Why is Congress declining?

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June 23, 2019

Rahul’s campaign continuously crafted around the words “Chowkidar Chor Hai” for PM Modi but that failed to translate into votes. The Congress has underestimated the campaign strength of Narendra Modi. He was either ridiculed or ignored after 2009, but Congress failed to understand his methods. Rahul himself gave a statement that “I have one goal: to defend India’s institutions by defeating Modi and the BJP. I’m not seeing anything else. Like Arjun, I am targeting just the eye of the fish.” Will people be able to digest this? The decline and fall of the Congress is an arresting story written time and again; but this time the party is at the nadir of its influence in national politics. The results are a lesson for the Congress Party; it is on a steady decline in the country’s political arena. The Congress’ revival pivots on its ability to address its crisis of credibility, encouraging State leaders, and functioning as a vigorous Opposition in Parliament.

Recently, TIME magazine has also stated that the Congress party has “little to offer other than the dynastic principle, yet another member of the Nehru-Gandhi family” and that the party lacks “political imagination”, something that demonstrated by the Congress choosing to bring Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra — Rahul Gandhi’s sister — into the Indian political arena. Priyanka’s entry into active politics was a long-term wish of many Congress workers. She reminds them of Indira Gandhi’s attractive pleasing personality and is a new face for the Congress. It is also observed that such personalities sometimes increase the vote share by 5 to 7 per cent but that also did not happen. She brought with her the grace of Gandhi Nehru lineage and her immense personal charm. She has mostly stayed in the shadow of her brother Rahul, heir-apparent of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.

One would have observed that the decline and fall of the Congress is an arresting story written time and again; but this time the party is at the nadir of its influence in national politics. Rahul Gandhi by wearing his Hindu identity on his sleeves is taking the ‘Bull’ by its horns. Congress Mukt Bharat is a political necessity to free India from dynastic Rule and the accompanying psycho fancy and corruption. Though Rahul’s elevation to Congress President is imminent, the challenges before him are immense. Many years of Congress rule has passed with poverty still keeping hold of the farmers and other poor people, dirt and squalor in the environment and corruption and black money laundering persisting in Indian society. This has naturally become a cause of concern for Congress cadres who feel that Rahul Gandhi’s inability to learn on the job even after more than 12 years in Parliament has put a serious question mark on the party’s future and their own political survival. Rahul had promised that farmers’ entire loan will be waived in 10 days of the government’s formation in the state but failed. They took a vote on promising entire loan waiver but the government failed to deliver.

Rahul fails to understand that PM Modi is solving the problems inherited from Congress governments. Congress and other political parties may be nervous because of courage and will power shown by the Modi government in backing armed forces decided to go for a surgical strike across LOC. It is clear that Rahul Gandhi’s hurdles in Congress are his inexperience and his inaccessibility. His image is also an aloof one. He doesn’t feel he has to have his own mouthpiece website and mobile application to make himself more accessible to people. Rahul Gandhi has different plans in mind but it does not work. Why? He may seem extremely well-intentioned but does that translate to an effectual administrator and visionary leader? Don’t we think Sonia and Rahul should focus only on the welfare of People in the Congress Controlled States and stop focusing on Modi? All are aware that Rahul has held no public office of import and accountability that would give us any insight into his abilities. Rahul Gandhi may seem extremely well-intentioned but does that translate to an effectual administrator and visionary leader?

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Unethical propaganda against the Saudi Crown Prince

By

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury

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June 23, 2019

Finally, the United Nations, which in my opinion has gone rogue long back, has come up with a fairytale inventing involvement of Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Mohammad in Jamal Khashoggi death mystery. For some unknown reason, the United Nations, instead of playing a role in ensuring global peace and stability has on a number of occasions had sided with terror-patron nations like Iran or terrorist entities like Hamas. In many cases, it even has shown its wrong tendencies of conspiracy theorists. This time they have once again repeated the same thing. The United Nation’s outrageous statement inventing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s “involvement” behind Jamal Khashoggi’s mysterious death. It is not anymore surprising seeing UN’s extreme enthusiasm in putting false blame on the Saudi Crown Prince as Jamal Khashoggi was not only a member of notorious Muslim Brotherhood but also was an exposed sympathizer of Al Qaeda.

