So far, Nobel Laureate, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is the only “individual” named in the list of “VVIPs/VIPs” who don’t have to go through a security check at domestic airports across the country.

Now there is a new name to that list: Shri Robert Vadra. Son-in-law of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Vadra’s name was added to the list on September 28 in a circular issued nationwide by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The list mentions that Vadra is exempted from security checks “while travelling with SPG (Special Protection Group) protectees.”

As husband of Priyanka Gandhi, who is an SPG protectee like her mother and brother Rahul, Vadra does get SPG protection when he travels with either of them. But no other spouse or family member of any SPG protectee has been so named in the list. Vadra is the 23rd entry in the list, the other 22 identify positions and categories including President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, former PMs, Speaker, CJI, Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, CMs, Ambassadors and all SPG protectees. Why is he the only spouse named in the list?

On November 10, when The Sunday Express contacted his office, Deputy Commissioner R D Gupta said: “We have no official reply. BCAS just took out the order as advised by the Ministry. Please talk to MCA Under Secretary L Haokip for clarification,” he said.

Hindus protest against UK Christmas stamp

A Royal Mail 68p Christmas stamp featuring a man and woman with Hindu markings worshipping the Infant Christ has created a controversy in the United Kingdom. Hindus are demanding that the Royal Mail withdraw the Christmas stamp, claiming the mother and child image it represents insult their religion.

Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain said that the image was insensitive, as it showed people who were clearly Hindu worshipping Christ. "It is the equivalent of having a vicar in a dog collar bowing down to Lord Ram on a Diwali stamp," he said. "These things need to be done with sensitivity."

It is an Indianised version of a European print of The Holy family with St Anne and the two angels. The picture was chosen for Royal Mail by this year's stamp designer, Irene Von Treskow, an Anglican priest in an English-speaking church in Berlin.

Kallidai said the man in the painting has a tilak marking on his forehead, clearly identifying him as a Vaishnava Hindu. The woman has the traditional kumkum mark on her forehead, identifying her as a married Hindu woman. "These are exclusively used by Hindus," he said.

Royal Mail said no offence had been intended.

In a letter to Royal Mail, World Hindu Mahasangam Secretary S Swaminathan raised the following objections:

1. Though Hindu religion is the only religion in the world that believes people can reach god by all paths, there is a lot of conversions going on in India. It is a very sensitive issue. Your stamp targeting India raises suspicions.

2. One of your booklets says it is done in 1620. It cannot be that old. This must be a fake picture or painting. We doubt the authenticity of the painting/picture. Unless the authenticity is proved this cannot be used in Royal Mail stamps.

3. Even if the authenticity is proved it will hurt the Hindus, because you have not shown in any one of the stamps Jews, Muslims, Buddhists or Sikhs worshipping baby Christ. Only the Hindus are visible with tilak on their foreheads.

4. Christianity did not enter India on a mass scale that early. All the stories of St Thomas visiting India in the first century were proved wrong by modern scholarship.

5. Hindus who believe in their Gods only will wear tilaks on their foreheads. Christians in India, who are converted, don't wear dots.

UPA's non-sense as history

Ram and Krishna never lived. Prithviraj Chauhan was “punished” by Muhummad Ghuri for “conspiracy,” Shivaji never faced open battles and won only by “treachery.” These are not extracts from a Pakistani book. But the “facts” mentioned in the Government of India textbooks, issued by Arjun Singh’s NCERT.

The Union HRD minister’s campaign to paint the education field red has resulted in this absurdity being taught as history. The NCERT, has replaced all the text books in schools. Old Communist historians have been dusted out of the closet and made to author textbooks for children. Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra, Ram Sharan Sharma and et al, have authored the textbooks of various senior classes. Page after page, the tone, the language and the presentation are aimed at insulting the national heroes.

Sample this, “archaeological evidence should be considered far more important than long family trees given in the Puranas because Puranic tradition can be used to date Ram of Ayodhya to 2000 B C but diggings and extensive exploration in Ayodhya do not show any settlement of the time.” (Ancient India, Ram Sharan Sharma, book for Class XI)

And he had this to say about Mahabharata, “Although Krishna played an important role in Mahabharata, inscriptions and sculptural piece found in Mathura dating back to 200 BC and 300 AD do not attest to his presence. Because of this, ideas of an epic based on Ramayana and Mahabharata have to be discarded.”

If Ram and Krishna are to be discarded, are we to hold on to Ghuri and Gazni? On Prithviraj, Satish Chandra says that in his second battle with Ghuri (lovingly called in the book as Muizzuddin Mohammad bin Sam) Prithviraj escaped from the battlefield while his side suffered losses. “he was captured near Saraswati (present day Sirsa)… he was allowed to rule Ajmer for sometime.” Soon, he was “executed on a charge of conspiracy against Ghuri.” Here again, Chandra dismisses the legend of Prithviraj as bunkum based on a later day folk ballet written by Chand Bardai. In one sentence he washes off collective memory and folk sources, now considered as important evidence in history. Jaichand, who is synonymous with betrayal has been given the hounours in heroism by Chandra. He died fighting Ghuri, according to him.

