Home Blog Page 6369

Priyanka Chopra’s Met Gala look has netizens in splits, compare her to a scarecrow

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Priyanka Chopra’s Met Gala look has netizens in splits, compare her to a scarecrow

This year for the Met Gala Priyanka Chopra Jonas stepped out in a dramatic nude-coloured Dior gown with feather detailing from its Spring 2018 collection sporting a bizarre curly hairdo topped with a silver-straw crown and loud make up complete with a bindi. Twitterati donned their funny hat and had everyone in splits with their reactions.


This year, the theme was Camp: Notes on Fashion – to coincide with an upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, inspired by photographer Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay, Notes on Camp.


The outfits this year will be based on “irony, humour, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality and exaggeration”. Clearly, the celebrities seem to have gone for the ‘exaggeration’ bit.


This one is very, very relatable.


You’d relate to this one if you’ve spent hours on YouTube going through makeup tutorials.


Priyanka Chopra Jonas was not the only one to go for shock and awe look at this year’s Met Gala. Deepika Padukone wore a Zac Posen custom metallic pink gown.


Actor Zendaya went to Met Gala dressed as Cinderella.


While Kim Kardashian’s sisters Kylie and Kendall looked like they were dressed as her evil stepsisters.

Kylie and Kendall at Met Gala

Katy Perry went dressed as a chandelier.


The Met Gala, or the Costume Institute Gala is the annual fundraising gala thrown for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York and marks the opening of Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit. That year’s exhibit’s theme is celebrated at the event where celebrities wear their outfits to match the theme. The ball which is thrown on the first Monday of May had ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination’ as the theme in 2018.

SC shatters 21 opposition parties’ EVM fear mongering in less than a minute, dismisses petition for 50% VVPAT verification

OpIndia Staff
-
0
SC shatters 21 opposition parties’ EVM fear mongering in less than a minute, dismisses petition for 50% VVPAT verification

The opposition parties and the Rahul Gandhi led Congress, in particular, have been fear-mongering regarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) regularly. Interestingly, the Congress believes that wherever they lose the EVMs have been tampered with and when they win, like Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the EVMs worked perfectly. The fear-mongering suffered a huge blow today when the Supreme Court (SC) refused the opposition party’s plea to order 50% VVPAT verification of voting.

The Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi dismissed the review petition filed by 21 opposition parties combined for the review of its decision in case of verification of voting by VVPAT. The opposition parties wanted 50% VVPAT verification in these Lok Sabha Elections.

CJI Gogoi said they were not inclined to review their decision while dismissing the plea by opposition parties.

On 8th April 2019, the Supreme Court had partially allowed the petition by directing the Election Commission to increase the number of polling booths from 1 to 5 per Assembly segment for the matching of votes cast on EVMs to VVPAT slips.

Congress leader AM Singhvi had said that they would “settle” for 33% VVPAT verification instead of the 50% originally demanded as increasing polling booths per assembly segment from 1 to 5 for matching of votes doesn’t seem “reasonable”. The proceedings lasted for less than a minute, according to reports, according to a report by LiveLaw.

However, according to the Times of India, Singhvi had even agreed to “settle” for 25% verification. The court summarily rejected the petition.


The petitioners were : N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), Sharad Pawar (NCP), K C Venugopal (INC), Derek O Brien (TMC) ,Sharad Yadav (LTJD), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP),M K Stalin (DMK) ,T K Ranga Rajan (CPI(M)) ,S Sudhakar Reddy (CPI), Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD), Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), Farookh Abdullah (NC), K Danish Ali (RJD),Ajith Singh (RLD), M Badrudding Ajmal (AIUDF), Jithin Ram Manji (Hindusthani Awam Morcha) Ashok Kumar Singh (JVM), Khorrum Anis Omar (IUML), Prof.Kodanadram (Telengana Jana Samithi) and K G Kenye (Naga Peoples Front).

