Hours after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that he was stopped at Lucknow airport on Tuesday while on his way to Allahabad, BSP supremo Mayawati said that it was extremely condemnable and asked whether the ruling BJP was afraid of their alliance because of which it is “resorting to anti-democratic methods”.
Mayawati described the episode as “an example of total dictatorship of BJP government”.
“This is very unfortunate and this undemocratic step will be fought at all levels,” she said.
“Is the BJP government at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh so afraid of BSP-SP alliance that it is resorting to anti-democratic methods to curb our political activities,” she asked.
The SP and the BSP recently forged an alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Akhilesh claimed he was stopped at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in a bid to prevent him from visiting Allahabad to attend an oath-taking ceremony at Allahabad University.
“The government is afraid of oath ceremony of a student leader and is stopping me at the airport to prevent me from visiting Allahabad,” Yadav claimed.
He also posted photographs on his official Twitter handle in which he was seen talking to police officers inside the airport.
Three major problems in server and internet-working of Corporation Bank are causing big problems to customers.
Internet-banking not working properly. While old passwords are not opening, any effort for change in old passwords to overcome the problem is not being possible.
In CorpClassic Savings Accounts, the option to change for “Maximum interest-rate for Minimum period” is not possible due to server-problem at the Bank
Provision for interest-levy in PPF accounts is not there. No interest was credited even for the accounting year 2017-18. PPF interest for the year 2017-18 should be now added further ensuring auto-credit of PPF interest as per rules every year
Cover-page of PPF pass-books does not print complete entries.
All types of forms should be available on the bank-website with provision to fill these on the computer itself for neatly typed forms to be submitted to the Bank like is provision for passport application forms.
Corporation Bank should immediately resolve all these problems.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
Auto-update tariff-plans
There is a frequent downward revision in post-paid tariff-plans of mobile service-providers due to stiff competition by new-comer JIO. In recent past ever since JIO has entered as mobile service-provider, heavy reduction in post-paid tariff-plans by other mobile service-provider is quite common. But these mobile service-providers are looting unaware customers who by and large are unaware of such revised lower tariff-plans.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI should ensure that mobile service-providers may auto-revise post-paid tariff-plans in case of introduction of newly reduced tariff-plans. Also, it may be compulsory to inform post-paid customers by a separate registered post about revised tariff-plans. Such communication must not be sent as an enclosure to bills, because it is usual that customers do not care to read enclosures sent with the bills. Mobile service-providers should be directed to give newspaper-advertisements in largest circulated dailies about downward revision of post-paid tariffs.
Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Priyanka Gandhi, a scion of India’s most famous political dynasty, has formally entered politics ahead of a looming national election, joining the opposition campaign in a crucial state where the party her family founded hopes to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Her appointment has come at a time when the party has only seven seats in the UP Assembly and holds only two Lok Sabha seats of family boroughs in Amethi and Rae Bareilly. The general impression is that Priyanka is more articulating, forceful, and more charismatic than his brother Rahul.
One agrees that she is a popular figure in Indian politics, drawing crowds wherever she goes. She brings 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. She appears to be a smarter politician than Rahul and is a better speaker, especially in Hindi, more rooted, more natural. She reminds people of late PM Indira Gandhi. She also appears to be more aggressive, more political. Her persona and demeanor are near identical to her grandmother who is still very much alive in the collective public memory as a popular Prime Minister. She is considered as a potential inheritor of the Gandhi family.
In one of her interview to BBC, she strongly said that “I am very clear in my mind. Politics is not a strong pull, the people are. And I can do things for them without being in politics. I have said it a thousand times; I am not interested in joining politics”. In the Indian general election for the year 2004, she was her mother’s main campaign manager and helped her brother Rahul in his campaign. In a press meeting during these elections, she said, “Politics is all about serving the people and I am already doing that. I may continue doing only that for five years more”.
She, however, makes frequent visits to her mother’s and brother’s constituency of Rae Bareilly and Amethi where she deals with the people directly which she appears to enjoy. She is reputed as a good organiser, level headed and is believed to be her mother’s chief advisor on political matters.
If Priyanka becomes a public face of the Congress party, she will overshadow her brother very quickly. The analysts feel giving Ms. Gandhi a bigger role will help the party in the general elections. There is a feeling that Rahul Gandhi has not evoked as much response as was expected. Sonia Gandhi’s poor health has also forced Priyanka to give more backing to Rahul.
