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Popcorn and curfews: India gets ready for Ram temple with frenzy and fear
Yavatmal/Mumbai, India – For a month now, mini-trucks have been snaking their way on labyrinth roads cutting across villages in Yavatmal district in central India. Yavatmal has been in the grip of agrarian distress so deep that more than 5,800 farmers have taken their own lives here in the last two decades, according to data provided by the local divisional collectorate. But these trucks haven’t been carrying any relief for distressed farmers. Instead, with a photo of the Hindu god Ram on posters stuck on their sides, the trucks have been foraying deep inside the district, exhorting farmers to donate grains. The grains are headed to Ayodhya to feed hundreds of thousands of devotees visiting the city where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will consecrate a temple to Ram on January 22, over three decades after a mob led by Hindu nationalists tore down a mosque that stood on the spot. The trucks are being operated by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a part of the Hindu nationalist network Sangh Parivar led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that includes Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). At Yavatmal’s Samvidhan Chowk, workers hurriedly load a large container truck with sacks of grains. “We have managed to fill three container trucks with these donations, and this is the fourth one,” says VHP Vidarbha Prant President Raju Niwal. The idea, VHP volunteers on the spot say, is to mobilise farmers and make them “feel involved” in the celebrations. It’s a sentiment that the Modi government and its ideological allies have successfully managed to evoke across the country. For over seven decades, the movement to build the Ram temple in Ayodhya, at the spot where he is believed to have been born according to Hindu scriptures, had been shrouded in violence and bitter contestation. Close to 2,500 people (PDF), according to a research paper by the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, were killed during the violence that broke out around the BJP-led agitation demanding a Ram temple in the early 1990s. But as Modi gets set to inaugurate the Ram temple, the country has been flooded by popular culture acts and symbols that ignore that troubled past, giving the Ram temple movement a benign image, and creating a lasting legacy for Modi among Hindus, say analysts. Labourers stand on top of the illuminated grand temple of the god Ram ahead of its opening in Ayodhya in India, January 19, 2024 [Adnan Abidi/Reuters] Pop songs and popcorn From social media timelines to schools, the temple’s inauguration is everywhere. Music platforms are filled with a glut of new songs exhorting citizens to celebrate the occasion, insisting that Ram was “coming back”. New TV shows have come up around Ram’s life. Reality TV shows have dedicated entire episodes to songs hailing Ram, with a makeshift temple built in the studio. News television channel vehicles are sporting huge Ram stickers, while news studios feature large cutouts of Ram as the backdrop for news debates. India’s largest domestic airline, Indigo, got its cabin crew to dress up as Ram, wife Sita and brother Lakshman, in its inaugural flight to Ayodhya from Ahmedabad. On Friday, PVR Cinemas, one of India’s largest cinema chains, announced that they were, in association with a top Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, going to broadcast live visuals of the temple’s inauguration ceremony in cinema halls across the country, with “a complimentary popcorn combo” for attendees. On WhatsApp and Instagram, reels and videos are honouring the temple’s inauguration with vivid imagery – one image, viral across platforms, shows Modi, towering over Ram, and walking him into the temple. Modi has approved most of this – an analysis of his Twitter timeline reveals that he has tweeted out at least 16 songs around Ram this month. He even created a playlist of 62 such songs that he tweeted out on Friday. On his WhatsApp channel, of the 14 posts since January 1, at least five are around the Ram temple’s inauguration. Buoyed, several high-profile singers have come out with songs around the event in the recent few weeks – from Sonu Nigam, Jubin Nautiyal, Shaan, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Kailash Kher, to music composers Amit Trivedi and Anu Malik. Many of these music videos feature visuals of Modi. These songs have been repurposed for crowd-created reels and videos, amplifying their reach multiple times over. But many say what is missing amid the euphoria is an acknowledgement of the bloodied past of the movement around the temple. 1947 all over again? Author Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, who reported on the agitation that led to the demolition of the 16th-century Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, says the celebrations carry an echo of the events of August 15, 1947. India celebrated its independence from British colonial rule at the same time that large parts of the country were drowning in inter-religious hate, and the subcontinent was being carved into two. “There are striking parallels that can be drawn between January 22 and August 15, 1947, not with the celebrations around India’s independence, but with the tragedies surrounding its partition [into India and Pakistan],” says Mukhopadhyay, author of the 1994 book, The Demolition: India at the Crossroads. Mukhopadhyay recalls a recent conversation with a Muslim friend, who told him how Muslims were exchanging messages warning each other not to travel in public transport on January 22, or to not showcase their Muslim identity on the day. “On the other hand, the triumphant Hindu is relishing this fear. There is a sense of collective triumphalism in many,” he says. None of this fear and disappointment, though, is reflected in the popular discourse around the inauguration. People wait to buy tickets at an INOX movie theatre in Mumbai, India, March 29, 2022. Movie theatres are planning to broadcast the temple consecration ceremony live, with complementary popcorn [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters] The young identity What is reflected is the triumphalism that Mukhopadhyay mentions – in some cities, pregnant women have reportedly asked for their deliveries to be timed with the inauguration. The Bar
‘Low-trust’ ties: What’s next for Pakistan, Iran after tit-for-tat attacks?
Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan and Iran have agreed to de-escalate tensions after tit-for-tat military strikes on each other’s territory this week, but the episode reveals a lack of trust between the neighbours that will continue to plague relations even after the missiles and accusations have subsided, say analysts. On Friday evening Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani spoke to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian. “The two foreign ministers agreed that working level cooperation and close coordination on counter terrorism and other aspects of mutual concern should be strengthened. They also agreed to de-escalate the situation,” a Pakistan foreign ministry statement read. Late on Tuesday, Iran had conducted missile and drone strikes in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, killing at least two children and injuring three. Tehran said the rare border intrusion targeted Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni Muslim armed group accused of attacks inside the Iranian territory of Sistan-Baluchestan. In fewer than 48 hours, Pakistan responded with “precise” military strikes that killed at least nine people, including four children and three women. Iranian media reports, quoting state officials, said those killed were “non-Iranians”, implying they could have been Pakistani nationals. The rare military actions between the two countries threatened to escalate into a broader conflict in a region already on edge over Israel’s more than three-month war in the Gaza Strip. Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar cut short his visit to Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum. On Friday, he chaired a meeting of the National Security Council to review the security situation. As the United Nations and world powers urged restraint between the two Muslim-majority countries and their close ally China offered to mediate, Islamabad and Tehran toned down their rhetoric. In a statement on Friday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to “the friendly and brotherly government of Pakistan”. A similar statement by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said Islamabad “fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran”. But embedded even in those reconciliatory statements were signs of the border tensions that linger between the neighbours, and that exploded in the form of missile attacks this week. Iran’s Friday statement said that it expected Pakistan “to adhere to its obligations in preventing the establishment of bases and the deployment of armed terrorist groups on its soil”, calling the safety of its citizens “a red line”. And Pakistan insisted it had struck targets in Iran “in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest which is paramount and cannot be compromised”. (Al Jazeera) ‘Reckless and feckless’ Analysts have questioned Iran’s motive behind conducting strikes inside Pakistan during Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has also involved Iranian allies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Joshua White, professor of international affairs and a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank in the United States, told Al Jazeera that Iran and Pakistan have ample reasons to de-escalate after the “unusual strikes”. “The reality is that both the governments deploy rhetoric about brotherhood when it suits them but are often suspicious of the other’s motives. This is a low-trust relationship, but neither Islamabad nor Tehran have much to gain from seeing tensions escalate,” he said. Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, added that the Iranian move against Pakistan risked opening a new front against a nuclear-armed neighbour. “The strike was both reckless and feckless against a nuclear state on whose cooperation Iran depends for reigning in armed Baloch groups – and a deadly message sent to the wrong address – as most of the setbacks Iran has suffered in the past few weeks were perpetrated at the hands of Israel, the US and the so-called Islamic State [ISIL/ISIS],” Vaez told Al Jazeera. Islamabad-based expert on security issues Syed Rifaat Hussain said dialogue was necessary for the two countries to restore trust. “The conversations need to happen between the two nations, and they could be at either the military level or at civilian level, but leadership will play an important role in defusing the tension,” he told Al Jazeera. Hussain said the unprovoked Iranian strike remains a mystery to him. “The Iranian calculus is rather complex. Perhaps Iran overplayed its hand. They thought Pakistan will absorb the strike and will show restraint, or at most, a verbal protest,” he said. Vaez concurred, saying Iran “overreached” in its apparent need to demonstrate strength. “It left Pakistan in a position where it had no option other than retaliating in kind to draw a red line on unilateral Iranian strikes into its sovereign territory,” he said. Vaez wondered if Iran’s decision to strike was guided by an “internal pressure on the need to flex its military muscle to deter further targeted killings of its senior army commanders and strikes against its allies in the region”. “Plus, the Iranian government also seems keen to wag the dog, given that it has parliamentary elections coming up in six weeks amid a high degree of political apathy,” he told Al Jazeera. White said it is unlikely that the Pakistan-Iran tensions will feature significantly in US policy towards the two countries. “I don’t think this episode will alter the US attitude towards Iran or is likely to meaningfully change Washington’s engagement with Islamabad, either. American officials have long seen Iran-Pakistan tensions in the Balochistan region as a complex but localised conflict,” he said. Vaez said neither Iran nor Pakistan appear interested in escalating tensions but added a word of caution considering the volatility in the region: “This is not likely to escalate beyond a limited tit for tat, but it is a reminder of the elevated risks of miscalculation in the fog of the Gaza war that can spread and escalate the conflict further.” Adblock test (Why?)
