Month: June 2024

Mamata Banerjee on Women safety

Entire Railway Department Facing Negligence: Mamata

By LokMarg

After visiting the victims who were injured in the train accident in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Monday morning, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the central government over their alleged negligence towards Railways saying that they have only engaged in publicity of Vande Bharat trains.

“I started so many things, but they are only doing publicity of Vande Bharat trains. Where is Duronto Express? After the Rajdhani Express, Duronto was the fastest train. During the time of elections they inaugurate Vande Bharats. This does not work. Today, the entire Railway Department is facing negligence and callousness of the government. They must take proper care,” Banerjee said speaking to reporters after meeting patients admitted at the North Bengal Medical College on Monday.

Speaking about the anti-collision device that was installed in several trains when she was the Railways Minister, the Chief Minister said, “When I was the Railways Minister, I saw 2-3 major train accidents after that I ensured that the anti-collision device was prepared and started. After that collision of trains stopped.”

On alleged neglect towards the Railways Ministry, Banerjee said, “What is happening in the railways today, no one knows…There are several issues in the Railways Ministry. Separate Railways budget has been stopped and this department is not getting enough importance now…”

Banerjee further claimed that nothing new has been done under the Narendra Modi government in the field of Railways and all new metros and railway stations that are being inaugurated at present have been funded by her when she was in charge of the Ministry.

“I know A-Z of the Railways, nothing new has been done. The new metro and railway stations are because of my time. Just see the 2020 vision, I gave money for everything…,” the Chief Minister said.

Speaking about the response from the state government to the incident, she said, “Right after the incident took place, state govt provided medical team, disaster teams, Ambulance and everything possible to normalise the situation…”

Questioning the presence of manual signalling which was disregarded by the loco pilot of the goods train that led to the accident, Banerjee said, “Why was there manual signalling? Now there is no system of manual signal. Now everything is modern, technical…Earlier I started around 2 lakh unmanned level crossings…Earlier there was no such system. Now every system is there but no one is there to take care.”

Earlier, speaking to reporters at the Kolkata Airport before departing for Bagdogra, Banerjee who had earlier served as the Railway Minister in the Vajpayee-led NDA government highlighted the poor amenities for passengers travelling by Railways.

“I have heard that the passengers who travel at night in the sleeper coach get such poor bedding system that there are various kinds of dirty things in it. They do not even clean the washrooms. The food quality has also become very bad,” she said.

The Chief Minister said that the central government does not give adequate importance to the Ministry and the department can only be seen at the time of inauguration of projects.

“Now the Railway Department exists only in name. They have done away with the Railway Budget. Though the Ministry exists, the earlier aura about it has been destroyed. Railways have become totally parentless. You can only see the Railways at the time of inauguration,” the Chief Minister said.

Accusing the central government of not taking care of Railway staff, Banerjee said, “I have worked in Railways and so I know the things. They are not even taking care about Railway officials, Railway engineers, technical staff, safety security officials and the workers. They are in problem. Their Old Pension has been withdrawn.”

Showing solidarity with the Railway employees, the Chief Minister said that the central government should focus on governance and not on “how to rig elections”.”I am with the Railway employees and Railway officials. They are trying their best but this government only takes care about elections- how to hack, how to manipulate, how to rig elections…I think they should give more time for governance, not for utterance,” she said. (ANI)

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Former Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray Mumbai North west

Aditya Claims On Winning Mumbai North West

By LokMarg

Former Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray claimed that the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena has won the Mumbai North West constituency and the party will go to court about this issue.

The constituency witnessed a close fight between both Shiv Sena factions – Ravindra Waikar from Eknath Sinde’s Shiv Sena and Amol Kirtikar from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT). After the final result, Waikar was declared winner by just 48 votes.

“We have won the seat contested by Amol Kirtikar (Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Mumbai North West)..and we will definitely go to court…,” Thackeray said speaking at a press conference in Mumbai on Monday.

Questioning the Election Commission’s integrity after the Mumbai daily report, Thackeray said, “Election Commission has been easily compromised…”

Aditya Thackeray further said that if polling had not been held through EVMs, the Bharatiya Janata Party would not have crossed even 40 seats.

