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Time of India
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘I don't like women in revealing dresses': MP minister Vijayvargiya makes controversial remark; likens clothing to morality
NEW DELHI: In a bizarre remark, Madhya Pradesh minister and senior leader on Thursday claimed that he "doesn't like women who wear revealing clothes" and that he refuses to take photos with them. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'I believe women should dress beautifully in Indian attire, as it is highly regarded in our culture,' he said. 'But, in some other countries, women who wear less clothes are often considered to be fashionable similarly politicians who give fewer speeches are good. This is a saying in other countries, I don't believe in this. I view women as goddesses, and they should wear good clothes. I don't like women or girls who wear revealing clothes, to the point where I refuse to take photos with them. ' Not the first time This is not the first time that Vijayvargiya has commented on the dressing choices of women. In 2024, Vijayvargiya had received widespread criticism for comparing women in 'bad dresses' to Shurpanakha – a demoness from the Ramayana. That earlier statement, made at a religious gathering in Indore, had sparked furious responses from across the political spectrum. 'We see goddess in women. But (with) the kind of bad dresses the girls wear and move around, they do not embody goddesses but look like Shurpanakha,' he had said. 'God has given you a good and beautiful body… dress well, friends.' Opposition leaders had slammed Vijayvargiya then saying, 'Are we living under Talibani rule that the government will tell women what to wear, what to eat and whom to meet?' asked All India Mahila Congress chief Netta D'Souza. She also questioned the 'silence' of Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate had accused the BJP of harbouring a disrespectful attitude towards women. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'What Kailash Vijayvargiya is saying shows the love for 'Shurpanakha' within the BJP,' she said. 'This is the character of the BJP.' The Trinamool Congress had also condemned the remarks. MP Jawhar Sircar called it a 'sexist' statement that 'reveals the low mentality of the party', while Sushmita Dev called it 'shameful'. 'India continues to walk backwards under the leadership of PM Modi,' the party posted on social media.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Ankita Bhandari case becomes Congress-BJP battleground in Uttarakhand
WHILE the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led BJP government is claiming credit for 'swift justice' after a Uttarakhand court on Friday sentenced three persons, including former BJP minister Vinod Arya's son, Pulkit, to life imprisonment in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, the Congress has alleged that evidence was destroyed and there were 'lapses in the probe'. Referring to the September 23, 2022, demolition of the 'illegal' Vanantara resort where Ankita was employed and lived, a day before her body was recovered from the Chilla canal, state Congress spokesperson Garima Dasauni targeted a BJP MLA. All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba was also present at the press conference held by the party Monday. 'The MLA, acting on what she claimed were instructions from Dhami, demolished the resort where the girl was staying. She then released a video thanking the CM for his sensitive response. Even as tampering with a crime scene is a grave offence, Dhami himself in a social media post on September 24 boasted about the demolition of the Vanantara resort,' Dasauni said. Acting DGP Abhinav Kumar said the judgment was based on evidence. Dasauni also pointed to the 'irregularities' in the BJP's poster, circulated widely on social media by party workers, which claimed that the government had changed lawyers thrice at the victim's family's behest, provided jobs to Ankita's kin, ensured that the accused's bail was rejected due to strong arguments by prosecutors and provided Rs 25 lakh financial assistance to the family. 'It also falsely claimed that the accused were arrested within 24 hours but in reality it took six days,' she said. Claiming that 'Ankita had to die' due to the VIP that the Dhami government was 'shielding', former CM Harish Rawat said the Congress would reinvestigate the case if voted to power in the 2027 Assembly polls. 'We will set up an SIT within 10 days of government formation… The incident is of great significance as Ankita sacrificed her life for honour. There is a general feeling among the people that the BJP government helped cover up the case,' Rawat told The Indian Express, adding that Bisht's role also needed to be probed. Following the court's verdict Anikta's father, Virendra Bhandari called for the BJP MLA's role and the VIP's details to be made public even as Dhami cited his government's 'sankalp (resolve)' in ensuring justice for Ankita. 