One of our television channels performed a good job by reporting about an American research ship and a unique bridge in the Baltic, marvels of technological achievement. Television channels should show more programmes of this genre for public education instead of merely wasting time on Arvind Kejriwal, Ramvias Paswan, Lalu Yadav etc. These things project only negativity and idle gossip, diverting the mind of the youth from productive activities.
I saw a clipping where a cow was operating the handle of the water hand pump, using her mouth and then drinking the water as it came out. See, even the cows want to learn skills but our politicians are still learning ABC. Despite too much advancement in manufacture and use of fire fighting equipment we continue to witness a fire which broke out at Ceat tyre unit in the city’s eastern suburbs. It is the job of the safety inspector to check about the risks involved and to suggest corrective actions to be taken by the management to curb such accidents. Electrical audit of the wirings is very important to avoid short circuits, and this must be done on a regular basis.
The factories which use hazardous material or deal with it must take special care and seek the assistance of fire brigade personnel to train its employees in basic fire fighting techniques. Such incidents should not occur in reputed factories. It is negligence. People think that the job is over by merely fixing a few fire extinguishers at certain locations, but it is not correct as regular fire drills must be completed at least once in a month.
AAP party workers are moving around wearing caps and carrying brooms like jokers and no body is rounding them up for unbecoming behavior. Such incidents can be averted if my suggestion for compulsory national service is put into practice. The Supreme Court should fine Prashant Bhushan for frivolous litigation. The honourable High Court must also ask Delhi police to penalize Kejriwal for holding “ dharna” on streets in violation of enforced prohibitory orders. Order and decency are vital for the development of the nation.
Sandesh Kondvilkar is the former Member of Legislative Council in Maharashtra who had played a vital role in bringing amendments in the anti-rape law. He was the chairman of LIDCOM which is equivalent to the rank of the Minister of State. He remains accessible to the common man and works for their welfare. Sandesh Kondvilkar, a Nationalist Congress Party member speaks about Maharashtra politics, Mahayuti, dynasty politics and his relation with Congress party in a conversation with our Deputy Editor Najmul Hasan Rizvi.
The Congress-NCP alliance has fought previous election by adopting the 26:22 seat sharing formula. However, this time the Congress was pressurising the NCP to follow the 29:19 formula. Don’t you think that party was blackmailing the NCP by demanding more seats?
No it’s not true. When political parties are forming alliance it means that they lack numbers to form the government. Today, no political party possess mandate to form single party government at the centre or state. Shiv Shakti (Shiv Sena & BJP) and Bhim Shakti (RPI) alliance had formed the ‘Mahayuti’ and Congress and NCP are a part of the ‘Democratic Alliance’. Every party is keen to gain more seats as compared to its alliance partner so it might be pressure tactics but definitely not blackmailing. Our leader Sharad Pawar wanted to retain the old seat sharing formula. He could have definitely asked equal number of seats for both parties as trust factor plays a vital role in politics. Pawar Saheb is pursuing factual politics and once he commits for something then he won’t backtrack on that.
Is the conflict which had arisen between parties in the aftermath of seat-sharing deadlock good for politics?
It sets a bad precedent in politics. Nobody will trust you if you backtrack from your statements. The 29:19 formula is not acceptable for NCP.
However, the Congress was demanding more seats due to lacklustre performance of NCP in the 2009 election?
Our performance might have been dismal in the previous election but we have fared better than Congress in the 2004 general and assembly elections. The NCP had won 71 seats while Congress could only manage 69 seats in that year. Despite this we didn’t demand the post of Chief Minister from the Congress.
There are reports that local members are averse to NCP forming an alliance with the Congress?
It’s the opinion of those workers operating at the grassroots level. The candidate who contests election is aware that he can’t win without the assistance of other parties. However, there are many constituencies in western Maharashtra where NCP can fight election alone while the party becomes a direct competitor of Congress in many other constituencies. When we form an alliance with other parties then seats are alloted to their candidates. As a result of this, party workers feel disappointed hence they are not in favour of having alliance with other parties. If same situation continues to prevail then coalition government is the way forward as no party is able to get clear mandate today.
Gopinath Munde had alleged that Sharad Pawar was keen to join BJP after his expulsion from the Congress party. Is it true? Munde also had said that he was responsible for resisting Pawar’s entry into BJP?
Pawar is a secular face and everyone is aware that BJP is a communal party. According to me, Munde is only making irresponsible statements which are not backed by evidence. He is a rebellion leader, and he has already turned a rebel thrice against his party. Neither senior leaders nor junior members of the party respect him from Beed district. Pawar Saheb has worked at the grassroots level. Saheb has always formed alliance with secular parties and never has been associated with communal forces. He even issued a clarification about his meeting with Modi.
