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BJP’s top brass ignored RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s latest broadside seeking to curtail the rising momentum to reclaim, reinstall old temple sites to their pristine glory. A politically savvy RSS man says, “There is little likelihood of response or retort from either PM Modi or Shah to Bhagwat’s vocalisation for limiting the number of devastated temples in India needing reinstallation.” Legal remedies are increasingly the resort of Hindus thanks to the mountain of evidence unearthed by the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI). Modi-Shah will plough ahead with their rejuvenation plans for Hindutva ignoring Bhagwat even as their political favourites: UP CM Yogi Adityanath, his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma espouse political advocacy stridently furthering Hindutva’s agenda. Notwithstanding PM Modi’s radio silence over Bhagwat’s repeated outbursts, last time prescribing arrogance shedding over general election results that restricted BJP to 240 MPs, social media platforms unleashed criticism waves targeting the RSS Chief over his soft advocacy of Hindutva. “Typical of RSS claiming credit for political wins registered by BJP after Haryana and Maharashtra elections while feigning sleep over their own track record in states like Jharkhand over RSS’ abject failure at outreach in tribal belts through Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram,” the RSS man says. NASA has confirmed the structural engineering marvel of the Ram Setu while Dwarka city is truly resting underwater and yet, India dilly-dallies over Moghul-British era false narratives including scheduled castes and tribes introduced by the latter. Latest infringement at Sambhal was exposed by the ASI to be the remains of a 200-year-old temple built over a mosque and yet, Bhagwat preaches secular values today. Advocacy of Moghul-British invaders next?
The prestigious New Delhi Assembly seat is poised to witness a fierce electoral contest with sitting MLA and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal pitted against the sons of two former Delhi chief ministers. While the Congress has already declared Sandeep Dikshit, son of late former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit — who was three time CM — as its candidate, the BJP has asked Parvesh Verma, the son of late former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma to prepare for the contest. The BJP has so far not declared its list for the Delhi Assembly elections. For Sandeep Dikshit, taking on Arvind Kejriwal would be like avenging his mother’s defeat in 2013 by Kejriwal. The AAP supremo shot to fame by defeating incumbent CM Sheila Dikshit by a margin of over 25,000 votes. In 2015, he again won from the same seat defeating the BJP candidate by more than 31,000 votes. His victory margin was reduced to 2,000 votes in 2020 polls. Of the 70 assembly seats, the New Delhi constituency is one of the smallest assembly seats and is dominated by the government employees as voters. It has 17% SC voters. Also in the fray is former AAP leader, Dr Munish Raizada, a U.S. trained neonatologist, is vigorously pushing for his candidacy as Bharatiya Liberal Party candidate. A boost for him is that at least his main rival BJP, is taking him seriously. “It gives me satisfaction that the BJP candidate’s managers took my name more often than Kejriwal,” says Dr Raizada. As for Kejriwal, it is only his wife Sunita and two children who are campaigning for him. It is possible the AAP supremo is acutely aware that even if he wins, he may not be able to return as CM.
Perhaps the time is upon the BCCI to take stock of women’s cricket and effect changes starting from now on. It’s 18 years since women’s cricket came under the BCCI umbrella and in this long period things have looked up for the teams across formats on all counts, from contracts to match fees, coaching, exposure in India and abroad. It’s the women in blue team that’s seen in action much more than they being in whites. What has been disappointing is that the national team has not been able to bring the ICC tournament silverware even once. The women’s team, under the BCCI, has taken part in four 50-over World Cups and nine Twenty20 World Cups. The illustrious former India allrounder Diana Edulji squealed at the team’s inability to rise above mediocrity and lose to Australia 3-0 recently. As far as the World Cup matches are concerned India has played 27 ODI World Cup matches since 2009, won 16 and lost 11 and played 40 World Twenty20 matches, won 22 and lost 18. Not impressive! India’s top five batters average around 25 in World Twenty20 matches and in 50 over World Cups, India’s batters have not been consistent. In general the women in blue team has not been able to outwit Australia, England and New Zealand in matches/series away from home. In less than a year’s time India will host the 13th World Cup and hence just the time now to make changes that’s likely to bring in fresh ideas. The big question the BCCI and the selection committee has to take a call on is who should lead the team: Harmanpreet Kaur or Smriti Mandhana?