“If there was no EVM, BJP would not have won 240…They would not have won even 40 seats,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab who was also present at the press conference said that the irregularities in vote counting started after the 19th round of Amol Kirtikar’s vote.

Sharing further details about the malpractice, Parab said, “There are a total of 14 tables at the counting place of every MP’s seat..every EVM counting table has an ARO i.e. assistant returning officer…After every round of counting, the final information is given to the ARO..but after 19 rounds of counting, the ARO was not informed…”

After counting, the announcement of votes was not made after 19 rounds, Parab said.

Parab even said that the election officer was getting “repeated calls” on his phone and was frequently visiting the washroom.

Parab also questioned why polling staff Dinesh Gurav allowed Pandilkar to enter the counting station.

Raising questions on the Returning Officer’s conduct, Parab said, “Look at the background of the RO (Suryavanshi)…How many allegations are there against her?”

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also claimed that the Election Commission has not shared the CCTV footage of the counting centre.

“We demand from the Election Commission that this entire matter be investigated..and Amol Kirtikar be declared the winner..this is our demand. We will file an appeal in the court in the next 2-3 days…we will challenge the victory of Ravindra Waikar,” Parab said.

The Returning Officer further stated that the incident at Mumbai North West Constituency Counting Centre is regarding unauthorisedly using mobile phone of an authorized person by a candidate’s aide.

Notably, Ravindra Waikar won the Mumbai North-West constituency by a small margin of 48 votes. The constituency witnessed a close fight between both Shiv Sena factions – Eknath Shinde’s Ravindra Waikar and Uddhav Thackeray’s Amol Kirtikar.

(ANI)

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Central Govt Employees

Shah Directs To Ensure No Further Violence In Manipur

By LokMarg

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday did holistic review of the security situation in Manipur in a high-level meeting here in the national capital and directed to ensure that “no further incident of violence takes place” in the north-eastern state.

In the one-hour long meeting at his North Block office, the Home Minister stressed upon strategic deployment of the central forces to restore peace and tranquillity in Manipur.

Shah mentioned in the meeting that the “forces will be increased if required”, and directed that “strict action must be taken as per law against the perpetrators of violence.”

Noting that the Central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens of Manipur, Shah also reviewed the situation in relief camps, especially with respect to proper availability of food, water, medicines and other basic amenities.

The Home Minister directed the Chief Secretary of Manipur to ensure proper health and education facilities for the displaced people and their rehabilitation.

He underscored the importance of a coordinated approach to resolve the ongoing ethnic conflict.

He said that the Ministry of Home Affairs will talk to both the groups, Meiteis and Kukis, so as to bridge the ethnic divide, at the earliest, adding “the Central government has been actively supporting the Manipur government in strengthening the security situation in the state.”

The meeting was attended by the Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Union Home Secretary, Director, Intelligence Bureau (IB), Chief of Army Staff (Designate) Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi, Security Advisor to Government of Manipur, Director General of Assam Rifles, Chief Secretary, Director General of Police (DGP) of Manipur and senior officials of Army and Ministry of Home Affairs. (ANI)

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All India Football Federation

AIFF Terminates Services Of Head Coach Igor Stimac

By LokMarg

Senior officials of the All India Football Federation held a virtual meeting on Sunday.

The meeting was chaired by AIFF vice-president NA Haris and the others in attendance were Menla Ethenpa (Member, Executive Committee and Chairperson, Finance Committee), Anilkumar Prabhakaran (Member, Executive Committee and Chairperson, Competitions Committee), IM Vijayan, (Chairman of the AIFF Technical Committee), Climax Lawrence (Member of the AIFF Technical Committee) and M. Satyanarayan (Acting Secretary General).

Noting the disappointing outcome of the Senior Men’s National Team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, the members unanimously agreed that a new Head Coach would be best placed to take the team forward.

The meeting instructed the Acting Secretary General Satyanarayan to notify the current Head Coach Igor Stimac of its decision to terminate his engagement.

