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As soon as India’s military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May, while saying the four-day conflict never came close to the point of nuclear war, there was some jubilation and relief in the Congress. The party without going into the nuances of what Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Indian Armed Forces Anil Chauhan had made in his conversation with Bloomberg TV saw it as a vindication of what Rahul Gandhi has been asking from Day One about Operation Sindoor– which is about loss of jets. To amplify the admission made by the CDS in Singapore, it rushed Telangana Minister Uttam Reddy, a former IAF officer, to brag before the media how Rahul had been right all along. In the TV interview, CDS Anil Chauhan made it clear that it was not that important jets being down,”but why they were being down.” The CDS was attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. At the same time, Chauhan called Pakistan’s claims that it shot down six Indian warplanes as “absolutely incorrect” though declined to specify how many jets India lost. “Why they were down, what mistakes were made…that is important” General Chauhan said. “The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,” he added. The comments are the most direct yet from an Indian government or military official. Elated with Gen Chauhan’s disclosures, Uttam Reddy said, “As it appears very clearly, Rafale aircraft were shot down in the 4-day operations…CDS General Anil Chauhan confirmed this. The government of India should now stop denying this…”
Legendary freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is back in focus since mixed responses are surfacing in relation to his historic contribution to the freedom struggle. The Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi had been the most vocal critics of Savarkar and his ardent Hindutva philosophy. Of late, there is silence on this front though stray adverse comments are heard. In a bid to rekindle its earlier policy, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has started singing the Hindutva tune. To pay homage to Savarkar, the Maharashtra government has decided to make efforts to restore his legal degree, Barrister, which the British had withdrawn after his arrest and conviction in 1910. The then Bombay University had withdrawn Savarkar’s graduation degree but it has now been restored. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that a study and research centre in the name of Savarkar will be opened in Mumbai University’s Kalina campus. He said a provision of Rs 100 crore will be made for the purpose. Moreover, a statue of Savarkar will be erected in the premises as well. These decisions have been announced in the wake of the visit of Union home minister Amit Shah a couple of days ago. Owing to the BJP’s initiative, the other parties are compelled to fall in line. The Hindutva agenda had benefited the BJP-led Mahayuti in the assembly election held late last year by giving it an unprecedented mandate. The same formula is being used with Savarkar in focus.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has started following in the footsteps of veteran leader Sharad Pawar, it seems, since it is becoming difficult to predict his next steps. His many statements are such that they can be interpreted in different ways. The latest instance is the fulsome praise he has heaped on Pawar while at the same time indirectly taunting his both deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. In a media interaction, Fadnavis said that Pawar keeps on working even at this age, never bothering about victory or defeat. There won’t be any match to him, the CM said. Replying to a question about his both deputies, Fadnavis remarked that neither was good in communication. But he hurriedly said he was speaking in the lighter vein. The CM’s observation assumes significance against the backdrop of the all-out support of the Modi government by Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, who is heading an all-party MP delegation abroad to propagate India’s stand on Operation Sindoor. At the same time, the more frequent dialogue between Ajit Pawar and his uncle is also sending another set of signals. To top it all, BJP leaders have been declaring at every opportunity that their party will fight the coming local body elections in tandem with Ajit’s NCP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena. One definite angle that is emerging is that the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray is most uncomfortable. It has blamed Fadnavis for this situation.