For over a year now the social media has been on an overdrive about Aishwarya and Abhishek’s marriage. Mirroring this sentiment, shortpost.in on December 22, 2023 ran a story headlined “Aishwarya And Abhishek: Rocky Marriage Or Only Hiccups? Now, Aishwarya and Abhishek have shut the mouth of rumour mongers after the two were spotted together at their daughter’s Aaradhya birthday party. Then tongues started to wag that Aishwarya is having issues with her in-laws. What gave credence to this rumour is her solo appearances with her daughter at Ambani wedding and other events. So the Bachchans took the opportunity to clear the air with Amitabh Bachchan making it to Aaradhya’s annual school day function. The video that went viral shows Aishwarya all smiles when Amitabh Bachchan steps out of the car. But, many say that it was done for optics as grandmother Jaya Bachchan was missing from the scene. So too were Aaradhya’s cousins (Shweta Nanda’s children). All these clearly indicate all is still not well but amends are being made. The reports about fallout began when a news report said that the actress had walked out of the Bachchan’s Jalsa bungalow and moved into Amu which is in close vicinity. Although there was no official statement but once Abhishek showed his wedding ring to the media to indicate all is well. Sources say that Aishwarya is slowly getting back to doing more work. This should be music to ear for her diehard fan.
When RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat recently expressed concern over the resurgence of temple-mosque disputes, and advised people against raking up such issues, was he speaking on behalf of PM Modi? Most likely. With the U.S. President Donald Trump all set to take over next month, the Modi government may not want any Hindu-Muslim communal tension to disturb the country’s economic trajectory of reaching $ 5 trillion. It is in this background what Bhagwat said at a function of Pune NGO assumes significance. He said no one will become a “leader of Hindus” by fanning communal divide. His statement surprised many Hindu leaders and came after Hindu right-wing groups moved various courts across the country seeking demolition of decades-old mosques claiming that those were built on temple sites. These mosques include the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, where riots had left five dead, and the Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan. “Extremism, aggressiveness, forcefulness, and insulting other gods are not in the nature of our country and this is unacceptable,” he said, adding that to become ‘Vishwa Guru’, India should not forget its nature that it is “accommodative” to all. The RSS chief said that the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was built to respect the sentiments of Hindus but to use it to become a “Hindu neta (leader)” was unacceptable. This is not the first time Bhagwat has cautioned Hindus about going overboard. In the past, he had talked of not looking for ‘Shivlings’ under mosques. This was his remark after the Ram Temple judgment came. It was a clear message of unity. Bhagwat’s words were welcomed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
This serial “multi-dimensional entrepreneur” never ceases to excite. This first-generation foreigner of Indian origin holding Seychelles citizenship has strong roots in Tamil Nadu with most of his ilks living in Chennai. Well, C Sivasankaran is his name. From launching affordable Siva Computers a few decades ago to his aborted bid to acquire Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) and his foray into telecom field with the floatation of Aircel (now defunct, of course), Siva, as is popularly known, has managed to keep the arclight focussed permanently on him. Controversies are nothing new to him. So are court cases. A Look Out Circular issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with alleged financial fraud has forced him to stay put in India. Being a mentor of AIWO Ltd., he insists that he has to visit abroad every month to deliver wellness services to clients. But his persistent efforts to get this LOC revoked proved futile. Finally, the Madras High Court gave him a reprieve. On Friday (Dec 20), the Madras High Court allowed him to go abroad by providing for temporary suspension of LOC. It has set some stringent terms, though. The HC allowed him to travel abroad to balance concerns of the prosecution side and constitutional rights. His travel to Seychelles, however, is prohibited since India does not have an extradition treaty with that country. Well, Siva can never be out of focus!
