Tag: Arvind Kejriwal

  • EEMA & NCT Government to simplify licensing events in Delhi; talks on with Maharashtra

    EEMA & NCT Government to simplify licensing events in Delhi; talks on with Maharashtra

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi Government has appointed a nodal officer for creation of a single-window licensing process for entertainment programmes.

     

    This has come after prolonged negotiations between the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) with the Delhi Government. 

     

    The aim was to create a conducive process for license acquisition for events in the nation’s capital.

     

    The State Government has also agreed that EEMA member companies can do ticketed events in Delhi without paying entertainment tax in advance.

     

    The decision was preceded by a series of meetings between the National Executive Committee of EEMA and the Delhi government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra. 

     

    Following a detailed EEMA representation, the Chief Minister appointed a nodal officer to engage with EEMA and find solutions in the shortest possible time.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, EEMA president Sabbas Joseph said, “Through the proactive approach of the Delhi government and EEMA, positive results with regards to licensing have started to show yielding a win – win situation for the entire events and experiential marketing industry. This is a big step towards making Delhi an event-friendly city.”

     

    EEMA treasurer Rajeev Jain added, This is indeed a big bold step by the Delhi Govt. & Dept. of Entertainment Tax. Change in the Entertainment Tax depositing framework for EEMA members is certainly a big gift to the industry and number of ticketed & corporate events in the city will see an increase. This directive is a first step to make Delhi an event-friendly city and reinforces the role of the Event Industry as a major stakeholder in the city’s growth.

     

    Through regular interactions with the Delhi Government and Commissioner – Excise, Entertainment & Luxury Tax, the following directives have been issued:

     

    Ticketed Events in Delhi

     

    ?  EEMA members will now be able to organize their ticketed events in Delhi without submitting any entertainment tax before the event.

     

    ?  Tax as per the ticket sale can be deposited after the completion of the event. Earlier this was to be done prior to ticket selling permissions being given.

     

    ?  To facilitate this arrangement, EEMA shall enter into an MOU with the Department of Entertainment Tax.

     

    ?  EEMA similarly would formulate guidelines for its members availing of this facility.

     

    ?  EEMA will also be submitting a Bank Guarantee of a stipulated amount as a surety on behalf of its members.

     

    Licensed Auditoriums under single window clearance

     

    ?  23 auditoriums in the city have been issued a permanent license for holding an event. More such venues are under consideration.

     

    Single Window Clearance: Reducing Licensing Hurdles

     

    ?  The government is in the process of bringing Entertainment Tax, Fire, Municipal authorities and Electricity under the purview of a single-window clearance.

     

    EEMA seeks to bring together the country’s leading event, sports management and brand activation companies, MICE and wedding planners, experiential marketers, entertainment professionals, artist management companies and international counterparts on the same platform.

     

    EEMA along with its key constituents is also engaged in similar discussions with the Maharashtra government and several other states with a view on easing the business processes and thereby generating growth in events featuring culture, music, dance, cinema and art.

  • Cable operators urge Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to reduce entertainment tax

    Cable operators urge Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to reduce entertainment tax

    NEW DELHI: The Cable Operators Welfare Federation (COWF) has been assured by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that he would examine their grievances including the recent hike in entertainment tax by the Delhi government.

     

    In a meeting that lasted more than an hour, Kejriwal heard the 30-member delegation led by its president Surjeet Singh on various issues.

     

    COWF convenor Ramesh Zadoo later told indiantelevision.com that the meeting was “positive, fruitful and favourable for local cable operators” and the CM promised to protect the interest of cable operators.

     

    Kejriwal promised a study of entertainment tax within seven days and said if the demand of the LCOs of reducing the tax to Rs 20 is possible, the government will consider a roll back of the recent hike.

     

    COWF suggested to the CM that he could offset the loss on account of entertainment tax by increasing the tax on DTH to Rs 50 as that is aimed at the upper class. They also complained about supply of inferior Set Top Boxes by multi-system operators. They also referred to VAT & tax evasion by MSO and broadcasters. The COWF also apprised Kejriwal about the harassment and switching off STB/ disconnecting line without notice by MSOs, thus inconveniencing the public.

