Tag: India

  • India opposition criticises PM Modi for anti-Muslim comments

    India opposition criticises PM Modi for anti-Muslim comments

    India’s main opposition party on Thursday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for anti-Muslim comments in election campaign speeches that have heightened concerns over sectarian tensions in the world’s biggest democracy.

    Modi remains popular across much of India and his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win this general election when it concludes in early June.

    Since voting began last month, the 73-year-old premier has stepped up his rhetoric targeting India’s main religious divide in a bid to rally voters.

    He has referred in campaign rallies to Muslims as “infiltrators” and claimed the main opposition Congress party would redistribute the nation’s wealth to Muslims if it won.

    P. Chidambaram, a former Indian finance minister and senior lawmaker for Congress, said Thursday that Modi was playing “his usual game of dividing Hindus and Muslims”.

    “The world is watching and analysing the Indian prime minister’s statements, and they do not bring glory to India,” he added.

    After Modi suggested that a former prime minister from Congress had planned for a separate “Muslim budget”, the party’s general secretary Jairam Ramesh condemned his statements as “nonsensical”.

    “This is typical Modi bombast and bogusness,” he said Wednesday on social media platform X.

    Since he swept to power a decade ago, Modi has sought to align India’s politics more closely with its majority faith, in defiance of the country’s officially secular constitution.

    His cultivated image as a champion of Hinduism has made him roundly popular but has left many among the country’s 200-million-plus Muslim minority uneasy about their status and anxious about their futures.

    Modi on Tuesday denied stoking religious tensions in a television interview with broadcaster News18.

    “The day I start talking about Hindu-Muslim (divisions) will be the day I will lose my ability to lead a public life,” Modi said.

    ‘Vote jihad’

    But at a campaign rally the following day, Modi accused Congress of planning to commit “vote jihad”, an implied suggestion that his opponents were rallying Muslims to vote against him.

    India’s poll code prohibits sectarian campaigning and opposition parties lodged a complaint about an earlier Modi speech last month with the election commission, which has yet to announce any sanctions against the premier.

    Other members of Modi’s party have been accused of matching his rhetoric and unfairly targeting Muslims during the election.

    A BJP candidate in Hyderabad, Madhavi Latha, was widely condemned on social media Monday for demanding veiled Muslim women remove their facial coverings at a polling station so she could personally check that their appearances matched their identity documents.

    Police in the southern city announced an investigation into the incident.

  • Alia Bhatt faces backlash for silence on Gaza crisis, lands on ‘Block Out 2024’ list

    Alia Bhatt faces backlash for silence on Gaza crisis, lands on ‘Block Out 2024’ list

    Bollywood superstar Alia Bhatt has joined the ranks of celebrities like Taylor Swift and Priyanka Chopra on the ‘Block Out 2024’ list, a group of entertainers and influencers being blocked by fabs for not speaking up about the Gaza genocide. Despite her recent appearances at events like the Met Gala and the Gucci Cruise show, Alia Bhatt has faced criticism for not raising her voice for Palestinians.

    The ‘Block Out 2024’ movement encourages people to unfollow and block these celebrities on social media, aiming to hit them financially by reducing their social media influence.

    Other notable names on the list include Priyanka Chopra, her husband Nick Jonas, and cricketer Virat Kohli. These celebrities have significant platforms but haven’t used them to speak out against Israel’s attacks in Gaza.

    Some big names from the West have also been added to the ‘Block Out’ list, including Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Kylie Jenner, Zendaya, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Khloe Kardashian, Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Demi Lovato, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Zac Efron, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, and Justin Timberlake, among others.

    The movement gained traction after this year’s Met Gala, where celebrities flaunted expensive outfits while Rafah was being mercilessly bombed.

  • Not just acting: Fahad Mustafa on his cop character in ‘Quaid e Azam Zindabad’

    Not just acting: Fahad Mustafa on his cop character in ‘Quaid e Azam Zindabad’

    Actor Fahad Mustafa took a trip down memory lane in a recent Instagram post. He reminisced about his role as a cop in the 2022 film ‘Quaid e Azam Zindabad’ directed by Nabeel Qureshi. Fahad shared a picture from the movie where he portrayed a determined law enforcer.

