Mumbai (PTI): Actor Kajol has issued a clarification after her comments that citizens today are being governed by political leaders who "do not have an educational system background" sparked social media outrage, saying she was simply highlighting the importance of education.
The actor, popular for 1990s hit films such as "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Karan Arjun", and "Gupt", shared a brief post on Twitter and said she did not intend to demean any politician with her views.
"I was merely making a point about education and its importance. My intention was not to demean any political leaders, we have some great leaders who are guiding the country on the right path," Kajol tweeted on Saturday evening.
In a recent interview to an online media portal, the actor was asked if it is sad that despite a lot of progress in the country there are still some ideas that are holding back women.
"Change, especially in a country like India, is slow. It is very, very slow because we are steeped in our traditions and thought processes and, of course, it has to do with education. You have political leaders who do not have an educational system background.
"I'm sorry but I'm going to go out and say that. I'm being ruled by leaders, so many of them, who do not have that viewpoint, which I think education does give you, at least the chance to look out for a different viewpoint," the 48-year-old actor told The Quint during the promotion for her upcoming series "The Trial - Pyaar, Kanoon, Dhokha".
As the video clip from the interview went viral on Saturday, #Kajol trended over the weekend with a section of social media users criticising the actor for her comments.
"@itsKajolD A school dropout is giving lecture on education and uneducated politicians. First at last complete your school then do blah blah #Kajol," said a user, referring to the actor quitting her school for a career in films.
A tweet read that actors must stick to doing movies as "politics/ govt/ administration etc is not their cup of tea (sic)."
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, however, said Kajol is entitled to her opinion.
"So Kajol says we are governed by leaders who are uneducated and have no vision. Nobody outraging since its her opinion not necessarily a fact and also has named nobody but all Bhakts are outraged. Please don't Yale your Entire Political Science knowledge," Chaturvedi tweeted.
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Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
