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☆ China Had a ‘Special Place’ in Modi’s Heart. Now It’s a Thorn in His Side.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Mujib Mashal | Sameer Yasir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Narendra Modi once looked up to China. As a business-friendly Indian state leader, he traveled there repeatedly to attract investment and see how his country could learn from its neighbor’s economic transformation. China, he said, has a “special place in my heart.” Chinese officials cheered on his march to national power as that of “a political star.”But not long after Mr. Modi became prime minister in 2014, China made clear that the relationship would not be so easy. Continued border incursions flared into a ferocious clash in 2020 that threatened to lead to all-out war. Mr. Modi, a strongman who controls every lever of power in India and has expanded its relations with many other countries, appears uncharacteristically powerless in the face of the rupture with China.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Xi Jinping — Locations: China, India

☆ India general election 2024: What to know about the world’s biggest vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Helen Regan | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Under Modi, India has become the world’s fastest growing major economy, pushing the country of 1.4 billion people to near-superpower status. Here’s what you need to know about the largest election in human history:How does India vote? Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar on April 6, 2024. Congress senior party leader Rahul Gandhi during the release of the party manifesto on April 5, 2024 in New Delhi. The ruling BJP’s symbol is a lotus, while the Congress party is a raised, open-palmed hand.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Noah Seelam, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Congress ’ Mamata Banerjee, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, Himanshu Sharma, Modi’s, Kejriwal, Sanjeev Verma, Nasir Kachroo, Biju Boro Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, European Union, Getty, Indian National Congress, Congress, Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi, West, All India, Modi, Hindustan Times, Minorities, Analysts, Bahujan Samaj Party, Farmers, for Media Studies Locations: India, United States, Russia, Lok, Hyderabad, AFP, INDIA, West Bengal, Tamil, Pushkar, Delhi, New Delhi, Ayodhya, Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh, China, Lohore Sapori, Assam

New Delhi CNN —India’s Ministry of External Affairs summoned a US State Department official after the department called for a fair legal process for opposition leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal following his arrest last week. “We take strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India,” the Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday summoned Gloria Berbena, the State Department Minister-Counselor for Public Diplomacy, according to a diplomatic officer with knowledge of the matter. At a briefing later on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declined to discuss “private diplomatic conversations” when asked about Berbena’s summoning, but stood by the department’s previous comments. India’s main opposition, the Indian National Congress, has also accused the BJP of using the tax department to “cripple” their finances.

Persons: Arvind Kejriwal, Gloria Berbena, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, Kejriwal, Modi, Narendra Modi’s, Kejriwal’s, ” Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN — India’s, External Affairs, US State Department, Affairs, State Department, Public Diplomacy, State, Aam Aadmi Party, Indian National Congress, Human Rights, Amnesty, India Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, India

☆ Uttar Pradesh: Court ruling effectively outlaws Islamic schools in India’s most populous state
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New Delhi CNN —A court in India’s most populous state has effectively banned Islamic schools by striking down on a law governing madrasas, weeks before a nationwide election that could further polarize the world’s largest democracy along religious lines. The Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh on Friday declared the Madrasa Act of 2004 to be unconstitutional, according to a court order seen by CNN, while ordering the state government to move students enrolled in the Islamic system into mainstream schools. While the Allahabad High Court order cited India’s constitutional separation of religion and state in its reasoning for ruling against madrasas, it is Modi who has been frequently accused by critics of dismantling India’s secular traditions. Many Muslims and critics of the BJP have raised concerns that India’s secular fabric is also being eroded as anti-Muslim hate speech make frequent headlines and Muslim-owned properties face demolitions. In December 2020, the northeastern state of Assam passed a law to convert all Islamic schools to regular education institutions.

