BJP’s National vice president, the 62-year old Baijayant Jay Panda seems to have proved his mettle within the party. Reportedly, PM Modi is quite pleased with Jay Panda’s contributions and achievements for the party. This came to fore, when PM Modi recently visited Odisha’s Rairangpur along with President Droupadi Murmu. In the course of his speech, PM Modi was heaping praise on some of the BJP leaders present at the dais…and then suddenly he praised Jay Panda’s for his immense contribution even though he was not physically present at the said meeting. This immediately set the rumour mill buzzing that Panda may be rewarded with the ministerial berth at the Centre. Panda who hails from an illustrious business family, quit the Biju Janata Dal and joined the BJP in 2019. In a short time, he emerged as a key organizational strategist, successfully leading the state campaigns and won the Lok Sabha seat in 2024 from Kendrapara constituency. It may be recalled that he was entrusted with handling of critical party units and campaigns, serving as the election in-charge for states like Assam and Delhi. He played a pivotal role in the BJP’s core group for the amendment of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir and chaired the High-Level Expert Committee for the revamp of the NCC. He is regarded as an articulate and effective party strategist, operating quietly behind the scenes to help manage organizational affairs and deliver successful electoral outcomes.    

The Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) annual July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally, the party’s biggest political mobilisation for nearly three decades, has turned into a battle for legitimacy following its defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections and the subsequent split within the organisation. The day commemorates the killing of 13 Youth Congress activists in police firing on July 21, 1993, when Mamata Banerjee was a Youth Congress leader. Since the formation of the TMC in 1998, the anniversary has become synonymous with Didi’s political rise and the party’s organisational strength. This year, however, rival TMC factions, the Congress and the ruling BJP are all seeking to shape the political narrative around the anniversary. Mamata will address the official TMC rally from a new venue after the party failed to secure permission for its traditional venue. The rebel faction of TMC led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee is organising a parallel July 21 programme. The camp, which claims the support of 65 of the party’s 80 MLAs, views the event as its first major public demonstration of organisational strength and its claim to the party’s legacy.  However, sources of Ritabrata faction said several senior leaders and one time aides of Didi including Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Javed Khan, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Madan Mitra, continued to acknowledge Mamata’s electoral appeal even as they projected the programme as that of the Trinamool Congress rather than any faction. The Congress has also sought to reclaim the anniversary, with state president Subhankar Sarkar inviting Mamata to its July 21 programme while arguing that the 1993 movement belonged to the Congress.  The BJP, meanwhile, questioned the TMC’s organisational strength, suggesting Brigade Parade Ground as a more appropriate venue and portraying the controversy as evidence of the party’s declining political relevance.

It was the first day, first show of Christopher Nolan’s eagerly expected The Odyssey at the original showcase of Chennai, Sathyam Cinemas. For an afternoon show, the crowd was overwhelming…80% were young people, film buffs who had descended not just for a rediscovered theatre experience…but many other touch points that attract youth. Are you surprised that a 2800 years old Greek epic, The Odyssey has churned up so much enthusiasm for Greek Gods and Goddesses? Have the young had enough of streaming, now wanting to participate in tradition showcased, celebrate cinematic oeuvres by masters? These young enthusiasts sat through the 3 hours, no cat calls, no disparaging whistles…just an audience immersed in the talent of Christopher Nolan unfurling the epic features of the Greek civilisation. Those of us who were taught Greek history could identify the similarities of Homer’s saga with our own grand epics —The Ramayan and Mahabharata. The Odyssey is a gripping legend of war, the rise and fall of Greek supremacy, and the conflict between faith and human failures. Matt Damon as Odysseus, the colossus who leads his army to Troy, encounters human and monstrous powers, and fights his way back to his beloved Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his kingdom, Ithaca, plays the lead with restraint. Tom Holland as Telemachus, the son and heir to the throne is a fitting choice, as he persistently refuses to accept that his father is dead or lost. This film adaptation of Homer’s epic was made at a cost of $230 million …a scale and grandeur reflected in every frame …the Trojan Horse, the Blue Aegean Sea, the depiction of the Siren Song …are masterful skill. But the intense involvement of Nolan in his film has made it somewhat lengthy.

