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Good news for footwear enthusiasts in Chennai. The city will host the first Kickers store. Following a 30-year licensing deal with Royer Group of France, Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd (KICL) is gearing up to set up its maiden Kickers store in Chennai tomorrow. The timing could not have been better for KICL, which has come under a new owner in Rafiq Ahmed and got relisted on the bourses. The opening of the Kickers store in Chennai comes within days of a significant development in the annals of KICL. A Qatar company belonging to the Royal family has just been cleared by the board of KICL to pick up a 10% stake in the Chennai company. Qatar-based F J Global Investment is owned by Falah Jassim J.M.AL-Thani, who is a director of Doha Bank and was also the founder of Qatar Airways. He was also a minister in the Qatar Government. This is a significant boost to KICL under Rafiq Ahmend, who has gone on a mission to revive the KICL and bring the iconic Kothari brand back to yester-year glory. The investment from a company owned by Qatar Royal family is seen positively by industry circles in Tamil Nadu, which is going the extra mile to woo foreign investment into the state. Significantly enough, KICL has also embarked on a consolidation move with the board approving a proposal to buy 30% stake held by Rafiq Ahmed in Phoenix Kothari Footwear Ltd, a joint venture that is setting up a non-leather footwear park in backward Perambalur district of Tamil Nadu. Well, things appear to fall in place for KICL as it seeks to make a strong comeback and regain its past glory.
It was something that the Congress couldn’t stomach easily. Perhaps the party was surprised that the Raj Kapoor family had chosen to interact with PM Modi. A day after the social media and TV channels were awash with PM Modi’s interaction with members of the Kapoor family, a very senior Congress leader ventured to put out a snarky social media post questioning the meeting. For some odd reason he completely chose to ignore the context of the meeting. “We have been asking PM Modi to visit Manipur. But he has instead found time to meet with Kareena Kapoor.” Soon good sense prevailed and he deleted his crude post. Guess he must have realised that his post was outright offensive. The Kapoor family had called on PM Modi on December 10 to invite him to the legendary actor-filmmaker’s Film Festival. The festival is to commemorate Raj Kapoor’s 100th birth anniversary, an iconic figure in Indian cinema who passed away in 1988. Ten Raj Kapoor films are going to be showcased across 40 cities in 135 cinemas .The Kapoor family, including actors Ranbir Kapoor, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Neetu Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhat and Saif Ali Khan met the PM. “This is a special day for us. We enjoyed the conversation. He spoke to us in a friendly manner. He made all of us feel very comfortable,” said actor Ranbir Kapoor. His cousin actor Kareena Kapoor Khan said that it was her dream to sit next to PM Modi and talk to him. “His energy is so positive and he is truly a global leader.” PM Modi inquired about the third generation of Kapoors — and autographed for Kareena’s children Tim and Jeh. December 14 marks the 100th birth anniversary of Raj Kapoor.
It couldn’t have come at a more inappropriate time than this. The day when the entire national media was riveted on the Parliament debates commemorating 75 years of Constitution of India and newly-elected Wayanad MP Priyanka Vadra Gandhi was making her debut speech in the House. For some odd reason the Telangana Police chose to arrest Telugu star Allu Arjun, protagonist in the Rs 1000-crore plus grosser Pushpa 2: The Rule. He was arrested in connection with the stampede incident at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre, which resulted in the death of a woman. On December 4, a massive crowd gathered at Sandhya Theatre to see Allu Arjun, resulting in a tragic stampede. Revathi, a 39-year-old woman, died due to asphyxiation, and her 8-year-old son was hospitalised. While granting interim bail to Allu Arjun, the Telangana High Court affirmed Arjun’s right to life and liberty, stating that he cannot be deprived of these fundamental rights. While leaders cutting across the political spectrum came out in support of the actor, Telangana BJP leader and Union Minister Bandi Sanjay described the arrest of a National Award-winning actor as having been done to steal the spotlight. “Drama over delivery, diversion over governance — that’s the Telangana Congress government for you!” Arjun’s uncle and Andhra deputy CM Pawan Kalyan rushed to rally support for him. In the meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how Priyanka Vadra herself responds to the ham-handed manner CM Revanth Reddy handled the situation. He had after all managed to divert attention from her debut performance in the Lok Sabha to an avoidable law & order incident in Hyderabad.
To ensure the social welfare schemes reach the intended target group, West Bengal chief West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has rolled out a robust mechanism to ensure the effective implementation of socio-welfare schemes. This initiative aims to hold government officials accountable for supervising these projects and addressing inefficiencies that have marred progress in recent years. The state finance ministry has issued a notification, followed by the establishment of a dedicated help desk at Navanna to oversee information flow from block and sub-division levels. This initiative, aimed at curbing inefficiency and fraud, will require officials to physically visit project sites instead of submitting progress reports from office desks. The app will feature automatic geo-tagging, ensuring accurate location tracking of officials during field visits. During multiple administrative meetings chaired by CM, officials repeatedly failed to provide accurate updates on the status of ongoing schemes. This incomplete information has not only slowed down critical projects but also caused dissatisfaction among citizens. Officials, from BDOs to District Magistrates, must register using their mobile numbers. Reports will require OTP authentication and must include photographs of on-ground work. The app mandates regular updates, such as reporting issues in road construction, cleanliness, drinking water, and electricity services, along with distinguishing between simple and complex problems. The model draws inspiration from private sector practices, where geo-tagging apps track employee performance. The state’s new app is expected to enforce accountability among officials, address bureaucratic delays, and improve public service delivery.
In a move that may have surprised the Opposition BJP, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee appointed Radharamn Das, vice president of ISKCON Kolkata,to a 13-member board of trustees for the upcoming Jagannath Dham project in Digha. The temple, set to be a cultural and religious landmark on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, will be inaugurated on Akshay Tritiya on April 30, 2025. The Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra, spanning 20 acres, is being developed under the supervision of HIDCO, an urban planning body under the state government. With an investment of Rs 250 crore, the project aims to replicate the grandeur of the Puri Jagannath Temple and serve as a significant pilgrimage and tourist attraction. This development comes amid ongoing political friction between Didi and BJP’s Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari. It may be recalled that Nandigram where the temple is being built was the place where he had defeated Didi in the 2021 Assembly elections. Adhikari who is opposing the project on the ground that using public funds to construct religious structures is unconstitutional. He accused Mamata of attempting to win the Hindu vote bank as her minority appeasement has alienated Hindus. Mamata’s decision to include an ISKCON leader is seen as a strategic move, in light of recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and the arrest of an ISKCON monk. Political analysts believe Didi is sending a message of solidarity to the Hindu community while subtly addressing concerns raised by the BJP over her government’s alleged minority appeasement policies.
Devajit Saikia is the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) representative in the International Cricket Council (ICC) as its Director. Saikia, who is the question that is being asked by those not acquainted with the BCCI’s governance structure, especially after the Justice Lodha Committee’s Reforms in Cricket report was accepted by the Supreme Court in 2016 and its Constitution was rewritten thereafter. The ICC Board is the all-powerful body in its Governance structure, and as a convention, the 12 full members of the ICC nominate its Presidents as Directors. Many stalwarts of the BCCI, like Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar were on the ICC Board, and after the 2019 election, post the reforms, former India captain and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly was on the ICC Board. Ganguly was succeeded by the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah with the BCCI President Roger Binny as the alternate director in 2022, the same year when the former Assam Ranji Trophy cricketer and legal practitioner Saikia was elected as Jt. Secretary of the BCCI. People in the know attribute Saikia’s rise on the administration side of the game to his association and rapport with Assam’s BJP chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Once it was announced that Jay Shah would take charge as Chair (Independent Director) of the ICC from December 1, 2024, quite a handful of names like Arun Singh Dhumal (former BCCI Treasurer and currently chairman, IPL) and Ashish Shelar (BJP President, Mumbai and BCCI Treasurer) emerged as a potential successor to Shah as BCCI Secretary. Saikia, will remain the BCCI Joint Secretary and perform the duties of the Secretary. But his nomination to the ICC Board has surprised many people.
Veteran leader Sharad Pawar has once again monopolised the centre stage following reports that a top leader of his party has held talks with a prominent BJP Union minister in Delhi. The political grapevine is buzzing with different versions since the meeting is believed to have occurred at industrialist Gautam Adani’s Delhi residence. In fact, Pawar started hitting the headlines on Thursday (Dec 12) morning as the news that his nephew Ajit Pawar and a couple of other NCP (Ajit) leaders had reached the patriarch’s residence. Ajit later said that being a family member, he had greeted his uncle on his birthday and nothing unusual should be read in the visit. Ajit was accompanied by Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, both very close to Sharad Pawar till the recent split in the NCP. The name of Adani added grist to the gossip since the industrialist had visited Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis just a couple of days ago in Mumbai. The Adani group continues to BE target of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena party chief Uddhav Thackeray. In the past too, Adani has been meeting Pawar off and on. The presence of Fadnavis in Delhi on Thursday proved to be another trigger to speculate that the political scene of Maharashtra was likely to undergo another overhaul. Pawar’s hot and cold relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always remained an intrigue. Hence, his followers are unable to predict which way he can turn.
