RSS may invite Rahul, Yechury for lecture series by Mohan Bhagwat

After its invite to former president Pranab Mukherjee in June, which was accepted, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) might invite Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury to attend a three-day lecture series by Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat from September 17 to 19 in New Delhi. Gandhi had recently criticised the RSS by drawing parallels between the Sangh and Islamic radical outfit Muslim Brotherhood. In the past, the RSS had also invited UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to attend one of its events, but she had declined the invite. RSS leaders said the list of invitees was being finalised. Gandhi has remained an ardent critic of the RSS, even when people in his party have advised him to go slow on his criticism and focus his energies on criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

AP plan to fight snake menace

The Andhra Pradesh government has devised a plan to mitigate the rising incidence of snake bites in the state. Believe it or not, it is planning to organise a ‘sarpayagyam’, a ritual to propitiate the snake god, after some people died in the Krishna district and over 100 were hospitalised after being bitten by snakes. The Subramanyeswara Swamy temple in Mopidevi, where believers are known to perform the ritual, will be the venue for the ‘sarpayagyam’ and the 'sarpa dosha nivarana puja' to be organised by the government’s endowments department. The pujas will be held on August 29. As expected, the move has drawn flak from various groups, including anti-superstition organisation, Jana Vignana Vedika.

Plagiarism over 1984

Congress spokespersons have found themselves on the defensive when asked about their president Rahul Gandhi's comments on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in London. When told that senior party leader Amarinder Singh had named Congress leaders who allegedly had a role to play in the riots, Abhishek Manu Singhvi accused the Punjab Chief Minister of "plagiarism". Singhvi said Singh had only repeated what he had already said, merely adding some names. He wanted to know why the issue was being raised during election season, adding that those leaders suspected to be involved had been punished by the Congress politically.