Pursuant to the above, a notice of termination has been issued to Stimac by the AIFF Secretariat, and he stands relieved of his obligations with immediate effect. The AIFF thanks Mr Stimac for his service to the National Team and wishes him well in his future endeavours. (ANI)

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Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Rahul Gandhi

Rahul To Keep Raebareli, Priyanka To Contest From Wayanad

By LokMarg

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will keep his Raebareli seat while his sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make her electoral debut from the Wayanad seat, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced on Monday.

“Rahul Gandhi won two Lok Sabha seats but as per the law, he has to vacate one seat. Rahul Gandhi will keep the Raebareli seat and vacate the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat,” Kharge said addressing the media outside his residence.

He further announced that Congress General Secretary Vadra would contest the elections from Wayanad.

“We have decided that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will fight elections from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat,” the Congress chief added.

Priyanka Gandhi is finally making her electoral debut from the Wayanad seat after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat by keeping the family bastion of the Raebareli seat.

The decision came after top party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi held a meeting at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to decide which Lok Sabha seat Rahul Gandhi would retain.

Rahul Gandhi, who contested from two seats — Rae Bareli and Wayanad, won both constituencies by huge margins.

Rahul Gandhi won the seat of Rae Bareli by defeating BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh by a margin of 3,90,030 votes. Gandhi had contested this seat aiming to save the lone bastion of the party in the state after he lost Amethi in 2019.

The Congress leader also won the seat of Wayanad, which paved his entry to the Lok Sabha in 2019. He defeated Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate Annie Raja by 3,64,422 votes. (ANI)

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Rightwing Politics Debars Progressive Women; Lok Sabha Reflects That

‘Rightwing Politics Debars Progressive Women; 18th Lok Sabha Reflects That’

By LokMarg

Karen Gabriel, who heads Department of English in St. Stephen’s College, says the deep-seated gender biases that discourage women from entering politics have risen under Modi Govt. Her views:

Even though the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in 2023 as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, it will be implemented only after the next census is conducted. However, the passage of the bill by the BJP-led government should not be read as its commitment to women’s issues. For example, look at the gender ratio of BJP MPs, in the current, 18th Lok Sabha. There are 31 women MPs out of a total of 240 BJP MPs. This is just short of 13 per cent, far below the 33 per cent proposed in the new law!

In fact, the number of female BJP MPs has come down — from 41 in the 17th Lok Sabha, to the current number of 31. Even with higher numbers in the previous Lok Sabha, the absence of substantial legislative action points towards women’s representation as mere tokenism for the BJP.

Of course, there is a larger malaise that we have all noticed: women are discouraged from occupying political office in various ways. Out of the approximately 8,360 candidates who contested in the 18th Lok Sabha elections at the national level, less than 10 per cent of the candidates (only 800) were women. Many of them reportedly faced misogyny and mockery from their constituents and their parties. This is unsurprising since we have a long way to go for gender and social equality.

Moreover, many political parties are yet to create internal gender-equal policies, mechanisms and woman-friendly cultures at various levels that will promote women candidates. Finally, the contentions around caste-based reservation within the 33 per cent reservation for women need transparent, sustained consultation.

Having said this, one must say that the deep-seated gender biases that discourage women from entering and staying in politics have only exacerbated under the successive Modi governments. BJP party members and allies, credibly accused of rape and sexual harassment, have been openly supported by their top leadership.

Brazen institutional and political support was given to Bilkis Bano’s rapists, Brij Bhushan Saran, Prajwal Revanna, and others accused of sexual misconduct and rape. The increasing Hindutva-isation of the socio-polity in the last decade has only intensified pervasive patriarchal cultures and various forms of caste and community-based gender violence. Any programme to counter the Hindutva agenda must include proper, representative, women’s reservation as a fundamental means of political and social action.

ALSO READ: Bilkis Lives in Fear While Her Rapists Are Lionized

It is a mistake to think that being a woman automatically makes one feminist. By feminist, one indicates women, men and other genders, who, while accepting the fact that women are profoundly subordinated, also recognize the intersections between women’s subordination and other forms of subordination.

