News Analysis India

Tag: controversy

  • “Congress’ long-term plan to create rift with help of lies”: Maharashtra Dy CM on claims of Atal Setu cracks

    Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday asserted that there is “no danger” to Atal Setu and termed the allegations as part of Congress’ “long-term plan to create a rift with the help of lies.”

    This comes after Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole on Friday inspected the cracks spotted on the Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) and alleged that these cracks are the result of corruption.

    “There is no crack on Atal Setu. Nor is there any danger to Atal Setu. This picture is of the approach road. But one thing is clear the Congress party has made a long-term plan to create a rift with the help of lies. Talks of constitutional amendments during elections, unlocking of EVMs through phone after elections and now such lies. Only the people of the country will defeat this ‘Darar’ plan and the corrupt behaviour of Congress,” Devendra Fadnavis posted on X.The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) clarified that minor cracks were found on the approach road connecting Atal Setu in Ulwe, which is not a part of the bridge but is a service road connecting the bridge.

    MMRDA stated that the cracks are not due to structural defects in the project and do not pose any threat to the structure of the bridge.

    MMRDA also labelled the news as ‘rumours’ and urged the citizens not to believe them.According to MMRDA, these minor cracks were already noticed at three places on Ramp No 5, from Ulwe towards Mumbai, on Thursday during an inspection by the Operation and Maintenance Team of the Project and require immediate repair. Strabag, the contractor of Package 4 of the Atal Setu project, has started the repair work in the said area and the work will be completed within 24 hours without any disruption to the traffic on the bridge.The official statement reads, “It has been noticed that there is no crack in the main part of Atal Setu Bridge but rumours are being spread in various media about it. Please don’t believe the rumours. Minor cracks have been found on the approach road connecting Atal Setu. The said footpath is not a part of the main bridge but is a service road connecting the bridge. It is also very important to note that the cracks are not due to structural defects in the project and do not pose any threat to the structure of the bridge.”

    “During the inspection on 20th June 2024 by the Operation and Maintenance Team of the project, minor cracks were noticed at three places on Ramp No. 5 asphalt from Ulwe towards Mumbai which require immediate repair. M/s Strabag, the contractor of Package 4 of the Atal Setu project, has started the repair work in the said area and the work will be completed within 24 hours without any disruption to the traffic on the bridge.”

    In a social media post to X, MMRDA wrote, “There have been rumours circulating about cracks on the MTHL bridge. We want to clarify that these cracks are not on the bridge itself but on the approach road connecting MTHL from Ulwe towards Mumbai.”

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, India’s longest bridge, in Maharashtra on January 12, 2024.

    Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were also present on the occasion.

    Atal Setu is also the longest sea bridge in the country.

    Atal Setu provides faster connectivity to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport and reduces travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India.

    The foundation stone of the bridge was also laid by the Prime Minister in December 2016.

    Atal Setu has been constructed at a total cost of more than Rs 17,840 crore.

    It is a 21.8-kilometer-long, 6-lane bridge with about 16.5 km of length over sea and about 5.5 km of length on land.

  • Controversy as Rahul Gandhi Records Video of MP Mimicking Rajya Sabha Chairman

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is caught in a controversy after he was seen recording a video on his phone of suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking the actions of Rajya Sabha chairman, Jagdeep Dhankhar.

    “I am not commenting,” said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Earlier during the day, PM Modi had voiced his pain over the theatrics by a member in the ‘sacred’ Parliament complex, calling it ‘unfortunate’.

    Mimicry row:On Tuesday, a video emerged online where Banerjee mimicked Dhankhar’s mannerisms and physical limitations during a protest by the suspended Opposition members on the stairs of the Parliament on Tuesday.

    The viral clip drew sharp condemnation from the ruling BJP. The chairman of the Upper House, too, took a serious view of the mimicry and expressed his anguish over it.

    An advocate has filed a complaint against Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee for his mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on the premises of the Parliament complex.

    Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned the mimicry of the presiding officer in the Rajya Sabha by Banerjee as well as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The issue was also raised by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in the House, after the video clip of mimicry was aired on TV news channels. Dhankhar vented his anguish in Rajya Sabha, saying he was personally hurt as his farmer and Jat backgrounds were targeted. “Imagine what must be going through my heart when your senior leader videographs a Member of Parliament mocking the institution of the chairman,” he said.

  • Who is the Israeli filmmaker who criticized ‘The Kashmir Files’ at IFFI?

    By Online Desk

    During his concluding remarks at the International Film Festival held in Goa, the Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid sparked a controversy. He called the Indian film, ‘The Kashmir Files’ directed by Vivek Agnihotri “vulgar” and “propaganda”. He further said the film was “inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival”.

    Nadav Lapid,  a recipient of the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, is a writer and filmmaker born in Israel. He is known for his films Synonyms (2019), The Kindergarten Teacher (2014) and Policeman (2011). He has been a member of the Golden Leopard jury at the 2015 Locarno Film Festival, a member of the International Critics’ Week jury at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, and a member of the ‘Official Competition’ jury at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival in 2021.

    Nadav is known for his love-hate relationship with his homeland, which came out in his competition entry, Ahed’s Knee, at the Cannes Film Festival last year. He was identified as a Palestine sympathizer, speaking against his own homeland Israel for he was among a group of 250 Israeli filmmakers that signed an open letter to protest against the launch of the Shomron Film Fund. The group felt the fund held only one goal, which was to invite Israeli filmmakers to “actively participate in whitewashing the Occupation in exchange for financial support and prizes”.

