Syed Firdaus Ashraf covers national politics, and sometimes movies too -- a truly wide arc! You can e-mail the author at firdausa@rediff.co.in
What began as a car accident in Pune has now spiralled into a full-blown political controversy, drawing in senior state leaders and sparking a debate over political interference, selective targeting, and law enforcement priorities in Maharashtra.
'He is the same man who has won honours for the country across the world.'
How a Legendary Commando's Downfall Began with a Simple Meal: The Tale of Bajrang Singh's Capture.
'Vijay is not in the mood to care for the people even now.' 'Everybody is traumatised but Vijay is not consoling them.'
'I want to request the central government that they should not target someone just for the sake of targeting him if he has not done anything wrong.'
'The government is distributing land in Ladakh as if they are selling cinema hall tickets.'
'The people who were protesting and getting violent were all in the age group of 14-25.'
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has formally requested that authorities take action over a scene in the Netflix series The Ba**ds of Bollywood* featuring actor Ranbir Kapoor allegedly using an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) without a warning or disclaimer. The National Human Rights Commission has urged the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, to act, and asked the Mumbai Police Commissioner to register an FIR against Ranbir Kapoor, the production company, the producers and Netflix. The complaint claims the portrayal of Ranbir's character vaping in the series contravenes the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019, and could negatively influence youth.
'Techies who did a master's there and moved to US companies look down on Indian companies who they consider as just doing body shopping.'
'The background for the Saudi-Pakistan agreement is the fact that the regional security order has collapsed due to the Israeli attack on Doha.' 'The Americans have largely abandoned their security guarantee for West Asia and the region has no choice but to look at alternatives.'
'Devendra Fadnavis is stating that Marathas must feel OBCs are not happy with reservations for the Marathas and therefore they are protesting.'
'Punjab floods are a calamity.' 'Right from Firozpur to Amritsar nearly 1 lakh homes have been completely damaged due to floods.'concern about the state of affairs.
In the trailer of his directorial debut, The Ba***ds Of Bollywood, Aryan Khan takes a close look into the inner world of Bollywood families, especially his own, so that lesser mortals like us can get a feel of the superstar lives.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf hopes that Nishaanchi will be a blockbuster like its trailer.
'These Marathas are farmers and they only do farming. They have no other business other than farming. Now, they want reservations because farming is no longer a profitable business.'In this interview, veteran farmers' rights advocate and founding member of the Shetkari Sanghatna, Vijay Jawandhia, with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff unpacks the historical and structural roots of the agitation.
'Life in India is better only for those who have reservations.'
'As a defence lawyer I won't know if a policeman under cross questioning is being prompted to answer by someone behind his computer screen.'
Ministers arrested post-2014 who, if the 130 Constitutional Amendment had been in effect, would have been unseated from office.
'China reduced its exports of urea to India gradually.' 'In 2020-2021 we imported 28 lakh tonnes of urea which reduced to 16 lakh tonnes in 2022-2023 and that has now reduced to 1 lakh tonnes in 2024-2025.'
'If the INDIA bloc ever forms the government, they will be more than tempted to use such provisions to bring about regime change in BJP-ruled states.'
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