BJP president J.P. Nadda turned 60 on Wednesday. There was a flood of greetings from party leaders and Nadda released his own tweet, to the surprise of his well-wishers. Nadda tweeted pictures of his twin brother, Jagat Bhushan Nadda greeting him. “All good things come in pairs, best of all are a set of twin with extra laughter and double grins. Wishing my brother Jagat Bhushan Nadda a very happy birthday…” he tweeted.
Punjab gets new RSS chief
After a gap of 26 years, Punjab RSS has witnessed a change of guard. Iqbal Singh Ahluwalia (70), a Sikh, former Food Corporation of India employee, has replaced RSS veteran Brijbhushan Bedi (90).
Son of a “Sangh Sanchalak”, Ahluwalia became active in the RSS at the age of nine when he started going to the shakha along with his father. He has been active in the RSS since 1963 and has worked at Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, a social arm of the RSS. Ahluwalia, who hails from Sangrur, was elected at a state-level meeting of the Sangh. His name was proposed by Bedi, who reportedly cited old age issues and wanted to be relieved of the responsibility. Ahluwalia told The Sunday Guardian that “my goal is to expand the RSS’ social work network in Punjab. I am not interested in politics.”
Kangana, don’t disrespect my mother: BJP leader
Actress Kangana Ranaut posted a tweet that misidentified an elderly woman as Shaheen Bagh’s Bilkis Bano, and claimed that she had come to join the farmers’ protest for Rs 100. Among the barrage of tweets that followed, one tweet was by BJP spokesperson R.P. Singh. Singh, a vocal Sikh leader from BJP in Delhi and former party MLA, tweeted: “respect you for your courage & acting but I will not accept anyone disrespecting or demeaning my mother. You must make a public apology for doing so.” Singh told The Sunday Guardian that the old Sikh woman sitting with farmers was like his mother: “Many people in a hurry share old posts and pictures without checking whether they are factual and relevant.”
New RS Members take Oath
Newly elected Rajya Sabha members took their oath in the chamber of the House for the second time this year because of coronavirus. New members usually take oath in the Chairman’s chamber if the House is not in session. Like in July, to maintain distancing norms the 10 elected members were administered oath in the House chamber itself on Monday. Welcoming the elected members, Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said that as the House of Elders, “it is imperative to maintain high standards of conduct which adds to the decency, dignity and decorum of the House”.
North Block Out Of Bounds For Media
The government has banned the entry of PIB card-holders to North Block citing Budget preparation work. In an order issued last week, the security at North Block, which houses the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Personnel and Training, has been asked not to allow PIB cardholders entry into the entire complex beginning 1 December. This means, MHA and DoPt too could be barred from media.
Punjab Avenue In New York
New York has got a Punjab Avenue. Honouring the contribution of the South Asian community to the Richmond Hill area of the Queens borough, a New York City street has been named in its honour. Among the locals, the area was known as “Little Punjab” as it is a hub of businesses run by Punjabis and has two gurdwaras. On Wednesday, a tweet went viral showing the area residents displaying a board that read “Punjab Av”. According to a CBS New York report, the initiative was a joint effort by several South Asian groups and City Council Member Adrienne Adams. “This community has been underserved, not really recognized,” Adams told the news website.
London To Get Guru Nanak Road
A west London council has agreed to rename a road in its heavily Punjabi suburb of Southall as Guru Nanak Road. The proposal to rename Havelock Road came to the fore in the wake of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s new Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to review the UK capital’s landmarks in response to the Black Lives Matter protests, which have targeted memorials to historical figures with links to slavery and colonialism.