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As it happened: Delhi went to polls today

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 07 Februari 2015 | 07.20

05:28 PM

Tentative Voter turn out till 5 pm: 63.46% — Central: 63.59%, East: 64.78%, New Delhi: 59.92%, North: 64.56%, North East: 66.37%, North West: 62.1%, South: 61.7%, South West: 63.66%, West: 64.4%

05:23 PM

Najeeb Jung casts his vote, hopes stable govt will be formed in Delhi after polls

05:20 PM

Delhi elections 2015: Political bigwigs cast their vote

05:16 PM

AAP has given up: BJP

04:59 PM

Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi casts his vote

04:40 PM

Priyanka Gandhi, Robert Vadra cast their vote

04:37 PM

Delhi records 55.68% voting till 4 pm.

04:34 PM

BJP's Nupur Sharma allegedly pushed by AAP workers

04:33 PM

Voter turnout to cross 70%: CEC Brahma

04:23 PM

Hope AAP will give BJP 'something to think about': Omar

03:51 PM

I would like to appeal to the people of Delhi that now various rumours would be spread. The people are aware that one is a party that wants to win the elections through the TV screen and the other party wants to fight elections by approaching the people by going to their homes

Kejriwal

03:38 PM

People follow me on their own, let EC look into poll code violation: Kiran Bedi on AAP's complain about padh yatra

03:35 PM

AAP an important opponent, everyone learns from everybody

Priyanka Gandhi

03:34 PM

Priyanka Vadra & Robert Vadra cast their votes

03:24 PM

Union home minister Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that the BJP will emerge victorious in the Delhi assembly elections. Speaking to reporters in his parliamentary constituency on the day polling was being held in the union capital, Rajnath Singh said the party was confident of its victory at the hustings to give the national capital stability and development.

03:19 PM

Congress has faced difficulties before and it has always come through. I'm sure it will come through

Priyanka Gandhi

03:14 PM

Amit Shah calls meeting of senior BJP leaders and ministers at 7 pm.

03:14 PM

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra & Robert Vadra cast their vote

03:04 PM

AAP is shocked over the support the BJP is getting. All AAP does is complain and accuse people. They have threatened people to hurl bombs on the society.

GVL Narasimha Rao, BJP spokesperson

03:00 PM

40% voter turnout till 2pm

03:00 PM

If BJP's Kiran Bedi becomes CM, she will be the oldest person to ever assume office as chief minister of Delhi. Sheila Dikshit currently holds the record—she became Delhi CM at age 60. She is also the longest serving Delhi CM, having held the job for 15 years without interruption. If elected, bureaucrat-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal will become the youngest chief minister of Delhi since it was converted into a union territory in 1956.

02:49 PM

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy declares Kiran Bedi as next CM of Delhi on Twitter

02:46 PM

We are getting good reports, weather is nice so people are coming in good numbers

Delhi CEO Chandra Bhushan Kumar

02:25 PM

Speaking to a TV news channel BJP's Kiran Bedi alleged that AAP workers were "forcing people" to vote for it and even abusing women at a voting booth, citing a purported video of some voter confirming these allegations."AAP is buying voters for Rs 300. Young girls are saying they were offered money and free food. Women are being threatened.

02:19 PM

Today is a historic day. Delhiites have to decide what kind of Delhi they want - a clean Delhi, a secure Delhi, a capable Delhi, a Delhi that respects women. Respecting women is respecting Delhi. I appeal people to come out and vote.

Kiran Bedi

02:07 PM

AAP files complaint against Kiran Bedi with Election Commission

02:02 PM

Cong not to support AAP

02:00 PM

AAP files complaint to EC against Kiran Bedi for violating model code of conduct by holding pad-yatra and asking for votes in Krishna Nagar: ANI

01:59 PM

Arvinder Singh Lovely casts his vote

01:58 PM

Police officials help a senior citizen cast her vote

(ANI photo)

01:45 PM

Early lunch breaks against rules: Kejriwal

01:44 PM

Polling slowed down in many places: Kejriwal

01:42 PM

It's taking 2 hrs in some places: Kejriwal

01:39 PM

35% voter turnout in Delhi till 1 PM

01:34 PM

A man who turned up at a polling booth in Seemapuri couldn't vote because on paper he's been put in the list of deceased.

01:23 PM

'BJP workers have given up'

01:22 PM

Highest voter turnout at Trilokpuri so far. Matia Mahal records the lowest.

01:19 PM

Trilokpuri records 53% voter turnout till 1pm.

01:18 PM

AAP volunteers misbehaved with me: Shazia Ilmi

01:16 PM

Kiran Bedi's sensational 'cash for vote' charge against AAP

01:07 PM

Northeastern youths from Mukherjee Nagar under Timarpur constituency vote and click photographs to send out a message to political parties. Over 30,000 northeasterners are likely to vote.

(TOI photo by Jayashree Nandi)

01:00 PM

Polling stations 139, 149 and 154 of Sadar Bazar constituency have no wheelchairs. Elderly facing problems.

12:52 PM

Union minister Maneka Gandhi casts her vote

(ANI photo)

12:42 PM

BJP president Amit Shah reaches party office; meets BJP leaders to take stock of polling rate.

12:40 PM

BJP candidate Nupur Sharma accuses AAP workers of roughing her up near Sangli booth, to lodge police complaint.

(ANI photo)

12:37 PM

Now on my way to all polling booths in my constituency, Krishna Nagar. What an experience ...

Kiran Bedi

12:11 PM

I think we will do really well, Sandeep Dikshit says

(ANI photo)

11:54 AM

Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit casts her vote

(ANI photo)

11:47 AM

Balvir Singh (71) from Narela doesn't have hands but still votes. He pressed the evm with his nose and got his toe (foot) inked.

(TOI photo by Raj Shekhar)

11:45 AM

Voter turnout: Will Delhi break its own record?

11:43 AM

Leaders of other parties are trying to spread false news, I would appeal you not to pay heed and vote for truth/honesty

Arvind Kejriwal, AAP chief

11:42 AM

Arvind Kejriwal makes an appeal to voters to come out in large numbers and vote for honesty

11:39 AM

Nobody wants a hung assembly, a lot of people's time and govt's money has been wasted, people will certainly vote BJP to power

Shazia Ilmi

11:38 AM

Varun Gandhi casts his vote

(ANI photo)

11:33 AM

District wise voter turnout:

Central: 4.3% East: 6.2% New Delhi: 5.1% North: 5.6% North east: 6.6% North west: 6.04% South: 5.4% South west: 6.5% West: 5.5%

11:25 AM

Kejriwal casts vote; alleges liquor, money distribution by other parties

11:17 AM

BJP candidate Surjeet Kumar from Mangolpuri detained following allegations of liquor distribution levelled against him. Liquor bottles recovered from a car purportedly owned by him.

11:16 AM

Congress' Dr AK Walia casts his vote

(ANI photo)

11:14 AM

BJP candidate from Matiala has alleged that cars parked outside his campaign office were damaged by AAP workers. Pcr call was made early morning.

11:08 AM

People in Jhangola village, Narela are boycotting polls. No vote until now. They say no one worked for them so they will not vote.

11:06 AM

Rahul Gandhi casts his ballot

11:01 AM

Voter turnout: 9.25% turnout at 10am.

10:59 AM

CPM chief Prakash Karat is in Bihar today, will not be able to vote in Delhi elections

10:48 AM

AAP CM candidate Arvind Kejriwal casts his vote at BK Dutt Colony

(ANI photo)

10:34 AM

Last night liquor and money was distributed. People of Delhi know which party did this, don't vote for them, Kejriwal says

10:33 AM

Sonia Gandhi casts her vote at Nirman Bhawan

10:27 AM

BJP CM candidate Kiran Bedi visits polling booths in her constituency Krishna Nagar.

10:19 AM

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi casts his vote at Aurangzeb lane polling booth

10:15 AM

People of Delhi will vote for us and we will win with absolute majority

Manish Sisodia, AAP leader

10:13 AM

AAP CM candidate Arvind Kejriwal on way to BK Dutt Colony to cast his vote

10:12 AM

The weather is very good and our teams are ready at every polling booth. I appeal to everybody to come after leaving their mobiles and cameras at home. With an open heart, without any difficulty, the people should exercise their right

Chandra Bhushan Kumar, Delhi chief electoral officer

10:11 AM

Delhi chief electoral officer Chandra Bhushan Kumar casts his vote in the ongoing assembly elections in the national capital.

