Samajwadi party’s suspended MLA Abu Azmi has refused to apologise for his controversial statement praising Moghul emperor Aurangzeb, who tortured Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj to death. While passions are extremely agitated against Azmi’s statement, he has told Marathi TV channel ABP Majha that he stands by his praise of Aurangzeb. In the interview, Azmi has levelled many charges against those who spoke against him while supporting a unanimous motion by the state legislative assembly to suspend him for the remaining duration of the current budget session. Some of the critics described Azmi as a ‘B Team’ of the BJP since the clamour for his suspension caused the issue of resignation of minister Dhananjay Munde to be pushed to the backburner. Azmi hit back by saying that only such matters which benefit the BJP are raised. “You will not know when those making such charges will go with the BJP,” he retorted. Azmi’s kudos of the oppressor Aurangzeb have had repercussions in Uttar Pradesh legislature, too. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, while denouncing Azmi, roared, “Send him to UP, we will take care of him.” After his suspension from the assembly, the state government has decided to file a criminal case against him for his utterances. The all-party outpouring against Azmi has caused unprecedented unanimity between the ruling NDA government and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. Nonetheless, Azmi is adamant about his stand. “I have not apologized for my statement, I have merely said that I shall withdraw it in case it has hurt anyone’s sentiments,” he maintained.

A 30-year-old man from Bengaluru, Abhishek MR, has made headlines after winning Rs 65,000 in compensation from PVR Cinemas, INOX, and BookMyShow for what he described as a waste of time due to lengthy advertisements before a movie screening. The consumer court ruled in his favor, highlighting the principle that “time is money” and labelling the practice as “unfair trade.” This landmark decision has resonated with many moviegoers who often voice their frustrations over ticket prices, the cost of food and beverages, and the excessive time spent watching ads before their favourite films. In 2023, Abhishek booked three tickets to see the film Sam Bahadur, scheduled to start at 4:05 pm. However, the screening was delayed by nearly 30 minutes due to a barrage of advertisements and trailers, prompting him to take legal action. His case has sparked a conversation about the growing dissatisfaction among consumers regarding the overall cinema experience, which often feels marred by high costs and lengthy pre-show content. This ruling has instilled confidence in the average consumer who frequently complains about the escalating expenses associated with a trip to the multiplex. With cinema chains like PVR INOX already facing criticism for their pricing strategies, this decision may serve as a wake-up call for these establishments to reconsider their advertising practices. Many patrons feel that after paying a premium for tickets, they should not have to endure an extended advertising session before the film begins. As multiplexes continue to generate revenue from box office sales, food and beverages, the pressure to provide a more satisfying experience for customers is mounting. This ruling could potentially lead to restrictions on the length and frequency of advertisements, ultimately enhancing the movie-watching experience and restoring consumer trust in the industry.

When the Congress recently announced the formation of a new department for Assets and Properties, it acknowledged for the first time the need to oversee and manage numerous properties and assets the party holds across the country that were either lying in disuse or being managed by agents. Party sources said AICC joint treasurer Vijay Inder Singla was given charge of the new initiative mainly because he was pushing to be Punjab PCC chief. He would apparently ensure that all properties belonging to the Congress are “regularised and monetised.” This decision was partly prompted by a recent dispute between the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) in Hubballi, which had escalated into a legal battle over ownership of a property. Congress sources revealed that there are over 2,000 such properties held by the party for years, many of which have fallen into disrepair or been illegally occupied. A senior leader from Tamil Nadu Congress said there was a huge plot of land in the heart of Chennai which belonged to the party that had the potential to be developed commercially and could meet fund requirements for the party nationally. Many lucrative assets of the party were being exploited privately by rent seekers, it was pointed out. It was happening not just in TN. Similar instances were identified in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Party sources denied the initiative to reclaim the Congress properties and assets may prove to be challenging as documents to prove many original allottees may not be readily available. The Congress denied its move on collating info on its properties had anything to do with its fears that the government would usurp its assets if its papers weren’t in order. Or that the new Waqf law would take a toll on its properties.