  • All India Digital Cable Federation condemns ET hike in Delhi

    All India Digital Cable Federation condemns ET hike in Delhi

    MUMBAI: The Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party is currently dealing with a lot of criticism, especially from the cable and direct to home (DTH) sector. This, after it presented its budget for the national capital on 25 June. Of the many decisions, the government has decided to increase the entertainment tax on cable and DTH services from the current Rs 20 to Rs 40. While it is the consumers who have to bear the burden of the increased taxes, both the cable operators and DTH players have come out heavily on this decision.

     

    The newly formed All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) through a statement said, “The Delhi government’s recent announcement proposing to double the entertainment tax on the cable TV and DTH services in the budget is an added burden on the common man whose main source of entertainment is television. Aam Aadmi Party, which had promised to control the prices by reducing electricity and water charges is negating by the proposed hike. Due to this, the common man will have to bear the brunt of yet again, an additional tax, as cable TV operators will have no choice but to pass on this hike to the common man.”

     

    The statement further said, “It should be noted that cable TV is the biggest medium for news, entertainment and education. It should also be noted that the common man is already burdened by an increase in service tax from June 2015. The said proposal of Delhi government is like giving a piece of bread with right hand and snatching back the same from left hand. All India Digital Cable Federation strictly condemns the proposed hike.”

     

    In an earlier statement, even the DTH Operators Association of India, a body consisting of all private DTH players had condemned the hike. Association president and Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera had then said, “The recent announcement of doubling of entertainment tax on cable TV and DTH services made by the Aam Admi Party government seems unfair and illogical. DTH as a platform is considered as critical to citizen’s right to information, news, education and entertainment. The sector is already saddled with high tax, where 33 per cent of revenues are taxed between the Centre and State. DTH operators that comprises Tata Sky, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV, Videocon d2h, Sun Direct and Reliance Big TV, will have no choice but to hike their tariffs in Delhi to accommodate this hike in entertainment tax and the load will finally fall on the customer. By dropping electricity prices on the one hand and increasing entertainment tax on DTH on the other, does not seem like a move in favour of the aam aadmi! Is this how we plan to achieve a balance budget and reduce fiscal deficit?”

  • DTH & cable ops miffed as AAP hikes entertainment tax in Delhi

    DTH & cable ops miffed as AAP hikes entertainment tax in Delhi

    MUMBAI: Delhiites can expect to dole out more cash for their weekly dose of entertainment courtesy the new budget presented by the Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Under the new budget, while entertainment tax (ET) on cable TV and direct to home (DTH) in the national capital has gone up from the current Rs 20 to Rs 40, that for cinema halls has been hiked by 20-40 per cent. This, even as Maharashtra based cable operators, paying a hefty sum of Rs 45 as entertainment tax, are still fighting a case in the Bombay High Court for slashing the taxes, with little respite.

    According to Delhi based cable operators, while there aren’t any issues per se with increasing the entertainment tax, their grouse is that the government should have devised a way of collection from consumers before increasing the ET.

     

    As for now, it is the local cable operator who collects the ET from consumers and then gives it to the multi system operator (MSO). The system sees a number of leakages and blame game. While LCOs lament that the customer does not pay ET, MSOs believe that the LCO fail to pass on the collected ET to them. Since the onus of finally submitting the ET collection to the government is on the MSO, not surprisingly they are held guilty more often than not.

     

    While Delhi fell in phase I of DAS, where interconnect agreement should have been signed and billing started, thus protecting leakages, the same has yet not been achieved. Thus, increasing the ET by Rs 20 seems no less than a burden to both LCOs and MSOs.

     

    “The government can increase the entertainment tax, but then what are the measures it has put in place to be able to facilitate collection,” says Cable Operators Federation of India (COFI) president Roop Sharma.

    Sharma believes that the government should give incentives to cable operators for collecting entertainment tax from consumers. “The LCOs are the biggest sufferers in the whole process as they face the task of extracting this additional amount from their customers,” she adds.

     

    According to a Delhi based MSO, hiking entertainment tax is an unwelcome move. “With the earlier tax system, the exact amount was not being collected and this resulted in the MSOs getting penalized. The LCOs will not be able to collect the extra money from the ground, which will mean that the MSOs will have to pay the remaining from their own pocket,” the MSO tells Indiantelevision.com on condition of anonymity.

     

    The MSO is also of the opinion that while digitization was aimed at bringing in transparency, which ensured lesser leakages, hiking taxes and thus increasing the cable bill was unjustified.

