Modi is a good captain like Virat Kohli: Athawale

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January 22, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a good captain and no one can defeat him just as the Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli proved his capability by defeating Australia in the recent test series, Union Minister Ramadas Athawale said on Tuesday.

The opposition’s attempts to defeat Modi would end in failure as people have strong faith in him and his team. None can defeat Narendra Modi because he is a good captain just as we saw Virat Kohli defeating the Australian cricket team, Athawale said.

Scripting history recently, the Indian cricket team won a test series in Australia, defeating their rivals 2-1. They also won the one-day internationals 2-1 and drew the Twenty20 series 1-1.

Taking potshots at the opposition parties’ attempts to form a ‘mahagathbandhan’ to defeat Modi and the NDA, Athawale said that these parties were only trying to spread “false propaganda” against the Prime Minister. People are however convinced that the propaganda has no basis and people will again choose Modi as the next Prime minister in the Lok Sabha elections.

He was speaking after reviewing with officials various schemes implemented in Puducherry for welfare of the scheduled castes and other weaker sections.

Athawale claimed that the opposition parties have been attacking the Prime Minister without any basis because these parties do not want a leader from the Other Backward Class (OBC) to be the country’s Prime Minister.

He also said that the opposition’s false and baseless propaganda was that if Modi became Prime Minister again he would change the Constitution and do away with reservation for the SCs, STs and OBCs. The fact was that Modi was from the OBC community and this was the first time that the country had seen a person from the community becoming the Prime Minister. Modi had also stated that he had become the PM because of the Constitution gifted by Dr Ambedkar.

The NDA government at the Centre had done good work in several sectors ever since it was formed in 2014 for the benefit of the have-nots and the depressed sections. However, people would therefore again choose Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister and asserted that several opposition parties coming under an alliance would not win the Lok Sabha polls. NDA will get a clear majority to form the government again at the Centre.

‘Black Panther’ creates Oscar history, becomes first superhero film to nominate best picture

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January 22, 2019

“Black Panther”, the Marvel blockbuster fronted by virtually an all-black cast, has created history by becoming the first superhero film to get the Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and featuring Chadwick Boseman in the titular role, received total seven nominations for the 91st Academy Awards.

Apart from the Best Picture category, the Marvel project has received nods for original song, original score, sound mixing, sound editing, costume design and production design. In the Best Picture category, the film is pitted against “The Favourite”, “Vice”, “Roma”, “Green Book”, “A Star Is Born”, “BlacKkKlansman” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

“Black Panther”, set in a fictional African country of Wakanda, became a massive hit earning $ 1.3 billion worldwide. The film, featuring Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Forrest Whitaker, Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright among others, received praise from both the critics and the audiences for its authentic portrayal of African culture. The film has had a spectacular awards season, as it received nods at the Critics’ Choice Awards, SAG, BAFTAs and a history-making Golden Globe nomination.

In the past, superhero films have been nominated and have also won a few Academy Awards, but mainly in the technical categories. Last year, James Mangold and Michael Green had a break through as they received the Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for Hugh Jackman’s “Logan”.

Prior to that, Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2009 for his portrayal of one of the most notorious DC villains, the Joker, in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”. Nolan’s film had raked in eight nominations, but could not make it to the Best Picture category.

Maha: Driver killed as truck carrying cylinders catches fire

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January 22, 2019

The driver of a truck carrying hydrogen gas cylinders was on Tuesday charred to death after the vehicle overturned on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway here and caught fire, police said.

The incident happened at around 4pm and the truck was on its way from Bharuch in Gujarat to Taloja, over 100 kilometres from here, Palghar police spokesperson Hemant Kumar Katkar said.

“The truck was on Charoti bridge in Kasa police area of Dahanu when it overturned. Driver Avat Bihari was charred to death after the truck went up in flames,” he said.

Katkar said that traffic on the highway was being re-routed through Vikramgad town, adding that fire brigade personnel were still trying to douse the blaze.