Spiralling upwards, setting the national record, the Maha 2025-2026 budget close to Rs 10 lakh crore may be announced for Maharashtra with an emphasis on capex expenditure (infrastructure building) come Monday. This translates into 50% incremental funding over last year keeping with incremental government spendings registered across BJP ruled states of India. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath just kicked off his Rs 8.08 lakh crore budget without including supplementary demands added during the next fiscal year following up his Rs 7 lakh crore (base) 2024-2025 budget that grew close to Rs 8 lakh crore subsequently. Bihar has announced a Rs 3.70 lakh crore (base) budget. Earlier, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a similar package for the state in her budget speech. Maharashtra’s deputy CM Ajit Pawar will present the Budget on March 10, which is expected to be in sync with PM Narendra Modi’s development template across India, and will bear the signature style of CM Devendra Fadnavis. Critics argue burgeoning debt and increasing fiscal deficit will turn unmanageable but, financial planners will confidently dive into infrastructure spending across Maharashtra, further enhancing creation of economically prosperous infrastructure corridors for high ROI for the state in coming years. For example: The Samruddhi expressway will mushroom economic hubs on either side of the roadway providing necessary impetus to achieve multi-fold target growth albeit, after a few years. Similarly, planned solar energy infrastructure for agriculture aims to convert foodgrain producers into energy providers while installed capacity of the state (currently 45000 MW) will rise to 85,000 MW in five years.

Staying lean is the new mantra. None could dispute it. Still, it has given rise to a sense of distrust. Well, the National Confederation of Bank of India Staff Unions (NCBISU) has not taken kindly to this one move by the public sector banks. It has expressed strong opposition to the recent decision of public sector banks to recruit apprentices instead of conducting regular permanent recruitment. In a circular issued on March 1, NCBISU has pointed out that several public sector banks have recently started hiring apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961. Following this trend, Bank of India has also announced the engagement of 400 apprentices across the country. It sees in this move a step towards contractual employment, which could weaken job security and affect the rights of regular employees. The union believes that this decision will have serious negative implications for employees and the banking sector as a whole. Significantly enough, the engagement of apprentices is limited to just one year. What happens after one year?  The union believes that this arrangement offers no real career prospects to the apprentices and could result in exploitation of young workers who seek long-term employment opportunities in the banking sector. Questions have also been raised about the suitability of apprenticeships in the banking sector. Who will be responsible for training these apprentices? Well, the issue of contract workers (disguised in different nomenclature) is turning out to be a hot subject.

What connection can there be between Mercedes/Rolls Royce cars and Maharashtra politics? Apparently, none, but the two car brands have been making headlines in Maharashtra. State legislative council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe created sensation when she alleged in Marathi Sahitya Sammelan held in New Delhi last month that a powerful post could be obtained in Shiv Sena (UBT) if its chief Uddhav Thackeray is presented with two Mercedes cars. There were denials, counter-allegations and defamation cases filed. Later, she clarified that her statement was based on ‘observation’ and not on ‘experience.’ Even before the dust had settled, the Chhaava movie’s fallout occurred in the form of an alleged phone call by former Nagpur journalist Prashant Koratkar to Kolhapur-based historian Indrajit Sawant for latter’s certain observations in regard to the demise of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj due to torture by Aurangzeb. Koratkar has denied that he ever made such a call. Supposedly close to the saffron camp, Koratkar is now being searched for possessing a Rolls Royce car (WB-02 AB0123). But more surprising is the information that the car was owned by chit fund criminal Mahesh Motewar. While Koratkar is still to be traced by the police, Motewar is cooling his heels in prison. The car was blocked by the CBI after his arrest. How Koratkar came to possess it, is another angle for the investigators. Once that mystery is unravelled, another chapter will be opened.

In a surprise move, the Left Front in West Bengal has decided to finalise the seat-sharing formula by April this year. The 2026 Assembly elections may be held between April and May. The one-year advance planning is to prevent any future complications. A senior leader from one of the Left’s allied parties revealed that all parties are expected to provide an update on their strength in each constituency by end March, detailing their ground-level presence and influence. At one time, the Forward Bloc dominated large areas of Cooch Behar, the CPI held sway over undivided Midnapore, and the RSP had strong organizations in South Dinajpur and areas like Joynagar and Kultali in South 24 Parganas. But the political landscape has drastically changed and the Left Front’s 34 years of uninterrupted rule was brought to an end by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress some 14 years ago. According to Left Front sources, recently, in six by-elections to Assembly seats, the CPM contested only one seat on its own, in Taldangra, where it secured just over 10% of the vote. In other areas like Madarihat, the RSP, in Sitai, the Forward Bloc, and in Medinipur, the CPI garnered just 1-3% of the vote. This shift in support has prompted the Left Front to discard the seat-sharing formula that had been in place since the 1977 Assembly elections. However, as the Left Front navigates the altered political landscape, it has sought seat-sharing agreements with parties like Congress, the Indian Secular Front (ISF), and even smaller Left groups such as the CPM (Liberation), which had been outside the Front in recent times. Looks like the Left Front, particularly the CPI(M), is making serious attempts to adjust to new realities.