Who Khashoggi was really?

Jamal Khashoggi had many friends among the Muslim Brotherhood and, as his colleague, David Ignatius reported days after his disappearance, had joined the movement himself as a young man before apparently shifting away from it later in his career. No one who knew Jamal at all is surprised by these facts, no matter with what lurid framing they are now “revealed”.

Khashoggi was a full-bore Muslim Brotherhood member with an agenda of Islamisation of the Arab world and creating total anarchy in the Middle East. Though he was born in Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi was never a proud Arab. Instead, he had always acted as a mercenary of anti-Arab forces and according to some documents; Jamal Khashoggi was even maintaining discreet connections with Iran and the anti-Saudi bloc.

It may be mentioned here that Saudi Arabia considers the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist entity.

During his life, Jamal Khashoggi met Osama Bin Laden on a number of occasions and had been a diehard supporter of Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 title and tell the story of Al-Qaeda’s notorious attacks on New York and Washington. In one paragraph, Wright mentions a close friend of Bin Laden’s who shared the latter’s ambition to “establish an Islamic state anywhere”.

That friend was Jamal Khashoggi. Both Bin Laden and Khashoggi were at the time active members of the Muslim Brotherhood and later Bin Laden would split from the Brotherhood to form with Abdullah Azzam Al-Qaeda, the most dangerous organization in the world. Khashoggi, Bin Laden, and Azzam were all the merry companions of the same extremist group.

On page 78 of his book, Wright quoted Khashoggi as saying that he and Bin Laden believed that “the first one [Islamic state] would lead to another, and that would have a domino effect which could reverse the history of mankind.” The noun phrase looming tower in the book’s title was taken from Surah An-Nisa in the Holy Quran and clearly refers to the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York.

Due to his intimacy with Bin Laden, Jamal Khashoggi had all the enthusiasms in writing extensively in favour of ‘Saudi Mujahideen’. He was also an active activist in favour of Bin Laden and had offered his services as a media covert-advisor to Al Qaeda.

On May 4, 1988, the Saudi daily Arab News published a report by Jamal Khashoggi about his tour in Afghanistan in the company of Al-Qaeda operatives. Even though Khashoggi was just a journalist doing a report, the photos published with the article show him wearing Afghani garb and shouldering an RBG rocket launcher.

Less known perhaps is that US federal prosecutors had in 2002 indicted Enaam Arnaout, head of an Illinois Islamic charity, who was shown in the same Arab News report walking next to Bin Laden. Arnaout was charged with “conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to launder money and money laundering and wire fraud”.

David Horowitz, a prominent scholar, and writer wrote, “He [Khashoggi] was a Muslim Brotherhood operative, a pro-jihad, pro-Iranian, pro-Erdogan Jew hater. A supporter of Iran. Basically, he died like a warrior on the wrong side of the war on terror”.

A lot of investigative and truth-seeking journalists have investigated the past of Jamal Khashoggi and most of them came up with the conclusion saying Khashoggi was a Muslim Brotherhood member, a jihadist and exposed promoter of Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. But none of them could dig further into the case to know, Jamal Khashoggi was under monthly payroll of the Iranian regime while his fiancé Hatice Cengiz is a deep-cover agent of Turkish spy agency Millî İstihbarat Teşkilatı [National Intelligence Organization].

Crown Prince Salman a victim:

Clearly, Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Mohammad has fallen victim of some unethical journalists and those cohorts or Iran and militancy, simply because of the reason as he has been making relentless efforts in saving the Middle East from the evil paws of Iran and jihadists. He also has been fighting corruption, which for obvious reason must have made a lot of influential and wealthy people unhappy.