Maha ATS picks up, questions 9 men from Thane, Aurangabad

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January 22, 2019

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad Tuesday picked up nine men for questioning from Mumbra in neighbouring Thane district and Aurangabad, over 340 kilometres from here, a senior official said.

Acting on a specific tip-off, the agency carried out an operation in both districts and picked up the men, the official added.

“They were on the ATS radar for a few days for their activities. Questioning is underway,” he said, refusing to divulge more details on the operation.

Poll rigging claim: Maha BJP minister seeks inquiry against cyber

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January 22, 2019

Maharashtra Finance Minister and BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Tuesday demanded an inquiry against self-proclaimed cyber expert Syed Shuja over his claims that 2014 general elections were “rigged” through the electronic voting machines (EVMs), which, he said can be hacked.

The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) which had won the last Lok Sabha polls by landslide, has alleged that the Congress had organised the EVM hackathon in London in which Shuja, seeking political asylum in the US, made these claims on Monday.

Speaking to reporters after attending Cabinet meeting here, Mungantiwar questionned the timing of Shuja’s claims.

“If there was truth in what Shuja was saying, why did he keep silent all these years? What did he fear and why is he saying all this now? Does he have evidence to back his claims? There should be an enquiry against this person. He should be caught and a thorough enquiry should be conducted into why did he keep silent till now?” the minister asked.

Mungantiwar questionned the locus of Shuja in making these “baseless” allegations sans evidence.

“I have spoken to chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis) on this. What proofs does he have? Are such claims made in press conferences? If there is any information, it should be provided in a police station or court,” the BJP leader said.

Mungantiwar said that an individual holding a press conference for creating a sensation in a bid to defame a political party or an individual, is a serious issue.

“The (Union) government will take this issue very seriously,” he said.

Shuja had also also said that he fled India in 2014 because he felt threatened in the country after the “killing” of some of his team members.

However, he provided no proof to back up his claim.

In New Delhi, the Election Commission had asserted that it firmly stands by the ‘foolproof nature’ of its machines even as it said it is examining as to what legal action “can and should” be taken in the matter.

East Vidarbha may get very heavy rains, govt issues advisory

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January 22, 2019

East Vidarbha is likely to experience very heavy rainfall this week and farmers in the region should ensure safety of their crop, a statement issued on Tuesday by the Maharashtra government said.

According to the official release, Vidarbha, especially its eastern parts, is expected to witness very heavy rainfall between January 24 and 26.

Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Gondia, Bhandara, Nagpur, Amravati, Yavatmal and Wardha districts are expected to witness thunderstorms accompanied by very heavy rains.

“Farmers are advised to plan accordingly and ensure that their crop is safe. If the crop has been brought to the market committees, ensure its proper protection,” the statement added.

Hailstorm cannot be ruled out in these areas and the minimum temperature is expected to remain below average till January 29, it said.

Weather in Marathwada is also expected to be cloudy and Nanded district is expected to witness light rains, the statement added.

By delaying new court building plot, state denying litigants’ justice: Bombay HC

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January 22, 2019

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said that the state government was “essentially denying justice to litigants” by delaying a decision on allocation of a new building for the high court.

This, the court said, was forcing litigants and judicial staff to continue work from the current 138-year-old building which has inadequate space.

A bench of justices AS Oka and MS Sonak directed the Maharashtra government to take a decision within the next six months on allocating space for a new, spacious high court building with all requisite infrastructure.

The court gave the above direction in its verdict on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Ahmad Abdi that highlighted the need to shift the court premises to a new, more spacious building.

The bench noted that the current building was meant to house just around six to seven courts.

However, the Bombay High Court has a sanctioned strength of 94 judges and, at any given time, there are around 35 to 50 judges serving in court.

The current building doesn’t have adequate space for as many court rooms, chambers for the judges and lawyers, as well as for thousands of litigants who come each day.

It said the state had not disputed the fact that the current building was inadequate to accommodate the above.

“Even the state is not disputing the fact that there is a need for more space. By continuing the functioning of the high court from the current building, the state government is effectively denying access to justice to litigants,” the bench said.