     

    DTH Operators Association of India president and Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera said, “The recent announcement of doubling of entertainment tax on cable TV and DTH services made by the Aam Admi Party government seems unfair and illogical. DTH as a platform is considered as critical to citizen’s right to information, news, education and entertainment. The sector is already saddled with high tax, where 33 per cent of revenues are taxed between the Centre and State. DTH operators that comprises Tata Sky, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV, Videocon d2h, Sun Direct and Reliance Big TV, will have no choice but to hike their tariffs in Delhi to accommodate this hike in entertainment tax and the load will finally fall on the customer. By dropping electricity prices on the one hand and increasing entertainment tax on DTH on the other, does not seem like a move in favour of the aam aadmi! Is this how we plan to achieve a balance budget and reduce fiscal deficit?”

     

    On the other hand, Sharma informs that while the hike in entertainment tax is applicable for private DTH players, DD Freedish has been kept away from it. “Surprisingly the DD Freedish service is not taxed, but the same channels forced upon the cable TV networks will demand a tax. It appears there is no co-ordination between the central and Delhi government and in the bargain the aam aadmi has to suffer,” she adds.

     

    MSOs and DTH players will now have to come up with a campaign to inform consumers of the hike in entertainment tax, so that it is easier to collect from the ground.

     

    This also could be the trigger for going prepaid, something that Mumbai based MSO IMCL has started, where the customers pays for the channels they want to watch in advance. Defaulters, if any, face disconnection of set top boxes. The mechanism can at least help in collection and not make the LCOs or MSOs fall in the defaulter category. However, one thing remains unchanged, which is that the consumer will surely have to have deep pockets for their entertainment needs and demands going forward. 

  • Supreme Court stays Delhi government’s defamation circular against media

    Supreme Court stays Delhi government’s defamation circular against media

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has stayed operation of a circular dated 6 May by the Delhi government, which would have initiated defamation proceedings against media for publishing or broadcasting news that damage the reputation of the chief minister, the council of ministers and the government.

     

    The bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant issued a notice Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. “As an interim measure we direct stay of the circular dated May 6, 2015 till further order of this court,” the notice said.

     

    Asking Kejriwal to explain why the directorate of information has issued “such circular,” the court sought a reply within six weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on 8 July.

     

    The court’s order came on an application filed by senior advocate Amit Sibal seeking vacation of the stay granted by the apex court on the proceedings before a trial court in a defamation case.

     

    Sibal, who had filed a criminal defamation complaint against Kejriwal and others in the Patiala House court, said that while the chief minister on one hand seeks setting aside of penal laws on defamation, on the other hand he has issued such a circular.

     

    “It is noteworthy that the petitioner (Kejriwal) in his affidavit declares that he is working as chief minister of Delhi. However, the aforesaid circular directly contradicts and mitigates against the stand taken by him in the present petition,” the plea said, adding that the stay on the trial court proceedings against Kejriwal be vacated.

     

    The circular, issued by state information and publicity department, said that if any officer associated with the Delhi government feels that a published or aired item has caused damage to his or the government’s reputation, he should file a complaint with the principal secretary.

  • Kejriwal govt to keep tab on news channels coverage on Delhi

    Kejriwal govt to keep tab on news channels coverage on Delhi

    NEW DELHI: For the first time ever, the Delhi Government’s Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) is to monitor content being broadcast by news channels.

     

    This follows instructions from the Delhi chief minister’s office.

     

    Interestingly, former chief minister Sheila Dikshit had also mooted the idea at one stage, but dropped the idea for fear of backlash from the media.

     

    The current order directs DIP officials to monitor news channels from 9 am to 11 pm.

     

    Delhi government sources said a team of three has been asked to keep tabs on news channels and send a daily report to the CMO.

     

    “Besides recording everything going on air, the team has been directed to make a brief of all news items, especially those related to Delhi and the Delhi government,” said a senior official.

     

    Over the last few days, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and party workers have accused a section of media of being anti-Aam Aadmi Party. 

  • Marketing, promotion the &TV way

    Marketing, promotion the &TV way

    And in 2015 a new benchmark has been set on how to launch a new channel in the hyper competitive and challenging Indian TV ecosystem. We are referring to the effort that is being put behind the unveiling of Zee Network’s &TV on 2 March.

     

    In what could be labelled as an extremely well coordinated exercise, the brand has been in your face everywhere you go… in the streets, on television, in print, on radio, online and in social conversation. Estimates are that the network has laid out an advertising and marketing war chest of more than Rs 100 crore. All that is left is for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come out and endorse it! Or the once again emerging common man’s political and social poster boy – Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to mention it.