    Fahad Mustafa said, “Playing a cop wasn’t just acting – It was about embodying honor and duty. Grateful for the life-changing experience in Quaid e Azam Zindabad.” With Mahira Khan playing the lead next to Fahad, the film marked the first time the two celebs starred opposite each other on the silver screen.

    In ‘Quaid e Azam Zindabad,’ Fahad plays Inspector Gulab, a cop in Karachi who battles crime while dealing with bribery on the side. His life takes a turn when he meets Mahira’s character, Jia, an animal rights activist. As Gulab tries to win her affection by aiding her cause, Jinnah’s image mysteriously disappears from currency notes, leading him on a journey of redemption and love.

  • ‘Still looked better than the people sitting at home typing nonsense’; Alizeh Shah hits back at haters

    ‘Still looked better than the people sitting at home typing nonsense’; Alizeh Shah hits back at haters

    Alizeh Shah is not holding back her anger at being targeted by trolls. Faced with the usual pointless criticism that Pakistani netizens specialise in, she hit back at the haters who were not happy with her outfit.

    Recently, she attended an ‘Hum Style Awards’ event where her outfit sparked discussions online. At the fashion and style awards, the actor from ‘Mera Dil Mera Dushman’ made a bold fashion statement.

    She wore a black, strapless midi dress with faux fur. Many people online said the dress reminded them of Kylie Jenner’s lion-head dress from the Schiaparelli show last year. However, the actor’s choice received a lot of criticism from social media users. Some even said it seemed like she was copying Indian influencer and former ‘Bigg Boss’ contestant, Urfi Javed.

    After pictures from the event surfaced, one person on social media said, “She just got inspired by Urfi,” while another wrote, “I’m going to have nightmares now.” Another person even said that Shah lost her ‘attractiveness.’ But, Alizeh Shah didn’t let the negativity get to her.

    She posted a message on her Instagram stories in response to the criticism. “Still looked better than people sitting at home typing nonsense,” she wrote.

  • Saeed Anwar becomes latest celeb to blame women for rising divorce rates

    Saeed Anwar becomes latest celeb to blame women for rising divorce rates

    Saeed Anwar played the most beautiful cover drive the world of cricket had ever seen but his opinions on working women are far less appealing.

    Fans are upset with the former opener after he passed old-fashioned remarks about women being independent.

    Journalist Murtaza Ali Shah, posted a video in which Anwar can be seen stating that divorce rates went up by 30 per cent because women started working and making their own money.

    He talked about meeting an Australian mayor who said their culture suffered when women started working outside their homes.

    Anwar also talked about meeting top cricket players from New Zealand and Australia who asked him for advice on fixing problems in their culture. He said, “Women are now quick to end marriages because they can work on their own.”

    Since the video was shared on social media, people have criticized Anwar for blaming women and not talking about what men do.

  • Modi files candidacy for India election in Hindu holy city

    Modi files candidacy for India election in Hindu holy city

    India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday formally submitted his candidacy to recontest the parliamentary seat for the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in a general election he is widely expected to win.

    The marathon six-week poll concludes next month, and the 73-year-old premier used the election formality as a campaign event that paid deference to the country’s majority faith.

    Varanasi is the spiritual capital of Hinduism, where devotees from around India come to cremate deceased loved ones by the Ganges river, and the premier has represented the city since sweeping to power a decade ago.

    Hundreds of supporters had gathered outside a local government office to greet Modi when he arrived to lodge his nomination.

    Footage showed the premier handing over his candidacy paperwork, flanked by a Hindu mystic.

    “It’s our good fortune that Modi represents our constituency of Varanasi,” devout Hindu and farmer Jitendra Singh Kumar, 52, told AFP while waiting for the leader to emerge.

    “He is like a God to people of Varanasi. He thinks about the country first, unlike other politicians.”

    Modi, who has made acts of religious worship a central fixture of his premiership, had spent the morning visiting temples and offering prayers at the banks of the Ganges.