Women, who promote hate politics, are not interested in a better society, or in any form of social change or progressive solidarities. Like, patriarchal men, they too are invested in the status quo and the privileges that they enjoy — however precariously. They too exploit, ignore or invoke the oppressed, disempowered, marginalised, persecuted and the precarious, as it suits them.

Not a single BJP woman MP spoke up during the ‘Sulli Deals’ controversy, the world champion women wrestler’s protracted protest, the Manipur carnage, and the public spectacle of the brutalization of women by a blood-thirsty mob, or the ‘hijab’ ban. In fact, Meenaskhi Lekhi actually ran away from media questions, while Smriti Irani, predictably, remained her callous self.

Typically, Rightwing politics – whether in India or abroad – demands allegiance to deeply gendered community identities over cross-cutting forms of solidarity. Moreover, it is imperative to understand that Rightwing religious politics is a close and constant bed-fellow of economic Rightwing-ism, which, again, only magnifies political and economic cleavages over solidarities.The growing participation of and allegiance of women to Rightwing politics and movements is a source of serious concern for progressive women’s movements globally.

I think that all progressive movements have come under enormous pressure from the onslaught of the ‘State-Corporate’ agenda. They are all struggling to comprehend and deal with carefully planned but rapid and exorably violent changes from above. They are all coping with increasingly policed and even militarized public spaces.

The many women’s movements in India have had to deal with multiple challenges over the last couple of decades: issues of communal and caste polarization, those of liberalization and class disaggregation, questions of (sexual) identity politics, mass-migration and increasing State repression.

The efflorescence of social media is a game-changing mixed bag. Attacks on intellectual and academic freedom continue to take its toll, the criminalization of dissent and restrictions to common spaces is only intensifying. To add to this, all movements are starved of money.

Local and global solidarities, coordinated and continuous mass movements, diverse modes of protest, and radical forms of courage and action, are the only way forward — through the shamelessness of the elite nexus that is on display right now. This magic has happened before, and it will undoubtedly happen again.

(The narrator is Director of the Centre for Gender, Culture and Social Processes, St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. Her recent publications include, ‘Unpacking Patriarchies: Feminism and the Humanities in India’, ‘The World Humanities Report’, Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI), The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin, 2022, ‘Towards Alternative Histories: Gandhi and the Interconstitutive Impact of the Colonial Encounter’, ‘Inheriting Gandhi: Influences, Activisms, (eds.) Satishchandra Kumar, Kanchana Mahadevan, Meher Bhoot and Rajesh Kharat. New Delhi: Speaking Tiger, 2022, ‘Close Encounters of an Imperial Kind: Gandhi, Gender and Anti-Colonialism’, in ‘Reflections on Mahatma Gandhi: Global Perspectives’, (eds.) Terry Beitzel and Chandrakant Langare, Delhi, Rawat 2021, ‘The Algorithms of Desire: The Field of the Pornographic’. SAGE Handbook of Global Sexualities, Chiara Bertone, Zowie Davy, Saskia Wieringa (eds). London: Sage, 2020, ‘Whose State is it Anyway: Reservation, Representation, Caste and Power’, (with P K Vijayan) in ‘BR Ambedkar: The Quest for Justice. Vol II: Social Justice’. Aakash Singh Rathore (ed). New Delhi: OUP, 2020.)

As told to Amit Sengupta

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Antonio Costa President of the European Council.

Modi To Release 17th Instalment Of PM-KISAN At Varanasi Tomorrow

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme on Tuesday at Varanasi in which more than 9.26 crore farmers will receive the benefits amounting to over Rs 20,000 crore.

The Prime Minister will also distribute the certificates to more than 30,000 SHGs trained as Krishi Sakhis to work as para extension workers.

The event will be attended by Anandiben Patel, Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Agriculture Minister and several State Ministers.

More than 2.5 crore farmers will join the event including those at 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), over 1 lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 5 lakh Common Service Centres across the country, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare stated on Monday.

