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In his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, PM Narendra Modi was at his aggressive best as he savaged LoP Rahul Gandhi. From mocking the Congress leader and two members of his family for becoming MPs — mother Sonia and sister Priyanka — at the same time to turning “certain spaces into personal museums”. He was referring to the manner in which the Gandhi family maintains control over Indira Gandhi Memorial and had refused to share documents pertaining to the Rajiv Gandhi era with the Prime Ministers’ Museum. The PM said we have established the Prime Ministers’ Museum, where the legacy of every Prime Minister—from the first to my predecessors—has been honoured. “I urge their family members to visit it.” Taking a swipe at the three Gandhis who are all MPs, Modi said, “I pose an important question to the citizens through this House — have there even been three MPs simultaneously from the same family of SC community? I also ask, tell me if there ever were three MPs simultaneously from the same family belonging to the ST community…” There is a vast difference between their words and actions. However, the harshest jab was when Modi felt leaders have compulsions to raise questions on foreign policy to be taken seriously — he was referring to questions raised by both Rahul and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on tensions with China. He asked them to read Bruce Riedel’s book JFK’s Forgotten Crisis— as it details discussions between India’s Nehru and the U.S. President John F Kennedy, revealing how foreign policy was handled during challenging times and the games played in its name. Congress leaders are apparently not amused by this suggestion.
Congress bossman Rahul Gandhi told Parliament that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar’s USA visit only sought an invite for PM Narendra Modi for the U.S. President Donald Trump’s oath ceremony. Jaishankar refuted RaGa’s averments, without revealing the true purpose after having accomplished never before witnessed outcomes. Highly placed sources reveal, “India’s MEA secured distinction of only nation’s representative holding bilateral discussions with the newly installed U.S. government both, before and after, official transition of power.” Dr Jaishankar didn’t elucidate beyond dismissing Gandhi’s tall tales to the Lok Sabha, but actually established grounds for PM Modi to ink U.S. deal for technology transfer regarding fifth/sixth generation fighter engines deliberately kept in abeyance over two years by erstwhile Biden administration. India will be on par though F35 fighter was doled out to Pakistan and, even poised to counter Chinese aviation capabilities with next generation fighters. Dr Jaishankar also held discussions with newly installed FBI director Kash Patel, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard over sensitive issues regarding Indian nationals targeted by earlier dispensation. Another positive outcome: Funding cut off for Gurpatwant Singh Panun, separatist pro-Khalistani rebel, creating aviation scares in India through threats of blowing up Indian commercial airliners. More covert results were achieved to become apparent sooner than later even as Rahul Gandhi termed Dr Jaishankar’s international statesmanship as mere kow-towing to U.S. hegemony.
Ever since mid-January when Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was accompanied by his son Nishant Kumar at a political function in Bakhtiyarpur, there has been a buzz that the JD(U)leader’s son would be taking a political plunge. The event was to pay tributes to freedom fighters, including Nitish’s father Ram Lakhan Singh, who too had participated in the freedom movement. Soon after the function, 50-year old Nishant, the only child of Nitish and his late wife Manju Sinha, told the local gathering that his father had put Bihar on the fast track of development and appealed to them to make him CM again. Nishant’s appeal came in the midst of reports that he was keeping indifferent health and had reduced public interaction. An engineer by training, Nishant had so far kept away from public glare. Raised by his mother, he is known to have spent time away from his father and dabbled in spiritualism. He came to live with his father only after his mother passed away in 2007. Those who have known the JD (U) supremo personally as well as politically feel with an indifferent health Nitish may no longer be in a position to even oppose entry of his son into politics much as he has always opposed dynastic politics. A section of JD(U) dominated by Kurmis is reportedly rooting for Nishant’s entry to perpetuate Nitish Kumar’s legacy; this section doesn’t care if it fits with Nitish Kumar’s vision of politics. It is being argued that JD(U) can’t survive without Nitish’s legacy. As for those competing against the towering stature of Nitish Kumar in Bihar — both the BJP and RJD — are also keen that a bumbling newbie and dynast Nishant does take the plunge and salvage JD(U). Ahead of assembly polls, JD(U) is likely to witness a churn.