As the nation is gung ho about Operation Sindoor, there is a major political battle about who carried out the first surgical strike on Pakistan? Was it done when the Congress was in office? Or when PM Modi took charge? Congress MP Shashi Tharoor sparked off a controversy with his remark that India’s first across Line of Control (LoC) surgical strike occurred in 2016 after PM Modi came to power. The Indian Army’s records also seem to support Tharoor’s assertion, the Congress quickly distanced itself from his statement. In 2016, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, the then-Army Northern Command Chief, stated that the September 2016 surgical strikes were a “first” of their kind. According to Tharoor, the Uri strike in September 2016 marked a significant shift in India’s approach, where the country breached the LoC to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base. He further noted that the Balakot strike in February 2019 took it a step further, crossing not only the LoC but also the international border to target terrorist headquarters. Tharoor is leading an Indian delegation to the U.S. and four other countries as part of the Centre’s global outreach in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera has been posting on X about how surgical strikes were carried out during the UPA era too and tagging Tharoor on these posts. He also cited Tharoor’s book The Paradoxical Prime Minister published in 2018 where he had questioned the “shameless exploitation” of the 2016 surgical strikes along the LOC with Pak by the Modi government which the Congress had never done. Strongly disapproving of Tharoor, Jairam Ramesh responded to one of the posts by Khera with a poetic swipe at Tharoor saying,”Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we first practice to deceive… “
In a sharp counterattack to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent address in West Bengal’s Alipurduar, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has challenged the PM to a live TV debate—teleprompter and all—and dared the BJP to call early elections in the state. Modi’s address, widely seen as the start of the BJP’s campaign for the 2026 Assembly elections, took aim at Mamata, branding her “Nirmam” (merciless) while highlighting recent communal violence in Murshidabad and Malda, the Supreme Court’s scrapping of teaching posts which left over 25,000 teachers jobless, and accusing her government of blocking Central government’s schemes. Hitting back, Didi accused the PM of engaging in “political Holi” at the expense of national interests. She dismissed his “Operation Bengal” remarks as an insult to the people of the state and pointed out that her nephew, TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, was part of an MP delegation meeting global leaders—signalling her party’s commitment to protecting the nation’s interests internationally. Didi also slammed the Centre’s political motives behind naming the post-Pahalgam operation. She mocked Modi for his transformation from a self-proclaimed tea-seller to what she described as a “sindoor salesman,” a dig at his remarks that she interpreted as disrespectful to the women of Bengal. Mamata claimed that she had instructed her leaders to avoid commentary on “Operation Sindoor” despite its provocative nature. She accused the PM of spending more time on foreign trips than on India’s pressing issues and criticized what she called the erosion of federalism under Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s watch, branding him the country’s “acting Prime Minister.”
This is a common evolution in India. The Mahabharata has chronicled numerous such succession feuds as the forerunner of family groups. The latest feud is in the party of Dr S Ramadoss, founder of the Vanniyar caste party, PMK in 1989. His son Dr Anbumani’s action has made the patriarch lament in Shivaji Ganesan style “…the very son whom I loved and groomed is now kicking me on my chest”. Thanks to his father Dr Anbumani became the youngest Health Minister in Dr Manmohan Singh’s cabinet in 2004. But, in the past one year the internecine strife in PMK has come out in the open. The bone of contention seems be to Dr Ramadoss succession plan. He appointed his grandson (daughter’s progeny) Mukundan as the Youth Wing General Secretary. But Anbumani had other plans; he wanted to take over the party in toto and call the shots. It’s the same old story …a father wanting undiluted power over the progeny, and a son wanting to inherit the party which he has grown with his network. Of late, Anbumani (who has perennially ached for TN CMship) has become restive and influenced many cadres to not attend formal party meets called by the father. Add to this his wife Sowmya’s proximity to BJP and the political alchemy has turned explosive. The final nail in the coffin, Ramadoss senior alleges that in one of the family fights, the son hurled a bottle at his mother. The PMK has held sway in North Tamil Nadu and as a force cannot be ignored by any political parties for alliances. But could this family discord dismantle it. Will Dr Anbumani make amends with his father to salvage PMK? Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra.
Did Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer get a raw deal for the five-Test series in England? Both have been given the short shrift. The set-up of Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill and the Selectors have sent across a message that in the present circumstances, both do not fit into the scheme of things for a challenging seven weeks tour of England. The gifted Sarfaraz scored 150 in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand last year after his team was skittled out for 46 in the first innings. He has scores of 62, 68 not out and 56 against England at home for a tally of 371 runs in six Tests. On the turning tracks at Pune and Mumbai, he, like the full Indian batting line up, came a cropper against the Kiwi spinners. He was made to cool his heels in the five-Test series in Australia. Iyer began his Test career with 105 against New Zealand and he has played 14 Tests, his last two being against England in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam in January-February 2024. Iyer has had serious issues with the BCCI, as a consequence of which he was taken off the central contract. Times have changed and he has returned to the big stage and given the central contract. He played a big part in India’s Champions Trophy win. But the selectors have gone back to Karun Nair who played his last Test in March 2017. Nair, now 33, had scored an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai in December 2016. Khan has been unlucky, and Iyer has “no room” in the team according to Ajit Agarkar, the selection committee chair.