US Senator Tim Scott endorses Trump for president in blow to Nikki Haley
Trump holds commanding lead in polls ahead of key New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. United States Senator Tim Scott has endorsed his former rival Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for president, in a setback for Trump’s closest challenger and fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley. Tim Scott, who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in November, appeared on stage with Trump in New Hampshire to offer his backing ahead of next week’s high-stakes primary in the state. “We need a president who sees Americans as one American family, and that’s why I came to the very warm state of New Hampshire to endorse the next president of the United States, President Donald Trump,” Scott told Trump supporters in Concord on Friday. Scott, whose unsuccessful campaign stressed the Christian faith and conservative values he learned growing up in a single-parent household, argued that Trump would cut taxes and bring Americans together as president. “We need a president who unites our country,” said Scott, who is the lone Black Republican in the Senate. Scott did not mention Nikki Haley, the former UN ambassador and governor of South Carolina who first appointed Scott to the Senate in 2017. Haley is hoping for a strong performance in New Hampshire on Tuesday to keep her presidential bid afloat following Trump’s commanding victory in last week’s Iowa caucuses. Haley, who earlier on Friday won the endorsement of Vermont Governor Phil Scott, is trailing Trump by double digits in New Hampshire, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a distant third in the state. In New Hampshire, Trump asked voters to help bring a swift end to the Republican race to allow him to focus on beating President Joe Biden in November. “We want to win by big numbers,” Trump said, “so everybody has to vote.” Trump also bashed his rivals, arguing that Haley was “not capable” of being president and lambasting DeSantis’s slide in the polls as “one of the great self-destructions I think I’ve ever witnessed”. Adblock test (Why?)
Ayodhya Ram Mandir LIVE Updates: World’s largest lock, 1,265 kg laddu Prasad reached Ayodhya
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest at the ceremony, where many people, including celebrities, saints, and politicians, have received invitations.
Ayodhya Ram Mandir LIVE Updates: Hyderabad’s Cyber Crime police caution public ahead of Pran Pratishtha
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest at the ceremony, where many people, including celebrities, saints, and politicians, have received invitations.
Ayodhya Ram Mandir LIVE Updates: Temples across US gearing up for consecration ceremony on Jan 22
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest at the ceremony, where many people, including celebrities, saints, and politicians, have received invitations.
Weather update: Delhi-NCR shivers due to cold wave, check state-wise forecast for next 3 days
North India is expected to experience dense to extremely dense fog, according to the India Meteorological Department
Ayodhya Ram Mandir LIVE Updates: DU, Jamia Millia Islamia to be closed for half day on Jan 22
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest at the ceremony, where many people, including celebrities, saints, and politicians, have received invitations.
President Biden admits US southern border is not secure while defending his policies
President Biden said he does not believe the border is secure, adding that has been his stance for the past 10 years as he has continued to ask for money. House republicans are continuing with their push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a move Biden said he does not understand, even though he admits the border is not secure. Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich asked Biden if he thought it was unconstitutional that House Republicans were trying to impeach Mayorkas, to which the president responded with a confused look. REPUBLICANS, DEMS SPAR AT MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT HEARING AS STATE AGS DESCRIBE IMPACT OF MIGRANT CRISIS Henrich also asked Biden if he believed the border was secure. “No, it’s not,” Biden said. “I haven’t believed it for the last 10 years. And I’ve said it for the last 10 years…give me the money.” He was then asked if he believed his policies have enabled any portion of the crisis at the border. HOUSE HOMELAND DEMOCRATS BACK MAYORKAS, SLAM GOP ‘SHAM’ AHEAD OF IMPEACHMENT HEARING “No, I’ve…I’ve asked for thousands more, of everything – from judges to…anyway,” Biden said. Earlier this month, Biden was slammed by critics for his comments about doing “something” at America’s southern border, which is facing unprecedented levels of illegal immigrant crossings. Sources with U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Fox News Digital that migrant encounters hit a staggering 300,000 incidents in December 2023, reaching a level though unimaginable just years ago. It is the highest total for a single month ever recorded and also the first time migrant encounters have exceeded 300,000. Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.