Six months after the BJP came into power in Odisha, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has every reason to be happy. It is learnt that PM Modi has appreciated his citizen centric outreach programmes. This is why PM Modi made it known to Odisha BJP leaders, during his last visit that Majhi is doing good work, in the process he subtly sent a message to CM aspirants that Majhi will be in the CM’s chair for the next five years. Now, there are strong talks that to strengthen Majhi’s hands a former bureaucrat with a strong administration background may be drafted into the Odisha ministry. The name of ex-CAG Chief Girish Chandra Murmu and now external auditor of WHO is doing the rounds. He was one of the several names shortlisted before PM Modi cast his vote in favour of Majhi. Sources say Murmu, who hails from Mayurbhanj in Odisha seems to have ticked all the boxes. He is a strong administrator, down to earth personality. Two, a tribal leader, three, not arrogant and fits into Odia Asmita culture. Being industrious and having both Modi’s and Shah’s confidence since he was earlier Modi’s Principal Secretary in Gujarat and was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of J&K when Article 370 was abrogated. Murmu certainly seems to have the heft and gravitas.
Even as the dust is settling over the internecine acrimony about the allocation of portfolios in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, a new wave of one-upmanship has erupted about the appointment of guardian ministers. As there are more than two or three claimants to grab the powerful position, the competition is intense. Moreover, as there are 36 districts in Maharashtra while the number of ministers is 41, it is obvious that some of them will be ejected out of the race. Another major issue of contention is the guardianship of Pune and Thane districts, which are politically very important for every party. In Pune, deputy CM Ajit Pawar was the guardian minister under the government of Eknath Shinde till recently. Now, the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde) feel it is their turn to occupy the position. Similarly, in Thane, deputy CM Shinde wishes to become the district guardian minister. However, the BJP is keen to obtain the turn this time. Senior BJP minister Ganesh Naik and Shinde have been at loggerheads for long and the tussle between the two seems unavoidable. In neighbouring Raigad district, NCP(Ajit) boss Sunil Tatkare’s daughter Aditi is trying to retain the responsibility though Shinde’s supporter Bharat Gogawale is determined to wrest it from her. Sambhaji Nagar, another sensitive district, is claimed by Shinde’s soldier Sanjay Shirsat while BJP’s powerful minister Atul Save, too, is considered a strong claimant. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is now busy untangling the rider.
West Bengal politics was set ablaze recently after a statement by Firhad Hakim, senior minister of Mamata Banerjee government. Addressing a gathering of minority students, Hakim, a trusted lieutenant of Didi remarked that minorities could soon become the majority, prompting sharp reactions from political circles and his own party, the Trinamool Congress. The TMC, quick to distance itself from Hakim’s remarks, faced an internal and external uproar. Party leaders expressed disapproval, with several calling the comments “unnecessary” and “potentially divisive.” Opposition parties, led by the BJP, accused Hakim of fuelling communal tensions and promoting a polarising narrative in the state. Hakim’s controversial statement marks another instance in a series of remarks that have landed him in trouble over the years. In 2016, he faced backlash for referring to the Garden Reach constituency as a “mini-Pakistan”. More recently, his description of a BJP candidate during a campaign as an “item” also drew severe criticism. Sources within the TMC revealed that Didi, who relies heavily on Hakim for political and administrative matters, has expressed dissatisfaction with his comments and reminded him of his past controversies that caused embarrassment to the party. In an unusually stern response, she advised him to exercise caution in his public statements to avoid further political damage. Hakim’s daughter Priyadarshini, a youth leader within the party, defended her father, asserting that his statement in Urdu had been misinterpreted. Political analysts say that TMC faces the dual challenge of containing the fallout from Hakim’s remarks while steering the focus back to governance and development in the run-up to crucial elections.
