NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said true religion cannot be the basis of hatred and division but of mutual respect and tolerance for faiths and beliefs of all.

“It is no use celebrating Swamiji’s life, paying our respects to his ideas and teachings and honouring his memory if we do not imbibe the values that he advocated,” he said while paying homage to Swami Vivekananda on his 150th birth anniversary.

Dr Singh said, “His truly great message for us which is of great relevance to our country and our sub-continent, was that true religion and true religiosity cannot be the basis of hatred and division but of mutual respect and tolerance for faiths and beliefs of all.”

Recalling Swami Vivekananda’s famous address at the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893, he said, “Swami Vivekananda said sectarianism, bigotry and fanaticism have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often with human blood, destroyed civilisation and sent whole nations to disrepair.

“Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.”

The closing ceremony of Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary was attended by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch.

Quoting Swami Vivekananda’s speech, Dr Singh said “Swami Vivekananda expressed the hope at the World Parliament of Religions that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this conversion may be the death-knell of all fanaticism of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.”

Describing Swami Vivekanand as a “citizen of the world”, the Prime Minister said his message has gone far and wide, inspiring millions of devotees across the world.

Dr Singh said he has been personally inspired by Swami Vivekanand’s syncretic views that “All who have actually attained any real religious experience never wrangle over the form in which different religions are expressed. They know that the soul of all religions is the same and so they have no quarrel with anybody just because he or she does not speak in the same tongue.”

Invoking Swami Vivekananda, the Prime Minister said, “This syncretic and pluralist view of religion is one of the great contributions of Hinduism and of the civilisations that took root in this ancient land of ours. The idea that the whole world is one family has inspired millions all over the world.” Dr. Singh also believed that it is an idea that defines India and the Indian view of the world.

Highlighting three central messages of Swami Vivekananda’s teachings, Dr Singh said, “First of all the great religions of the world seek peace on earth and goodwill among human beings.”

“Second that India’s true religions would come when every Indian feels liberated from the scourge of poverty, ignorance and disease and third that India, this great motherland of ours, has much to learn from the world around us and equally much to teach the world and that a two-way flow of knowledge between India and the world can only be part of our benefit and the benefit of all humanity.”

The Prime Minister said another major contribution made by Swami Vivekananda to modern India was to stir the minds of fellow Indians and inspire them to seek freedom and a life of dignity.

Recalling his clarion call “Arise! Awake and stop not till the goal is reached”, Dr Singh said it was a call for spiritual as well as political liberation.

While promoting the idea of the oneness of all religions, Swamiji promoted with equal zeal the idea of equality of all human being. Therefore, he rejected colonialism and alien rule as an affront to human dignity,” Dr Singh said.

Observing that Swamiji’s sense of confidence without being arrogant “is a rare but precious trait,” Dr Singh said, “It is a trait we in India today must readily acquire and jealously retain.”

Advocating tolerance, the Prime Minister said, “Let us, in all humility imbibe lessons from Swami Vivekananda. Let us learn to be tolerant of one another, have respect for all religions and dedicate ourselves to the development of our people and our country.”

“Let us be humble enough to recognise that there is much that we can learn from the world and, therefore, be open to new ideas, new opportunities and new challenges,” he said.

The best tribute to Swamiji would be to recognise “the relevance of his teachings and his thoughts for the 21st century, for today’s India, for tomorrow’s India.” — PTI

NEW DELHI: Devyani Khobragade, the Indian diplomat at the centre of a bitter row with the United States, is anguished and at "immense stress" over leaving behind her young family in New York, and has vowed to clear her name.

Khobragade was allowed to leave the US on Friday after a month-long dispute over her arrest and strip-search on suspicion of visa fraud involving her domestic servant.

She was granted full diplomatic immunity and allowed to fly back to India — just hours after charges were filed in court alleging she lodged false documents to obtain a visa for her servant and then underpaid her.

Khobragade, 39, told a newspaper of her anguish at leaving behind her daughters, aged seven and four, in New York along with her husband, a US citizen, who works as an academic.

