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Student alleges Education Minister Tawde ordered his ‘arrest’; Minister denies

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An undergraduate student in Maharashtra’s Amravati district has alleged that state Education Minister Vinod Tawde ordered his arrest when he was recording a conversation between him and a fellow student where as the charge was denied by the minister.

The student, Yuvraj Dabad, also claimed that following the alleged order, the local police detained him for a couple of hours, seized his smartphone and returned it after the video-recording was deleted from it.

Tawde, however, refuted the allegation, saying that he did not order the student’s arrest and the”lies” were being spread against him.

A top police official in Amravati said that the student was neither arrested nor detained, and nothing was deleted from his mobile phone.

The alleged incident took place on Friday after Tawde inaugurated an elocution competition at a college in Amravati, located around 680 km from Mumbai.

The minister was leaving after his speech at the event when some students from journalism course reached out to him near his vehicle, seeking his response on a free-education policy.

Prashant Rathod, a student of the college, said, “I was told by Education Minister Vinod Tawde to start working somewhere if I could not afford the educational expenses. My question to him was whether the state could have a free-education policy.”

Dabad was video-recording the interaction, when the minister “first asked him to stop the recording and later ordered the police to arrest him”, Rathod claimed while talking to reporters in Amravati on Saturday.

Dabad said he declined the minister’s order to stop the recording because “he (Tawde) was not answering our queries”.

“We were simply asking questions to him and seeking his views,” he told reporters.

“As Tawde ordered the police to arrest me, I was taken out of the college premises and detained for some time in the police vehicle. My handset was returned later in the evening. All the videos and recordings into my phone were deleted by the police without my permission,” Dabad said.

Tawde later termed the allegations “false”.

“It is some sort of a lie that as saying: is being spread against me. I did not order the arrest of any student in Amravati,” he told PTI on Sunday.

The minister said he had a “good interaction” with students at the college for almost two-and-a-half hours.

“The students, who have levelled charges against me, met me outside the hall and tried to ask some questions to me. They are the ones who are spreading lies about me.

“Some of those students also came with pamphlets with ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ written on those and distributed them among the other students. They were the ones who alleged that I ordered the arrest. It is completely false,” he said.

When contacted, Amravati Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Baviskar said neither any student was arrested or detained nor anything was deleted from anyone’s mobile phone.

“In the midst of chaos in the college, the concerned student was taken outside the college, that’s it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dabad said that he has submitted a letter to the police commissionerate in Amravati and the district collectorate on Saturday against Tawde and police officials concerned for allegedly detaining him without the permission of his college authorities and deleting data from his mobile phone.

Cinema should be democratic: Aahana Kumra

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aahanaAahana Kumra, who will be seen in “The Accidental Prime Minister”, says that cinema should be democratic and the film deserves a fair chance to be shown to people.

The film is based on the book of the same name written by Sanjaya Baru, who served as a media advisor for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In the film, Anupam Kher plays the title role and Akshaye Khanna is seen as Baru.

While the trailer of the film irked many Congress leaders who called it a “propaganda”, Aahana, says that the film is not taking any sides.

“It is a powerfully cut trailer. I am a non-political person. I don’t support anyone. Every film has its own point of view. Cinema should be democratic and I have maintained that in my work.

“Anything that you watch is up to you, the power is in your hands whether to watch a film or not. While shooting I did not feel the film was taking any sides.”

The Congress party has slammed the BJP for portraying the Gandhi family in poor light and the actor says that it is incorrect to jump to any conclusion before watching the entire film.

“Everyone will have a different perspective. The film is not trying to show anyone in bad light. It is about a relationship between Manmohan Singh and Sanjaya Baru. It is not right for people to think anything or make a judgement without watching the film.”

“One should watch the film then have an opinion. It is a good film and people should give it a chance. It is not right to show the makers and the actors down,” she added.

