January 27, 2023 - Short Post

All Politics

Bharat Jodo Yatra’s Concluding Event Puts Pressure On South Leaders To Put Up A Grand Show

The Congress leadership has decided to make January 30 a mega event in Srinagar when Rahul Gandhi will unfurl the national flag at Sher-e-Kashmir International Cricket Stadium at the closing ceremony of Bharat Jodo Yatra. It is apparently the same national flag that was unfurled at Kanyakumari, say party sources. Not only party MPs, Congress Working Committee members and state Congress presidents and CLP leaders have been asked to be present in Srinagar. Most leaders from states have been asked to bring along supporters — a minimum of five. It is this sort of advisory that is adding to anxiety at least in a poll-bound state like Karnataka as many leaders worry if they don’t make it to Srinagar they may not get a party nomination to contest elections. Party sources admit with reports of police action on terrorists in J&K many Karnataka Congress leaders are wary of visiting the state. While top five leaders including PCC chief D K Shiv Kumar and CLP leader K Siddaramaiah will definitely visit Srinagar. It will be a task to get more enthusiastic numbers to make the brief trip. Added to this was the security fuss kicked up by Rahul Gandhi about local police not being available to manage crowds at Banihal, near Anantnag on January 27 and how he had to abandon his walk and get into the vehicle. His aide K C Venugopal tweeted about how the “sudden withdrawal of security personnel from the D-area had caused a serious security breach at the yatra. Who ordered this”?

Post By Lakshmi Iyer

All Politics

Will Capt Amarinder Singh Replace Koshyari Or Will It Be Om Mathur?

The names of former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and former BJP national vice president Om Mathur are making the rounds of political grapevine as replacement for Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who has expressed willingness to step down.Though no formal or informal confirmation has been available about the successor to Koshyari, his departure is expected to be imminent as he himself has disclosed desire to retire. Frequent visits to the national capital by chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis are considered significant against this backdrop. Koshyari has turned out to be the most controversial head of the state due to some of his decisions and statements. Within three years, he has sworn in three chief ministers, another record for Maharashtra. Capt Amarinder is considered more suitable for the post as Punjab and Maharashtra have a very long association, dating back to the 12th century when Sant Namdev travelled to Guman and constructed several verses, some of which have become an integral part of the Holy Granth Sahib. The Samadhi of Guru Gobind Singh is at Nanded in Maharashtra. A self-made politician, Singh is expected to handle the tricky political situation in the state which will go to the polls after a year. Om Mathur from Rajasthan is a BJP veteran, who was a member of the Rajya Sabha. He was a party vice president as well.

Post By Dilip Chaware

All Politics

EPS Needs Party Symbol To Fight Ruling DMK In Erode East Bypoll

Edappadi K Palaniswami, who needs the Two Leaves symbol, to make a fight of the Erode East bypoll, moved the Supreme Court with an urgent plea. The court has agreed to hear it on January 30. With the last date (Feb 7) looming for the bypoll nominations, EPS is keen that the AIADMK party issue be settled in the Supreme Court as soon as possible. The party was depending on a favourable verdict from the top court on January 24 but the case was not even listed that day. With time pressures on and the importance of the symbol being enhanced in rural areas, the fight is really about the party symbol though the EPS group has a clear majority of the party. EPS wants the top court to record that he is the Interim General Secretary of the party and that the post of Coordinator, held by rival O Panneerselvam, had been abolished at the party meeting authorised by the Madras high court as well as the SC. As the principal opposition party to the ruling DMK, the AIADMK, now controlled by EPS, is the one expected to put up a fight. EPS has put in place a large panel of 117 members to help with the campaign and the name of the candidate is to be announced soon.

Post By Tamil Raja

All Politics

Bengal Guv Bose Irks State BJP Leaders With His Pro TMC Approach

West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose arrived in Delhi on January 26 night amidst BJP leaders openly expressing their dissatisfaction with his style of working. It is likely that he may hold a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. What shocked the state BJP leaders was at a Saraswati Puja event inside the Raj Bhavan on January 26 the Governor reiterated TMC’s ‘election slogan’ at the end of his speech in presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari accused Mamata Banerjee of misleading Governor Bose. “Hatey khori” or a ceremony of learning Bengali alphabets as part of Saraswati Puja event was organized at Raj Bhavan. However, no Bengal BJP leader joined the event. BJP leaders objected to the Governor’s speech as he had ended it by saying ‘Jai Bangla, Jai Hind’ in Bengali. “Jai Bangla” was used by Mamata and the TMC against BJP’s ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan during the 2021 state assembly elections. In fact, BJP leaders have questioned the bonhomie between the CM and the Raj Bhavan as Mamata Banerjee had described the new governor as a “gentleman”. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said: The governor is known as an educationist, writer and nationalist. He was part of the central BJP delegation team during the post-poll violence. Mamta Banerjee, a dramatist, liar and Lady Kim, is misleading the Governor.

Post By Lakshmi Iyer

All Entertainment

The Unstoppable ‘Pathaan’

The sizzling pair of shirtless Shah Rukh Khan and daringly bared Deepika Padukone have raised the sagging, down in the dumps spirit of Bollywood to unimaginable heights, despite all the pre-release boycott threats, raves, rants and reprimands. Is Deepika’s bright orange costume too “besharam” for Jhoomta Pathaan? Besharami is in the eyes of the beholder! Director Siddharth Anand, the alchemist has peppered Pathaan with enough spills, thrills, chills and on screen sizzling chemistry of the lead pair. It is an immersive cinema experience (ICE). The first to be made in this format. Boycott calls and anti-Muslim propaganda filled pre-release. King Khan was silent. The entire industry was mobilised. And then that whispered fiat from the PM happened…Don’t make public comments to rake up controversy on films, Bingo! The movie’s destiny changed. Released simultaneously in 100 countries, it is the first Hindi Movie on BookMyShow to hit 10 lakh bookings of which 30% was from the South. First Khan movie to have a 6 am show, with producers opting for more screens apart from the 5500 screens in India and 2500 overseas, selling over 8500 tickets in Germany worth 1.5 crore euros, beating KGF‘s full take. The first day collection at the Box Office was Rs 60 crore! Now the hot debate on media…did this boycott threat make Pathaan a forbidden fruit? Once again Pathaan has proved…leave artistic expression severely alone…the audience is the sole judge to applaud or trash.

Post By Our Roving Editor

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.

TRENDS & VIEWS

Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack

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