When Vijay won CM’s status of Tamil Nadu, talk about his twin competitor, Ajith Kumar hogging the top film status in this void reached a high decibel. The two had entered the film world almost simultaneously and commanded enviable, and high remuneration per film. Even as Vijay nurtured his political ambition, Ajith had carved a parallel passion track as a Formula1 racer, speeding in a Porsche, 992 GT 3 in European and Middle East high stake races. The dashing dare devil race car driver and his alter ego persona, film hero, aligned perfectly. His last film, Good Bad and Ugly was promoted as a high voltage entertainer. Clint Eastwood and his iconic namesake film had made the spaghetti Western, a cult. Ajith’s film made at a cost of Rs 270 crore just about managed Rs 212 crore worldwide. News of Ajith Kumar’s next film, tentatively named AK 64, directed by Aadik Ramchandran sent his fans into a tizzy, starved as they were for their hero’s film and his notable absence. News circulated fast about which production house would be bank rolling AK 64. But there were no takers, including Sun Pictures…strange!  The real reason circulated fast and furious …the hero had stipulated Rs 150 crore as his salary. Thiruppur Subramaniam who heads the Tamil Films Distributors Association said, “not many can afford this”. Suddenly the news spread that his wife Shalini Ajith Kumar would turn producer, after decades of hibernation. The final list of cast, crew and other details would be announced by Shalini in August. Ajith Kumar is all set to stride the screen with guns blazing.

Why did Union Home Minister Amit Shah suddenly replace Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha? Senior IPS officer Anurag Kumar was asked to take charge as the new Commissioner of Delhi Police on July 17. A 1994-batch IPS officer, Kumar was serving as the Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) before being entrusted with the top post in Delhi Police. Golcha was removed before his scheduled retirement in 2027. Golcha had taken over as the city police chief in August 2025. Delhi comes directly under the Union Home Ministry because it is a UT. Does his removal have anything to do with the Cockroach Janata Party’s 20-day-old sit-in at Jantar Mantar? An MHA order stated that Golcha, a 1992-batch AGMUT cadre IPS officer, will report to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi for his next posting after Anurag Kumar formally assumes charge. That means he was removed without a new posting. The new police chief Anurag Kumar is one of the senior officers with extensive experience in both policing and intelligence. Before his stint at the IB, he served as DCP in several districts of Delhi. At IB he held several important assignments related to internal security and intelligence operations. His appointment comes months after the Delhi Police underwent a major administrative reshuffle on March 3. In one of the biggest transfers in recent years, 70 officers, including 50 IPS officers and 20 DANIPS officers, were shifted to new postings with immediate effect after approval from the Lieutenant Governor. The exercise covered appointments and transfers across several senior ranks, including Special Commissioners, Joint Commissioners, Additional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs). The reshuffle impacted key wings, including district policing, crime, traffic, security, and other specialised units.

If an Army General is the Governor of a state, this is bound to happen. A guard of honour for the President, a Governor or a CM is a ceremonial — typically military or police personnel — arranged in a row to greet, escort, or pay respects to a distinguished guest, dignitary, or deceased person. But many police personnel are found not doing it properly. Recently, Bihar Governor Lieutenant General (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain had to teach the word of commands to a Bihar Police officer during an inspection of a guard of honour at Nalanda Open University. The Bihar Governor was seen correcting the police commander who he said, was rushing through the guard of honour procedure. “You are moving too fast…That should not be the case,” he could be heard saying in Hindi. Hasnain, a former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps and the Bhopal-based 21 Corps, reached the university on July 15 for a function. He then went on to salute the commander twice as part of the ceremony, as the latter followed his instructions, shouted out the commands aloud, and sheathed his sword in the end to signal the end of the ceremony. Hasnain was further seen briefing the commander and the Superintendent of Police regarding the process. “Respect Guard, Wait…National Salute, Salami. Yes. Not Cut. Cut. Cut…No need to end so soon,” he apparently said.

Jadavpur University, long regarded as one of West Bengal’s strongest Left ideological bastions, is witnessing a significant political shift as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), BJP’s student wing, rapidly expands its presence following the party’s victory in the Assembly elections in May.  Within weeks of the change in government, RSS held its routine activities on the campus, marking a visible departure from the university’s long-standing liberal and Left-dominated political environment. ABVP leaders said the organisation is focusing on removing what it calls the corruption associated with the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) while promoting nationalism on campuses. It has launched a state-wide membership drive targeting 10 lakh students by December 2026, including two lakhs in Kolkata. ABVP, which had around 75,000 members in the state until last year, now has units in nearly 100 colleges and universities and plans to expand to over 500 campuses. It has also renewed its demand for immediate student union elections, suspended in most institutions for years. ABVP had remained inactive because campuses were dominated first by Left student organisations and later by the TMCP. They said the political transition had created greater space for alternative political views. The expansion marks a strategic shift from ABVP’s traditional strongholds in north Bengal and districts such as Purulia and Bankura towards Kolkata’s premier educational institutions. ABVP national general secretary Virendra Singh Solanki said the BJP’s victory had created an opportunity to transform the education sector and deepen student engagement. Academics said the BJP’s campus expansion reflects its effort to build organisational influence beyond electoral success.  The real measure of ABVP’s growing support will emerge only when long-pending student union elections are finally held.