Praful Patel and Sharad Pawar had stated that no further discussions must be held about the Godhra riots as the Supreme Court had given clean chit to Narendra Modi. Is a there a possibility of NCP having an alliance with the BJP post election?
As I said earlier, Pawar is only talking about facts. Senior leaders has said that Supreme Court had given clean chit to Modi in riot case hence everyone should respect that. Don’t expect that we will join NDA after election. Pawar has always said that we have to do 80 per cent social work and 20 per cent politics. On the other hand, opposition parties are doing 100 percent politics and 0 per cent social work.
Sharad Pawar is an opportunist leader. What is your take about it?
Once GR Khairnar had said that he can provide concrete evidence against Pawar but he failed to do so. Pawar sahib has not been responsible for any scams and there is no leader who can match his calibre.
Do you justify Asha Mirje’s comment?
I’m not justifying whatever Asha Mirje has said but her comment was misunderstood. I fought for amendments to be made in the anti-rape law and I have raised this issue in every session of the assembly. However, I won the battle after twelve sessions and three years. Earlier the rape victim had to depose before the court that she was raped by the accused in the court but I forced to make an amendment that the accused has to prove that he is innocent.
Do you think that groupism is affecting NCP’s performance in elections?
It’s not true as we follow the decisions taken by Sharad Pawar. NCP workers are working for the betterment of the party and it will perform better in this election. Groupism doesn’t exist in our party, but other parties have joined hands to disrupt NCP’s growth. According to me, Pawar Saheb Aangar hai, baki sab bhangar hai.
The NCP has managed to win only nine seats out of 22 seats. How much seats is the party expecting to win this time?
This time we are expecting to win 18 seats out of 22 seats. We will also perform better in other states like Bihar, UP, Goa, Orissa and North East etc.
What is the future of Mahayuti in Maharashtra?
Mahayuti is an alliance made to fool people. Ramdas Athawale’s party had a tie-up with us earlier for pursuing his selfish interests. Athawale is pleased after we made him a MP but he is not interested in working for the welfare of Dalits and is pursuing his own interests. No constituency exists in Maharashtra from where Athawale can be elected as their representative on his own capacity.
Is Raj Thackeray protesting against toll plazas for garnering political mileage or for personal gain?
Raj Thackeray had begun his agitation against toll plazas and kept mum for a long period of time. If you are protesting against an issue how you can discontinue it in the middle. This only goes to show that he was protesting for pursuing his personal interests. When many other parties started agitation against toll plazas in Kolhapur which turned out to be a grand success he too joined the protest bandwagon.
Why are fingers pointed against Congress when dynasty politics is prevalent in every political party?
I think it’s unfair to criticise Rahul Gandhi as he is performing a good job. Whether, it’s Uddhav Thackeray, Supriya Sule, Naveen Patnaik all these leaders have proven themselves that’s why they have become successful. Supriya has done good work for the welfare of women’s organisation. So it’s not right to target dynasty in any political party. If they don’t perform their job then they won’t be re-elected.
In this era of globalization and aping the west, we seldom speak in our mother tongue. This leads to an erosion of culture and values in which our forefathers have been rooted. Our socio cultural and religious roots are on its way to degradation. There is a need for serious introspection to prevent our cultural roots from eroding.
Society has become hybrid of various socio-cultural economic norms. Foreign goods have found a market in India and are targeting potential customers. People are willingly and eagerly purchasing these goods. We now celebrate various festivities which are originally the tradition of the West. Take for example Valentine’s Day, Rose Day, Mother’s Day etc. while it is good to have reverence for and adopt other cultures, we must not totally ignore ours.
Ideally, we should speak the language we are comfortable communicating in. Not knowing one’s mother tongue is no crime. The young generation might find it conservative to converse in their mother tongue. However, knowing one’s mother tongue is not bad as well. We should not shun away the legacy of our tradition so easily. What we do or follow is no doubt a personal choice. But at least we should know about our culture. Whether we like it or not depends on us.
Today we have evolved as persons. This can be realised by looking at the way of teaching in educational institutions. Gone are the days when the norm in schools was spare the rod and spoil the child. Today children are treated with respect. This trait we learnt from the West. It is good to inculcate values from different cultures which are good for our growth, healthy upbringing and personal development.
