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J&K’s PDP-BJP alliance becoming increasingly untenable (News Analysis)

Published

7 years ago

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By Sheikh Qayoom
Jammu, Feb 13 (IANS) As security forces battled militants in both Srinagar and Jammu, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti reiterated that a dialogue between India and Pakistan still remained the only way out for lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). While her ruling alliance partners in the BJP advocate a hardline approach and want to tell Pakistan that enough is enough, Mehbooba has consistently followed the peace approach.

Accepting that she would come under strong criticism for her comments during television news channel debates, the Chief Minister posted on her twitter page: “Dialogue with Pakistan is necessary if we are to end bloodshed.”

“I know I will be labelled anti-national by news anchors tonight but that doesn’t matter. The people of J&K are suffering. We have to talk because war is not an option.”

A war of attrition has already started between the two ruling alliance partners, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

BJP legislators on Monday strongly protested against the PDP’s silence on the pro-Pakistan rant by opposition National Conference MLA, Muhammad Akbar Lone. Lone had ruffled many a feather by shouting pro-Pakistan slogans inside the state assembly on Saturday.

Defiantly, Lone maintained his stance when confronted by the media over such an embarrassing stand by a mainstream lawmaker. BJP legislators have demanded that an FIR be lodged against the MLA for his anti-national stand within the state assembly.

The relations between the two ideologically opposite ruling partners in J&K have never been on even keel. The PDP politically remains Valley-centric from where the majority of Mehbooba’s 28 MLAs won in the 2014 elections.

All the 26 MLAs of the BJP were elected from the Jammu region as the party could not win a single seat in the Muslim-majority Valley.

PDP founder and former Chief Minister, the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who forged the present alliance with the BJP, called it a meeting of the South Pole and North Pole.

After unending ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB), militants have stepped up suicide attacks even before Kashmir’s tourism season starts this year.

On Saturday, heavily armed militants of the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) outfit stormed a highly fortified army camp in Jammu city. Five soldiers and a civilian were killed and 10, including six women and children, were injured in this terror attack. After killing three terrorists, the army said on Monday a fourth surviving terrorist is still hiding inside the camp.

Even before the Jammu anti-terror operation could end, two militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit tried to enter a CRPF camp in Srinagar city, but were prevented by an alert sentry who saw them moving suspiciously outside the camp in the wee hours of Monday.

A fierce encounter was under way between the security forces and these militants who later entered a nearby under-construction multi-storeyed building. One CRPF jawan was killed in this gunfight while a constable of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of state police, fighting alongside the CRPF, was critically injured.

As tensions on the border and the hinterland start mounting, the hardline approach adopted by the BJP and the so-called soft-pedalling by the PDP could become mutually uncomfortable for the two ruling partners in the not very distant future.

State assembly elections are scheduled towards the end of 2020 as the term of the state assembly in J&K is six years against five in the country’s other states.

If the present ruling alliance lasts its full six-year term, the dictum that politics is the art of the possible would be proved right.

(Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at [email protected])

–IANS
sq/vm/ky/tb

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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

Published

2 months ago

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September 19, 2024

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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