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. One thing is also clear that she has no baggage of failures or controversies. It is also observed that such personalities sometimes increase the vote share by 5 to 7 per cent. Narendra Modi always increases such vote share when he personally does hectic election campaigns. Thus, increasing 7 per cent vote means around 14 to 15 per cent of votes of the Congress may not increase their seats beyond 5-6. Neither is Priyanka Gandhi’s appointment as General Secretary a clear win for the party, which has been dominated by her family for decades. It’s just an acknowledgment that Congress President Rahul Gandhi can’t face down Modi alone and opens the party to new avenues of criticism over its reliance on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Her debut in politics is viewed by some as a “trump card” that could help the Congress party as it tries to oust Modi’s BJP from power but she has had limited involvement in earlier elections, managing the constituencies of her brother Rahul and mother Sonia Gandhi. There is no one in the opposition who can match the charisma of Modiji. The BJP is not at all worried.
In an apparent reference to Priyanka Gandhi, PM Modi has rightly said that in the BJP, decisions are not taken on the wishes of a person or family. “In our party, decisions are taken on the basis of what party workers want.” Sambit Patra, the BJP spokesperson also rightly commented that “Congress is resorting to ‘family alliance’ as it’s initially proposed grand alliance failed to bear fruit.”Modi also said that the BJP is driven by democratic principles. “Democracy runs in the veins of BJP that is why people of the country feel closer to the party.”
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Katy Perry’s fashion line was criticised on social media for at least two shoe designs for being racist.
Katy Perry Collections became a target of online trolling after the new kicks resembled “blackface” imagery.
People compared the shoes, which also come in beige, to “blackface makeup”.
According to an online portal, the shoes in question were black “Rue Face Slip On Loafers” and “Ora Face Block Heel Sandals” that have cut-out faces red lips, big blue eyes and a triangular nose on the top.
One of the users commented, saying “ignorance is never a fashion statement”, while another said “Those Katy Perry blackface shoes are racist.”
In response to the backlash, which emerged Monday, online retailers including Dillards and Wallmart have reportedly pulled the shoe styles from their stores.
Katy Perry and Global Brands Group issued a statement, saying the “intention was never to inflict any pain” and they have removed the said designs from the collection.
“The Rue and The Ora were part of a collection that was released last summer in 9 different colorways (black, blue, gold, graphite, lead, nude, pink, red, silver) and envisioned as a nod to modern art and surrealism.
“I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface. Our intention was never to inflict any pain. We have immediately removed them from Katy Perry Collections,” the statement read.
Perry’s fashion line is the latest fashion brand to face a blackface-linked backlash.
Last week, Gucci apologised for releasing a sweater with a balaclava-like headpiece that was also seen as evoking blackface.
Other brands including Prada, Adidas and Dolce & Gabbana have been hit with racist accusations in the past.
Shraddha Kapoor is coming back to the “Baaghi” franchise.
The actor has been cast as the female lead opposite Tiger Shroff in the series’ third film.
The film marks the actor’s return who starred in the first installment “Baaghi” in 2016.
Shraddha said she is looking forward to the film.
“I’m super excited to be back with the ‘Baaghi’ family. I had such a memorable time being a part of ‘Baaghi’ and this is my third film with Sajid sir, second with Tiger and first with Ahmed sir. The script is amazing and I’m excited to be a part of this movie,” she said in a statement.
Choreographer-filmmaker Ahmed Khan, who helmed “Baaghi 2”, will return to the director’s chair for the threequel.
The sequel to the 2018 film, which starred Disha Patani opposite Tiger, is co-produced by Fox Star Studios and Sajid Nadiadwala, under the banner Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.
“The entire team of ‘Baaghi’ is very happy to have Shraddha Kapoor back. Tiger and Shraddha’s pair was extremely loved in ‘Baaghi’ and I am sure that fans of the franchise will be as excited as we are to have them together,” Sajid said.
Shraddha also stars in Nitesh Tiwari’s directorial “Chhichhore”, also produced by Sajid. The shooting is underway. She is currently filming “Street Dancer”, also featuring Varun Dhawan.
“Baaghi 3” is scheduled to release on March 6, 2020.
A series of political films backed by the political parties that the Indian audiences have come across post-2014 polls propagated respective ideologies in some or the other way. The ruling party is hell-bent on making films by their devoted directors. Be it Indu Sarkar, Budhha in a Traffic Jam, or recently released The Accidental Prime Minister — the BJP has left no stones unturned to show how critical situation and crisis India was in under the leadership of the Gandhi family. However, it seems interesting to note that, the irony lies in whether the political parties want the 2019 mandate to be based on movies or on choosing the right leaders? Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan has expressed that, “I have not watched any political ideology backed movies and neither had I wanted to watch the biopic on Narendra Modi or My Name is RaGa. These movies are bad. Their sole purpose is propaganda. The movie ‘URI’ is also the same; moreover, there’s no evidence that the 2016 surgical strike took place. Bollywood is being paid by the ruling party to make these types of movies and they are the ‘chamchas’ of the ruling party.”
