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Regional Parties Seek A Slice Of Ukraine, Odisha And Tamil Nadu Elbow In As Students Return, To Show They Are Also Humane
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dispatching four ministers to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to oversee airlifting of students, regional political parties in Indian states like the DMK in Tamil Nadu and the BJD in Odisha are keen for a political slice of the action. They are keen to ensure the Modi government doesn’t get all the credit for bringing home the students from Ukraine. After the initial bad experience of DMK minister KS Masthan, who went to receive Ukraine returnees at Chennai airport, being greeted with Bharat mata ki Jai has served as a wakeup call for regional Indian political formations. To wean away students from backing BJP/ Modi, TN has now set up a @tnhdelhi 24×7 help desk to coordinate arrivals from Ukraine. About 1200 students belonging to the state have so far arrived. “Our Government has set aside a budget of Rs 3.5 crore to ensure they reach home from Delhi,” says a DMK MP. A chat with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar helped DMK’s team of MPs deciding against traveling to the conflict zone.  TN is also playing copycat with Odisha’s idea of setting up a helpline for its students in Delhi and flying students back to Bhubaneswar– so far 77 Odia students have gone back. Interestingly, both Naveen Patnaik and MK Stalin have written similar letters to Modi regarding the students’ future.
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Why SRK Is The King Khan Of Bollywood?
He is literally the tallest Khan compared to Salman and Aamir. Fifty-six-year-old SRK, who entered Bollywood in 1992, initially essaying negative roles in movies like Darr, Baazigar could convince producers that he was the next romantic hero, a space occupied by superstar Rajesh Khanna.  Convinced, producers signed him on for box-office hits like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Mohabatein. DLDJ run of 1000 weeks established SRK as the king of romance, set off a female fan frenzy like Khanna did and, thronging crowds like Big B’s at his bungalow Mannat who fervently hope for a glimpse of him. Charming, witty and intelligent, SRK knows how to emote with the audience both locally and globally, on-and-off screen. “His brand loyalty remains strong despite the fact there were no SRK releases in the last two years. He connects well with people across all age groups,” says Karan Taurani of Elara Capital.  One of the many reasons SRK outshines the other two Khans is that he was an outsider. Salman Khan is more a Bhai for commoners while Aamir Khan only connects with audiences during films releases but, the King of hearts connects with audiences across age groups throughout the year. He also smartly set up his own enterprise, Red Chillies Entertainment and owns a big stake in IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders.
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Tragedy Time 'Rockstar' Performance By Ravindra Jadeja
Shane Warne’s ‘Rockstar’ cricketer Ravindra Jadeja has developed the good habit of playing the game with gusto with bat, ball, as fielder at point or even countryside positions in the field. It took a flaxen haired Australian superstar in Shane Warne to spot the terrific talent in the skinny lad from Jamnagar after observing his energy and enthusiasm while training at Jaipur. Jadeja justified the prediction of the Australian who excelled in the bossie (named after Bosanquet, the inventor of the back of the hand googly that turns from off to leg in leg spin action) variety and fooled many a batter in the World. After nearly 10 years of international cricket and across all three formats, Jadeja, after a long period of rehabilitation to recover from upper and lower limb injuries, made a match winning 175 not out and captured nine wickets against Sri Lanka in the Mohali Test that hastened to a finish inside stumps on the third day. Jadeja’s all-round display coincided with Warne’s premature death, but the Saurashtra cricketer will never ever forget the time he spent with Warne in the Jaipur dug out. And his unconquered 175 has made skipper Rohit Sharma to look at promoting him in the batting order.  “I am looking at ways to use him more in the batting role,” said Sharma after the Mohali Test.
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Sulking Abhishek Banerjee’s PR Stunt, Cuts Down Security To Ease Traffic Jam, Hidden PK Emerges At TMC Meet
After all the infighting within the TMC and his re-appointment as general secretary last month, Abhishek Banerjee, is apparently back to his sulking days. Surprisingly, he has pulled off a good PR coup by requesting the Kolkata police to remove the police barricade detail from in front of his house on Harish Mukherjee Road, South Kolkata. According to sources close to Abhishek, he did not want to inconvenience the public or disrupt traffic over his safety protocols. Police have now trimmed the barricade. Abhishek and his close associates believe this will speed up traffic flow through the area and the general public will be benefitted. Meanwhile, whatever exit polls may say about Goa, top leaders from Congress such as DK Shivkumar and P Chidambaram will reach there to prevent their MLAS from being poached by the BJP. Abhishek is also headed for Goa where the TMC is expected to pick two or three seats. Ending all rumours of a rift with TMC, Prashant Kishor was also spotted attending an important TMC meeting last Tuesday.
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UP Elections 2022: It's 'Mission Accomplished' For Congress And Priyanka Gandhi
The seven-phase Mahabharat between the ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party in the Hindi heartland has come to an end. While most TV channels are predicting that the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP will sail through the majority mark easily, quite a few web channels believe Mulayam’s son will rise again in Lucknow. However, amidst all the hullabaloo, it’s Congress that has emerged as the real winner. The party, which was nowhere in the race, contested all the 403 seats for the first time in 30 years. However, it is not just the 2022 assembly election that Congress is looking at. “Priyanka Gandhi’s charisma complemented with her emphasis on real issues helped us garner massive support from the youth, women, and minorities. As we have contested all the seats, our vote share will certainly increase. Moreover, it has helped us resuscitate and strengthen the organization by activating followers at the grass-root level,” said Dr Shaukat Khan, a senior Congress leader, adding that the hard work done now will surely bear fruits for the party in the 2024 general elections. Poll analysts proclaim that Congress has focused on 25 seats. And if Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Special Supervisor In-charge of Congress in Uttar Pradesh Bhupesh Baghel’s intuition of hung assembly comes true, the grand old party with a mere 12-18 seats can emerge as the kingmaker.