A private school in Hyderabad with mostly Muslim students had to terminate a teacher after she allegedly assigned religious homework to a Class 2 Hindu student, triggering a controversy and protests by the parents of the Hindu student. “Success, The School,” in Saidabad, Telangana issued a termination letter to teacher Shaik Aisha Parveen, stating that she was permanently disqualified from teaching in any of its schools. “The teacher acted in violation of the school’s policy and has been terminated. The parents are satisfied and no police complaint has been filed,” said a senior Hyderabad cop. The school apparently is a secular school run by Muslims. It is open to children of all faiths. For some bizarre reason Shaik Aiisha Parveen had asked the non-Muslim students to also work on Kalma and Surah Fatiha. The Kalma is the Islamic declaration of faith, while Surah Fatiha is the opening of the Holy Quran. Cops acknowledged that the teacher had violated school policy which was why she lost her job. Initially the school had said that the homework was only for Muslim students who opted for a subject about Islamic teachings. According to the cops the Muslim students outnumbered the Hindus. BJP Telangana President N Ramchandra Rao however felt since Success School came under Telangana’s Department of Education, the department must survey schools across the state for such insidious attempts to convert Hindus. Rao feels that the issue that has cropped up in-Success School — wherein two Hindu students were asked to write the Kalma may not be an isolated instance. The government should take action against the management. The management says that they have terminated the teacher. But terminating the teacher is not sufficient. We feel it is not an isolated case. It is a larger plan by some schools and some management to convert people…” feels Rao.

Ahead of Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning on July 20, the Women’s Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Bill received unusual support from NDA ally, the Shiv Sena and its leader, Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde. Making a case for its passage, Shinde said that the population of many Lok Sabha constituencies has now reached between 2 million and 2.5 million, making it increasingly difficult to effectively undertake development works across such vast constituencies. He said ” that the delimitation of constituencies is therefore essential to ensure justice and equitable representation for the people.” He made a case for the Delimitation Bill while interacting with media persons at his son Dr Shrikant Shinde residence in Delhi. A number of party MPs were also present. It is significant that the Shiv Sena leader who has been tapping extra numbers and bolstering NDA strength in the Parliament came out publicly in support of the Delimitation Bill, after interacting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shinde also made it clear that although there had been discussions for years about providing 50% reservation for women in Parliament, it was PM Narendra Modi who demonstrated the political will to introduce the legislation. He alleged that the Women’s Reservation Bill had failed to pass in the previous parliamentary session– April 2026– because of the opposition parties. According to him, the opposition paid a political price for this in the West Bengal elections. Interestingly, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule had also voiced her support for the Delimitation Bill provided it assured a gender quota. As for meeting with Shah, Shinde said they held positive discussions on a wide range of development-related issues, including irrigation projects in the constituencies of Shiv Sena MPs.

With Punjab set to go to polls in early 2027, PM Narendra Modi’s visit to state capital and Union Territory Chandigarh on July 17 to inaugurate healthcare projects, a renovated railway station in Jalandhar, and flag off a train from Chheharta (Amritsar) to Varanasi seems to have rankled the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government. Predictably, the AAP leaders are miffed that Modi is stoking poll fever a bit too early. As a counter strategy, the AAP government has begun to endorse the bizarre U.S. line in the gangster Lawrence Bishnoi case. It has gone so absurd as to accuse the Modi government of deliberately ignoring Punjab and “aid a gangster, lodged in Sabarmati Jail of Gujarat, to spread his drug business in the state.” Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh is upset that PM Modi will inaugurate health projects in Punjab. “The Centre is not even allowing our flagship health insurance scheme to be implemented in PGI, Chandigarh—a project set up for Punjab several decades ago. If this is not discrimination, what else is?” he said. 80% of drugs being smuggled from across the International Border are being dumped in the state. That is why new drugs like ICE and cocaine are increasingly coming into Punjab,” said Balbir Singh, on the sidelines of a press conference called to speak about the initiatives being taken by the AAP government to tackle the drug menace in Punjab. Bragging about AAP government’s capabilities to stem the rot, Singh  claimed that if only the “person sitting in the Sabarmati jail of a state which has a double-engine government is now accused by an international agency like the FBI of running a global drug racket “were to be  sent by the Centre  to a Punjab jail, “we will not only treat him but also reform him.”