What goes out seems to return to the same place. Well, how else could one view the unfolding scenario. Reports suggest that Aditya Birla Group-owned UltraTech Cement is in advanced talks to acquire Heidelberg Cement India. Heidelberg Cement India is the subsidiary of HeidelbergCement Group, Germany. It entered India in 2006 with the acquisition of erstwhile Mysore Cement, Cochin Cement and a JV with Indorama Cement. The company has plants at Damoh (MP), Jhansi (UP), and Ammasandra (Karnataka). If this acquisition happens, UltraTech may get Zuari Cements as well, which is a part of the Heidelberg Group. In such an eventuality, the Sitapuram plant of Zuari will also come under UltraTech. The Sitapuram plant was once with The India Cements (ICL). The India Cements got the Sitapuram plant as a bonus when it acquired Raasi Cement many years ago. Subsequently, India Cements sold the Sitapuram plant to Zuari to raise funds. The Parli grinding unit of India Cements, it may be recalled, was acquired by UltraTech. Since UltraTech has taken over India Cements, the Parli grinding unit has technically returned to its original place (since India Cements has now become a subsidiary of UltraTech). Well, the world is small after all. And, the world is indeed round!
An estimated 30% of the IAS administered Indian bureaucracy actively considers the VRS option. According to well-placed sources, “Last three years registered a spurt in the number of pending applications to exercise the VRS option, most officers still having over five years of service left. The handsome pension amount appears lucrative to many, including those put on notice by the Union government (and respective state governments like Maharashtra) for low productivity, efficiency and delinquent public service.” Majority of the pending applications seek the cushy handshake option, while those who fell foul of GOI evaluation parameters were told to consider exit plans sooner than resignation options later. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 1.0 and 2.0 tenures (between 2014 and 2024) had witnessed not only weeding out of senior officials through shortening of tenures under government service but also witnessed the lateral entry of professionals and industry domain specialists into government service. Similarly, several officials continue to perform government service notwithstanding their respective retirement from service due to their diligent and outstanding performance till retirement to include Pravin Pardeshi (CEO of MITRA). Others like former Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Dr Nitin Kareer are also expected to be tapped for active post-retirement service to the nation, sources reveal. As pen-pushing, non-productive Babus opt for early retirement the Maharashtra IAS fraternity anticipates similar cleansing of Maharashtra’s state secretariat that may be on the cards once again.
After all the hype over the low-cost DeepSeek artificial intelligence from China that seemed to be threatening the earlier model, doubts have begun to surface, at least in India, about its ability to continue posing a challenge to ChatGPT in the long term. The new app, which became the most-downloaded free app on the iOS App Store in the U.S. a fortnight after its launch on 10 January 2025, resulted in a steep fall in the share price of the more established Nvidia. While various users and reviewers have hailed it as a harbinger of the “global AI space race”, experts here are raising the old question of the longevity and reliability of anything made in China, especially when it is priced at a fraction of others in the same space. Says one leading infotech player, expressing the opinion of many in the field: “Like any data from China, nobody knows the real cost — it may be a whole lot higher than those incurred by Open AI.” Drawing a parallel with renewable energy, this expert points to a record 11 Gw of wind turbines commissioned years ago with turbines in almost all remote areas but no connection to the grid. “Renowned global consultants based in China whom I have met, always take any data from the Chinese government or otherwise from China with a pound of salt,” he adds. “It is perhaps disruptive news to pull the U.S. down. Let’s wait and see.” The Chinese company, established in Hangzhou, Zhejiang in 2023, is owned and funded by Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer, which develops open-source large language models (LLMs).
In recent times, Bollywood has seen a noticeable shift, with many newcomers struggling to leave a lasting impression on audiences. This decline can be traced back to a variety of factors, including the selection of projects that fail to resonate with viewers. Gone are the days when iconic films like Betaab, which introduced Sunny Deol or Rocky which launched Sanjay Dutt, captivated audiences and launched the careers of these stars. So too Jackie Shroff with Hero. In contrast, today’s newcomers like Suraj Pancholi, Siddhant Kapoor and Sasha Agha find themselves lost in films that do not provide them with the platform to showcase their talents effectively. The recent film Azaad featuring Aaman Devgan and Rasha Thadani serves as a case in point. Aaman Devgn, nephew of Ajay Devgn has struggled to make a significant impact, while Raveena Tandon’s daughter Rasha Thadani managed to capture some attention with her performance. Many of the films do not offer the newcomers a fair opportunity to shine; often focusing more on star power than on storytelling. For instance, in Azaad, the narrative centres around the titular horse rather than the lead pair, which diminishes the impact of the human characters. This misalignment can lead to a lack of engagement from the audience, making it difficult for the actors to connect with viewers. Aaman’s performance, despite being camera-friendly, lacks the emotional depth and histrionics that are often necessary to truly engage the audience. In contrast, Rasha stands out with her strong screen presence and impressive dance moves, showcasing a talent that could potentially elevate her career. Ultimately, even when a film does not resonate with audiences, a standout performance can create opportunities for newcomers to prove themselves.