In “The Accidental Prime Minister”, Aahana plays the role of Priyanka Gandhi and she was thrilled when the offer came to her from Hansal Mehta, who is creatively involved with the political-drama.

“I would have never imagined people thinking of me casting as Priyanka Gandhi. I was anxious to play her. This was my first big film. I wanted to get everything right. I am looking forward to see my work.”

As part of her research, Aahana saw videos that were available in public domain, including some of Priyanka’s interviews.

“She comes across as a self assured person, is calm. Being a public figure, she is not there in the public eye even in this age of social media and I get fascinated with such personality. She is still a mystery.”

“I remember while I was shooting, the director said, I am too high on energy and I had to work on it. For this role I had to be completely opposite of myself.”

“I have tried to play to the best of my knowledge in tandem with the director.”

The film releases on January 11.

 

Ready to face CBI: Akhilesh Yadav on illegal mining

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akhilesh yadav 6

Amid reports that the CBI is likely to quiz Akhilesh Yadav in the illegal mining case, the Samajwadi Party chief Sunday said he is ready to face the probe agency, but people are also ready to answer the BJP.

Talking to reporters in Lucknow, he said the BJP is leaving a “culture”, which may be used against it in the future.

“Samajwadi Party is making efforts to win maximum LokSabha seats. Those who want to stop us, have the CBI with them. Once the Congress did CBI probe, and I was questioned. If the BJP is doing all this, the CBI will question me, I will answer (them). But, the people are ready to give an answer to the BJP,” Yadav said.

“Why is the CBI conducting raids. Whatever they want to ask, they can ask me. However, the BJP should remember that the culture it is leaving behind, it may have to face it in the future,” he said.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister may face a probe by the CBI, according to the agency FIR made public on Saturday, the day arch rivals SP and BSP indicated their intent to join hands to counter the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Taking a swipe, Yadav said, “Now we have to tell the CBI as to how many seats we have distributed in the gathbandhan. I am happy that at least the BJP has shown its colours. Earlier, the Congress gave us the chance to meet the CBI, and this time it is the BJP, which has given us this opportunity.”

The SP chief also accused the BJP of ending ‘political etiquette’. “The BJP wants that other political parties should behave in the same manner as it behaves. But, we will not change our political etiquette,” he said.

The CBI carried out searches at 14 locations on Saturday in connection with its FIR against 11 persons including IAS officer B Chandrakala, Samajwadi Party MLC Ramesh Kumar Mishra and Sanjay Dixit (who unsuccessfully contested the 2017 assembly election on a BSP ticket) to probe alleged illegal mining of minor minerals in Hamirpur district during 2012-16.

Yadav, who was the chief minister of the state between 2012 and 2017, held the mining portfolio during 2012-13 apparently bringing his role under scanner, according to the FIR.

He was succeeded by Gayatri Prajapati, who took charge as mining minister in 2013 and was arrested in 2017 following a complaint of rape by a woman residing in Chitrakoot.

This is a third FIR pertaining to illegal mining cases which were registered by the agency on January 2, 2019, nearly two-and-a-half year after it was directed by the Allahabad High Court to probe the issue.

Farhan Akhtar shares sun-kissed snap of rumoured girlfriend Shibani Dandekar

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farhan 1A little bit of social media PDA, and a lot of weekend vibes. It the first Sunday of 2019 and guess who Farhan Akhtar chose to spend it with? That’s right, his rumoured girlfriend, Shibani Dandekar.

While Akhtar and Dandekar have never confirmed their relationship on record, the couple has not kept the relationship under wraps either. In fact, the two have been frequently spotted getting cosy at date nights and other parties. On Sunday, Farhan on his Instagram page share a sun kissed picture of Dandekar. In the stunning snap, the model can be seen on a balcony with a pet dog beside her. “Looking out for each other” the actor wrote in the caption.

Lately, Farhan has been posting many pictures with Shibani. The actor also kick started his new year with Dandekar.