Controversial minister Dhananjay Munde is now facing public ire over the murder of Massajog village sarpanch, Santosh Deshmukh, last week in Beed district. Allegations abound regarding Munde’s close associate Walmik Karad being the mastermind of the gruesome broad daylight killing in Beed district, the fiefdom of the Munde clan for several years. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced a judicial inquiry into the shocking incident and has replaced the district police chief. However, as this could not pacify the local people, deputy CM Ajit Pawar visited the village immediately after the legislature’s winter session was over as Munde is one of his staunch supporters in the NCP. Pawar was greeted with demands to remove Munde from the council of ministers. The situation has a caste angle as the deceased Deshmukh was a Maratha while Munde and Karad belong to the Vanjari community, a prominent OBC section. Pawar now has been asked by a Maratha delegation to forthwith remove Munde from the cabinet. A memorandum submitted to Pawar has levelled serious allegations against Munde. When Pawar reached Beed to interact with the Deshmukh family, he promised the bereaved that no guilty would be spared. However, the villagers were angry since Ajit Pawar did not meet them. Munde’s absence from the legislature for the last three days and the refusal of his cousin Pankaja to comment on the incident, too, have added to the gravity of the situation. Munde is expected to come out with his version so#WalmikKarad
Coming just a day ahead of the G-20 summit, PM Narendra Modi tweeted about India’s leap in financial inclusion, powered by Digital Public Infrastructure! “A G20 document prepared by the World Bank shared a very interesting point on India’s growth. India has achieved financial inclusion targets in just 6 years which would otherwise have taken at least 47 long years. Compliments to our robust digital payment infrastructure and the spirit of our people. It is equally a testament to rapid progress and innovation.” Interestingly various exhibitions at Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the G-20 summit to showcase India’s technological prowess and innovation will offer a multitude of unique experiences to showcase a unique international project — ‘Culture Corridor – G20 Digital Museum’. The Culture Corridor will celebrate the shared heritage of G20 members and 9 invitee countries. The Digital India Experience Zone will offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience the power of technology being implemented by India first-hand. The Zone will provide key insights into the crucial initiatives of Digital India such as Aadhaar, DigiLocker and UPI. The RBI will display cutting-edge financial technologies at the G20 Summit, showcasing their potential to revolutionise the financial landscape. UPI One World is UPI designed for inbound foreign travellers who do not have bank accounts in India. Foreign nationals can open a Prepaid Payment Instrument linked to UPI to experience hassle-free and secure payments during their stay in India. Delegates will be boarded on UPI One World. Their wallets will be pre-funded with Rs 2000 which they can utilise as they desire.
West Bengal gets its identity day or “Bangla Divas” in a resolution passed by the West Bengal State Assembly. Mamata Banerjee government ratified the resolution to celebrate “Bangla Divas” on Poila Baisakh, the first day of the Bengali calendar. The Assembly also passed the resolution declaring Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s composition “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol,” as the state song. Amid protest from the Opposition BJP, the resolutions were passed by 167-62 votes. The BJP legislators voted against the treasury bench resolutions. Incidentally, the Central government earlier this year issued a notification to celebrate June 20 as Poshchim Banga divas. Subsequently, the day was celebrated at the Raj Bhavan by Governor CV Ananda Bose here which led to a strong opposition from Didi. However, according to the Chief Minister, celebrating June 20 as Paschim Banga Divas was a “distortion of history” since the day also marks the division of undivided Bengal. Meanwhile, Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP legislators protested against the resolution and marched to Raj Bhavan where they submitted a memorandum to the Governor. While Didi has made it categorical that it does not matter to her government whether the Governor ratifies the date or not since it is a resolution not a bill, Adhikari maintained that since President Draupadi Murmu wished people of Bengal on June 20, it makes the official date to celebrate Bengal’s resurgence.