Persons: New Delhi CNN —, madrasas, ”, Narendra Modi’s, Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, Modi, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Debabrata Saikia Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Reuters, madrasas Locations: New Delhi, India’s, Allahabad, Court, Uttar Pradesh, India, country’s, Assam

☆ Modi’s Party Doesn’t Control All of India. But He’s Working on It.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Mujib Mashal | Hari Kumar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is the final frontier for India’s most powerful leader in decades. The news media, the national legislature, civil society, sometimes even the courts — all have largely been bent to his will. But one critical group of holdouts remains: some of India’s richest states, the engine of its rapid growth. The future shape of the world’s largest democracy — and its economic trajectory — may rest on the power struggle that has ensued. Mr. Modi, who is well placed to win a third term in a national election that will begin on April 19, is wielding an increasingly heavy hand in what his opponents call an unfair effort to drive out the governments of the states his party does not control.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Mr, Modi

☆ India investigates alleged Hindu nationalist attack on foreign students offering Ramadan prayers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Authorities in western India have launched an investigation after far-right Hindus allegedly attacked foreign university students offering prayers during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, as religious tensions simmer ahead of a crucial general election. One eyewitness told CNN the students were offering prayers when a group of people arrived and repeatedly told them to stop, while chanting Hindu slogans. “One of the students got up and slapped a member of the group,” the Gujarat University student, who does not want to be named out of fear of retribution, told CNN. We request the university to shift us to a safe place.”Another student told Gujarat First News that the university had given them permission to pray on campus. Gujarat University vice chancellor Neerja A. Gupta confirmed clashes broke out between two groups after which some foreign students were injured.

Persons: Malik, Randhir Jaiswal, Narendra Modi’s, “ Jai Shree Ram, Lord Ram, ”, ‘ Jai Shree Ram, ’, “, Neerja A, Gupta, Modi, Asaduddin Owaisi Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Gujarat University, “, India’s Ministry, External Affairs, clarion, News Capital Gujarat, Gujarat, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP Locations: India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Ahmedabad, ” Ahmedabad, “, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat

☆ The Ambani Wedding Event Signifies the Rise of the Oligarch in Modi’s India - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Sonia Faleiro | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Those were some of the highlights of what is likely the most ostentatious “pre-wedding” ceremony the modern world has ever seen. Watching the event, I couldn’t help thinking of the 1911 durbar, or royal reception, when King George V was proclaimed emperor of India. It’s difficult to imagine the Ambani-Merchant wedding event in an India that isn’t ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India’s richest 1 percent now own more than 40 percent of the country’s wealth, according to Oxfam. Oxfam has described this new India as the “survival of the richest.”

Persons: Rihanna, Mark Zuckerberg, Mukesh Ambani’s, Anant, Radhika Merchant ., Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump, King George V, Ambani, isn’t, Narendra Modi, Modi, ” Organizations: Radhika Merchant . Monarchs, India, Oxfam Locations: Gujarat, India, Britain

☆ India election: Date set for largest democratic vote in human history
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to secure another five years in power, ruling an India that has become increasingly polarized along religious lines. Under Modi’s leadership, India is poised to become a 21st-century powerhouse as its economy rapidly expands. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, marked a significant step for an opposition struggling to regain national significance. In August, India made history by soft-landing a rover on the moon, becoming just the fourth nation to do so. The election commission said 968.8 million people have registered to vote in the 2024 polls – a 6% increase from 2019.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Indira Gandhi, Modi, Weeks Organizations: CNN, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian National Congress, Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Modi’s BJP, Organization for Economic Cooperation Locations: India, Lok, New Delhi, INDIA, Australia, United States, Ayodhya, China

☆ India’s 2024 General Election: What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Mujib Mashal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

India is holding its multiphase general elections from April 19 to June 1, in a vote that will determine the political direction of the world’s most populous nation for the next five years. The usually high-turnout affair, which was formally set on Saturday, is a mammoth undertaking described as the biggest peacetime logistical exercise anywhere. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose power is well entrenched, is seeking a third term. But his push to reshape India’s secular democracy as a Hindu-first nation has aggravated the religious and ethnic fault lines in the hugely diverse country. In a region of frequent political turmoil, India is deeply proud of its nearly undisrupted electoral democracy since its founding as a republic more than 75 years ago.