A well-known Tamil magazine had an intriguing sobriquet for two AIADMK ex- ministers, SP Velumani and P Thangamani, they were referred to as Bell Boys (Mani in Tamil means bell). These two gentlemen ran a power circuit as useful go-betweens for the party, exalting their worth. On March 3 this year, Velumani celebrated his son’s wedding with great pomp and show. But, the chief guest, AIADMK party head Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) was conspicuous by his absence, even as BJP heavyweights K Annamalai, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, L Murugan and Khushboo Sundar came to greet the couple, Vikas and Dheekshana. Edappadi went off to address a party conclave in Theni, the home ground of his arch rival OPS to decimate his reputation. and perhaps this was one of the reasons why he gave the marriage a miss. There are some who aver that Edappadi did not want to start a talk about the BJP coalition with the obvious presence of the BJP movers and shakers attending the wedding. Did Velumani cause a discord by his closeness to Amit Shah by attending the Isha Foundation’s Mahashivratri celebration? Or was Edappadi cutting his nose to spite the face; his son Mithun is overtly building a bridge to actor Vijay, the Johnny-come-lately, Edappadi may want to nip this budding relationship. But the besieged ex-CM still proclaims that the party under his leadership is the only choice even as DMK is the enemy. This 2026 election circus promises many trapeze acts.

This 22-year old Pune girl Siddhiie Kapshikarr created history. The London-based Siddhiie entered the Guinness World Record early this year by playing Harmonium Organ non-stop for 10 hours, 23 minutes and 22 seconds. During that long hour she played 75 plus ragas. She also played 100 songs in 25 genres in one performance as improvisation and repetition was not allowed. Siddhiie is a regular performer in the UK. She has graced prestigious venues such as Darbar Festival, The Nehru Centre, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, and Maharashtra Mandal London, showcasing her mastery of Indian classical and contemporary fusion music. She did her undergraduate degree from the Vishwakarma University, Pune. Post that she moved to London to hone her music skills further. She did her Master’s in Audio Production at the University of Westminster, London, specializing in music production, sound design, and multimedia applications. She was fortunate to learn and get the blessings of musical exponents. To start with her mother Shetall introduced her to Maharashtrian folk music. While vocalist Madhuri Kolpe trained her in Hindustani classical which helped her achieve a Visharad degree by age 16. She was even more fortunate as both violin maestro Dr L Subramaniam and his wife, an accomplished singer Kavita Krishnamurthy played a pivotal role in shaping her musical journey. Siddhiie considers Yogeshwar Shrikrishna her celestial guru, having self-taught herself the harmonium and earning a Visharad in it by 18. During the 2020 lockdown, she also mastered Geoshred, a revolutionary digital instrument, demonstrating her passion for blending traditional and modern music. Siddhiie works at the HSBC headquarters in London.

First, India did not travel to Pakistan — the host country for the ICC Champions Trophy – and then on Tuesday (Mar 4) it marched to victory against Australia in the semi-finals and confirmed its entry in the final. Which meant that the last piece of the Champions Trophy action would happen in petro-$ Emirate Of  Dubai because that was the arrangement worked upon by the ICC with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which was enthusiastic to parade the “Champions” talent at three of its most popular venues in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. One can only be sympathetic towards the PCB and the country’s cricket diwane having waited for around three decades to host an ICC event, but circumstances beyond the control of the BCCI and the men in blue team has led to a peculiar situation wherein Pakistan will not be able to host the final. The only way the PCB and Pakistan could have hoped to stage the final was with its national team advancing to the knock-out stage and India getting eliminated at the group stage itself. But always a white-ball giant, the India juggernaut quelled four ‘Champion’ teams and took a big stride to position it for winning another title. While Pakistan will be utterly disappointed, the Indian expatriates are only happy to cheer their favourite team yet another time. India has not lost a single ODI match at the Dubai International Stadium There has been anomalies this ICC event has brought to the fore. Can this be rectified at all?