He added, “Congress is out of power and has no money while BJP has and it is spreading the fake news and making movies as their propaganda. Common men are not fools and that’s why they are avoiding such movies. The ruling party cannot fool the public all the time. Jumlas of BJP are not going to work this time.”
The Indian audience rejected all these political movies at the box office. Now, after using all the weapons, the BJP again announced a film on Modi starring Vivek Oberoi. However, after all these three films promoted by the BJP, Congress too have come forward to use the same weapon in their favour and announced to make a film on Rahul Gandhi. Actor Mohan Joshi expressed, “There is no need for such Biopics. People don’t like such films as they are only made with the political purpose. The reason such films are being made is that the elections are coming up.”
The Narendra Modi-led BJP has sought to rekindle its narrative of Manmohan Singh as a weak and remote controlled Prime Minister by promoting the recently released ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’. After the BJP promoted the film on its Twitter handle, it also triggered a debate. BJP official Twitter handle updated, “Riveting tale of how a family held the nation to ransom for ten long years. Was Dr. Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM’s chair till the time heir was ready?” However, Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refused to comment on the film that set up a huge political row between the Congress and the BJP.
The film begins with Sonia Gandhi appointing Singh as the Prime Minister after the 2004 elections. However, the focus was the power dynamics between Gandhi and Singh, with the present Congress President Rahul Gandhi presented as the successor in waiting. However, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar, released in 2014, was based on the 21-months Emergency between 1975-1977 imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, has faced opposition from the Congress, which demanded the film to be screened to them before it was sent to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Actor Nagma and All India Woman Congress General Secretary stated, “People watch political movies out of curiosity. Such movies are made on fictional characters. Political movies like Indu Sarkar are full of wrong details of a political scenario. These movies are made with a purpose but don’t work at the box office and may not benefit any political party.”
Actor Vikram Gokhale asserted, “We are in a democratic country and making political films is not a crime. Everyone has the right to express ideas in the form of art or whatsoever. However, we should not be confused that these films will make an impact on the public. Our people are not that educated but they do what they feel during elections. They also hear speech during campaigns only for pure entertainment.”
The film, titled ‘My Name Is RaGa’ is now being made with a focus on the life of Rahul Gandhi and is expected to release in April in the midst of general elections. As per reports, the film is not a biopic but it aims to feature the coming back of a human being who had been ridiculously attacked. The announcement of this film comes amid the much controversy surrounding the Anupam Kher starrer “The Accidental Prime Minister”. Apart from using the entertainment media to bash the Opposition, the BJP also tried to use it well for their own promotion and the recently released “Uri: The Surgical Strike” or “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha” highlighting Swachh Bharat mission are the fine examples.
Nisha Parulekar, Actor and Maharashtra BJP Chitrapath Kamgar Agadi Vice President said, “Biopics of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar have been made but this does not change the mindset of people. The movies are a medium to reach people while it never assures mandate. BJP funding political movies is a rumour. Social media is very powerful today and we get the report of the political parties’ work immediately. So, people won’t waste their time watching biopics.”
When everyone is trying to please this or that political party, how Bollywood can resist its temptation; most of the Bollywood actors have lauded Modi for his leadership. They have praised every initiative taken by him and Bollywood has majorly lent its support to the government. Frankly speaking, a very few in Bollywood are capable of thinking. The few who can rationally think are mostly left-leaning theatre people who very obviously can’t digest the fact that Modi is at the helms of the affair. Rest is so lost in the box office ratings that for them, the world outside the studio and their apartments don’t exist. May it be Aamir Khan or Salman Khan, they can play roles and deliver dialogues but can’t think beyond their movie characters (remember that rape analogy by Salman for extreme hard work or leaving India comment by Aamir on intolerance). There are people like Shabana Azami and Anurag Kashyap who are extremely anti-Modi and then there are Anupam Kher and Paresh Rawal who are hardcore Modi supporters but most of the Bollywood guys won’t openly take sides for the fear of public outrage.
Bollywood actors and personalities have a lot at stake when their movies are released and one wrong statement or scene or dialogue in the movie can cause the difference between hit and flop. Well! These days, the directors are not only rendering their support to the politicians by voicing opinion but some have randomly become the slaves of today’s politics; to appease the ruling government, there were many movies made attacking the previous Congress government and its leaders, such as Indu Sarkar is a 2017 Indian period political film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar who is a staunch Modi supporter. The film is set in the period of the emergency in India, i.e. the 21-month-long period from 1975 to 1977 when there was a state of emergency across the country. The film was released on July 28, 2017, with a few cuts. In that film, the director and the actors have tried to show the atrocities done by then PM Indira during an emergency. However, the Indian population is smarter than the politicians and filmmakers, there were no buyers for the film and it got miserably flopped.
