The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust, which manages the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, has decided not to use Chinese decorative items during Diwali to promote local craftsmanship, according to officials.
The city of Ayodhya is preparing for a grand Deepotsav this year - it will be the eighth edition of the event and the first since the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple in January.
The temple premises will also be decorated with diyas and other items. When asked about the Ram Temple's decision not to use Chinese decorative items, Ayodhya Commissioner Gaurav Dayal said, "Basically, we want to just use items which are indigenous and local. They are saying they will not use Chinese items but the whole idea is they want to promote local artisans, local artists and local material which is more eco-friendly."
Asked if there is any such appeal or directive to people to not use Chinese material, he said it's up to them. "We cannot force people." Deeptosav will be organised on Wednesday, a day before Diwali, with the government aiming to set a Guinness World Records again this year with most number of diyas lit simultaneously.
Special Ram Leela and other performances have been planned for the day.
"Renowned fashion designer Manish Malhotra has been tasked with designing special outfits for Ram Lalla and his brothers, showcasing the blend of high fashion and spirituality for the festive occasion," according to the media release.
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Ayodhya Ram Temple not to use Chinese Diwali decorative items: Trust
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Never intended to throw broken bottle at Joint Committee Chair: Kalyan Banerjee
TMC member Kalyan Banerjee, who was suspended for a day from the joint committee of Parliament on the Waqf Bill for unruly conduct, on Tuesday accused BJP's Abhijit Gangopadhyay of provoking him at the panel meeting last week.
"The other day only I told the meeting that I had no intention to throw it at the chairperson and said I was sorry," Banerjee told reporters in the national capital. BJP MPs had slammed Banerjee's conduct after he broke a glass water bottle and allegedly hurled it towards the chairman, Jagdambika Pal of BJP, during a heated exchange among members.
They had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding the TMC MP's suspension from the House and lodging of an FIR against him.
Sharing his version of events, Banerjee said that he was "compelled" to answer Gangopadhyay on his allegations and personal attacks at the meeting of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on October 22. "When Gangopadhyay was raising his voice, I questioned him. He then used abusive language against me and my kin. I reacted but he continued to use foul language ...," the TMC leader alleged.
Banerjee alleged that the Chair was harsh on him but soft on Gangopadhyay. "This created frustration .. (the one) who started it was not pulled up but I was ... Then I became frustrated, not annoyed," the TMC leader, who is a senior advocate, said. He said at that point, he smashed the bottle he was holding and in the process injured his fingers.
"When I got injured, I had to let go of the bottle and it rolled towards the Chair ... The other day only I told the meeting that I had no intention to throw it at the chairperson and said I was sorry," Banerjee said.
"The other day only I told the meeting that I had no intention to throw it at the chairperson and said I was sorry," Banerjee told reporters in the national capital. BJP MPs had slammed Banerjee's conduct after he broke a glass water bottle and allegedly hurled it towards the chairman, Jagdambika Pal of BJP, during a heated exchange among members.
They had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding the TMC MP's suspension from the House and lodging of an FIR against him.
Sharing his version of events, Banerjee said that he was "compelled" to answer Gangopadhyay on his allegations and personal attacks at the meeting of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on October 22. "When Gangopadhyay was raising his voice, I questioned him. He then used abusive language against me and my kin. I reacted but he continued to use foul language ...," the TMC leader alleged.
Banerjee alleged that the Chair was harsh on him but soft on Gangopadhyay. "This created frustration .. (the one) who started it was not pulled up but I was ... Then I became frustrated, not annoyed," the TMC leader, who is a senior advocate, said. He said at that point, he smashed the bottle he was holding and in the process injured his fingers.
"When I got injured, I had to let go of the bottle and it rolled towards the Chair ... The other day only I told the meeting that I had no intention to throw it at the chairperson and said I was sorry," Banerjee said.
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ED chargesheets AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in Delhi Waqf case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan over money laundering charges in a case of alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board.
The 110-page supplementary chargesheet also named one Mariam Siddiqui, who was not arrested by the ED as an accused in the case. The court is likely to take it up for consideration on November 4. Khan was arrested by the ED on September 2 from his Okhla residence and is currently in judicial custody.
Special judge Vishal Gogne posted his bail application for hearing on November 7 on Tuesday.
The 110-page supplementary chargesheet also named one Mariam Siddiqui, who was not arrested by the ED as an accused in the case. The court is likely to take it up for consideration on November 4. Khan was arrested by the ED on September 2 from his Okhla residence and is currently in judicial custody.
Special judge Vishal Gogne posted his bail application for hearing on November 7 on Tuesday.
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Ayodhya gears up for grand 'Deepotsav' with new world record attempt
Preparations for the eighth edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya are in their final stages with plans afoot to illuminate the city with 28 lakh earthen lamps on October 30, officials said Tuesday.
The police and civic administration have implemented robust security measures monitored by Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar for the celebrations. The event this year holds special significance since this is the first Deepotsav since the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol at the temple.
