BackUnion ministers, film stars join event to celebrate Modi govt’s two years
The five-hour programme was aimed at publicizing the 'achievements' of the Narendra Modi government
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New Delhi: Union ministers on Saturday joined a gala event, which had a smattering of Bollywood actors, including megastar Amitabh Bachchan, aimed at publicizing the “achievements" of the Narendra Modi government on completion of two years in office.
While the centrepiece event was held at historic India Gate in New Delhi that saw finance minister Arun Jaitley and many of his ministerial colleagues speak at length about numerous steps taken by the government across sectors, some cabinet ministers joined in from different parts of the country, including Mumbai, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Vijaywada.
The five-hour programme ‘Ek Nayi Subah’, which was telecast live by Doordarshan across the country, also saw superstar Amitabh Bachchan talking about one of the government’s flagship programmes ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’. His participation came amid questions being raised by opposition parties in the wake of his name figuring in Panama papers.
The event started with young ministers like Kiren Rijiju, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Babul Supriyo talking about ‘new vision, new India’ as they heaped praise on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision and making efforts for effective execution of various programmes. “He is the most youthful among us," said Rathore.
Bollywood actor R. Madhavan and anchor Neelam Sharma hosted the programme which was also attended by Union ministers Birender Singh, Maneka Gandhi, Najma Heptulla, Ram Vilas Paswan, Uma Bharti, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and J.P. Nadda.
Actress Vidya Balan, who fronts the government’s sanitation campaign, also joined in the celebrations from Mumbai. The actress said she never hesitated in signing up for the campaign as she understands the problem women in rural areas feel due to the lack of toilets.
“I never hesitated in signing up for the campaign... I faced this problem while travelling to a village near Varanasi. I can only imagine what women go through everyday," Balan said.
When asked whether she saw any change post her campaign, Balan said, “I can see the change and I feel happy and proud to be associated with this campaign. The credit goes to the government for spreading this message through so many mediums and creating a dialogue on the issue."
Actress Raveena Tandon, who has adopted two daughters and is associated with CRY, said the government was promoting the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign with a lot of energy. “I have seen women face discrimination and not get the chance to show what they can do. The progress of women is important in taking the country forward."
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