The Accidental Prime Minister is another disaster, a biographical film directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Sanjaya Baru. It stars Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Then there were movies like “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha” to promote Modi’s Swachh Bharat mission, then “Uri: The Surgical Strike” to convince people that the surgical strike was real; in spite of all these movies, the BJP recently lost in four Hindu heartland states.
Modi failed on most of the election promises he made — Lokpal, corruption, black money, GDP, good governance, price rise, petrol, jobs — during 2014. So now, all drill is about the PR. In this saga, the poster of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi biopic was released recently, days after it was announced that Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi would be essaying the role of PM Modi in the movie. The poster features Vivek Oberoi with prosthetics, makeup, grey hair, and beard wearing a Kurta. The background has National Flag against the backdrop of sunrise. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled the poster.
Vivek Oberoi, one jobless Bollywood actor who has no future here, is trying to get in the good books of the BJP; after this movie, he might not have much to do in films but he can opt for a potential career with the BJP. Only time will decide if this movie can generate some fan following for Modi or not, but this movie can definitely fetch the future for jobless, faded actor Vivek Oberoi.
When the BJP supporters came up with multiple movies, the Congress supporters too got in competition by launching teaser of the movie “My Name is RaGa”. It’s the story of a person who had been ridiculously attacked. Anyone who has fearlessly confronted defeat and failure can relate to this story. In that sense, it is the story of an individual who becomes unstoppable after a victory over a catastrophic life. The announcement of a film on Rahul Gandhi is the latest in the season of political biopics. In January, the first poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biopic was released. In another biopic, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui starred as Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in the Abhijit Panse-directed Thackeray. The film released and got out of the theatre on a silent note, finally, Shiv Sena leaders had to book the theatres by landing up showing movie in their constituencies for free. Be it films attacking Congress or the biopics of Modi, RaGa, or Thackeray, they failed and will fail in fetching audiences. Most importantly, they cannot turn audiences into the voters.
Bollywood is a big industry; it comprises people from all walks of life, assuming the whole of it hates BJP and Modi would be a wrong premise to begin with, given many “actors turned politician” chose the BJP to start their political career. Some of them even held ministerial positions. Politics and Cinema, in the Indian context, have had intrinsic relations.
In 1927, the Indian Cinematograph Committee sent a questionnaire to Mahatma Gandhi. A Bombay daily sought Gandhi’s message on the occasion of the 25th year of Indian Cinema. Mahadev Desai, Gandhi’s secretary, responded that Gandhi had the least interest in cinema and a word of appreciation should not be expected. Gandhi’s impact is evident in the work of many, from Dadasaheb Phalke to Aamir Khan. The films of V Shantaram, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, and more recently, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, among others, dealt with the core themes of Gandhian ideology — non-violence, love, and sacrifice, Hindu-Muslim unity, the rural-urban divide, rejection of crass commercialism, women’s emancipation, and fear of moral decay. It was through their movies that Gandhi emerged as a towering moral force. However, after that, no politician made it to that big because they were not Nehru or Gandhi who had global popularity and recognition. The recent petty politics and movies have met all the lows of publicity by questioning the integrity of Bollywood personalities.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
JD(U) Vice President and poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday denied reports that he may craft an election strategy for Shiv Sena in Maharashtra for upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Kishor’s comments followed his last week’s meeting with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai.
“Shiv Sena is an ally of NDA,” said Kishor. “I was in Mumbai and they called me for lunch. I went to meet them. I am JD(U)’s Vice President, and hence there is no question of devising a strategy for Shiv Sena.”
On Priyanka Gandhi Vadra recently joining the Congress rank as in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, Kishor said he had suggested the same earlier but his advice was not followed by the Congress.
“Now just two months ahead of the elections, she came as party’s general secretary. Let’s see what difference does that make,” he said.
Kishor also reiterated the JD(U) stance that there is no dispute among NDA allies about Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the next Prime Ministerial candidate. “NDA leader is Narendra Modi and he will remain so. Nitish Kumar is indeed a big leader and has its own role to play. But every leader cannot be a stakeholder for the post of Prime Minister.
The Central government under its National Academic Depository initiative has started digital archiving of educational certificates. The Mumbai University has deposited 9 lakhs degree certificates as informed by it under an RTI query to Activist Anil Galgali. By making available degrees from 2014 to 2018 online, it hopes to prevent the use of fraudulent educational certificates.
