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Parliament ruckus over Bhagvad Gita facing ban in Russia
Monday December 19, 2011 01:04:21 PM,
IANS
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Bhagavad Gita faces 'extremist' branding, ban in Russia
Bhagavad Gita,
one of the holiest Hindu scriptures, is facing a legal ban and the
prospect of being branded as "an extremist" literature across
Russia. A court in Siberia's Tomsk city is set to deliver its
final verdict Monday » |
New Delhi: Parliamentarians across the political spectrum Monday asked the
government to ensure that the religious rights of Hindus in Russia
are protected after a member pointed out an IANS report about the Bhagvad Gita facing a ban and the prospect of it being branded as
"extremist" literature there.
Angry MPs forced the adjournment of the Lok Sabha till 2 p.m.
after Biju Janata Dal leader Bhartruhari Mahtab raised the issue
in the house and asked the government to intervene immediately to
ensure the religious freedom of Hindus in Russia.
He said a court in Siberia's Tomsk city was set to deliver its
final verdict Monday in a case filed by state prosecutors, as was
reported by IANS Saturday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was
on an official visit to Moscow.
"I want to know from the government what it is doing. The
religious rights of Hindus in Russia should be protected. The
government should impress upon the Russian authorities through
diplomatic channels," he said.
The case, which has been going on in the Tomsk court since June,
seeks a ban on a Russian translation of the "Bhagavad Gita As It
Is" written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of
the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
It also wants the Hindu religious text banned in Russia, declared
as literature spreading "social discord", and its distribution on
Russian soil rendered illegal.
Indians in Moscow, numbering about 15,000, and followers of the
ISKCON religious movement in Russia have appealed to the Indian
government to intervene diplomatically to resolve the issue in
favour of the scripture, an important part of Indian epic
Mahabharata written by sage Ved Vyas.
When Mahtab raised the issue, the lower house plunged into chaos,
with MPs urging Speaker Meira Kumar to let them speak on the
matter. She, however, refused and instead asked them to send notes
and associate with Mahtab.
Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RLD) was heard shouting
that the Hindu scripture does not preach extremism.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members were also seen rising from
their seats to protest the issue before Meira Kumar adjourned the
house till 2 p.m.
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