10:00 AM

People want freedom from corruption, bribery & I'm hopeful they will vote accordingly

Arvind Kejriwal

09:59 AM

BJP's candidate from New Delhi, Nupur Sharma, contesting against Arvind Kejriwal casts her vote.

09:55 AM

Voter turnout till 9am is 5.40% according to joint CEO, Rajesh Goyal

09:51 AM

AAP's Manish Sisodia waiting outside Pandav Nagar polling booth to cast his vote

(ANI photo)

09:50 AM

I am confident, looking forward to a new Delhi, I will work till the end, we have to make Delhi a world-class city

Kiran Bedi

09:44 AM

Dr Harshvardhan on Kiran Bedi's sore throat

09:43 AM

Polling underway in 70 constituencies of Delhi

09:26 AM

We will neither take nor extend any support to AAP for government formation

Ajay Maken

09:13 AM

Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit outside Nirman Bhawan polling booth.

(ANI photo)

09:11 AM

Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit is outside Nirman Bhawan polling booth, waiting for Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

09:08 AM

Dr Harshvardhan casts his vote

(ANI photo)

09:06 AM

Today also BJP has published front page ads which would apprx cost Rs 100 crores, where does BJP get all this money from?

Ashish Khetan, AAP

09:05 AM

Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan casts his vote along with his mother

09:02 AM

BJP CM candidate Kiran Bedi casts her vote

08:57 AM

Sharmishtha Mukherjee casts her vote

President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter and Congress candidate from Greater Kailash Sharmishtha Mukherjee casts her vote. (ANI photo)

08:45 AM

Vote for clean, safe Delhi: Kiran Bedi

08:44 AM

PM se vikaas milega, mujhse suraksha milegi, mahilao ki suraksha desh ki suraksha, aao milke vikas ki Delhi banaye.

Kiran Bedi

08:37 AM

Vice-President Hamid Ansari casts his vote

08:35 AM

PM Modi urges 'young friends' to vote in record numbers

08:35 AM

Delhi is going to vote for development, appeal voters to come out and vote

Kiran Bedi, BJP CM candidate

08:33 AM

President Pranab Mukherjee visits polling booth at the President's Estate

08:25 AM

We will certainly form government in Delhi, the people of Delhi are with BJP, Satish Upadhyay says.

08:18 AM

Urging voters to come out in large numbers, BJP CM candidate Kiran Bedi asks Delhi to choose what it wants.

08:08 AM

Voting begins in Delhi

Voting begins, voters wait outside a polling booth to cast their vote. (ANI photo)

08:02 AM

PM Modi tweets urging voters to go out in large numbers and vote for a stable govt in Delhi

07:00 AM

BJP is confident: Arun Jaitley


07.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi assembly elections 2015: Exit poll results

08:40 PM

My gratitude to Delhiites for their support: Kejriwal

08:28 PM

Don't take exit polls seriously: Kiran Bedi

08:08 PM

AAP to get around 48 seats, remaining 22 seats for BJP: Chanakya exit poll

07:53 PM

AAP has gained both at the expense of BJP and Congress: Neerja Chowdhury, political commentator

07:45 PM

My soul still says BJP will win: Kiran Bedi

07:40 PM

Chanakya exit poll seat share

07:26 PM

AAP to get 39-43 seats, BJP around 25-29 seats: News Nation

07:24 PM

AAP to get 39 seats, BJP to come second with 28 seats: ABP-Nielsen

07:18 PM

News Nation exit poll: AAP is expected to get 39 to 43 seats, BJP 25 to 29 and Congress 1 to 3

07:17 PM

Cicero: AAP is expected to get 39 seats, BJP 26 and Congress 3

07:14 PM

Kiran Bedi says exit polls take voting up to 3pm and there was heavy voting till 6pm, so don't take exit polls seriously

07:03 PM

AAP to get 31-39 seats, BJP around 27-35 seats: C-Voter

06:59 PM

ABP-Nielsen Exit Poll Seat Share

06:37 PM

C-Voter: AAP is expected to get 31 to 39 seats; BJP 27 to 35; Congress 2 to 4

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Ishant Sharma ruled out of ICC World Cup 2015

India fast bowler Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 having failed to recover from a knee injury. Reports suggest that Mohit Sharma is likely to take Ishant's place in the 15-man squad for the quadrennial event.

The injured quartet of Ishant, Rohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja went through rigorous fitness drills and the 26-year-old paceman was the only player found unfit. Ishant last played for India in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

"It's confirmed that Ishant has been ruled out and will not recover in time to play the World Cup. As per regulations, we had Mohit Sharma as stand-by and he will be inducted into the World Cup squad. Ishant is likely to return home," a top BCCI source told PTI.

"Rohit Sharma (hamstring), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (ankle) and Ravindra Jadeja (shoulder) have passed the fitness test. However to confirm their match fitness, the trio will need to go through the grind during the warm-up games against Australia and Afghanistan. The team management will need to check as to how Jadeja shapes up while throwing from the deep. That they (Rohit and Bhuvneshwar) have reported fit is the reason that they were presented for the Open Media Session," the source added.

BCCI is yet to issue a official statement on Ishant's withdrawal from the team and his replacement.

Following the Test series, Ishant was not in the playing XI for the first two ODIs in the tri-series. He resumed training and was picked in the Australia Day clash in Sydney but the match was rained out and Ishant was unable to bowl. Subsequently, he was dropped for the Perth match against England. Mohit Sharma, who played in the match at Perth, was among the few who did well, taking two wickets for 36 runs.

India will play their first warm-up game against Australia on February 08, which will be followed by a warm-up clash against Afghanistan. India will open their World Cup campaign against Pakistan in Adelaide on February 15.


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In pics: Delhi votes for new govt

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BJP's chief ministerial candidate for Delhi Kiran Bedi shows her ink-marked finger after casting her vote at a polling station during the state assembly election in New Delhi on February 7, 2015. (Reuters photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

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Kiran Bedi after casting her vote at a polling station during the state assembly election in New Delhi. (Reuters photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

/delhi-votes-for-new-government/eventshow/46154278.cms

03

Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit waits outside polling booth to cast her vote. (ANI twitter photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

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04

BJP's Jagdish Mukhi casts his vote. (ANI twitter photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

/delhi-votes-for-new-government/eventshow/46154268.cms

05

Varun Gandhi casts his vote. (ANI twitter photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

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AAP CM candidate Arvind Kejriwal casts his vote at BK Dutt Colony. (ANI twitter photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

/delhi-votes-for-new-government/eventshow/46154257.cms

07

BJP's Vijay Goel casts his vote. (ANI twitter photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

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LG Najeeb Jung casts his vote. (ANI twitter photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

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09

AAP's Raghav Chadha casts his vote. (ANI twitter photo) 

Delhi votes for new government

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi arrives at Aurangzeb lane polling booth to cast his vote. (ANI twitter photo) 

Delhi votes for new government


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Blog: An open letter to Barack Obama

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 06 Februari 2015 | 07.20

Dear Obama ji,

Welcome to India.

(Before you bring your hands together in Namaste, let me help you to a pro-tip. Nobody in India does Namaste anymore, unless you are at a wedding greeting a million relatives. We have moved on to bae.)

I know you are a stickler for security so let me just start by saying that I took a bath using Dettol-laced water, changed into disinfected clothes and then annihilated all germs on my hands using my brand new hand sanitizer, before sitting down to write. There are weird viruses these days; you never know if one goes through my hands into the open letter and on to you. God forbid.

Obama-namastey

I hope your flight to India was comfortable and your long legs weren't too cramped. I am perhaps half your height and even I get cramped every time I fly. Sometimes I wonder if the cattle class is special to India given our reverence for cows.

(Also did you know that the first flight of an airplane was actually in India. We have a movie coming up about this. You should be able to get a DVD from any Indian store in DC.)

While you were busy planning this trip, helping Michele bhabhi pick her dresses for the various events, shopping for Hershey's and Lindt chocolate packs for us, and debating with Kal Penn and Bobby Jindal as to which of our thousands of historical monuments you should visit, we've been busy as well. Delhi has been cleaned up like the tail of the Indian cricket team by Australian bowlers. Oh well, I doubt you'd get the reference. It is cricket. It is a sport we play. But why bother talking about useless things.

I just want to thank you. Your visit has reenergised India. It is such an honor (bae please note American spelling) that you will be the chief guest at our Republic Day parade and watch flypasts of C-17 planes that we bought from you. Ever since your people vacated the Pakistan consulate in the recent season of Homeland, this must be the biggest confidence building measure between the two nations.