The Raj Kapoor family has finally come out together to celebrate the centenary year — 1924-2024 — of the showman of the film industry. Forty two year old Ranbir Kapoor who has been in the film industry for nearly two decades has taken the lead along with his cousin Kunal Kapoor to celebrate Raj Kapoor through his cinema. But was it too late to celebrate RK? Is the newer generation enthusiastic to watch his films? Ranbir Kapoor said, like his wife Alia, the young generation needs to know about the cinema of Raj Kapoor and one hopes he is successful through his stardom and initiative to keep RK’s legacy alive. But, is the film industry or the government really care about saving our heritage or culture, considering the government is calling the film industry as soft power? The hard truth is: why are our studios and banners not surviving be it Filmalaya Studio, Kamalistan Studio and Raj Kamal Studio which has limited work space. Raj Kapoor’s RK Studio, a famous landmark in Chembur along with his bungalow has been sold to Godrej Properties for constructing residential properties. It may be recalled that RK Studio was working on the rentals till the fire destroyed the entire heritage. Luckily film lovers are lucky his films were in the safe custody of NFAI. It is learnt that Ranbir Kapoor who is already a producer wants to turn director. So will he revive the RK Banner? As a part of the centenary celebration the entire RK clan met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conspicuous by his absence was Randhir Kapoor as he was not keeping well. In the end one only hopes that Ranbir Kapoor carries the great showman’s legacy forward.
This maverick and marauding scam tainted politician was once the acolyte of Lok Nayak Jayprakash Narayan. Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has burnt many bridges in his meteoric rise in politics. A stormy petrel, indicted for five scams, served jail term and is now out on a bail. He is once again in the news for his below-the-belt remark against his bete noire, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who recently announced a Mahila Samvad Yatra to interact directly with women and evaluate the impact of his government’s programme targeted for women. When the media quizzed the RJD supremo Lalu about Nitish Kumar’s Mahila Yatra and his goal of winning all 225 seats in the forthcoming Assembly elections, the unstoppable motor mouth said, “Pahle unko aankh sekhne do” (let them get an eyeful of the women). Lalu is famous for double entendres and pithy talk. This chintzy, low end hit at both Nitish’s party and the women electorate set off a storm. Bihar deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha said, “It seems Lalu Prasad has lost his ability to comprehend, doesn’t know what he is saying “. JDU MP from Munger, Rajiv Ranjan Singh said, “Lalu is master of buffoonery”. Public discourse is an amalgam of many such talents. But certainly hitting below the belt and indulging in such loose talk shows the lack of grace and polish.
Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray’s plans to attend the Winter Session of the Maharashtra legislature beginning from December 16 at Nagpur will prove to be a game changer, his followers feel. Thackeray’s continued distance from the state legislative council proceedings over the past year are discussed by his party members in hushed tones since the aggressive direction needed to corner the BJP-led three-party government somehow lacks as far as his Sena is concerned. Council’s leader of the Opposition Ambadas Danve (of the Sena UBT) lacks the image and articulation which are vital for any LoP to humble the ruling side. Now that the new government led by Devendra Fadnavis has decided to appoint former CM Eknath Shinde as leader of the upper house, Danve’s limitations will be felt more vividly. Thackeray’s intermittent presence in the council ever since he resigned as chief minister in 2022 has been noted more due to his statements outside the house. He has hardly made any worthwhile speech on the floor. Therefore, his plans to remain present for the Winter Session have revived the hopes of his followers, who wish to witness his attacks against the BJP and the Sena led by Shinde. It is being recalled that Thackeray did not attend the recent three-day session of the legislature in Mumbai, held after the assembly elections. According to present indications, Thackeray will reach Nagpur well in time for the week-long session, which will be a stormy affair, focussing on settling political scores.
Defiling Tirupati Laddus with adulterated ghee containing animal extracts under Jagan Mohan Reddy’s rule has now acquired dimensions of a rounded religious-political battle for Hindu Aastha. While it was Andhra chief minister N Chandrababu Nadu who first stumbled upon defilement of the ghee by a Tamil Nadu-based supplier — AR Dairy Food Pvt Ltd, in the wake of a vigilance probe, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan has gone a step further. He has announced an 11-day fast seeking personal atonement for the desecration. Saying he will seek atonement for not being able to detect animal fat in the Laddu Prasadam given at Tirumala, the Jana Sena Party leader said. “Tirumala Laddu Prasadam, which is considered to be sacred, has become impure as a result of the depraved tendencies of the past rulers. Not being able to detect this sin in the beginning is a stain on the Hindu race.” He further said that everyone who believes in Sanatana Dharma should atone for this “terrible injustice” done to the God of Kali Yuga. “As part of that, I decided to do a penance initiation. On 22nd September I will take initiation in Sri Dashavatara Venkateswara Swamy Temple, Nambur, Guntur district. After continuing the initiation for 11 days, I will visit Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy on Oct 1 and 2,” he said in a Hindi post. Kalyan, who admires PM Modi, called for the formation of a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ at a national level to look into all issues related to Hindu temples.
Fishing in troubled waters of the Congress in the midst of Haryana assembly polls, former Haryana CM and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar invited Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, one of the senior-most Dalit faces of the Congress, to join the BJP. Khattar’s invitation to Kumari Selja went amidst reports that the veteran Dalit leader had been missing from the Congress’s campaign for the Haryana Assembly election. Referring to Selja’s absence from the Congress’s campaign, Khattar said, “One of our Dalit sisters has been insulted and abused by the Congress. She is sitting at home, but the Hoodas (Bhupinder Hooda and Deepender Hooda) and the Gandhis (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi) family are not even ashamed.” The buzz about a rift in Haryana Congress came after Selja was not seen during the party’s manifesto launch event by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Congress sources said Selja had been pushed to the wall in terms of tickets for her nominees. She had wanted only 3 tickets for her nominees. Even these did not come easily. They were given seats far away from their choice.” Selja, a CWC member, but she had to push for the tickets with the likes of KC Venugopal. Such a senior leader was really humiliated. The Gandhis did nothing to back her. Hooda even refused to take calls from the Gandhis,” said a party source. It is this high-handedness and touching faith in power of his community support — of the Jats — that may eventually cost Bhupinder Hooda this election. “Hooda could be losing a winning election because of his own fault. He has thrown this election away by antagonizing loyalist party leaders like Selja,” pointed out a Haryana BJP leader.
In a shocking revelation, a central government lab’s test report indicated that the cow ghee procured by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) contained traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard(pig fat). The presence of animal fat in Tirumala prasadam devastated Hindus across India, perhaps the faithful globally. What made Jagan Mohan Reddy regime trifle with the sacred offerings made to Lord Balaji? TDP sources insist it was all because the YSRCP leader was a Christian with no faith in Tirumala that is why he dared to undermine it. “He would never come for any traditional darshan along with his wife. He had no faith. He just wanted to undermine Hindus,” said a TDP leader. Or else why would naivedyam offered to Lord Balaji at Tirupati for nearly half century, prepared in Nandini cow ghee supplied by Karnataka Milk Producers Federation (KMF) be discontinued by state-controlled TTD on price issues. TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy said “Since the quality ghee cost over Rs 1000 per kg, the TTD offered to buy ghee at the rate of Rs 320. They awarded contracts to four suppliers. Is there anyone who can provide quality ghee for Rs 320? They gave tenders for 15,000 kg of ghee for bribes.” Incidentally, KMF has resumed supplying its famous Nandini Ghee to prepare Srivari Laddus. TDP sources said contamination of prasadam was revealed as soon as newly-elected chief minister Chandrababu Naidu launched a vigilance probe to begin cleansing of “Andhra from Tirumala.”. “Even while we were in the Opposition, we used to get complaints about the food from the pilgrims and how the quality of laddus had fallen,” said a TDP leader. Apparently contaminated samples confirming the presence of animal fat in the ghee used by the TTD to make laddus were supplied by a Chennai-based trader.
It certainly seems to be raining sops in Haryana with both the incumbent BJP and the Congress trying to outwit each other this election season. The BJP announced two lakh government jobs in the state, Rs 2,100 pm allowance for women under the Lado Lakshmi Yojana, and cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500 under the Har Ghar Grihini Yojna. Seeking a third term, party chief JP Nadda asserted that the BJP has always fulfilled its promises. “What was the image of Haryana 10 years back? Jobs used to be given on paper. Actions were taken against people. Haryana used to be known for land scams,” he said. It is another matter that Priyanka Vadra’s husband Robert Vadra had got an administrative clean chit under BJP rule in the much talked land scam. Releasing BJP’s manifesto, Nadda promised every Agniveer hailing from Haryana will get a guaranteed government job. Haryana has changed under BJP’s leadership, he asserted. In 2014, the state’s per capita income was Rs 1.37 lakh, which has increased to Rs 3 lakh rupees. A day earlier, the Congress announced similar sounding guarantees like Rs 2,000 monthly allowance to women and gas cylinders at Rs 500. The add ons were of course the Rs 6000 social security monthly pension for the old, handicapped and widows and the promise of 300 units of free electricity per month to every household. It promised to hike the minimum income limit for the creamy layer among OBCs from Rs 6 to Rs 10 lakhs. The party also promised to provide 100 square yard plots with Rs 3.5 lakhs cash assistance to every poor homeless person for constructing a two-bedroom house.
