NEW DELHI, Jan 25:
Sunanda Pushkar’s brother Rajesh, a serving Colonel in Indian Army, today came out in strong defence of Union minister Shashi Tharoor saying it was “unimaginable” that he could harm Sunanda and sought end to the rumours that were hurting the family.
In a statement, Rajesh said Sunanda was one of the strongest personalities and to even remotely think that she would do any bodily harm to herself is “preposterous” and “should not be believed”.
He also sought speedy investigation into the case “to put an end to the rumours that are hurting” the family. The probe into the high-profile case was transfered to the Crime Branch on Thursday considering its “sensitive nature” and “complexities” involved.
“I have been with both Shashi and my sister throughout their journey together and can say with utmost confidence that they were a couple madly in love with each other. Differences, if any, were momentary and do happen in every household, and we do not believe that they have any bearing on the incident,” he said.
Rejecting speculation in the media about Sunanda’s death, he said both he and his father were “deeply disturbed” at the “slanderous statements” that have been made in the media regarding her death.
“I have known my sister to be an angel at heart but to often impulsively say things she did not mean and withdraw them later.”
Sunanda, 52, was found dead in a 5-star hotel in South Delhi on January 17 night, a day after her Twitter spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar over an alleged affair with Tharoor.
“My sister was one of the strongest personalities and to even remotely think that she would do any bodily harm to herself is preposterous and should not be believed. Also to think that my brother-in-law would do any harm to her is unimaginable,” he said.
He requested that the matter be put to rest so that peace can be bestowed on the departed soul.
This was the second statement issued by a family member of Sunanda.
Earlier this week, Sunanda’s 21-year-old son from a previous marriage, Shiv Menon, had released a statement to the media saying his mother was “too strong” to commit suicide and she died due to an “unfortunate combination of media stress, tensions and a wrong mix of different medication”.
He asserted that he did not believe that there was a foul play in his mother’s death, saying both Tharoor and his mother were “very much in love” despite their “occasional differences” and that he did not believe the Union minister was capable of harming her physically.
On Tuesday, a sub-divisional magistrate, who probed the case, had directed Delhi Police to investigate the murder or suicide angles in the case while concluding that “poisoning” was the cause of her death.
The autopsy report had mentioned more than a dozen injury marks on Sunanda’s body besides a “deep teeth bite” on the edge of her left palm.
The Crime Branch team probing the case has decided to go for advanced forensic tests to determine cause of injuries on her body.
The autopsy report had mentioned use of blunt force for the injury marks on both her hands and left cheek. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Jan 25:
While calling upon those in office to eliminate the trust deficit between them and the people, President Pranab Mukherjee, however, warned political parties against making promises it could not fulfil and said anarchy could not be a substitute for governance. In his address to the Nation on the eve of Republic Day, the President said, “Those in office must eliminate the trust deficit between them and the people. Those in politics should understand that every election comes with a warning sign: perform, or perish. Fr us, the Democracy is not a gift, but the fundamental right of every citizen; for those in power democracy is a sacred trust. Those who violate this trust commit sacrilege against the nation.”
At the same time, the President warned political parties not to make promises it could not fulfil to people during elections. “Elections do not give any person the licence to flirt with illusions. Those who seek the trust of voters must promise only what is possible. Government is not a charity shop. Populist anarchy cannot be a substitute for governance. False promises lead to disillusionment, which gives birth to rage, and that rage has one legitimate target: those in power. This rage will abate only when governments deliver what they were elected to deliver: social and economic progress, not at a snail’s pace, but with the speed of a racehorse. The aspirational young Indian will not forgive a betrayal of her future.”
Attributing the weakening of democratic institutions to those who were in politics for their vested interests, the President said,”some cynics may scoff at our commitment to democracy but our democracy has never been betrayed by the people; its fault-lines, where they exist, are the handiwork of those who have made power a gateway to greed. We do feel angry, and rightly so, when we see democratic institutions being weakened by complacency and incompetence. If we hear sometimes an anthem of despair from the street, it is because people feel that a sacred trust is being violated.” He, however, expressed the hope that after the fractured and contentious politics of the last few years, the year 2014 would witness a resurgence of Democracy.
“I am not a cynic because I know that democracy has this marvellous ability to self-correct. It is the physician that heals itself, and 2014 must become a year of healing after the fractured and contentious politics of the last few years. 1950 saw the birth of our Republic. I am sure that 2014 will be the year of resurgence,”the President said. In this context, he called upon the people of the country to give to the country a stable government in the coming general elections.
“This year, we will witness the 16th General Election to our Lok Sabha. A fractured government, hostage to whimsical opportunists, is always an unhappy eventuality. In 2014, it could be catastrophic. Each one of us is a voter; each one of us has a deep responsibility; we cannot let India down. It is time for introspection and action,”the President said.
Describing India as a land of great promise, the President said the coming elections was a great opportunity for the people to restore that promise.
“The promise of India has sometimes been mislaid by misfortune; at other times by our own complacence and weakness. Destiny has given us another opportunity to recover what we have lost; we will have no one to blame but ourselves if we falter,” the President said.
He said that whichever party comes to power after the 2014 general elections should be committed to stability, honesty and development of the country.
“There will be a new government before I speak to you again on the eve of our Independence Day. Who wins the coming election is less important than the fact that whosoever wins must have an undiluted commitment to stability, honesty, and the development of India,”the President said.