Trust TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to invest in Opposition politics and keep the INDIA bloc going. In fact, the Congress which fancies itself as the natural leader of this grouping may not even know what is quietly happening in the backyard. Well, the West Bengal CM took time off from her hectic schedule to catch up with her old friend Lalu Yadav, who was celebrating the birth of his grandson — born to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and his wife Rajshree on May 27 at a private hospital at Park Street in Kolkata. Mamata dropped by to congratulate the happy parents on the birth of their second child and also catch up with happy grandparents – Rabri Devi and Lalu Yadav — who had shared the happy news on X. “This is such happy news for the family…I wish them all the very best for the upcoming (Assembly) polls (in Bihar) as well…. I am quite certain that the child will bring good luck to them,” Mamata was quoted as saying in the media. Lalu shared pictures of family members with the newborn on X. Tejashwi and Rajshree have a two-year-old daughter, Katyayani. Mamata and Lalu — both former Union railway ministers — have been close since their time together in Parliament. Tejashwi was among a select few in the INDIA bloc whom Mamata trusted as an ally, and the RJD and Trinamool have firmly endorsed each other politically on most key issues in recent memory. “Tejashwi’s wife has been here for nine months. We have been in regular touch with the family. Tejashwi texted me at 6.14am with the good news,” Mamata was quoted as saying.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was up and quick as it unveiled its list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu, confirming that Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief and veteran actor Kamal Haasan will be among the nominees. It also extended to the veteran actor the courtesy of allowing him to contest on his party symbol. The DMK’s other candidates include senior advocate and sitting MP P Wilson, renowned Tamil poet-writer Salma, and party leader SR Sivalingam. Interestingly, poet-writer Salma is believed to be close to DMK Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi. Allocating one of its four Rajya Sabha seats to accommodate Kamal Haasan of MNM by the DMK is interesting as it shows that it kept the promise it made to the actor. Haasan, who had floated MNM, had campaigned extensively for the DMK alliance in the run-up to 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Election Commission had declared that biennial elections to fill six vacant Rajya Sabha seats from TN will be conducted on July 19. These vacancies arise due to the completion of the terms of six incumbent members — Anbumani Ramadoss, M Shanmugam, N Chandrasegharan, M Mohammed Abdulla, P Wilson, and Vaiko—whose tenures end on July 25. Of its retiring MPs, the DMK has chosen to retain only advocate P Wilson and brought in at least three fresh faces –SR Shivalingam, writer Salma and actor Kamal Haasan.
With the Election Commission announcing elections for six Rajya Sabha seats in the MLA quota from Tamil Nadu to be held on June 19, the race for bagging party nominations has apparently heated up in Chennai. Though the DMK and AIADMK alliances are expected to retain the same number of seats they currently hold in the Rajya Sabha, political circles are abuzz with speculation about who will succeed the outgoing members. Sources claim that since DMK had promised actor Kamal Haasan a Rajya Sabha seat before Lok Sabha elections, it may accommodate him this year. No official announcement has been made so far but the only hitch seems to be a race of sorts between Kamal Haasan and former editor of The Hindu N Ram for one of the four seats the DMK alliance is guaranteed to win. With Ram emerging as the contender, it is being said, things could be tricky as both are Iyengar Brahmins. In an election year the DMK can’t be seen giving RS seats to Brahmins. Ram is viewed as being very close to the chief minister MK Stalin. Ram is seen walking with him in the morning. As for the remaining two DMK-alliance seats, sources indicate that the DMK may continue to allot Vaiko’s seat to either Vaiko himself or another senior leader from the party. For the last seat, currently held by R Shanmugam, who represents the DMK-affiliated Labour Progressive Federation, sources say it might again be given to a trade union representative. It will also be interesting to know who will get nominated from the PMK seat given the internal rift between PMK Chief S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss, political observers say the chances of Anbumani being renominated are slim.
