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The third term consecutive BJP government in Haryana proactively introduced seven laws before the state legislature’s winter session, even as Congress’ failed CM aspirant Bhupinder Singh Hooda declined handing over the leader of opposition (LoP) post to another party colleague. Before the session began intensive in-fighting broke out for the LoP post with Hooda deferring the appointment though Congress has legitimate claim with 37 MLAs to hold the post. Holding Haryana’s state legislature to ransom Hooda said the LoP would be decided only after the results of the Maharashtra state assemblies are declared on November 23. His stand of “If it ain’t me, it won’t be anyone else,” has already set the ball rolling with a majority Congress MLAs seeking fresh political pastures with strong indications of en masse defections to the BJP, says senior BJP leader Mahendra Jain. “Not only in Haryana, but also in Maharashtra, mass defections are likely from the Congress party and the Sharad Pawar/Uddhav Thackeray led political formations respectively post November 23, 2024. There will be a big political Khela in the two states,” Jain predicts. Ironically, after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress party was unable to secure the LoP status for Rahul Gandhi in India’s parliament have elected only 44 MPs back then while Hooda’s obstinacy does not allow the party to legitimately designate Harayana’s LoP despite commanding required numbers for the same. The BJP is exploiting the situation to engineer a Congress breakup in Haryana while ensuring the same in Maharashtra at the expense of the UBT and Sharad Pawar’s NCP in a repeat performance.
In a solemn ceremony, Justice Sanjiv Khanna was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11, succeeding Justice DY Chandrachud, who retired on November 10, 2024. The oath was administered by President Droupadi Murmu during a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The event was attended by key figures including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and former CJI Chandrachud. Justice Khanna’s appointment follows the recommendation of Justice Chandrachud, who had recommended him as his successor on October 17. Justice Khanna’s tenure as CJI will last until May 13, 2025. Despite his short tenure, Justice Khanna has opted not to move into the official CJI Bungalow at 5, Krishna Menon Marg. Following the swearing-in, Justice Khanna proceeded to the Supreme Court to preside over the day’s proceedings, hearing 47 cases alongside his colleague, Justice Sanjay Kumar. In his parting address Justice Chandrachud expressed a deep sense of satisfaction with his service, stating, “I won’t be able to deliver justice from tomorrow, but I’m content.” Justice Chandrachud, like other former Chief Justices, will enjoy several post-retirement benefits which have recently been enhanced to include round-the-clock security at their residence, along with a personal security guard available 24/7 for five years post-retirement. He will also get six months of rent-free Type-VII accommodation in Delhi, similar to facilities provided to Union Ministers. Lifetime entitlements include domestic help and a chauffeur, ensuring that their household needs are met and they lead a comfortable life.
In a significant political development, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has placed her trust in former cabinet minister and senior Left Front leader Abdus Sattar by appointing him as the chief advisor to her government on minority affairs. Sattar, an influential figure of CPI(M) who served as the Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education under the Left Front government. He has been tasked with addressing ongoing disputes related to Wakf properties and will advise the Department of Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education on initiatives for minority welfare. Interestingly, Sattar quit the Left Front way back in 2011 by joining the Congress before aligning with the TMC. This appointment, sources suggest, highlights TMC’s strategy to strengthen its appeal among the state’s educated minority communities. With the BJP’s growing influence in West Bengal and traditional opposition forces such as the Left and Congress losing traction, Sattar is seen as a critical asset for Banerjee’s administration, given his progressive reputation and deep organizational skills. A TMC leader pointed out that Sattar will complement prominent TMC leaders like Firhad Hakim and Siddiqullah Chowdhury. Interestingly, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that Didi’s appointment of Sattar reflects an acknowledgment of the developmental work undertaken during the Left Front regime and is also a rebuttal to TMC’s earlier narrative that the Left did nothing for minorities.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and former CM Uddhav Thackeray have started singing the same tune. They keep on telling the media, “I am not hankering for Maharashtra’s chief ministership.” Over the past few days, the three leaders have been interviewed by leading dailies and news channels. Each has been repeatedly asked about his prospects to be the next CM. In response, each has reiterated that a decision about this issue will be taken after the assembly election results on 23 November. The issue had become a hot topic soon after the Lok Sabha election when Uddhav Sena’s spokesman Sanjay Raut publicly suggested to Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to project his leader as the next CM. The move was immediately scuttled since veteran leader Sharad Pawar of NCP and state Congress president Nana Patole rejected it. Now that the polls are away in just four days, the issue has been resurrected. Shinde has predicted that the ruling Mahayuti will win around 160 seats in the 288-member house. Fadnavis has been consistently saying that the issue will be decided by Shinde, BJP’s Central leaders and another deputy CM, Ajit Pawar. This stance of the three top leaders in Maharashtra is interpreted as a precaution to ensure that the boat is not rocked at the opportune time.
