01-12-2020 The Asian Independent

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
New Delhi : The agitating farmers
on Monday accused the Narendra Modiled
government at the Centre of being
communal, fascist and authoritarian,
and rejected the government's demand
to assemble at the Sant Nirankari
ground in Burari to stage their protest.
Addressing a press conference here
at the Delhi-Haryana border in Singhu,
Darshan Pal, President of the Krantikari
Kisan Union's Punjab chapter, said,
"The Modi government speaks something
else on face but has a dagger on its
side. The BJP is a communal, fascist
and authoritarian." Pal said that the
farmers will hold another meeting to
strengthen the movement.
"We reject the proposal. We have
come here to tell our story and we won't
step back," he said, rejecting the offer of
the government to move to the Burari
ground for the protest.
Activist Yogendra Yadav also
addressed the press conference and
described the farmers' protest as a "historic"
moment. Yadav said, "This is
happening after 31 years. Previously,
Mahendra Singh Tikait had brought the
NEWS
farmers together." Yadav added that a lie
is being spread that the farmers are
unaware. "Today the reality is that each
and every child of Punjab and Haryana
is completely aware of the draconian
laws," he said. Farmers from several
parts of the country have gathered in
Delhi over the three controversial farm
laws passed by the Parliament recently.
They are demanding repealing of these
laws. Prime Minister Narendra Modi
backed the three farm laws during his
monthly radio broadcast programme on
Sunday.
01-12-2020 to 15-12-2020
Modi govt authoritarian; wont go to Burari: Farmers
130 khap panchayats of Haryana
to join stir from Tuesday
ASI cap on online booking
of tickets to Taj Mahal
Agra : To curb black-marketing of
tickets to the Taj Mahal, the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
has said that visitors to the iconic monument
can now book only five tickets
for adults and three for children.
Earlier, a person could book up to 20
tickets online for the Taj Mahal.
According to the superintending
archaeologist in ASI (Agra circle),
Vasant Swarnkar, the entry of children
below 15 years would continue to be
free.
He said that the restrictions on purchase
of tickets will be applicable to
other monuments across Agra, including
Fatehpur Sikri and the Agra Fort.
Swarnkar had written to the District
Magistrate and police about the black
marketing of tickets after receiving
complaints from tourists earlier this
month. Later, police arrested half a
dozen people for reselling online tickets
and booked them under section 151
(arrest to prevent the commission of
cognizable offences) of the Code of
Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The ASI official added that all visitors'
identities will be printed on each
ticket. The practice had been stopped
last year after travel agents and tour
operators urged the ministry to remove
the cumbersome process of filling
name of each tourist while booking
tickets online.
"The visitors' entry will be allowed
only after verifying their identity from
photo IDs like passport, driving license,
voter ID, PAN among other documents,"
Swarnkar said. ASI officials
said that all tickets for the Taj Mahal
were booked for the weekend but footfall
at the monument was recorded low
— 4,301 on Sunday and 3,957 a day
earlier due to the farmers' protests at the
Delhi border.
As per norms, number of visitors are
calculated on the basis of the total
number of adults and children visiting
the Taj, which is capped at 5,000, a
daily limit of visitors fixed by the cultural
ministry since the monument
reopened after the Covid-19 lockdown
on September 21.
Meanwhile, local tourism industry
has resented the move and called it a
retrograde step. Vice-President of the
Tourism Guild Agra, Rajiv Saxena, said
the issue of black-marketing of tickets
could be resolved by increasing the
number of visitors. "The aim should be
to provide hassle-free access to the
monument instead of applying more
rules," he said.
Actor-politican Prakash Raj
backs TRS in GHMC polls
Hyderabad : Actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj
has declared his support for Telangana Rashtra
Samithi (TRS) in Tuesday's elections to Greater
Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). He
appealed to people of Hyderabad to vote for harmony
and not divisive politics. "Dear Hyderabadis your
power your right..and your conscience..to decide. Do
you want peaceful Hyderabad..#GHMCElections..
please vote for harmony..not divisive politics..I stand
with #TRS..#KCR #KTR," he tweeted.
