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The Mohan Charan Majhi-led government in Odisha is facing intense public and political backlash over the newly printed Odisha SCERT textbooks for Classes 1 to 8, revised under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and found to contain 1,678 glaring errors, including factual, geographical, and typographical mistakes. The state has spent over Rs 50 crore to print these new text books which now will have to be replaced with the right one. The unpardonable blunder has affected over 40 lakh school students. For instance, Isaac Newton has been identified as a “greatest pilot”, Temple in Hampi described as Konarak Sun Temple, Karnataka’s Legislative Assembly shown as Odisha Assembly and Odisha’s Niyamgiri hills are shown located in Jharkhand. Apart from these blunders, there are spelling mistakes galore with names of eminent personalities incorrectly spelt. The public at large say BJP came to power in Odisha on the plank of protecting Odia identity, but instead now schoolchildren are fed wrong information. Opposition parties like the BJD termed this issue as a national embarrassment. Most political analysts say Odisha’s first-time Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj with a BTech degree and corporate experience seemed the right man but Majhi government overloaded him with other responsibilities. Majhi government has now set up a three-member high level committee to investigate how these grave mistakes escaped everybody’s eyes, who is responsible for it and what’s the remedy. The committee has been asked to submit its report within the next seven days.
The rebellion by 20 of the Trinamool Congress’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs against party chief Mamata Banerjee was the result of months of planning rather than a sudden revolt marking the biggest crisis in the TMC’s history, according to well placed sources. While Didi and her close aides had been monitoring dissident MPs, they reportedly underestimated the scale of support for the rebellion and did not anticipate that nearly two-thirds of the party’s Lok Sabha members would break ranks, mirroring the earlier revolt by MLAs who formed a separate bloc in the Assembly. The crisis escalated after TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy resigned and a group of Lok Sabha MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar informed Speaker Om Birla that they sought recognition as a separate bloc for 20 MPs and intended to join the BJP-led NDA. The dissidents have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, a West Bengal-based party registered in 2023. Among the most significant setbacks for the TMC are the exits of Kakoli, veterans Sudip Banerjee and Mala Roy, and Saayoni Ghosh, considered a close associate of Abhishek Banerjee. The split traces its roots to the aftermath of the Assembly election defeat. Tensions sharpened when Mamata and Abhishek removed Kakoli as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha and reinstated Kalyan Banerjee. Sources said the move marked the beginning of her estrangement from the party she had served for four decades. After publicly expressing disappointment on social media, Kakoli was approached by BJP leaders and later received Y-category security. By late May, she resigned from all party posts. Significantly, MPs majorly refused to accept Abhishek’s leadership. Further some such as Satabdi Roy, Sarmila Sarkar, Arup Chakraborty claimed that the leadership is right now directionless.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde walked out of the unified Shiv Sena on 21 June 2022. Since then the Sena’s UBT faction has never recovered from the shock, albeit it was in seventh heaven for a short while after making a handsome show in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Ever since, it has lost every election held in the state, be it for the Rajya Sabha, the legislative council or for a non-descript local body. Even as Uddhav Thackeray’s six Lok Sabha members are presently preparing documentation to formally join Shinde, the deputy CM’s planners are reportedly working on another ‘Operation.’ It is said that they are eyeing veteran leader Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction’s Lok Sabha group. If they are successful, the NDA’s tally will be enhanced by another half a dozen. Moreover, the Shinde team appears not content with poaching just the parliament and the state legislature wings of rival parties. It has trained its focus on the Mumbai municipal corporation, which is already in the saffron pocket. If they succeed, the Opposition in the civic body will become even more feeble. Those reporters who were active in covering the first ever split in the Sena in 1991 and the tricks played by the Congress party to hide the dissenter Chhagan Bhujbal from the ire of violent Sainiks chuckle when they compare today’s UBT Sena’s mere verbal outbursts. The clout wielded by Balasaheb Thackeray is now the subject of just a historical tale, they feel.