All the books newly introduced by Arjun Singh go on and on about the greatness of the Mughal rulers, the “strategic” mistakes they committed. Nowhere the books mention the kind of loot, plunder and destruction each of the invader unleashed on the Hindu population and its properties. There is no dearth of primary source to write a honest history. But these communists are more interested in suppressing the truth and suggesting falsehood. All these marauders had their official diarists with them, who recorded the events of the day. The Marxist historians had sufficient proof readily available with them to write if they sought for facts. But they didn’t.

Hasan Nizami, in the early 13th century wrote an eye-witness account of the conquest of Delhi by Qutbuddin Aibek, in 1192. Here are some extracts “the conqueror (Aibek) entered the city of Delhi, which is the source of wealth and the foundation of blessedness. The city and its vicinity were freed from idols and idol-worship and in its sanctuaries of the images of the gods, mosques were raised by the worshippers of one god… Qutbuddin built the Jami Masjid at Delhi and adorned it with stones and gold obtained from the temples which had been demolished by elephants and cover it with inscriptions in Toghra, containing the divine commands.”

While discussing Ramayana and Mahabharata, the latest findings in Dwarka are not even mentioned in the NCERT books. The ASI report on Ayodhya is yet to be released, but the author dismisses the excavations lightly. When they discuss the Mughal rulers they discuss their architecture, literature and governance. But on most of the Hindu rulers, only their battle defeats are elaborated. On Aurangzeb the biased Chandra says “Aurangzeb has been unjustly maligned … the Hindus had become disloyal due to the laxity of Aurangzeb’s predecessors, so that Aurangzeb had no choice but to adopt harsh measures and to try and rally the Muslims on whose support in the long run the empire had to rest.” So to please the Muslims, he imposed jazia on Hindus. Has anyone heard such non-sense in the national History textbooks?

Shivaji, who is normally addressed by Indians with the sobriquet Chhatrapati was only a chieftain, according to Chandra. Shivaji “conquered Javli from the Maratha chief Chandra Rao More. The Javli kingdom and accumulated treasures of the Mores were important and Shivaji aquired them by means of treachery,” Chapter 19 of the Medieval India textbook of Chandra says.

Shivaji is grudgingly dismissed in two pages. Prithviraj in six lines. There is hardly any mention of Rana Pratap and Haldighati. The bias, in these books is unbelievable. It is untruth, myth and fiction passed off as history. There is no end to Muslim rulers’ broad mindedness and Hindu meanness. And this is the history we are teaching our children.

The Muslims had raised a hue and cry about a book under the NDA government, which had described Mohammad as the founder of Islam. The book Comprehensive Study of History and Civics for Class VI in Uttar Pradesh had said that Quran was a compilation of his teachings. The Muslims objected saying that the Quran were not teachings but divine revelations and Mohammad was the last of the Prophets of God.

Can historians who are in the pay-roll of ideological groups in the country get away with distorting our national history? Is this the heritage that the UPA government wants the children of India to inherit? Systematically and determinedly, the UPA is trying to undermine the national pride, self-respect and the glorious history. Pandering to the communists and the vociferous minorities the government is abandoning its role in safeguarding the national interest. Arjun Singh is the henchman for all this.

Rajiv Gandhi Foundation finds Gujarat No. 1 state

The Narendra Modi brand of governance has got an unexpected endorsement. The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, headed by Sonia Gandhi, has adjudged Modi’s Gujarat as the Number 1 state in economic freedom index.

A study ‘Economic Freedom for States of India’ carried out by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, the foundation’s think-tank, has come to this conclusion after analysing “economic freedom” in different states of India.

The study has defined economic freedom as “absence of government coercion or constraint in the production, distribution or consumption of goods and services beyond the extent necessary for citizens to protect and maintain liberty by itself”.

In other words, the foundation does not agree that individual liberty is under threat in Mr Modi’s Gujarat.

The study is all praise for Gujarat, as it grades state governments on its political decision-making; the extent to which justice is served; levels of corruption; and the extent of regulation in the labour market.

The study, which has taken into account the size of government, security of property rights and regulation of credit and business has said that Gujarat comes on top. On the size of goverment, Gujarat comes in the first position. For, only a small share of the GSDP is accounted for by government services. Here, the government has a small role as subsidiser. Power subsidies are among the lowest in Gujarat.

In what could be a discomforting finding for the Congress and the Left, the RGF study says: “Safety of life is an essential component (of economic freedom). Gujarat, AP, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and MP have a very small share of the total crimes being accounted for by violent crimes. This share is much higher in J&K, UP, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam, where murder, rape, kidnapping, abduction, riots, arson and dowry deaths are more rampant”.

The findings do not end here. “In Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and MP (all BJP ruled) a large share of the cases that are taken up by the police are ensured complete investigation, unlike in West Bengal, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam”.

Also,“in Gujarat, least number of mandays are lost as a result of strikes and lockout as a ratio of total industrial workers in the state”.

