Backed by MNC, Poonam Pandey's fake death drama on cervical cancer jab and saffron connection

Bollywood actress Poonam Pandey was in news recently for her fake death drama in order to propagate a cervical cancer vaccine. Counterview carried an excellent piece by Dr Amitav Bannerjee on how glitz and glamour was being used for a vaccine which has no basis, pointing out, the average age of those suffering from the deadly disease is 50, while she is 32. An article in LinkedIn said a multinational corporation was behind the campaign for the vaccine.

Be that as it may, the "campaign" for the vaccine came even as Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget supported the case for vaccine -- imagine! -- for girls aged 6 to 14!

There is reason to wonder: Are Poonam Pandey and Nirmala Sitharaman connected in any way?

I was searching for a Poonam Pandey photo on Google -- and lo, I seem to have found the connection: she is seen on a motorbike with a Ram Temple flag fixed on it. One can now hope to see her propagate for BJP during Lok Sabha polls!

Comments

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. I don't know who owns this site, for there is nothing on it in the About Us link. It merely says, the Nashik Corporation site "is an educational and news website of the municipal corporation. Today, education and payment of tax are completely online." It goes on to add, "So we provide some of the latest information about Property Tax, Water Tax, Marriage Certificate, Caste Certificate, etc. So all taxpayer can get all information of their municipal in a single place.some facts about legal and financial issues that different city corporations face, but I was least interested in them." Surely, this didn't interest...

Beyond the 'plum' posting: Why the caste lens still defines bureaucratic success

Following my recent blog on former IAS bureaucrat Atanu Chakraborty’s sudden exit as non-executive chairman of HDFC Bank, a few colleagues from the Gujarat cadre — mostly those I interacted with during my Gandhinagar stint (1997–2012) as the Times of India representative — reacted rather sharply. Most of them sent their responses directly on WhatsApp, touching upon on the merits and demerits of Chakraborty’s controversial move. One former IAS officer, a Dalit, however, went further, raising a broader question: why do some officials like Chakraborty secure plum post-retirement assignments, while others are overlooked?

Blaming RTE, not underfunding: Education groups hit back at NITI Aayog working paper

A preliminary working paper by Arvind Virmani, economist and member of the Government of India think tank NITI Aayog, has concluded that the Right to Education (RTE) Act — enacted to guarantee free and compulsory schooling for children between six and fourteen — has actually worsened learning outcomes rather than improved them. The paper, published in March 2026 and reported by The Print on 16 April, has drawn sharp pushback from education rights advocates, who argue it builds a politically motivated narrative against constitutionally guaranteed entitlements.

Search This Blog