Archives for 2021

New Delhi: The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Sunday wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him that the Padma Shri conferred on actor Kangana Ranaut be withdrawn as she was “spreading communal hatred, targeting a religious community, and insulting farmers and freedom fighters”.

The Sikh body filed a police complaint against her on Saturday for allegedly making seditious and derogatory remarks on social media.

In his letter to the President, DSGMC and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Ranaut has been “deliberately provoking Sikhs” making references to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

“She does not deserve this honour. She does not represent the spirit of India which is based on harmony and goodness for all. Considering the social sentiments, Padma Shri should be withdrawn from her immediately for insulting farmers, Sikhs, and freedom fighters,” he said.

Sirsa said a DSGMC delegation will go to Mumbai on Monday to meet Maharashtra’s Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil and lodge a complaint against Ranaut at the Khar police station.

He said he will meet the deputy commissioner of police to ensure the registration of an FIR against her.

“This time it will be ensured that Kangana Ranaut does not get bail and she goes to jail for spitting venom against Sikhs time and again. She is playing the card of Hindutva for cheap publicity,” Sirsa alleged.

New Delhi: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday seeking resumption of talks with the government over their six demands, including a law guaranteeing minimum support price (MSP) for all farmers.

They also demanded withdrawal of cases against farmers and building a memorial for those who lost their lives during protests against the contentious farm laws.

While thanking Modi for announcing repeal of the three farm laws, the SKM alleged, “After 11 rounds of talks, you chose the path of unilateral declaration rather than a bilateral solution.”

In the letter, the umbrella body of farmers’ unions also demanded compensation and rehabilitation support for their families of farmers who died during the protest.

Barabanki: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday called Modi the biggest “nautankibaaz” (actor) in the country, saying he entered politics by mistake, else he would have given a run for money to the actors in the film industry.

“Prime Minister Modi is the biggest ‘nautankibaaz’ in the country, and by mistake, he has entered politics, else what would have happened to the people of the film industry. All the awards would have been won by Modi, Owaisi said, addressing a public meeting here.

After announcing the repeal of three farm laws, the Prime Minister had said that there had been some shortcoming in his ‘tapasya’ (penance). This tells us what a big actor our Prime Minister is,” he added.

Owaisi said the real tapasya’ was done by the farmers in their protests during which around 750 of them died.

He also said Modi doesn’t leave any chance of turning himself into a hero .

Chennai: Actor Suriya starrer flick ‘Jai Bhim’ director Tha Se Gnanavel on Sunday said there was absolutely no intention of hurting any particular community and expressed regret to those who were offended.

‘Jai Bhim’ that was released on November 1 in languages including Tamil and Telugu kicked up a row in Tamil Nadu with the Vanniyar Sangam and members of the community alleging that it had portrayed them in bad light. The movie was released in OTT platform Amazon-Prime Video.

Emphasising that there was not even a “wee little bit of thought to cause affront to any individual or a community,” in the making of the film, Gnanavel said, “I convey my heartfelt regret to those offended and anguished.” The film director also expressed regret for the difficulty caused to Suriya in the wake of the controversy, who is the lead actor and Jai Bhim producer. The crux of the row is the alleged vilification of the Vanniyar community by naming a wicked police sub inspector as ‘Guru’ (Gurumurthy) and showcasing the raging fire pot symbol of the community in a calendar, in the background, in one of the scenes and the foreground had the police SI who tortured the innocent tribal man to death. “I did not know that a calendar hung in the background will be understood as a reference to a community. It is not our intention to make it a symbol of reference to a particular community and it was only to reflect the period, the year 1995,” Gnanavel claimed in a statement. During filming or post-production, the calendar footage, that appears for a few seconds did not catch their attention, he said. Also, even before the film premiered on Amazon Prime, it was exhibited for several people. “Had it come to our notice during that time, we would have changed it before its release.” After they “got to know about the calendar in the background through social media,” after its release, all efforts were made to change it on the following day morning itself, he said.

