Minister at Eid bash proclaims vegetarianism, then eats mutton
In keeping with PM Modi’s freshly-minted “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas” mantra, scores of ministers turned up at two of the most-talked about Eid celebrations in town.
While one was organised at Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s residence, the other was hosted by BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain.
Many of the guests attended both parties, but the question of where to eat put them in a dilemma.
One of the ministers in the Modi Cabinet, who went to both celebrations, was heard telling people at Hussain’s party that he was vegetarian and would stay away from the food. However, minutes later, he was spotted having mutton with rice by the same group to whom he had made the declaration.
Also read: Rs 57 cr less to be paid to airlines this year as air fare for Haj pilgrims: Naqvi
IRS Association holds a special screening of PM Modi biopic
Civil servants generally don’t express their political views publicly, but the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Association threw this convention out the window when it organised a special screening of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biopic Wednesday.
In a tweet from its official handle, the IRS body said, “All members are cordially invited for the special screening of the biopic on the life and journey of our Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi ji.. @PMOIndia @FinMinIndia.”
The official invite for the event was captioned “New India Pledge”.
The release of the controversial film starring actor Vivek Oberoi, who is a vocal supporter of the BJP and PM Modi, was stalled by the Election Commission (EC) in April because it coincided with the Lok Sabha polls. The film, the EC had said at the time, had the potential to influential voters and violate the Model Code of Conduct.
Some of the film’s dialogues include, “Rashtravaad hi meri sampatti hai (Nationalism is all I have acquired)” and “…Ek din ek sachha mard Dilli ki kursi par baithe (One day, a true man should take the helm in Delhi)”.
Grassroots BJP man stokes row by calling Akbar a pervert
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and Rajasthan party chief Madan Lal Saini, an RSS man and a farmer at heart, managed to stay unaffected despite the controversies that convulsed the state unit over the past few months.
But he is now courting censure for his allegation that Mughal emperor Akbar was a pervert.
Saini has been quoted by the media as saying that Akbar would visit the women’s-only Meena Bazar in drag and “do misdeeds”. He also cited an alleged incident involving Bikaner queen Kiran Devi, saying she had put a sword to Akbar’s throat when he attempted to molest her.
While the Congress has criticised Saini, many within the BJP endorse his view, albeit discreetly.
Saini, who has earned the reputation of being a dedicated grassroots-level worker, is a contemporary of President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime minister Narendra Modi. He was national general secretary of the BJP Kisan Morcha when Modi was national general secretary (organisation).
Why Chandrababu Naidu’s family has taken him on a foreign tour
Former Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu is a sad man these days. Voted out of office in this year’s assembly elections, with his party, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), only scoring three of 25 seats in the Lok Sabha polls too, Naidu now has a new name: “Jobless CM”.
It is said that he was so depressed after the results of the state and parliamentary elections were announced on 23 May that he did not speak to his family members for days. He remained confined to his Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, residence until it was decided that a change of location or a holiday may do him good. The family has now taken him on a tour of a few countries.
His critics, meanwhile, attribute his distress to fear. Naidu, they say, does not enjoy the support of the Centre or clout as CM any more, and fears he may be arrested f0r corruption.
(Contributors: Pragya Kaushika, Sanya Dhingra and Rohini Swamy)
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