    Tens of thousands of supporters had lined the streets of Varanasi to greet Modi as he arrived in the city on Monday atop a flatbed truck, waving to the crowd from atop a flatbed truck as loudspeakers blared devotional songs.

    Many along the roadside waved saffron-coloured flags bearing the emblem of his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), throwing marigold flowers at the procession as it passed by.

    ‘Not wanted’

    Modi and the BJP are widely expected to win this year’s election, which is conducted over six weeks to ease the immense logistical burden of staging the democratic exercise in the world’s most populous country.

    Varanasi is one of the last constituencies to vote on June 1, with counting and results expected three days later.

    Since the vote began last month, Modi has made a number of strident comments against India’s 200-million-plus Muslim minority in an apparent effort to galvanise support.

    He has used public speeches to refer to Muslims as “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”, prompting condemnation from opposition politicians and complaints to India’s election commission.

    The ascent of Modi’s Hindu-nationalist politics despite India’s officially secular constitution has made the Muslims in the country increasingly anxious.

    “We are made to feel as if we are not wanted in this country,” Shauqat Mohamed, who runs a tea shop in the city, told aFP.

    “If the country’s premier speaks of us in disparaging terms, what else can we expect?” the 41-year-old added.

    “We have to accept our fate and move on.”

    abh/gle/mca

    © Agence France-Presse

  • India vote resumes with Indian-occupied Kashmir poised to oppose Modi

    India vote resumes with Indian-occupied Kashmir poised to oppose Modi

    India’s six-week election resumed Monday including in Indian-occupied Kashmir, where voters were expected to show their discontent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cancellation of their disputed territory’s semi-autonomy and the security crackdown that followed.

    Modi remains popular across much of India and his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win the poll when it concludes early next month.

    But his government’s decision in 2019 to bring IOK under its direct rule — and the subsequent clampdown — have been deeply resented among the region’s residents, who will be voting for the first time since the move.

    “What we’re telling voters now is that you have to make your voice heard,” said former chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose National Conference party is campaigning for the restoration of IOK’s former semi-autonomy.

    “The point of view that we want people to send out is that what happened… is not acceptable to them,” he told AFP.

    IOK has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. Both claim it in full and have fought two wars over control of the Himalayan region.

    Rebel groups opposed to Indian rule have waged an insurgency since 1989 on the side of the frontier controlled by New Delhi, demanding either independence or a merger with Pakistan.

    India accuses Pakistan of backing the insurgents, a charge that Islamabad denies.

    The conflict has killed tens of thousands of soldiers, rebels and civilians in the decades since, including a spate of firefights between suspected rebels and security forces in the past month.

    ‘Referendum’

    Violence has dwindled since the Indian portion of the territory was brought under direct rule five years ago, a move that saw the mass arrest of local political leaders and a months-long telecommunications blackout to forestall expected protests.

    Modi’s government says its cancelling of IOK’s special status has brought “peace and development”, and it has consistently claimed the move was supported by Kashmiris.

    But his party has not fielded any candidates in the IOK valley for the first time since 1996, and experts say the BJP would have been roundly defeated if it had.

    “They would lose, simple as that,” political analyst and historian Sidiq Wahid told AFP last week, adding that Kashmiris saw the vote as a “referendum” on Modi’s policies.

    The BJP has appealed to voters to instead support smaller and newly created parties that have publicly aligned with Modi’s policies.

    But voters are expected to back one of two established IOK political parties calling for the Modi government’s changes to be reversed.

    “I voted for changing the current government. It must happen for our children to have a good future,” civil servant Habibullah Parray told AFP.

    “Everywhere you go in Kashmir today you find people from outside in charge. Everyone wants that to change.”

    In rural districts outside Srinagar, the region’s biggest city, army soldiers patrolled roads in convoys of bulletproof vehicles.

    Several polling booths around the constituency had more than two dozen paramilitary troops guarding voter queues.

    Boycotts called by rebel groups left few Kashmiris willing to participate in past elections, with just over 14 percent of eligible voters in Srinagar casting a ballot during the last national poll in 2019.