If it has been puzzling everyone in the Lutyens political circles how Atishi Marlena, daughter of Marxist parents, was chosen over the likes of Raghav Chadda, Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj to be Delhi CM, the reasons are apparently not far to seek. It seems she was chosen because she was fully endorsed by Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita, a public activist who had a voice in this decision. The proof of it is the manner in which estranged Delhi AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal who was in Sunita’s crosshairs has come out openly against Atishi’s elevation. Through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Swati has hit out that Atishi as Delhi CM could be a security risk as her own family has fought a long battle to save terrorist Afzal Guru, the man responsible for Parliament attack in 2001 from death penalty. “Her parents wrote mercy petitions to the President several times, that he is innocent, that he should not be hanged, that he is a victim of political conspiracy. How wrong is this? Today, Atishi will become the CM but we all know that she will be only a “dummy CM”. Still, this is a major issue because she will be the CM and this matter is directly linked to the security of the country as well as Delhi. God save the people of Delhi from such a CM”. Swati also posted signed copies of the mercy petition. Of course the Kejriwals may have preferred a rootless Atishi as she will step down whenever told. So far the BJP has not accused her of corruption and it will be difficult for it to do this now. And of course the LG will get little ground support if he blocks files.
In an interesting political twist, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal picked Atishi Marlena, a junior minister and someone considered close to Deputy CM Manish Sisodia as the new chief minister of Delhi, as he decided to step down and hand in his resignation to Lt Governor VK Saxena. Known as the main brain behind Delhi Government school reforms, Atishi played down her elevation as a stopgap arrangement. Making it clear that Delhi and its 2 crore people can only have one CM — that is Arvind Kejriwal. Atishi asked party cadres not to celebrate her elevation. There could be celebration only after Kejriwal gets re-elected in the March 2025 assembly elections. Initial announcement about Atishi was made by a party heavyweight and potential contender Gopal Rai. AAP also made it clear that there will be no deputy CM this time. By choosing to play the woman card and not opting for his wife Sunita as CM, Kejriwal may have tried to buy time with voters but will it blunt the edge on incumbency and non-delivery? Only time will tell. Yet with her rise as CM, Atishi will be the third woman CM of the UT after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit. Born in June 1981 Atishi hails from an academic family in Delhi, with her parents, Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi, both professors at Delhi University. She will be the youngest CM of Delhi at 43.When Kejriwal became CM in December 2013 he was 45. With an undergraduate degree in History from the prestigious St Stephen’s College in 2001, she completed her Master’s from Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar.
Political parties have their own whims and fancy notions about good luck charms of their parliamentary party offices. That’s why when it comes to the new Parliament complex, it seems — both the Congress and the BJP– are reportedly being reluctant to move their parliamentary party offices from the old Parliament House. Both the offices are on the ground floor and have plenty of history to it. Of course ministers and the LoP do have their offices in the new complex. The only party which has moved into the new building is the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh winning 164 of 175 assembly seats in an electoral alliance with Janasena Party and the BJP and has 16 seats in Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha Secretariat allocated a new office, F09, to the TDP on the first floor of the new Parliament, a prime location that also houses the offices of the Prime Minister and Union Ministers. This change marks a transition from the party’s previous office, Room No 5, which was situated in the old Parliament building. Recalling how the YSRCP led by Jagan Mohan Reddy had occupied TDP’s office after party was routed in 2019 elections, a TDP source pointed out that in the 2019 LS polls, the YSRCP had swept the elections, winning 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state and TDP was reduced to just 3 seats. Official sources said regional parties like DMK are also reluctant to move into the new Parliament complex.
Even as Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin signed off his U.S. sojourn with a “goodbye USA” post, there is still a lot of speculation about the real purpose behind his nearly month-long tour across America. Though the official reason being given is that he had gone there to talk up foreign investment for the state, but both his critics and well-wishers are not convinced that the kind of business meetings that Stalin had lined up with CEOs reveal foreign investment had driven the DMK leader to camp in the U.S. Sources close to Stalin say the real purpose of the CM staying away from Chennai was that he was advised by astrologers, consulted by wife Durga, that the CM must stay away from his home, preferably travel across seven seas for the sake of his well-being and future of his politics. That is why in view of the inauspicious times, he also put off elevating son Udhayanidhi as Deputy CM as he was not sure of its impact on senior DMK leaders His critics have been panning his U.S. trip in social media as a waste of public money.
Six months after he was first arrested in the liquor policy scam, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal got bail in the CBI case. The AAP chief will now walk out of Tihar jail having been granted interim bail in the ED’s money laundering case in June. Fifth leader to get bail after AAP leaders like Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh in the same case, Kejriwal’s release may help the AAP go full throttle in its campaign in Haryana — where it will be taking on both incumbent BJP as well as the Congress, which refused to ally with it. Haryana-born Kejriwal will also have the advantage of testing his acceptability in the state even as AAP rules adjoining Punjab. The bail conditions make it difficult for Kejriwal to return to Delhi CM’s office. It is likely that he may go for an interim CM, elevate wife Sunita. Legally, the bail verdict has cast the CBI in a poor light as one of the judges invoked “caged parrot” analogy of the coal scam era and dubbed CBI arrest as “unjustified” after Kejriwal had secured bail in the ED case. Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul ‘Engineer’ Rashid, who had been incarcerated in a terror-funding case under PMLA for 5 years, was recently freed by a NIA court to take part in J&K polls. To his surprise, the man who had trounced former CM Omar Abdullah in Baramulla was shocked to find that only fewer people had turned up to listen to him as he addressed his first election rally in Baramulla. Will Kejriwal’s experience be different from Rashid’s?
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with U.S. lawmaker Ilhan Omar sparked controversy, with the ruling BJP accusing him of aligning with anti-India forces. “…He has become the first LoP from India who met with a declared anti-India MP Ilhan Omar notorious for speaking against our country,” said BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi. Ilhan Omar serves in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis and nearby suburbs. Omar has introduced resolutions in the U.S. Congress that criticised India’s policies and spoke against India’s decision to revoke Article 370, which gave special status to J&K. In April 2022, she visited Pakistan, met with top Pakistani leaders, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and travelled to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). India condemned the U.S. Congresswoman’s visit to POK. In June 2023, Omar boycotted PM Modi’s address to the U.S. Congress. In June 2023, she introduced a resolution calling on the US Secretary of State to designate India as a country of particular concern for alleged violations of religious freedom. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya accused Rahul Gandhi of siding with Ilhan Omar, whom he described as a Pakistan-sponsored anti-India voice. His reaction came a day after Rahul in an address to the diaspora, took a jab at the BJP, saying people are no longer afraid of PM Modi after Lok Sabha results. In the backdrop of J&K polls, it would be interesting to see how Rahul’s photo-op interaction with Ilhan Omar plays out in the UT.
With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) releasing its first list of 20 candidates for Haryana assembly elections amidst stalled pre-poll alliance talks with the Congress, it now seems the state is headed for a three- cornered contest. Apparently, the talks were stuck over the number of seats to be contested by the AAP with the party demanding 10 seats while the Congress was only offering five. Haryana Congress leaders have not been keen on accommodating AAP as they feel the Congress under former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda is expected to make a strong comeback after a lacklustre two-term stint of the BJP. Party sources said even Rahul Gandhi himself had been pushed to accommodate INDIA Bloc mainly by anti Hooda leaders like Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala “Rahulji was otherwise not keen. Considering how well Congress has performed in Punjab In the Lok Sabha. In Haryana, Congress is synonymous with Hooda. Of course Kumari Selja too had gathered a lot of mass support through her yatra. Which is why it is not simply possible for us to hand the goodwill for the Congress on a platter to the AAP,” a senior party pointed out. Sources said 80% of the 90 seats could go to Hooda’s supporters, a handful to Selja’s backers. In the 2024 LS polls, AAP had contested 22 seats mostly solo across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Assam and had managed to win only 3 seats in Punjab where it is in power. The party had failed to even open its account in Delhi in spite of its flawed alliance with the Congress. This is what gives the Congress the bargaining chip.
Olympian Wrestler Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress and is all set to contest Haryana assembly elections from Julana seat. Famous for missing the silver medal by 100 gm in the Paris Olympics as she had breached the category in which she entered the contest, Vinesh had received a hero’s welcome as soon as she returned to India. She was given a grand welcome at Delhi airport by the Haryana Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son, Deepinder. Her name was finalised as soon as she formally became a member. While wrestler Bajrang Punia has been appointed as working president of All India Kisan Congress. Entry of the wrestling icons, who are both Jats, means consolidation of Jat votes behind the Congress. Former CM Hooda is determined to make a comeback with Jat vote power after 10-year BJP rule in Haryana. Phogat termed her political innings as a new chapter and said that she will continue to work for the rights of other athletes. Referring to the ongoing sexual harassment case against former WFI chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Singh, she made it clear that only the Congress had understood “our tears”. “I will work for other athletes so that they don’t have to go through what we went through,” Phogat said. “I could have quit wrestling at Jantar Mantar because the BJP’s IT cell was publicising that we were spent forces. They said I did not want to play in the nationals but I did; they said I did not want to do trials, I did that… They said I could not go to the Olympics but I did… Unfortunately, it was not God’s will,” she said.