He has been very vocal on sanatan dharma and has been taking potshots at BJP and Hindu religion. But ever since Udhayanidhi Stalin was appointed deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu he seems to have toned down his anti-sanatan stand. Of course, he has shown his aggressive side by insisting on wearing a T shirt with DMK logo on it at every public appearances, a practice that has irked opposition to the extent of filing legal action. This defiance is yet to be resolved. But there is evidence that he is mellowing down, a visible change from his aggressive defiance. Recently, Udhayanidhi was tasked with completing a full audit and stock taking of the DMK government’s welfare schemes and doles obviously aimed at the 2026 Assembly elections. To get a first hand report Udhayanidhi visited several constituencies, met the local party workers and government officials. But when he visited Thoothukudi with Minister for Fisheries Anita Radhakrishnan and Social Welfare minister Gita Jiwan in tow, the powerful and bespoke Kalaignar family’s Kanimozhi( MP for that constituency ) was missing from the scene. The media was quick to pounce on this glaring absence. Udhayanidhi was quick to reassure the media that this stock taking move and audit had been undertaken at the request of the chief minister and that his foster aunt was travelling abroad. He also took pains to reassure the media that he would revisit Thoothukudi in a few weeks with Kanimozhi. There was a time when Udhayanidhi would have flared up at even an indirect reference to Kanimozhi’s relevance. Times are changing
The absence of Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and other senior NCP leaders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally at Chhatrapati Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai on November 14 strengthened speculation that NCP could possibly be an unreliable link in Mahayuti. This notwithstanding the fact that the deputy CM had attended a Modi rally in Pune barely two days earlier. Ajit Pawar’s party is a crucial partner in the ruling alliance, alongside Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. But then NCP candidates Sana Malik, Nawab Malik, and Zeeshan Siddique were also notably absent from the event, which featured leaders from the Shinde Sena and the Republican Party of India (RPI) led by Ramdas Athawale. While the rally was meant to highlight the coalition’s solidarity, reports suggest that NCP leaders are upset over the BJP’s batenge toh katenge campaign. BJP sources said despite Ajit Pawar’s unease with the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva agenda, it is likely that he will stay on the side “which benefits him”. That is he could walk to any side which will make him the CM or as Nawab Malik told Times Now “Ajit Pawar will be king maker”. BJP sources said UP CM Yogi who coined the slogan has been much in demand among party candidates. “We have been forced to cancel meetings of top leaders to accommodate Yogiji”, said a party manager. As for contrary assertions by Ashok Chavan and Pankaja Munde on batenge toh katenge, these are being viewed more as a desire to project themselves than pose any serious ideological counter to the main party discourse.
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has raised apprehensions about his future moves, once again. Over the past few days, Ajit has betrayed his ambivalence about the way campaigning is proceeding in Maharashtra. While this is being commented upon, his absence at the final rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on November 14 has been noted with concern within the ruling Mahayuti. Neither Ajit nor any of his NCP’s candidates turned up for the PM’s rally organised by chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. As Ajit failed to appear on the dais, the media attention has focussed on his possible calculations after the assembly poll results are out on 23 November. Already, he has rubbed Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis the wrong way by objecting to UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s slogan batenge toh katenge. Ajit had observed that such slogans will not work in Maharashtra, whose culture was different from that of UP. Ajit’s insistence on fielding former minister Nawab Malik from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar constituency in Mumbai despite the BJP’s open objections had created some strain within the Mahayuti. Now, Malik has told the saffron formation that Ajit’s NCP will not be a part of the next government if Yuti’s campaign strategy is not changed. Ajit’s another confidant, Dilip Walse Patil had said a few days ago that some fresh combination can occur after the election. Ajit has not refuted neither statement. Hence, he is under close observation by the other two partners of Mahayuti.