Netflix takes Pakistani line, shows Kashmir as a part of Pakistan in its show ‘Street Food’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Netflix takes Pakistani line, shows Kashmir as a part of Pakistan in its show ‘Street Food’

Netflix in its newly premiered show Street Food has taken the Pakistani line and shown Kashmir as a part of Pakistan.

Netflix Street Food Asia India episode where Kashmir is shown as part of Pakistan

The documentary that recently premiered on Netflix, focuses on street food across Asia including India. India’s street food is talked about in episode 3. However, Netflix displays the wrong map of India showing Kashmir as part of Pakistan.

India’s map shown by Netflix has cut off part of the Indian state Kashmir which is illegally occupied by Pakistan.

To explain things better, following is the real map of Kashmir. In the map, one can clearly see the “Northern Areas – Illegally incorporated with Pakistan”. That is the part of Kashmir which Netflix has cut off from India.

Jammu and Kashmir map

Netflix now has business interest in India and they could have customised it. While technology poses challenges, it also poses solutions. For example, they could have used a dotted border and made the area illegally occupied by Pakistan as grey or uploaded a different variant of the map which is accessible when logged in from India.

In its episode called Bandersnatch of the hugely popular series Black Mirror, Netflix had shown how personalised and customised user experience is not entirely impossible.

The implementation of the rules requiring the publishers to show the official map has been lax. Last year, during the elections held in Pakistan, Indian Express had wrongly shown parts of Kashmir as part of Pakistan. Even The Quint had recently shown Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir as Pakistan territory. And despite being pointed out, Quint has continued to show the PoK as part of Pakistan’s territory.

Since even Indian publications appear non-serious about using the correct map of India, perhaps it’s understandable that players like Netflix won’t care when even The Quint gets away with it.

India rejecting the Rs 72,000 NYAY boondoggle would show the highest level of voter maturity

Abhishek Banerjee
-
0
India rejecting the Rs 72,000 NYAY boondoggle would show the highest level of voter maturity

If I remember correctly, Lal Krishna Advani published his autobiography “My country, My Life” a few months before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. At that time, Advaniji had already been anointed as the PM candidate of the NDA. I got hold of a copy as soon as I could and read it from cover to cover.

I had vaguely heard about the Emergency but I didn’t really know what it was. For obvious reasons, school history books, newspapers and magazines did not go into it. Come to think of it, notice how Indian textbooks teach history: with focus on the individual (read Nehru) rather than (supposed) founding principles of our democracy. Do you find words like “liberty”, “freedom of speech” etc anywhere in a school history book? No, of course not. Very different from the US where founding principles of the Republic are taught to all.

But I digressed. It was Advani’s autobiography that introduced me to the Emergency and how Indira Gandhi systematically demolished the basic pillars on which a free society stands: freedom of expression, habeas corpus, right to a fair trial, etc. Again, you will notice that these concepts and their importance are never actually explained in Indian schools. Rather we are made to memorize some of them as a list in Civics class, which is a “semi-subject” hurriedly squeezed in between History and Geography.

The most memorable point that Advaniji made in his book (according to me) is this: Look at the maturity of the Indian voter. They rejected the Emergency in the 1977 elections.

This may seem like an obvious thing to do now. But in 1977, India was a dirt poor country, with some of the lowest levels of literacy in the world. If you think about that era, many of the newly independent countries in Asia and Africa lost their democracies and became dictatorships at the time. Both internal and external factors were responsible for this. Internally, these newly independent countries were vulnerable to losing their democracies before democratic institutions had deepened sufficiently. On the external front, dictatorships suited both the reigning superpowers at the time. Both the USA and the USSR would rather deal with a fixed puppet regime in each country rather than deal with a merry go round of parties going in and out of power.

Perhaps this is what gave Indira Gandhi the courage to impose the Emergency, as she looked to join the ranks of all the other dictators in the so-called Third World (Aside: The term “Third World” actually has nothing to do with poverty. It is a Cold War term. The US and its allies are “First World”. The USSR and its allies were the Second. All the “battleground countries” where the two superpowers were vying for dominance were the “Third World”).