Crown Prince Salman has emerged as a very dynamic, pragmatic, bold, courageous and visionary leader not only in Saudi Arabia but in the entire Arab world. To tarnish his great image by attempting to turn him into a controversial figure, sympathisers of Iran and terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, Islamic State, etc., are trying to put the false blame of Khashoggi’s death on him, which not only is sad but also is a naked exposition of unethical journalism.

(The author is the editor of Blitz.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

Letters to the Editors: 23 June, 2019

By

Web Team

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June 23, 2019

India to miss Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan’s world cup dreams end in tears as his injury doesn’t heal on time but cup of joy for Rishabh Pant who replaces the injured Indian opener. Dhawan scored a brilliant ton against Australia which helped India win against the Kangaroos and his services at the top order would be missed. It’s really unfortunate Dhawan had to left out in these circumstances and truly ‘bad luck’ and destiny for Shikhar as world cup is played once in 4 yrs.

Rishabh Pant has been rewarded for his recent form as he seems to be in top gear. Dropped unceremoniously from the team but was destined to be back in the squad though I feel sorry as it is at the expense of Shikhar Dhawan who was stroking the ball well before being injured. Our focus should now shift on our goal of winning the World Cup and hoping Bhuvaneshwar Kumar recovers from his injury and doesn’t need a replacement.

S.N. Kabra

Making Marathi mandatory

By making Marathi mandatory in state schools, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has brought yet another compulsion on non Marathi speaking students just like in Tamil Nadu and other states. At the moment it is only optional in CBSE and ICSE board schools. This is done to give Marathi language a pre-eminent status. Despite this, if there are still some schools which are not teaching Marathi then the government will initiate action against those institutions. This will put a break on learning an additional subject especially a foreign language, which will enhance their wish to pursue higher studies. This is a new development which will pose a problem for growing children learning in state schools. Making Marathi mandatory is one more hurdle for school children.

C.K.S. Mani

Cut off gimmick

Small dip in cut off marks is not going to make much difference. The Education Board is feeling the heat and it is time to revamp its policies regarding them. The education standard has to go up and the children must get quality education for low fees. Who is to bell the cat? The Education Board has to go in for new system and make the students learn the subject without much stress. Sky rocketing cut-offs is a cause of worry for students and more so to the parents. It is just absurd and not in lines with education system with other countries in the world. More so because some of the colleges are accepting nothing less than 100 per cent as cut off marks for college admission. Definitely the marks race go out of hand and remains the cause of worry even for the next generation also.

Anandambal subbu

Strict law necessary to check social media misuse

It refers to balanced Supreme Court verdict ordering release of Delhi-based journalist Prashant Kanojia from jails as Right-To-Liberty, but disapproving his highly objectionable series of tweets in name of Right-To-Freedom of Expression.

It is time that some guidelines may be framed so that defamatory and objectionable postings either on social-media or Whatsapp group may not be possible.

Politicians should avoid opposing those who are not followers of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. There is a sizeable section in society including even in ruling BJP who think freedom of nation did not come from so-thought non-violent move, rather according to them British rulers left India because of tough resistance created by Azad Hind Fauj established by Subhash Chandra Bose. It is time that central government exposes those officially who did not help Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and other pre-independence martyrs in court-cases or otherwise who were hanged to death for their protest against British rulers.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Mid-term polls in Karnataka?

By

Rajesh Choudhary

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June 21, 2019

After grand-son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, his grand-father and Chief of the Janata Dal-Secular HD Deve Gowda has given indications that the Congress-JD (S) Government in Karnataka may collapse anytime as it is on the mercy of the Congress. He said on Friday that mid-term polls for the State Assembly are imminent and he is not sure how long the Congress-JDS coalition government would last. Deve Gowda said, “They [Congress] said they will support us for five years, but their behaviour has not been in line with this promise.” On the other hand, Congress’s state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao said that there is no question of mid-term polls as the government is stable despite efforts of BJP. After Congress’s response on the issue, HD Deve Gowda issued a clarification saying that the mid-term polls are not in his hands. He said, “As long as Congress will be strong, we will be strong.”