Gujarat’s liberal licence regime has also come for praise in the report. “Constraints on trade imposed by market and license fees were also included in economic freedom. Corruption is also seen to be relatively low in Modi’s Gujarat. “In Gujarat, AP, Maharashtra, a smaller share of the total cases resgistered are pending investigation.”

“Gujarat, AP, Maharashtra and Haryana exhibited low minimum license fee for traders”.

“Corruption is measured in terms of cases pending investigation as a ratio of total cases registered under Prevention of Corruption and related acts. In Gujarat, AP, Maharashtra, a smaller share of the total cases resgistered are pending investigation. The situation, however, is bleak in West Bengal, J&K, HP, Jharkhand and Bihar”.

AP Chief Minister preaching Christ's teachings

“Congress party is like mother. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Rajasekhar reddy is talking of Christ’s teachings.He is requesting you to come and he is promising all help. HE INFUSES LOVE”.THAT IS HOW THE lift Irrigation Minister of AP is addressing the dalits. He was participating in a meeting organized by Dalit employees sangh of commercial taxes department of AP Government on the occasion of Dr.Ambedkar’s birth day celebrations. He said that Sonia Gandhi who is the president of congress is a great sacrificer after Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theressa.

Israeli airline wants dargah at Kurla razed

People gather at Jari Mari Dargah located on a hillock near Sahar Airport. It is perceived to be a security threat by El Al. A plane can be seen landing on the runway a little further away Israel has taken its security concerns to new heights (literally). The country’s national carrier, El Al, has asked that a dargah near the Sahar airport be demolished, as it could be the base for a terrorist attack.

The request was made to the Central Industrial Security Force and Airport Authority of India. Earlier, they wanted guards posted at the Juhu aerodrome, fearing a terrorist attack,” said an airport official.

The dargah in question is the Jari Mari Dargah, and has a small masjid within its precincts, where prayers are performed regularly. Situated on a hillock in the Bail Bazaar area of Kurla (W), the dargah is located close to the airport’s main runway and offers a clear view of the airport.

The imam of the masjid, however, dismissed the possibility of a terrorist attack and said the place was used by locals after their daily prayers. Confirming the airline’s request, Anil Kumar, senior commandant, CISF, Mumbai airport, said the threat perception to El Al was higher than any other airline.

Next in line are American airlines and British ones. “We have also identified the place as a security threat, since it is situated on a hillock,” he said.

EI AI is known for its extreme security measures. During check-in, the airline cordons off the entire check-in area and posts a vehicle outside the airport to look out for any suspicious activity, said airport officials.

Pak denies visas to Indian musicians

Despite the recent bonhomie in Indo-Pak ties, Pakistan has denied visas to a troupe of Indian musicians, including noted classical singer Shubha Mudgal, which was scheduled to perform in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

The nine musicians, who were to leave on the tour sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on Friday, had to cancel their visit as the Pakistan High Commission denied them visas.

"This is very disappointing that we were not given visa. In fact, this is also very surprising, given that the two countries are going through a time of camaraderie and friendship," Mudgal said.

The famous singer said no reason was cited by the Pakistani authorities for not granting them visa.

Abhijeet denied permission to perform in Pakistan

At a time when India and Pakistan are engaged in the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus diplomacy, a man with a mellifluous voice is shouting from the rooftops, trying to reach across the border his message of dissent over the "shabby manner" in which Islamabad treats Bollywood personalities.

His grouse may be more against the Musharraf administration, but he has a bone to pick with the Indian Government as well.

After he was denied permission to perform at a hospital fund-raising music concert scheduled to be held at the elite Sindh club at Karachi on April 2, a livid Bollywood singer Abhijeet minces no words when it comes to debunking the Pakistan Government for the "double standards" adopted by it in its on-going culture exchange with India.

"While the Indian Government is more than accommodating to the cultural ambassadors from Pakistan, the Musharraf administration goes out of the way to create road blocks for Indian film personalities visiting Pakistan," Abhijeet said.

Abhijeet goes on to add (rather lambast the Indian Government): "I have still not understood as to how a Pakistani national like Adnan Sami has been allowed to settle in India - all to mint money. In Meera's case, visa regulations are softened to allow her to alight in Delhi instead of Mumbai and participate in the Indo-Pak peace procession spearheaded by Mahesh Bhatt. And in Rahat's case, Mahesh and his brother Mukesh Bhatt boast that they succeeded in obtaining a visa from the Indian Government for the former to sing for their film, within two days. All these can happen only in India and not in Pakistan."

Abhijeet insists that he is not making a case for his being denied permission to perform at a Karachi club. "My fear is that a day will come when Bollywood will be flooded with Pakistani artistes, given the kid-glove attitude adopted by the Indian government towards performers from across the border. And their Indian counterparts like us will be running for assignments in our own film industry," he rues.

Rahul caught with $ 2 lakhs

A suit has been filed in the high court in Lucknow seeking information about the alleged detention of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and his Columbian girlfriend by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2001.