We have setup 15,000 CCTVs for your security. The Delhi Police has become more alert than ever. Roads have been cleaned up. Buildings have been vacated. The stray cows have been driven away. I half-suspect even the birds of New Delhi are being starved to reduce the risk of their dropping excreta in your vicinity.

You see, all of this is a bit against our character. We enjoy the liberty of stopping our car in the middle of the road and taking a leak against any random wall, unless there is a picture of our favourite god on said wall. We feel more secure when we know that the CCTVs setup on the intersections are not connected to anything. We are used to living our lives dangerously in the knowledge that our police is understaffed, underpaid and overweight.

So, thank you for helping us see this side of Delhi. It is another matter that we can't see any of it as all the roads are sealed, and traffic is expect to be a bitch so we are all just staying home waiting for you to go back. But see, you're bringing our families closer already by forcing us to spend the weekend at home. All of your thousands of security people in town are making us feel safe again. Can't you leave some of them behind? Delhi is notorious for crime against women.

Now that you've done so much for us, let me share a few tips with you to enjoy the stay in Delhi.

Modi ji is planning on gifting 100 saris to Michele bhabhi. Please make sure that he gives them after getting the 'fall' stitched on. You will struggle to find a nice tailor to do this in Washington DC.

Do not, I repeat, do not even entertain the thought of going on a panel discussion on one of our news channels. They won't let you speak and would give you an inferiority complex with their supreme intellect.

The family naan at Bukhara is massive. Only order it if Modi ji and his entire cabinet is also eating at the table. We don't like wasting food in our poor country.

Do not buy any DVDs at Palika without bargaining. Start with a third of the price they quote upfront.

Please ask your staff to keep feeding updates to the media coordinator. We Indians like to know what our guests are eating, when they went to the loo, what they are wearing and when, and so on. This helps us feel involved.

That's all I can think of. If you could add me on Whatsapp, I'll send more tips as and when I can think of. If we don't speak again, just one request. Please do keep visiting every six months. We like to see Delhi cleaned up once in a while.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.


07.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

Seven factors that will decide the poll

NEW DELHI: The fight for Delhi took a very interesting turn barely two days before the election when Dera Sacha Sauda pledged to support BJP and Akali Dal, while TMC chief Mamata Banerjee threw her weight behind AAP. Here are seven factors that will prove to be crucial for the election that will be held on February 7 and the verdict of which will be out on February 10.
1.

Kejriwal: A year after he quit office, he's bounced back. Opinion poll show he is No. 1 choice for CM. But will that translate into votes?

2.

Modi: He won the LS election 9 months ago virtually on his own, and his personal appeal was key to BJP's victory in Maharashtra and Haryana. Can he pull it off in Delhi?

3.

Bedi gamble: Kiran Bedi was brought as a trump card. But while she has an appeal among the middle class voters, she seem to have alienated local leaders & workers.

4.

Centre-State cohesion: This is a central campaign pitch for BJP-the same party at the centre and state will ensure greater development in Delhi. Will it be a clincher?

5.

Uderclass vote: Weaker section of society and the poor seem to be pitching for AAP. If this traditional congress bastion switches to AAP en bloc, it could be a game changer. Will it?

6.

Traders: Traditionally they supported BJP. But they seem to grow fond of AAP because during the 49 days govt, police 'hafta' and MCD harassment had stopped. Enough for this section to switch sides?

7.

Groundwork: The delay in holding polls gave AAP time to regroup and work at the grassroots. In comparison BJP has been weak organizationally.Will this be a decider?

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Blog: Will Delhi elections be a game changer?

Voting for India's most awaited assembly elections, some would say perhaps as eagerly awaited as the general elections last year, takes place tomorrow when the voters of Delhi cast their vote to elect a new government. It may just be an assembly election for what is geographically a very small area, a city, that is not even a full-fledged state, but by all estimates, the polling that takes place tomorrow could be one of the game changer in Indian politics.

For all those watching these elections closely, and that number is big, with a huge interest abroad as well, one thing is sure –  Indian politics is changing, and even more so in the urban areas where the awareness levels are high. And all of it is being abetted, in no uncertain terms, by the growing relevance and reach of the social media.

Voters, and the general discourse now, has started dismissing a large part of the dirty politics of the past. As I said, this is still referring to the urban areas, for the rural areas of the country are still years away from what it should be. What was a given earlier is now being challenged. Dirty tricks being played at the times of polls are increasingly under the glare, are noticed, and more and more people talk about it and are willing to punish those indulging in it.

If allegations and counter allegations were enough to influence the gullible to make a decisive shift in the polling pattern in the past, it seems such influences are increasingly on the wane. People question the timing, those behind it and all else and refuse to take anything at face value. All this is good, even though some genuine exposes, or stings, if you will, also get viewed with suspicion. Perception management was a game then, it still is. But how one goes about it is changing.

However, even as this positive shift seems to be happening, the role of the money bags in each elections is still a big big worry. Election funding is easily the biggest source of corruption in the country and seems no one is genuinely keen on curbing this menace. "Why me alone. Let others start" seems to be the general refrain. And one can understand why. Look at the businesses and businessmen. As part of their survival instincts, they generally go with the tide. You can't blame them. So many do so much wrong that it is important for them to be seen on the right side of those who wield power. Without the patronage of the authorities, the rich can't be powerful. And to get that power, they don't mind sinking funds into those who are in power or are likely to get some.

Even the most honest politicians realize money is critical. As long as the culture of buying votes through inducements, in cash and kind, including liquor continues, this umbilical cord cannot be snapped. Although the voters are becoming smarter and say one thing and do the other, it still does NOT address the issue of money and its misuse. One way out could be to bring funding to political parties under the ambit of RTI. Almost all politicos one speaks to admit that it will be a good way of reducing corruption, but none wants to be the first one to bell the cat. Corrupt businesses know this well, and also that irrespective of how clean the candidate is or principled or idealist, s/he still needs money to run a campaign.

Despite this, it can't be denied that the current elections are different. It shows that those who play the game well (not necessarily by the rule) and manage perceptions well can take on all others. And others can scarcely complain.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.


07.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 05 Februari 2015 | 07.20

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AIB has posted a letter, explaining the reason behind the roast, sharing it on Youtube and taking it off eventually. Read on to know what they had to say...

"I may not agree with you, but I will defend to death my right to get offended. How dare you? Baahar mil." – Desi Voltaire