'She was a daughter and sister of the mountains… Soon after the incident came to light, we directed the police to arrest the accused, and constituted an SIT headed by a woman IPS officer. Due to this, the accused were not granted bail and have been sentenced to life in prison. We are also in touch with her family,' he said. State BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt also sought to credit Dhami's leadership for the verdict and hailed the role of investigating agencies. 'The CM had made it clear that the culprits would be awarded the strictest punishment. Acting upon his directives, all proceedings – from investigation to trial – were conducted with the consent and involvement of the victim's family. Despite the high number of witnesses and evidence, justice was delivered in a minimal timeframe,' he said. A receptionist at the Vanantara resort, 19-year-old Ankita was murdered on September 18, 2022, for allegedly refusing to 'offer special services' to a VIP guest, whose identity is yet to be revealed. While the Congress alleged 'malpractice' in keeping the guest's details hidden, Ankita's parents had moved the Uttarakhand High Court seeking the case be transferred to the CBI. However, the petition was dismissed. Protests had erupted across the state after the case came to light with the Congress demanding a CBI probe into it while accusing the BJP of tampering with the evidence. Arya as well as his elder son Ankit, who was the vice-president of the OBC Commission, were expelled in the wake of the incident. The Congress had also taken up the case ahead of the Lok Sabha polls with its state chief Karan Mahara urging the Election Commission (EC) to transfer DGP Kumar. '…The investigation of Ankita Bhandari's heinous murder case is still ongoing but the statement of the current DGP regarding the investigation, in which he has been found defending the government like the spokesperson of the ruling party, is against the dignity of his current post,' he had said in his letter to the EC. The BJP had gone on to win all five Lok Sabha seats in the state. Aiswarya Raj is a correspondent with The Indian Express who covers South Haryana. An alumna of Asian College of Journalism and the University of Kerala, she started her career at The Indian Express as a sub-editor in the Delhi city team. In her current position, she reports from Gurgaon and covers the neighbouring districts. She likes to tell stories of people and hopes to find moorings in narrative journalism. ... Read More
India.com
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet actress, whose father is Hindu, mother is Muslim, she is a Christian, dated two married actors, still single, name is ..
Some celebrities become famous not just for their work in the cinema, but also for their lives. This actress from the '90s became famous for her movies in both Bollywood and South Indian films. While her career was successful, her love life was full of ups and downs. She was linked to several married men over the years, with her relationships often making headlines. The one name that comes right at the top is that of the legendary Indian cricketer, Sourav Ganguly. The duo was in a serious relationship in 2001, when the actor was already married to his wife, Dona Ganguly. The rumours of their relationship became so strong that shortly after, it was speculated that the duo had already gotten married secretly in a temple in Andhra Pradesh. Unfortunately, after a few years, the duo called it quits. We are talking about actress Nagma Arvind Morarji, who was seen in big movies like King Uncle, Kunwara, Baaghi, Ek Jind Ek Jaan, Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo, Suhaag an d Lal Baadshah . After making a mark in Bollywood with some hit films, Nagma shifted her focus to South Indian cinema, where she quickly became one of the most famous leading actresses. Nagma was also involved with married actor Sharath Kumar, with rumours of their affair circulating widely. Later, while working in the Bhojpuri film industry, her name was reportedly also linked to Ravi Kishan. The two were seen together on several occasions and also worked in several films. However, they never publicly confirmed their relationship. Later, the actress was allegedly linked to Manoj Tiwari. While rumours of a romance between the two surfaced, they never confirmed or commented on the relationship. Despite all the media attention and heartbreaks, she never got married. In 2008, after a flourishing film career, Nagma made a bold move into politics, retiring from acting to focus on her new political journey. In 2015, she was appointed the general secretary of All India Mahila Congress. Today, Nagma is 50 years old and even in politics, she is in a low profile. Born to a Hindu father and Muslim mother, Nagma is a practising Christian. She was baptised to be a Christian in 2007. In a 2006 interview, she made a direct link between her family history and her political activism: 'My mom is Muslim and my dad is Hindu. We were brought up to respect all religions. She said, 'I personally experienced the Love of Jesus Christ from early on and His uniqueness and identifies herself as a Christian. Communal riots pained me. I wanted to do something. So I joined politics.'