Except it didn’t work for Indira Gandhi. Indians showed that they were truly and remarkably different from the rest of the world. You can see the compromised intellectuals of that era, like Shashi Tharoor, explain why he didn’t think democracy mattered.

Untitled.png

What does it mean when Shashi Tharoor says “Their bread is more important than my freedom“?

It means that he views freedom in itself as an elitist concept, something that an “intellectual” like him would perhaps care about. But not the masses, who are supposed to be all about bread and water. You know, the “cattle class”, the ones who are supposedly beneath discussing enlightened concepts like democracy. Those are supposed to be the playgrounds of diplomats, their children and the like…

But 1977 showed something special in the Indian spirit. It stunned the Tharoors of the world. With empty stomachs, the people of India voted for freedom. Freedom is not an elitist concept, Mr Tharoor. Just because your English is good doesn’t mean you actually understand the principles of the enlightenment. A common misconception though.

We Indians are different. You know history lasts a long time. At this moment, we may be a poor nation. Fortunes of nations go up and down. But inside we have the seeds of the civilization that once led the world. We proved that in 1977.

A similar thing could be happening right now, here in 2019.

People often worry that populism is the Achilles heel of democracy. What if somebody promises a direct bribe to the voter? Would he win an election?

Right here, right now, India is having the greatest experiment in the history of democracy. You could say democracy itself is on trial here.

The Congress has promised 72,000 Rupees every year to every poor person. Will the “poor” be swayed by it? Or will they realize that pie in the sky is always the most expensive kind?

When Congress first made this announcement, I will admit it. I thought it was all over for the BJP. Who would say no to free money? The smiles of the Gandhis on that day showed their enthusiasm. They thought they had the election locked up and in the bag.

But the weeks have rolled by and 72000 has all but disappeared from the narrative. It is stunning how little traction it got on the ground.

I guess it was a “mini Tharoor” moment for me. Did I assume that the vast majority of people are not smart enough to see through this boondoggle? Probably.

Of course, we cannot say anything for sure until the 23rd of May. But all signs point to the possibility that the vast majority of Indian voters have seen through this pyramid scheme, laughed at it and rejected it. In this, there would be a lesson for a lot of people, including me.

The biggest test of voter maturity in history is unfolding before our very eyes. Like 1977, it seems Indians are all set to show the whole world what we are made of. In this, we will set a precedent for free people everywhere. Dear humanity, you are welcome.

Exit Polls for 2014 General Elections: How accurate were they?

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Exit Polls for 2014 General Elections: How accurate were they?

The 5th phase of the 2019 Elections is almost over and only two phases remain. The last phase of election will take place on 19th May, and after the end of official voting hours, TV News channels will get busy with exit polls.

Before the actual counting of votes on 23rd of May, the exit poll results will remain the top topic of discussion for the intervening period. In that context, it is perhaps a good time to revisit the Exit Polls that attempted to predict the results of the previous General Election in 2014.

The Exit Polls, then, like so many Opinion Polls in the run-up to the current elections, had predicted the NDA to emerge victorious in the elections. But none of them, with the sole exception of Today’s Chanakya, accurately predicted the extent of the NDA’s victory.

The NDA, eventually, won 336 of the 543 seats and the BJP secured 282 seats on its own. The UPA, on the other hand, won merely 60 and the Congress was reduced to its lowest ever tally of 44.

Results of exit polls conducted after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections

2014 Exit poll results

Today’s Chanakya came the closest with its prediction of 291 seats for the BJP and 340 for the NDA, overestimating BJP by 9 and NDA by 4. Others, such as Times Now, fell way short. Times Now predicted 249 for the NDA and vastly overestimated UPA’s numbers.

CVoter and Nielsen, too, made a respectable estimate, although a gross underestimation, with its prediction of 289 and 274 for the NDA respectively. Apart from Chanakya, everyone appears to have predicted the UPA to win somewhere close to 100 seats. That too was an overestimation.