According to the public interest litigation, Rahul, the son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and his companion were released after being detained at Boston airport following the intervention of the Prime Minister's Office.

At that time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Indian prime minister and Rahul was not a member of the Parliament. "Vajpayee's principal secretary and then national security adviser Brajesh Misra spoke to top US authorities to enable Rahul Gandhi and his girlfriend to get away," claimed Prem Chandra Sharma, who moved the court along with three others.

The petition alleged that Rahul was found in illegal possession of about $ 200,000. And it was in that connection that the FBI had detained him along with his girlfriend on Sep 21, 2001. The FBI was said to have sought an explanation about Rahul's possession of such a huge amount of money, which he was unable to provide, the petition said.

The petition sought a writ of mandamus to the Indian ambassador to the US as well as the union home secretary to make a disclosure about the entire episode.  

MNC seeds kill Indian farmers

The Andhra Pradesh government submitted last week tampered statistics in a report on the failure of Bt cotton, a genetically modified species of cotton, to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). The GEAC, which issues approval for introduction and further use of genetically engineered seeds and produces in the country has held up its decision on the future use of Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere, after the Greenpeace India exposed that the state government had tampered with the vital statistics on the subject. The state government’s action benefits the American multinational seed company Monsanto by Rs two crore.

Bt cotton is a variety of cotton marketed by the multinational company. It is a genetically engineered species. The most serious complaint against uncontrolled marketing of GE varieties is that the farmers will become totally dependent on a single source for seeds and this variety will become the only variety of cotton. In India alone, some 150 varieties are grown. The genetically modified seeds have not cleared all the necessary lab and field trials in different climatic and agro-economic conditions. Most non-American, European nations have banned GE products which would eventually lead to a glut in the product pick up of Indian cotton, leaving the US as the only market.

Most of the environmental groups in India oppose the introduction of GE seeds because of the lack of transparency in the process and the loopholes in the regulations that are to be maintained while conducting trials on land. Initially, Monsanto was allowed to introduce its Bt cotton seeds experimentally in six states—Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The permission for introducing the seed in north India was withheld, subject to success of the field trials.

A monitoring mechanism in the name of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests was set up at the Centre. Each state was to present a report to the GEAC, which was to collate the information and prepare the report on Bt cotton.

What has now happened is that the multinational Monsanto has created its own lobby in each of these states and is tampering with the reports being presented to the GEAC. Not that the central body has been cautious in its approach.

What is Bt cotton? Bt in Bt cotton stands for Bacillus thurengiensis. This is a naturally occurring soil bacterium. The Bt cotton is produced by inserting a synthetic version of a gene from the natural bacterium. The plant then produces its own toxin, which bursts open the intestine of the pests. Bollworm is the most common of these in cotton. The plant produces the toxin throughout its life, unlike the pesticides, which is sprayed only when the plant is affected. This also means that the toxin will be present in the pollens when pollination takes place. The toxin and the gene have been discovered to spread to other plants freely, especially the mustard, rapeseed and some wild varieties of plants. Since the toxin does not affect several other secondary pests, like white mosquito, etc. the farmers end up using pesticides. Incidentally Monsanto was ranked 5th in the world pollutants list, responsible for throwing 37 million pounds of toxic chemicals into the environment.

There is reason for the common man too to be worried about the Bt cotton. The cotton seed cakes are offered to animals for feed. In some places cotton seed oil is used for cooking and applied purposes. Though clinical tests are yet to prove it, the scientists have warned that the toxin can get passed on. The effect of this toxin on humans even from secondary sources is yet to be assessed.

Moreover, the gene from the plant, if unexpectedly spread to nearby fields, could affect our entire crop system, leading to a huge problem of weed and pests cycle, causing calamitous results. Till the safety measures are absolutely in place and scientific tests have not indicated otherwise, it is a foolhardy measure, treading on quicksand.

Taj today, what tomorrow? - Sunni Waqf Board stakes claim on Taj

The Sunni Waqf Board has claimed ownership of the Taj and the surrounding areas, with the crux of the matter appearing to be money. Over Rs 40 crores were made last year in the sale of tickets to the Taj, and the Waqf Board says it should get a percentage of the amount. "Once our claim has been established we should get a cut of 7 per cent from the daily revenue of lakhs of rupees. And if we get it, then the board will be strengthened, and we can do a lot of work," said Hafiz Usman, Chairman, Sunni Waqf Board.

A PIL was filed in the Allahabad High Court last year saying the Sunni Waqf Board should be sole owners of the Taj and properties around it, since the existence of graves in the compound automatically put in under the care of the Board. However, historically, the whole area around the monument was taken over and maintained by the government since 1865.

"The entire world knows India because of the Taj Mahal. So to discuss such an issue is meaningless. They don't have a valid claim," said RS Fonia, ASI. Moreover, it is a historical fact that the TajMahal is a Rajput palace taken over by Shah Jahan. 

Arjun Singh - Joker of the Decade

Speaking at the 51st convocation of Gujarat Vidhyapeeth recently, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, had expressed his concern over "glorification of Hitler instead of Gandhi" in the land of Mahatma in the textbooks by the "communal forces."