    By mid-afternoon on Monday nearly 30 percent of people in the constituency had voted, with booths still open for several more hours.

    Nearly one billion voters

    India’s election is conducted in seven phases over six weeks to ease the immense logistical burden of staging the democratic exercise in the world’s most populous country.

    More than 968 million people are eligible to vote in India’s election, with the final round of polling on June 1 and results expected three days later.

    Voter turnout elsewhere in India has so far declined significantly from 2019, according to election commission figures.

    Analysts have blamed widespread expectations that Modi will easily win a third term and hotter-than-average temperatures heading into the summer.

    India’s weather bureau has forecast more hot spells in May and the election commission formed a taskforce last month to review the impact of heat and humidity before each round of voting.

  • Urwa Hocane wants her husband Farhan Saeed to ‘focus’ on her

    Urwa Hocane wants her husband Farhan Saeed to ‘focus’ on her

    Urwa Hocane, the famous actor who’s now producing films, wants her husband, heartthrob actor-singer Farhan Saeed, to focus on her.
    The two were again chatting playfully in the comments on Farhan’s latest Instagram post.

    When the star of ‘Mere Humsafar’ recently posted a new picture and asked for suggestions in the comments, his loving wife advised him to focus on her.

    Saeed asked in the caption of the two-picture gallery from a recent gig, “This year I should focus on?” Hocane simply commented, “Me,” followed by a series of emojis.

    The adorable comment has caught the eye of social media users, who can’t help but gush over the affectionate couple. Thousands of fans have also sent their best wishes to the pair.

  • Geethika Tiwari’s comment on Feroze Khan’s photo goes viral

    Geethika Tiwari’s comment on Feroze Khan’s photo goes viral

    Indian actor-model Geethika Tiwari left a mysterious comment on the latest photo posted by her co-star, Pakistani heartthrob Feroze Khan.
    Khan shared a new photo on his Instagram on Thursday evening, shirtless, showing off his well-defined abs.

    In the caption, he wrote, “- they wish to be close to me.” The post got over 150k likes and many comments for the superstar. But one comment from his upcoming co-star, Indian actor Geethika Tiwari, caught the attention of social media users.
    She commented, “Abhi tak no no no no chance,” seemingly in response to the caption.

    Earlier, the Indian celebrity praised the ‘Tich Button’ star during a Q&A session with her Instagram followers. Last month, she wrote, “@ferozekhan is a very talented person in the entertainment industry. He captivates audiences effortlessly on both big and small screens with his charm and great acting skills.”

    She received more than 500 questions about Khan. Tiwari added, “Feroze’s kindness and warmth make a lasting impression on everyone he meets.” She ended with, “See you all guys in the theatre soon.”
    It’s worth noting that Feroze Khan and Geethika Tiwari will soon appear together in an upcoming film called ‘Luck Lag Gayi’.

  • Sharmin Segal hits back at ‘Heeramandi’ criticism

    Sharmin Segal hits back at ‘Heeramandi’ criticism

    Actress Sharmin Segal has talked about how she handles online harassment and criticism of her work in a podcast interview before the web series’ ‘HeeraMandi’ release earlier this month.

    “I feel a lot of pressure, and sometimes it shows in strange ways. But I have a great support system. My sister is my strongest support; she’s also an assistant director on the show. This setup allows me to vent when I need to.”

    She continued by saying that she won’t keep putting too much pressure on herself. “I want to prove myself, but I’m also realistic now. I hope everyone loves Alamzeb [her character in Heeramandi], but some people will always have their opinions.”
    Segal was called the weakest member of the ‘Heeramandi’ ensemble cast, and fans questioned why Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave her such a big role based only on their relationship. The star disabled comments on her most recent Instagram photos in response to the vicious bullying that was going on on social media. For those who don’t know , Segal is the niece of director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who previously worked with him on successful films such as ‘Bajirao Mastani,’ and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ before making her cinematic debut in ‘Malaal’.

    On May 1, Netflix released ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,’ which is about the courtesans who resided in Lahore’s red light district.