Dr. BL Shankar, vice president Karnataka Congress told Afternoon Voice, “Later on, HD Deve Gowda made clarification on this issue. His statement was not related to assembly elections. There is a post-poll coalition in Karnataka. Some misunderstanding will continue and differences will surface from time to time. But the Kumaraswamy government will complete its 5-year term.”

It is worth mentioning that lack of trust between coalition-partners the JD (S) and the Congress, hostile statements by leaders both parties against each other, fear of defection and continuous attempt of the BJP to topple the Kumaraswamy government have always posed a threat to the Karnataka government. CM Kumaraswamy assumed office on May 23, 2018, and he is facing threats of instability since then. His one year in office is full of ups and downs. The debacle in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections has increased the threat of instability as the BJP is in full confidence and some leaders of the Congress and JD (S) are openly saying that the alliance in Karnataka is hurting their parties.

Janata Dal-Secular MLA Devananda Chouhan said, “Nothing will happen and the Kumaraswamy government will continue to work for the next four years. From starting there is strife between both coalition partners. Our National President HD Deve Gowda made a statement regarding ongoing tussle with the Congress.”

In spite of all these, Congress and JD-S leaders are making all efforts to save the government, with even plans of cabinet expansion, fearing the BJP might revive efforts to topple it encouraged by the glorious victory in the Lok Sabha polls in which it won 25 of the 28 seats in the state. The coalition partners have won only one seat each. In order to save the state government, two Independent MLAs were recently inducted into the CM HD Kumaraswamy-led cabinet. They believe that it would strengthen the 13-month-old coalition government.

Karnataka BJP spokesperson Dr. Vaman Acharya said, “There is no need of mid-term polls. Our party BJP has won 106 seats in 224 membered Karnataka Assembly. We are lacking 6-7 seats for the majority. If Janata Dal-Secular is unable to run the government in the state, let them resign. In that condition, a group of MLAs of JD(S) will support us and the BJP will form the government. We are not afraid of elections. At present, the atmosphere is in favour of the BJP.”

The Janata Dal-Secular has been opposing the policies of the Congress since its inception and it is the root cause of its existence in Karnataka. The only thing which binds the Congress and the JD(S) is the opposition of the BJP. Both parties were keen to prevent the BJP from coming to power in the state. Therefore, they formed a post-poll coalition to keep the BJP out of power. But there are a lot of many issues on which both parties have different views. In the 2018 Karnataka state elections, the BJP won 104 seats but the party failed to secure a majority of 113 seats in the assembly. The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has a total of 224 seats. The JD(S) with 38 seats and the Congress with 77 seats came together to form the government.

Prior to HD Deve Gowda, his grand-son Nikhil Kumaraswamy had said his party workers to get ready for mid-term elections. A video related to this controversial statement had gone viral recently.

Just after this, the JD (S) swung into damage-control mode. The CM’s office said that Nikhil’s statement was taken out of context. The statement said, “Nikhil Kumaraswamy cheering up party workers have told them that they should always be ready to serve the society. Not only during elections, but they should also always keep the party in a state of activeness so as to win the election whenever it comes.

Meanwhile, HD Deve Gowda said he told Rahul Gandhi, “From day one I am watching, I am hurt very badly. This is the first time I am telling you. You take a decision. Please request all your Karnataka leaders not to speak in public about the government.” Former prime minister’s reaction came in the backdrop of leaders of the state’s ruling Janata Dal-Secular-Congress coalition repeatedly airing their differences publicly following the alliance’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Recently, after meeting Rahul Gandhi Congress leader Siddaramaiah said that the coalition is not working well and the party would have performed better if it had contested the elections alone. Two Congress legislators were spotted at the home of former Karnataka chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader S.M.Krishna, setting off alarm bells for the H.D.Kumaraswamy-led coalition government.

