Topic of the week for discussion: 16 th to 22 nd Jan. 201 4 Topic: Spotlight: Politicians, Celebrities & Controversy The Controversy Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav arranged the mahotsab at Saifai, the ancestral village of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. All party leaders and ministers were present at the function and at least Rs 20 croreare estimated to be spent on the extravaganza. The star-studded event was attended by Samajwadi Party leaders, select bureaucrats and residents of Mulayam Singh Yadav's hometown. Apart from many B-class Bollywood stars, there were superstars like Salman Khan and Madhuri Dikshit among the performers. Over 2000 policemen were deployed at the venue which had seating arrangements for 25000 people. Special chartered planes were arranged to bring Bollywood stars from Mumbai to Lucknow . The event irked everyone as the state government asked Muzaffarnagar riot victims to evacuate relief camps in the state . According to state government, they have been running out of fund. At least 35 people including many children died due to cold wave in Uttar Pradesh. On the contrary the same government spent Rs 20 crore for their entertainment. People of the country criticised the politicians along with Bollywood celebrities who performed at the event. Madhuri Dixit, Deepika Padukone, Salman Khan were among them. Even the celebrities who danced at the event were questioned. One group of people also asked others to Topic boycott Salman Khan's upcoming movie "Jai Ho". Introduction Wrong Location Though some Assembly constituencies around Etawah are held by the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Yadav family has been relentlessly trying to tilt the power dynamics in Mulayam's hometown in their favor. A short while prior to the 2002 elections, an India Today article traced how Mulayam Singh's extended family was securing the constituency for SP. Rampant lawlessness, violence against women and muscle-flexing of political parties are Etawah's most defining characteristics at present. Mulayam's hometown is also a veritable nightmare for its women. In July last year, an 18-year-old girl was gangraped and then set on fire. She suffered 80 percent burns and died a month later. An 18-year-old boy was also beaten to death by goons for objecting to the thugs harassing his sister on the highway passing the town. In the same time period, another 16-year-old girl's body was found just 150 metres away from her house. She had been raped and then strangled with her own dupatta. Not much is known about what happened to the perpetrators of these crimes. In several cases, the police were reported to have been lax and non cooperative towards the victims. So it is fairly obvious that Etawah is not a place that should lend itself to such a spirited celebration for its own achievements The Celebrities Bollywood actor Salman Khan on Saturday expressed his displeasure with the Saifai controversy in Uttar Pradesh. He said the media projected them in wrongly by showing pictures of the celebrities dancing at the event along with the hungry kids and hapless people at the relief camps in Muzaffarnagar where deadly violence broke out in August and September last year. "Why are we being called insensitive? We were paid for the job just like you are for what you do," Khan told an interviewing journalist. He also took a dig at Bollywood film director Mahesh Bhatt who recently apologized on behalf of the actor. Bhatt even regretted the participation of his daughter Alia Bhatt in the cultural extravaganza. He said whenever I visit a place for a performance or a promotion, I see it as an opportunity to help the locals in the areas of healthcare or education. In Nagpur, on Sunday, Being Human pledged to fund 100 paediatric cardiac cases in Maharashtra State. And in Etawah, Being Human, on behalf of all artists who performed, has committed to fund 200 paediatric heart surgeries in UP (there is already a wait list of 81 children we have received who are being moved to Fortis Hospital Gurgaon and their surgeries will get done by month end and Being Human is in touch with local NGOs and hospitals for their lists also). We have also contributed Rs 25 lakh to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College & Hospital for the purchase of an Echo Machine, Pediatric & neo natal ventilator and a portable X-ray machine for their paediatric cardiac ICU. Another Bollywwod actor Madhuri Dixit also faced the flak for participating in the event. The Politicians Akhilesh Yadav announced that he will not attend the premier of Madhuri Dixit- starrer 'Dedh Ishqiya'. "Only about Rs 1 crore was spent on Saifai Mahotsava," Akhilesh told reporters after inaugurating some health schemes. Continuing his attack on the media, the CM added, "Media houses are becoming a part of the conspiracy against the Samajwadi Party. This is despite our best efforts to provide relief to riot victims." "People are playing politics in the name of Muzaffarnagar which is unfortunate," he said, adding that actor Salman Khan has given whatever money he got for welfare of children from poor background. Minister for health and family welfare Ahmed Hasan also said that Muzaffarnagar riots were a conspiracy to malign the image of Samajwadi Party. The backlash After the Akhilesh Yadav government faced stinging criticism for spending crores on the Saifai Festival, cable operators in UP have alleged that they have been instructed to black out certain TV channels by 'higher authorities'. According to a report on The Times of India, some local cable operators have told reporters that they have been specifically asked to block Times Now and India News. Read further: http://news.oneindia.in/mumbai/media-projecting-celebs-wrongly-salman-khan-on-saifai- controversy-1374975.html http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-13/lucknow/46149234_1_ashas-health- schemes-health-system http://www.firstpost.com/india/miffed-at-saifai-coverage-did-up-govt-order-blocking-of-news- channels-1338533.html?utm_source=ref_article .