Persons: Narendra Modi Locations: India

☆ India joins select group of nations able to fire multiple warheads on a single ICBM
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Brad Lendon | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Delhi CNN —India said Monday it had joined the world’s top nuclear powers by mastering the ability to put multiple warheads atop a single intercontinental ballistic missile. The successful test of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology on the indigenously developed Agni-V ICBM puts India in a club that includes the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. Neighboring Pakistan has also claimed to have MIRV technology, but experts say the claim is unverified. “Various Telemetry and radar stations tracked and monitored multiple re-entry vehicles. India did not give an exact number of reentry vehicles released during the Agni-V test, but MIRVed missiles can carry a dozen or possibly more MIRV warheads.

Persons: Narendra Modi, “, ” Modi, X, Rajnath Singh, ”, Amit Shah Organizations: Delhi CNN, DRDO, Defence Research, Development Organisation, Mission, Defense Ministry, Indian Defense, ., Center for Arms Control, Center for Strategic, International Studies Missile Defense, United States, Minuteman, National Museum of, US Air Force, US, Union of Concerned, US Defense Locations: Delhi, India, United States, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom, Neighboring Pakistan, Bay, Bengal, Bharat, Pakistan, Beijing

CNN —India has announced rules that would allow it to implement a controversial citizenship bill that excludes Muslims. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides a fast-track to citizenship for immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan – provided they are not Muslim. The controversial law would apply to religious minorities persecuted on religious grounds, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. Members of the United Opposition Forum protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Nagaon District, Assam, India, on March 8, 2024. The BJP has its roots in India’s Hindu right-wing movement, many followers of which see India as a Hindu nation.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Pakistan –, Modi, Amit Shah, “, Anuwar Organizations: CNN, Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian, United Opposition, Getty, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP Locations: India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nagaon District, Assam, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Ayodhya

☆ Angry farmers once forced India’s hardline leader into a rare retreat. As the election looms, they’re back
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Modi promised “a fresh start,” agreeing to meet the farmers’ demands and work with them to move forward. Police fire teargas to disperse farmers marching towards New Delhi during a protest at the Haryana-Punjab state border on February 21, 2024. It was a massive victory for the farmers, who pushed the Indian leader into a rare and uncharacteristic climbdown. The abject poverty and debt faced by many of India’s farmers has forced some to take extreme measures. “About 86% of Indian farmers are dependent on the markets.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, “, ”, Narinder Nanu, Devinder Sharma, Gurpreet, Prakash Singh, Arjun Munda, Sharma, ” Sharma, ’ Modi, Arati Jerath, Jerath, ” X Organizations: CNN, Police, Getty, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rapid Action Force, Bloomberg, Agriculture, India Brand Equity Foundation, country’s Department of Commerce, Farmers, “ Farmers, Roads Locations: New Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, AFP, Uttar Pradesh, China, India, Brazil, BJP, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Shambhu, Patiala district

☆ Why India’s economy under Modi offers a real alternative to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The market value of companies listed on India’s exchanges crossed $4 trillion in late November. But the country is stuck in recession and recently lost its position as the world’s third biggest economy to Germany. While interest in the world’s fifth largest economy is rising, the lofty prices of India’s stocks are scaring some international investors away. According to Macquarie, retail investors alone own 9% of India’s equity market value versus foreign investors at slightly under 20%. China “has a few too many companies which are $100 and $200 billion plus [in value],” Mittal said.

Persons: Peeyush Mittal, there’s, ”, Mittal, They’ve, Narendra Modi, Indranil Mukherjee, Jefferies, “, MSCI, Aditya Suresh, Modi’s, Modi, there’ll, ” Suresh, shoring, Hubert de Barochez, Elon Musk, India “, ” Musk, Suresh, Satish Babu, China “, ” Mittal, Priyanka Agnihotri, Nirmala Sitharaman Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN —, Matthews Asia, Getty, Macquarie Capital, Bharatiya Janata Party, Monetary Fund, Jefferies, Capital Economics, Apple, Foxconn, ”, Workers, Chennai Metro Rail, Advisory, Indian Locations: New Delhi, Jaipur, San Francisco, India, China, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Beijing, Washington, “ India, Macquarie, Chennai, Baltimore

☆ India’s main opposition party says tax authorities have frozen its funds, weeks before nationwide election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Rhea Mogul | Vedika Sud | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New Delhi CNN —India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, said Friday that its bank accounts had been frozen by federal tax authorities, just weeks before an expected nationwide election. He added that the Income Tax Department had issued a payment demand for 2.1 billion rupees ($25.3 million) in connection to the ongoing probe. Maken said the action taken against his party was equivalent to “freezing our democracy.”“The Congress party’s bank accounts haven’t been frozen. CNN has reached out to India’s Income Tax Department and Finance Ministry, and multiple leaders within the Congress Party for further comment. The Congress Party, a once formidable force in Indian politics, has been languishing in the polls since Modi rose to power a decade ago.