The Deepotsav aims to showcase the spiritual, traditional, and cultural essence of the holy city, with performances by artists from six countries - Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia - along with a Ram Leela presentation from Uttarakhand.
The police and civic administration have implemented robust security measures monitored by Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar for the celebrations. The event this year holds special significance since this is the first Deepotsav since the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol at the temple.
The Deepotsav aims to showcase the spiritual, traditional, and cultural essence of the holy city, with performances by artists from six countries - Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia - along with a Ram Leela presentation from Uttarakhand.
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Man arrested from Noida for threatening Salman Khan by posing as gangster Bishnoi's brother
A man was arrested by Noida and Mumbai police in a joint operation for allegedly threatening actor Salman Khan and demanding Rs 10 crore extortion money by posing as gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's brother, police said on Tuesday.
They said the accused, Taib Ansari, told the police that he made the threatening call on a phone number picked from the internet. Ansari, who hails from Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Monday night from an under-construction house in Sector 92 in Noida where he was working as a carpenter, Jitendra Kumar Singh, inspector in-charge of Sector 39 police station, said.
He said Mumbai's Bandra Police contacted Noida Police late Monday night and informed that Lawrence Bishnoi's brother Anmol Bishnoi had threatened Salman Khan. They said the location of the phone was traced to Noida. Also, Assistant Sub Inspector of Police Bandra Police Rauf Shaikh came to Noida with his team.
Singh said that a joint team of Noida and Mumbai Police raided an under-construction house in Sector 92 and Ansari was arrested from there on charges of threatening and demanding Rs 10 crore extortion money.
He said that the mobile phone used in the incident was recovered from the accused.
Singh said that during the interrogation, the police came to know that Ansari had obtained the number on which he made the threatening call through the internet. The number on which the accused called and threatened is a 'helpline' number issued by the Mumbai Police, he said, adding the police was interrogating him.
Mumbai police will take Ansari to Maharashtra on 'transit remand' after producing him in Gautam Buddha Nagar district court, the officials said.
They said the accused, Taib Ansari, told the police that he made the threatening call on a phone number picked from the internet. Ansari, who hails from Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Monday night from an under-construction house in Sector 92 in Noida where he was working as a carpenter, Jitendra Kumar Singh, inspector in-charge of Sector 39 police station, said.
He said Mumbai's Bandra Police contacted Noida Police late Monday night and informed that Lawrence Bishnoi's brother Anmol Bishnoi had threatened Salman Khan. They said the location of the phone was traced to Noida. Also, Assistant Sub Inspector of Police Bandra Police Rauf Shaikh came to Noida with his team.
Singh said that a joint team of Noida and Mumbai Police raided an under-construction house in Sector 92 and Ansari was arrested from there on charges of threatening and demanding Rs 10 crore extortion money.
He said that the mobile phone used in the incident was recovered from the accused.
Singh said that during the interrogation, the police came to know that Ansari had obtained the number on which he made the threatening call through the internet. The number on which the accused called and threatened is a 'helpline' number issued by the Mumbai Police, he said, adding the police was interrogating him.
Mumbai police will take Ansari to Maharashtra on 'transit remand' after producing him in Gautam Buddha Nagar district court, the officials said.
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Athletes fume as JLN Stadium in mess after Diljit Dosanjh's concert
Long read
Widespread littering at the end of popular singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh's two-day concert at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the national capital drew sharp criticism from athletes who train regularly at the iconic venue.
The stadium hosted the 'Dil-Luminati' concert on Saturday and Sunday and drew nearly 40,000 fans each night. It wasn't the first time that such an event was held at the venue, which has hosted concerts by top international stars such as Bryan Adams (2004) and Ricky Martin (1998) in the past. But the after-effects of Dosanjh's gig were heavily criticised by the athletes.
Delhi's middle-distance runner Beant Singh posted images and a video of the stadium's track and field area which was littered with garbage, alcohol containers and damaged athletics equipment.
"This is where athletes train, but here people had alcohol, danced and partied. Because of these kind of things, the stadium will remain close for 10-10 days. The athletics equipment like the hurdles have been broken and thrown here and there," he wrote on the Instagram. "This is the situation of sport, sportspersons and stadium in India. .... medals do not come in the Olympics because there is no respect and support for sportspersons in this country."
The 25-year-old Singh had won a silver and a bronze in the 2014 and 2018 National Open Championships respectively. The Sports Authority of India (SAI), on its part, said that its contract with the concert organisers was very clear - the stadium would be returned to the body in the "same condition that it was handed over to them."
"More than 70,000 people attended the concert over two days and the cleaning will take 24 hours. The stadium is expected to be cleaned up by the 29th," a top SAI source said when reached for a comment.
But for athletes like Singh, it was heartbreaking to watch the place that is their training base in the condition it was in on Monday. In the caption of the video, he wrote: "Jo nuksan hua hai bacho ka vo to do bache khud paise ikatthe krke samaan leke aate hain prctc k liye …." (At least pay for the loss incurred by these children, who collected money themselves and brought equipment for practice).
