New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government on Tuesday, will be declaring two days of national mourning following the demise of former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal.
Earlier in the day, the senior Punjab politician passed away at the age of 95.
The Fortis Hospital in its official media bulletin stated, “S Parkash Singh Badal, Former Chief Minister of Punjab, was admitted at Fortis Hospital Mohali on April 16, 2023, with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. He was shifted to the medical ICU on 18th April as his respiratory condition worsened. He had been on NIV and HFNC support along with medical management”.
“He was being managed under Prof (Dr) Digambar Behera along with the Pulmonology and critical care team supported by Cardiology. Despite appropriate medical management S Parkash Singh Badal succumbed to his illness. Fortis Hospital Mohali deeply condoles the death of S Parkash Singh Badal,” the statement added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolence on his demise and said that Badal was a colossal figure of Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation.
Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, “Extremely saddened by the passing away of Shri Parkash Singh Badal Ji. He was a colossal figure of Indian politics, and a remarkable statesman who contributed greatly to our nation. He worked tirelessly for the progress of Punjab and anchored the state through critical times”.
Badal was admitted to ICU on April 21, following complaints of breathing difficulties, according to the party.
Parkash Singh Badal served as the Chief Minister of Punjab multiple times. He was the CM from 1970-1971, from 1977-1980, from 1997-2002, and from 2007-2017.
He was also the youngest CM to have ever held office in the state of Punjab.
New Delhi: Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi, organised a two-day National Conference on “Indian Muslims and Plural Society” in hybrid mode from February 15 – 16.
Inaugural session
The inaugural session commenced with Prof Haseena Hashia, Assistant Secretary General, IOS, welcoming the guests and participants.
Prof M.H Qureshi, an eminent Geographer, talked about India witnessing numerous migrations over the last several centuries. “We have Nordics, Mediterranean, and Mongols—people from Central Asia, Persia and even Arabs who arrived in India through its southern-western coastal region. Therefore, India has immense diversity, he said.
He said that the Arabs came to the Kerala coast and brought many traditions that became part and parcel of India.
Professor Mehrajuddin Mir, former Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir, said that the concept of pluralism was how to live together, tolerate others’ thoughts and ideas, and even understand opponents’ miseries for solutions to live in diversity. All religions have various sects, and thus, their practices differ. The conflicts are, therefore, intra-religious, interreligious and social, he noted.
Professor Mir quoted Indian Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, who recently spoke about how one Imam and one Pundit shaped his career to understand brotherhood and oneness.
Professor Akhtarul Wasey, former President, Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in his presidential address, said that Muslims came to India as traders and invaders. But once they came here, they delved into the culture and traditions of India and became one who enriched the nation to encourage pluralism. Muslims have contributed to India’s prosperity.
He said that how Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam became a global personality of Indian origin—a Muslim. The country couldn’t think of its missile programme without his theoretical contributions, he said.
Technical Session I
The 1st Technical Session began with the theme, “Genesis of Pluralism in India.” Professor Arshi Khan, Department of Political Science, AMU, Aligarh, as Moderator & Chairperson.
Dr. Ram Puniyani, Human Rights Activist and Writer, said, “There is a misconception in the country, especially against Muslims.” The alliance of civilizations defines plurality. Religions don’t have any nationality. They are universal. The Kings in India, whether Muslim or Hindu, ruled the nation for centuries with people of different faiths as their core governance teams. There was nothing like Muslim Kings or Hindu kings then, he explained.
He observed that calling Indian cultures as Hindu is a bigoted idea. Leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad brought secular spirits into the country. We have Sufi and Bhakti traditions that describe the morality of religions and humanity in India.
Professor Mohammad Sohrab, MMA Jauhar Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, described pluralism as a definition both from a conceptual and theoretical perspective. Primarily a religious and moral philosophy, pluralism was the acceptance of diversity. It is more than tolerance of differences. The conception of ‘We’ was essential to assess pluralism through organic social bonding. Pluralism in the Islamic context of acceptance and the country’s scenario today should be understood in the context of how the nation’s spirit developed in Madinah during the time of the Prophet, he elaborated.
He said that pluralism demands that your neighbour be considered an asset, not a liability. Diversity with pluralism creates resilience, but diversity without pluralism brings disaster, he concluded.
Gurtej Singh, IAS, Chandigarh, spoke about how India’s constitutional and political federalism paved the way for the constitution. The atrocities against Sikhs and their resistance were part of history, he said. The examples of pluralism can be understood from the Guru Granth of Sikh religion.
His book Sikh and Indian Civilization sheds light on how Sikhs were projected during partition.
Sanjay K. Rai, a social activist from Lucknow, mentioned that “diversity doesn’t accept dictators.” He highlighted the importance of multicultural societies. Linguistic Pluralism was the need of the hour in today’s context. Societies with pluralism also impact by technological growth. Communities can’t be defined through one particular race or culture. He felt that there can’t be nation-building and growth without taking Muslims along who constitute 15-20% population in India. The One Nation, One Culture concept can only work in some countries. One can’t find books on Hitler in Germany today. Mussolini’s home has been destroyed in his country as people don’t want him to be remembered. It symbolizes how those going against pluralism perish from the leaflets of history, he concluded.
Mr. Gurdeep Singh, a Sikh leader from Bhatinda, Punjab, stressed that it was high time to focus on the future, in view of the experiences of the past and present to grow in a plural society. Mistakes could be there in the past, but remembering those only won’t solve the purpose. It will hinder progress. He warned that today’s rulers in India were breaking the very ascent of Indian culture and unity.