"I wonder if I will be able to ever reunite with my family, my husband, my little kids. I miss them," Khobragade told The Sunday Express.

"What if my children choose to study and work in the US? What if I can never return to the US, which I cannot now. Does it mean we will never be able to live together as a family again?" she said.

"I know I am honest, and I will come out clean. But we do not know how much time it will take and for how long my family will have to suffer due to this," she added.

Her arrest on December 12 outside her children's school and treatment in custody, where she said she was subjected to a cavity search, outraged India which claimed she benefited from full diplomatic immunity.

US prosecutors disputed this, and filed charges in New York accusing Khobragade of sometimes forcing the Indian maid to work 100-hour weeks, even when sick and often without a day off, for pay as little as $1.22 an hour.

Khobragade did obtain diplomatic immunity when last week New Delhi asked Washington to grant her a G1 visa given to diplomats at India's UN mission, which is also in New York.

The row between the two countries, which had embraced each other as strategic partners, saw weeks of feisty exchanges that strained bilateral ties and left resentment on both sides.

India has removed extra security barriers at the US embassy in New Delhi, demanded contract details for domestic staff employed by American diplomats and even stopped the mission importing duty-free food and alcohol.

On Wednesday, it ordered an embassy leisure centre popular with American expatriates in the capital to stop admitting non-diplomatic members, while scheduled visits by US officials to India have been cancelled.

In a fresh retaliatory measure late on Friday, India asked the United States to withdraw an embassy official in New Delhi.

The expelled American diplomat was a "similar rank" to Khobragade and is thought to have helped the family of her maid travel to America where they were granted protection by prosecutors.

US prosecutors say the family of the maid were evacuated to the United States because of attempts to intimidate them.

In her newspaper interview, Khobragade said she would continue a legal fight to clear her name, including attempting to have her case in New York officially dismissed in a federal court.

"I have come to India but my stand still needs to be vindicated. And of course, I have been separated from my family, and I am under immense stress for my children," Khobragade said.

"I spoke to my kids for hours last night, and they are already missing me. The four-year-old asked me, 'Mommy, when will you be back home', and I had no answer."

She cannot return to the US unless she surrenders to the court on arrival, and her name is being placed on US immigration watch lists "to prevent the routine issuance of any future visa", according to US officials. — AFP

LUCKNOW: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas on Sunday said that holding a rally in Amethi is a challenge to “dynasty politics and corruption.”

Amethi is the parliamentary constituency of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

“Amethi has to decide now. I am an aam aadmi and he (Rahul Gandhi) is a prince. If Amethi wants, it can get rid of dynasty politics. Winning and losing is not the point but what is important is, we are challenging dynasty politics and corruption,” Vishwas told the media on his way to Amethi.

To a query on protest at his press conference Saturday, he said: “What is the protest all about? Is it because that Amethi’s dynasty politics should not be challenged or is it about the poems that I have read which had hurt the sentiments of certain community, for which I have already apologised.”

Vishwas’ press conference here was disrupted on Saturday when a man threw an egg at him while raising slogans against the party. Saif Zafri was soon overpowered by Aam Aadmi Party activists and handed over to police.

While on his way to Amethi, black flags were waved at Vishwas. — IANS

Greater Noida: Under pressure from his party, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily on Sunday said the government is considering increasing the quota of subsidised LPG cylinders to 12 per household even as hints were dropped of a one-time hike in diesel and LPG rates.

Moily, who last week said there was no proposal to increase the quota from 9 cylinders per household to 12, on Sunday said the final decision on the issue will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA).

“I have read in newspapers about (Congress vice-president) Rahul Gandhi taking up the issue of increasing the LPG cap with the Prime Minister. I am yet to get comments from the Congress vice-president or the Prime Minister,” he told reporters.

Moily said 89.2 per cent of the 15 crore LPG consumers use up to nine cylinders in a year and only 10 per cent have to buy the additional requirement at the market price.

