Archives for 2024

Bigg Boss 17: Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui was declared the winner of the 17th season of Bigg Boss after spending more than 100 days inside the Bigg Boss house. He defeated actor Abhishek Kumar to win the finale. Moments after winning the show, he took to Instagram and posted his first photo with the coveted trophy

In the photo, Munawar was joined by host Salman Khan. Munawar smiled big, next to Salman in a black-and-white suit. Salman, in his casual look, smiled for the camera.Stay tuned for all the latest updates on Ram Mandir

Sharing the photo, Munawar wrote, “Bohot Bohot shukriya janta aapke pyaar aur support ke liye aakhir kar trophy Dongri aa hi gayi (thank you my fans for all the love and support. Finally the trophy is here). Special thanks to bade Bhai @beingsalmankhan sir for all your guidance. Saari ‘Munawar ki janta aur Munawar ke warrior’ ka dil se shukriya (thanks to all of my fans from the bottom of my heart).”

Munawar took home a cash prize of ₹50 lakh. He was among the finalists alongside Ankita Lokhande, Mannara Chopra and Abhishek.

Munawar on winning Bigg Boss 17

The finale was extra special for Munawar as it was also his birthday. Talking to Times Now, he said in an interview, “Isse badiya birthday nahi ho sakta (it couldn’t have been better).”

Munawar was one of the strongest contestants in the Bigg Boss 17 house. He grabbed the attention of viewers ever since he participated in the show, a lot because of his shayaris. However, later on, his popularity fell a little after his game backfired on him following his ex Ayesha Khan’s entry into the house.

Ayesha made several allegations against him in the show. From blaming him for cheating on her to making alleged false promises, she even claimed that he proposed to another girl for marriage. She also mentioned Munawar’s ex-girlfriend Nazila on the show. Despite these, Munawar stood strong and won the show with heavy votes in his favour.

BILASPUR: A 60-year-old headmaster of a government school in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district has been arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments after administering a pledge to people not to believe in Hindu gods and to embrace Buddhism, police said on Monday.

The incident took place on January 22, following which the district education officer suspended Ratalal Sarovar, who was posted as headmaster of a government primary school in Bharari village, an official said.

On January 22, when the consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol was held at the Ayodhya temple, Sarovar gathered a group of people including children in Mohtarai village under Ratanpur police station limits.

The incident came to light after a video of Sarovar’s alleged act went viral on social media, he said.

The complaint claimed his act hurt the sentiments of the followers of Sanatan Dharma, the official said.

Based on the complaint, Sarovar was arrested on Sunday.

He was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class, the official said.

A probe was underway into the case, the police added.

NEW DELHI: The BJP’s top secret ‘Mission-Bihar-2024’ to get Nitish Kumar to swear in so that the National Democratic Alliance is back to rule the state — six days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first mega rally of the year in Bihar — was crafted about a year back.

BJP sources told this newspaper that the execution of the plan gathered pace after victories in the three Hindi heartland states, namely Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

“A team of senior BJP leaders worked meticulously while keeping confidentiality. Senior JD[U]leader Sanjay Jha, who was also close to late Arun Jaitley and currently considered a close confidante of Nitish Kumar, remained in touch with the BJP as the party got cracking on the plan,” said a senior BJP leader. “It took about 45 days for the plan to come to fruition,” he said.

Once the BJP leadership green-lighted the plan, Jha, as new deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary said on Sunday, moved ahead with the proposal for BIHAR C.M ‘ghar vapasi’. The saffron party’s Mission Bihar, which was planned five months after Nitish deserted NDA, had a well-crafted script in which BJP kept mounting attacks on Nitish and RJD chief Lalu Prasad over governance issues almost throughout the year.

“We waited for the JD(U) initiative. When Lalu asked Rahul Gandhi during a meeting of the Opposition to get married and that he along with others would like to be his ‘baratis’, Nitish Kumar, a seasoned politician, sensed Lalu’s intention and turned cautious,” said a BJP source.

This was the first lead for BJP to step up the Mission Bihar momentum, knowing well that Nitish won’t swallow a small act of insult to what he thinks is right, said a Bihar BJP leader. The BJP and other JD(U) leaders continued negotiations. The second positive signal that came from the Nitish side was when Amit Shah went to Patna and chaired the 26th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council on December 10. CM Nitish Kumar from the Grand Alliance cordially attended the meeting.

BJP knows Nitish Kumar continues to carry huge influence among 36% of the EBCs in the state. This is the vote share the BJP looked at as a part of its electoral strategy for the LS polls. Working silently, the Nitish’s ‘ghar-wapasi’ has rejuvenated the BJP’s state unit ahead of the LS polls. “The bonhomie between PM Modi and the CM will be re-exhibited before the people at the rally on February 4 in West Champaran,” said a JD(U) leader.

Not that RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his former deputy CM could not sense the game-plans, especially with the change of JD(U) president from Rajiv Ranjan Singh to Nitish Kumar. “With the passage of days, the entire game plan became clearer; the Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur was a big hint. Nitish openly hailed the decision and thanked PM Modi in a tweet. The RJD leaders immediately shared their apprehension about Kumar’s somersault with Congress chief Kharge,” said a BJP source.

“Kumar started exhibiting his annoyance with RJD. First, he removed three ministers of ‘RJD quota,’ including one who had passed a controversial statement on the Ramchartitmanas. The final decision for Nitish’s in-principle return to the NDA came on January 15. Days later, he made up his mind and conveyed it through his special emissary to the BJP. Sources said Nitush may get a national responsibility before the assembly polls in 2025. “The campaigning by Nitish Kumar along with Narendra Modi in the LS polls would also be finalised soon,” said an NDA source.

