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India Today
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Meet Natasha Poonawalla: The Indian Billionaire at Bezos and Sanchez's Wedding
Philanthropist and entrepreneur Natasha Poonawalla has arrived in Venice, Italy, to attend the highly-anticipated wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his bride-to-be, media personality Lauren of the glitzy wedding, Poonawalla gave her followers a peek into her pre-wedding look in a video shared on video, "Celebrating Love," with hashtag #Vanice, features Poonawalla's stunning outfit for the celebrations. Lauren Sanchez reacted with a heart emoticon, whereas Indian actress Sonam Kapoor left behind a fire emoticon in admiration. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Natasha Poonawalla (@ Before the main event, Poonawalla was part of an exclusive bachelorette celebration hosted for all-girls gathering featured several A-list guests, including Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Kris Jenner, and Eva Longoria. The private event reportedly featured luxurious experiences as part of the multi-day to reports, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are set to tie the knot in a lavish ceremony, which is expected to host around 200 guests. The couple's wedding has garnered international attention, thanks to the celebrity-studded guest list and picturesque venue.A MEANINGFUL GESTURE FROM THE COUPLE In a thoughtful move, Bezos and Sanchez have requested guests not to bring wedding gifts. Instead, they are making charitable contributions on behalf of their guests. According to the wedding invitation, donations are being made to the UNESCO Venice Office, CORILA (for lagoon restoration), and other initiatives aimed at preserving Venice's cultural and environmental hope that through these efforts and by you joining us, Venice will continue to inspire wonder for generations to come,' read the heartfelt message in the IS NATASHA POONAWALLA? Natasha Poonawalla is the Chairperson of the Villoo Poonawalla Foundation and Executive Director at the Serum Institute of India. A graduate of the London School of Economics, she is known for her philanthropy, business acumen, and distinctive fashion presence at major international events.- EndsMust Watch
Hans India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Party of convicts: BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla slams RJD over Tejashwi's remarks against PM Modi
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Saturday launched a scathing attack at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, following latter's comments mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Terming the RJD as a party of scam convicts, Poonawalla said, 'The party whose history is rooted in fodder scams, where its leader has been convicted, and whose family is facing trial in the land-for-jobs scam, has no moral ground to lecture anyone." 'When such people, driven by arrogance and feudal mindset, mock a Prime Minister who once sold tea on railway platforms and rose from there, their true elitist mentality is exposed,' he added. In a pointed remark about dynastic politics, Poonawalla accused the RJD of placing the family above constitutional institutions. 'This is the same mindset where a family is always placed above constitutional positions. Their history includes instances where even Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's photo was disrespected by placing it near their feet. For them, family comes first, not the Constitution or the nation,' he said. His remarks come after Tejashwi Yadav, addressing the media on Friday, dismissed the Prime Minister's rally in Siwan as orchestrated. 'The administration was deployed to gather the crowd. The public wasn't interested, so they had to be brought forcefully,' Tejashwi alleged. He further claimed: 'Neither PM Modi nor Nitish Kumar are true mass leaders. If Lalu Ji simply stands on the road, lakhs will gather without any effort.' Tejashwi also accused the BJP of misusing state resources, saying, 'They've spent crores from Bihar government funds over days, and yet failed to draw a crowd. That's why officials were used to fill seats.' Poonawalla also criticised Rahul Gandhi saying, "In the INDIA Alliance, and now even in the Congress party, no one takes Rahul Gandhi seriously. He believes that his family's authority is above the constitutional framework. When they win elections in Karnataka, Telangana, or Himachal, and get 99 seats, the Election Commission is praised. But if they lose in Maharashtra or Haryana, they start blaming the Election Commission."