NDTV
26-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Congress' Alka Lamba Mistakenly Calls 'Op Sindoor' As 'Op Blue Star', BJP Reacts
New Delhi: All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba made an embarrassing mistake on Sunday, leaving herself as well as the party red-faced over misquoting Operation Sindoor as ' Operation Blue Star '. The video of her gaffe, while slamming BJP leaders for 'insulting' the armed forces, including women officers, landed on social media and, as expected, created a sensation. The BJP was quick to lap up the issue and called it a deliberate attempt by the Congress party to belittle and demean the forces. The controversy erupted after Alka Lamba addressed a press conference at the Congress office Sunday morning, where she accused the Centre and BJP of politicising the military operation for political gains and demanded action against their motormouth leaders for insulting the sacrifice of the Armed Forces as well as the Pahalgam victims. Notably, Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, 2025, marked the decimation of terror bases in Pakistan by the Indian Air Force's precision strikes. Under Operation Blue Star, in June 1984, the Army carried out a military operation to remove Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Congress leader was, however, quick to take note of her slip of the tongue. She took to X to acknowledge her slip-up and asked the BJP not to deviate from real issues, and rather give answers on why the Modi government was hesitant and reluctant to call a special session of Parliament. "The BJP just wants to divert attention from real issues. The public knows the answers to real questions - Will the BJP apologise on behalf of the leaders who made statements against a brave army officer like Colonel Sofia Qureshi? When will those who insult women from the families of martyrs be expelled from the party? Will these leaders be sent to jail?" she said in the X post in Hindi (loosely translated). For the BJP, the Congress leader's 'slip of tongue' made up for political fodder, given the political showdown over Operation Sindoor. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said this was 'not ignorance but a mischief and deliberate' attempt to weaken the forces and lower their morale. "It was not a slip of tongue but slip of mindset," he said in a blistering attack at the Congress party and also recalled past instances of how Congress leaders, including Charanjit Singh Channi, questioned surgical strikes, Ajay Rai mocked Rafale prowess, and Manju Nath called Operation Sindoor a showoff. He said that Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, are out on a mission to demean and undermine the security forces. "Sena ka apman is Congress ki pehchaan (Insulting the armed forces is the identity of Congress)", he claimed.
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India.com
25-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
WATCH: Alka Lamba Confuses Operation Sindoor With Operation Blue Star; BJP Slams Congress Over Gaffe
All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba was attacked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday after she accidentally called the recent counter-terror operation 'Operation Sindoor' 'Operation Blue Star' while addressing a media gathering at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi. In her comments to the press, Lamba called on the government to summon a session of Parliament to apprise lawmakers of what she erroneously referred to as "Operation Blue Star," a nod to the 1984 military operation inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar — a touchy topic in Indian political annals. Lamba in her statement blamed BJP leaders of politicising the latest military operation and glossing over the victims of the Poonch terror attack, while seeking credit for 'Operation Sindoor'. She also screened a video of BJP MP Vijay Shah making objectionable comments about Colonel Sophiya Qureshi. Joining her criticism, Lamba quoted Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, who stated that the Indian military forces and the country bow down before Prime Minister Narendra Modi for directing Operation Sindoor, which was conducted following a terror attack attributed to Pakistan. Upon realising her error, Lamba admitted the gaffe, saying, "The issues I raised were so serious that BJP leaders listened carefully and even noted every word. I thank them for that." In a sarcastic reply, she said, "If I mistakenly say something other than Operation Sindoor once, the BJP uses it to divert attention from the real issues." This is not ignorance It is mischief and deliberate Not slip of tongue but slip of mindset Undermine our forces is Congress objective Alka Lamba does it after Kharge ji, Manjunath , Channi and others.. Op Bluestar? — Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) May 25, 2025 The BJP was swift to pounce on the gaffe, with the party's spokesman Shehzad Poonawala denouncing Lamba's remark. "This is not ignorance, it is deliberate mischief — not a slip of the tongue, but a slip of mindset," Poonawala tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), blaming the Congress for discrediting the armed forces. The political controversy takes place at a time of increased sensitivity ever since India conducted recent counter-terror raids and the larger national debate regarding politicisation of military actions.