Terming 2014 as a precipice moment in India’s history, he said,”we must re-discover that sense of national purpose and patriotism, which lifts the nation above and across the abyss; and back on to the road of prosperity. Give the young jobs and they will raise the villages and cities to 21st century standards. Give them a chance and you will marvel at the India they can create.”
While acknowledging that healthy differences of opinion were natural in a democracy, the President, however, said they must not lead to an unhealthy strife within our polity. “A democratic nation is always involved in argument with itself. This is welcome, for we solve problems through discussion and consent, not force. But healthy differences of opinion must not lead to an unhealthy strife within our polity,”he said. Describing corruption as a cancer that erodes democracy, the President said,”corruption is a cancer that erodes democracy, and weakens the foundations of our state. If Indians are enraged, it is because they are witnessing corruption and waste of national resources. If governments do not remove these flaws, voters will remove governments.”
On the demands for smaller states in the country, the President said while the debate on such issues was legitimate, it should confirm to democratic norms. “Passions are rising over whether we should have smaller states to extend equitable development to all parts of a state. A debate is legitimate but it should conform to democratic norms. The politics of divide and rule has extracted a heavy price on our subcontinent. If we do not work together, nothing ever will work,”he said. Acknowledging that factors of instability in India had grown in the recent past, the President, however, warned that forces seeking to destabilise the country’s integrity will never win.
“We live in a turbulent part of the world where factors of instability have grown in the recent past. Communal forces and terrorists will still seek to destabilise the harmony of our people and the integrity of our state but they will never win. Our security and armed forces, backed by the steel of popular support, have proved that they can crush an enemy within; with as much felicity as they guard our frontiers. Mavericks who question the integrity of our armed services are irresponsible and should find no place in public life,”the President said. While admitting that the slowdown of the Indian economy was a cause of concern, the President, however, said there was no cause for despair.
“The last decade witnessed the emergence of India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The slowdown of our economy in the last two years can be some cause for concern but none for despair.
The green shoots of revival are already visible. The agricultural growth in the first half of this year has touched 3.6 per cent and rural economy is buoyant,”he said. Guarding against the ‘mindless imitation’ of the Western countries, the President said,”India must find its own solutions to its problems. We must be open to all knowledge; to do otherwise would be to condemn our nation to the misery of a stagnant mire. But we should not indulge in the easy option of mindless imitation, for that can lead us to a garden of weeds. India has the intellectual prowess, the human resource and financial capital to shape a glorious future. We possess a dynamic civil society with an innovative mindset. Our people, whether in villages or cities, share a vibrant, unique consciousness and culture. Our finest assets are human.” Describing education as an inseparable part of the Indian experience, the President called for focusing attention on the sector.
“Today, our higher educational infrastructure consists of over 650 universities and 33,000 colleges. The quality of education has to be the focus of our attention now. We can be world leaders in education, if only we discover the will and leadership to take us to that pinnacle. Education is no longer just the privilege of the elite, but a universal right. It is the seed of a nation’s destiny. We must usher in an education revolution that becomes a launching pad for the national resurgence,”he said.
(UNI)

MUMBAI, Jan 25:
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s sports biopic ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ scored six wins at the 59th Filmfare Awards including best film, best director and best actor for Farhan Akhtar.
The film based on the life of athlete Milkha Singh, won an award for lyricist Prasoon Joshi for penning hit inspirational number ‘Zinda’ and Dolly Ahluwalia for best costume. ‘BMB’ also won an award in the best production design category.
‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, which led the nominations list with nine nods, did not win in a single category.
Its lead actress Deepika Padukone, who had a stupendous film year in 2013 with four back-to-back hits, was given the best actress award for her portrayal of a vivacious Gujarati damsel in Sanjay Leela Bhasali’s ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’.
Supriya Pathak Kapur, who played Deepika’s headstrong mother in the film, won the best supporting actress award.
‘The Luncbox’, which won the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award at the 66th Cannes Film Festival, was victorious in three categories- best debut director for Ritesh Batra, best film (critics’) and best supporting actor for Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
As expected Mohit Suri’s love saga ‘Aashiqui 2’ dominated the music category. Ankit Tiwari, Mithoon and Jeet Ganguly won best music director for the film, while Arijit Singh bagged the trophy for best male playback singer for ‘Tum hi ho’.
The best female playback singer award went to Monali Thakur for her soulful rendition ‘Sawar Loo’ from ‘Lootera’.
Tamil star Dhanush won the best debut actor award for his carefree portrayal of a boy from Banaras in Anand L Rai’s ‘Raanjhanaa’.
Vaani Kapoor bagged the best debut actress award for ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’. Rajkumar Rao was honoured with the best actor (critics’) for his role in ‘Shahid’ and Shilpa Shukla won in the actress category for ‘BA Pass’.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Tanuja as outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema.
The best dialouge honour went to Subhash Kapoor for ‘Jolly LLB’. The director also won the best story award.
Pubali Chaudhari, Supratik Sen, Abhishek Kapoor and Chetan Bhagat won the best screenplay award for ‘Kai Po Che’ Hitesh Sonik won the ebst sound design honour for the film as well.
Best cinematography award went to Kamaljeet Negi for ‘Madras Cafe’. Bishwadeep Chatterjee and Nihar Ranjan Samal – won the best sound design award for the film.
Aarif Sheikh won the best editing award for ‘D-Day’, while Thomas Struthers and Guru Bachchan won the best action award for the Nikhil Advani-directed film.
Best VFX honour went to ‘Dhoom 3’.
The event held at the at YRF Studios, was anchored by Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor.
The evening also saw performances by Priyanka, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor.
The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 will be telecast on Sony on January 26. (PTI)