Opinion polls before 2019 Lok Sabha elections were notified

Opinion polls before 2019 elections

Thus, it’s quite clear that there are vast differences between predictions about seats made in exit polls and actual results, although the exit polls predicted the final outcome of the election mostly correctly. Last time around, Opinion Polls were giving the NDA under 200 seats initially which eventually kept on increasing as the days progressed.

This time around the situation has been a bit different as almost all opinion polls expect the NDA to at least get near the majority mark even if they fail to get past it. Considering the expectations that were defied the last time around and the much surer footing on which BJP began its campaign for 2019, it appears the Modi-Shah duo might again defy expectations.

Modi challenges Congress to fight elections in Rajiv Gandhi’s name, who presided over Bofors scam and 1984 riots

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Modi challenges Congress to fight elections in Rajiv Gandhi’s name, who presided over Bofors scam and 1984 riots

In a frontal attack on Congress, Prime Minister Modi has challenged the party to fight elections in the name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.


Addressing a rally in Jharkhand, Prime Minister Modi said the country does not want instability but wants a stable and strong government. “The country does not want a helpless prime minister who is remote-controlled. The country wants a strong and courageous prime minister,” the PM said.

Taking on the Congress, he challenged the grand old party to fight the ongoing elections in the name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “A few days back I reminded everyone about the past deeds of one of the family members’ of the dynasty. These people, since last one year, have been using choicest of the abuses towards the prime minister. Their party even abused the prime minister’s family. I only reminded everyone about the old Bofors scam in one rally. That hit them so hard that they are just short of wailing out of pain,” Modi said.

He added that they didn’t care for the respect the chair of the prime minister, but he just said one thing and they’re hurt as if a scorpion bit them. “The more they cry, the more the newer generation will know about their truth. The youth of 21st century should know how one family looted the country in the 20th century, ruined it.

“I challenge the family, the naamdaars, the raj darbaris if they have the courage, they should fight the remaining two phases of elections in the name of Rajiv Gandhi, who is accused of being involved in Bofors scam. Let us see how the game is played. If you have the courage, Delhi is yet to vote. Come, fight in Rajiv Gandhi’s name. If you have the courage, come to Punjab. Let us fight elections in Rajiv Gandhi’s name. We will see how much strength you have. Come to Bhopal to fight elections in his name and it will be out what the then Prime Minister did after the Bhopal gas tragedy. Thousands of families were destroyed. Come, if you have the courage, come to Bhopal, Delhi, Punjab. Let us fight in the name of Rajiv Gandhi,” PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stirred a hornet’s nest with his “Rajiv died as Bhrashtari No 1” remark at the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi which ruffled many feathers. Modi’s comment has opened a Pandora’s box for Rajiv, who was the 6th Prime Minister of India between 1984-1989. During his tenure, Rajiv is accused of receiving kickbacks in the infamous Bofors scam and orchestrating the deadly Sikh massacre that transpired soon after the assassination of his mother Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguard.

He is also accused of helping Warren Anderson, Chairman, and CEO of the Union Carbide Corporation escape from India. Anderson was the main accused in the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 but managed to escape India without any trial and punishment.

Modi’s remark has obviously irked the entire opposition including the Nehru-Gandhi clan. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra, children of Rajiv, have both come out aggressively in defense of their late father.

 


His sister, Priyanka Vadra who has jumped the political fray recently, and seems to be oblivious to the development of done by Modi in his constituency Varanasi, was also critical of the PM’s remark.


Rajiv was killed in a suicide attack by LTTE, the militant organization from Sri Lanka on 21 May 1991 in Chennai.

While the opposition and the Congress stand united against the PM for his remark, many have come forward in his support.


The fight in the final rounds of this general election is getting tougher with the passage of each phase. Politicians are trying their best to woo the voters. However, this time around, the bastion of the information revolution is being led by social media. No politician or political party can take the voters for granted anymore. The affordability of smartphones and the internet has made the voters more aware and informed than ever.