Dear everyone,
Let's just all take a deep breath. They're just jokes. Unfunny, crass or whatever you want to call them, they're still just jokes. The AIB Knockout video has been taken down. While we'd love to claim that it's because so many people watched it that it broke YouTube, the truth's a little sadder.First things first; no one person or force forced us to take this video down. This is not something that's happened because of a 3 am phonecall or a morcha at our front door or a gunman on a grassy knoll. Under the circumstances, this is us being pragmatic. Allow us to explain.People who've been following our work will know that we've always tried to experiment with content be it on Youtube or a live comedy show, with the sole intent of making people laugh and/or think. AIB Knockout was another such attempt to try something new and bring the roast format to a country where celebrities aren't often known to laugh at themselves. To our pleasant surprise, we managed to bring together consenting adults who were willing to be made fun of by other consenting adults in a crowd full of (wait for it) consenting adults. And if we're honest, it was a phenomenally entertaining evening. Were the jokes repetitive? Crass? It didn't matter because they happened in the spirit of irony and good humour. It was just liberating to be able to say those things, things that people have thought in one form or another privately for years. A lot of the laughter that night came from that spirit (there's your answer, people who wondered why everyone was laughing at terrible jokes).The video came with a clear disclaimer with several age and content warnings. No one was forced to watch it, we didn't buy airtime on every single TV channel on Earth to broadcast it. YouTube videos do not magically auto-play in front of you. And yet the videos got over 8 million views. Far more importantly, on the video page, the people who liked them outnumbered the people who disliked them by ten times to one. Yes, ten times.The format was the same as any international roast i.e. insult comedy, delivered in the form of one-liners designed to be as rude as possible. It is performed with the understanding that none of the material is to be taken seriously—none of the performers actually mean the "offensive" things they say to each other on the night. We clarify this simply to provide context.
(contd...) 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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With the Knockout, in our own juvenile, idiotic way, we wanted to push the envelope of comedy in this country. But then the envelope pushed back. Things got to a point where people who have supported us, people who work hard to make what we do come to life, were put in a position where things could get deeply unpleasant for them. And that's a problem. We can live with abuse, hate, anger, fury, rage, ignorance, bigotry and perhaps even bullying. But we don't want anybody to get hurt because of us. And we do mean anybody.We hope it's clear by now that we never write with the aim of hurting people. That's not our goal and we daresay that no comedian ever does that. We don't go to work and say, "Hmm, let's offend XYZ people from XYZ community today." If we really wanted to piss off people and hurt them, we'd be selling credit cards over the phone.Our job is to raid the newspapers, pop culture and life for observations and analogies and it's okay if you think we're juvenile or unfunny. We respect arguments that are critical, and as for the arguments we don't, we respect your right to make them without impediment. It is a courtesy we wish worked both ways.Over the last few days, we've found ourselves subject to more scrutiny, judgment and opinion than we're worth. This Knockout shouldn't matter. In a secure culture it wouldn't matter.We're lucky to have support pouring in from all quarters. First up, from our fans, just the greatest people in the world, who have nothing but good cheer and encouragement and positive thoughts. We were pleasantly surprised that people in power who we have made fun of in the past, including people from both the so-called right wing and left-wing, went out of their way to convey support to us. It was fantastic to know that they stand for free speech as much as us. Friends in the media have told us to stay our course, pledging their support for our right to say anything, no matter how ridiculous. Thank you to anyone who has stated in the last few days that we have the right to say what we want, not as comedians but more importantly as citizens of this country.There's a larger cultural conversation going on here, where we're at the very edges of what it's okay to say. And it's a conversation we need to have now because the world we live in is entirely too complicated to be run by silences. We still stand by our belief in the right to absolute freedom of expression for us and for anyone who has anything to say about anything at all. We hope to be part of an environment that supports that sort of expression without fear of persecution, intimidation and most importantly, annoyance. As always, in our own AIB way we'll continue to strive towards creating that very environment.
(contd...) 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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In the meantime, we'd like to say thank you to our fans and everyone else who is standing by us. You guys make the struggle worth it. To everyone railing against us and against the stars that were present, to everyone who's decided we're destroying the fabric of our culture, to everyone who's called us seditious pornographers while plotting the downfall of Indian Values And Civilization As We Know It, we would like to reiterate that we are just a bunch of comedians who work, and have always worked, without any malicious intent whatsoever.We encourage any and all conversation on the subject of freedom of expression, for our own silly selves, and for people better, smarter and more courageous than us. For hundreds and thousands of artists, commentators and any and all citizens that do not have the privilege of social platforms and reach that we do.We are also cooperating with the authorities and hope to resume normal service soon. We'd like some sort of cheerful resolution to this so we can focus on more important national issues, like the upcoming Cricket World Cup.

P.S. Best of luck Virat Kohli. Sorry for the jokes. We heart emoticon you.P.P.S. It's a good thing nobody's downloaded the file and put it on a torrent website or anything.

Disclaimer: The letter has been sourced from the Facebook page of AIB and reproduced as is.

Read on to know about how a series of events led to the AIB roast video eventually being taken off Youtube... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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According to a DNA report, post the probe ordered by the government and Maharashtra CM's interest in the issue, the AIB has pulled down videos of their controversial roast from Youtube. Informing followers about the same, the All India Bakchod Team tweeted, "Have taken down AIB Knockout for now. We will speak soon." After being embroiled in a lot of controversies, the final nail in the coffin for AIB may have been the comment made by Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis. Maharashtra Chief Minister commented upon this incident. "If the AIB roast was vulgar and not in accordance with the law, then we will act," he had stated.

Here's how the MNS threatened Karan Johar, Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh with consequences, if they fail to apologise for being a part of the roast... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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According to an IANS report, MNS Chitrapat Sena chief Ameya Khopkar has said that Bollywood filmmaker, Karan Johar and actors, Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh need to apologise for being a part of the contentious roast. Claiming that the content of the programme was totally against the Indian culture and standards of decency, Khopkar has demanded an unconditional public apology from all those involved. He has also threatened that if the actors or director fail to issue the apology, they will be forced to stop the screening of their films.

However, this is not the first trouble that the AIB Knockout roast has landed in. Read on to know about Censor Board member, Ashoke Pandit's justification of his inflammatory tweet against Karan Johar... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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Reacting to the uproar caused by his tweet, Censor Board member, Ashoke Pandit says he is appalled by the participation of celebs like Karan Johar, Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor in the AIB Knockout roast and by tweeting he was only expressing his displeasure. "I am a fan of Karan Johar's cinema and am extremely hurt by what he has done on the stage. He makes films that promote core Indian values and people look upto him but when he endorses a show like this one, it sends out the wrong message to the youth of the country," reasons Ashoke Pandit. But by tweeting in what was being termed to be 'crass' language, isn't he promoting the very concept that he is opposing? "I cannot answer AIB's vulgarity with charity. I have to send out the message loud and clear and for that I have to use a language that they understand. The tweet is just an extension of the roast" he asserts.

Read on to find out what Ashoke Pandit had tweeted and the reactions that followed... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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After the government had ordered a probe into the matter, Censor Board member, Ashoke Pandit's comment on the issue has caused much outrage on Twitter. The tweet that targetted the host of the AIB Knockout, Karan Johar, is being lambasted for being vulgar. Filmmaker and now a member of the Censor Board, Ashoke Pandit, had tweeted, "Karan Johar could have easily shown his position while performing sex to his mom at home instead of making it public. #AIB Porn Show."

Ashoke Pandit is now being shamed on the micro-blogging site for the tweet. Here are some of the tweets where people have voiced their opinions...

@ashwinmushran
"You've got to laugh at the irony of people using the same language that AIB is accused of while protesting it. Difference is, they mean it."

@mihirfadnavis
"The first accomplishments of the new Censor Board are 1) Promising complete ban of profanity in films 2) Saying AIB have sex with their mom."

@varungrover
"Achha mauka to do a photoshop of @ashokepandit kissing a Taliban mullah full on the lips. Like that #UCB unhate campaign."

Read on to know why the government has ordered a probe into the 'roast' that had the internet in splits...

Disclaimer: All tweets have been sourced from Twitter and written as is.  

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the government has ordered a probe into the AIB Roast. The state culture department, impelled by reports that All India Bakchod's (AIB) Bollywood roast featured excessive ribaldry, ordered a probe into the show. Cultural affairs minister, Vinod Tawde was quoted in the report as saying that, "Officials of the department will examine videos of the show for content. If found vulgar, action will be initiated." Explaining the reason for the investigation, Tawade said, "Some people reported to me that the performance had vulgar language, and inquired if the performers had the censor certificate. I asked Cultural Affairs Director Ajay Ambekar to conduct an inquiry. There is no problem if they have a certificate. If they don't, we need to find out how the stadium allowed such a performance without a censor certificate. It's a crime then and we will have to register an FIR. In the state, our censor board is supposed to give permits." However, the culture department is not the only one probing the issue, the police are also independently investigating the matter.

While the roast is generating a lot of interest on social networking sites, Twitter is divided between those who support the roast and those who don't. Read on to know why... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles


07.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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After the All India Bakchod team issued a letter explaining their point-of-view, internet parallel, The Viral Fever (TVF) has also issued a video message in support of the roast.Citing an example, one of the members of the TVF team, explains that if she is a vegetarian, she wouldn't expect sea food to be taken off the menu of a restaurant she is visiting. She would just opt not to order that as she is allergic to it. The TVF community are talking about the bigger picture in their video, where they claim that the reaction to the 'roast' is a scary one. They insist that if the same continues, there will be no freedom of speech on the internet medium and that would mean that they would have to think within the confines of what is permissible. Arguing that such moral policing will only lead to the death of creativity, the TVF supports AIB in its approach to the video that has enough disclaimers to warn people of the content. The TVF team also rightly points out that any religion or culture too big to be brought down by a couple of jokes.

TVF has taken it as an attack on the entire internet community and repeatedly urges anyone who is an internet user to stand up in support of the video. TVF would be happy to know that filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma supports the AIB roast just like them. Here's what he had to say... 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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According to a report on IANS, the latest celebrity to support the AIB Knockout is Ram Gopal Varma. RGV has always had a bitter-sweet relationship with Karan Johar, taking digs at his films on social networking platforms. So, it came as a shock when RGV decided to tweet in favour of Karan. The filmmaker posted a series of tweets that read, "The AIB show is final proof that India has finally come of age and I truly appreciate Karan for taking the plunge or more correctly the leap. Anyone who condemns Karan's AIB Show whether from government or various organisations are just the figureheads of repressive regressions. The sheer popularity of the AIB also shud b a call to the censor board to wake up smell the coffee nd look out the window at a new India. Karan took the lid off a volcano of lies nd hypocrisies and history will remember him as the guy who invented a new India."

