Follow restraint on screen: Akhilesh to spokespersons
With developments like the Gyanvapi court battle and Haryana communal flare-up turning the situation communally volatile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has advised his party’s spokespersons to follow restraint while taking part in TV debates. “You might be provoked through incendiary remarks to counter it with equal firepower. But it’s a trap. Try not to fall into such ploys,” he has reportedly told all his spokespersons. The caution has come after party MLC and BJP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya’s diatribe claiming that Badrinath temple was built after demolishing the original Buddhist shrine.
BJP MP in a fix over father’s barbs
BJP MP from Badaun Sanghmitra Maurya seems to be in a fix. With father Swami Prasad Maurya, having not only switched to the SP but also opening a floodgate of religious diatribes against his daughter’s party, Sanghmitra has fallen into an odd situation. She even said that if she got a green signal from the top leadership of the BJP, she would bring back her father to the saffron fold. “Political differences shouldn’t break a family. I won’t let that happen to me,” she now keeps saying. This may be a clear indication that she is planning to stay put in the BJP.
Ayodhya prepares to host temple devotees
The Ram Temple trust and Ayodhya administration have started preparations to host over 5 lakh devotees who are expected to throng the temple town for its inauguration in the form of consecration of the Ram idol in the sanctum sanctorum of the upcoming temple in the presence of PM Narendra Modi between January 15 and 24, next year. The trust will send invites to over 10,000 guests, including over 5,000 viewers nationwide. The PM has already been invited to lead the ceremony. The Trust is arranging amenities — food, water, medical services, lavatories — within two-km of the temple.
Namita bajpai
Our correspondent in Uttar Pradesh
namita.bajpai@ newindianexpress.com