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Shortly after the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister was released Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to endorse the film, calling it a “riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years”. The film is set during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. The ruling party’s tweet was an obvious dig at the Nehru-Gandhi family that held sway over the government during that period.
Incidentally, the key actors in the film happen to be directly or indirectly associated with the saffron party. Anupam Kher, who plays the role of Singh, is the husband of BJP MP Kirron Kher. Akshaye Khanna, who plays the role of Sanjaya Baru, the media advisor to Singh from 2004 to 2008 and on whose book of the same name the film is based, is the son of late BJP MP Vinod Khanna. A mere coincidence!
Also read: Why The Accidental Prime Minister matters to ‘chowkidar’ Narendra Modi
Poonam Dhillon wants a new role within BJP
Yesteryear’s cine star Poonam Dhillon is eager to contest the next Lok Sabha elections. She has been meeting BJP leaders in the national capital to seek a ticket to contest from a constituency in Mumbai. She had joined the BJP in 2004 and was appointed Mumbai BJP vice-president in November this year, a move that drew criticism from filmmaker and social activist Ashoke Pandit who questioned her contribution to the party and the society at large.
Dhillon retorted, claiming she had been doing socially relevant work for years and asking him not to be cynical. She said she had joined the party in 2004 but couldn’t play a very active role because she had many other commitments and responsibilities. It wasn’t the right time as her two children were young then, added the actor, asserting that she won’t be a decorative piece. Dhillon, 56, has acted in over 90 films including Trishul, Sohni Mahiwal, Jai Shiv Shankar and Noorie, among others.
Also read: The happiness of Congress president Rahul Gandhi at a Christmas party
Unending hours for UIDAI chief
Even as he was given the plum posting of Revenue Secretary, Ajay Bhushan Pandey continues to be the Chief Executive Officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). With the Union budget coming up and the ongoing work around Aadhaar, Pandey has had a hectic work schedule.
While he works out of the Finance Ministry in North Block, files from UIDAI are sent to him for perusal every day. But given Aadhaar and UIDAI are close to his heart, Pandey makes it a point to take out time to visit the UIDAI office at least one day a week. Given his busy schedule, the 1984-batch IAS officer ends up going to the UIDAI office on Saturdays or Sundays, which has meant even weekends are now working for him.
(Contributors: DK Singh and Ruhi Tewari.)