Persons: Ajay Maken, Maken, ”, “, Vivek Tankha, Tankha, Mallikarjun Kharge, Narendra Modi’s, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Gandhi, Modi, Modi’s Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, India’s, Indian National Congress, Income, Department, Party, CNN, Finance Ministry, Congress Party, ” Allies, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Former, Indian, Modi’s BJP Locations: New Delhi, India

☆ Twin mosque demolitions in India underscore deep religious polarization months before nationwide election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Rhea Mogul | Aishwarya S Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The demolitions drew incensed residents onto the streets and at least six people have been killed in clashes with police. The image of India that Modi wants to project is one of a confident, vibrant, and modern superpower. In India, a country of diverse faiths, religious groups follow their own laws for matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance. Mohammad Zakir Hussain has said he barely slept since the demolition of his mosque, the madrasa, and his home in India’s capital Delhi. “(The government) rationalizes everything by blaming Mughal emperors,” he said, referring to India’s ancient Islamic rulers.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Ram, ”, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Imtiyaz Khan, Asaduddin, “, Mukhopadhyay, Mohammed Zakir Hussain, Mohammad Zakir Hussain, Aishwarya Iyer, Sanjay Katyal, Rana Safvi, ” Safvi, ” Mohammad Aman, Mohammad Arif, what’s, Mohammad Aman Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, CNN, Authorities, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian, Anadolu, Getty, Amnesty International, Delhi Development Authority, –, Court Locations: New Delhi, India, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, Haldwani, AFP, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India’s, Jammu, Kashmir, BJP, Delhi’s Mehrauli, Akhondji

☆ India’s Supreme Court Strikes Down a Fund-Raising Edge for Modi
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Sameer Yasir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

India’s Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a contentious fund-raising mechanism that allowed individuals and corporations to make anonymous political donations, a system that was widely seen as an advantage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing party. Though the judgment came just months before the country’s next general election, probably too soon to affect its outcome, activists said it could bring more accountability to campaign finance down the road. The ruling on “electoral bonds,” as the fund-raising instruments are known, came a full six years after Mr. Modi’s government introduced them. Under the contested fund-raising system, the government-owned State Bank of India, India’s largest commercial bank, issued paper bonds that could be purchased in exchange for donations to a political party of the donor’s choice. They range from just $12 to more than $120,000, with no limit on the number of bonds that a donor could buy.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, State Bank of India Locations: India’s

☆ India’s Modi to inaugurate Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the United Arab Emirates to inaugurate a Hindu stone temple, boosting his credentials as a global statesman months before he heads to the polls in a nationwide election where he is seeking a rare third term in power. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Ahmedabad state of Gujarat, India on January 9, 2024. Yet, analysts expect this will not present an issue for Modi during his visit, given India’s rising prominence, its growing economy and strategic position on the global stage. In 2015, the UAE government allocated land for the development of the temple, in a major win for the diaspora. President Joe Biden visits Raj Ghat memorial with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and other G20 leaders, Sept. 10, 2023, in New Delhi.

Persons: CNN —, Narendra Modi, Modi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al, ”, Asim Ali, ” Ali, “, Ram, Nicolas Blarel, Blarel, Swaminarayan, ” Blarel, Kadira Pethiyagoda, that’s, Joe Biden, Raj, India Narendra Modi, Kenny Hoston, Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Powers, ” Pethiyagoda Organizations: CNN, CNN — India’s, United, United Arab Emirates, Emirates, Guard, Indian, PIB, Getty, Bharatiya Janata, International Relations, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University, BJP, Brookings, Reuters Locations: United Arab, Abu, United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Anadolu, UAE, New Delhi, Abu Dhabi, The Netherlands, South Asia, Indian, “ India, Saudi Arabia, East, Europe, “, China, Russia, Ayodhya, India’s

☆ Indian nationals released after being detained in Qatar on reported spy charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Eight Indian nationals who were detained and sentenced to death in Qatar on reported espionage charges have been released, according to Indian authorities. “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. They had been working for Dahra Global Technologies, a defense services provider based in Qatar, according to CNN News18. Qatar has not publicly addressed the arrest, sentencing and subsequent release of the eight Indian citizens. CNN affiliate CNN-News18 reported at the time that the eight Indians had been detained in August 2022 on spying charges.