The kerfuffle following Ricky Ponting’s straight–from–the–shoulder observation of Virat Kohli’s form was unnecessary. In the course of an International Cricket Council (ICC) conducted interview before the five-Test series between India and Australia in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the former Australian captain said that Kohli has scored only two Test centuries in the last five years (186 against Australia in Ahmedabad in March 2023 and 121 against the West Indies in Port of Spain in July 2023). In these circumstances, he wondered if any other player would have been picked for the national side. While Kohli — described by Ponting as one of the greats in the same interview — himself did not respond to Ponting’s appraisal of his form, a seemingly annoyed India head coach Gautam Gambhir virtually questioned Ponting saying: “What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should be talking about Australia.’’ Gambhir’s retort was churlish. The media seeks the opinions of former greats as a build-up to events and in this case Ponting was interviewed by none other than the ICC because of the importance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ponting has gone to the extent of saying that the series between India and Australia — from the backend of his career – has always been a high-stakes affair, not far from the relevance of the Ashes. Ponting has played 560 matches for Australia across formats, scored 27483 runs with 71 x 100s and 146 x 50s and led Australia in 77 Tests. He is also a World Cup-winning captain. To question his credentials is downright absurd.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath packed a lot of wit and humour while taking potshots at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge who had mocked Hindu sadhus straying into politics and occupying high offices “in saffron robes”. Yogi reminded Kharge that he may have forgotten some crucial parts while recollecting his family’s sacrifices “for votes”. Yogi alleged Kharge purposely glossed over the tragic death of “his mother and sister” in an attack by Razakars as he feared losing Muslim votes. Addressing a rally in Achalpur in Vidarbha, the UP leader said, “I am a Yogi, and for me, the nation comes first, while for Mallikarjun Kharge, appeasement politics comes first.” He was responding to Kharge’s comments on the “batenge toh katenge” remark. He recounted Kharge’s childhood tragedy during the political unrest in Hyderabad during India’s independence. Kharge was born in the Bidar region of erstwhile Hyderabad state, ruled by the Nizams. The Razakars were a paramilitary force that operated in the princely state with a primary objective to maintain the rule of the Muslim Nizams of Hyderabad and prevent the accession of Hyderabad to India. Incidentally, at the very rally where Kharge was pouring scorn on Yogi’s saffron attire, the Congress chief was trying to generate some sympathy for himself by talking about how he had narrowly escaped the wrath of razakars. He didn’t name the razakars; he merely said how his father was relieved that his only son had been “saved”. “Even our house was burnt. I don’t want to talk about those who attacked us.”
India’s Test team – thrashed 3-0 by New Zealand – will look upon the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia with trepidation rather than hope. After the 2-0 win against Bangladesh, the Rohit Sharma-led team seemed to have reached the doorstep of the ICC World Test Championship final. But in a matter of 10 playing days from October 16 to November 3, all the hype around a third consecutive WTC final turned into slough of despond because drawing a blank from the available 36 points from three Tests against New Zealand meant winning four of the five Tests in Australia to qualify for the WTC final. India could be disappointed when the fourth Test begins in Melbourne on Boxing Day (December 26). Of course, putting it across the Pat Cummins-led Australian side will drive the Indian team that competed hard to bring down the home side in the two previous series of 2018-19 and 2020-21. Preparing “designer turners’’ in Pune and Mumbai did not help the home team in any way as New Zealand’s two left-arm spinners, Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, sent the home team packing, capturing 13 wickets in Pune and 11 wickets in Mumbai. The five pitches in Australia will not afford copious turns to the slow men, but Cummins will deploy the smart off-spinner Nathan Lyon – he has taken 60 of his 259 wickets at home in 15 Tests against India — to the full. India has to muster all its wits, hour by hour, session by session, and day by day, deliver with the bat, ball, and field well in each Test match to make the series riveting.