Galgali had asked in his query that Mumbai University provide details of a number of degrees that have been deposited with the National Academic Depository. Senior systems programmer has informed him that the process was started on February 22, 2018, and in the five year period from 2014 to 2018, a total of 8,99,060 Degrees from the faculties of Arts, Commerce, Science, Management, Technology, and Law have been uploaded on the Central Government’s National Academic Depository. Comparison of the five year period showed that in 2014, 1,93,398 degrees were uploaded whereas in 2018, 1,89,538 degrees were uploaded online. Faculty-wise Commerce Degrees were the largest standing at 3,98,650 followed by arts at 1,50,680. The number for Technology stood at 1,29,603 while that for Science was 1,11,625, Management was 76,851 and that for law stood at 31,652.
The RTI reply also included that no fees are charged for this service and degree and other educational certificates are made available online at the depository.
“This revolutionary initiative of government has resulted in a reduction in the use of fake educational certificates and that the lengthy process of verification after selection will also be consigned to history. On one side, the verification of degree will be now easy for students and on the other, they will have access to copies of their degree and educational certificates online,” Galgali expressed.
As the Gujjar agitation entered its fourth consecutive day on Monday with demands for 5 per cent reservation, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said protesters should shun violence and voice their demands to the Centre.
He also said that the Congress government in the state is ready for a dialogue with the community but the final decision will have to be taken by the central government.
“The government is ready to help them, they need to voice out their demands to the Centre, and it is up to the Centre what decision they take,” said Ashok Gehlot.
“Trains have been cancelled or diverted, who is at loss? It is the country which is at a loss. What is the point in staging a protest? I would like to make an appeal, start a dialogue with the government, I can assure you we will do whatever we can,” said Gehlot.
Due to the ongoing Gujjar stir several trains were cancelled, while several others were diverted or short- terminated.
As per railway authorities, as many as 18 trains were cancelled in Kota division of the Central-West Railway on Sunday. However, between February 11 and 13, the railway authorities have already announced to cancel the movement of 37 trains, scheduled to pass through Kota division, in view of the ongoing quota stir.
Among the trains that were diverted on Monday are Mewar Express from Udaipur City to H Nizamuddin, Golden Temple ML from Amritsar Junction to Mumbai Central, train from Firozpur Cantt to Mumbai Central and others. While among the trains that were cancelled on Monday are Jaipur express from Okha to Jaipur and others.
The protestors blocked the Delhi-Kuchaman highway at Raipur Morh in Sikar district as they staged a sit-in on the road. Similarly, roads were blocked by the protesters in Bundi district also.
“If central government can give 10 percent reservation to poor upper caste in 10 days why can’t Rajasthan government give us 5 percent reservation? Unless it is given we will continue to block the road,” said a protester.
Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, on Monday, said: “We will leave only after getting 5 per cent reservation. It’s my personal request to the government, don’t do anything which can provoke people of Rajasthan, people are waiting for my instructions. Let’s sort it out in a peaceful manner. The earlier the better.”
On Sunday, the protesters turned violent as three police vehicles were torched in Dholpur district and around 10 shots were also fired.
Hours after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that he was stopped at Lucknow airport on Tuesday while on his way to Allahabad, BSP supremo Mayawati said that it was extremely condemnable and asked whether the ruling BJP was afraid of their alliance because of which it is “resorting to anti-democratic methods”.
Server and internet problem at Corporation Bank
A series of political films backed by the political parties that the Indian audiences have come across post-2014 polls propagated respective ideologies in some or the other way. The ruling party is hell-bent on making films by their devoted directors. Be it Indu Sarkar, Budhha in a Traffic Jam, or recently released The Accidental Prime Minister — the BJP has left no stones unturned to show how critical situation and crisis India was in under the leadership of the Gandhi family. However, it seems interesting to note that, the irony lies in whether the political parties want the 2019 mandate to be based on movies or on choosing the right leaders? Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan has expressed that, “I have not watched any political ideology backed movies and neither had I wanted to watch the biopic on Narendra Modi or My Name is RaGa. These movies are bad. Their sole purpose is propaganda. The movie ‘URI’ is also the same; moreover, there’s no evidence that the 2016 surgical strike took place. Bollywood is being paid by the ruling party to make these types of movies and they are the ‘chamchas’ of the ruling party.”
JD(U) Vice President and poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday denied reports that he may craft an election strategy for Shiv Sena in Maharashtra for upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
As the Gujjar agitation entered its fourth consecutive day on Monday with demands for 5 per cent reservation, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said protesters should shun violence and voice their demands to the Centre.