While RGV supports the concept of a 'roast,' Farida Jalal has not particularly liked it. Here's why... 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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According to a Mid-day report, the latest one to take offence to the AIB roast is Farida Jalal whose name was used in one of the jokes of the show. During his act, comedian Ashish Shakya had joked, "You know Karan, 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' is Ranveer's favourite film. Even now when he watches the movie, he has to reach for tissues because he is the only guy who can jerk off to Farida Jalal." The report quotes the veteran actress as saying that she had watched a bit of the show and couldn't watch it further due to the content. She confessed that she didn't know about the joke cracked at her expense but when informed about the same, she was quoted as saying that it was quite embarrassing for her. She also admitted to the fact that AIB had not sought her consent on the issue.

While, veteran actress, Farida Jalal hasn't taken to any social networking site to express her opinions on the roast, there are many others who have. Here's what they had to say... 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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The AIB Roast with Ranveer Singh and Arjun Singh can easily be declared a hit what with the number of viewers it has managed to garner online. However, not everyone is happy with the content of the show. Certain groups have filed a police complaint regarding the show post which the government ordered a probe into the issue and the Maharashtra CM too promised to take action if the content was found vulgar. The AIB team then had to pull down the videos from Youtube. The celebrities associated with the show have taken to Twitter to express their ire over the questions being raised about their presence in the show. Here's what they had to say...

Sonakshi Sinha @sonakshisinha
"So nice to see twitter is filled with such angels who point out hypocrisy n never use foul language n have nvr laughed at dirty jokes (haw)"

Karan Johar @karanjohar
"Not your cup of tea...don't drink it!!!"

Alia Bhatt ‏@aliaa08
"Some "not taking life so seriously" lessons are needed. DESPERATELY!!!!"

Despite the warning at the beginning of the video that alerted viewers of the objectionable content of the video, Twitter is abuzz with tweets that are terming the video to be a matter of national shame. On the other hand, there is also a strong group that is standing strong in support of the video and defending everyone involved with it. Both the hashtags - 'AIB National shame' and 'We stand by AIB Knockout' are trending on Twitter. The micro-blogging site is divided on the issue, with supporters and haters indulging in a battle of words. Here's an account of what they have to say. 

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Tweets against the AIB Knockout

Robert Rabbit ‏@GaltiSe_Mistake "Every Indian must have joked on Arpita Khan privately and now abusing others. Hypocrites and Spineless People AIB National Shame"

SuRyaKanta ‏@iamsks_surya "sonakshi & deepika r enjoying on vulgar jokes on women at #AIB National Shame. Every time they are telling respect women."

BajrangiAasif ‏@AasifOO7 "charity k naam pe kal p*rn show bhi accept karoge ? so called paid suppotr of cheap show. AIB National Shame"

Sunil panigrahi ‏@Iamsunil2 "@AnushkaSharma Agar Film Release Hone Wali H To in Stars K Women Respect ki yaad aati Baki Time Women Respect gai bhad me AIB National Shame" 

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Tweets against the AIB Knockout

Tauseef khan ‏@TheTauseefKhan "Utna hi karo jitna khud jhel sako - wise words by the wisest man SALMAN KHAN AIB National Shame"

Shahid Hasnain ‏@shahidHasnain "If some body asked women to produce 4 children and one talked about awarding those who have 7-8 children is not shame,but AIB National Shame"

JaiminiBhattacharyya ‏@Jaimini_8k "a bunch of jerks having some shitting views on opening up society does not imply the whole nation having same views "AIB National Shame"

Anshul Saxena ‏@AskAnshul "Once Sonakshi Sinha argue with KRK on vulgar jokes n was talking abt Women respect but now she loves maa-behan #AIBRoast AIB National Shame" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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Tweets against the AIB Knockout

Sir Ravindra Jadeja ‏@SirJadeja
"#AIBRoast proved that Deepika's Cleavage Controversy and Sonakshi's KRK Controversy was Totally Publicity Stunt. AIB National Shame"

Anshul Saxena ‏@AskAnshul
"AIB National Shame : Shame on those celebs too who praised this show on twitter, and they talk about women empowerment, Pathetic #AIBRoast"

Anshul Saxena ‏@AskAnshul
"Few months ago,Deepika was shouting for women respect when TOI posted her cleavage n now she loves maa-behan #AIBRoast AIB National Shame"

@athar$ayyed ‏@atharalisayyed
"karanjohar talk about respect yourfamily &women in films he is having laugh on vulgar jokes on women In front of his mom #AIB National Shame" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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Tweets against the AIB Knockout

Biswatosh Sinha ‏@biswatosh
"Seriously, it's not cool. They called themselves they represent youth, Indian youth is much more educated then them. AIB National Shame"

Zara_Ali ‏@4HappyEverAfter
"#AIB National Shame is not freedom of expression or media ! It is an expression of perverted depraved minds that endanger social norms!"

sabina lamba ‏@SabinaLamba
"Sec294 IPC-any1 sings,recites or utters obscene words,in/near public place,shall b punished wid imprisonment,fine,or both AIB National Shame"

पंजाबी मुंडा - रोहित ‏@iBeingSalmaniac
"Yes finally SalmanKhan got 2 know abt what D stupid tanmay elephant did nd Salman u did awsm by making a call to him AIB National Shame" 

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Tweets in support of the AIB Knockout

rOn ‏@iRonakGupta
"Everyone enjoyed the #AIBRoast until govt filed a case against it..n now people are like AIB National Shame!! We Stand By AIB Knockout!!"

DimpleBoy..:p ‏@sid_shubham
"We Stand By AIB knockout , saala ek ghnta video enjoy krne k baad kehte h, vulgar h, AIB National Shame h itni hi prblm h to mt dekho BC"

Amit Srivatsa ‏@amit_srivatsa
"AIB National Shame. Because our country and culture are so pure. And the 120 crore people here? Yeah, they were born by photosynthesis. Duh!"

Amit Srivatsa ‏@amit_srivatsa
"AIB National Shame. Because rapes, infanticides, political murders and corruption aren't our country's real problems. Lewd jokes are." 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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Tweets in support of the AIB Knockout

Beersome ‏@piyakkad_banda
"No one cares if ppl pass comment on ayesha takiya, but how dare you make fun of bhais family. AIB NATIONAL SHAME"

Arpan ‏@GoodOldBoots
"The people who are calling AIB National Shame should stick to Comedy Nights with Kapil. We Stand By AIB Knockout."

Sir Chetan Bhagat ‏@chetan_bhaqat
"AIB National Shame as women as not expected to enjoy vulgar jokes, rather they need to stay home and produce four #AIBRoast"

Santoesha Bissesar ‏@MsSantoesha
"India is trending AIB national shame.Yes,the same Indians who watched Grand Masti again & again and made it a superhit. @AllIndiaBakchod" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not


07.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

Blog: Politics gets its revenge on Kejriwal, Bedi

Politics is an essential but often maligned profession. However, it has some saint-like and egalitarian qualities. It is affected by no one. No one can change it. In the end, it changes everyone. Honest and well-intentioned individuals, social activists, teachers, lawyers, bureaucrats and many others jump into politics claiming to transform it. Alas, politics paints them all with the same brush and makes them look alike. It is the only profession that believes in and practises the dictum "all human beings are created equal".

The career trajectories over the last few years of two former bureaucrats, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, are examples of the great transformative power of politics.

Bedi Kejriwal
Once upon a time, but not in the too distant past, Kejriwal and Bedi were the left and right hands of social activist Anna Hazare during the Jan Lokpal movement. Started under the India Against Corruption banner, the Jan Lokpal movement was a Charles Dickensian moment. "It was the best of  times, it was the worst of times." Ramlila Maidan had turned into India's Tahrir Square. It triggered the hope that things can change: the middle class can shed its lethargic attitude to politics, the youth still care for society, a motley of people can come together and sustain a movement and politicians can still be made accountable.

Realizing that the momentum was not with them, politicians relented, made compromises and called a special session of Parliament, but in the end, gave up nothing. With time, they managed to slow down the momentum of the movement and finally succeeded in vertically splitting India Against Corruption. Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi parted ways. Kejriwal decided to join politics to change it and launched Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with other movement leaders. Bedi vowed never to join politics and to keep supporting Anna Hazare and his movements.

