Congress questions timing of Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Rajinikanth
New Delhi, Apr 1: The Congress on Thursday questioned the timing of Dadasaheb Phalke Award to superstar Rajinikanth, saying the government should not do anything that unnecessarily drags celebrities in political controversies.
Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said the government should not try to take political advantage out of everything and be wary of such actions.
"This award should have been given to him long back, why is it being given this year," he said.
"The government should not do anything which unnecessarily drags our celebrities in political controversies. Rajinikanth is a respected film personality. The BJP and the government should be wary of this and it should not try to take political advantage out of everything," Shukla told reporters.
He alleged that the government doing anything with elections in view is not proper, but noted that people know everything.
"The government should not try to take political gains out of everything it does. If the government has done this with the intention of making political gains and with elections in mind, then this is not appropriate in politics," he said.
Rajinikanth is a widely respected film personality and we all respect him, as his career has been very successful.
Superstar Rajinikanth will be honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Thursday.
The announcement comes days ahead of the April 6 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, where the 70-year-old Rajinikanth resides and has a massive following among the people.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indian cinema's highest honour for an artiste, for the year 2019, will be presented to Rajinikanth on May 3.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Rajinikanth for his contribution to cinema while congratulating him on the honour.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sports Ministry revokes WFI suspension, restores Federation's status as NSF
New Delhi (PTI): The Sports Ministry has revoked the suspension imposed on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), ending the months of uncertainty surrounding the sport and paving the way for resumption of activities, including selection trials for the upcoming Asian Championship in Amman.
The ministry had suspended the WFI on December 24, 2023 for lapses in governance and procedural integrity by the new body, which was elected on December 21.
The Sanjay Singh-led body had announced the conduct of Under-15 and Under-20 National Championships in Nandini Nagar, Gonda – the stronghold of former WFI chief Brijbhushan Sharan Singh – and the choice of venue irked the government since the former BJP MP was facing charges of sexual harassment.
The ministry, in its order, said that the WFI has taken compliant measures, so in larger interest of the sport and athletes, the ministry has decided to lift the suspension.
"I thank the government for taking this step. It will allow us to function smoothly. It was needed for the sake of the sport. The athletes were suffering for lack of competitions," Sanjay Singh told PTI.
The ministry, though, has asked the WFI to follow certain directions, such as the federation has to ensure that there is a balance of power among the elected office bearers, and it keeps itself disassociated from the suspended/terminated officials.
It may be noted that Prem Chand Lochab, the new general secretary, was elected from the rival camp and the ministry's directive could be understood in that context.
"The EC of the WFI must give an undertaking in this regard within 4 weeks.
Any violation of the undertaking will invite appropriate legal action, including the action under the Sports Code," the ministry said in its order.
It also said that the WFI must ensure that the selection for all international events should be done in a free, fair and transparent manner as per the extant provisions of the Sports Code and the other latest instructions issued in this regard along with regulations issued from time-to-time by the UWW (United World Wrestling)," the order said.
WFI president said there is nothing that can't be followed.
"We have already shifted to a new office and soon we will call for an EC meeting and also issue a circular for the selection trials. We have no issues in following these instructions," he said.
The Asian Championship is scheduled to be held in Amman, Jordan from March 25.
The Indian wrestlers missed out on competing in Ranking Series tournaments in Zagreb and Albania due to the ministry suspension and the court cases filed by prominent wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Satyawart Kadian.
The wrestlers, who had led the protest against Brij Bhushan, had contended that the WFI did not have the authority to pick national teams since it was suspended.
The court had directed the Indian Olympic Association to restore the ad-hoc panel for managing the WFI but the sports body had refused, saying UWW, the world governing body, recognises only the WFI and won't accept entries from the ad-hoc panel.
The UWW had threatened IOA to suspend WFI again if there was interference in its governance.
"We are so relieved that this suspension has been lifted. There was a compete lull, the young wrestlers were suffering for no fault of theirs. They were missing tournaments, there was no national camp. The suspension should have been lifted long back," said a coach associated with a leading training centre in Haryana.
