FILM INSPIRED BY PM MODI’S CHILDHOOD SCREENED
BJP leaders and many senior bureaucrats were busy watching a film at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Auditorium on Tuesday and at the Rajya Sabha Secretariat the next day. The keenness to watch the 32-minute film, Chalo Jeete Hain was because they were told that it had been inspired by the early life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The film is slated to be premiered on the Star Network and Hotstar today.
After watching the film with President Ram Nath Kovind, many Union Ministers took to Twitter to appreciate it. At the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu watched it along with Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajyavardhan Rathore, Jayant Sinha and J.P. Nadda.
The film does not claim to be the PM’s official biography. But it has many things in common with him. For example, the boy child actor’s name is Naru, which sounds like a shortening of Narendra. Like Modi, Naru sells tea at a railway station and is influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings. The story is about the boy going around asking everyone “what’s it that you live for?” after reading “a winner is one who lives for others”. Director Mangesh Hadawale told The Sunday Guardian that “the film is about a boy Naru who is inspired by Vivekananda’s words, ‘Only they live who live for others’.” Although Hadawale is careful about not mentioning the PM in his conversation, he visited Modi’s hometown Vadnagar and read books written by the Prime Minister. One such book was Samajik Samrasta. He says that the story how Modi, when 11, wrote, directed and acted in a school play in which a Dalit mother tries to save the life of her ailing son left quite an impression on him. “My gut feeling was that I had found a perfect story for my next film which would inspire the children of the country.”
Sources in the BJP said that the film will be shown in all party-ruled states and will be used during the election campaign.
CAMPAIGN TO LEGALISE PROSTITUTION MAY START
Sensing “victory” in the battle to get homosexuality decriminalised, many domestic and international NGOs are gearing up “to push for legalising prostitution”. However, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) head Swati Maliwal sounded a strong warning against these efforts because prostitution is the “worst form of slavery” and legalising the trade would promote trafficking. Questioning the so-called experts vouching for legalising the trade, Maliwal said only poor women would be pushed into it if prostitution was allowed under the law. Talking to The Sunday Guardian, Maliwal said, “I am totally against the legalisation of prostitution. I want to ask the experts who vouch for its legalisation, will they allow their daughters, sisters or wives to take up this profession?”
“My top priorities are to ensure the implementation of the recently passed ordinance which prescribes death penalty to rapists of children within six months, push the authorities for setting up fast track courts, close down the red-light area of G. B. Road in the walled city and eliminate drug mafias,” added Maliwal.
NCP BRINGS TAI’S KITCHEN TO MUMBAI
In Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party is all set to launch Tai’s Kitchen (elder sister’s kitchen) in Mumbai today to provide low priced but quality food for the common man. The price per plate may vary from Rs 6 to Rs 10. The first Tai’s Kitchen will be launched to coincide with senior party leader Ajit Pawar’s birthday. The canteen at Badlapur on the outskirts of Mumbai has been named after Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule. NCP councillor from Badlapur, Ashish Damle told The Sunday Guardian that local businessmen and builders were providing funds for the canteen. One chapatti and a vegetable will cost Rs 6 while three chapattis and a vegetable will be priced at Rs 10. “We have estimated that the cost of running a canteen will be about Rs 45,000 per month,” said Damle, adding that raw materials like flour and vegetables were being sponsored by a businessman.
PDP STARTS REVAMP PROCESS
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) celebrated its 19th foundation day on Saturday and set in motion a major revamp with the aim to prevent its split. The party was founded by Mehbooba Mufti’s father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 1999. The PDP leadership is afraid of its former coalition partner BJP’s designs to form government in Jammu and Kashmir with the help of its rebels. To keep the party united is a major challenge for PDP president Mehbooba Mufti. At least, five MLAs and two MLCs have openly spoken against the party leadership after the fall of the government. Many in the party have described the earlier partnership with the saffron party as an “unholy alliance”. On Monday, PDP vice-president and Mehbooba Mufti’s maternal uncle Sartaj Madni and five other party office-bearers resigned in a bid “to silence the rebels”. It is learnt that the PDP’s founding member and Member of Parliament Muzzaffar Baig is likely to play a key role in the days to come.
After the fall of the government, Mufti had detailed interactions with party MLAs, MPs and district and zonal presidents and got a clear picture about the brewing rebellion and decided to give more responsibilities to senior leaders and former ministers, including Abdul Rehman Veeri, Syed Altaf Bukhari, Dilawar Mir and Abdul Haq Khan. Her core team, including Altaf Bukhari, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Dilawar Mir and Haq Khan, will also get major roles. The MLAs will be given more responsibilities.