After being pulled up by Odisha Assembly Speaker Suryanarayan Patra for frequent power cuts, the Tata Power has got into the act to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply through its four distribution companies in the state. The company has firmed up ambitious investment plans. According to Sanjay Banga, President (T&D), Tata Power, the company will spend Rs 1,200-1,500 crore for each Discom in the next five years (around Rs 5,000 crore for four discoms). The capex for 2021-22 has already been finalized and submitted to the OERC. Most of the Capex budget will go for reliability improvement, loss reduction and technology upgradation. In the coming winter of 2021, TPC will go in for planned outages – a new initiative to work upon preventive maintenance. Banga says from March 2022 onwards, TPC customers in Odisha will experience better power supply connection with fewer trippings as Tata Power will spend Rs 300 crore towards preventive maintenance to address summer season reliability. “Odisha power reliability will be as good as Mumbai and Delhi sometime in 2023,” Banga added. It is learnt that the power networks, which have structural weakness as experienced in Odisha due to redundancy of single-source supply, will be changed to multiple-source power supply assurance. This will ensure reliable power. Tata Power has 51% stake in the Odisha entity with management control and the state-owned GRIDCO has 49% equity stake.
The de facto head honcho of Chennai Super Kings summed it up all by saying “Dhoni is CSK and CSK is Dhoni.” That is how much Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain with the magic touch, has captivated the IPL franchise as well as its host city. Dhoni might appear to be well over the hill but T20’s short duration gives him a chance to keep himself in the thick of action as wicket-keeper and a batsman who can finish a game with just his experience and the awesome power of his willow when he connects. Dhoni would love to have an emotional farewell season at CSK as a player and the team is willing to use its first available retention card to keep him out of the general auction pool. It’s only the lack of clarity on player retention for IPL-15 that keeps the guessing games going. In his 12 seasons with CSK in which time he led them into nine finals winning four, Dhoni has become a fixture of the franchise and the host city where his once famous night rides on super bikes kept cops on tenterhooks. Chennai’s favourite son will be seen in canary yellow as a player again and we have the word of vice chairman & MD of India Cements, N Srinivasan, for it.
In a major boost to UP tourism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to open Kushinagar International Airport on October 20. Kushinagar is of significance to Buddhists all over the world as it is here that Lord Buddha is believed to have attained Mahaparinirvana after his death (2500 BE). It is famous for the Reclining Buddha image inside the Parinirvana Stupa. Prime Minister will participate in an event, organized to mark Abhidhamma Day. The day symbolises the end of three-month rainy retreat – Varshavaas or Vassa – for the Buddhist Monks, during which they stay at one place in vihara & monastery and pray. The event will also be attended by eminent Monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea, Nepal, Bhutan and Cambodia, as well as Ambassadors of various countries. The inauguration of Kushinagar International Airport will be marked by the landing of flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Led by Namal Rajapaksa, son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Lankan delegation of over 100 Buddhist monks and dignitaries, including the 12-member Holy Relic entourage, is bringing the Holy Buddha Relics for Exposition. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 260 crore, the Kushinagar International Airport will facilitate domestic and international pilgrims to visit the Mahaparinirvana-sthal of Lord Buddha. The airport will also serve nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
A Congress Working Committee meeting is specially convened by Sonia Gandhi to tell an unenthused Congress cadre that it has no choice beyond Gandhi family or how she is still full-time party chief and there is no such thing as interim president. Sonia got what she wanted; managed to get all 38 members to endorse whatever AK Anthony and three Chief Ministers said — that is to urge Rahul Gandhi to return as Congress President. Yet, what added spice to the discussions was not a call to Rahul but the sycophantic remarks purportedly made by CWC member from Kashmir Valley, Tariq Hameed Karra who extolled Jawaharlal Nehru’s role in getting Kashmir to become part of India. He apparently claimed that Sardar Patel had colluded with Jinnah and was keen to keep Valley out of India. The BJP reacted by asking if Sonia would drop Karra from the CWC. New to Congress, Karra didn’t seem worried about Patel’s role or legacy. The CWC story is not Karra’s remarks but who leaked the closed door CWC proceedings to the media? Fingers apparently are pointing to a few G-23 members. By giving out details of Karra’s remarks at the proceedings, the defiant Congress leaders finally seem to be getting their back at Sonia who took a swipe at them in her opening remarks.