India Gazette
21-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Congress has only given khatakhat jhoot and loot model," BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla slams Karnataka govt over alleged housing scam
New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shehzad Poonawalla launched a scathing attack on the Congress party on Saturday, saying that while leading the Karnataka government the party has only given the state a 'khatakhat jhoot and loot model,' alleging that the state government is giving off houses meant to be for poor people through bribes. 'The Congress party has only given a khatakhat jhoot & loot model in Karnataka. First, they gave false guarantees, came to power, and now they are looting with both hands -- be it the MUDA Scam, Valmiki Scam, Liquor Scam, Rice Procurement Scam, or land scams of all kinds. Now there's a housing scam, where houses belonging to the poorest of the poor are being sold off for massive bribes,' Poonawalla told ANI in Delhi. Questioning the state government, the BJP leader asked whether a CBI or independent judicial probe would be carried out as the matter first became public knowledge through a Congress MLA. 'Now the question is -- will any action be taken against the said minister? Will there be a CBI or an independent judicial probe in this matter? Because the allegation hasn't come from the BJP or any activist -- it has been made by a Congress MLA,' he said. Poonawalla was referencing an alleged leaked audio of Congress MLA BR Patil, in which the party leader is purportedly heard accusing officials of taking bribes for allotting houses. Yesterday, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah defended the decision by his government to increase reservation quota by 10-15 per cent in various housing schemes, saying that the decision was in line with the central government's guidelines based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's program for the welfare of minorities. He said the program directs all implementing agencies to earmark '15 per cent of physical and financial targets for minorities wherever possible.' Reacting to criticism that the state government's decision was 'unconstitutional or appeasement,' the Karnataka CM asked why the guidelines issued by the centre were being implemented under government schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. 'This guideline is issued by the BJP-led Union Government and has been in force for years. If this was unconstitutional or appeasement, why did the Union Government ask all states to follow it? Why is it being implemented under Central schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana?' he asked. Siddaramaiah further said that the state government's decision doesn't grant 'blanket enhancement' of quota across Karnataka but addresses a specific implementation challenge to ensure optimal use of allocated targets. (ANI)
India Gazette
20-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Congress is a modern representation of Muslim League": BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla on Karnataka govt's housing quota
New Delhi [India], June 20 (ANI): Slamming the Karnataka government for increasing reservation for minorities under various housing schemes from 10 to 15%, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday called the Congress a modern representation of the Muslim League and accused it of behaving like its leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah who fought for the division of India along communal lines. 'The Congress Party serves as the modern representation of the Muslim League. It behaves like Jinnah, who divided India along communal lines... They have stated that Muslims have first rights to the country's resources,' Poonawalla told ANI. 'They have taken away SC, ST, and OBC reservations and allocated them to the Muslim community on religious grounds, which contradicts Ambedkar and the constitution. They have granted reservations to Muslims in civil contracts as well, which goes against the constitutional spirit,' he added. He alleged that the Congress is doing this to rub salt into the wounds of the Hindu community. 'For them, Hindus don't matter. They want to play only divide and rule, and this kind of thing is against the constitution. Yet, the Congress party does it again and again to divide Hindus on caste lines. They commit the fake caste survey, which they have to take back, where the muslim population is shown more, and now they are giving the extra quota to muslims on a religious basis only because of their vote bank politics,' he said. Poonawalla's remarks come amid growing criticism from BJP leaders over the Karnataka Cabinet's approval on Thursday to raise the reservation quota for minority communities from 10 to 15 per cent under various housing schemes. The decision has triggered a political uproar, with the BJP arguing that religion-based reservation violates constitutional principles. Earlier, Karnataka Minister HK Patil stated that this move does not require any new rules to be drafted. 'The reservation for all minority communities will be increased. There are Christians, Jains, Buddhists,' the Minister said. Meanwhile, BJP MP Sambit Patra said the Constitution for the Congress party and the Gandhi family are secondary to appeasement. 'The Karnataka Cabinet passing the Muslim reservation in housing schemes yesterday is a perfect example of how the people who keep the Constitution in their pockets are tearing the Constitution to pieces... For the Congress Party and the Gandhi family, the Constitution is secondary to religious appeasement', Sambit Patra told reporters on Friday. (ANI)
India Gazette
17-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Peddler of liars, factory of fake news": Shahzad Poonawalla slams Congress over caste census remarks
New Delhi [India], June 17 (ANI): Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress, accusing the party of spreading fake news and lies on the issue of caste census and India's global diplomatic matters. His remarks came amid an ongoing political debate over the central government's stand on caste-based data collection. In a briefing, Poonawalla said, 'Congress is a peddler of liars and a factory of fake news... Lying has become their characteristic... Their lies have been exposed -- first that India was not invited to G7 summit, and second that Pakistan's Asim Munir has been invited to the US Army Day and that it was a failure of India's policies.' The BJP leader further accused Congress of deliberately misleading the public over the government's stand on the caste census. He said, 'Now Congress is on another lie. They are saying that the central government is taking a U-turn on the caste census... Various press releases of the government say that the caste census will be done.' He also alleged that Congress has a history of neglecting the rights of the Other Backwards Classes (OBCs). 'Congress is spreading misinformation because it is in their DNA to take away the rights of the OBC,' Poonawalla added. The statement came as political tensions remained high over the caste census demand, with the Congress accusing the BJP of avoiding concrete commitments, while the BJP maintained that the government has been transparent about its position. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed preparations for the upcoming Census of India, which is now officially set to include caste enumeration, as per the official statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The minister hailed this move as a 'historic decision' that corrected a 'historical wrong.' The notification to conduct the Census was published in the official Gazette on Monday, following a high-level meeting held in Delhi, where the Home Minister reviewed the plan along with the Union Home Secretary, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI), and other senior officials. The Population Census 2027 will begin with a reference date of March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country. The reference date for snow-bound and non-synchronous areas such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will be October 1, 2026. According to the official statement, around 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and 1.3 lakh Census functionaries will be deployed for the exercise. This will be the first fully digital Census, using mobile apps and offering a self-enumeration option to citizens. The last Census was conducted in 2011. A new round scheduled for 2021 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite all initial preparations being completed. (ANI)