Persons: ”, “, Amir, it’s, Narendra Modi’s, Jairam Ramesh, Modi Organizations: CNN, Eight, Dahra Global, External Affairs, Indian Navy, Twitter, Dahra Global Technologies, CNN News18, United Nations Locations: Qatar, India, State

☆ Modi’s ‘divine India’ vision threatens to marginalize millions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“(Today) is the beginning of a new time cycle,” Modi said at the new temple honoring Hindu deity Lord Ram. “After centuries of waiting, our Ram has arrived.”Modi’s vision of a “divine India” is a far cry from the ideas of the modern country’s founding fathers. “India becomes a de facto Hindu nation, where the task of building national Hindu religious symbols falls to the state. And he reiterated his party’s desire to build the Ram Temple on the contested holy site. Hindu groups have for decades claimed the Mughals destroyed Hindu temples, building mosques and other monuments in their place.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, ” Modi, Lord Ram, “, Ram, ”, Gilles Verniers, officiates, ‘, Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Modi’s, ” Modi fasted, ” Narendra Modi, Prakash Singh, Pratishtha ”, –, Sunita Viswanath, “ Modi, tramples what’s, Ravi Agrawal, it’s, Babar, Douglas E, Curran, ” Agrawal, Ritesh Shukla, Aurangzeb, “ Aurangzeb, Policy’s Agrawal, Gilles Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Centre for Policy Research, Bloomberg, Getty, Indian, Human Rights, India’s, Ram Locations: Ayodhya, “, India, New Delhi, Babri, Delhi, India’s, Jammu, Kashmir, South Asia, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Varanasi

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s finance minister unveiled on Thursday a short-term budget to meet government expenditures until national elections are held by May, saying it will boost spending on infrastructure projects, build homes for poor villagers and cut the fiscal deficit by reducing subsidies. The short-term budget is mostly free of big-spending new programs. The short-term budget must be approved by Parliament. The government allocated $145 billion for infrastructure projects in the short-term budget. The Modi government’s budget last year totaled $550 billion and focused on ramping up capital spending to spur economic growth.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Modi’s, giveaways, Modi, Sitharaman, Sibi Arasu Organizations: DELHI, —, Parliament, Monetary Fund Locations: India, United Kingdom, Bengaluru

☆ Photos: Ayodhya Ram Mandir temple inaugurated in consecration ceremony overseen by Modi
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Crowds gather during the opening of a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Ram, in Ayodhya, India, on January 22, 2024. Inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple Monday, Modi presided over the Pran Pratishtha, or consecration ceremony, of an idol of Lord Ram, one of Hinduism’s most revered deities. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plays a leading role in the ceremony consecrating a statue of the god Ram. “Today our Lord Ram has come. A man prays on the banks of Sarayu River on the occasion of Ram temple's consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Lord Ram, Rajesh Kumar Singh, –, Modi, Pran Pratishtha, Ram, Imtiyaz Khan, ” Modi, “ Ram, Money Sharma, Hinduism's Lord Ram, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Anupam Kher, Beckham, ”, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Katrina Kaif, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Alia Bhatt Rajesh Kumar Singh Organizations: CNN, Indian, Anadolu, Getty Locations: Ayodhya, India, India's Uttar Pradesh, Sarayu, Babri

☆ Ayodhya temple: India’s Narenda Modi hails a new ‘divine India’ as he inaugurates Ram Mandir ahead of election
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Helen Regan | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