The England captain Jos Buttler did not mince words on the matter of fast bowler Harshit Rana replacing Shivam Dube as the like-for-like “concussion substitute” in the fourth Twenty20 international in Pune. The scoreboard will show left-hander Dube having scored 53 off 34 balls with 7x 4s and 2x6s – a fine performance that went a long way in India posting a stiff 181 in 20 overs after being rocked by Saqib Mahmood’s three-wicket burst in his first over. It was Dube’s first international match in eight months. Rana, who replaced Dube after India chose to use the “Concussion substitute” rule at the innings break, ended up with flattering figures of 3 for 33, sending down his full quota of four overs. Rana took the wickets of Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton – all capable of giving the ball a solid whack. A pertinent question that cropped up was whether “Rana was a like-for-like’’ replacement for Dube, particularly as a fast bowler. In his previous 33 matches, Dube had sent down 45.3 overs and taken 11 wickets with a 3 for 30 as his best against Bangladesh in Nagpur in 2019. He did not bowl in 11 matches and went wicket-less in 15. Buttler disagreed with “Rana coming in for Dube” and wondered if Dube’s bowling speed had shot up by 25 miles per hour or if Rana’s batting had improved. On the face of it, Rana was a far from like-for-like replacement for Dube. India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, explained that the team forwarded Rana’s name and the match referee, Javagal Srinath approved it. The unsavoury event will compel the ICC to mull over the “Concussion substitute” rule.
Armed with a landslide majority in Maharashtra, the BJP, it is learnt, is now strongly pushing its coalition partners up against the wall. Not only has it launched a strong attack against Ajit Pawar’ party deputy leader Dhananjay Munde but it is keeping Eknath Shinde on the edge too. While the knives have been sharpened against controversial minister Dhananjay Munde demanding his resignation for the alleged involvement of his aide in the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde and his party have been resisting and fighting it against all odds. While Ajit Pawar may have strongly backed Munde for now, he realises that the BJP may not stop at him and could launch fresh salvo against his other deputies. Hence, Pawar has directed his men to maintain a clean slate and even demanded that freshers be vetted before giving entry in his party. His contemporary, Eknath Shinde too is not having it easy with BJP ministers like Ganesh Naik eyeing his Thane stronghold and launching a worker engagement campaign clearly with an eye on the forthcoming local body polls. While Shinde chose to brush aside concerns, his workers have threatened to do a quid pro quo by launching similar exercises in BJP’s constituencies. Shinde did not attend the cabinet meeting last week, while Munde is believed to have left mid-way. The BJP strategy seems to be to keep the coalition partners constantly on the edge.
