Krishna Meets Russian Envoy Over Gita Row
Tuesday, 27 December 2011, 23:40 IST
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New Delhi: A day before a court in the Siberian town of Tomsk delivers its verdict on a move to ban the Bhagavad Gita, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here met Russian ambassador Alexander Kadakin and conveyed India's hope that the issue will be resolved keeping in mind the sentiments of Indians. The Russian envoy was called to Hyderabad House where he met Krishna and explained Russia's position on the issue, official sources said. The meeting lasted around 20 minutes. Last week, the Russian envoy had denounced those seeking the ban on the Gita as "madmen". In a statement in parliament, Krishna had urged Russia to resolve the issue expeditiously. The final hearing on the issue is scheduled Wednesday in Siberia's Tomsk district court. The verdict was deferred last week as the court agreed to seek the opinion of the Russian Ombudsman on Human Rights in Tomsk Region and of Indologists from Moscow and St Petersburg. The case was filed by the state prosecutors for banning Bhagavad Gita and branding it as "extremist" literature, after a deposition from the Russian human rights ombudsman.
Source: IANS
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