Prakash Raj drew flak from All India Congress
Committee incharge for Telangana Manickam Tagore for
his appeal. The Congress leader said it was surprising to
see Prakash Raj asking vote for those who are killing
democracy in Telangana. Tagore along with his tweet
posted a video showing an alleged TRS supporter caught
with money. "Father and son Chandrasekhar & Rama
Rao agent caught with money and pamphlets. Still you
want them to win the elections," the Congress leader
asked Prakash Raj. The award-winning actor, who acted
in many Telugu films, had unsuccessfully contested for
Lok Sabha from Bangalore Central last year as an independent.
A bitter critic of BJP, he had recently called
popular Telugu actor and Jana Sena party chief Pawan
Kalyan a "chameleon" over reviving alliance with BJP
and for supporting the saffron party in GHMC polls. In
an interview to a Telugu channel, Prakash Raj criticized
Pawan Kalyan for repeatedly changing his stand on BJP.
The Jana Sena chief had announced that his party will
contest GHMC elections but later on a request by BJP
leaders, decided not to field the candidates and appealed
to people to vote for the BJP. Pawan Kalyan, however,
did not campaign for BJP. Prakash Raj recalled that
Pawan Kalyan supported the BJP in 2014 but later distanced
himself from the party by accusing it of betrayal.
After the drubbing in 2019 elections in Andhra Pradesh,
Jana Sena revived his alliance with BJP early this year.
17
Chandigarh : At least 130 khap panchayats (community courts) of Haryana
on Monday
announced that
they will join the
ongoing farmer
agitation on Delhi
borders from
Tuesday. "All
khap men are first
farmers and then
leaders," 'khap'
spokesperson
Jagbir Malik told
the media. "They
are associated
with the farmer
agitation from the
day one. As the
Haryana Chief
M i n i s t e r
(Manohar Lal Khattar) said there farmers of the state were not associated with the
agitation, it is wrong statement. The farmers of Haryana have been associated
with this agitation," he said. The farmers of Haryana have also been appealing to
the Central government to listen to the farmers. Malik said all khaps of Haryana
have unanimously decided to support protesting farmers by all means. The importance
of the khaps, especially in the politically dominant Jat community, is such
that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a rally in Jind, had to seek their blessings
for the BJP for the October 15, 2014 assembly elections.
Dalai Lama's 2nd
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
translated into Assamese
Dharamsala : Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's second
autobiography 'Freedom in Exile' has been translated into
Assamese by eminent writer Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi, a recipient of
the Padma Shri, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said on
Monday. Published by Bhaskar Dutta Baruah, the Assamese version
of the book is titled 'Prabasat Mukta'.
First published in 1991 in the US, 'Freedom in Exile' as
explained by the spiritual leader, was written simply to oppose
China's narratives about the history of Tibet and the title of the
book is the connotation for freedom His Holiness and his fellow
Tibetans received from India. The autobiography gives a detailed
account of his birth, his selection as the highest spiritual leader of
Tibet, the crashing of Tibet-China relations, and his subsequent
exiled life in India.
In the book, the Dalai Lama has candidly shared about his relationship
with the Indian government, including his relationships
with Indian leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi while
detailing the latter's support towards the Tibetan diaspora and the
struggle they faced in the beginning.
Through the Assamese version of the book, the Nobel Peace
Laureate states his sincere hope that the translation done by
Thongchi will enable the Assamese readers to understand the
tragedy of Tibet better and in addition the significance of the nonviolent
and peaceful struggle of the Tibetan people for freedom
and dignity. Readers can buy the book online on Amazon.
In 2017, His Holiness' first autobiography 'My Land and My
People' was published in Assamese language, titled 'Mor Desh aru
Mor Manuh'.