 

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oh Hi @faroutakhtar ??‍♀️ #bumped

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2018 was just the beginning: Emma Watson on Time’s Up anniversary

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Emma Watson has said that she feels optimistic about a “fairer future” for women courtesy the Time’s Up campaign.

On the first anniversary of the campaign, the actor took to Instagram on Saturday to express gratitude towards people who have been a part of the revolution.

“From my sisters in the film industry to the activists and campaigners around the world who have supported us, I’ve been so inspired by the way people have reached out to each other, shared experiences and advice, and organised together as part of this movement for change.

“Gender equality can only become a reality if we harness the transformative power of solidarity across professions and across borders,” Watson wrote.

The “Harry Potter” alumni said that there is still a long way to go but “the achievements so far make me optimistic for a fairer future”.

“2018 was just the beginning,” she said.

A vocal feminist, Watson, in an another post urged the masses to be a part of Time’s Up UK chapter that launched the Justice and Equality Fund (JEF), which is the UK’s version of the Legal Defence Fund.

The JEF aims to support women who have experienced harassment and abuse, improve accountability, and prevent future abuses from occurring.

“I hope that more people will be inspired by the #TIMESUP anniversary to give at home here in the UK, so the Justice and Equality Fund can reach even more under-resourced organisations and campaign groups in 2019,” the actor wrote.

I might fall, but won’t stop trying: Vicky Kaushal

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vickyWith back-to-back hits in 2018 Vicky Kaushal may have become one of the most sought after actors from the younger lot, but he is aware that success and failure go hand-in-hand.

The 30-year-old actor, who was part of films like “Raazi”, “Sanju”, “Manmarziyaan” and Netflix’s “Lust Stories” and “Love Per Square Foot”, said that his aim as a performer is not to repeat himself.

“My only attempt is to keep surprising the audience. I want to be honest to a character that I play. I have started, I might fall, might get up, then again fall and rise and this will continue to happen. But I will never stop trying,” Vicky told agencies.

The actor made a mark for himself as a versatile performer in the year gone by and he feels blessed to have received the love from the audience.

“On most occasions before 2018, I was referred as the ‘Masaan’ guy and the biggest change is I got my identity as Vicky Kaushal, the actor. I feel blessed and fortunate to have been working with some great directors.”

“I have learnt a lot as an actor and that will reflect in my work henceforth. It is a beautiful thing to be loved. It makes me feel I am the best version of myself. I feel gratified, surreal. It feels great to be respected as an actor,” he added.

Vicky, son of noted action director Sham Kaushal, said that he feels proud to see his parents happy with his career graph.

“My parents have seen me in time of struggle… They supported me. They have seen that my life was not moving forward for couple of years and I was struggling.

“Finally they saw that my work is liked by the audience and I am working with big people, so they are very happy. I just want to keep working harder and harder for everyone,” he said.

Vicky will next be seen in “Uri: The Surgical Strike”. The film, which releases on January 11, marks his first mainstream solo outing.

He also has Karan Johar’s next directorial venture “Takht” in his kitty.

Michelle Williams to play Diana Ross in BET series ‘American Soul’

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Web Team
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Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams is set to play the role of music icon Diana Ross in the upcoming BET series “American Soul”.

Williams will star as a young Ross in the 70s as she debates whether or not to appear on legendary television host and producer Don Cornelius’ dance show “Soul Train”, reported the People magazine.

The series, which follows Cornelius’ rise and fall, will also feature Bobby Brown as Rufus Thomas, who was as best known for the classic soul song “Do the Funky Chicken”, Gabrielle Dennis as Tina Turner and Kelly Rowland as Gladys Knight.

“American Soul” premieres on February 5 on BET with back-to-back episodes.

Drake faces flak for kissing, touching minor in resurfaced video

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Drake is under fire after an old video resurfaced on social media in which he could be seen touching and kissing a 17-year-old girl.

The clip, which was shared on Twitter on January 3, shows the rapper flirting and dancing with the fan on stage.