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Party Hopper Rita Bahuguna’s Son Follows Suit, Jumps Off BJP Bandwagon Over Denied Ticket, Joins SP
On the last day of polling in Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s son Mayank provided ample fodder to TV channels with his diatribe against the BJP leadership that denied him the ticket from the Lucknow Cantonment seat, his mother had won in 2017. Soon after joining Samajwadi Party, he sought to know why he was denied while Rajnath Singh’s son Pankaj was allowed to seek re-election from Noida among and other dynasts were made ministers in the Modi Government. Joshi tried to make out how the party was not strictly implementing the ‘one family, one ticket’ policy uniformly. The BJP was only interested in giving Brahmin leaders a tough time — he declared mindful of SP’s agenda to win over the Brahmins, it’s new supporter base. Mayank’s outburst, dragging in big names has naturally upset BJP leaders who were appalled when he sought to equate Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who has also been BJP president, with his mother, Rita Bahuguna. “How can there be a comparison? Rajnathji has built the party. Pankaj as a child must have been raised on the laps of senior leaders. Ritaji has been party-hopping,” said one UP leader. Rita Bahuguna, who was minister in the Yogi Government till 2019 has never reconciled to life as a Lok Sabha MP.
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Is The Devout Durga Stalin A Dichotomy In A Rationalist DMK?
TN’s first couple, Chief Minister MK Stalin and wife Durga are as distinct as chalk and cheese. Atheist Stalin contrasts his very devotional better half. Is this mere public posturing? Recently, on Maha Shivratri day, Durga and daughter Senthamarai were among the foremost worshipers of the beautifully decked up presiding deity, Kapaleeshwarar at the centuries old Mylapore temple. Clad in a shimmering tissue zari Kaanjivaram, her hair neatly tied with jasmines that adorned her long plait, she simply epitomized the image of a strikingly beautiful South Indian woman. She became the presiding devotee in the ambience of the revered deity. A few days later, she sent social media channels into a news frenzy when she took part in the chariot pulling at the famous Swetharanyeswarar temple at Thiruvenkadu, the Budha Khsetram (Planet Mercury). How does non-believer Stalin compromise with his ardently religious wife? Stalin has empowered Durga to be a woman of substance, a poster girl for Womens’ Day. There are those who say, it is just a political ploy to perpetuate the rationalist ideology on which the DMK was founded. Yet others aver that the first family, late Kalaignar’s brood may posture differently in public but, is very religious in reality. Insurance comes in many forms…Divine Insurance is much sought after by even the most powerful.
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As (Operation) Ganga Flowed Through Romania, Scindia Held Back, Buried Differences With Anghel, Focussed On Gratitude
Truth is often the first casualty of war – even rescue operations @Operation Ganga, as seen in the recent polarization triggered by a video gone viral on India’s Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Mayor of Romania’s commune Snagov, Mihai Anghel. The edited video starts with Scindia’s narrative at the Romanian shelter and, how students were helped to board planes with pet dogs. “Talk about (plans). Not dogs,” the good Mayor interrupted in a way that will clearly not be seen as good manners anywhere. “Let me decide what I am going to speak on,” responded Scindia firmly and yet, politely, “Stand back kindly.” Anghel then lost his cool advancing angrily towards him: “Hey, hey I provide shelter here, I provide food to all these, not you. Just tell them when they leave home, when?…” He backed off after inflicting another unnecessary blow, probably taking Scindia to be an Indian embassy official. “I understand, kindly stand back, thank you very much,” Scindia resumed explaining the travel plan before concluding, “So let me place on record my thanks to the Romanian authorities.” What is clearly a case of language-misunderstanding and, frayed nerves (in a war-zone with millions of refugees seeking safe shelter after the Russian invasion of Ukraine) has still not been put to rest with leading publications and parties spinning their very own customized political narratives.
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Stalin’s Heir Udhayanidhi Into Full Time Real Politics, To Shrug Off Reel Life After One More Movie, So Dad Goes National
Udhayanidhi Stalin has signed up with Mari Selvaraj for a movie titled Maamannan (Emperor) which could be his final serious film role. Once the movie is completed in the next few months, Stalin’s son will move to politics full time, probably by the end of 2022. His father and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is keen that his line of succession is made amply clear. When Udhaya was first tipped for a cabinet post during Tamil Nadu’s ministry formation in 2021, it did not come about because of his commitment to films, not because Stalin was wary of bringing in his kin into the political mainstream to avoid nepotism charges. With Stalin taking an interest in what happens in national politics for the 2024 general elections, he wants his son to help more with party affairs. Also, the second rung leaders behind senior minister Duraimurugan are not seen as charismatic enough for the family to encourage them to assume party leadership roles. Once he comes into the Cabinet, Udhaya will be the anointed as the successor to take forward the Karunanidhi political legacy in Dravidian Tamil Nadu. His exclusion till now was no concession to niceties as the DMK is very much a family party and, the scion will be expected to take up the responsibility.

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.