With every passing day, the debate continues around KL Rahul’s selection for the Asia Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup. The Indian team, especially its main players believe that a player like Rahul cannot be dispensed with easily with the World Cup on home soil scheduled from October 5. Rahul who is accustomed to facing the shining hard ball will bear the burden at No5 with skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill set to open the innings. With Rahul being given extra time to recover from the thigh-related injury, and set to walk into the team, the question that begs to be asked is: Will Ishan Kishan be given the short shrift? The flashy and flamboyant lefty hammered a double century against Bangladesh a few months ago, and recently he batted his way to a rousing 82 off 81 balls at No 5. Sharma hinted that there is a possibility of both getting the nod to be picked in the eleven. Kishan has been groomed to fill the vacancy caused by the absence of Rishabh Pant and everything pointed to the young fellow getting a chance to display his talent on the big stage. Rahul has been out of action since May 1 and he is being prepared for the India-Pakistan Super 4 round-robin league match on Sunday. He will be anxious on two counts — one is to be fit right through the match, and the second is to get runs!
While the Khans are seen all over the media we have Hrithik Roshan, one of the last actors to get superstar tag, shooting quietly for his next film Fighter. The 49-year old actor who has worked with Siddharth Anand in War wants to work with him even more especially after Fighter. In the pipeline is Krish 4 but nothing has been finalised. Hrithik, one of the highest paid stars, is an insider both from paternal and maternal sides but he started from the bottom to eventually become a superstar. He formally entered Bollywood in 2000 with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. Post that he has had one too many hits like Fiza, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Koi Mil Gaya, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara sequels Krrish, Dhoom. Hrithik who has had his own share of controversies both personal and professional is known to be shy; he avoids parties preferring to spend more time with his children and girlfriend Saba Azad. Besides, he is also deeply involved with his father Rakesh Roshan’s banner. Maybe he is toying with the idea of becoming a director. Trade circle says that Hrithik is definitely one of the most dependable stars who has carved his own place by not being part of any camps. He is also quietly growing his HRX brand by opening gyms and eateries serving healthy food.
A few steps from the late Kalaignar’s iconic Gopalapuram home in Chennai is the temple of Venugopala Swami. It is said that Karunanidhi had to see the main deity every single day as he exited his home. Krishna had this vantage point. This Janmashtami brought unprecedented crowds to this temple in the wake of his grandson Udhayanidhi referring to sanatana dharma as a disease that needs to be eradicated. Chennai witnessed a massive outpouring of Bhakti and devotion on Lord Krishna’s birthday. Apart from the emotional and religious anger and fury of a faith scorned, the response of senior journalists and opinion makers were worth being noted. YouTuber and media guru Rangaraj Pandey asks, You say sanatana dharma because you are wary of using the word Hindu, but at the same time you want to control the Hindu temples and its overfilled Hundis through the HR & CE (Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments) Department. You even have a minister who decides which DMK cadres take up positions in temple management. Brahmins never aspire for managerial posts in temples…they are priests. “You could not eradicate Saraayam (liquor in Tamil) but you want to eradicate Sanatana Dharma”.
At a time when the I.N.D.I.A front is slowly progressing towards its goal of an united Opposition, Bengal CPI(M) unit finds it extremely difficult to contain the cadres and their questions about the party’s stand. Recently, the Bengal unit undertook workshops across the districts to work towards anti-BJP campaigns in coming months. However, the district leadership faced a volley of questions mostly pertaining to party’s secretary Sitaram Yechury’s stage sharing with arch rival — Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee. Sources at CPI(M) said that the cadres have not only expressed their discontent over the association with TMC but raised several questions. A section of cadres have questioned whether the party will be allying with TMC in the 2024 Lok Sabha election on the basis of the formula that everyone should support the party in their pockets of influence. If not then what would be the campaign process? Some have even questioned if Congress High Command asks the Pradesh Congress to ally with the TMC, will Bengal CPI(M) continue to hold hands with Congress or go alone. It is becoming increasingly difficult to defend the ant-TMC stand within CPI(M). The most significant question of the cadres was whether the party would support the government formed by the I.N.D.I.A. which will have Didi as one of the key players.
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.