     

    India’s oldest and most successful television and media industry monitor Indiantelevision.com has also been roped in as a partner by India’s oldest television network for the &TV launch. Hence, you will see a coordinated activity on the site. The ‘Indian’ in our masthead has been merged with one of the key messages it is trying to convey: television in our country will now be referred to as &ndiantelevision. Every ‘and’ reference in our stories has been replaced by the channel’s logo. We were more than willing to partake of this marketing and social experiment, as it is only for a day.

     

    It is a messaging and marketing innovation, which we believe has not been done before, and will definitely merit a case study going forward. We believe the more discerning and progressive will see it as such. It is an era of partnerships, and who else but Indiantelevision.com (which has been serving at least two generations of leadership and several more generations of low – and mid-management in the privately run television industry since it started in the early nineties) would dare to venture to take this pioneering step.

     

    Clearly, what was once perceived as a conservative and ‘Lala’ media group has engineered a campaign that would do any of the more experienced marketing mavens in Unilever India or Procter & Gamble or Coke or Pepsi proud.

     

    There is ample reason for the Subhash Chandra promoted and now run by his son Punit Goenka, Zee Network to go into a marketing overdrive for &TV. The channel is launching in the thick of cricket season: the exciting World Cup is on and Dhoni’s team has once again found its form. This is exciting India’s cricket mad TV viewers to start visualizing and wanting another India victory in the prestigious once in four years prize. Ratings for Star Sports have been like never before and around half of the Indian TV viewing audience stayed glued to their TV set to watch our men in blue thrash the boys in green from Pakistan in India’s opening match. Even repeat telecasts were tuned in to later in the evening, as were the analysis and magazine shows on Star Sports.

     

    While the World Cup will culminate end-March, it will soon to be followed by the slam bam version of the gentleman’s game the money spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) on the Sony Entertainment network in April. Even though riddled with controversy, the cricket league has been attracting eyeballs over the years. And should continue to do so in the 2015 season too.

    If one were to be a critic and point out a single flaw in the &TV campaign, it could be the over dependence of the channel on projecting one programme – the Shah Rukh Khan-hosted India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun. While it is a good strategy to use arguably India’s best known Bollywood face and the second richest actor in the world, it also means the show will have to measure up and meet the expectations it has raised in the minds of viewers. Yes, two other shows Razia Sultan and Begusarai are also being promoted but the decibel levels are lower than that for the Shah Rukh show. And Shah Rukh has not really set the small screen on fire in his earlier sojourns as the host of shows like Zor Ka Jhatka, Kaun Banega Crorepati or Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain, though the telecast of his films on TV has been good reason for viewers to stay put at home in the past.

     

    However, Goenka like his father is emerging as a business executive who is willing to take risks – some may say an expensive one. But the fact is that if the show catches on, he could well end up getting loads of praises and advertising dollars. If it doesn’t it could well prove a driver for other shows on the channel.

     

    Colors used this strategy at the time of its launch: Akshay Kumar became its  face, and though his Khatron Ke Khiladi did not get very high numbers as one would have expected, it worked like a magnet and drew audiences into the channel’s other shows and positioned Colors in the minds of viewers as an edgy and differentiated channel.

     

    If that is the strategy that Goenka and the &TV team lead by Rajesh Iyer are following (Iyer was associated with the Colors launch as well), then the other shows will have to really deliver. Prima facie the Zee Network seems to have raised the bar on production values if one looks at the shows on its new offering. The effort has been to keep the story telling and narrative for its fiction shows differentiated. Hopefully, India’s general entertainment viewers perceive the effort as such with &TV too.

     

    The new GEC is also launching at the time when a new TV viewership measurement system BARC is about to start rolling out its services. Who knows what surprises it may throw up as it has used newer metrics for placing its viewership meters in its 20,000 strong universe. The surprises could well end up working in the Zee Network’s and &TV’s favour.

     

    However, recent efforts to innovate in India’s Hindi general entertainment genre with linear channels have met with a rather tepid response. Star’s Life OK shone briefly, Zee TV’s Zindagi got critical acclaim but limited audiences and Sony Entertainment’s Pal was not well received by viewers.

     

    We will know soon enough whether &TV has what it takes. For that, it’s over to the audience.