AAP surprised its detractors, perhaps supporters too, with its success in the Delhi assembly polls of December 2013. Arvind Kejriwal went on to become the Delhi CM with Congress's support. Though the AAP government lasted only 49 days, each day was an experiment and demonstration of direct democracy in a city-state. Seeking public opinion through SMS to form a government, Kejriwal's decision to travel by Metro to take oath, threatening to disrupt the Republic Day parade, sitting on a dharna as the CM, sleeping on the road and in his car during the dharna, calling himself an "anarchist", AAP's was a never-seen-before government in India.

Having fulfilled his two key poll promises, giving free water and cutting power bills by half, and nothing much else to do due to limited numbers, Kejriwal decided to "sacrifice" the AAP government at the altar of the Jan Lokpal Bill.

arvind kejriwal
Now, Kejriwal was free to devote full time to the general election of 2014. Hoping for a repeat of his Delhi performance where he had defeated Sheila Dikshit, Kejriwal announced his decision to contest against Narendra Modi from Varanasi.

It appears that there is something about the Ganga and Varanasi. The very first plunge that Kejriwal took in the Ganga at Varanasi seemed to have transformed him into a typical politician. According to unverified reports, his decision to come out in green lungi after his bath in the Ganga was not spontaneous but a planned one. Kejriwal's visit to Sankatmochan and then stopping his campaign during azaan were subtle signs of a so-called aam aadmi turning into a professional politician.

AAP's drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls and his personal defeat in Varanasi had taken its toll on Kejriwal. The reality had dawned on Kejriwal: to survive in politics, one needs to be a politician.

Kejriwal 2.0 and AAP 2.0 are radically different from their earlier avatars. There is no more the pretence of being an aam aadmi by Kejriwal. AAP no longer believes in practising a different kind of politics. Kejriwal has realized that to fight and win an election, he needs funds and votes. No matter how, from whom and from where, money and voters should keep coming. Here are some examples which show that for Kejriwal and AAP, the Delhi assembly election is politics as usual:

  • There is no more the  "democratic facade" of getting 100 signatures from a constituency to be eligible to be an AAP candidate.
  • The selection of candidates is behind closed doors.  Winnability is the sole criterion to be an AAP candidate. Many party hoppers, turncoats and career politicians have got AAP tickets because of their winnability. The selection of candidates is reported to be the main reason for the Bhushans not being happy with Kejriwal.
  • To raise funds, AAP has been hosting lunches and dinners with Kejriwal. The fee to attend these lunches and dinners varies from Rs 20,000 to about Rs 1 lakh. Whatever be the justification, it symbolizes the transformation of Kejriwal from an aam aadmi to a khas aadmi.
  • Kejriwal is slamming BJP for mentioning his gotra in one of its advertisements. In a meeting with Delhi traders, Kejriwal himself invoked his "baniya" identity. By highlighting his "baniya" identity, Kejriwal has legitimized the politics of the Sakshi Maharajes and Owasis.
  • An aam aadmi does not expect an invitation to attend a Republic Day parade. Neither does an "anarchist". For an anarchist, a Republic Day parade is nothing but a deliberate display of a state's might to instill fear among aam aadmis. Of course, if you consider yourself a former Delhi chief minister, then it will hurt if you are not invited. So, when Kejriwal complained about not being invited for this year's Republic Day parade, it was the inner voice of an ex-CM which got better of the former aam aadmi.

The AAP 1.0 was a kind of cooperative and every member had a sense of ownership. But politician Kejriwal has transformed AAP 2.0 into a corporate entity and appropriated its ownership. AAP now stands for "Arvind alone party" or "Arvind and party". For its supporters, AAP is still different from other parties. But the difference is only of degree and not of kind.

Kiran Bedi1
For Kiran Bedi, the last 13-14 months must have been very hard. While Kejriwal had managed to keep himself busy and in the limelight, Bedi must have been feeling left out. With Anna Hazare resigned to his dwindling popularity and relegated to Ralegan Siddhi, there were no more campaigns to run. Now, what to do? For an ambitious ex-bureaucrat, joining politics is the most natural career progression. When it comes to "serving the nation", Bedi can't look "selfish" and keep thinking about her vow of not to do anything with politics. So, here she is: the CM candidate of the BJP.

Politics has finally got its revenge on  Kejriwal and Bedi. It has turned them into full-fledged politicians. Now, we are back to old-style electioneering and politics.

Come February 10, whoever — Kejriwal or Bedi — wins, it won't matter much. Politics will be the real winner.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.


07.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 04 Februari 2015 | 07.20

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AIB has posted a letter, explaining the reason behind the roast, sharing it on Youtube and taking it off eventually. Read on to know what they had to say...

"I may not agree with you, but I will defend to death my right to get offended. How dare you? Baahar mil." – Desi Voltaire

Dear everyone,
Let's just all take a deep breath. They're just jokes. Unfunny, crass or whatever you want to call them, they're still just jokes. The AIB Knockout video has been taken down. While we'd love to claim that it's because so many people watched it that it broke YouTube, the truth's a little sadder.First things first; no one person or force forced us to take this video down. This is not something that's happened because of a 3 am phonecall or a morcha at our front door or a gunman on a grassy knoll. Under the circumstances, this is us being pragmatic. Allow us to explain.People who've been following our work will know that we've always tried to experiment with content be it on Youtube or a live comedy show, with the sole intent of making people laugh and/or think. AIB Knockout was another such attempt to try something new and bring the roast format to a country where celebrities aren't often known to laugh at themselves. To our pleasant surprise, we managed to bring together consenting adults who were willing to be made fun of by other consenting adults in a crowd full of (wait for it) consenting adults. And if we're honest, it was a phenomenally entertaining evening. Were the jokes repetitive? Crass? It didn't matter because they happened in the spirit of irony and good humour. It was just liberating to be able to say those things, things that people have thought in one form or another privately for years. A lot of the laughter that night came from that spirit (there's your answer, people who wondered why everyone was laughing at terrible jokes).The video came with a clear disclaimer with several age and content warnings. No one was forced to watch it, we didn't buy airtime on every single TV channel on Earth to broadcast it. YouTube videos do not magically auto-play in front of you. And yet the videos got over 8 million views. Far more importantly, on the video page, the people who liked them outnumbered the people who disliked them by ten times to one. Yes, ten times.The format was the same as any international roast i.e. insult comedy, delivered in the form of one-liners designed to be as rude as possible. It is performed with the understanding that none of the material is to be taken seriously—none of the performers actually mean the "offensive" things they say to each other on the night. We clarify this simply to provide context.
(contd...) 

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With the Knockout, in our own juvenile, idiotic way, we wanted to push the envelope of comedy in this country. But then the envelope pushed back. Things got to a point where people who have supported us, people who work hard to make what we do come to life, were put in a position where things could get deeply unpleasant for them. And that's a problem. We can live with abuse, hate, anger, fury, rage, ignorance, bigotry and perhaps even bullying. But we don't want anybody to get hurt because of us. And we do mean anybody.We hope it's clear by now that we never write with the aim of hurting people. That's not our goal and we daresay that no comedian ever does that. We don't go to work and say, "Hmm, let's offend XYZ people from XYZ community today." If we really wanted to piss off people and hurt them, we'd be selling credit cards over the phone.Our job is to raid the newspapers, pop culture and life for observations and analogies and it's okay if you think we're juvenile or unfunny. We respect arguments that are critical, and as for the arguments we don't, we respect your right to make them without impediment. It is a courtesy we wish worked both ways.Over the last few days, we've found ourselves subject to more scrutiny, judgment and opinion than we're worth. This Knockout shouldn't matter. In a secure culture it wouldn't matter.We're lucky to have support pouring in from all quarters. First up, from our fans, just the greatest people in the world, who have nothing but good cheer and encouragement and positive thoughts. We were pleasantly surprised that people in power who we have made fun of in the past, including people from both the so-called right wing and left-wing, went out of their way to convey support to us. It was fantastic to know that they stand for free speech as much as us. Friends in the media have told us to stay our course, pledging their support for our right to say anything, no matter how ridiculous. Thank you to anyone who has stated in the last few days that we have the right to say what we want, not as comedians but more importantly as citizens of this country.There's a larger cultural conversation going on here, where we're at the very edges of what it's okay to say. And it's a conversation we need to have now because the world we live in is entirely too complicated to be run by silences. We still stand by our belief in the right to absolute freedom of expression for us and for anyone who has anything to say about anything at all. We hope to be part of an environment that supports that sort of expression without fear of persecution, intimidation and most importantly, annoyance. As always, in our own AIB way we'll continue to strive towards creating that very environment.
(contd...) 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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03

In the meantime, we'd like to say thank you to our fans and everyone else who is standing by us. You guys make the struggle worth it. To everyone railing against us and against the stars that were present, to everyone who's decided we're destroying the fabric of our culture, to everyone who's called us seditious pornographers while plotting the downfall of Indian Values And Civilization As We Know It, we would like to reiterate that we are just a bunch of comedians who work, and have always worked, without any malicious intent whatsoever.We encourage any and all conversation on the subject of freedom of expression, for our own silly selves, and for people better, smarter and more courageous than us. For hundreds and thousands of artists, commentators and any and all citizens that do not have the privilege of social platforms and reach that we do.We are also cooperating with the authorities and hope to resume normal service soon. We'd like some sort of cheerful resolution to this so we can focus on more important national issues, like the upcoming Cricket World Cup.

