Emphasis on Indian culture reflects RSS sway on New Education Policy

The RSS, which is the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideological fount, has been pushing for a review of the education policy to Indianize it further . It has also sought rewriting of History textbooks from what it calls an Indian perspective. The renaming of human resource development (HRD) ministry as education ministry, and the emphasis on Indian arts, languages, and culture reflect the Rashtriya Syawamsevak Sangh (RSS)’s influence on the New Education Policy (NEP). The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved NEP, which also seeks to increase public spending on education…

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Will not contest assembly polls till full statehood is restored to J&K: Omar Abdullah

Mr. Abdullah, a former Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, made it clear he would continue to work for his party National Conference (NC) and people of Jammu and Kashmir. Upset over downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir to the status of a Union Territory following abrogation of Article 370, former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he will not contest assembly elections till full statehood is restored. However, Mr. Abdullah, a former Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, made it clear he would continue to…

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Kashmiri Pandits demand restoration of Statehood, ‘Can’t go to war with own people’

Satish Mahaldar, chairman of a migrant Kashmiri Pandits organisation, on Monday demanded immediate restoration of statehood and special status to Jammu and Kashmir.” An organisation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits on Monday demanded the immediate restoration of statehood and special status for Jammu and Kashmir. Satish Mahaldar, chairman of migrant Kashmiri Pandits organisation called Reconciliation, Relief and Rehabilitation said in a statement on Monday, “We demand immediate restoration of statehood and special status to Jammu and Kashmir.” “The Indian Constitution ensures right to equality that extends to individuals, communities, religions, regions…

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Mijbil Al Shureka renowned Kuwaiti lawyer and rights activist may take the Babri Masjid case to International Court

While the helpless Muslim minority of India has been coerced into silence, the fall out of Babri Masjid demolition doesnt seem to halt in other parts of the globe. The powerful appeal of a Kuwaiti lawyer and director of   International Human Rights, Mijbil Al Shureka has resonated all across the middle east demanding the reconstruction of the illegally demolished mosque in Ayodhya. In his latest tweet Mr. Shureka has shared a letter in which he has requested to  All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to give him permission to take the…

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Imran Khan’s 18-point Kashmir plan for Aug 5, outreach to Turkey, Malaysia and China

With Pakistan Army expected to take the back seat, Imran Khan may go to occupied Kashmir to rake up anti-India sentiment in his assembly address to mark one year of India nullifying Article 370 Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who counts the campaign against India over Jammu and Kashmir as his government’s key achievement has roped in the Inter Services Intelligence, or ISI, in its 18-point plan to commemorate the Aug 5 anniversary of India scrapping Article 370 that extended special status to the valley, people familiar with the development…

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Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani calls for shutdown on Aug 5

Veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani has urged Kashmiris to observe a shutdown on Aug. 5, the day when Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir lost it special status. In a statement released by his representative on Monday, Geelani said the day should be observed as an “awareness day,” and Kashmiri diaspora should protest outside Indian embassies. “…Kashmiris will never relinquish their rightful struggle for their rights,” read the statement. On Aug. 5 last year, the Indian government revoked Article 370 and other related provisions from its Constitution, scrapping the country’s…

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PM Modi to attend temple groundbreaking at disputed site in Ayodhya on Aug 5

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a groundbreaking ceremony next month for a Hindu temple on a disputed site in northern India where a 16th-century mosque was torn down by a Hindu mob in 1992, according to the trust overseeing the temple’s construction. The ceremony is set for August 5, a date organisers said was astrologically auspicious for Hindus but that also marks a year since New Delhi revoked the semi-autonomous status of its only Muslim-majority state, Jammu and Kashmir. The symbolism was impossible to miss for both supporters…

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One year ago, India killed mainstream politics in Kashmir, and nothing else

And Article 370 was actually reborn—as another “betrayal”, a collective humiliation that kindles separatism further. Only uncertainty has domicile in Kashmir now Haseeb A. Drabu Circa 2014. Halfway through election campaigning, it occurred to me that the issues of azaadi, autonomy, and Article 370 were never raised in any of the meetings, anywhere. Not once was it asked of me where I stood on these. Even in private conversations with people—farmers, shopkeepers, traders, and agricultural labourers—the National Conference’s demand for ‘autonomy’ or the PDP’s concept of ‘self-rule’ was never mentioned,…

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An indefinite article, A year of silence: Was a Historical Blunder corrected in Kashmir…Or Another Committed?

New Delhi is rolling out the ‘three Ds’ to change J&K’s political/social map internally. It may even restore J&K’s statehood as a sop. But all amid a lockdown of opinions. Bhavna Vij-Aurora Jammu and Kashmir. These days, the words rarely evoke the torn edges of majestic mountains that garland it, beauteous gardens that recall imperial grandeur, swiftly-flowing streams that keep time for eternity or the spirit of Kashmiriyat immersed in Sufi spiritualism—all things that once marked India’s northernmost region. Though it has never had an ordinary trajectory since 1947, the…

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BJP joins chorus for restoration of statehood to J&K

Bhartiya Janta Party Saturday said they would protest after August 5 for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. On August 5, the Narendra Modi-led government revoked Article 370, which guaranteed special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The Centre also bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Like other parties, the BJP has also joined the chorus seeking statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. “Some people want to divide Jammu and Kashmir but we won’t let that happen. BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav has…

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