Take for example the case in Norway. An Indian couple had to live separately from their kids for not adhering to the norms of the country while raising their kids there. True, legal compulsions and societal acceptance makes us adopt behavioural patterns different from our society while residing in different countries. But all the same, it is fun to acknowledge our culture, festivals, dressing patterns etc although they do not necessarily make us more or less an Indian. This is not a parameter to judge whether we love our country or our family.
True, if anything is imposed upon, then one has the tendency to feel suffocated and rebel. Give everyone a free choice and see how they embrace their culture.
Lena Dunham has revealed that she recently discovered that her singer boyfriend Jack Antonoff dated Scarlett Johansson in high school through the Tumblr blog `Old Loves`.
Lena Dunham has revealed that she recently discovered that her singer boyfriend Jack Antonoff dated Scarlett Johansson in high school through the Tumblr blog `Old Loves`.
The creator of the show `Girls` said that she was going through the blog when she saw Antonoff and his girlfriend from high school, who turned out to be the blonde actress,reportedly.
The 27-year-old filmmaker continued saying that she is not jealous of the fact that her beau and Johansson once dated, asserting that she loves looking at pictures of them because both of them are beautiful.
Dunham added that while looking at the picture, she thought she was hallucinating and it was like seeing her parents.
One Direction star Harry Styles and socialite Kendall Jenner have reportedly decided to call it quits after the duo apparently could not make a strong connection with each other.
The 20-year-old singer sparked dating rumours with Jenner, 18, last years after they were spotted enjoying a cosy meal, reported Daily Star.
Even though the pair was seen hanging out together several times, Styles reportedly decided not to meet Jenner, when he headed to Los Angeles recently.
“Harry purposely didn`t have his planned party at The Box so people wouldn`t speculate about him and Kendall. There were plenty of opportunities for them to meet up but Harry went to the FA Cup game between Arsenal and Liverpool instead of seeing her,” a source said.
“They got on but there wasn`t enough spark to keep it going, especially as Harry is about to go on tour for six months. They would never have any time to see each other,” the source added.
Jennifer Lawrence has posed bare-faced in her latest Dior campaign.
The 23-year-old Oscar-winning actress has posed almost make-up free in the latest shots for the fashion house`s spring collection and in one of the shots, she is seen covering her naked body with just a stylish pink handbag, a leading daily reported.
The latest campaign has been shot by Patrick Demarchelier and Lawrence has been the face of the brand for the past two seasons.
Reality TV star Snooki is reportedly pregnant with her second child.
Snooki, 26, is said to be keeping it a secret at the moment for she wishes to continue making lucrative personal appearances, reported Ace Showbiz.
Their first child, a son named Lorenzo Dominic LaValle, was born in August 2012.
Snooki and JionniLaValle were engaged in early 2012 and are planning to walk down the aisle sometime this year.
She recently admitted that she selected her wedding gown. “I got an elegant ball gown for the church and a mermaid-style dress with a poufy train for the reception.
Everyone expects me to wear glitter and leopard, and I`m like, `Maybe if I got married four years ago`,” she had said.
Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Robert Downey Jr have become the top-earning actors of 2013, according to a recent survey.
The 38-year-old Oscar-winning actress has topped the female list with an income of USD 33 million, whereas Downey Jr topped the male list with an earning of USD 75 million from the ‘Iron Man’ franchise, E! Online reported.
Jennifer Lawrence was second to Jolie with USD 26 million. Kristen Stewart (USD 21.5 million), Jennifer Aniston (USD 20 million) and Emma Stone (USD 16 million) rounded out the top five.
The 48-year-old actor’s earning was followed by Channing Tatum with USD 60 million, Hugh Jackman with USD 55 million and Mark Wahlberg with USD 51 million.
Sena and BJP leaders skip the tea party organised by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and attend the Mahayuti rally at Dombivli.
BJP Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Vinod Tawde has boycotted the tea party hosted by Chief Minister for the government’s for failing to make Maharashtra toll free. Tawde who citied various reasons for his absence like the toll issue and Adarsh scam attended the Mahayuti’s rally organised at Dombivali. This only goes to Tawde was simply making excuses to skip the CM’s meet as the Mahayuti rally was his priority. The rally was attended by Vinod Tawde and leader of opposition in state assembly Eknath Khadse and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. The toll issue has become a political issue in Maharashtra as parties like MNS and Shiv Sena agitating against this issue and even asking the state government against levying toll. According to them, why should commuters pay toll when roads are poorly maintained and they also wanted the toll levying process to become transparent.
Sachin Sawant, Congress spokesperson said, “It’s the tendency of the Saffron party to not support us for good cause. The saffron parties were invited to discuss their view points’ pertaining to development. They are opposing development by skipping the rally. They have always opposed the state’s progress hence they are not emerging victorious in election.”