Though the Congress reassured Kumaraswamy of continued support, leaders from both sides had blamed each other of working against the coalition’s interests that cost them dearly in the Lok Sabha polls, leaving the JD(S) and Congress with just one seat each as against two.

Congress’ Trump Card launched at wrong time?

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 21, 2019

The Congress is on revival mode but most expected trump card of the party miscarried miserably. For many years, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was seen as the trump card in the Indian National Congress’s (INC) pack. So in 2019, when she did decide to enter politics, most people believed that she would provide a much-needed booster that would aid her brother in the elections.

Relying on this belief, INC President Rahul Gandhi deployed her in the most crucial of all states, Uttar Pradesh. She was hailed as a perfect bundling of charm, energy, and strength. At one point, she was even spoken of as a rival to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Varanasi constituency. The recent stern message to party workers by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary and in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, for “letting down the party” in the State has raised eyebrows among political analysts, with one of them quizzical the timing of her outburst. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi represent hope. But in the current scenario, it is clear that the latter is likely to face a couple of defeats before being able to make a mark, not unlike her brother.

In Indian politics, charisma has worked wonders. But on any given day, it is the ground level equations, consolidation of communities matter more. The Congress seems to be lacking on this count. The main risk from Priyanka’s tough-talking was its potential to hurt the morale of party workers at a time when a clutch of by-elections to the Assembly are due. This was a time to energize and console their workers. She should begin by owning up the defeat and assure the workers of a better strategy.

The people of Rae Bareli stood like a rock but certainly, we have evidence that in other large parts of Uttar Pradesh, possibly, things were wanting and in the true spirit of investigation that is being reviewed. With the exception of 2009 when the Congress won 21 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, the party has been on a steady decline in the state over the past eight Lok Sabha elections. And 2019 has seen the worst performance with the party managing to win just Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha seat in Rae Bareli. If Priyanka Gandhi had contested from Phulpur, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru’s seat, or from Allahabad, where the Nehru family has a family connection, the Congress may have fared better in two, three seats. In Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as a politician was a failure. Further, BSP and SP alliance was not of any help to Congress, as the party’s organisational strength is poor. It has been once again proved that there are now fewer and fewer takers for Congress party with its so-called secular agenda and vague economic agenda. I believe if senior Congressmen think that the Congress party has a future as a centrist (to be precise, left of the centre) political party, they cannot depend on Gandhi family as it no longer attracts voters. More importantly, they should reconsider the Congress party’s so-called secular agenda which depends too much on minority voters for its survival- this I suppose is an important lesson of the 2019 LS election results. Would today’s Congress leadership be able to make a break from the past and grow?

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s entry into active politics as the general secretary of AICC barely three months before the Lok Sabha elections has failed to woo voters in Uttar Pradesh. It was an uphill task ahead for Priyanka to bring back the party’s lost glory in the state in its triangular battle with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and newly formed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP)-led Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan. While some called it a masterstroke move, many perceived it as a hurried decision by the Congress. Priyanka did 38 rallies during her campaigning out of which 26 were concentrated in UP. She also campaigned for Congress candidates in MP, Delhi, Jharkhand, and Haryana. In 97 per cent of the constituencies where she campaigned, the Congress faced a defeat. UP has always been a centerpiece of Indian politics as it is the biggest state in terms of its representation in the Lok Sabha with 80 seats out of total 543.

The eastern UP which has 41 Lok Sabha constituencies included various key constituencies like Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seat Varanasi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s Gorakhpur along with Rahul’s family’s bastions Amethi and Rae Bareli. The BJP-led NDA government got a massive mandate, winning 353 seats to regain power, while the Congress-led UPA managed to get only 90 seats in the Lok Sabha. In Uttar Pradesh, the performance of the UPA was even more dismal as it managed to win only one seat. It was the biggest blow for Rahul Gandhi who lost election from his family bastion Amethi to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in a see-saw battle by a thin margin of around 44,000 votes. However, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi managed to retain the Congress party’s another bastion Rae Bareli.