Launching a counter attack on Singh for indirectly accusing BJP of "glorifying Hitler instead of Mahatma Gandhi" in the textbooks, five BJP MPs shot a letter to him, saying the textbooks were written in 1992 when the Congress was in power both, in the state as well as the centre and Arjun Singh himself was the Human Resource Development Minister. The syllabus had not been changed since then.

Maintaining that Gujarat did not need to be taught lessons in this respect, they said the real face of Hitler had emerged during the time of 'Emergency' in India.

Savarkar 'deleted' from Karnataka textbooks

Treason in high places

The entire nation was outraged when on August 9 the media reported the shocking news of a senior bureaucrat of the Government of India making anti national remarks on Jammu & Kashmir from foreign soil. Wajahat Habibullah, Textile Secretary, publicly sought American intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue since, according to him, "the people of Kashmir have no faith in India".

How can a secretary to Govt. of India publicly ask for US intervention to solve Jammu & Kashmir problem? However, the Congress party dismissed this as "personal views". How can a Govt. official express his personal views in public is what the Congress fails to answer.

Wajahat Habibullah is from Uttar Pradesh and has served mostly in the Kashmir valley, since he belongs to the J&K cadre in the IAS. He is the same person who provided cooked food for the jehadis who had occupied the Hazratbal shrine in the early 90s, which prompted Mr. L.K. Advani to make the famous comment "bullets for the kar sevaks and biryani for the militants!" 

Manishankar Aiyar's "Secular" credentials

"I am a Brahmin from Tanjore district. Yet I eat beef. I threw my sacred thread. I married, not a Brahmin, but, a non-Hindu. I am so secular." He went on. Not in a private talk, in a public speech. Sounds like Mani Shankar Aiyar? Right, it is he. This was in early 1980s at a seminar on secularism in Chennai. Arun Shourie, S.Gurumurthy, N. Ram among others were present. 

On this test, for a Muslim to claim 'secular' status, he must eat pork, cut off his beard and marry non-Muslims. But, for Mani, Muslims are, by birth, 'secular'. Only Hindus have to turn un-Hindus to be 'secular'.

Undoubtedly it is perverse. But it offers a clue to what is central to a fraudulent secularism in practise in this country. Demeaning and trivialising all symbols of reverence to Hindus is the very essence of this 'secular' outlook. Now it is easy to understand why Mani demeaned Savarkar, an icon of those who worship this nation as what Maharishi Aurobindo or Swami Vivekananda had perceived it to be. But as most Indians are told only about Nehru, Indira and now, Sonia, they are kept ignorant about Savarkars. That is Mani's jackpot.

Manishankar Aiyar Exposed

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has liberally drawn references to Mani Shankar Aiyar’s Cambridge days in 1960s from journalist Dhiren Bhagat’s book ‘The Contemporary Conservative’. "When Indians were donating money and jewellery - even sweaters to sustain India’s fight against the Chinese in 1962, Mani Shankar Aiyar, as secretary of the Cambridge unit of Communist party, was busy collecting funds for Chinese soldiers," Thackeray said.

"Aiyar was then perceived as threat to national security and the police had a slew of files on him. However, the Aiyar family put to use its strong political connections and the then President of India intervened to clear the decks for Mani’s entry into the IFS," Thackeray said.

"In any other country a person with such credentials would have been bundled off to jail. But in India, Mani Shankar Aiyar could dare to enter the IFS," he said.

Arunachal Buddhists allege Militants' Harassment

The Buddhist community of the north-east region has expressed deep concern over the rising incidents of harassment and persecution of Buddhist tribals by militants and security forces alike in the remote locations of Arunachal Pradesh. The twin militant outfits, NSCN(IM) and NSCN(K) have demanded annexation of land from the Buddhist and other indigenous faith followers of Rima Putak, Thikhak Putak, Motongsa and Longchong villages in Tirap – Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh and issued a decree for their conversion to Christianity. The militant outfits have left the villagers with two options – embrace Christianity or face capital punishment. With death staring at their face, most of the adult members have fled the villages to escape torture from both sides, resulting in disruption of agricultural activities.

The outlawed organisations have persecuted several villagers for their alleged role in passing vital information to the Assam Rifles. On the other hand, the Army too allegedly harasses the villagers on the pretext of providing food and shelter, but not reporting and keeping tabs on the militants' activities. In a recently held joint Buddhist session of the Purvanchal Buddhist Bhikkhu Sangha and Purvanchal Buddhist Association at Namphakey near Naharkatia in Dibrugarh district of Assam, frontline Buddhist leaders of both the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have strongly condemned the heinous atrocities committed by the militants on the peace-loving Buddhists and tribal cult followers and sought the immediate intervention of the Centre and the state to ensure the security of lives and properties of the affected people.

They opined that India being a secular nation with composite culture, every citizen or individual has the inherent right to profess and practice his religion. The leaders said that what is happening in Arunachal Pradesh is a glaring example of violation of human rights. This was stated in a press release.