  • “Couldn’t have asked for better timing”: The Viral Fever’s Arunabh Kumar

    “Couldn’t have asked for better timing”: The Viral Fever’s Arunabh Kumar

    MUMBAI: On 10 February when Aam Admi Party (AAP) founder Arvind Kejriwal created a history of sorts by winning the Delhi assembly elections by a record win of 67 seats, social media was abuzz with another first he had scored as an Indian politician. The muffler man was the first Indian politician to feature on a satire show on a digital network, The Viral Fever (TVF).

     

    How tough was it to convince Kejriwal to come on board for the flagship show Barely Speaking with Arnub? “We were talking to Kejriwal since October last year but he was busy with his campaign. He was well aware of the bitter-sweet thought provoking content we present. While we were unhappy with the delay, we could not have asked for a better timing and release,” The Viral Fever founder and CEO Arunabh Kumar tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    The show, which was uploaded on 9 February, has garnered 2,251,010 views on YouTube so far.

     

    The digital network also partnered with Times of India (TOI) as part of its The Great Indian campaign. Kumar says when TOI started the second leg of the campaign The Great Indian Litterbug, they were simultaneously in talks with Kejriwal. 

     

    “The campaign was about the common man indulging in littering while the symbol of the AAP party, which is the broom, stood for cleaning up the act. We thought it was a great fit in such a way that people would not know it was branded integration,” adds Kumar.

     

    The host of Barely Speaking is seen imitating India’s most popular news anchor Arnab Goswami of Times Now. When asked if he has been confronted anytime by the real “nation wants to know” anchor, Kumar is of the opinion that imitation is flattery and it is not a major concern as the network has partnered with the Times Group for different associations. “Let’s hope we are able to convince him to come on board for our show and have an ultimate showdown,” he says.

     

    When queried whether India was ready for a subscription based model going by the rise in video on demand (VOD) platforms, Kumar says that their network has a product called the TVF Box Office where people can watch movies they have missed by paying for it.

     

    “Rocket Singh has sold 30,000 tickets in three years on Google Play and Sulemani Keeda, a very tiny film which didn’t even get a decent release sold 10,000 tickets in less than 10 days. This has been able because of the traction the Viral Fever has been able to garner,” the founder explains.

     

    The network has a total strength of 70 people and took a total of 36 hours to shoot the interview with Kejriwal and upload it on the online channel. Previously Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan too has made an appearance on the show. When asked who are the other guests he looks to get on board, Kumar says “I think there are Shah Rukh’s of various different industries that we plan to get on board. But Bollywood always makes up for good content and at the same time the younger upcoming actors are open at laughing at themselves.”

     

    The network also has a small division called the TVF Tube, which is headed by Samir Saxena. This segment looks at producing content for television. Saxena has directed the popular online show Permanent Roommates. “Permanent Roommates is globally the most watched web series on YouTube. It is at the number one spot. There is no other branded fiction property more popular than Permanent Roommate on YouTube,” boasts Kumar.

     

    The network has so far worked with 30 different brands for brand integrations. It has produced shows with brands such as Airtel, Flipakart, P&G and are currently also working with Kingfisher.

     

    Speaking on the road ahead, Kumar informs that their non-fiction vertical Recycle Bin will be pushed a lot this year. They are also looking to work with different partners for different genres of programming. Thirdly the company is also looking at enhancing its technology to disseminate content better. Talking about the cost involved, Kumar says, “For us cost does not reduce because the size of the screen reduces. We believe great content cannot be produced at a cheap cost. We can literally get Rs 10 out of Rupee one of content.”

     

    In his concluding remarks Kumar says that their one key challenge is to make Indian audiences respect great content. “Because they seem to be enslaved completely by Bollywood, which I think we have managed to change to certain extent the value and core remains to create and serve and disseminate premium content at par with global standards,” concludes Kumar.

  • AAP hurricane demolishes BJP and Congress

    AAP hurricane demolishes BJP and Congress

    If general election was swept by the Modi wave, Delhi assembly election certainly witnessed a Kejriwal hurricane. The Modi juggernaut has been bamboozled as his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was restricted to a mere three seats in Delhi. Indian National Congress’ decimating journey took one step forward; they failed to open their account, such was the story of National Capital on 10 February, 2015. Historians and political authors will have to mark this date as historical as any.