The NDA won 59 seats while SP-BSP Mahagathbandhan managed to win 15 seats. The UPA got a vote share of 8 per cent. The Congress had contested 67 seats in UP, while its allies contested four seats in the state. According to the India Today-Axis My Nation exit poll, the UPA failed to woo voters across demographics. While the Muslims and Yadavs favoured the Mahagathbandhan, the BJP-led NDA managed to get Jat votes along with the majority, while Hindu upper caste also voted on bloc for the party. There will be elections again, this time the Congress needs to work hard.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

India celebrates International Day of Yoga

By

Web Team

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June 21, 2019

Army Dog Unit practices Yoga for #YogaDay2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi practising #Yoga in a Mass Yoga Demonstration, on the occasion of 5th #InternationalDayofYoga 2019, at #Ranchi, Jharkhand

3 1 — Thousands of Yoga practitioners, from all walks of life enriched the Yoga Day celebrations with their presence at Ranchi

4 1 — Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis participated in International Day of Yoga celebrations with Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev at Nanded

5 1 — A mass Yoga demonstration has been held by Nagpur Municipal Corporation at Nagpur’s Yashwant Stadium

6 1 — Union Minister Nitin Gadkari joined the citizenry in the Yoga session in Nagpur

7 1 — ITBP personnel perform Yoga at an altitude of 18,000 feet in northern Ladakh in minus 20 Degrees Celsius temperature

Yoga being performed on-board INS Viraat (Decommissioned) at Western Naval Dockyard in Mumbai

Thousands of Yoga practitioners, from all walks of life enriched the Yoga Day celebrations with their presence at Ranchi

From Marks to No marks

By

Meena Mishra

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June 21, 2019

studies board — Image Courtesy: mapsofindia.com

With most of the boards declaring the results for grade 10^th and 12^thexams, the parents, teachers, and counselors have been struggling to calm down the anxious teenagers. According to the mental health study, there is an increase in the stress level among students by 20 per cent.

We need to look at this problem from three perspectives. What is the reason for this menace? How does it affect our children? And what can we do to protect our children from this situation?

Reasons are many such as excessive workload, poor time-management, poor stress-management, lack of proper planning, peer-pressure, impractical goals set for themselves, cut- throat competition but the major reason is obviously over-expectation of the parents from their wards in terms of academic excellence. ‘Marks, more marks, better scores are the clichéd words used by parents that most of the children grow up hearing. Poor academic performance doesn’t imply that a child would never taste success in his life. There are innumerous examples of people across the world who couldn’t fare well in school and college exams, but turned out to be very successful as professionals.

Identifying that your child is stressed out due to your demands or expectations is the first step towards helping your children.
Trying to figure out the reasons for it would serve as the second step.
Changing your attitude from ‘marks to no marks’ would be the third step.
Supporting your child emotionally and practically would actually solve the problem.

As parents and teachers, we want our kids to lead a happy life. That is our ultimate goal but excessive stress causes anxiety in the students that finally results in physical, mental, and emotional health issues.

Is this what we want for our kids?

If not, change your mindset before it’s too late to reach out to them.

Shift your thought process from ‘MARKS to NO Marks’. It doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t score well. It simply means that neither should a child be forced to perform against his capability nor should he be reprimanded for his poor academic performance if he has put in efforts. Students can just put in efforts. They can’t control the results.

Being sensitive towards them would help us build a happy society with happy families.

By Meena Mishra

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)

‘The Lion King’ ropes in powerhouse actors to voice for the magnum opus

By

Web Team

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June 21, 2019

After having conquered hearts with ‘The Jungle Book’ in 2016, Disney is all set to present its legendary franchise and crown jewel — ‘The Lion King’ — with ground-breaking technology that re-imagines the greatest story ever told.

