"The holy water of the Sharda Kund at the Sharda Peeth PoK was collected by Tanveer Ahmed and his team. Our civil society member across the LoC (Line of Control) carried it to Islamabad, wherefrom it was sent to his daughter Maghribi in the UK.
"While this is not a surprising stance from a nation that practices cross border terrorism and denies its own minorities their religious rights, such comments are nevertheless deeply regrettable," said MEA spokesperson.
Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah find themselves in a public war of words, reigniting their long-standing feud over Shah's 'clown' remarks and Kher's political affiliations.
The Lok Sabha's monsoon session concluded on Thursday, marked by relentless opposition protests over critical issues like the NEET paper leak and police action on students, yet saw the passage of several key bills without extensive debate. Home Minister Amit Shah expressed readiness to debate the student protest issue, urging the speaker to allocate time.
According to Hindu scriptures, Ganga Dussehra marks the day the holy river Ganga descended to Earth from Lord Shiva's locks, moved by King Bhagirath's penance. The day is considered highly auspicious and symbolises virtue, penance, and the collective well-being of humanity.
VHP international president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje said there is enthusiasm among Hindus across the world over the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Ram temple.
The construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is likely to be completed months before the deadline, an office bearer of the Sriram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said.
After paying obeisance to Ramlalla and overseeing the construction work of the temple, Shinde said he is happy that the dream of "Hindu Hriday Samrat" Balasaheb Thackeray and crores of Ram bhakts is being fulfilled.
The Supreme Court has questioned the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on the lack of electronic surveillance to track stationary vehicles on highways, citing a recent fatal accident. The court is hearing a suo motu case related to road safety and has previously issued directions against unauthorised parking and commercial structures on highways.
A day after his resignation was accepted by the Ram temple trust, its former general secretary Champat Rai on Tuesday said he would respond to all allegations of donation embezzlement after the SIT submits its final report, even as opposition parties alleged a "cover-up" and stepped up the demand for its dissolution.
While about 8,000 people are in the long list of invitees, the select list features 506 A-listers, including prominent politicians, leading industrialists, top film stars, sportspersons, diplomats, judges and high priests.
Chandrakant Sompura has either planned, designed, built or renovated over a hundred temples in India and abroad.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh executive head Bhaiyyaji Joshi has expressed confidence that the Ram temple will be constructed in Ayodhya by the time of next 'Kumbh'.
Despite the Ram Mandir issue failing to cut much ice with voters, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Friday reaffirmed his commitment to building the temple at Ayodhya.
'We are also running Ram rasoi (kitchen) free of cost for Ram devotees in Ayodhya'
There is a strong opinion within the BJP in Punjab that the party must now stand on its own two feet and dump the badly compromised SAD baggage.
The gifts were in a bag that had a striking graphic image of the new temple and of Lord Ram in a very young avatar.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and party leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have received invitations for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
The construction of the temple is expected to be completed by December 2023 and Lord Ram is expected to be seated in the sanctum sanctorum by the Makar Sankranti festival in January 2024.
Swami Giri said the trust has so far collected more than Rs 3200 crore in donations from individuals and organizations within the country.
A special court in Pilibhit has ordered the registration of an FIR against 10 officials, including a sub-divisional magistrate and circle officer, following allegations of assault and misbehaviour with women protesting against liquor shops in a residential area. The court's directive came after the women's complaint was allegedly not registered by local police.
The event will be marked by prayers to Lord Shiva at the Kuber Tila shrine on the Ram Janmabhoomi site, allocated for the temple in a historic Supreme Court verdict last November.
In her first address to a joint sitting of the two Houses in the new Parliament building in which she touched on varied issues ranging from insurgency to inflation, Murmu said a country can progress at a fast pace only when it defeats the challenges of the past and puts maximum energy into building the future.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to discuss resolving the persistent deadlock in the Lok Sabha's monsoon session, focusing on the Delimitation Bill and FCRA Bill, though no immediate commitment was secured from the Congress leader.
The time capsule, enlisting the history and facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi, will be placed thousands of feet below the construction site. It will be done in order to ensure that there are no disputes in the future. A grand Ram Temple will be built here and all arrangements are in place for Bhoomi Pujan.
Gandhi said the party will defeat the saffron party and Narendra Modi in Gujarat just the way it was defeated in Ayodhya.
Around five lakh devotees visited the Ram temple complex on day one as it opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, a day after the consecration ceremony, according to officials.
Talking about the donation received by VHP from President Kovind, Alok Kumar said, "He is the first citizen of the country. So we went to him to initiate this drive and he met us with his family and donated a sum of Rs 5,00,100 and gave his good wishes for the success of the mission."
Amid protests outside the Delhi University, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy went ahead with a seminar on the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya where he asserted that nothing will be done forcibly or against the law.
The event brings to fruition the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'mandir' movement that defined its politics for three decades and took it to the heights of power.
The student union of TISS denied that any protest is being organised.
Modi's greater weakness is his inability since July when he directed the exit of Dharmendra Pradhan, to come up with a political counter strategy. Security measures and executive orders as seen in recent days will only likely further weaken him and make him as lame duck a premier as many prior to him, Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh included, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Led by Muslim Rashtriya Manch, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-backed Muslim organisation, the group started their journey from Lucknow on January 25, Shahid Saeed, media in-charge of MRM, said on Wednesday.
The prime minister will also visit the Hanuman Garhi temple and the buildings on roads leading to it too are being spruced up.
Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel asserted that the Congress would not have secured any seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections without their alliance. He claimed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav persuaded Rahul Gandhi to contest Raebareli and highlighted the SP's significant contribution to the INDIA bloc's success in Uttar Pradesh.
The Rajya Sabha MP said for electoral success 'it is essential that the ideology of Hindutva is never lost sight of'.
As the temple is inaugurated, unfortunately for Advani but unsurprisingly for the rest of us, the architect of the party's rise will not lead the ceremony and claim credit for his achievement, notes Aakar Patel.
'For ages Lord Ram's character had served as a source of unity for the entire Indian sub continent.
The land purchased by the trust is located next to the Asharfi Bhawan.