NCP national spokesperson, Nawab Malik said, “It’s a norm to invite political parties prior to the commencement of the Budget session. It’s is the responsibility of politicians to attend such events. By skipping the rally parties are setting a bad example which is not good for democracy. This is not the first time parties have skipped the rally.”
The Opposition is planning to corner the Congress-NCP government on various issues, including its decision not to prosecute former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in Adarsh housing society scam, during the Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature.
The Opposition leaders would demand a reply from Governor K Sankaranarayanan over the action taken by the state government against former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Adarsh housing society scam, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Eknath Khadse said.
Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Eknath Khadse said, “The state government has tabled the action taken report on the Adarsh scam in the House. Therefore, now it is the property of the House. When the Governor will deliver his speech at the start of the session tomorrow we will demand what action has the government taken against Chavan.”
Stressing that the Opposition is not “weak”, he said they would “expose” the government during the session.
“We had demanded debate on various important issues and therefore, asked the government to increase the period of the session. However, they did not accept our demand. Government kept the session only for four days,” he said.
The Opposition would also seek a reply on the toll collection issue, cancellation of local bodies tax (LBT) in the state and action taken by the government against 16 tainted incumbent and former ministers, the BJP leader said.
The government has also held marathon meetings with Madhav Chitale, who is probing the Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam in the state.
“The government has held two meetings with Chitale. Government wants to show the involvement of Opposition leaders in the irrigation scam,” Khadse alleged.
The joint press conference was also addressed by Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Vinod Tawde, who criticised the state government for not zeroing-in on the place to build the statue of Maratha warrior king Shivaji in the Arabian Sea.
“The government of Gujarat has finalised and started on with the work on statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. However, the Maharashtra government has still not finalised the place (to install Shivaji’s statue). We would welcome if it is the tallest statue,” Tawde said.
Lok Sabha election is just round the corner hence every political is busy to gain political mileage to garner more votes. Every politician from various political parties is adopting various methods to lure voters. But in the race of gathering more votes politician are not following ethics. Recently, I had reported about a story where Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MLA Ram Kadam used a strategy to fool voters.
Kadam offered a free helicopter ride to sixty students from his Ghatkopar Constituency. When I spoke to Ram Kadam then he explained me about the importance of welfare activities. According to him the intention behind offering helicopter ride to students was that they too take care of their parents like Shravan Kumar. So it was a minor attempt made by him to make them happy and enjoy life. He also said that they are talented and the future of our country. Kadam wants good education to be provided to them so that they can become responsible citizens of tomorrow and lead the country.
Let me remind you, that it’s a ploy adopted by Ram Kadam to attract voters before the upcoming Lok Sabha election. He is the same person who had been stuck in many cheap controversy. This is not the first instance when Ram Kadam had adopted such gimmicks to remain in limelight. Earlier too he was involved in various kinds of controversies which enabled him to garner cheap publicity. Kadam along with Bhagujan Vikas Aghadi MLA Kshitij Thakur slapped on duty Sub- Inspector Sachin Suryavanshi for stopping his car on the Bandra Worli sea link. Few years back, he had slapped and hit Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi on chest and shoulders for taking oath in Hindi instead of Marathi. A question arises here if he is so possessive about welfare than why in past he indulged in the activity which was against the law.
Kadam is not the only person who is doing such stunt and wooing the citizen to garner more votes. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan too is indulging in cheap political stunt before the general election. With an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha election the state government has announced that mill workers will be entitled to receive 50 per cent reservation in the MMMRA housing projects. Chavan had signed a General Resolution (GR) in this regard. For many years, Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti has been demanding houses for mill workers. They have also held various protests and organised press conference in support of their demands. The government has promised to provide houses to the mill workers earlier but it failed to fulfil it citing the excuse of non availability of land for building houses. This only goes to show that the CM has announced this scheme only to please mill workers. Finally, instead of indulging in such cheap political gimmicks to gain more votes politician needs to work for the welfare of citizens because they are bringing them to power.
Lena Dunham has revealed that she recently discovered that her singer boyfriend Jack Antonoff dated Scarlett Johansson in high school through the Tumblr blog `Old Loves`.
One Direction star Harry Styles and socialite Kendall Jenner have reportedly decided to call it quits after the duo apparently could not make a strong connection with each other.
Jennifer Lawrence has posed bare-faced in her latest Dior campaign.
Reality TV star Snooki is reportedly pregnant with her second child.
Sena and BJP leaders skip the tea party organised by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and attend the Mahayuti rally at Dombivli.