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Every year has its own share of controversies and interesting twists and turns play a crucial role in the events. The year 2015 was no exception either. This year too, the country had its incidents, incidences and things that cropped up as aftermath, making some of them hot cakes in terms of news this year. 
 
As we close in on wrapping up the year, here’s what made the headlines in 2015 and shaped the country’s opinion both, socially and politically, sometimes ushering in major change in perception about the country in the world’s eyes. 
 
<keyword id="3119826" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Award-Wapsi">Award Wapsi</keyword> This must have been the most significant event of the year and happened right before the <keyword id="175111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar-elections">Bihar elections</keyword>. Award wapsi, a movement of sorts, was started a little while after murder of rationalist thinker and writer M M Kalburgi in Karnataka. Writers Nayantara Sehgal and Uday Prakash were among those who set the tone. This year, the biggest literary event was not a book release or something, but more like a writer standing up for his right to speak what he sees as truth. The writers were chided for siding with Congress party since most of them received awards during the tenure of Congress government. 
 
National Herald case 
Apart from Award Wapsi, this was another headline grabber which almost made demi gods out of Congress first line leaders. AICC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi made an appearance in court over murky National Herald assets usurping case, which cost the country quite dearly since Congress stalled the discussions over some crucial issues such as GST in parliament, over ‘vendetta’ politics. 
 
Modi Pakistan-Afghan visit 
Towards the end of the year, the Prime Minister who has been jocularly targeted for his trips aboard sprang up a surprise and visited his counterpart in Pakistan absolutely out of turn, thus catching everyone by surprise. His move was both appreciated and criticized in equal measures by those who love him, and by those who simply didn’t like this approach. But, it looks like the White House seems to have welcomed this new found bonhomie between neighbours who have been sworn enemies over several issues. 
 
Shah Rukh, Aamir Khan’s (controversial) intolerance remarks 
This year when people spoke of social and cultural differences, they were targeted on social media and how! Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan who spoke against the rising incidents of ‘intolerance’ and the subsequent fear that has been the result of this, they were targeted badly for everything they said and did. Many from Bollywood including Raveena Tandon, Madhur Bhandarkar and Anupam Kher condemned these remarks made by the two Khans. The issue still simmers on. 
 
No women in temples, so what! 
It started with Ayyappan temple in Sabarimala, Kerala where a trustee said they would put scanners soon to keep menstruating women from visiting temples and angering the gods. Soon after, BJP leader Pankaja Munde in Mumbai seemed to have agreed with this line of thought. She asked, in all calm tone, yes women have not been allowed to visit temples in particular days. So what?! This irked feminists and people across the social media, who ensured their spoke their minds against this medieval stance against menstruating women. 
 
Meat ban during Paryushan Parva 
The BJP government in Maharashtra banned meat during the Jain fasting period called Paryushan Parva. This angered people from across social strata, who were sure that the BJP was driving a wedge between communities that ate meat and those that didn’t consume meat. This was called a social experiment of the worst kind, which would have repercussions on people’s food habits where forced opinions would mean democracy had ceased to exist even in people food habits. 
 
Sadhvi Prachi 
In keeping with the continued tradition of letting lose a volley of abuses and irrational statements, asking people to go to Pakistan if they were opposed to the ideologies of BJP government which predominantly upheld Hindu values and the way of life, that an alternate faith was next to impossible. Sadhvi Prachi being just a representative of all those medieval thoughts and barbaric mindset, kept the newspapers busy with her idiosyncrasies while BJP leadership failed to rein her in. 
 
Yakub Memon 
Hanging of 1997 Mumbai blast main accused Yakub Memon, who was held guilty by courts in 2007 the country witnessed some tense moments and swift working by the courts even on the previous night he was to be hanged on July 30. 
 
Though his death didn’t create a law and order situation, international media lost no opportunity to ensure this incident was bracketed under ‘intolerance’ towards Muslim brethren. 
 
Bihar elections 
This was the single most significant incident that probably indicated the image of BJP was on a journey downhill. Having doled out goodies in form of packages, and most engaging and intense campaigning by the who’s who of BJP including Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi, the MahagatBandhan with Nitish Kumar and Lalu at the helm held people’s hopes. That is where exactly their votes went too. But in the run up to event, there was a lot of bad blood that spilled forth. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Political controversies that made headlines in 2015

​Just like every year, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=yahoo+india">Yahoo India</a> released its list of the most talked about topics on the internet based on the search habits of its users this year too. 
 And, there was an unusual winner when it came to deciding who would be christened the <keyword id="3181653" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Personality-of-the-Year-2015">Personality of the Year 2015</keyword>. 
 
Would it be our selfie-obsessed Prime Minister<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=narendra+modi"> Narendra Modi</a>, who’s just back from another foreign or would it be the Badshaah of Bollywood, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shahrukh Khan</a>, who’s made a lot of moolah riding on people’s craze over yet another of his average movies? Maybe <keyword id="211974" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Yahoo-India">Yahoo India</keyword> would give the crown to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=rahul+gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</a> instead, for being an unintentional stand-up comedian? (and for win atleast something for a change) 
 
Turns out, none of them deserve the honour. 
 
Instead, the Personality of the Year 2015 is none other than our very<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=cow"> cow</a>. 
 Our holy mother, the sacred <keyword id="6362952" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="cow">cow</keyword>? Yep, that’s her with the crown. 
 
"In an unexpected twist, the humble 'Cow' emerged as 'Personality of the Year', trumping other high-profile contenders for the top spot. It started with the Maharashtra government announcing a ban on sale of beef in the state -- a move which led to massive debates online and offline, spiraling into the 'beef controversy'," Yahoo said in a statement. 
 Further, the unfortunate <keyword id="3082300" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dadri-lynching">Dadri lynching</keyword> ensured that the cow became the topic of every living-room discussions on religious intolerance, sparked the ‘award wapsi’ campaign and even went as much as stalling proceedings in the Parliament. 
 
Thus, the cow was the personality that generated a great deal of online buzz in 2015 with conversations revolving around its life and death and ending with its consumption and conservation. 
 
Let’s hope no has a ‘beef’ with this decision!

Guess what? The ‘cow’ wins Yahoo India’s vote for
Personality of the Year 2015

You Searched For "Award Wapsi" and got 2 results

Political controversies that made headlines in 2015

Preetam Kaushik

Guess what? The ‘cow’ wins Yahoo India’s vote for Personality of the Year 2015

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