P.S. Best of luck Virat Kohli. Sorry for the jokes. We heart emoticon you.P.P.S. It's a good thing nobody's downloaded the file and put it on a torrent website or anything.

Disclaimer: The letter has been sourced from the Facebook page of AIB and reproduced as is.

Read on to know about how a series of events led to the AIB roast video eventually being taken off Youtube... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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04

According to a DNA report, post the probe ordered by the government and Maharashtra CM's interest in the issue, the AIB has pulled down videos of their controversial roast from Youtube. Informing followers about the same, the All India Bakchod Team tweeted, "Have taken down AIB Knockout for now. We will speak soon." After being embroiled in a lot of controversies, the final nail in the coffin for AIB may have been the comment made by Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis. Maharashtra Chief Minister commented upon this incident. "If the AIB roast was vulgar and not in accordance with the law, then we will act," he had stated.

Here's how the MNS threatened Karan Johar, Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh with consequences, if they fail to apologise for being a part of the roast... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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05

According to an IANS report, MNS Chitrapat Sena chief Ameya Khopkar has said that Bollywood filmmaker, Karan Johar and actors, Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh need to apologise for being a part of the contentious roast. Claiming that the content of the programme was totally against the Indian culture and standards of decency, Khopkar has demanded an unconditional public apology from all those involved. He has also threatened that if the actors or director fail to issue the apology, they will be forced to stop the screening of their films.

However, this is not the first trouble that the AIB Knockout roast has landed in. Read on to know about Censor Board member, Ashoke Pandit's justification of his inflammatory tweet against Karan Johar... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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06

Reacting to the uproar caused by his tweet, Censor Board member, Ashoke Pandit says he is appalled by the participation of celebs like Karan Johar, Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor in the AIB Knockout roast and by tweeting he was only expressing his displeasure. "I am a fan of Karan Johar's cinema and am extremely hurt by what he has done on the stage. He makes films that promote core Indian values and people look upto him but when he endorses a show like this one, it sends out the wrong message to the youth of the country," reasons Ashoke Pandit. But by tweeting in what was being termed to be 'crass' language, isn't he promoting the very concept that he is opposing? "I cannot answer AIB's vulgarity with charity. I have to send out the message loud and clear and for that I have to use a language that they understand. The tweet is just an extension of the roast" he asserts.

Read on to find out what Ashoke Pandit had tweeted and the reactions that followed... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

/aib-roast-censorship-hassles/eventshow/46107251.cms

07

After the government had ordered a probe into the matter, Censor Board member, Ashoke Pandit's comment on the issue has caused much outrage on Twitter. The tweet that targetted the host of the AIB Knockout, Karan Johar, is being lambasted for being vulgar. Filmmaker and now a member of the Censor Board, Ashoke Pandit, had tweeted, "Karan Johar could have easily shown his position while performing sex to his mom at home instead of making it public. #AIB Porn Show."

Ashoke Pandit is now being shamed on the micro-blogging site for the tweet. Here are some of the tweets where people have voiced their opinions...

@ashwinmushran
"You've got to laugh at the irony of people using the same language that AIB is accused of while protesting it. Difference is, they mean it."

@mihirfadnavis
"The first accomplishments of the new Censor Board are 1) Promising complete ban of profanity in films 2) Saying AIB have sex with their mom."

@varungrover
"Achha mauka to do a photoshop of @ashokepandit kissing a Taliban mullah full on the lips. Like that #UCB unhate campaign."

Read on to know why the government has ordered a probe into the 'roast' that had the internet in splits...

Disclaimer: All tweets have been sourced from Twitter and written as is.  

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles

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08

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the government has ordered a probe into the AIB Roast. The state culture department, impelled by reports that All India Bakchod's (AIB) Bollywood roast featured excessive ribaldry, ordered a probe into the show. Cultural affairs minister, Vinod Tawde was quoted in the report as saying that, "Officials of the department will examine videos of the show for content. If found vulgar, action will be initiated." Explaining the reason for the investigation, Tawade said, "Some people reported to me that the performance had vulgar language, and inquired if the performers had the censor certificate. I asked Cultural Affairs Director Ajay Ambekar to conduct an inquiry. There is no problem if they have a certificate. If they don't, we need to find out how the stadium allowed such a performance without a censor certificate. It's a crime then and we will have to register an FIR. In the state, our censor board is supposed to give permits." However, the culture department is not the only one probing the issue, the police are also independently investigating the matter.

While the roast is generating a lot of interest on social networking sites, Twitter is divided between those who support the roast and those who don't. Read on to know why... 

AIB Roast: Censorship hassles


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Hangout: Do you have a question for Ajay Maken?

Do you have a question for Ajay Maken?

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Google, Uber may go to war over taxis: Bloomberg

Reuters | Feb 3, 2015, 11.02AM IST

Google is one of the biggest investors in Uber.

Page 1 of 4

Google Inc is preparing to offer its own ride-hailing service, putting it in direct competition with Uber, Bloomberg News reported, citing a person close to Uber's board.

Google is one of the biggest investors in Uber.

David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer and a member of Uber's board, has informed the app-based ride service of Google's plans, Bloomberg reported.

The source also said Uber's board was weighing whether to ask Drummond to resign, Bloomberg reported.

Neither Uber nor Google were available for comment.

Uber executives have been made privy to screenshots of Google's ride-sharing app, which is currently being used by Google's employees, Bloomberg reported.

Google's move may imperil Uber's reliance on the search giant, as the cab service's smartphone applications for drivers and riders are based on Google Maps.

Google recently said its driverless car technology was in development within its Google X research lab, but it is two to five years from being ready for widespread use, according to Bloomberg.

Uber also announced a tie-up with Carnegie Mellon University on Monday to create the Uber Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh aimed at developing Uber's own self-driving vehicle technology.

The partnership seeks to provide "research and development, primarily in the areas of mapping and vehicle safety and autonomy technology," Uber said in its blog.

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'Micromax beats Samsung to grab top position'

MUMBAI: Indian budget smartphone maker Micromax leapfrogged South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to become the leading supplier in India's booming smartphone market for the first time in the fourth quarter, research firm Canalys said.

In a report issued on February 3, Canalys said Micromax accounted for 22% of smartphone sales in India in the October-December quarter, ahead of Samsung's 20%. In total, 21.6 million smartphones were sold in India in the period, a 90% surge from a year earlier.

India, which has the world's second-highest number of mobile phone accounts after China, is the third-biggest market by number of smartphones sold. Low-priced smartphones are the top sellers in a country where many buyers are upgrading from feature phones.

Micromax's performance was partly due to its "continuing appeal to mobile phone users upgrading to smartphones", Canalys said. It estimated nearly a quarter of smartphones sold in India in the fourth quarter were devices priced under $100, while 41% of devices sold were in the $100-$200 range.

Micromax and Samsung were followed by two other Indian budget smartphone brands, Karbonn and Lava, by number of handsets sold in fourth quarter, Canalys said.

Responding to research firm Canalys' report that positions Micromax as India's leading smartphone maker, Samsung has said that it continues to dominate the market with a 34.3% share in volume.

The South Korean giant cites GfK data which it says is based on actual sales (and not shipments) as the basis of its claim. Samsung's volume market share in the October-December 2014 quarter was 34.3% and the value market share was 35.8%, as per the report.

Annually, Samsung's volume market share in the smartphone market was 35.7% while value share was 40.2%, as per the data.