In popular TV serials the on-screen characters played by actors seem so real that it becomes difficult to separate the two. Audience not only falls in love with these screen characters but start empathizing, sympathizing and identifying with them. So be it Tulsi (Smriti Irani) in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi; Manav (Sushant Singh Rajput) in Pavitra Rishta or Dayaben (Disha Vakani) in Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma they all became synonymous with the characters. So, this brings us to the larger question, can these stars be replaced? When Shaheer Shaikh was announced as a replacement for Manav in the popular TV serial Pavitra Rishta 2 played by Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) the producers, pressurized by SSR’s fan club, had to clarify that Shaheer was replacing Hiten Tejwani, the second Manav as he was not accepted by the audience. Likewise Smriti Irani had to come back as the audience refused to accept Gautami as Tulsi in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu. The makers of Tarak Mehta Ka Olthah Chashma have been waiting for over three years for Dayaben (Disha Vakani) to return to the show instead of replacing her. In Ballika Vadhu Shashank Vyas as Jagya was a huge hit. So, when he decided to move out of the serial, the makers showed him going to the US so that the audience continues to wait for him to return to the show.
Amit Khare’s appointment as adviser in the PMO (upon his retirement as Secretary to Government of India) for a two-year period indicates he is probably set for much longer innings. The Jharkhand cadre 1985 batch IAS officer, who officially retired on September 30, may not have superannuated as Cabinet Secretary but he can still hope to have higher career goals. Valued as an upright, efficient officer who helmed two crucial policy decisions for the Modi Government — the National Educational Policy 2020 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rule 2021 or the IT Rules — Khare has always enjoyed the confidence of his bosses. In the UPA years, he served ministers such as Kapil Sibal and Pallam Raju. So, what made PM Narendra Modi pick Khare for his team? It is said that credit for zeroing in on Khare should actually go to incumbent Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. It is said Gauba was approached by Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das to take over as state Chief Secretary. At that time Gauba was posted in the IT ministry. It was Gauba who picked Amit Khare as Additional Chief Secretary (Finance & Planning) in Jharkhand. Given his administrative track record, Khare could eventually hope to become principal secretary to the PM.
From the noble cause for which the Sheikh Abdul Rahman promoted Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), (founded in the 1980s, to honour and present a handsome purse ranging from $15,000 to $50000 to the present and past icons of the game, mostly from India and Pakistan), cricket has travelled a long way in the last 40 years from Sharjah to the nearby outposts of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now recognised as a popular and profitable destination to conduct major competitions like the IPL and an ICC signature event and the people who have taken these two high profile tournaments are the BCCI which has been averse to playing Pakistan in a bilateral series at the neutral venues in the petro-dollar region. The game thrived there in the 1980s and 90s as the expats from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh saw much entertainment value in the thrilling matches played by the arch-rivals of Asia, and also were excited to see the legends in action. The BCCI, which is the host of the ongoing ICC Men’s World Twenty20, has scheduled a few matches in the Sultanate of Oman, but it’s the likes of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah that deserve a shabhash for making it happen — two big events in two months
Why does Navjot Singh Sidhu come across as a problem child throwing tantrums every other day? Barely two days after it was announced that he had withdrawn his resignation following a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary Harish Rawat, and it was assured that he would be back working as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, Sidhu flagged a 13-point agenda on his Twitter handle for the forthcoming assembly elections. Ironically, he was mainly listing all the non-achievements of the local Congress Government in the last four and half years. Sidhu’s critics in Punjab Congress were livid that he had gone public with his letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi particularly on a day when she had told members of the Congress Working Committee that they must communicate directly with her and not go to the media. The former test cricketer is a very frustrated man and is so very unpredictable ever since Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit leader has been appointed as CM replacing Capt. Amarinder Singh. Not that Channi’s appointment has enhanced Congress prospects. “If Channi and Sidhu continue to be at loggerheads, Congress will be wiped out,” fear party seniors. Support for the Aam Admi Party seems to be surging even without a Jat Sikh face. And this is Sidhu’s frustration.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.