AAP's statewide protest agianst opposition to ‘Phule'
AAP's support for the film, especially in a state like Uttar Pradesh, outlines its focus on Dalit issues in UP, where the party will be trying its luck in the upcoming panchayat and then assembly polls in two years. It also seeks to challenge the BJP in UP, where the party has set itself the task of holding one protest a month on socially relevant issues in a bid to build up its presence in the state.
In Lucknow, party workers heading to protest were detained by the police, but in several other districts, workers held up placards and shouted slogans against the govt, challenging it on its stand on Dalits in the face of the opposition to the 'Phule' film, where the objection has been largely on the portrayal of caste.
AAP's visibility in UP dipped considerably over the past few months and to prepare for the upcoming elections in the state over the next few years, it has an uphill task to build itself again. As part of the strategy, all wings have been directed to hold two events each month: a protest on a socially relevant issue and a social service task.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Struggling with Investments? Try This Simple Approach
Equentis RnR
Subscribe
Undo
To begin with, the statewide protest was called on Monday to protest against the Censor Board's decision to hold back the release of 'Phule'. A few weeks earlier, the party held demonstrations on the sale of liquor in the state.
"This is a direct attack on freedom of expression. This decision attempts to suppress the legacy and struggle of these great social reformers who fought for equality and education in the country. It reveals the true mindset of the BJP. On one hand, they talk about the Constitution, Dr Ambedkar, and Dalit rights, while on the other, they halt films that talk about societal exploitation. This censorship is not just an attack on a film but on the entire Dalit movement and the values of social justice," Singh said, adding that while historical films like 'Phule' were stopped, govt promoted films like 'The Kashmir Files' and 'The Kerala Story', which spread hatred.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
On campuses, ‘good riddance' vs murmurs against closure notice on union rooms
Kolkata: After the Calcutta High Court ordered the higher education department to keep student union rooms closed across colleges and universities, some felt it was a 'good riddance' while others expressed concerns about the closure order, especially since college elections were suspended for the past seven years. In the recent past, maintaining control over union rooms and student activities triggered numerous clashes across campuses. From organising Saraswati Puja at Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College to vandalism at Jadavpur University — in every case, union rooms were considered to be the root of all troubles. Calcutta University interim VC Santa Datta De's decision to lock union rooms across seven campuses after an incident at the Rajabazar campus — where some former students reportedly consumed alcohol in the union room — had prompted a student agitation. Datta said: "The decision we took has been proven absolutely right after the high court order. I raised my voice against all such illegal activities in union rooms. Now it has become easier for other principals to lock union rooms following the high court order. However, I believe that there should be academicians in the college governing bodies instead of local political leaders; only then can political influence on the campuses be restricted." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Several principals across colleges seemed quite relieved after the order came. Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Day College principal Pankaj Roy said: "I tried several times to shut the union room but it became difficult due to a section of students. We closed the union room immediately after the court order." Another principal, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "There has been no union elections since 2017. We are helpless because we cannot instruct students to vacate union rooms because past students and even local leaders have free access there. However, after this order, it will be easier for us to restrict such activities." On the other hand, leaders of different campuses were somewhat upset. One TMCP neta, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "We organize several activities that we cannot stop because several students need help for many issues." Another TMCP neta said: "We used to sit in the union room during college hours; now if college doesn't permit it, we will not sit there. This is not a big deal."