Asim Warsi, vice president, marketing, Mobile business, Samsung India, said, "In the entire year 2014, we continued to lead the market with innovative and exciting offerings. Our volume market share in the smartphone market in the year was 35.7%, which is more than double than that of the next player, while our value share was 40.2%, which is more than four times the next player. The GfK data is based on actual retail sales in 50,000-plus population cities."

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=smartphones india,Indian smartphone market,Samsung,Micromax,Canalys

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AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

/aib-knockout-objectionable-or-not/eventshow/46119190.cms

01

The AIB Roast with Ranveer Singh and Arjun Singh can easily be declared a hit what with the number of viewers it has managed to garner online. However, not everyone is happy with the content of the show. Certain groups have filed a police complaint regarding the show post which the government ordered a probe into the issue and the Maharashtra CM too promised to take action if the content was found vulgar. The AIB team then had to pull down the videos from Youtube. The celebrities associated with the show have taken to Twitter to express their ire over the questions being raised about their presence in the show. Here's what they had to say...

Sonakshi Sinha @sonakshisinha
"So nice to see twitter is filled with such angels who point out hypocrisy n never use foul language n have nvr laughed at dirty jokes (haw)"

Karan Johar @karanjohar
"Not your cup of tea...don't drink it!!!"

Alia Bhatt ‏@aliaa08
"Some "not taking life so seriously" lessons are needed. DESPERATELY!!!!"

Despite the warning at the beginning of the video that alerted viewers of the objectionable content of the video, Twitter is abuzz with tweets that are terming the video to be a matter of national shame. On the other hand, there is also a strong group that is standing strong in support of the video and defending everyone involved with it. Both the hashtags - 'AIB National shame' and 'We stand by AIB Knockout' are trending on Twitter. The micro-blogging site is divided on the issue, with supporters and haters indulging in a battle of words. Here's an account of what they have to say. 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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02

Tweets against the AIB Knockout

Robert Rabbit ‏@GaltiSe_Mistake "Every Indian must have joked on Arpita Khan privately and now abusing others. Hypocrites and Spineless People AIB National Shame"

SuRyaKanta ‏@iamsks_surya "sonakshi & deepika r enjoying on vulgar jokes on women at #AIB National Shame. Every time they are telling respect women."

BajrangiAasif ‏@AasifOO7 "charity k naam pe kal p*rn show bhi accept karoge ? so called paid suppotr of cheap show. AIB National Shame"

Sunil panigrahi ‏@Iamsunil2 "@AnushkaSharma Agar Film Release Hone Wali H To in Stars K Women Respect ki yaad aati Baki Time Women Respect gai bhad me AIB National Shame" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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03

Tweets against the AIB Knockout

Tauseef khan ‏@TheTauseefKhan "Utna hi karo jitna khud jhel sako - wise words by the wisest man SALMAN KHAN AIB National Shame"

Shahid Hasnain ‏@shahidHasnain "If some body asked women to produce 4 children and one talked about awarding those who have 7-8 children is not shame,but AIB National Shame"

JaiminiBhattacharyya ‏@Jaimini_8k "a bunch of jerks having some shitting views on opening up society does not imply the whole nation having same views "AIB National Shame"

Anshul Saxena ‏@AskAnshul "Once Sonakshi Sinha argue with KRK on vulgar jokes n was talking abt Women respect but now she loves maa-behan #AIBRoast AIB National Shame" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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04

Tweets against the AIB Knockout

Sir Ravindra Jadeja ‏@SirJadeja
"#AIBRoast proved that Deepika's Cleavage Controversy and Sonakshi's KRK Controversy was Totally Publicity Stunt. AIB National Shame"

Anshul Saxena ‏@AskAnshul
"AIB National Shame : Shame on those celebs too who praised this show on twitter, and they talk about women empowerment, Pathetic #AIBRoast"

Anshul Saxena ‏@AskAnshul
"Few months ago,Deepika was shouting for women respect when TOI posted her cleavage n now she loves maa-behan #AIBRoast AIB National Shame"

@athar$ayyed ‏@atharalisayyed
"karanjohar talk about respect yourfamily &women in films he is having laugh on vulgar jokes on women In front of his mom #AIB National Shame" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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05

Tweets against the AIB Knockout

Biswatosh Sinha ‏@biswatosh
"Seriously, it's not cool. They called themselves they represent youth, Indian youth is much more educated then them. AIB National Shame"

Zara_Ali ‏@4HappyEverAfter
"#AIB National Shame is not freedom of expression or media ! It is an expression of perverted depraved minds that endanger social norms!"

sabina lamba ‏@SabinaLamba
"Sec294 IPC-any1 sings,recites or utters obscene words,in/near public place,shall b punished wid imprisonment,fine,or both AIB National Shame"

पंजाबी मुंडा - रोहित ‏@iBeingSalmaniac
"Yes finally SalmanKhan got 2 know abt what D stupid tanmay elephant did nd Salman u did awsm by making a call to him AIB National Shame" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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06

Tweets in support of the AIB Knockout

rOn ‏@iRonakGupta
"Everyone enjoyed the #AIBRoast until govt filed a case against it..n now people are like AIB National Shame!! We Stand By AIB Knockout!!"

DimpleBoy..:p ‏@sid_shubham
"We Stand By AIB knockout , saala ek ghnta video enjoy krne k baad kehte h, vulgar h, AIB National Shame h itni hi prblm h to mt dekho BC"

Amit Srivatsa ‏@amit_srivatsa
"AIB National Shame. Because our country and culture are so pure. And the 120 crore people here? Yeah, they were born by photosynthesis. Duh!"

Amit Srivatsa ‏@amit_srivatsa
"AIB National Shame. Because rapes, infanticides, political murders and corruption aren't our country's real problems. Lewd jokes are." 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

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07

Tweets in support of the AIB Knockout

Beersome ‏@piyakkad_banda
"No one cares if ppl pass comment on ayesha takiya, but how dare you make fun of bhais family. AIB NATIONAL SHAME"

Arpan ‏@GoodOldBoots
"The people who are calling AIB National Shame should stick to Comedy Nights with Kapil. We Stand By AIB Knockout."

Sir Chetan Bhagat ‏@chetan_bhaqat
"AIB National Shame as women as not expected to enjoy vulgar jokes, rather they need to stay home and produce four #AIBRoast"

Santoesha Bissesar ‏@MsSantoesha
"India is trending AIB national shame.Yes,the same Indians who watched Grand Masti again & again and made it a superhit. @AllIndiaBakchod" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

/aib-knockout-objectionable-or-not/eventshow/46106522.cms

08

Tweets in support of the AIB Knockout

वंशिका सनसनिवाल‏@Vanshika_Sanwal "we stand by aib knockout the vid started wid a disclaimer nd if u r going to ban this plz ban all college hostels as they use filthier lng"

michelle pereira ‏@michellep77
"We stand by AIB knockout. It is on YouTube and not being telecast! Indians need a choice of content without narrow minded ones filing FIRs"

Shanti's Om ‏@DeepikasRomeo
"This is the reason why Deepika is raising awareness for mental health :P We Stand By AIB Knockout #IStandByRanJun"

ArjunKapoorFC ‏@ArjunKapoorFC
"We Stand by AIB Knockout. If u didn't enjoy it or laugh ur guts out, u r welcome to close the screen. Isn't that amazing?" 

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not

/aib-knockout-objectionable-or-not/eventshow/46106520.cms

09

Tweets in support of the AIB Knockout

Ranveers sweeta ‏@versatilefan
"Well this proves that the govt can not take a joke😜 it rather makes a joke out of itself . We Stand By AIB Knockout"

VISHAKHA (Tevarjun) ‏@arjunish
"The haters who found it 'offensive,' didn't really get the basic point of it in my opinion. We Stand By AIB Knockout"

Thingummy. ‏@Meem_Hye
"Irony? People protesting against AIB are the same people who were preaching Freedom Of Speech some weeks before. We Stand By AIB Knockout."

Swayamsiddha ‏@swayamsiddha_
"#AIBRoast ws nt shown on national television bt free internet wer u can willfully choose nt 2 see nd get offended We Stand By AIB Knockout"

tushar ‏@tushar_rd
"We Stand By AIB Knockout @AllIndiaBakchod great job guys.. better than what government is doing against you..."

Let's take a look at the highlights of the controversial Roast that was aired on Youtube in three parts...

Disclaimer: All tweets have been sourced from Twitter and written as is.  

AIB Knockout: Objectionable or not


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