“On the 50 selected Krishi Vikas Kendras (KVKs), a special event is being organized where a good number of farmers will join the event. On these centres, several Union Ministers will also visit and interact with the farmers,” it stated.

According to the Ministry, the farmers will also be sensitized about good agricultural practices, new emerging technologies in the agricultural field, practising climate resilient agriculture, etc.

They will also be educated on how to check their PM-KISAN beneficiary status, payment status, how to use Kisan-eMitra Chatbot, etc. Union Ministers will also distribute certificates to the trained Krishi Sakhis of the area, the Ministry added.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, held a press conference on Saturday, emphasizing the vital role of agriculture in India’s economy and PM Modi’s unwavering support for farmers.

He stated that agriculture has always been a priority for the Prime Minister. The PM-KISAN scheme, launched in 2019, has significantly benefited farmers by providing financial support directly to their bank accounts.

He expressed his gratitude for being entrusted with the important Department of Agriculture, noting that agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy.

He highlighted that even today, most employment opportunities are generated through agriculture, and farmers are crucial in sustaining the country’s food reserves.

He described serving agriculture and farmers as akin to worshipping God. The Government’s dedication to enhancing the agricultural sector is evident through its continuous efforts and strategic plans, including the upcoming 100-day plan.

PM-KISAN scheme was launched on February 24, 2019, to supplement the financial needs of all land-holding farmers subject to certain exclusion criteria of higher income status. Financial benefit of Rs 6,000/- per year in three equal instalments, every four months, is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

Till now over Rs 3.04 lakh crores has been disbursed to more than 11 crore farmers across the nation and with this release, the total amount transferred to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme will cross well over Rs 3.24 lakh crores.

Krishi Sakhis are chosen as agriculture para-extension workers because they are trusted community resource persons and experienced farmers themselves. The Krishi Sakhis have already received extensive training in various agricultural practices, making them well-equipped to support and guide fellow farmers effectively.

As of date, over 34,000 Krishi Sakhis out of 70,000 have been certified as Para-extension Workers. (ANI)

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Sunak A Legacy That Cannot Be Ignored

Rishi Sunak, A Legacy That Cannot Be Ignored

By Jasdev Singh Rai

Most predictions about the United Kingdom elections are that Rishi Sunak led Conservative Party will lose election to be held on 4th July 2024. Possibly quite badly. Sunak, Indian by origin, continues to show the best of Punjabi spirit. He is not giving up. He is there at hustings after hustings trying to persuade people to vote his continuing leadership. His energy and persistence has to be admired.

Whatever the outcome of this election, two facts cannot be ignored about British democracy and the British. This once fiercely racist country whose colonial history is marked by racism and subtle forms of apartheid, has almost completely changed. It has not only had people of African and Asian origin as its leading ministers, but even has had a man of Indian origin as its leader. Secondly, Rishi Sunak took the opportunity as it arose and will go down in history as Britain’s first non-White Prime Minister.

Rishi inherited a bad hand when he took over. His predecessor, Liz Truss, had embarked on an ambitious economic policy that alarmed the ‘market’ and spooked the financial sector. The British economy went into nose dive. To his credit, Rishi along with his chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, stabilised the much damaged economy and have started to get it on its feet. The economy was already affected by Brexit, a move by the British that the rest of the world finds difficult to understand.

Given this extremely complex inheritance, Sunak has done well. Nevertheless, the recovery has come too late. Voters see Sunak as a Tory, not as Sunak offering a new beginning. They see fourteen years of mismanagement, cuts, broken promises and hardships even though things may be improving a bit.

Importantly, Rishi Sunak wasn’t elected as leader by the voters. He was elected to his seat. He was elected as Prime Minister by the MPs who moved against Liz Truss after the briefest of a tenure in office. She was Prime Minister for only 49 days.

Initially there was a sense of apprehension among many Conservative Party members at having a non-White British Prime Minister. There was a feeling of quiet amusement in many parts of the country. Since it is against the law to attack someone on their racial background in United Kingdom, Rishi was attacked for his wealth and his privileged background.