“As the calendar in the background was changed even before anyone demanded it, I believed that everyone will understand that we had no ulterior motive,” the director said. “It is unfortunate to ask Suriya to own up responsibility. As the director, this is a matter I alone has to take responsibility.” The film, though based on a true incident of custodial torture and death of a ‘Koravar’ tribal man in 1995 in Tamil Nadu it had elements of fiction. The flick portrayed the tribal man as belonging to the Irula tribes. The names of people connected to the real life incident, like that of Justice Chandru who had argued the case in the Madras High Court as an advocate were retained. Some names like that of Rajakannu’s wife (original name Parvathi, changed to Sengenni) and the police sub inspector who tortured, leading to the death of the tribal man was changed from Anthonysamy to Guru (Gurumurthy). The calendar that was replaced had an image of Goddess Lakshmi. The Vanniyar Sangam had on November 15 sent a legal notice to makers ‘Jai Bhim’ alleging that the flick tarnished the reputation of Vanniyar community and sought an unconditional apology from them.

Removal of references to Vanniyar community’s revered symbol of raging fire pot, an apology for “damning, tarnishing and damaging the reputation” of the community, desisting from similar “malicious” moves and payment of Rs 5 crore in damages were the demands made in that legal notice.

Vanniyars, or Vanniya Kula Kshatriyas, a Most Backward Community in Tamil Nadu are predominant in the northern districts of the state. The Vanniyar Sangam’s symbol is also the raging fire pot.

Agartala: Tripura police on Sunday detained West Bengal Trinamool Congress leader Sayani Ghosh for questioning following a complaint by a ruling BJP worker that she had disturbed a street corner meeting of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday night, according to an official.

Ghosh, the youth unit secretary of TMC West Bengal, was detained a day before a planned visit by the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee after being called in for questioning in a police station.

A police official, who did not want to be named, said a BJP worker lodged a complaint that when a street corner gathering was being addressed by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday night, Ghosh reached there and shouted “Khela hobey (game will happen) and claimed that there were not even 50 people in the gathering.

“Khela hobey” is a slogan used by the TMC during the assembly election in West Bengal held in March-April this year.

TMC leaders alleged that their workers were also roughed up by BJP supporters outside the East Agartala Women’s police station, a charge denied by the saffron party.

Abhishek Banerjee in a tweet accused the BJP government in the North-eastern state of disregarding Supreme Court orders on the rights of political parties to hold peaceful programmes.

“@BjpBiplab has become so UNABASHEDLY BRAZEN that now even SUPREME COURT ORDERS DOESN’T SEEM TO BOTHER HIM.

“He has repeatedly sent goons to attack our supporters & our female candidates instead of ensuring their safety! DEMOCRACY BEING MOCKED under @BJP4Tripura,” Banerjee said in the Twitter post, attaching a video of the alleged attack of Sunday morning.

The Supreme Court recently directed Tripura police to ensure that no political party is prevented from exercising their rights in accordance with the law for campaigning in a peaceful manner.

Police said some unidentified miscreants attacked a group of people who gathered near the police station during the questioning of Ghosh, but no one was injured.

The TMC is contesting the Tripura civic polls to be held on November 25. The ruling BJP has already won 112 out of 334 seats uncontested across 20 urban local bodies including Agartala Municipal Corporation. This will be the first civic election that the BJP will face after coming to power in 2018.

The Mamata Banerjee-led party is trying to gain a foothold in the state ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Deb claimed that BJP sheltered goons attacked the leaders and workers of the party on the premises of the police station after Ghosh reached there.

Our candidates were beaten up; their houses vandalized and though complaints were filed, no action was taken. Police here are acting in a one-sided manner, she told reports.

TMC West Bengal secretary Kunal Ghosh said if this is what is democracy in Tripura, “we would recommend to our leaders to do the same thing (to the BJP) in West Bengal .

Tripura BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya denied the allegation, saying the saffron party workers did not ever attack anyone of the TMC as the party does not consider it as a political opponent to reckon with.