In the run-up to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, every political party and politician has been trying hard to score brownie points for political gains. The battle for the biggest festival of democracy has seen its own share of mud-slinging. We are witness to numerable jibes by the opponents at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lest we forget, Modi was called names, accused of an imaginary Rafale scam, and how his wife and mother were invoked to break his tenacity. And oh! how can we forget the derogatory ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ jibe by Lutyens’ darling INC President Rahul Gandhi that backfired massively!

We’ve seen how media’s favorite (incessantly) ‘coming of age’ politician Gandhi is hailed for every remark he passes at his opponents especially PM Modi. For more than a year, he has been shouting from every stage, accusing the PM of buying the Rafael fighter aircraft from France’s Dassault Aviation at a higher price. He has also been struggling to make us believe his lies about the PM, using his clout to help Anil Ambani win the offset contract.

His non-stop attacks, mocking the PM’s humble background, unfortunately, backfired massively! It prompted not just the PM himself, but his cabinet ministers, MPs and followers across the globe to prefix the word “Chowkidar” to their names, voluntarily. This movement gained momentum with time and slowly, people from all walks of life poured their support to honor the hardworking and dedicated chowkidars (Watchmen) of the society.

Besides, the first time voters are excited to cast their vote and be part of the world’s largest festival of democracy. Over the last few years, we have seen many instances where Rahul Gandhi has challenged the PM for open debate on a variety of issues. As his tenure nears its end, PM has opened a new floodgate by challenging Congress to debate him on Bofors scandal. He has also dared the party to contest the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha elections in Rajiv Gandhi’s name, all the while maintaining his stance on his “bhrashtachari no. 1” remark.

Whether or not Rahul or his party accept the invitation, the voters should come out in large numbers and exercise their right. The good news is that 2019 is poised to become the election with the highest voter turnout ever!

Samajwadi Party workers beat up a man in Uttar Pradesh for wearing saffron gamcha

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Samajwadi Party workers beat up a man in Uttar Pradesh for wearing saffron gamcha

In an incident of political violence that took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh, some Samajwadi Party (SP) workers allegedly beat up a man because he was wearing a saffron coloured Gamchha (scarf), reports Patrika.

According to the report, the victim named Utkarsh Pathak was going to his house riding on a bicycle when a group of SP workers stopped him midway near Gangatia Chowraha. They asked him whether he was campaigning for the BJP, to which he replied in yes. The SP workers allegedly asked Pathak to abuse PM Modi and CM Yogi. When he refused to do that they started brutally beat him up.


According to Haribansh Mishra, BJP Zila Manatri, Pathak who belongs to Dudhnara village of Kandhrapur police station area, has been an active member of Hindu Yuva Vahini and has recently joined BJP. Mishra said that Pathak was admitted to hospital for stomach ache on the instructions of an SP leader while he had actually received injuries on his head. He complained to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) about the same. He alleged that SP hires goons to attack BJP workers.

SP candidate from Varanasi Tej Bahadur Yadav caught on camera agreeing to kill PM Modi for money

OpIndia Staff
-
0
SP candidate from Varanasi Tej Bahadur Yadav caught on camera agreeing to kill PM Modi for money

A shocking video of the sacked BSF officer Tej Bahadur Yadav, in which he is seen agreeing to kill PM Modi for Rs 50 crores, is doing the rounds on the Social Media platforms. In the video, the SP candidate from Varanasi, whose candidature was recently cancelled by the Election Commission, was seen in an inebriated state claiming to assassinate PM Modi for a sum of Rs 50 crores.


Tej Bahadur Yadav can be seen in the video, chatting with other men, allegedly his friends, over drinks and food. While the men appeared in the intoxicated state, in conversation with one of them, Tej Bahadur Yadav said, “50 crores do, main Modi ko marwa dunga.” (Give me 50 crores, I will get Modi murdered). The other man shots back that nobody in the country will be able to give him such a huge amount, Pakistan might be willing to give him. To this Tej Bahadur Yadav replies, “Desh se gaddari nahin, agar yahan ka koi dega, toh mai Modi ko marwa dunga.” (I won’t betray the country, if someone here pays me that amount, then I will get Modi murdered).