According to Spin magazine, the video is from 2010, when Drake was 24.

In the 94 second-long video, the rapper is visible standing behind the girl and asks her, “I told you I like your hair, right? What is it, like herbal essences? Smells fresh.”

He then goes on to kiss her neck and wrap his arms around her chest as the amused audience roared with laughter.

After taking a moment, Drake addressed the crowd on the mic, “Y’all know I get carried away again, I get in trouble for s**t.”

The rapper then asked the girl her age and she replied she was 17.

In the video, an exasperated Drake can be seen flinging his hands as the crowd laughed and booed him off simultaneously.

Drake said, “I can’t go to jail yet, man! 17? Why you look like that? You thick.”

“I don’t know if I should feel guilty or not but I had fun. I like the way your breasts feel against my chest,” he added.

The “Signs” hitmaker then kissed the girl on her hand, both cheeks and forehead before giving her a peck on the lips.

The video was posted the same day “Surviving R Kelly”, a controversial six-part documentary about Drake’s alleged decades of sexual abuse with under-aged women, started airing.

A representative for the rapper did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Arshad Warsi gifts pair of shoes to the entire crew of his upcoming film! 

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“Munna Bhai” famed ‘Circuit’ aka Arshad Warsi, who will be seen on-screen after a quite long time in the upcoming comic caper ‘Fraud Saiyaan’, where the actor will be seen playing the role of a conman – Bhola Prasad Tripathi, who marries women in different cities and loots their wealth. Ahead of the release of the film, the actor gave a heart-touching surprise to the entire cast of the film.

According to the reports, the ‘Golmaal’ actor who was always seen cracking jokes and playing pranks on the set in a surprise to the all, he gifted all the crew of the movie a new pair of shoes. In total, he bought about 50 new shoes and handed it to them personally.

Prakash Jha Productions present a Drama King Entertainment production, “Fraud Saiyaan” is directed by Sourabh Shrivastava, starring Arshad Warsi, Saurabh Shukla and Sara Loren. The supporting cast also stars Deepali Pansare, and Nivedita Tiwari. Its songs, a recreation of the 1998 movie ‘China Gate’ song ‘Chamma Chamma’ that featured Urmila Matondkar and ‘Ishq Ishq Tera’ are doing rounds on the internet.

While the trailer is out, the film will hit the silver screen on January 18, 2019.

Aadhaar savings can fund 3 schemes of the size of Ayushman Bharat: Arun Jaitley

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aadhar 2Terming Aadhaar as a “game changer”, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on January 6 said that savings made through its implementation can fund three public welfare schemes of the magnitude of Ayushman Bharat — the ambitious healthcare programme to provide free hospitalisation to millions of poor people.

He also attributed the successful implementation of Aadhaar to the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the Congress-led UPA remained “half-hearted” towards it because of its own contradictions and indecision.

In a Facebook post titled ‘Benefits of the Aadhaar – where it stands today’, Jaitley said that its use in the delivery of subsidies has helped saved Rs 90,000 crore in the last few years till March 2018 by eliminating several duplicate, non-existent and fake beneficiaries.

The Digital Dividend Report prepared by the World Bank estimates that India can save Rs 77,000 crore every year by the use of Aadhaar, he said.

“The savings through Aadhaar can fund three schemes of the size of Ayushman Bharat…Aadhaar is a game changer,” Jaitley said.

Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana aims to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 10.74 crore poor families for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled healthcare providers.

“With the elimination of middlemen the benefits go directly to the bank accounts. This is a unique technology implemented only in India. The monies saved through Aadhaar is money fruitfully employed for the poor elsewhere,” Jaitley said.

Jaitley said that a senior minister in the UPA government blocked the idea of Unique Identity Number (UID) conceived by Nandan Nilekani and that it was a “divided house”. “The Prime Minister was indecisive. The enrolment continued, though at a very moderate pace,” he said.

 

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