By moving ahead of building the temple, now we all take the oath of building a national, capable, successful, beautiful, and divine India,” Modi said. His promise to build the Ram Mandir helped spur that initial election success. A devotee gets anoint the name of Lord Ram on his forehead ahead of the Inauguration of the Ram Mandir Temple on January 20, 2024 in Ayodhya, India. Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images“I have come here to seek blessings from Lord Ram and Sita, I am very happy today,” she said. “I have come here to seek blessing from Lord Ram, Modi has done so much,” he said.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, Lord Ram –, Ram, ” Modi, “ Ram, Modi, Lord Ram, Rafiq Maqbool, Pran Pratishtha, Mohan Bhagwat, ”, Yogi Adityanath, Acharya Mohanjodaro Bharadwaj, Babar, Money Sharma, Maulana Badshah Khan, “, ” Khan, weaponizing, Modi “, Modi fasted, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Chandravanshi, Ritesh Shukla, Sita, Lal Singh Khushwa Organizations: CNN, “, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Getty, Human Rights, AP, YouTube Locations: India, India’s Ayodhya, Babri, Ayodhya, Vedika, India's, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, New York, Square, South Asia, Sarayu, New India, US, Tamil Nadu, “, Chhattisgarh

☆ Sony’s $10 billion India media deal with Zee ends in ugly breakup
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New Delhi CNN —A dramatic acquisition saga in one of the world’s fastest growing media industries is headed for a bitter ending. Sony Group (SONY) has called off the merger between its India unit and Mumbai-based Zee Entertainment, the Japanese company said on Monday. Sony’s move to end talks comes at a time when Disney (DIS) and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries are discussing combining their Indian media businesses. Zee “categorically denies all the assertions … including their claims for the termination fee,” the statement added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government expects the nation to soon become the world’s third largest media and entertainment market, from fifth currently.

Persons: Sony’s, Mukesh Ambani’s, Zee, Punit Goenka, Zee “, Narendra Modi’s Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Sony Group, SONY, Zee Entertainment, Netflix, Disney, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, Sony, Reuters, Zee, Reliance Locations: New Delhi, India, Mumbai

He has ensured this with the Ram Temple,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an expert in Hindu nationalism and author of a book on Modi. Modi’s Hindu nationalist party is expected to once again exploit religion for political gain in the upcoming national elections in April or May and secure power for a third consecutive term. The mosque was demolished by Hindu mobs in December 1992, sparking nationwide riots that killed more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. That fraught history is still an open wound for many Muslims, and some say the temple is the biggest political testament yet to Hindu supremacy. Modi has released postage stamps on Ram Temple, and live screenings of the ceremony are planned across the country.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Lord Ram, Modi, ”, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Modi's, ” Mukhopadhyay, “ Modi, Ram, Salam, ” Salam, revivalism —, “ Organizations: DELHI, —, Indian, Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party, Ram, BJP Locations: India, Ayodhya —, Ayodhya, Babri, Gujarat, Babri Mosque, Hindu India

☆ Ayodhya’s Muslims confront grief and anxiety as Ram Temple inauguration nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Aishwarya Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But like many of the town’s 500,000 Muslims, 65-year-old Maulana Badshah Khan says he’ll be staying at home. And tens of thousands of pious Hindus are thronging to the small town to place flowers and gifts inside the temple. “They will call for Muslims to be expelled from Ayodhya or demand a Hindu Rashtra (nation),” he said. Mahboob, one of the petitioners who fought for the Babri mosque in the Supreme Court, said for most Muslims of Ayodhya, its construction does not hold emotional sway. Muslims pray for peace ahead of verdict on a disputed religious site in Ayodhya, inside a mosque premises in Ahmedabad, India, November 8, 2019.

Persons: Saffron, Narendra Modi, Maulana Badshah Khan, he’ll, Modi, Khan, ”, Azam Qadri, Douglas E, Curran, Haji Mahboob, Mahboob, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Mukhopadhyay, Nalin Kohli, Modi’s, Amit Dave, Babri, Arafat Shaikh –, BJP –, Shaikh, Gharib Nawaz, Vinod Bansal, Mahant Jairam Das, Hassan Ali Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Indian, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Getty, he’s, CNN, Ram, Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Locations: New Delhi, Ayodhya, New India, India, Babri, Ahmedabad, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan

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