Sparring between the RJD and the Congress has peaked so much that the national party outright denied a claim put out by RJD chief Lalu Prasad that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had telephoned him and inquired about his well-being. Lalu’s phone claim was debunked by none other than Congress’s Bihar-in charge Bhakta Charan Das, a Dalit leader from Western Odisha. And Lalu had been dismissive of him and called him “a stupid man” who was helping the NDA by fielding candidates in the forthcoming by-elections without consulting the RJD. In this backdrop, it is interesting to know why Lalu made a fake claim that Sonia Gandhi had telephoned him. Was it to confuse voters or Congress workers ahead of the by-elections to two assembly seats in Bihar — Kusheshwar Asthan (SC seat) and Tarapu — on October 30? It has almost become a prestige battle between the Congress and the RJD, UPA allies who had fought the 2020 assembly polls together. During the assembly polls, the Congress had fought and lost Kusheshwar by a narrow margin. This time the RJD decided to field a candidate in a seat it had left to the Congress constituency and is accusing the Congress of not consulting it. The by-elections have been caused due to deaths of sitting JD(U) MLAs. And usually, in such polls candidates of the incumbent government have an edge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had stayed overnight in a cave near Kedarnath Temple in the run up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections, will be visiting the temple again on November 5 but for a different purpose. It was Modi’s stay in the cave that had led it to becoming a big tourist draw. This time Modi is going there to inaugurate Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi that was reconstructed after the destruction in 2013 floods. The entire reconstruction work has been undertaken under his guidance. His guidance is visible not only in major governance reforms but also in forging high performance ministerial teams. Not only in the way files –that too e-files will move within the government departments but also in the way ministers themselves will move. As regards to movement of e-files, it has been decided that they will not move beyond four hands or four levels before a decision is taken on them by ministers. As for ministers themselves, Modi suggested that the ministers could have a carpooling system to come for meetings like the Council of Ministers — such as the one he had held recently. Carpooling, he felt, would not only save energy but also give them an opportunity to share information about their ministries with each other. The idea is to get one Cabinet minister and two junior ministers in the same car
Looks like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plans to make a big bang start in Goa on October 28 may not quite happen. That is because she is not able to get the right kind of line-up of leaders — from the Congress and other smaller parties — to join her Trinamool Congress (TMC). Her key advisor strategist Prashant Kishor (PK) has been working on it for weeks. Yet he has not been able to make much headway. Initially, PK was lucky in persuading former CM Luizinho Faleiro, ex- Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief, to join the TMC. Faleiro had helped the Congress clinch a big win in 2017 by picking up 17 of the 40 seats — the BJP won only 13 seats and yet managed to form the government with the support of smaller parties. Faleiro is expected to draw the right mix of leaders to the TMC Goa but there has not been much headway. Of Goa’s 40 seats, 21 are from the largely Hindu North and 19 seats from the mainly Catholic South. Mamata is keen on getting Goa Forward Party leader Vijai Sardesi (who is seen tilting towards Congress’ working president Alexio Sequeira) and his two MLAs. Mamata even got a high profile TV anchor who flaunts his Goa connection and common surname to boot to call up Vijai Sardesai.
While in Delhi, the newly appointed Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi prefers to stay in his MS Flats at RK Puram than in the Governor’s suite in Tamil Nadu Bhavan in Chanakyapuri — which is part of the diplomatic enclave in the national capital. He had been staying in this flat during his long service in IB and retained it when he was the Governor of Nagaland till he was sent to Chennai. His visit to Delhi a month after taking charge has the ruling DMK worried. This is because he held a lengthy meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah and then called on PM Narendra Modi. DMK leaders wonder what may be cooking. Apparently, Chief Minister MK Stalin doesn’t want any confrontation with the Governor nor with PM Modi. Finance Minister Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) too has piped down his confrontation with the Centre. It may be noted that Governor Ravi’s daughter Prof Shamika Ravi was a member of PM’s Economic Advisory Council.
As sought by him for some time now, Harish Rawat, former Uttarakhand CM, has been relieved of charge as AICC General Secretary handling election-bound Punjab. The Congress leadership has replaced Rawat with Rajasthan Revenue minister Harish Chaudhary, considered close to Rahul Gandhi. Rawat, 73, will, however, continue to be a CWC member – and chairman of the campaign committee for the Congress in the forthcoming Uttarakhand assembly polls. His hands had been too full trying to find a solution to tame a forever recalcitrant Punjab PCC chief Navjot Sidhu. Chief Minister Chandrajit Singh Channi has also been at wit’s end to meet Sidhu’s requirements. Initially, there were a lot of misgivings about Rawat’s equations with the Gandhis – as it was felt that he was not focusing enough on the return of all Congress leaders who had joined the BJP back to the party-fold. Interestingly, orders to relieve Rawat of his Punjab charge were issued on October 21 – that is on a day when Capt Amarinder Singh lashed out against Rawat for questioning his secular credentials because of his possible alliance with the BJP. “Don’t forget that the Congress took Navjot Sindh Sidhu after he was with the BJP for 14 years. And where did Nana Patole and Revanth come from if not RSS.” He also sought to know what the Congress was doing with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.
A Congress Working Committee meeting is specially convened by Sonia Gandhi to tell an unenthused Congress cadre that it has no choice beyond Gandhi family or how she is still full-time party chief and there is no such thing as interim president. Sonia got what she wanted; managed to get all 38 members to endorse whatever AK Anthony and three Chief Ministers said — that is to urge Rahul Gandhi to return as Congress President. Yet, what added spice to the discussions was not a call to Rahul but the sycophantic remarks purportedly made by CWC member from Kashmir Valley, Tariq Hameed Karra who extolled Jawaharlal Nehru’s role in getting Kashmir to become part of India. He apparently claimed that Sardar Patel had colluded with Jinnah and was keen to keep Valley out of India. The BJP reacted by asking if Sonia would drop Karra from the CWC. New to Congress, Karra didn’t seem worried about Patel’s role or legacy. The CWC story is not Karra’s remarks but who leaked the closed door CWC proceedings to the media? Fingers apparently are pointing to a few G-23 members. By giving out details of Karra’s remarks at the proceedings, the defiant Congress leaders finally seem to be getting their back at Sonia who took a swipe at them in her opening remarks.