It then directed the state to take a final decision on the allotment of new land, and construction of the new building and requisite amenities.

The state has proposed allocation of around six hectares of land in Bandra East for the new building.

The bench, however, directed the state to consider allocating an additional 11.68 hectares.

Ultras kill 3 villagers in Maha to avenge 2018 operation

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January 22, 2019

Suspected Maoists shot dead three villagers on Tuesday in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on suspicion that their tip-off to police led to killing of 40 ultras in a massive operation in the region last year, a police official said.

A group of around 150 armed naxals from Chhattisgarh entered Kasnasur village near Kosfundi phata in Bhamragad taluka, around 950 kms from here in the wee hours, and went to the houses of Malu Madavi, Kanna Madavi and Lalsu Kudyeti, a police official said.

The ultras dragged them outside their houses and shot them dead, he said.

The official said that the Maoists suspected that the trio had tipped the police about their presence in forests which resulted into the Kasnur-Tumirgunda operation in this east Maharashtra district in April last year.

While leaving the village, Maoists put up a banner stating that they were avenging the April 2018 deaths of their comrades, he said.

Police forces have been rushed to Bhamragad, which is located on borders of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, he said, adding that further investigation is underway.

The official said that Tuesday’s incident was the first attack on villagers in Gadchiroli district after Maoist Nambala Keshav Tao alias Basavraju took over from Ganapathy, a top leader of the naxal movement.

Anurag Basu’s next a dark comic anthology, to release on Sept 6

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January 22, 2019

Anurag Basu is working on a multistarrer dark comic anthology and the film will hit the screens on September 6.

The currently untitled movie centres on unavoidable jeopardies of life and has four different stories set in a quintessential Indian metro.

Akin to Basu’s hit 2007 directorial “Life In A… Metro”, the slice-of-life film will have intersecting stories at its core.

The film will be produced by Bhushan Kumar of T-Series.

“It is my pleasure to be working with Bhushan Kumar for my next that is a dark comic anthology. It’s our first collaboration but doesn’t seems like one.

“I am extremely happy to have found this talented new generation cast, though I will trust my old friend Pritam for music as always,” Basu said in a statement.

According to the makers, Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanya Malhotra and Pankaj Tripathi have already been signed on for the project.

The director already shot major sequences with Bachchan in Mumbai and Kolkata last year, the release stated.

Basu was shooting with Rao and Shaikh in Bhopal recently.

Details about the actors’ roles are still under wraps. More names are set to be part of the ensemble cast.

Kumar said he is looking forward to his first collaboration with the director.

“The characters, the story is so compelling yet the treatment is so amusing. We have tried to bring on board a terrific cast who perfectly fit the roles that are written.

“The way the script and shooting is in process, Anurag and I are already planning on doing another project. I am keen on doing more films with Anurag and his team,” the producer said.

Besides Kumar, Basu, Tani Somarita Basu and Krishan Kumar are also attached as co-producers.

The film is set for a box office clash with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Akshay Kumar-starrer “Good News”.

Paes-Stosur crash out of Australian Open

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January 22, 2019

Veteran Leander Paes and his partner Samantha Stosur suffered a second round defeat in the mixed doubles event, ending India’s campaign at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

The unseeded pair of Paes and Stosur won the first set 6-4 against Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Robert Farah but conceded the second set with the same scoreline.

The third set went into tiebreak with the fifth seed German-Colombian duo emerging victorious 10-8.

Paes and Stosur had beaten the pair Dutch-Czech pairing of Wesley Koolhof Kveta Peschke in the round of 32.

The 45-year-old Paes had made a first round exit in the men’s doubles event with partner Mexican Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela.

Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and his partner Nicholas Monroe were also knocked out in the opening round of the event.

In the men’s singles, Prajnesh Gunneswaran had also made a first round exit after coming through the Qualifiers while Ramkumar Ramanathan, Ankita Raina and Karman Thandi could not make it to the singles main draw.