MYSURU: Tension gripped Keragodu village in Mandya district as hundreds of people, and BJP and JDS leaders protested against the district administration’s move to bring down a Hanuman flag that was hoisted on a 108-foot pole by the gram panchayat to mark Ram Mandir inauguration.

The police resorted to a mild lathicharge and arrested a few protesters, including Assembly Opposition leader R Ashoka, MLA Dr CN Ashwath Narayan and other leaders, when they proceeded towards the barricade put up to protect the flagpole. They were released later. The police snatched a knife from a youth, who threatened to kill himself if the Hanuman Dhwaja was brought down.

It all started when Assistant Commissioner Shiva Murthy and Tahsildar Shivakumar arrived at the village early on Sunday morning to lower the Hanuman flag and hoist the Tricolour. Keragodu villagers, including women, protested and claimed that they had taken permission from the village panchayat to hoist the flag. 

The villagers had pooled in money to erect the pole and the Hanuman flag was flying since the inauguration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on January 22, they told the officers.

As the news spread,villagers from the neighbouring Sidde Gowda Doddi, Manche Doddi, Marlinga Doddi, Hosur, Thalamerla Doddi, Panjegowda and Kalmati Doddi joined the protest. They raised Ram and Hanuman chants, waved saffron Hanuman flags and raised slogans against local MLA Ravikumar. As tension rose, the district administration clamped prohibitory orders and stationed KSRP and DAT platoons.

After the lathicharge, the villagers blocked the Mandya-Yediyur highway and tried to cook food in the middle of the road, but were stopped by the police. The villagers announced that every house will hoist a Hanuman flag which will be distributed free to register their protest against the district administration.

District in-charge Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said the administration is not against hoisting the Hanuman flag in private land or at temples, but the gram panchayat should not have given permission to hoist it at a public place. “Neither the local MLA, nor me are connected to the Hanuman flag issue,” he clarified.

Local legislator Ravikumar alleged that R Ashoka and JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy are spreading hatred among people for their political gains. As the Hanuman flag controversy erupted, JDS leaders DC Thamanna and Suresh Gowda, district BJP president Indresh and others rushed to the spot and raised slogans against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Ashoka alleged that Siddaramaiah is against Lord Rama and Hanuman. He said that Lord Hanuman has no place in his own land and criticised the police for hoisting the national flag at 3 pm, when it should be done before 9 am as per flag code. BJP leader Chandagala Shivanna said 18 out of 20 members at the gram panchayat were in favour of erecting the pole.

Bajrang Dal activists threatened to call for a Mandya city bandh.

KISHANGANJ: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ on Monday entered Bihar through Kishanganj.

The Yatra comes a day after the Congress was left high and dry with former ally Nitish Kumar, the Bihar chief minister, making a return to the BJP-led NDA.

Kishanganj, a district in the Seemanchal region of the state with a majority Muslim population, is also a party stronghold.

State Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh and other senior party leaders welcomed Gandhi in Bihar.

MATHURA: A new plea has been filed in a court here seeking directions to the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust to put up a notice board at the temple here saying that the present sanctum sanctorum is “not the real birthplace” of Lord Krishna.

The suit has been filed by Delhi-based advocate PV Raghunandan in the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Anupama Singh.

In the plea, the plaintiff has claimed that the “original” sanctum sanctorum of the ancient Keshavdev temple was demolished by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb and Shahi Idgah mosque was constructed at that place.

Therefore, it should be clearly told the devotees visiting the present sanctum sanctorum of the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple that the place is not the “actual” sanctum sanctorum by erecting a notice board, the petition said.

Joshi said that the plea has sought from the court to pass an order to put up a notice board in this regard.

The Uttar Pradesh government, Mathura municipal corporation, and State Archaeology Department, among others, have been made defendants in the case, Joshi said.

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday taunted his coalition partner and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, saying that some people projected themselves as leaders by promoting their family members.

Nitish was addressing a gathering at the Veterinary College ground in the state capital to celebrate the birth centenary of two-time chief minister and socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, whose name was nominated for the Bharat Ratna award late on Tuesday.

The event was organised by JD(U), of which Nitish is the national president. He pointed out that Thakur never promoted his family members and the party made his son Ramakant Thakur a minister and Rajya Sabha member only after his death.

“I also learnt from Thakur and never promoted my family member in politics,” Nitish asserted. His remark has also come at a time when Lalu is reportedly pressuring him to vacate his chair and elevate his son and deputy chief minister, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, to the CM’s post.

Nitish’s attack on ‘Parivarwad’ (family or dynasty rule) sounds very much familiar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent and sharp criticism of it as he also made special mention about Modi not telephoning him on conferment of Bharat Ratna on former chief minister Karpoori Thakur. “PM called Thakur’s son (Ramnath Thakur) but not me, but I want to thank him through the media for nominating him (Karpoori Thakur) for the Bharat Ratna award, the highest civilian award,” he remarked.

Notably, Thakur was also the first to impose total prohibition in the state in 1970, but it was lifted later, Nitish recalled. He said that Thakur’s government had also fallen later, calling it an improper act. Thakur became a Janata Party CM in 1977 for the second time. Still, his government fell after the then Bhartiya Jan Sangh withdrew its support in 1979 as he was implementing the Mungeri Lal Commission recommendations to provide quota for backward classes in government jobs.

At a separate function organised by RJD, Lalu said that the Centre had not done any favour to the state or the family of Karpoori Thakur by conferring the Bharat Ratna award (posthumously); instead, he deserved it.

‘Not a favour’

At a separate function organised by RJD, Lalu Prasad said that the Centre had not done any favour to the state or the family of Karpoori Thakur by conferring Bharat Ratna (posthumously) instead, the former Bihar CM deserved it.