In another video of the same day that has gone viral, Tej Bahadur Yadav can be seen drinking and smoking with other men. One of the persons in the video introduces the other person in the video as Tej Bahadur Yadav, “the former BSF commando in Indian army”. Yadav has himself admitted that he is present in the video and it is 2 years old.

Tej Bahadur Yadav was fielded as an SP-BSP candidate from the Varanasi constituency against PM Modi. However, the Election Commission cancelled his nomination citing discrepancies in the two sets of nomination papers he had submitted. He also needs to submit a no-objection certificate from BSF, giving reasons for his dismissal. He was sacked in 2017 from the BSF citing a violation of the BSF disciplinary norms. He has, however, moved the apex court to challenge the EC’s decision to cancel his candidature.

Arnab Goswami buys back Asianet shares, transforms Republic Network with a landmark valuation of Rs 1,200 crores in just 2 years

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Arnab Goswami buys back Asianet shares, transforms Republic Network with a landmark valuation of Rs 1,200 crores in just 2 years

As the Republic TV is on the verge of completing its 2 years, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami has bought the minority shares held by Asianet Media Network and transformed Republic TV to Republic Media Network. The company has achieved a major landmark as its valuation has crossed Rs 1,200 crores in just two years, said a report commissioned by the company.

As per news reports, Republic Media Network is all set to become a completely Editor controlled organisation as Arnab Goswami agrees to buy back shares from investors like Asianet News Media. Recently, the company had also launched its Hindi news channel Republic Bharat. Asianet is said to have made strong returns on their investments made in the company.

Founder and chairman of Jupiter Pvt. Ltd, which is the parent organisation of Asianet Media Network, Rajeev Chandrashekhar said, “I am quite delighted with the growth and success of Republic and Arnab. I am happy to have contributed to the vision of building a strong media-tech platform. Even in financial terms, it has been a successful investment. Asianet Media will continue to offer its support to the Republic as minority portfolio investor after Arnab’s buyback of the shares.”

The Managing Director and Editor in Chief of the Republic Media Network, Arnab Goswami said, “We and Asianet News Media have built a strong media platform And are geared up for further growth. Last years have been phenomenal and we have expanded at an unprecedented rate. Asianet’s strong track record and media savvy tech approach has enabled us to set ourselves on an exponential growth path. Marching forward as Republic Media Network, We will look forward to branch out and expand across all platforms.”

2019 poised to become the Lok Sabha election with the highest voter turnout ever

OpIndia Staff
-
0
2019 poised to become the Lok Sabha election with the highest voter turnout ever

The 2019 Lok Sabha elections are poised to record the highest voter turnout in the history of Independent India. Thus far, the previous General Elections had recorded the highest turnout with a voting percentage of 66.40%. Previous to that, the record was held by the 1984-85 elections which had recorded a voter turnout of 64.01%.

Source: Press Information Bureau

Thus far, the 2019 General Elections have recorded higher voter turnouts in 3 of the 4 phases prior to the 5th phase. The first phase recorded a turnout of 69.5% vs 68.77 in 2014 for corresponding seats, the second phase recorded a turnout of 69.44% vs 69.62%, showing a slight drop. The third phase showed a turnout of 68.40% vs 67.15% while the fourth recorded the same of 65.51% vs 63.05% in 2014.


This time around, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been urging people to come out and vote in large numbers. Numerous celebrities, too, have joined in the campaign upon being requested by the Prime Minister. And as figures for the first four phases show, people have been coming out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right.

As of the time of writing this report, the official app of the ECI showed an estimated voter turnout for the fifth phase to be 62.16% and can be expected to go higher. The article will be updated with official numbers as and when they are released by the ECI.

1...6,3686,3696,370...7,578Page 6,369 of 7,578