     

    A two year old party lead by an ex IIT-ian won 67 of 70 seats contesting against two of the largest national political parties in India. About a year ago on 14 February, 2014 Arvind Kejriwal resigned from the Chief Minister’s post and President’s rule was forced on the capital of world’s largest democracy. Many predicted it as the end of Aam Admi Party (AAP) and Arvind Kejriwal’s political career. Exactly a year later he is all set to take the oath again as the Chief Minister of Delhi, as Delhiites give him a historical mandate.

     

    Few note worthy points of the Delhi elections are:

     

    · The largest opposition party is BJP with three seats, which means Delhi will be legislation without opposition.

     

    · BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi lost to advocate S K Bagga in her Krishna Nagar Constituency.

     

    · Three BJP candidates to win a seat were Om Prakash Sharma, Jagdish Pradhan and Vijender Kumar.

     

    · Congress failed to open its account and its Chief Ministerial candidate Ajay Maken was defeated by AAP’s Som Dutt in Sadar Bazar constituency.

     

    · BJP’s vote share almost remained the same. It was 34.12 per cent in 2013 and this time it is 33.80 per cent.

     

    · AAP’s vote share witnessed a substantial hike. During the 2013 assembly election it was 29.64 per cent, whereas the 2015 vote share increased to 53.30 per cent.

     

    · Congress suffered the worst decline in vote share. They were reduced to 8.60 per cent from 24.67 per cent in 2013.

     

    Indian media covered the ‘election day’ with esteemed sophistication. Every channel deployed huge number of reporters on field to cover each and every development. Media houses decorated their websites with innovative designs. NDTV uploaded ‘Sirf AAP,’ Arvind Kejriwal’s dream result right after the trends indicated a AAP sweep. Aaj Tak had an animation of Arvind Kejriwal ecstatically dancing. Times Now’s #Feb10withArnab was trending on Twitter.

     

    Prominent public figures used social media to share their reactions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first to post a reaction. “Spoke to @ArvindKejriwal & congratulated him on the win. Assured him Centre’s complete support in the development of Delhi,” Modi tweeted. 

     

    Kiran Bedi also posted her reaction. “Full marks to Arvind. Congratulations. Now take Delhi to the heights it belongs to. Make it a world class city,” she tweeted.

     

    Journalists too used social media to share their opinion. NDTV’s Vikram Chandra tweeted, “I can’t recall seeing a 95% majority before. 3 lonely lotuses in a sea of jhaddus. #sirfAAP isn’t just a hashtag today. #NDTVResults.”

     

    Veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai posted, “67 of 70 Congress candidates lost their deposits. 60 per cent wins more than 10,000 votes. #AAPSweep.”

     

    Social activist Anna Hazare in an interview to CNN said, “Kiran Bedi not responsible for BJP’s defeat, Narendra Modi is.”

     

    The man of the hour Kejriwal dedicated his victory to party volunteers. He tweeted, “Volunteers. U did an amazing job. Relax for 2 days. Spend with your family. Sleep. Watch movies. Meditate. Chill. God bless u.”  

     

    The Aam Aadmi has won yet again!

  • Arvind Kejriwal on The Viral Fever

    Arvind Kejriwal on The Viral Fever

    MUMBAI: Delhi has decided its next Chief Minister in Arvind Kejriwal and the man of the moment will soon feature on multi channel network – The Viral Fever’s show Barely Speaking, on Monday, 16 February.   

     

    Speaking about its achievements, The Viral Fever founder & CEO Arunabh Kumar said, “We at the Viral Fever are committed to bring out the best content for our eager audiences. We strive to reach out to an entirely resonated audience with what I have personally believed all my life-common Indian man needs to be parodied the most. With Arvind Kejriwal deciding to join us, it proves that we have been able to disseminate great content experiences to young Indians in the digital era.”

     

    “Viewers will be able to see Kejriwal in a never seen before avatar and I am confident that they will be equally impressed beyond doubt. Our satire based programming has always been thought provoking in the past and who better than Kejriwal whose symbol is the humble broom, to strike a meaningful conversation with us,” Kumar added.

     

    Setting another precedent for the genre, it is for the first time that a distinguished and influential politician from the country will be seen gracing a satire show on an Indian online network. Audiences will be able to view previously unseen facets of the man, more popularly and seriously known as the ‘muffler man’ as he gets set to be grilled by show host Arunabh.