In the backdrop of the Modi government releasing a Rs 100 coin to mark birth centenary of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi on August 18 and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailing him as “titan” of Indian politics, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has always been anxious to assure his allies in the secular INDIA Bloc that he is not inching close to the BJP. Away in the U.S. since the end of last month along with his wife Durga to pitch for foreign investment in his state, Stalin has been making it a point to enjoy ordinary things like working out at a gym in San Francisco or a bike ride near Lake Michigan in Chicago. His post on X, “Evening’s calm sets the stage for new dreams”, somehow caught the attention of Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi who replied to Stalin’s post with a playful comment, “Brother, when are we cycling together in Chennai?”. Responding to Gandhi, Stalin proposed a leisurely ride to explore the heart of Chennai. “Dear brother @Rahul Gandhi, whenever you’re free, let’s ride and explore the heart of Chennai together! A box of sweets is still pending from my side. After our cycling, let’s enjoy a delicious South Indian lunch with sweets at my home.” Incidentally, Rahul will also be briefly in the U.S. — September 8-10 — to interact with the Indian diaspora as well as key business and academic figures. This will be his first visit to the U.S. since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, after the Congress made significant gains. His visit precedes PM Modi’s planned appearance at the UN General Assembly later in the month. Gandhi will visit Dallas and Washington DC during his time in the U.S.
At a time when the Congress in Kerala had hit the streets against the CPI(M) for not letting go of its actor Kollam MLA M Mukesh against whom a rape case had been registered in the wake of the unveiling of the Justice Hema Committee report on the basis of complaint by an actress, allegations of casting couch in the Congress by a former party functionary and PSC member, Simi Rose Bell John, seemed to have come at an inopportune time. That is because Simi John did not get support from women leaders within the party who may have suffered at the hands of their male colleagues. The Congress top leadership as usual managed to push everything under the carpet and promptly expelled Simi John from the party to contain the damage of her “revelations”. However, the “casting couch in Congress” may have come as a brief relief to the Pinarayi Vijayan government that was battling with its LDF ally CPI, which also wanted MLA Mukesh to resign. In a statement, Kerala PCC described Simi John’s accusations as being aimed at mentally harassing and defaming lakhs of women leaders and workers in the Congress movement. It was felt Simi John may have been allegedly in collusion with political adversaries. She had alleged that only those close to the leadership get opportunities in the party. She also made it clear that women who have dignity and pride could no longer work in the party. Challenging the party to release evidence of the alleged conspiracy with the CPI(M), Simi fondly recalled her close bond with former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Kerala Congress leaders feel Simi’s outburst will not hit the party in the state.
In the backdrop of the recent roll out of Mazhi ladki bahini yojana by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde it was interesting to see PM Modi, taking a break from reticence of not taking names of officials and acknowledging roles women officers played in building institutions. Lauding the state government for its women-led development approach, Modi said that Maharashtra had laid the path of women empowerment for the nation. Referring to women officers doing an excellent job in many high positions in the state, PM Modi for the first time took names of all the officers who were helming their departments and contributed to Maharashtra’s governance. He mentioned Sujata Saunik who was guiding the state administration as Chief Secretary for the first time in the history of the state. He referred to DGP Rashmi Shukla leading the state police force, Shomita Biswas who was heading the state’s Forest Force and Suvarna Kewale handling the responsibility of the state’s Law Department. He also mentioned Jaya Bhagat who had taken charge as Principal Accountant General of the state, Prachi Swaroop leading the Customs Department in Mumbai and Ashwini Bhide as the MD of Mumbai Metro. Referring to women in Maharashtra in the field of higher education, PM referred to Lt Gen Dr Madhuri Kanitkar, the Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra Health University, and Dr Apoorva Palkar, the first Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra’s Skills University. “Successes of these women are proof that women power of the 21st century is ready to give a new direction to society,” Modi remarked adding that this woman power is the biggest foundation of Viksit Bharat. He was speaking at Palghar.
The BJP appointed a 6-member Coordination Committee to run its party unit in Tamil Nadu, in the absence of state president K Annamalai who left for the United Kingdom on a three-month sabbatical. Veteran leader and former MLA, H Raja was made Convenor of the Committee. State vice-presidents M Chakravarthy, P Kanagasabapathi, State general secretaries M Muruganandam, Raama Sreenivasan and State treasurer SR Sekhar “will be the members of the committee,” said a circular. For the next three months (Sep to Nov), H Raja-led 6 member panel would run the party, after consulting the State Core Committee. The party also made it clear that the committee will hold discussion with the “State Core Committee and take decisions about party activities.” Party sources said with this H Raja, the former MLA and NEC member had once again returned to the limelight after a decade. The current re-entry of H Raja is due to his closeness with Annamalai. “H Raja, who was almost sidelined in the party, has now got due recognition. It was Raja who tried hard to become the state president and governor. Although he is the Convenor of the Coordination Committee, Raja will only listen to Annamalai and take decisions. Annamalai hopes that by appointing H Raja as convenor who is a hardliner, he can overcome the crisis of other leaders including Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan who are against him in the party. It will be interesting to see how ties between BJP and the DMK pan out. Like Annamalai, H Raja too is known to play a straight bat.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath was much in the news recently for launching Uttar Pradesh Digital Media Policy, 2024, under which it was decided to prepare a list of social media influencers who will receive state advertisements for promoting schemes and achievements of the state government. Those sharing information on government schemes, initiatives and projects were offered a choice of earning up to Rs 8 lakh through government’s advertisements. The influencers were to be rated according to the number of subscribers and followers they have on online platforms. These influencers were to be paid a maximum of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for their accounts on X, Facebook and Instagram. Yogi’s move provoked a caustic post from Congress leader Priyanka Vadra who tweeted saying, “Jo tum ko pasand vahi baat kahenge,tum dinko agar raat kaho to hum raat kahenge.” She went on to ask in which category will the voices of women seeking justice fall in the social media policy of the UP government? Netizens promptly trolled her as they found that it was not the first time that a state government was using social media influencers. Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot had relied on influencers in the run-up state elections in 2023. AAP ruled Punjab had already incentivised influencers. Around the same time as Yogi, the Congress government in Karnataka too had announced it would engage influencers and other digital media entities with 1 lakh followers to promote its schemes and programmes. In Telangana, CM Revanth Reddy has hired former Deccan Chronicle Editor Sriram Karri as media & communications director. Of course, media outreach that began in the states has a Delhi dimension too. It is being said PM Modi has already initiated his series of informal interactions with journos.
This is a story that must be told at least a day ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Wayanad. It is about his Minister of State from Kerala George Kurian and BJP leader who was put to work on the day of landslides itself. Yes, he was woken up by a phone call from the PM’s office at 3 am on July 30. With instructions to go to Wayanad and oversee rescue operations. He flew to Bengaluru by the 6 am flight, then to Kozhikode by army copter. From there to the landslide affected area by road .From the morning of July 30 till August 4, just a few hours after the landslides, this man has been walking and working nonstop in the affected areas. Traversing risky roads with the army and rescue teams, making arrangements for rescue operations, the Bailey bridge, lending an ear, a shoulder, a helping hand to the affected. Also coordinating with the central government. He has been operating below the radar without giving a media byte or addressing the media. The Kerala press has also ignored his work as he hasn’t highlighted his work via FB posts. His down to earth work was briefly noticed when there were memes during the visit of Gandhi siblings to Wayanad.
It almost seemed like a sisterly act of reaching out to each other. Both FM Nirmala Sitharaman and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee are continuously engaging each other in social media. After FM Sitharaman praised Mamata for attending the NITI Aayog meeting and later openly lauded her in the Lok Sabha, the TMC, in its official handle, reposted her praise on X. ‘A good Chief Minister and a fighter who has been leading the state for so many years!’ “FM@nsitharaman in a moment of honesty praises our Chairperson in Parliament. TRUTH CANNOT BE SUPPRESSED FOR LONG”! In her reply to the debate on Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on July 30, FM was particularly irked by TMC MP Prof Saugata Roy, who had remarked that he did not expect the “FM to be like Dr Manmohan Singh” as she was not a PhD from Oxford like Dr Singh not even like Chidambaram, who had got a management degree from Harvard. “She is from our own JNU. But the problem is, she is bereft of new ideas.” A somewhat peeved FM said “A lady who I respect a lot, who sits equally in the GST Council with me, who is the FM of West Bengal, studied in the University of Kolkata. She is not a Member of this House. She is the FM of West Bengal (Chandrima Bhattacharya) and studied in the University of Kolkata. Is she also bereft of new ideas? She makes wonderful contributions to the GST Council.” The CM of West Bengal is also from the colleges affiliated to the University of Kolkata. Does this mean that if you study in the Indian universities, you are bereft of ideas? In what way are we less than the Harvards of the world or the Oxfords of the world?
In a day of swift developments Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot issued a show-cause notice to chief minister Siddaramaiah as a precursor to sanctioning his prosecution in the Mysore site allotment scam, rattling the ruling Congress whose boss is facing arguably his most toughest political battle. Governor Gehlot asked Siddaramaiah to explain why prosecution sanction must not be accorded in connection with irregularities in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The allegation in the MUDA scam is that Siddaramaiah’s wife was given expensive plots in lieu of her land on which a layout was formed. Earlier, Gehlot had asked the state chief secretary for a report on the MUDA ‘scam’. The State Cabinet which met later to discuss Governor’s move came out rallying in support of the beleaguered CM. Siddaramaiah had recused from chairing the Cabinet meeting and had allowed deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar to preside over it. The Cabinet made it clear that the Governor must act on the aid and advice of the state council of ministers and must withdraw the show cause notice forthwith. Picking holes in the show cause notice, the Cabinet pointed out that the Governor had also failed to note that the complainant, TJ Abraham, had criminal antecedents. It also wondered how could the Raj Bhavan proceed on the complaint on the same day it received the petition. Further castigating the Governor, the Cabinet observed that there had been “a gross misuse of the Constitutional office of the Governor and a concerted effort to destabilize the elected majority government of Karnataka for political considerations”.
Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan had kicked up a big fuss when Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Harivansh had called out her by her full name — Jaya Amitabh Bachchan — in the House on July 29 while asking her to participate in a short duration discussion on death of students in a Delhi coaching institute due to flooding . The actor took such offence at being called out by her legal name that she wondered why her husband’s name was being invoked along with hers. She had even schooled the chair how a mere Jaya Bachchan would have sufficed. The Chair said he was helpless as he had to go by only what was on record. Continuing her feminist rant, Jaya lashed out against the trend of women being recognised only by the name of their husbands. It was as if women have no existence of achievements of their own. A day later, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar came up with a piece of advice for Jaya and also put on record that Harivansh had only done his job. Instead of giving homilies to the Chair on how to call out her name, he suggested that she should proceed to correct her name legally in the records.
It was billed to be intervention on the Union Budget but Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s speech was clearly non-serious and limited to flagging his own pet issues such as caste census, legal status for MSP.. His favourite punching bag was how the Budget was going to help PM Modi’s friends create more wealth at the cost of India’s youth and the middle class. Flashing a picture of customary halwa making ahead of Budget in the House in violation of rules, Rahul wondered why there was no one from OBC, SC or ST among the secretaries involved in Budget making. A bit disappointed that PM Modi had not turned in to listen to his speech — there was no need for PM Modi’s presence, since both defence minister Rajnath Singh and FM Nirmala Sitharaman were in attendance. Rahul felt the PM did not have the “nerve” to listen into his speech. Charging the government of trapping Indians in a modern-day ‘chakravyuh’ and unleashing an atmosphere of fear in the country, Rahul alleged it was being run by six people led by PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval, two industrialists close to PM and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. He said because of the ‘chakravyuh’ there has been “concentration of financial power… We are going to break down this ‘chakravyuh’. The biggest way of doing this is the caste census,” he said and added that INDIA Bloc would pass guaranteed legal MSP and caste census in the LS. Disappointed with losing out the NEET battle in the Supreme Court, Rahul wondered why the FM had not spoken about paper leaks. But then why should she….that is not her domain?
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah who is battling charges of land allotments to his wife Parvati by Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) way back in 2006, has reportedly unleashed media war via advertorials to counter political charges against him. These advertorials in local media which first appeared on July 20 are apparently being released back to back on a weekly basis. The CM insists that MUDA had legally allotted 14 residential sites to his wife, Parvathi, in lieu of illegally acquiring her land. The authority had accepted its ‘mistake’, and a MUDA committee comprising members of BJP, JD(S) and Congress had allotted alternative sites in 2021 during the tenure of the BJP government. Siddaramaiah’s opponents including Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy feel details of the CM’s land allotments made their way into public domain courtesy his deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar. To counter allegations by the BJP and JD(S), Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh released a list of beneficiaries that included Kumaraswamy and some JD(S) MLAs. Responding to the charges levelled against him by Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy said he was yet to receive the site allocated to him in Mysore. “I was the CM in 2006. Had I wished to misuse my power, I could have registered that site in my name back then. But unlike CM Siddaramaiah, I did not misuse my authority.” He added that the investigation into this site has been ongoing since the time of late CM Ramakrishna Hegde.”In 2012, I wrote to MUDA for allocation of the site. I wrote another letter in 2017. Unlike CM Siddaramaiah, I never misused my authority. They are not giving me this site out of charity. I paid Rs 34,000, and it’s been 40 years,” said Kumaraswamy.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee certainly surprised the Congress by attending the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting chaired by PM Modi on July 27. The Congress was so caught off guard by Mamata’s decision that the party could not even formally announce a boycott of its three CMs. Of course Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin who eagerly follows Congress line and Kerala CM Pinarayi Viayan had taken a similar stand. Mamata seized the NITI platform to launch herself as leader of the Opposition block. She was at the NITI Aayog meeting only to be a drama queen. She stormed out of the meeting saying she was barely allowed to speak. As per PIB Factcheck Mamata would have got a chance to speak only after lunch. It was also pointed out that Mamata as she spoke the clock showed “her speaking time was over. Even then the bell was not rung to mark it. “…I have come out boycotting the meeting. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, CMs of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes.. This is unfair…I said you (central government) should not discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for five minutes. I was the voice of the Opposition,” said Didi. Meanwhile, FM Nirmala Sitharaman slammed a non-present Congress leader Jairam Ramesh for charging NITI Aayog of muzzling dissenting voices like Mamata, saying she was happy that Mamata attended and was happier, when the CM said she was speaking for “Bengal and in fact for the entire opposition.” Mamata’s bold move to attend the NITI Aayog struck a chord with a section of Congress. “Our CMs should have also done it. It makes more sense to air our views than boycott,” said a Congress leader from TN. Sources say Didi was advised by her nephew Abhishek to attend the meeting and raise the Opposition voice. Mamata too has decided to lead the Opposition, steering it away from Gandhis.
Punjab Congress leaders were quite surprised by the manner in which former Punjab chief minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi came out openly in support of the controversial Khadoor Sahib MP, Amritpal Singh. Channi triggered a political uproar of sorts after he claimed that the BJP-led Central government had curbed the freedom of speech of Amritpal by continuing to hold him in NSA custody in an Assam jail. Reacting to the remark, BJP MP and Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu had a heated exchange with him in the Lok Sabha as he felt Channi was behaving like a traitor. “A former CM is behaving like a traitor and is misleading the entire country through the House.” Channi coming out in support of Amritpal did not go down well with the Punjab Congress. Party sources said Channi, a Dalit leader, had set a dangerous precedent of speaking up for a Khalistani leader in his pursuit for Jat votes. It may be recalled that the Congress and the country had lost Indira Gandhi to Khalistani assassins. In the Lok Sabha, LoP Rahul Gandhi got party MPs to heckle Bittu when he started countering Channi. Bittu had left the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha poll and joined the BJP and became a minister. Channi kickstarted the spat with Bittu by saying the BJP was like the East India Company, which had taken over trade to rule the country. Bittu got up to say something after which Channi reminded him, “Your grandfather (former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh) was a Shaheed (martyr)….” Bittu retorted, “My grandfather laid down his life for the country and not for the Congress.”
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman strongly responded to Opposition criticisms that she had only picked two states — Andhra and Bihar — that are ruled by NDA allies for special attention in the Union Budget. Responding to Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge’s charge that the BJP-led government had unfairly prioritised Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget for 2024-25 and it was a “kursi-bachao” document, suggesting that it was designed to preserve the government’s power rather than serve the nation’s needs , Sitharaman noted that the absence of specific state names in her speech did not mean those states were ignored. Sitharaman pointed to Maharashtra as an example, where despite not being mentioned, the state had recently received approval for a Rs 76,000-crore port project at Vadhavan ,Dahanu. “From the time of the interim budget till now.” If the speech does not mention the name of a particular state, does it mean that the schemes of the Government of India, the programmes of the Government of India, the externally-aided assistance which we obtain from the World Bank, ADB, AIIB and institutions like that do not go to these states? They go as per a routine,” Sitharaman remarked. Kharge said states where people have rejected BJP, those states got nothing from this budget! ” Everyone’s plate is empty, and in the plate of two states there are Pakora and Jalebi. This budget has been brought only to save his chair.” Attacking Bihar for Rs 26000cr infrastructure funds got so personal with JD(U) MP Dinesh Chandra Yadav protesting Chennai MP Dayanidhi Maran for linking collapse of 15 bridges recently to the release of Central funds.” Our state bears the brunt of flood waters from the Himalayas, something no one will know.” Vishakhapatnam MP M Sribharat of the TDP also highlighted the importance of Centre’s role in rebuilding his state.
Political watchers were a little surprised that Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, who used to be continuously attacking PM Modi either via his social media accounts or via his statements had suddenly fallen silent. The buzz is that he had been advised by a senior non-Congress leader not to attack Modi. The leader reportedly cautioned him against inadvertently creating sympathy for PM Modi. The sane advice for Rahul comes in the wake of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee recently raking up the issue of Rahul being credited for good performance of Opposition parties in the 2024 Lok Sabha election whether in Uttar Pradesh or Maharashtra. The buzz is the LoP is preparing to save all his fire only for the Budget session beginning on July 22. Besides, in her meetings with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata had emphasised on the need for all the focus and publicity to be moved away from the Gandhis and the Congress. She feels all non-Congress parties must get the credit for the performance. It clearly showed that the Bengal leader may have taken from where PM Modi had left when he had referred to the Congress as a political party, a parjeevi party or party that sustained itself more by depending on its coalition partners. Meaning, the Congress no longer had anything to add to the political basket.
Amidst reports of strained relations between the RSS and the ruling BJP, the Centre in a notification last week allowed government employees to take part in RSS’s activities. The notification rolled back a 1966 ban on government employees joining the RSS. The renewed push to the Sangh membership, coming a year ahead of Sangh’s centenary year in 2025 was seen by the Congress as a peace overture by the Modi Government – a gesture by top BJP leadership to pacify the Sangh ahead next round of assembly elections. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge went on to charge that since the BJP couldn’t get a majority on its own and change the Constitution, it was getting RSS workers via back door to capture government machinery. RSS leaders however felt the Centre’s action may have come a little too late. “The 1966 order should have been withdrawn in 2014 itself, when PM Modi had secured the mandate. That is if a RSS pracharak can be Prime Minister of the country, why should there be any restriction on government employees becoming members of the Sangh,” pointed out a senior former Sangh functionary. He also highlighted that long before the Centre withdrew the 1966 ban order, several BJP ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh had made it possible for the employees to attend the RSS meetings. In its first reaction to the decision, the RSS said the Congress Government in the 60s had baselessly banned government employees from participating in the activities of a “constructive organization like the Sangh”, to cater to its political interests. “RSS has been continuously involved in the nation’s reconstruction and service to society for the last 99 years,” said Sunil Ambekar, RSS’s publicity chief and described the Modi government’s decision as appropriate.