Uma Bharti Arrested

It is the most absurd and shameful happening in independent India. Uma Bharti, the patriotic and popular Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, is arrested and goes to jail while murders, dacoits, rapists, ISI agents blissfully sit in the Parliament. The criminal allegation against this Chief Minister is that she is patriotic and had dared to hoist the national flag on a "disputed territory" in her own country against the wishes of the State Government which had prohibited this patriotic act because it would "hurt the sentiments of the minorities"?  

How can any territory within the boundaries of the Indian Union be "disputed" for hoisting the national flag? How can the hoisting of national flag "hurt the sentiments of the minorities"? If it does then such minorities do not deserve to live in India, nor do all those who support such minorities in this anti-national unpatriotic stand, including the government. They must all be told to leave India with immediate effect. 

We in India are a nation which is a home to multiple ethnic and religious groups. We take pride in its diversity and have place for all. But we have no place for unpatriotic people, irrespective of their ethnic or religious affiliations. Any individual or community which considers religion above the nation, gets hurt by the hoisting of the national flag or cannot say Vande Mataram and pray our holy Motherland must leave the country or perish. We cannot accommodate them.

And a government to which the sentiments of such minorities is more important than the hoisting of the national flag must also go. The State Government's decision to reopen a ten year old case of hoisting the national flag, which the previous government had decided to withdraw, smacks of the influence of foreign power. We are looking into the face of another foreign invasion. If we don't arise and overthrow it now, it might be too late.  

Disrespect to Swatantryaveer Savarkar

The Union Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar ordered the removal of Swatantryaveer Savarkar's plaque at the Cellular Jail memorial in Andaman and also said that he wanted the Port Blair airport, which is currently named after the father figure of Indian Freedom struggle who spent 12 years of his life in "Kalapani", to be renamed.

Aiyar, whose only interest seems to be earning points for himself in the eyes of the party supremo by showing disrespect to the Father of Hindutva, appears to have no knowledge of history. Looking at India's freedom struggle from the skewed perspective of the Congress, Aiyar fails to see that Savarkar was the only freedom fighter who had been sentenced to two life imprisonments in Andaman's cellular jail, the infamous "Kalapani" for his revolutionary activities and had stayed there the longest. His name on the plaque and the airport is most relevant and appropriate. That Savarkar was the founder of Hindu Mahasabha, spoke of Hindu unity and propagated the ideology of Hindutva cannot disqualify him from being given the credit and respect which he rightly deserves.

Pardon for ISI Murderer

The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh, in its zeal to appease minority, is taking action which is against the national interest. The Andhra government had ordered the release of more than 1000 prisoners on Independence day. One of the prisoners was Muzib Ahmed, the murderer of Additional SP Krishna Prasad and his gunmen. 

In November 1994 Shri Krishnaprasad, Additional SP of Hyderabad, on getting information that some traitors were meeting at Tolichowk, raided the place. There was an exchange of fire and the then Additional SP and his gunmen were killed. One of the accused Muzib Ahmed, who it was learnt had connections with JKLF (Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front), was sentenced for life after trial. He served a part of jail term for three years in Chanchalguda of Hyderabad. And then he was moved to a Central Jail of Vishakapatnam.

Talking to the press after his release when asked from where got his AK-47 which he himself had said was used in the murder, he replied that he cannot reveal the source. When he was asked whether he had any remorse he avoided the question. Muzib said to the press that his life was in danger and he should be given police protection. The police commissioner of Vishakapatnam Shri Prasada Rao said that Mujib would be given police escort till he reached his home in Hyderabad.

It is interesting to note that Nagarjun Reddy, a Naxalite serving in the same prison, who was released on same pardon, had issued a statement stating that Muzib Ahmed had a royal life in the jail. To his knowledge he was given cell phone on three occasions to contact some outsiders. Immediately after one of these conversations a church in Chennai was blasted. He used to make anti-India statements and bully other prisoners. But obviously in the government's opinion his behaviour was good and he was released.

Lord Hanuman Insulted in NET Paper

The insult to Lord Hanuman in question number 67 (objective type) for Life Science paper of National Eligibility Test (NET) held on June 27th 2003 is indeed shocking.

The question in Hindi read: `Harem par adhikar kar lene key bad nar Hanuman langur dwara shishu hatya kiye jane ka karan nimn mein sey kya ho sakta hai?' Translated roughly this meant - which among following could be the reason for infanticide by male monkey Hanuman after he had asserted right over a group of females.

Using the name of `Lord Hanuman' along with issues of infanticide and winning over a group of females, and in particular the word `Harem' linked with Islamic culture, is an attack on Hindu beliefs and an effort to incite communal tension. It is apparent that secularism is only a facade for the UPA Government 

Secular Sonia's Christian Love

Sonia Gandhi, who is supposed to be the embodiment of secularism, has shown signs of Christian favouritism. Sonia's tenure as Congress supremo saw three Christian Congress Chief Ministers being appointed - Kerala (A.K. Antony), Ajit Jogi (Chhatisgarh), Y.S. Reddy (Andhra Pradesh) -neither of these states has a Christian majority. Her Jharkhand Congress leader too is a tribal Christian - Peter Munda - whereas the state has still majority Hindus. Even her all powerful Secretary is a Christian -Oscar Fernandez. 