Etched forever in pop culture, the animated version was known for its strong and emotional storytelling and memorable characters that won hearts of fans everywhere. With the father-son duo of Mufasa and Simba getting us emotional each time, who can forget the perfect comic timing of Timon and Pumbaa, the reluctant but witty bird Zazu and the menacingly evil villain Scar, rounding up the stellar cast!

While it has been recently announced that actor Shah Rukh Khan and son Aryan will be voicing Mufasa and Simba in the Hindi version, now the studio has orchestrated a befitting casting for the rest of the characters as well! Bollywood’s menacing villain Ashish Vidyarthi will give us the chills as Scar. India’s biggest comic talent Shreyas Talpade, Sanjay Mishra and veteran Asrani will be lending their trademark wit and humor as Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu respectively.

“The Lion King is a classic that epitomizes Disney’s prowess of bringing heart-warming stories that are timeless and transcend generations. A quintessential story of a father and his son and their heart-warming relationship; it’s a tale of a pride of lions that will connect with audiences emotionally. The movie is a pioneering blend of live-action filmmaking techniques and state-of-the-art virtual reality technology never seen before on celluloid,” said Bikram Duggal, Head of Studio Entertainment, Disney India.

Directed by ‘Iron Man’ and ‘The Jungle Book’ fame director Jon Favreau, Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ is one of the most-anticipated films of recent times. Etched forever as a pop culture classic, the animated version is known for its strong and emotional storytelling and memorable characters. Now, the heroic coming-of-age journey will make it to the large canvas with a pioneering and game changing photo-real technology, using cutting-edge tools to make the musical drama come alive on the big screen.

Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ releases on July 19, 2019, in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

‘The Lion King’ journeys to the African savanna where a future King is born. Simba idolises his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. However, not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother and former heir to the throne has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile.

With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his. The all-star cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon.

Government tables Triple Talaq Bill in Parliament

By

Web Team

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June 21, 2019

A fresh bill to ban Triple Talaq was tabled in parliament. Congress and other opposition parties have opposed the bill. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill) 2019 was listed in Lok Sabha’s agenda on Friday. Speaker Om Birla called for a voice vote and ruled that Bill could be introduced in Lok Sabha. The Bill was finally presented in the lower house with 186 votes in favour and 78 against introduction of legislation.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stated, “We are legislators and it is our duty to frame laws. It’s the court’s duty to interpret the law. Parliament should not be converted into court. “

Earlier All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi stated,”This bill is against the interest of women. If BJP is working for the welfare of women then why they are against them in Sabarimala? What type of agenda are you following? This bill is against the constitution.”

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stated that this bill won’t change women’s lives. JD (U) secretary general and spokesperson KC Tyagi said, “The NDA didn’t have any discussion pertaining to triple talaq. Since it is a sensitive issue the government should arrive at a consensus with all parties. The JD (U) opposes the bill in its current form.”

Mumbaikars observe International Yoga Day

By

Web Team

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June 21, 2019

India and foreign countries are celebrating International Yoga Day today. On this occasion, the common man, politicians and celebrities in Maharashtra performed yoga exercise. While some people did yoga in local trains some others performed yoga in swimming pools.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis participated in an event guided by Baba Ramdev in Nanded and Governor Ch Vidyasagar performed yoga at Raj Bhavan. Even Bollywood observed Yoga Day. Actor Shilpa Shetty and Malaika Arora posted photographs of them performing yoga and appealed to citizens to perform yoga.

Shilpa had earlier stated, “Yoga has changed my life. My relation with yoga is on a whole different level. It’s very spiritual.” Mumbaikars gathered in large numbers at Marine Drive to perform yoga asanas. More than three lakh people have supported “Yoga by the bay Campaign” for years.