Former Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam has a mega issue with Big B starrer Kalki 2898 AD and has slapped a legal notice on the makers of the movie. Acharya Krishnam, patron of Kalki Dham feels “India is a country of emotions, trust and faith” and the movie makers possibly couldn’t can’t play with the values of Sanatan.” Along with the culture and civilization of Sanatan, its Shastras also shouldn’t be twisted. Lord Kalki is the last incarnation of Lord Vishnu, which means no incarnation will take place after him. Many things have been written about it, abiding by the fact that Shri Kalki Dham was established and PM Modi laid the foundation stone. This film goes against what has been described and written in our Shastras. “This film has hurt our religious sentiments,” he says. He has some objections that have been put there in the legal notice. He is waiting for a response from the film-makers. Acharya Krishnam’s Kalkidham which is based out of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh is clear that “we couldn’t let anyone play with our Sanatan religion and our Shastras at any cost. It has become a fashion for filmmakers to play with the sentiments of the Hindu religion.” Sages are shown as demons, and they show others in good esteem. Freedom of expression doesn’t mean that you play with the faith of Hindus and our Shastras. “Kalki 2898 AD is the highest grossing film of 2024. Directed by Nag Ashwin, the post-apocalyptic film is inspired by Hindu scriptures.
When Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump took centre stage at the RNC convention in Milwaukee and spoke about the assassination attempt on him in Butler, Pennsylvania and said “God saved me.” Many ISKCON devotees worldwide may have agreed with him. That is because it was Trump who had helped ISKCON devotees organize the first Rathayatra in July 1976 in New York City by providing his train yard for the construction of the raths for free. However, the ISKCON (The International Society for Krishna Consciousness) which expressed its shock and sadness at the assassination attempt against President Trump was a little concerned that recent posts on social and traditional media about the help it had received from Trump for the first Jagannath Rathayatra in New York City. “We are concerned that media accounts have been exaggerated. For example, ISKCON did not directly approach Mr Trump or bring him prasada (sanctified foods). Nor do we wish to speculate on why or how he was recently saved from more serious harm. We are also concerned that some of the media stories may seem to suggest an ISKCON endorsement of Mr. Trump’s presidential candidacy. ISKCON does not endorse any political candidate, ISKCON said in a statement
Only early this month PM Narendra Modi had highlighted in the Parliament how the Congress had a tendency to sacrifice from “Dalit and backward classes” in losing causes to protect “the family”. He had attacked the Congress for trying to push the candidature of Kodikunnil Suresh, first as pro-tem Speaker and then later got him to file papers for the Lok Sabha Speaker’s elections. Now it seems Modi may not have been off the mark. After pushing the Mavelikara MP as senior most member as he was an 8 term MP — never mind in between breaks, the Congress chose to appoint Suresh as chief whip for the party in Lok Sabha on July 14. It preferred to pick a much younger Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi, as Lok Sabha deputy leader. It is odd that the Congress should bypass the senior Dalit leader from Kerala. May be Suresh too is in the same league as former LS Speaker Meira Kumar who was fielded against former President Ram Nath Kovind in 2017. Or like former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde who was fielded against Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in the Vice President elections of 2002. All senior Dalit leaders who have been used by the Congress to fight a lost cause. Meanwhile, one hears Rahul Gandhi, who had travelled out of the country on a private jet of a friend to London, is going to be back home over the weekend (July 14). His audacious social media managers who had faked his phone call to US V-P Kamala Harris while he was away didn’t expect to get caught. For once Modi seems to have been on the mark, invoking Sholay‘s mausi ji imagery!
When PM Modi attended Anant-Radhika ‘Shubh Aashirwad’ ceremony what was of significance was that he paid respects to both Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth Swami Sadananda Saraswati and Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath Swami Avimukteshwaranand. They were among the four Shankaracharyas who had opposed the January 22 inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya because they felt it was being held in violation of the rules of Sanatan Dharma. Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand, was particularly vocal. The Shankaracharyas had opposed the inauguration of an incomplete Ram Mandir. However, on July 13, in an extraordinary gesture of spiritual significance Swami Avimukteshwaranand could be seen handing PM Modi a necklace of rudraksha beads that he was wearing. It almost seemed like a sign of truce between the dharma gurus and PM Modi. However, even while opposing the opening of the temple Swami Avimukteshwaranand had always reiterated that he was one of the admirers of PM Modi. It is because of PM Modi Hindus have become aware of their self-respect. “The truth is PM Modi has made Hindus self-aware which is not a small thing. We have said several times in public that we are not anti-Modi but his admirers. Name another prime minister of India who strengthened Hindus like Modi before. We have had many prime ministers and they all have been good — we are not criticising anyone.” Champat Rai of the temple trust had defended the inauguration on the grounds that the temple belonged to Ramanand Sampradaya – a 18th century Vaishnava saint.
Assembly by-elections are usually won by the party in power. That is why it came as a surprise for the BJP that it failed to retain Badrinath assembly seat and was defeated in Manglaur in Uttarakhand by a margin of 422 votes. While the Congress has been claiming victory in Badrinath as a natural corollary to INDIA Bloc win in Faizabad Lok Sabha seat that hosts Ayodhya and the Ram Mandir, the BJP may have much to mull about its performance. Defeat of BJP candidate Rajendra Singh Bhandari in Badrinath assembly seat may not be so much a comment on chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami but it could still be an eye-opener for the party. The seat fell vacant as Bhandari had quit the Congress as an MLA during 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He joined the BJP supporting its Garhwal Lok Sabha candidate Anil Baluni. The BJP had fielded him in the by-election hoping his connection with local public would carry him through. What the party did not factor in was lack of enthusiasm among its cadres to the Congress turncoat. “More than BJP cadres letting Bhandari down, Badrinath seat was mainly lost because there was simmering anger among residents of Joshimath over delay in resettlement and relocating them,” pointed out senior Congress leader Prakash Joshi. This was an area which has always given BJP the lead. Joshimath has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone since 2022 and people still have to deal with it. The second seat Manglaur had always seen a proxy battle between the Congress and the BSP. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh however insisted that the Uttarakhand results “reflect the changing political climate in the country.”
While there is general rush among new ministers in the Modi Government for a comfortable Lutyens bungalow, it is being said Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is residing at 10, Rajaji Marg, faces the problem of beehives in his garden. Though it is not clear how much of a challenge it has been to Kharge and his family, the bees have certainly posed a problem to the media team who have gone to cover INDIA bloc meetings at his residence. The bees have stung cameramen and tried to damage their equipment. It is being said ever since the Lok Sabha results, Kharge had become a little quiet. He has apparently conveyed to Sonia Gandhi that he would like to hang his boots. With Priyanka Gandhi all set to get elected from Wayanad, the Congress expects her to play a larger role in the organisation. That actually means Kharge would like to return as CM of Karnataka. The new Parliament building which entails a lot of walking for MPs is also getting to him and his limbs are aching too much it is being said. KC Venugopal had apparently suggested Kerala ayurvedic massage for the 81-year old leader. Meanwhile in his home state, Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivkumar is resisting pressure to ease him out of the state PCC. He says he can be replaced only by his handpicked nominee — say his brother DK Suresh or Lakshmi Hebalkar. Of course the Congress leadership could be too reluctant to effect any change in Karnataka. Easing out a prudent like CM Siddaramaiah could be fraught with many unforeseen risks.
Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s social media message to Congress leaders denouncing Smriti Irani ever since she lost Amethi Lok Sabha elections on June 12 came as a bit of surprise. Posted on X, Rahul generally made it clear “winning and losing happen in life” and urged everyone to refrain from using “derogatory language” and being nasty towards” Smriti Irani or any other leader for that matter.” Many wondered if the tweet itself was a diversion. Was the “generous message” deliberately put out by his social media managers as they didn’t want anyone to know Rahul’s travel plans? Party sources said the LoP who had travelled extensively within India during the Parliament break — from Manipur to his constituency Rae Bareli— has apparently taken a two day break. Yes, he is making a very short foreign trip. Party sources said he must have decided to travel abroad just ahead of the monsoon session next week. No one in the Congress knows where he was headed. In his message, Rahul made it clear “humiliating and insulting people” was a sign of weakness, not strength. The BJP of course hasn’t taken such a condescending message lightly. “This is the most disingenuous message ever. After unleashing Congress leaders, like a pack of wolves, on the woman who defeated him in Amethi and smashed his arrogance to smithereens, this is rich. All this gibberish doesn’t take away from the fact that Smriti Irani forced Balak Buddhi to abandon Amethi”, countered BJP I-T Cell head Amit Malviya.