The year 1952 saw the release of a cult movie and a classic coming together of two names that shaped Dravidian cinema indelibly. A talented writer from Thirukkuvalai …the indomitable M Karunanidhi (DMK founder) and a firebrand actor who set the template for Tamil cinema…Sivaji Ganesan. These two cinema debutants made Parasakthi, an evergreen movie still remembered by connoisseurs of this powerful medium. Suddenly, Parasakthi is in the news. Two Kollywood producers are claiming the title Parasakthi. Vijay Antony (actor-producer-director-music director) claims that his 25th movie under production, Sakti Thirumagan has been already registered as Parasakthi for its Telugu version in July 2024. His posters were splashed on X. Imagine the shock that Town Pictures and avant garde director Sudha Kongara got on hearing that their Sivakarthikeyan’s 25th film Parasakthi has an ostensible me too. This was no filmi coincidence. A high decibel legal battle is being averted by Akash Bhaskaran, emissary of Kongara who met Antony to resolve the issue. AVM Pictures also endorsed that the title was given to Kongara’s team and all concerned were just heaving a sigh of relief. Then for Kongara trouble came from an entirely unexpected quarter. The legal heirs of Perumal Mudaliar, National Pictures, original Parasakthi producers decided to digitalise the 1952 hit and re-release it. This claims that the Krishnan Panju directed original has allotted only distribution rights to AVN for a few areas, that no other house could use the title. Avowedly, the Sivaji craze and the Kalaignar charisma guarantee big crowds.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal summoned Punjab state government officials to Delhi, sans the state’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, to discuss the power supply situation spooking leaders of Congress, Akali Dal and the BJP alike. Criticism flowed in from at Kejriwal’s attempt to remote-control Punjab. Punjab Chief Secretary, PSPCL and other Punjab power department officials met Kejriwal to discuss AAP’s pre-poll promises, including 300 units of free power. Delhi’s Power Minister Satyendra Jain and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha were also present. Red flagging Kejriwal’s intentions, former CM Captain Amarinder Singh tweeted: “Arvind Kejriwal has taken over Punjab much before it was expected to happen. That Bhagwant Mann was a rubber stamp was a foregone conclusion, now Kejriwal has proved it right by chairing Punjab officers’ meeting in Delhi.” Ironically, even as Punjab reels under a financial crisis, the AAP Government will buy luxury Sports Utility Vehicle – Toyota Fortuners for ministers and Multi Utility Vehicle – Toyota Innova Crystas for MLAs. Although CM Bhagwant Mann denied this, the state transport department has sought Rs 18 crore from the finance department to purchase vehicles for ministers and legislators. The Delhi meeting was preceded by ADGP Gaurav Yadav’s appointment as Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Yadav and Kejriwal are batchmates who cleared civil services in 1992, opting for IPS and IRS respectively.
It was not the big fat Punjabi wedding many had expected. Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt decided on a low-key affair at their Bandra residence ‘Vastu’. Both consciously chose a simple marriage over a celebrity event, with all the associated drama and restricted it to their families and a few close friends, while keeping the paparazzi, politicians, celebrities and industrialists out of the picture. An invitee at the wedding said: “If you ask me how it was different from other celebrity weddings, the word is, simplicity.” Many who expected invitations were thoroughly disappointed and of course, best man Ayan Mukerji features in all the frames. So does Karan Johar. Alia-Ranbir were seeing each other for five years and, merely decided to give their relationship the official tag of “Just married”. On social media, Neetu Kapoor posted: “This is dedicated to Kapoor Saab (red heart emoji). Your wish has been fulfilled.” It was a family get together, with mehndi and sangeet on the same day with choreographer Rajendra Singh who arranges dances at all the Kapoor weddings. Attendees said it was full of fun and laughter as it is, in all Kapoor household weddings. There was singing and dancing that wouldn’t have been complete without Alia and Karan Johar grooving to the “Radha, Tera Jhumka song from Alia’s first movie Student Of The Year.
Hardik Pandya has won more admirers in the last three weeks. The reason is his overall commitment to batting, bowling, fielding and leadership of Gujarat Titans in the Tata IPL-15. The new team has surprised the discerning, winning four of its five league matches to be placed on the pedestal. After its win against the Rajasthan Royals on Thursday (April 14), the Titans have eight points, thanks to Hardik’s brilliant unbeaten 87 off only 52 balls. He dropped anchor and also sprayed shots at the DY Patil Stadium as the Titans reached a match winning score of 192 for four. Hardik has been in such a good nick with the bat that he is only second (with 228 runs) behind Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler (272 runs). Captaincy has indeed brought about a transformation in his overall game. He was declared the man of the match after leading his team to a 37-run win. Hardik is plain lucky that the BCCI added two more franchises and one of these turned out to be from Gujarat which retained him and made him the captain. And the team anthem, “Aava De“, seems to be gelling well with his character. Not very long-ago Hardik saw his fan base eroding but, he has used the Gujarat Titans and IPL to regain ground simply, leading by example.