He said that when Kashmiri Muslims are tortured, others in the country feel their pain.
Dr. Lubna Naaz from the Department of Islamic Studies, Women’s College, AMU, spoke on “An Islamic Perspective on Peaceful Coexistence.”
Technical Session-II
Focused on the theme, Role of Islam to Strengthen Pluralism in India, the Technical Session II started under the Chairperson, Professor M. Ishaque from the Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia.
Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani, Former General Secretary, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Delhi, highlighted that two things are required to be properly understood: the Creator, and the Creator’s motive. He said that Sufis always made one feel the independence to think and lead life. Islam always propagates the rights of neighbours, relatives and much more. Sufi Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti wore similar dresses like Indian Sadhus to ascertain people of his time, irrespective of their religious faiths, connected with him.
He said that Swami Dayanand and Raja Ram Mohan Roy kept Hindu philosophy out of their movements but promoted social reforms in the societies applicable to all faiths for social betterment. “Faith is vital, like Allah’s mercy, unlike social practices that change with time,” he said. India’s beauty was in its diversity of religious thoughts. In pre-Islam Arab tribes kept fighting for generations on a single issue of their forefathers, but the scenario has changed. Islam accepts variety in pluralism, from religious to traditional to social practices. Islam as a religion must not change its basic principles. It is a Sanatan religion with firm principles, he concluded.
Prof Faheem Akhtar Nadvi, Head of the Department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, Hyderabad, emphasized that the role of Islam in strengthening pluralism in India is vital. Pluralism is a society where people of all religions reside and respect each other. India is one of the best examples where pluralism has stayed for centuries. He emphasized that India will grow only when pluralism is projected in practice.
New Delhi: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will arrive in India on a two-day state visit February 25-26, official sources said on Monday, adding that the focus of the visit likely to be on discussing measures to combat climate change and greater mobility of skilled Indian personnel to Germany.
Scholz will arrive in Delhi on February 25 and then proceed to Bengaluru the next day, the External Affairs Ministry said.
He will be accompanied by a high level business delegation, sources said.
This would be the German Chancellor’s first visit to India, during which he will call upon President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Prime Minister and Chancellor will hold discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues. The two leaders will also interact with CEOs and business leaders of both sides,” the ministry said in a statement.
This will be the first standalone visit of a German Chancellor to India since the biennial Inter-Governmental Consultation (IGC) mechanism began in 2011.
Hyderabad: Hyderabad will host a two-day inception meeting of the Startup 20 Engagement Group, set up under India’s G20 presidency, from Saturday.
G20 is a grouping of developed and developing nations. India is holding its presidency for this year.
Startup 20 is an important engagement group and Hyderabad has a culture of innovation, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant told reporters on Friday.
Startup20 has three different tracks, namely, foundation and alliance, finance and inclusivity, and sustainability, said Anurag Jain, Secretary, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
Startup20 aspires to create a global narrative for supporting startups and enabling synergies between startups, corporates, investors, innovation agencies and other key ecosystem stakeholders, an official release said.
The purpose of this group is to provide a common platform for startups from G20 member countries to come together to develop actionable guidance in the form of building enabler capacities, identification of funding gaps, enhancement of employment opportunities, achievement of SDG targets and climate resilience, and growth of an inclusive ecosystem, it said.
The Startup20 activities will span over five events. The Inception Meet of Startup20 will be held in Hyderabad on Saturday and Sunday (January 28 and 29).
The summit event will take place in July in Gurugram with three intervening events planned in different parts of the country.
Port Blair: Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Port Blair on Sunday night for a two-day visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where he is scheduled to address a public meeting on the occasion of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s 126th birth anniversary, besides taking stock of development activities.
Officials said Shah will be hoisting the national flag here on Monday, and deliver a public speech at Netaji Stadium the same place where the freedom fighter had unfurled the Tricolour on December 30, 1943.
Back then, the stadium used to be known as Gymkhana Ground.
Shah is also likely to visit the Cellular Jail here.
That will be followed by a meeting with the core committee members of the BJP, the officials said.
The Union minister is set to take stock of various developmental initiatives in the archipelago.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Sunday remanded a man arrested for allegedly staying at a five-star hotel here for about four months by posing as a functionary of the UAE royal family and fleeing with an outstanding bill of more than Rs 23 lakh in two days’ police custody.
Duty Magistrate Shivangi Vyas sent Mahamed Sharif for custodial interrogation, noting that police had to recover certain articles from his residence in Delhi, which were allegedly stolen by him.
Sharif checked into The Leela Palace hotel on August 1 last year. He stayed in room number 427 for about four months and fled on November 20 with hotel valuables and without paying the bills, police told the court.
“Considering the fact that the recovery of the case property — the stolen articles — are yet to be effected, accused Mahamed Sharif be remanded in police custody for two days,” the judge said.
The accused impersonated a member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates and booked the hotel room at a discounted price.
He was apprehended on January 19 from Karnataka’s Puttur and four days’ transit remand was taken from a court in the southern state.
The counsel for the accused opposed the police’s plea for remand, claiming that he was illegally arrested and no article was stolen.
According to police, besides cheating the hotel to the tune of Rs 23.46 lakh, he decamped with valuables, including silver bottle holders.
The accused registered himself at the hotel as an important functionary of the “Office of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan” of the UAE government and gave a fake business card, the police said.
It claimed that the accused also provided a UAE resident card on arrival at the hotel.