In an unprecedented move in picking judges for the top court, the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud cited for the first time backwardness of the judge’s caste for his selection as a SC judge. In its resolution, the collegium cited that Justice R Mahadevan who “is presently the Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court “was” eminently suitable for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court as he “belongs to a backward community from Tamil Nadu. His appointment will bring diversity to the Bench”. The Collegium was aware that Justice R Mahadevan’s elevation would be upsetting the pecking order — that is because he ranks third in the order of presently serving judges of the Madras HC including the judges who have been posted as Chief Justices outside the Madras High Court. For the first time the collegium also recommended elevation of Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh who originally hails from Manipur. He was appointed as a Judge of the Gauhati High Court on October 17, 2011. On the formation of the High Court of Manipur, he was transferred as a Judge of that High Court from the Gauhati High Court. On February 15, 2023, he was appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. He is due to retire on February 28, 2025. The Collegium described Justice Singh’s appointment to the SC bench “will provide representation to the North-East, and in particular he will be the first Judge from the State of Manipur to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court.”
Even as Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani on July 4 met former Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence and presented an invitation card of his son Anant Ambani’s wedding to Radhika Merchant, daughter of businessman Viren Merchant, it is being reliably learnt that the Gandhis — both Sonia and her son Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhis may not be attending the wedding. The wedding will take place at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on July 12. The three-day celebration will feature several rituals and celebrations including ‘Shubh Vivaah’ on July 12, followed by ‘Shubh Aashirwad’ on July 13 and concluding with ‘Mangal Utsav,’ (wedding reception) on July 14. The Gandhis have reportedly conveyed their inability to attend the wedding to Mukesh Ambani who had spent nearly an hour at 10 Janpath. The Gandhis seem to be staying away from the wedding because of Rahul Gandhi’s politics. He had attacked Ambanis and Adanis as recently as last week during his visit to Gujarat while addressing a Congress function. Rahul Gandhi is reportedly very particular that he does not wish to cramp his political style by attending an Ambani wedding. During the Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi had wondered why Rahul Gandhi had stopped attacking Ambanis and Adanis as soon as the elections were declared; he had sought to know if the Congress had gone silent after receiving funds from these corporate groups. Several senior ministers, including PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, are expected to attend the high-profile Ambani wedding. While Anant-Radhika’s first pre-wedding celebration was held in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, the second took place on a cruise in Europe in June.
The Congress party which could not get senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi elected from Himachal Pradesh in February this year –he lost the Rajya Sabha election to BJP’s Harsh Mahajan — has been trying to find ways to send him to the upper house. It seems to have finally found a Rajya Sabha vacancy because of defections from BRS to the Congress. Eighty five year-old BRS MP K Keshav Rao who had two more years in Rajya Sabha in this term, quit as MP, “consequent upon his joining the Congress .” Significantly, the Telangana Government promptly appointed Rao “advisor to the Government with status of Cabinet Minister” on July 6. Keshav Rao making way for Singhvi brings to closure all high drama and efforts to accommodate the learned counsel from AAP’s Delhi quota. Getting AAP MPs like Swati Maliwal or Sanjay Singh to relinquish their RS terms in favour of Singhvi had become too episodic. The Congress finally found a way out when BRS leaders in Telangana began to show interest in joining the party — 6 MLCs, 7 MLAs and one Rajya Sabha MP seemed eager to jump ship. While chief minister Revanth Reddy saw the defection of MLCs as an attempt to gain numbers in legislative council, many within his own party say he was executing a BJP plan to finish off the BRS. “Even the BRS guy who defeated me in the assembly election has now joined the Congress,” pointed out an AICC spokesperson, who had contested from Hyderabad.
West Bengal BJP has begun to feel the burden of having a former bureaucrat CV Ananda Bose in Raj Bhavan. He poses no problem for the TMC regime but remains out of bounds for them. Bengal BJP leaders find that they are never able to access him. Half the time, much harassed Bose is always catching a flight to Delhi to fill the ears of central leadership. They feel Kolkata Raj Bhavan should have a politically savvy governor like Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan or Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi who keeps local governments on toes. Party sources feel with assembly elections in 2026, there must be an effective, political governor who will be able to keep chief minister Mamata Banerjee on her toes. Instead, they find Governor Bose is embroiled and immersed in fighting his own personal battles. Two years after he took charge as governor, Mamata pinned him down with one of the Raj Bhavan staff alleging inappropriate conduct in May 2024. The TMC supremo who is buffeted by corruption allegations and scams, tried using allegations made by a contractual woman employee of Raj Bhavan to put the Governor on the defensive. Didi made it such a political issue that even her two MLAs — Rayat Hossain Sarkar and Sayantika Banerjee — elected in the bypolls recently, refused to go to the Raj Bhavan to be sworn-in. They were sworn in by the Speaker at a special session of the Assembly on July 5. Bose has filed a defamation suit against Mamata after she remarked that “women are afraid to visit Raj Bhavan due to recent incidents”. Meanwhile, hunt is on for new Bengal BJP chief as Dr Sukanta Majumdar is a Union Minister now.
In an interesting move that came around the same time as the inaugural Parliament Session concluded, PM Narendra Modi constituted 8 Cabinet Committees in which the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was included in as many as seven of the eight cabinet Committees. While, PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah constituted the Appointments Committee, the FM was included in as many as seven. These include: Cabinet Committee(CC) on Accommodation, CC on Economic Affairs (CCEA), CC on Parliamentary Affairs, CC on Security and CC on Skill Development, Employment and Livelihood. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar figured in CC on Economic Affairs and CC on Security. Significantly several NDA leaders such as JD (U) leader HD Kumaraswamy figured in CCEA. So did BJP’s ally from Bihar Lallan Singh. TDP leader & Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Naidu was in CC on Parliamentary Affairs. CC on Political Affairs again had Naidu from TDP and Jitan Ram Manjhi from Bihar. Chirag Paswan was accommodated in the panel on investment and growth. In the CC on skill development INLD leader Jayant Chaudhry was included.
At least in two recent meetings, PM Narendra Modi has apparently indicated to both ministers and secretaries that they must not constantly look to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for administrative initiatives or governance ideas. First, at a meeting with Ministers of State, he had suggested that they must come up with their own ideas of governance. And not wait for signals from the PMO. He had given similar advice during his interactive session with secretaries of the Government of India. In short, Modi has begun to de-emphasise the PMO and wants more ideas from all levels to give inputs for governance. The lack of top down control over the administration from the PMO seemed like a fresh idea. It also seemed to coincide with his idea to rebrand his PMO as “people’s PMO” at the beginning of his new term. Official sources feel Modi’s call for more ideas from all levels of governance in the third term instead of just the PMO marks a big shift in governance emphasis. It may be also recalled that in his first interaction with officials of the PMO, Modi had not only lauded staff for their work in the past, he had also explained the concept of “people’s PMO” to the staff. Modi said that the government means new energy of strength, dedication and resolve and expressed confidence that the PMO is primed to serve the people with dedication. He highlighted that it is not Modi alone who runs the government but thousands of minds that come together and shoulder the responsibilities.
In his maiden speech in the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on July 1 triggered an uproar in the House with his remark targeting the BJP, saying those who call themselves Hindus “only talk about violence, hatred and lies. Those who claim to be Hindu only talk about violence, hatred, and untruth… You are not a Hindu.” His sweeping remarks against Hindus earned quick response from PM Modi, interrupting Rahul’s speech. Modi, who extended the courtesy of listening to LoP’s speech and sat through his nearly 2-hour speech in the House, objected to him painting the entire Hindu community as “violent” as a serious matter. After the exchange, Union home minister Amit Shah demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi. It was interesting to see that the LoP’s remarks were promptly countered by top ministers from the Modi Government — like Rs 1 crore that is paid to Agniveer martyrs by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while Rahul’s remarks about MSP for farmers were dealt with by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. In a tweet, UP chief minister Yogi too sought apology from Rahul for his remarks against Hindus. Meanwhile as Rahul’s speech went awry the one person who rushed to his defence was his sister Priyanka. She insisted that her brother only spoke against the BJP and would never speak against the Hindus. Rahul who kept personally attacking the PM for always being serious, even mockingly said the PM had said (Mahatma) Gandhi was revived by a movie. In his speech, Rahul talked about his 55-hour interrogation by the ED and how leaders “are” still kept in jail on the order of the PM.
For all the confrontation between the Congress and the Government over NEET and resolution over Emergency in the opening session of the 18th Parliament, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is apparently quite happy with the large office that has been allotted in the Parliament House to him in keeping with his new status as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Entitled to maintain a small core team, Rahul is keen to maintain a social media team drawn mainly from the AICC. For the initial day-to-day work, Rahul has made it known that he wants to share the experienced team assisting Mallikarjun Kharge, the Rajya Sabha LoP. Such as Kharge’s secretary Ravindra Garimella. Party sources said Rahul has already indicated that he may not be interested in routine meetings like business advisory committee meetings that fix the agenda for Lok Sabha sittings and may be only too happy to delegate it to senior colleagues like KC Venugopal or Gaurav Gogoi. He was apparently making inquiries about panels where PM Modi would be present. As such, it is not that PM Modi will be present in any of the parliamentary panels. But then as Lok Sabha LoP, Rahul would also get to preside over the Public Accounts Committee– a panel that reviews functionings of the PSUs. The PAC is a prized panel where PSU chiefs would be keen to please the PAC chief. For his new role as LoP, Rahul was initially seen wearing a kurta that most netas tend to wear. However by Friday a clean shaven Rahul decided to shed the old world image and was back to sporting his favourite gear– white T-shirt and jeans — something he was identified with during his Bharat Jodo Yatra days.