The Congress is smacking its lips in anticipation of assembly polls due in Karnataka next year, having secured the resignation of Rural Development Minister K S Eshwarappa over the unnatural death of civil contractor Santosh Patil. The Congress is also immensely relieved to shift the political battle from contentious issues, like the hijab and halal meat, to core issues of BJP mis-governance like corruption. BJP leaders, however, feel the Congress campaign will head nowhere and end like the sting CD on former minister Ramesh Jharkhioli in 2021. Minister Jharkhioli had also resigned but the probe has meandered ever since. Karnataka BJP also charged that contractor Patil was originally a Congress worker, adding that he carried out works without required sanctions from the authorities. It alleged that the 40% commission scam was a ‘toolkit’ developed by the Congress. If this is true, then why did Eshwarappa, a prominent Kuruba face, offer to quit? It seems he had little choice as an FIR had been filed against him. The deceased contractor, who made the corruption allegations against the minister, had also marked it to the PM. Patil had been given oral instructions for a Rs 4-crore project in the rural parts of the State. Patil’s grievance was that he did not receive any payments for the job even 18 months after project completion. Eshwarappa’s pleads innocence and asks “How can payment be released without a work order?”
The relationship between Raj Bhavan and Fort St George were strained even when Tamil Nadu was a ruling BJP-allied State but, has turned adversarial now. Even before R N Ravi headed to Guindy from the northeast, whispers campaigns abounded about his being an ex-IB official, who spelt trouble for the DMK regime. He started off fairly amiably until the new Governor, at the instance of New Delhi, decidedly ran afoul of Stalin & Co. Governor Ravi is sitting pretty on the bill against NEET passed in the TN assembly. He also held back others, including amendments to the cooperative law. The ruling DMK finds itself in a piquant situation, even had to boycott the unveiling of the statue to Bharatiar, beloved poet of all Tamilians, to express their displeasure of the Governor. In days gone by, several occupants at the picturesque Raj Bhavan located in the reserved lung space of Chennai, were dreaded by the then ruling parties. M Chenna Reddy’s run-ins with the fiery Jayalalithaa became part of political folklore. Governor Vidyasagar Rao kept Sasikala waiting as prospective CM until the Supreme Court passed the verdict to send her to jail. There was even a Governor who believed in going into the woods for his morning ablutions, providing the only comic relief from Raj Bhavan.
Politics of protests, confrontation has peaked in Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M K Stalin skipped the ‘at home reception’ – a tea party — hosted by Governor RN Ravi at Raj Bhawan on April 14 to mark the occasion of the Tamil New Year. The DMK and allies boycotted the event as a mark of protest against the Governor who did not forward the anti-NEET Bill to the President for approval. If the ruling DMK is still sulking over NEET, the opposition BJP grabbed headlines after countering attempts to disrespect PM Narendra Modi made by the DMK, which removed his portrait from panchayat offices. In two separate incidents in Thanjavur and Coimbatore districts, the PM’s photo was put back at the Veppathur town panchayat office (VTPO) after a huge uproar. The VTPO chairman Anjammal had removed Modi’s photo that adorned the civic body office. In Coimbatore, BJP state president K Annamalai also placed a portrait of PM Modi in a ration shop to raise awareness about the Union government’s welfare schemes. Meanwhile, the race for Rajya Sabha vacancies in Tamil Nadu has picked up. While Congress is pushing for two seats, CPI (M) wants DMK to nominate prominent editor N Ram. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal whose RS term from UP is ending in July will visit Chennai on April 16 to attend a function and meet CM Stalin.
Thalapathy Vijay’s vast army of fans who waited with bated breath for his latest release Beast were disappointed, going by reactions of those exiting cineplexes, where frowns and let down feelings were clearly evident. After Kolamavu Kokila and an acknowledged hit in Doctor, the heady combination of director Nelson, action czar Vijay and foot tapper Anirudh was expected to set the box office on fire. While fans don’t blame their hero Vijay, who captures every frame with style and pizzaz, they are disappointed with the weak story line and at Nelson for “wasting the actor’s immense talent “. Clashes between fans of filmstars Ajit and Vijay over perceived popularity ratings and ability to deliver more hits is infamous. Currently, after Ajit’s Valimai also faltered, petering out within days of release, both are left standing on the same pedestal. Sun Pictures left no stone unturned to pull off another superhit, including pre-release publicity stunts, exclusive interviews with Vijay claiming this as his best performance in over a decade! Beast’s music by Anirudh with two chart busters in Arabic Kuthu and Jolly O Gymkhana became chart-toppers and loved by fans. Beast has followed quickly in the footsteps of the commercial failure Radhe Shyam. Fan frenzy for Thalapathy notwithstanding, the diamond did not get its perfect setting to shine.
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.