In Madhya Pradesh - her Chief Minister Digvijay Singh went to the extent of advising Dalits to seek new faith to avoid oppression (Feb 2003, Bhopal Declaration). The Nun Rape case in MP was squarely blamed on Hindus, whereas later it was revealed that tribal Christians were involved. Blatant conversions to Christianity took place in Chhatisgarh under her shield. It seems that wherever possible Sonia wants to have Christians in key political posts - and where it is not possible - say Hindu dominated Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh - have some fellow who will go alongwith her soft conversion tactics.

On the personal front, even her children have chosen Christian life partners - Priyanka Gandhi married Robert Vadhera - a Christian; Rahul Gandhi has a Spanish girlfriend, again a Christian from Venezuela. It seems that Sonia prefers having Christians as relatives.

Lalu, Sonia, Priyanka, Rahul in Textbooks

“The present walks by his side and the future is in his sight. Whether it is West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh or any other corner of the country, Laluji’s name and voice draw masses...Lalu may not be a mathematician but he has left behind the best of mathematicians in solving the questions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division etc in practical life... Like Gandhi and Nehru, Lalu bhaiya has firmed up a new relationship with the society.”

Had this been a pamphlet circulated by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) during the polls in Bihar, it might not be shocking. But this is a portion of what is being taught to students of class VIII in the state ruled by Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi. Written by one Harivansh Narayan and titled Mitti Ke Gaurav, the chapter on Lalu Yadav is part of a Hindi book approved by the director of elementary, secondary and adult education of the Bihar Government.

The book has been in circulation for over a decade. Interestingly, it is Lalu and his party who have been making the loudest noises on the NDA’s changes in history books. M A A Fatmi, an RJD MP and Minister of State (MoS) in the HRD ministry, has been vociferous about a return to the earlier syllabus.

A Family Tree, a chapter in a class V textbook, written by Annie Koshi, principal, and two other teachers of St Mary’s school, Delhi requires students to remember the names of Priyanka Vadra, husband Robert Vadra and brother Rahul Gandhi. Additionally, they are also asked to stick their photos in boxes provided against the names. Rahul Gandhi has made it to the current Lok Sabha but Priyanka and Robert are yet to have a contribution written against their names.

Similarly, in Karnataka, the state ruled by the Congress-JD (S) combine, Hindi textbooks of class X place Sonia Gandhi beside Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi in the chapter Bharatanari. Gandhi has been described as a great woman working for the emotional integration of the nation through Rajiv Gandhi Pratisthan (Rajiv Gandhi Foundation). It might be interesting to see how many people have heard of the RGF or its contribution to the country’s social fabric.

Communists spearheading the campaign for restoration of books of Left historians are no less at fault. In fact, when Atal Behari Vajpayee took oath as Prime Minister in 1999, they used textbooks to make fun of India’s alleged subjugation to America. Class VI students of the Municipal Corporation’s medium high school in Bardwan (West Bengal) talked about a picnic put together by Pervez (Musharraf), Atal and Bill (Clinton). For the picnic, Bill lent equal amounts of money to the other two to buy provisions. The question then specifies Pervez and Atal’s purchase amounts and students are asked to calculate how much Bill gave them.

Another inter-school higher secondary test examination of Hindi asks the students to write on ‘Lal kile par laal nishan, maang raha hai Hindustan’ (India is demanding communist rule).

Saffronisation of History?

Murli Manohar Joshi, the Human Resource Development (HRD) minister of Vajpayee government has been charged with showing bias against Left historians in reviewing textbooks. J S Rajput, the then director of the National Council of Education, Research and Technology (NCERT), who claimed to have got the entire syllabus up to XII rewritten, ordered deletion of several portions from history books authored by the Left-oriented historians. These portions were related to Sikh guru Teg Bahadur, Jat rulers of Bharatpur, Ayodhya, Mathura and Aryans. If we take a look at these deleted portions, we realise that these were contradictory to the national interest and their deletion is justified.

Portions deleted from the textbooks under the NDA

*In 1675, Guru Teg Bahadur was arrested with five of his followers, brought to Delhi and executed. The official explanation for this, as given in some later Persian sources, is that after his return from Assam, the guru, in association with one Hafiz Adam, a follower of Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, had resorted to plunder, laying waste the whole province of Punjab.

*Meat was served as a mark of honour (although in later centuries Brahmanas were forbidden to eat beef)... If a man killed another man, he had to give a hundred cows to the family of the dead man as punishment (Ancient India by Romila Thapar, p.40-41).