Om Birla, the NDA nominee, was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 26, through a motion moved by PM Narendra Modi, which was adopted via voice votes. The only redeeming feature of the election that happened after 50 years in the Parliament was that there was no counting of votes. Election was by voice vote –by ‘Ayes’ and ‘Noes’. In fact after pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Om Birla as the Speaker of the lower house, JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan even wondered why there was no headcount or division. Mahtab told him that “it was beyond division of votes”. The Opposition, which had filed K Suresh as the Speaker candidate of the INDIA bloc, did not press for a division vote. It was not keen to showcase how much behind NDA it was in terms of numbers. The best part of the Speaker’s election was that it brought together PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi, who in his new role as Leader of the Opposition. Both of them were spotted shaking hands as they escorted Birla to the Speaker’s chair. As PM Modi noted Birla’s “warm smile brightens up the entire House,” and how efficiently he ran the House in the last 5 years .Opposition leaders were quick to harp on how he had suspended 146 MPs in 2023. Rahul Gandhi in his speech hoped Birla would allow the Opposition to speak and said “The question is not how efficiently the House is run. The question is how much of India’s voice is being allowed to be heard.” Congress sources say there would have been no hype over the Speaker’s election if only KC Venugopal had not bargained about deputy speaker’s post in his initial meeting with Rajnath Singh.
With no consensus between the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc over Lok Sabha Speaker post and the deadline for the nominations nearing, the two alliances have separately fielded their candidates. This is the first election for Lok Sabha Speaker since Independence. On June 26, as the Lok Sabha convenes, the legislators will vote to elect the next Speaker, choosing between the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Om Birla as NDA candidate and Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh as the Opposition nomination. Om Birla, a three-time MP from Kota, and longest-serving Lok Sabha MP from Kerala K Suresh have filed their nominations for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker. A Lok Sabha Speaker is elected by a simple majority. More than half of the 543 members present in the Lok Sabha vote for a particular candidate to become the Speaker of Lok Sabha. The NDA, which has 293 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha, enjoys a clear majority. The Opposition bloc has 234 legislators in the lower House of Parliament. Apparently many Opposition parties like the TMC and even NCP (Sharad Pawar) are not happy with the decision to go for a contest. TMC felt the Congress took a unilateral decision to contest the Speaker’s post without consulting other parties. With numbers in favour of the NDA, Om Birla is set to become the Lok Sabha Speaker for a second term. INDIA bloc said it was willing to support the NDA candidate but only if the deputy Speaker post is given to the Opposition. Clearly, the government did not wish a trade-off over the Deputy Speaker’s post. The Deputy Speaker’s post would probably go to one of its allies, the TDP.
Congress leaders in Kerala are yet to recover from the idea that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee would campaign for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Wayanad Lok Sabha by-elections. That, whenever it happens. This is a seat vacated by her brother earlier this month and it will mark Priyanka’s foray into electoral politics. Reports of Mamata working as a political mentor for Priyanka in Kerala emerged as an idea, post senior Congress leader P Chidambaram’s confabulations with Mamata recently. Party sources said though it is not clear what exactly transpired in the chat between the two leaders, it is possible that the two leaders may have discussed better relations and for better coordination inside the Parliament. As for the Wayanad, Kerala Congress sources made it clear that it is the best seat in the “state for the Congress”. “Let us not forget that Rahulji has won Wayanad twice — both in 2019 and in 2024– by a margin of 3 lakhs. We have never taken support of any outside help. What will Mamata ji come and do here? Priyankaji will easily win here”, asserted an AICC functionary. Party sources pointed it is possible efforts are being made to keep Didi in good humour. The Kerala campaign perhaps could be a sop to humour the Bengal leader who has failed to expand beyond her state. Sources said it was Chidambaram’s idea to keep TMC close to the Congress. He had reportedly told Mamata that the Modi Government would not last beyond the next round of assembly polls and the Opposition must unite to dislodge the regime. He has been similarly working on the DMK too!
After Mamata Banerjee dealt a body blow to West Bengal PCC chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury by getting him defeated in Berhampore Lok Sabha by fielding cricketer Yusuf Pathan from Gujarat, a whole lot of possibilities seems to have opened up for the Congressman. Adhir is quite upset with the Congress leadership that did not pitch in any help during Bengal polls. In fact, post-defeat, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called him up and urged him not to vacate his Lutyens’s bungalow and promised to find something for him. To media queries about his switch to the BJP, Adhir has neither confirmed nor denied it. Yes, Modi-Shah are thinking of fielding Adhir as a Rajya Sabha candidate from Tripura in place of former CM Biplab Deb who has got elected to the Lok Sabha. The buzz is Adhir could be eventually inducted as a central minister and deployed to work in Bengal. Under Suvendu Adhikari’s leadership, the BJP in Bengal has been struggling. Apart from traditional leaders such as Dilip Ghosh who can take on Mamata, there are only a handful of leaders in the BJP who can take on the Trinamool. Of course, if Adhir joins the BJP he could prove to be a major irritant for Mamata. That means, for the TMC leader, getting Adhir defeated in Lok Sabha may not have been a wise move at all.
When Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was announced Lok Sabha candidate from Wayanad in Kerala by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, replacing her brother Rahul there was a lot of speculation about the timing of the announcement. Why did the Congress pick a festival day for the Muslims — Bakri Eid — to make the announcement? Is it because Muslims constitute the majority of the voters in Wayanad? Party sources also confirmed that the Indian Union Muslim League was consulted about Priyanka entering the fray. Though Priyanka has worked in both Amethi and Rae Bareli since 1999, for some reason her brother Rahul was reluctant to let her enter the fray. In fact many Priyanka loyalists in the party were disappointed that she did not get an opportunity to contest from Uttar Pradesh. For some reason Rahul did not want to pit Priyanka against Smriti Irani in Amethi, though later he bragged that his sister could have easily defeated PM Modi in Varanasi. It is being said because Rahul Gandhi wanted to take the credit of bringing down Modi’s numbers in UP. He was aware that he could do it only because of the unstinted support of the Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh Yadav and the web of lies spread by the Congress. Congress sources insist that Priyanka would focus on the organisation and leave Parliament leadership to her brother. Of course, if she were to take an active role in the Lok Sabha, PM Modi and his team may find it hard to counter her. The BJP insisted that Priyanka should have been fielded from Rae Bareli if the Congress had to prove its resurgence, “instead of running away like a coward” tweeted BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya.
Everyone in Delhi media has been talking about EAM Dr S Jaishankar, particularly the way he grieved for the passing away of his batch mate, Harpal Singh Bedi from JNU even as he was away on G-7 summit in Apulia, Italy. Not only did he tweet the photo of their varsity days — describing them as the first batch of JNU students for International Studies — but the minister also made it a point to attend his friend’s funeral in Delhi the same day as soon as he returned from the summit. Many hailed the EAM for being so down to earth and remembering his friend in the midst of his hectic international engagement. Many in the social media noted that the EAM was indeed a good friend to have. However, those who knew Bedi, working with news agency UNI, recall Jaishankar always kept a low profile and made it a point to catch up with Bedi whenever he had the time. Clearly, Team Modi 3.0 has ministers who take themselves lightly.
In an informal interaction with journalists in Delhi, his first since Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi exuded a sense of satisfaction over the results. He seemed satisfied that he had been able to ensure reduced numbers of the treasury benches. Yes, he accepted that he had the satisfaction of seeing a once powerful PM Modi now handicapped, and is dependent on NDA allies like the TDP and the JDU to survive in office. Rahul who has made up his mind to retain Raebareli and give up Wayanad, is likely to field his sister Priyanka from the Kerala seat. Of course, some party sources suggested that the Congress may be tempted to field a local leader if Priyanka is reluctant. Rahul also indicated that he would continue to keep up his agitational politics against the government by undertaking a state-wide yatra. Party sources, however, are still not sure who will be the next Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Will Rahul wait until his sister gets elected or will it be one of his close aides? The only worry for the Gandhi scion is that the ED cases in National Herald case could continue with the same vigour.
In a surprise move, Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai dropped by Chennai South candidate Tamilisai Soundarajan’s house in Chennai and briefly chatted up with her. The interaction follows furore in the social media over home minister Amit Shah publicly censuring her for her comments against lack of alliance between AIADMK and BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls; Tamilisai blamed Annamalai for severing ties with the AIADMK. Tamilisai, who belongs to the influential Nadar community, had resigned as Telangana Governor, as she was hoping to get elected as MP and become a central minister. She was aware of the effort made by Annamalai to build the BJP in the state and was hoping to capitalise on the goodwill created by him. She had polled as much as 2 lakh votes, which is sizable. However her remarks against Annamalai were not liked by the BJP top brass as it was the AIADMK which had walked out of the NDA fearing loss of minority votes in September 2023. It was Annamalai’s effort that had helped the BJP increase its vote share to 11.24 %. Meanwhile, Annamalai also hit back at DMK’s K Kanimozhi after she mocked him for not winning any seat in Tamil Nadu. The NDA, which comprised 7 parties besides the BJP, could not win any seat even though its vote share went up. Kanimozhi said Annamalai’s loss in Coimbatore showed that there was no place for the BJP in TN. She also said that Annamalai’s continuation as BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief was not good. Responding to Kanimozhi’s remarks, Annamalai said: “If my father was Karunanidhi, I too would have won all elections easily in Tamil Nadu. My father’s name is Kuppuswamy. He is a farmer and nobody in my family has got any smell of politics.”
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.
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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.