Rishi Sunak married into the fabulously rich billionaire Narayana Murthy family. Murthy is the founder of Infosys. For the Murthy family, Rishi’s ascent to 10 Downing Street was a proud moment. However Rishi Sunak was wealthy through his own efforts as a Hedge Fund manager. The wealth has often been quoted to be a reason, somewhat unfairly, of his lack of understanding of common people. Most British Prime Ministers have come from privileged background, private schools and Oxbridge. They have been no more ‘connected’ with backgrounds of ordinary people than Rishi Sunak. Nevertheless his wealth was something his critics could use against him.

Over his period at Downing Street, Rishi Sunak, nevertheless, won the hearts of many people with his management of the economy and the government. It will be fair to say that people have taken to him as one of them, until he made the gaffe at the 80th anniversary of D-Day commemorations on 6th June 2024 in Normandy, France, Omaha Beach, which he left early to get back to campaigning.

D-Day is an emotional event in European and particularly British calendar. This was when Allied forces crossed over to France at Normandy on 6th June 1944 to liberate France from Hitler’s Nazi forces. About 10,000 Allied forces, British, American and Canadian, lost their lives. There are still veterans from that era.

The immediate English reaction was that the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, wasn’t one of us. It would have been the equivalent of an Indian Prime Minister not showing respect for Dussehra, the commemoration of Ravana’s death and Ram’s triumph.

ALSO READ: Why So Many Hardliner ‘Indians’ In UK & US Politics

It gave the crypto racists an excuse to back off from supporting Conservatives since Rishi Sunak is the Tory leader. Allegiances have switched over to the Reform party whose leader is Nigel Farage, a man who campaigns against immigration and immigrants.

It is debatable whether given a better hand, Rishi would have led the Conservative Party to victory. There is always something a person with immigrant background will miss to be ‘wholesome English’. Rishi clearly misjudged D Day celebrations and their deep and emotional relevance to the average elderly English person. Most people who vote for Conservative tend to be elderly.

The ‘outsider’ factor would have worked against him anyway. However in a better situation, he may have just scrapped in. This election is complex, with fourteen years of Conservative rule that has left a litany of poverty, broken school buildings, a creaking NHS (National Health Service), increasing street violence, a divided nation, increasing unemployment, the highest taxes in 70 years and young people unable to buy homes among many other issues.

Currently, like pre-election Modi juggernaut, Sunak had enjoyed a majority of 344 against Labour’s 202. While Modi has just managed to get a majority through a coalition with others, it is unlikely that Sunak can manage that even with support from other parties. Many of the current batch of MPs have retired, preferring to take their pensions rather than lose seats in the elections. The Labour Party is set to win.

The Labour Party, under the very organised and steely leadership of Keir Starmer, has been playing quiet, steady and without fanfare. It has enjoyed dividend from the chaos that the conservative party has become with five leaders in fourteen years and now bitterly divided into extreme right wing, slightly right wing, not so right wing, moderate and somewhat Leftist Tories. The infighting has been on display now for three years and voters have tired of all that.

Sunak, it is rumoured, is already planning a family move to California. He is nevertheless fighting tooth and nail, bloodied at the hustings by awkward questions, cryptic racist remarks by some extreme Right wing candidates and a press now resigned to Labour winning.

Further, unlike most Asian politicians in the West, Sunak did not abandon his cultural background to progress. He celebrated Diwali as his personal festival, visited the famous Hindu temple Akshardham on his Delhi visit, and maintained his weekly fast. It is to his credit that he refused to be ‘assimilated’ to get into Downing Street, with due credit to a changed British culture that no media criticised him for wearing his Hindu religion on the sleeve. 

Nevertheless, he will always be admired and applauded as the man who entered 10 Downing Street as a non-White, as of Indian heritage and a man who made race mostly irrelevant in British politics, despite it being there in the margins. Alas this election is not for Sunak’s to win. If he manages to win enough seats to avoid Conservatives being completely destroyed, he would have won in the minds of Tories. He will certainly not hang around to contest the next Tory leadership contest.