A Delhi coach told PTI that some athletes have written to the SAI, requesting for compensation as their hurdles and boxes containing starting blocks and other equipment such as shot put, discus and medicine balls have been damaged. "Each hurdle costs Rs 3,000-4,000 and you need 10 hurdles for 400m hurdles, or 100m hurdles or 110m hurdles race. These young athletes have arranged money to buy these equipment and it is not easy for them.
"The locks of the boxes containing starting blocks and other equipment such as shot put, discus and medicine balls have been damaged and broken. So, some equipment have been damaged," the coach said on condition of anonymity. "They will not been able to train inside the stadium tracks for 10 days till October 31. We are doing training at the outside track but the condition is not good there.
"It has disturbed the training schedule of the athletes. We have the National Junior Championships and national school competition coming up."
The stadium is also hosting Indian Super League football matches as Punjab FC uses it as its home venue. They have a match against Chennaiyin FC on Thursday.
Widespread littering at the end of popular singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh's two-day concert at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the national capital drew sharp criticism from athletes who train regularly at the iconic venue.
The stadium hosted the 'Dil-Luminati' concert on Saturday and Sunday and drew nearly 40,000 fans each night. It wasn't the first time that such an event was held at the venue, which has hosted concerts by top international stars such as Bryan Adams (2004) and Ricky Martin (1998) in the past. But the after-effects of Dosanjh's gig were heavily criticised by the athletes.
Delhi's middle-distance runner Beant Singh posted images and a video of the stadium's track and field area which was littered with garbage, alcohol containers and damaged athletics equipment.
"This is where athletes train, but here people had alcohol, danced and partied. Because of these kind of things, the stadium will remain close for 10-10 days. The athletics equipment like the hurdles have been broken and thrown here and there," he wrote on the Instagram. "This is the situation of sport, sportspersons and stadium in India. .... medals do not come in the Olympics because there is no respect and support for sportspersons in this country."
The 25-year-old Singh had won a silver and a bronze in the 2014 and 2018 National Open Championships respectively. The Sports Authority of India (SAI), on its part, said that its contract with the concert organisers was very clear - the stadium would be returned to the body in the "same condition that it was handed over to them."
"More than 70,000 people attended the concert over two days and the cleaning will take 24 hours. The stadium is expected to be cleaned up by the 29th," a top SAI source said when reached for a comment.
But for athletes like Singh, it was heartbreaking to watch the place that is their training base in the condition it was in on Monday. In the caption of the video, he wrote: "Jo nuksan hua hai bacho ka vo to do bache khud paise ikatthe krke samaan leke aate hain prctc k liye …." (At least pay for the loss incurred by these children, who collected money themselves and brought equipment for practice).
A Delhi coach told PTI that some athletes have written to the SAI, requesting for compensation as their hurdles and boxes containing starting blocks and other equipment such as shot put, discus and medicine balls have been damaged. "Each hurdle costs Rs 3,000-4,000 and you need 10 hurdles for 400m hurdles, or 100m hurdles or 110m hurdles race. These young athletes have arranged money to buy these equipment and it is not easy for them.
"The locks of the boxes containing starting blocks and other equipment such as shot put, discus and medicine balls have been damaged and broken. So, some equipment have been damaged," the coach said on condition of anonymity. "They will not been able to train inside the stadium tracks for 10 days till October 31. We are doing training at the outside track but the condition is not good there.
"It has disturbed the training schedule of the athletes. We have the National Junior Championships and national school competition coming up."
The stadium is also hosting Indian Super League football matches as Punjab FC uses it as its home venue. They have a match against Chennaiyin FC on Thursday.
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Sardar Patel deprived of Bharat Ratna for long: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that efforts were made to erase and undermine Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's legacy.
Flagging off a 'Run for Unity', ahead of the birth anniversary of Patel, he said it was due to the foresightedness and acumen of the country's first home minister that over 550 princely states were merged with the Union of India and the country became united. He said it was because of Sardar Patel that the Lakshadweep Islands, Junagarh, Hyderabad and all other princely states were merged with India.
"But there were efforts to erase and undermine the legacy of Sardar Patel. He was also deprived of Bharat Ratna for a long time," Shah said while addressing the participants at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the national capital. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi (when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat) had installed the tallest statue of Patel in Kevadia and honoured him in a befitting manner, he said.
Sardar Patel was bestowed with Bharat Ratna - the country's highest civilian award - posthumously in 1991, 41 years after his death in 1950.
Flagging off a 'Run for Unity', ahead of the birth anniversary of Patel, he said it was due to the foresightedness and acumen of the country's first home minister that over 550 princely states were merged with the Union of India and the country became united. He said it was because of Sardar Patel that the Lakshadweep Islands, Junagarh, Hyderabad and all other princely states were merged with India.
"But there were efforts to erase and undermine the legacy of Sardar Patel. He was also deprived of Bharat Ratna for a long time," Shah said while addressing the participants at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the national capital. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi (when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat) had installed the tallest statue of Patel in Kevadia and honoured him in a befitting manner, he said.
Sardar Patel was bestowed with Bharat Ratna - the country's highest civilian award - posthumously in 1991, 41 years after his death in 1950.
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