If the quota is raised to 12, about 97 per cent of the LPG consumers would be covered by subsidised LPG, he said.

Increasing the limit to 12 would result in an additional fuel subsidy burden of Rs 3,300 crore-5,800 crore for the government.

“If that proposal (for raising LPG cap) comes, we need to examine pros and cons. Ultimately, the decision will be taken by CCEA or CCPA,” he said. “We are going to take a considered view... We are considering the suggestions.”

Oil Secretary Vivek Rae, talking to reporters with Moily on his side, said his ministry was moving Cabinet to ensure a minimum $65 per barrel is paid to oil and gas producers like ONGC from current $40-45 so that difficult oil could be explored and produced.

Raising the price for producers means the subsidy the government bears on fuel supplies would rise. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Government departments should not insist on seeking address of an RTI applicant if a post box number is being provided to them for communication, the Centre has said.

The Ministry of Personnel has written to all Central government ministries or departments which act as public authorities mandated with providing information on RTI applications made to them, citing a judgement by Calcutta High Court in this regard.

"When the legislature thought it fit, the applicant need not disclose any personal detail, the authority should not insist upon his detailed whereabouts particularly when post box number is provided for establishing contact between him and the authority.

"In case the authority would find any difficulty with the post box number, they may insist upon personal details.

However, in such case, it would be the solemn duty of the authority to hide such information and particularly from their website so that people at large would not know of the details," the High Court judgement said.

The order had come following a writ petition by Avishek Goenka who sought court's direction that authority should not insist upon the detailed address of the applicant as and when any application is made under the Right to Information Act.

The interested parties could cause a threat to the activist and there have been past incidents of unnatural deaths of activists in the field, presumably by persons having vested interest to conceal the information that is asked for by the activist, the petitioner had said.

Disposing of the petition on November 20, last year, the court had directed Secretary, Ministry of Personnel, to circulate a copy of its order to all concerned so that the authority can take appropriate measures to hide information with regard to personal details of the activists to avoid any harassment by the persons having vested interest.

The Personnel Ministry, nodal department for implementation of the RTI Act, had on Wednesday sent a copy of the court's order to all ministries and chief secretaries of state governments for "appropriate action".

"It is a step in the right direction towards protecting the lives of whistleblowers," said Commodore Lokesh K. Batra (Retd), who had in October 2013 brought to the notice of the ministry that public information officers were sharing personal data of RTI applicants with private bodies, thus endangering the lives of information seekers. — PTI

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Sunday said it will not release over 200 Indian fishermen lodged here before the India-Lanka fisheries talks, scheduled in New Delhi later this week to resolve a major irritant in bilateral ties.

Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne, due to visit New Delhi for the proposed talks on Tuesday, said there would be no release of Indian fishermen before the meeting, a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa ordered the release of 179 Lankan fishermen lodged in state prisons to create a favourable atmosphere.

Senaratne and a team of Sri Lankan legal, Naval and External Affairs Ministry officials are scheduled to meet Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar whose portfolio includes Fisheries.

"We are looking at a solution where all detained fishermen by both sides would be released simultaneously," Senaratne said, adding a suggestion has been made that Sri Lanka releases Indian fishermen before the bilateral talks on January 14 — the Thai Pongal day significant for the Tamils.

Jayalalithaa said the Centre had informed state government officials that Sri Lanka will take steps for the release of Indian fishermen from January 13 and sought a similar gesture.

Senaratne said Jayalalithaa's order had come after she became aware of the invitation extended to him by New Delhi.

According to the Fisheries Ministry, some 288 Indians are in Sri Lankan custody for allegedly poaching in Lankan waters while 212 Sri Lankans are held by India.

Senaratne said his side would raise with Indian officials the "illegal bottom trawling" by Indians in Sri Lankan waters and the resultant economic loss to the country due to Indians "straying into Sri Lankan waters" for fishing.

Frequent arrests of Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy for alleged maritime violations has been a bone of contention between Sri Lanka and India. — PTI