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Tahira Kashyap Khurrana 'Sharmajee Ki Beti'

Tahira’s Directorial Debut ‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’ To Release On This Date

By LokMarg

Tahira Kashyap Khurrana has announced the release date of her directorial debut ‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’ starring Sakshi Tanwar, Saiyami Kher, and Divya Dutta.

Taking to Instagram, streaming platform Prime Video treated fans with this exciting news.

Sharing the poster, they captioned the post, which read, “bright spirits, bold hearts,

& big dreams! are you ready to meet these superwomen? #SharmajeeKiBetiOnPrime, June 28.”

As soon as the news was shared, fans and industry members chimed in the comment section.

Tahira’s husband and actor Ayushmann Khurrana reacted with heart emoji.

Tisca Chopra wrote, “Can’t wait to watch.”

One of the users wrote, “Looking forward to this movie…”

Written and directed by Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, and stars Sakshi Tanwar, Divya Dutta, and Saiyami Kher in the lead roles, along with, Vanshika Taparia, Arista Mehta, Sharib Hashmi and Parvin Dabas.

A light-hearted and heartwarming movie, ‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’ explores relevant themes of women’s empowerment and the challenges faced by them. Through the multi-generational lens of three middle-class women and two teenage girls- all sharing the common surname ‘Sharma’, the film delves into their unique experiences and struggles.

Sameer Nair, Managing Director of Applause Entertainment shared, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Prime Video to present our labour of love – Sharmajee Ki Beti, to a worldwide audience. This film, through Tahira’s directorial lens, transcends mere comedy or drama. It is a reflection of the experiences of middle-class women and urban lives, beautifully capturing the emotional depth and resilience of women as they navigate personal and societal challenges. The film has a universal theme which we are sure, will resonate with audiences in India and beyond borders.”

“Sharmajee Ki beti is a heartwarming and relatable film directed by Tahira Kashyap Khurrana that follows the intertwined journeys of three adult women brilliantly played by Sakshi Tanwar, Divya Dutta and Saiyami Kher. While it beautifully portrays their struggles, aspirations, and triumphs, it’s filled with humour and emotions as seen through the coming-of-age experiences of teenage girls played by the very talented Vanshika Taparia and Arista Mehta. The film has a universal appeal and audiences everywhere will connect deeply with these powerful and relatable stories. We are thrilled to collaborate with Applause Entertainment and Ellipsis Entertainment to exclusively premiere this heartwarming film worldwide on 28 June, Manish Menghani, Director of Content Licensing at Prime Video India said.

‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’, a women-centric comedy-drama, stars Sakshi Tanwar, Divya Dutta and Saiyami Kher in the lead roles and is produced by Applause Entertainment and Ellipsis Entertainment.

Recently, it premiered at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

Mark your calendar as ‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’ will stream on Prime Video from June 28. (ANI)

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Lakhbir Singh Landa Punjab

Bathinda: Punjab Police Raids Hideouts Of Gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa

By LokMarg

The Punjab police on Monday, carried out raids at multiple hideouts of gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa, officials said.

Bathinda Superintendent of Police (SP) Narinder Singh said a total of five people have been rounded up and search operations are being carried out.

Speaking to ANI, Superintendant of Police, Narinder Singh said, “As per orders given by the Punjab DGP and as per the guidance provided by the SSP Bathinda, we are carrying out search operations. Our two main targets are firstly gangsters and secondly narcotics. In the morning, we raided the hideouts of gangster group Landa. After that, we conducted a search operation in our Beed Talab Basti where we got a lot of information regarding narcotics. In that search operation, five suspected men have been rounded up and they are being searched.”

“We have received strict orders from DGP Punjab as per which there are two things- gangsters and narcotics have to be dealt with. Against both of these, we have to initiate stringent action. This is going to be a long fight. We have to consistently fight against it and the people involved must face action,” he added.

The official further informed that a bullet motorcycle and a car have been confiscated in Bathinda.

Earlier in February, Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force arrested three associates of terrorists, Harwinder Singh alias Rinda and Lakhbir Singh alias Landa Harike.

The arrests were made under the drive to eradicate organised crime from the state as per the directions of Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government. (ANI)

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