The Hindu
30 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Opposition seeks apology over MLC's ‘urban Naxal' remark on wari pilgrimage
Holding copies of the Constitution, Opposition leaders staged a protest on the steps of the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan on Thursday (July 3, 2025), condemning Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande's remarks alleging the presence of 'urban Naxals' in the annual Ashadhi wari pilgrimage to Pandharpur. Leaders across the Opposition spectrum — including Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve (Shiv Sena-UBT), Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad — accused the Mahayuti government of attempting to defame a centuries-old religious tradition and demanded an apology from the ruling alliance. 'This is not just an attack on the wari, but on Maharashtra's cultural identity. The government must immediately withdraw these remarks and apologise to the warkari community,' Mr. Danve said during the protest. The Ashadhi wari is a revered annual pilgrimage during which lakhs of devotees — known as warkaris — walk to Pandharpur to offer prayers to Lord Vitthal. Ms. Kayande, a nominated member of the Upper House, claimed in the Legislative Council on Wednesday (July 2, 2025) that urban Naxals had infiltrated the wari and were attempting to mislead devotees. 'Atheist individuals who do not believe in God have entered the wari. This is a serious matter. Under the guise of groups like Samvidhan Dindi, Paryavaran Wari, and Lokayat, they are staging street plays, delivering speeches, and influencing warkaris,' Ms. Kayande alleged. She also cited past instances where pieces of meat were reportedly thrown during the procession. She urged the Mahayuti government to act swiftly to preserve the sanctity of the pilgrimage and said the proposed Maharashtra Public Security Bill would help curb such disruptive elements. 'During last year's Lok Sabha elections, these same elements spread a false narrative about the Constitution being changed,' Ms. Kayande added. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena faction that nominated Ms. Kayande, told the House that the government had taken cognisance of the matter and had directed the Home Department to investigate the claims. Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam also said his office had received complaints about attempts by alleged 'urban Naxals' to disrupt social harmony and assured the House that the matter would be taken seriously. The Opposition, however, dismissed the remarks as baseless and politically motivated. They alleged that the comments were part of a deliberate attempt to politicise a spiritual event and discredit the peaceful warkari movement. 'This is an attempt to sow division under the guise of security concerns. The government must stop targeting religious gatherings with ideological labels,' Mr. Awhad said.
Indian Express
33 minutes ago
- Indian Express
PCA elections: Mohali MLA files nomination for secretary post
In a first, two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh and Advisor to Punjab Heritage and Tourism Board Deepak Bali have filed their nominations for the post of secretary and vice-president respectively for the Punjab Cricket Association's (PCA's) upcoming elections later this month. In a notification posted on the PCA website after the first day of filing of nominations, both the AAP leaders' names featured for the nomination of the post of secretary and vice-president of the association. Reigning PCA president Amarjit Singh Mehta, whose son Padamjit Mehta is also an AAP leader, has filed his nomination for the post of PCA president. Sunil Gupta, who is a reigning treasurer of the association and is currently vice-chairman of the Punjab Economic Policy and Planning Board, with the rank and status of Cabinet minister, too has filed his nomination as PCA treasurer again. 'Yes, I have filed the nomination for the post of PCA secretary today. I took the decision to fight for the elections and hence I decided to file the nomination for the post of PCA secretary. I thought that I should file the nomination this time and I hope to get the support of PCA members for this election,' the Mohali MLA told The Indian Express. While Friday is the second day for the nominations for the PCA elections, which are held after every three years, it remains to be seen if any other nominations are filed for the five posts of the office bearers of the PCA. Kulwant is currently Punjab's richest legislator with assets reportedly worth around Rs 1,000 crore. His political journey began in 1995 when he represented ward number 21 in the Mohali Municipal Council elections and served as senior vice-president of the council. The Mohali MLA, a former mayor of Mohali, had fought the Lok Sabha elections from Fatehgarh Sahib as an SAD-BJP candidate in 2014, but lost. In March, 2022, he won from the SAS Nagar constituency in Punjab Assembly elections on an AAP ticket and defeated Congress leader Balbir Singh Sidhu by 34,097 votes. Bali, 53, who is also the general secretary of the AAP's Punjab unit, on the other hand, was appointed as Advisor to Punjab Heritage and Tourism Board in December last year. 'We have all grown up watching and playing cricket and I hope to work for the development of the sport in Punjab if elected,' Bali told The Indian Express. Last month, Dilsher Khanna resigned from the post of PCA secretary. Khanna, 33, an alumnus of Doon School and Delhi University and also a certified pilot, was elected as PCA secretary in 2022 with former cricketer Gulzar Inder Singh Chahal being elected as PCA president in the association's Annual General Meeting. Chahal had resigned four months after his election with reports of irregularities during his term coming to fore with former cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh too accusing him of being involved. Mehta was elected as PCA's new president in February 2023. As per BCCI constitution in line with the Supreme Court ruling, there is a nine-year tenure limit for any officer bearer, which can be served either entirely at state association, BCCI level or a combination of both. There is also a ruling of serving a three-year cooling off period after two consecutive terms of three-year each. According to the election notice issued by Rajeev Sharma, IAS (retd), PCA Electoral officer, the nominations for the PCA elections runs till July 4 with the display of the list of eligible candidates on July 7 followed by polling if necessary on July 12. Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