    In one of the interviews for his film ‘Synonyms’, he called the collective soul of Israel a “sick soul”. He said, “The film talks about the collective Israeli soul, and the Israeli collective soul is a sick soul. Something in the deepest essence of Israeli existence is false – it is rotten. It’s not just Benjamin Netanyahu – it’s not special to Israel. But, at the same time, I think this Israeli sickness or nature is characterised by young Israeli men who are muscular, smiling, who don’t raise any questions and don’t have any doubts. They are extremely proud of being Israeli. They have a total dichotomist vision of existence: Us versus all the others.”

    ALSO READ | ‘You should be ashamed’: Envoy to Israeli filmmaker on ‘Kashmir Files’ remark row

    Despite holding a critical view for his own country, Nadav Lapid was invited to IFFI as the Chief Jury. However, his take on Kashmir Files was responded with mixed opinions from the rest of the jury.

    #Breaking: #IFFI Jury says they were “disturbed and shocked” to see #NationalFilmAward winning #KashmirFiles, “a propoganda, vulgar movie” in the competition section of a prestigious festival— organised by the Govt of India.

    During his concluding remarks at the International Film Festival held in Goa, the Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid sparked a controversy. He called the Indian film, ‘The Kashmir Files’ directed by Vivek Agnihotri “vulgar” and “propaganda”. He further said the film was “inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival”.

    Nadav Lapid,  a recipient of the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, is a writer and filmmaker born in Israel. He is known for his films Synonyms (2019), The Kindergarten Teacher (2014) and Policeman (2011). He has been a member of the Golden Leopard jury at the 2015 Locarno Film Festival, a member of the International Critics’ Week jury at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, and a member of the ‘Official Competition’ jury at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival in 2021.

    Nadav is known for his love-hate relationship with his homeland, which came out in his competition entry, Ahed’s Knee, at the Cannes Film Festival last year. He was identified as a Palestine sympathizer, speaking against his own homeland Israel for he was among a group of 250 Israeli filmmakers that signed an open letter to protest against the launch of the Shomron Film Fund. The group felt the fund held only one goal, which was to invite Israeli filmmakers to “actively participate in whitewashing the Occupation in exchange for financial support and prizes”.

    In one of the interviews for his film ‘Synonyms’, he called the collective soul of Israel a “sick soul”. He said, “The film talks about the collective Israeli soul, and the Israeli collective soul is a sick soul. Something in the deepest essence of Israeli existence is false – it is rotten. It’s not just Benjamin Netanyahu – it’s not special to Israel. But, at the same time, I think this Israeli sickness or nature is characterised by young Israeli men who are muscular, smiling, who don’t raise any questions and don’t have any doubts. They are extremely proud of being Israeli. They have a total dichotomist vision of existence: Us versus all the others.”

    ALSO READ | ‘You should be ashamed’: Envoy to Israeli filmmaker on ‘Kashmir Files’ remark row

    Despite holding a critical view for his own country, Nadav Lapid was invited to IFFI as the Chief Jury. However, his take on Kashmir Files was responded with mixed opinions from the rest of the jury.

    #Breaking: #IFFI Jury says they were “disturbed and shocked” to see #NationalFilmAward winning #KashmirFiles, “a propoganda, vulgar movie” in the competition section of a prestigious festival— organised by the Govt of India.

  • Director Leena Manimekalai courts controversy for film poster showing Goddess Kaali smoking

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: A poster for a documentary directed by filmmaker Leena Manimekalai has drawn flak on social media ‘for hurting religious sentiments’ with the depiction of Goddess Kaali.

    The Madurai-born, Toronto-based filmmaker had earlier taken to Twitter to share a poster of her documentary film ‘Kaali’ which depicted a woman dressed in a costume portraying the goddess and smoking. A flag of the LGBT community is seen in the background.

    The film was part of the “Rhythms of Cananda” segment at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, according to a tweet by the filmmaker.

    Super thrilled to share the launch of my recent film – today at @AgaKhanMuseum as part of its “Rhythms of Canada”Link: https://t.co/RAQimMt7LnI made this performance doc as a cohort of https://t.co/D5ywx1Y7Wu@YorkuAMPD @TorontoMet @YorkUFGSFeeling pumped with my CREW pic.twitter.com/L8LDDnctC9
    — Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) July 2, 2022
    “Super thrilled to share the launch of my recent film – today at @AgaKhanMuseumas part of its ‘Rhythms of Canada’. Feeling pumped with my CREW,” Leena tweeted.

    The portrayal of Goddess Kaali in the poster did not go down well with a section of social media users who have demanded the poster be withdrawn.

    Some even demanded strict action against her and the hashtag ‘#ArrestLeenaManimekal’ is trending on Twitter.

    “Leena Manimekalai a filmmaker portraying Hindu God as cigarettes smokers. She is Insulting Maa Kaali,” a Twitterati wrote.

    Some even demanded strict action against her. 

    After receiving flak on social media, Leena has restricted comments on her Instagram.

    She took to Twitter to post in Tamil: “The film revolves around the events that take place one evening when Kali appears and strolls the streets of Toronto. If you see the picture, don’t put the hashtag “arrest Leena manimekalai” but put the hashtag “love you Leena manimekalai”.”

    A screengrab of Leena Manimekalai’s tweet

    Several films and shows have in the past got into trouble for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Anurag Basu’s ‘Ludo’ faced Twitterati’s ire for purportedly promoting ‘Hinduphobic’ content in the movie.

    In 2021, Saif Ali Khan-starrer web series ‘Taandav’ raked up a row for allegedly creating a possibility of religious tension by portraying Hindu Gods in a bad light.