwani.
According to a statement issued by the VHP in Delhi, Togadia, 62, who suffered from low blood sugar levels, was found in an unconscious state in Shahibaug and was taken to Chandramani Hospital located in the same area.
In the last 11 years, India and the world witnessed what he stood for, what he promised and did not deliver, and what he actually stood for and practised without fearing how history would judge him. Modi's tenure has been punctuated with headline-grabbing decisions, symbolic gestures, and stage-managed moments that continue to define his leadership and India's politics, points out Ramesh Menon.
The Baharatiya Janata Party condemned Uttar Pradesh government's crackdown against VHP yatra from Ayodhya and accused it of playing vote bank politics while Samjwadi Party said it won't let the state "become another Gujarat" or a repeat of Dec 6, 1992, when the Babri mosque was demolished.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the argument that a three-judge bench, rather than a two-judge bench, should hear appeals of convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case. The court found that the Gujarat High Court commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment, therefore not requiring a three-judge bench. The hearing of the appeals will continue on Wednesday, with the state government seeking restoration of the death sentences of 11 convicts.
The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, was passed unanimously as besides the BJP MLAs, members of the Opposition Congress as well as the Aam Aadmi Party extended their support to it.
'The people of Gujarat are more religious than people of other states, this gives the BJP an advantage.'
There are indications that the Modi dispensation was disinclined to bring the VHP into the temple-mosque frame.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has moved back its office in New Delhi to its old address following the near completion of the rebuilding project spread across over 3.75 acre premises, housing three 13-storey towers and around 300 rooms and offices in total.
'He should declare whether he belongs to the Sangh Parivar, and if he believes so he has to abide by its discipline,' Ashok Singhal said.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is planning to introduce toll-free helpline in Hindu pilgrim centres across the country.
Gujarat was labelled Hindutva's crucible and Modi was to become the chief 'chemist'. A revealing political saga excerpted from Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay's The Demolition, the Verdict and the Temple: The Definitive Book on the Ram Mandir Project.
The carving work by artisans had been carried out uninterrupted since 1990 when Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party was Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
"I am being targeted for a decade-old case, there is an attempt to suppress my voice. Rajasthan Police team came to arrest me. Someone told me plan was being made to kill me in an encounter," the VHP president claimed.
Manmohan Singh represented the finest aspects of India, asserts Aakar Patel.
A special court in Ahmedabad which acquitted all the 67 accused in the Naroda Gam post-Godhra riots case has criticised the probe conducted into it by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Supreme Court, and said the evidence of the prosecution's witnesses was full of contradictions and could not be relied upon.
Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas was formed by the members of the VHP on December 18, 1985, with the aim of constructing a grand temple at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.
Sonal Shah, the first Indian-American to be inducted in United States President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, has formally renounced her affiliation with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which has been accused of fomenting violence against Muslims and Christians in India.Shah, former member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has said if she could have anticipated the outfit's role in the 2002 communal violence in Gujarat, she would have never associated with its US branch.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday said it was disappointed by the Gujarat court's decision to award death penalty to only 11 convicts in the Godhra train burning case and asked the state government to appeal against the verdict.
In an apparent backlash to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments that cow vigilantes were trying to create tension in the society and that they should be exposed and punished, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has said that the prime minister will have to pay a price in the 2019 national election.
As the 240-seater prime minister attempts to moderate his image of hardline hero, he has made room for others to elbow in and that is what is happening. And that it what will continue to happen from inside the BJP, notes Aakar Patel.
Ali Asghar Zaveri, a Muslim businessman who had purchased a sprawling bungalow in Bhavnagar's Krishna Nagar in 2014, has finally let go off his prized property, under duress from the VHP. Prasanna Zore reports on how the VHP went about its task.
VHP international president Praveen Togadia also lauded the government for issuing an advisory to states for ensuring a complete ban on beef exports.
VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia claimed the Gujarat elections had proved that 'Hindu bashing is not profitable in India.
The Gujarat high court has stayed the release of Maharaj, Aamir Khan's son Junaid's debut film, on Netflix after followers of Pushtimarg, a Vaishnava sect of Hinduism, claimed that it would hurt their religious sentiments.
Sudha Patel, a resident of Patelnagar, alleged before the Nanavati Commission that the mob was led by a Congress councillor.
The controversy has sparked reactions across states. The famous Mankameshwar temple in Uttar Pradesh has now banned offerings of 'prasad' bought by devotees from outside and said they can offer homemade 'prasad' or fruits.
'Shankaracharyas look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP through a political prism. This temple is not built on politics but on religion. Ram is our God'
