The 69th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2024 with Gujarat Tourism was held at GIFT City on Sunday. From glamorous red-carpet appearances to heartfelt speeches and triumphant victories, the evening was a dazzling celebration of Hindi cinema.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel took to X and wrote, “69th Filmfare Awards 2024 with
@GujaratTourism was an unforgettable event. A night of fantastic performances in the presence of galaxy of stars altogether in Gujarat. Organising the program in Gujarat for the first time made it even more special.”

“Congratulations to the team of #12thFail for being awarded as the best film. Congratulations to all the winners in different categories. #FilmfareAwardsInGujarat will be etched in the hearts of millions of film enthusiasts forever,” he added.

SEE ALSO: 50 Inside pics from the 69th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2024 with Gujarat Tourism 

The main opposition party in Maldives is set to begin impeachment proceedings against its pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu. The main opposition party Maldivian Democratic Party holds a majority in parliament and the collection of signatures have already started to begin the impeachment filing.  

The Opposition parties have hit-out at President Muizzu for his pro-China position after a Chinese spy ship was granted permission by the government to dock in Male.

A massive scuffle took place in parliament yesterday, after which the Opposition decided to begin impeachment proceedings.

A key vote on parliamentary approval for the Muizzu government was scheduled on Sunday and the violence started as the government MPs (PPM/PNC party) disturbed the proceedings.

Over the last weeks, President Muizzu who came to power with a distinctly anti-India position, has been facing pushback, especially with the diplomatic row with New Delhi over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s widely circulated post about his visit to the Lakshadweep islands.

Three ministers who made harsh comments were removed.

Mr Muizzu’s demand that India withdraw its troops stationed in the country by mid-March was the newest in the anti-India rhetoric, with the presence of 80-odd Indian troops being portrayed as a security threat to the island nation.

The sudden shift in policy — which traditionally held India as a friend and ally — did not sit well with the opposition, and matters escalated after the Chinese spy ship issue.   

The Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP and the Democrats accused the government of a “stark” anti-India pivot and issued a joint press statement, labelling the policy shift as “extremely detrimental” to the country’s long-term development.

“Alienating any development partner, and especially the country’s most long-standing ally will be extremely detrimental to the long-term development of the country,” the statement read. It also underscored that “stability and security in the Indian Ocean is vital to the stability and security of the Maldives”.

Both the MDP and the Democrats emphasised the critical need for consecutive governments to maintain the ability “to work with all development partners for the benefit of the people of the Maldives, as the Maldives has traditionally done”.

Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s derogatory remark on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has provided an opportunity to the ruling Trinamool to take a swipe at state Congress leaders amid a tussle over seat-sharing for Lok Sabha polls.

This comes at a time when the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is moving through the east. The yatra, which began at Manipur on January 14, has passed through the Northeast before entering Bengal on Thursday. After a two-day break, it resumed today and reached Bihar. It is scheduled to re-enter Bengal later this week.

Responding to a query on the yatra’s impact, Mr Adhikari used a derogatory remark for Mr Gandhi to imply that he is a fool. He then referred to Mr Gandhi’s ‘coal on the stove’ remark that was earlier mocked by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. “Who is Rahul Gandhi. He says you should heat tea after putting coal on a stove. Coal on a stove? I have never heard anything like this,” he said.

Mr Gandhi made the remark at a rally in Assam’s Dhubri when he was targeting Mr Sarma over corruption. Alleging that the Assam Chief Minister is the country’s most corrupt Chief Minister and has a cut in every business, including coal and tea, Mr Gandhi said, “When you wake up in the morning and put coal on the stove to prepare tea, the profit from coal goes to your Chief Minister. The tea which you drink, its plantations and gardens belong to your chief minister.”

While the state Congress is yet to respond to Mr Adhikary’s derogatory remark, apparently because they are busy with the yatra, its INDIA ally Trinamool has used the opportunity to target both the BJP and, particularly, the Congress’s state leaders.

Sharing a video clip of Mr Adhikari’s remark, Trinamool leader and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh posted on X, “What language is the traitor using to target Rahul Gandhi. Such uncouth behaviour in politics must stop. How low will state Congress leaders acting as BJP’s pimps stoop? Will you take this lying down? Suvendu’s politics has no shame now. I protest this sick language.”

The “traitor” reference is Trinamool’s signature barb at Mr Adhikari, once a trusted lieutenant of party supremo Mamata Banerjee who then switched to the BJP and became an arch-rival.

The Trinamool leader’s remark comes against the backdrop of the tug-of-war between his party and the Congress over seat-sharing in INDIA alliance. Virtually pulling the plug on an alliance in Bengal, Ms Banerjee last week said her party will contest the Lok Sabha polls alone and any decision on an alliance will be taken after the election. The Congress has since been in damage control mode and has said INDIA bloc cannot be imagined without Ms Banerjee.

The Trinamool leadership has repeatedly blamed the local Congress unit, helmed by the party’s Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, for the impasse over seat-sharing. The party has, in the past, also accused Mr Chowdhury of being a “BJP agent”.

Mr Chowdhury has been fiercely critical of Ms Banerjee, calling her an “opportunist” and rejecting the Trinamool’s offer of two seats as part of the seat-sharing arrangement. The Trinamool maintains that it has been quite generous in its offer and criticised the Congress for the delay in reaching an understanding.