News and pic from Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai (SP)

Mumbai, Jan 6:  The local unit of the Congress party  had organized a prayer meeting with patriotic and devotional songs near Mahatma Gandhiji's statue at Juhu Beach in the early hours of January 1 2009 to to welcome the the New Year.
 
Mumbai Congress Committee  president Kripashankar Singh wanted  the bodies of the slain terrorists of 26/11 terrorist attack in the city, to  be dumped at the Pakistan embassy. He also said none of the Muslim organizations wanted these bodies to be buried on Indian soil.
 

The prayer meeting was earlier scheduled to be held at the Gateway of India but was later shifted to Juhu beach due to security reasons.
 
As the first rays of the sun illuminated the sky, several beach walkers , citizens and Congress activists listened to soulful renditions by Pandit Vasant Asgaonkar.
 
Bhojpuri Superstar Manoj Tiwari also sang for the crowd.
 
Congress MPs Rajiv Shukla and Eknath Gaikwad, MLAs Baldev Khosa and Bhai Jagtap, Congress leaders Rajhans Singh and Nizamuddin Rayeen, senior journalists  Anurag Tripathi, Nandkishore Nautiyal, Priyanka Singh (Varanasi) , Sangeeta Bhosale and other citizens joined Singh and others as they took a pledge to live in unity,  peace and harmony.
 
School children  who carried Mashaals (torches),  took a pledge to preserve the unity of the country at the statue of Chattrapathi Shivaji Maharaj adjoining Juhu Beach.