*They (Jats) founded their State of Bharatpur wherefrom they conducted plundering raids in the regions around and participated in the court intrigues at Delhi. (Modern India by Arjun Dev and Indira Arjun Dev, p.21).
8The Puranic tradition could be used to date Rama of Ayodhya around 2,000 BC, but diggings and extensive explorations in Ayodhya do not show any settlement around that date... Similarly, although Krishna plays an important part in the Mahabharata, the earliest inscriptions and sculptural pieces found in Mathura between 200 BC and AD 300 do not attest his presence. (Ancient India by R S Sharma, p.20-21)

*The cattle wealth slowly decimated because the cows and bullocks were killed in numerous Vedic sacrifices. (Ancient India by R S Sharma, p-90).

*People (living in the old age in South-eastern Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, western Maharashtra and elsewhere) certainly ate beef, but they did not take pork on any considerable scale (Ancient India by R S Sharma, p.45).

*The anti-sacrifice attitude of Buddhism and of Ashoka naturally brought loss to the Brahmanas, who lived on the gifts made to them in various kinds of sacrifices. Hence in spite of the tolerant policy of Ashoka, the brahmanas developed some kind of antipathy to him. (Ancient India by R S Sharma pp.137-138).

*What was done by slaves and other producing sections in Greece and Rome under the threat of whip was done by the Vaishyas and Shudras out of conviction formed through brahmanical indoctrination and the Varna system. (Ancient India by R S Sharma, pp.240-241).

J&K CM curtailed Amarnath Yatra

Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SANSB) had announced on May 23rd that the yatra this year would be for two months as against one month in the past in view of better security environment and had scrapped the registration fee of Rs.20 opening the yatra for all.

The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Mr. Mufti Mohammed Sayeed overruled the board decision by rejecting the proposed changes on both counts. By doing so he has openly shown his communal intentions and interfered in the Hindu religious board, taking refuge on the grounds of security, while on the other hand, urging tourists across the country to come to Kashmir and the displaced Kashmiri Pandits to come back in view of the better security environment. 

The Fate of Sindhu Darshan

With the coming of the Congress government at the centre, the future of Sindhu Darshan festival started by ex-Deputy Prime Minister, Shri L.K.Advani in 1997 looked bleak.

The festival which began on the 1st of July every year was uncertainly postponed and finally began on the 18th of July. The traditional pooja was left out of the official programme and was accomplished even before the arrival of the chief guest, the J&K Chief Minister, Mr. Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. According to the Times of India, the sadhus, shankaracharyas, Hindu pooja rituals had all been ''washed away'' by the "refreshingly secular" celebrations choreographed by the new tourism minister, Renuka Choudhary and her team.

"Secular" has become the synonym for "anti-Hindu" in our country. Would Renuka Chaudhary have dared to do the same had these been Muslim or Christian prayers or rituals?

Blocking Hindu Unity

As soon as the "secular" government came to power, the VSNL on the advice of Mumbai police, blocked the website www.hinduunity.org.

In a Press Release dated 27th May, 2004 the Chairman of www.hinduunity.org said:

"None of the violent Muslim Jihadi websites calling to conquer and kill Hindus in the name of Allah have seen such a ban. Various terrorist websites are still in operation today. Christian missionary websites calling for "harvesting Hindus" to Christianity operate freely and are accessible by all in India. Communist propaganda websites actively seeking to paint India red are allowed to prosper and Mumbai police along with their higher ups will not touch this issue. Imam Bukhari of Jama Masjid, one of the most notorious anti-nationals living on Indian soil has never been arrested nor told to exercise control in his speech. His open support for Osama Bin Laden during Sept 11th attacks of the Twin Towers in the U.S. is a shame to the democratic nation of India. Not a single eyebrow was lifted against him. What a shame!   

The double standards against Hindus and the appeasement of minorities to the point of cutting off Hindu tongues is a travesty and a disgrace to the equal rights of Hindu citizens. We strongly urge all proud Hindus to make your voices heard or we will be silenced forever. Our rights as Hindus are sure to go if freedom to express ourselves is taken away. Freedom of speech is a basic human right that must be provided by any sound, well-balanced democratic government. The gag order on our website HinduUnity.org is just the beginning of the end of all rights of Hindu citizens in India.

Let the freedom loving citizens of India send a clear message to the government that we demand our right to freedom of speech. Freedom of thought and expression is the basis of democracy." 

Imam Bukhari backs 9/11

The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and other targets in the US were not a matter of regret, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Delhi, Syed Ahmed Bukhari declared. The Shahi Imam speaking at a function at Shoshtri Hall at Bhendi Bazar, Mumbai in October '03, where he released the inaugural issue of a Urdu weekly, Qaumi Jasarat Jadeed said that as long as the US refused to apologise for the atrocities on Muslims in Palestine, Afghanistan and other parts of the world, there was no question of regretting the 9/11 violence.

In a highly controversial speech, he also defended Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. He said despite the extensive bombing of Afghanistan, the US could not kill Osama Bin Laden, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks.

"It is Allah's wish that Osama Bin Laden stays alive. The US cannot take away his life," he said amidst the chanting of the slogan Allah O Akbar (God is great).

Are the secularists listening?