Amit Khare’s appointment as adviser in the PMO (upon his retirement as Secretary to Government of India) for a two-year period indicates he is probably set for much longer innings. The Jharkhand cadre 1985 batch IAS officer, who officially retired on September 30, may not have superannuated as Cabinet Secretary but he can still hope to have higher career goals. Valued as an upright, efficient officer who helmed two crucial policy decisions for the Modi Government — the National Educational Policy 2020 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rule 2021 or the IT Rules — Khare has always enjoyed the confidence of his bosses. In the UPA years, he served ministers such as Kapil Sibal and Pallam Raju. So, what made PM Narendra Modi pick Khare for his team? It is said that credit for zeroing in on Khare should actually go to incumbent Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. It is said Gauba was approached by Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das to take over as state Chief Secretary. At that time Gauba was posted in the IT ministry. It was Gauba who picked Amit Khare as Additional Chief Secretary (Finance & Planning) in Jharkhand. Given his administrative track record, Khare could eventually hope to become principal secretary to the PM.
Why does Navjot Singh Sidhu come across as a problem child throwing tantrums every other day? Barely two days after it was announced that he had withdrawn his resignation following a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary Harish Rawat, and it was assured that he would be back working as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, Sidhu flagged a 13-point agenda on his Twitter handle for the forthcoming assembly elections. Ironically, he was mainly listing all the non-achievements of the local Congress Government in the last four and half years. Sidhu’s critics in Punjab Congress were livid that he had gone public with his letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi particularly on a day when she had told members of the Congress Working Committee that they must communicate directly with her and not go to the media. The former test cricketer is a very frustrated man and is so very unpredictable ever since Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit leader has been appointed as CM replacing Capt. Amarinder Singh. Not that Channi’s appointment has enhanced Congress prospects. “If Channi and Sidhu continue to be at loggerheads, Congress will be wiped out,” fear party seniors. Support for the Aam Admi Party seems to be surging even without a Jat Sikh face. And this is Sidhu’s frustration.
Soon after mother-son duo Maneka and Varun Gandhi were dropped from the National Executive of BJP, the central decision-making body, there was speculation that Varun would join his cousin Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra. There was a buzz that he might even show up at her Congress kissan rally in Varanasi. Though no such thing happened. His exclusion is attributed to his indiscreet utterances on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident that saw a hit-and-run accident and retaliatory lynchings, leaving eight dead. On his part Varun played down his exclusion by saying that he had never attended any of National Executive meetings in the last five years. However, BJP sources say, Varun’s activities have been under the radar of the top bosses for the last five years. In 2016, Varun had found himself embroiled in a major controversy after he was accused of leaking military secrets to an arms dealer and weapon manufacturers after being “honey-trapped.” Varun did toy with the idea of leaving BJP five years ago when Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka sent word through an intermediary. But eventually he decided to bide his time, fearing action over allegations, and also because of Maneka’s equations with Sonia. Sheltered during Vajpayee rule, now it looks likely that Maneka and Varun won’t get a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. And Maneka may not mind Varun joining hands with Priyanka. But, will Rahul welcome his cousin?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah decided to give an interview on 20 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s elective politics. Interestingly, he did not choose any of the private channels to air his views. Rather, he chose to speak to Sansad TV — a relaunched Parliament TV. Interestingly, it was aired on a day Congress leader Priyanka Vadra addressed a kissan nyay rally at Varanasi. The Shah interview naturally monopolised airtime as all private channels went live with the interview. Sansad TV, a news channel that has combined the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha TV, was launched on September 15, 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called it the new voice of the Parliament. In a break from the past, the news channel is roping in well-known MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to host their own shows or conduct panel discussions. First, one saw Congress MP Shashi Tharoor interview renowned Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan and painter Anjali Ela Menon. Other well-known names that will be regularly seen on the channel are: Economist and author Dr Bibek Debroy who will be hosting a show on religion. Former diplomat Vikas Swarup will moderate a show on foreign affairs while Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will be doing a weekly show on government reforms. Well, it seems interesting on the face of it.
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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.