From the moment it became obvious that six Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) had made up their mind to desert the party, search was on for a whipping boy. Finally, it has zeroed on Aaditya Thackeray, son of party chief Uddhav. After the 2019 coup, Uddhav became the chief minister and Aaditya was inducted in his team as a cabinet minister, no matter it was his maiden term and had no experience of administration or governance. Since then, Aaditya has become the butt of many barbs. The latest has come from his arch critic, Nitesh Rane. He has compared Aaditya with Mamata Banerjee’s much maligned nephew, Abhishek Banerjee. After the TMC lost West Bengal, many of its top leaders were facing showers of eggs and other missiles. To guard himself, Abhishek had to wear a head helmet, some images showed. Nitesh has predicted that a day will come when Aaditya will have to put on a helmet before venturing out of Matoshri, the Thackeray family mansion. He will be sending a helmet to Aditya soon, he has announced. Nitesh has alleged that Uddhav and Aaditya had been working on a plan to merge their party with the Congress, which had agreed to appoint Aaditya a general secretary of the party. “The six MPs of Sena (UBT) decided to align with the Shinde Sena after learning of this planning,” Nitesh says.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi presented himself as sort of a “bad boy” in the tri-series match against Sri Lanka ‘A’ at Dambulla last week. The 15-year-old has, until the confrontation with the home team, rarely or not been criticised for misconduct in the field. He has built a reputation for fearless batting and hitting sixes in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) Season 19 for the Rajasthan Royals. He has turned out to be the show pony of the IPL and the poster boy of Indian cricket in the Twenty20 format. Hence his deportment, nay turning slightly physical, in the first tri-series the ‘A’ teams of Sri Lanka, India and Afghanistan has come as a bit of a surprise. The discerning are disappointed and feel that the authorities should crack the whip sooner than later. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar did not mince words saying that, as a disciplinary measure, Sooryavanshi should have been dropped for the match against Afghanistan ‘A’. The left -hander who helped India win the Under-19 World Cup and was selected for the Men in Blue Twenty 20 Indian team for the tour of Ireland and England and the Asian Games may have to lose 50% of his match fee and skipper Tilak Varma, 30 % of his match fee. The ball is in the BCCI court now! Sooryavanshi has been around for three years and someone in Bihar, Rajasthan Royals or the Indian teams should have told him about the preamble of the game that says that “Cricket is a gentleman’s” game. What his legion of followers in the world look forward to from him is to understand the niceties of the game and behave appropriately, on and off the field. The BCCI should take the lead on this count.
As former British Airways, IAG and IATA chief William Walsh prepares to officially take over as IndiGo CEO on 3 August 2026, he inherits an airline facing growing questions over its international expansion strategy. The carrier has suspended its direct Manchester-Mumbai and Manchester-Delhi services, from August 31 citing rising operating costs and longer flight times caused by continuing international airspace restrictions. IndiGo is also temporarily halting flights to Langkawi, Krabi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Siem Reap until the end of September. Behind the scenes, industry sources say IndiGo is exploring ways to continue its partnership with Norse Atlantic Airways despite plans to return one leased Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The move has fuelled speculation about how quickly the airline can rebuild its long-haul ambitions before its own Airbus A350 fleet arrives. Passengers affected by the Manchester suspensions are being re-accommodated through IndiGo’s Mumbai-Amsterdam and Mumbai-London services, with full refunds available for those unwilling to travel. Attention has now turned to IndiGo’s codeshare arrangement with KLM. If maintained, travellers could still reach Manchester via Amsterdam, preserving an important link between northern England and India. The Manchester routes were launched with considerable fanfare and were viewed as a key step in establishing the IndiGo brand in Europe. Supported by both UK and Indian officials and coinciding with the UK-India Free Trade Agreement, the services were expected to generate tens of millions of pounds in exports, tourism spending and productivity gains while creating hundreds of jobs. With regional business leaders disappointed by the suspensions, the spotlight is now firmly on Walsh. Aviation insiders will be watching closely to see whether one of the industry’s most experienced executives can revive IndiGo’s European ambitions and restore confidence in its long-haul strategy.
Lakshmi Kaul who worked as Senior VP at global development consultancy firm Mott Macdonald has put in her papers and to take over as the CEO of Grin, a media publishing company and think tank. She is also the contributing editor and Advisory Board member of Global Order. Kaul, a former resident of the UK for over two decades, moved to New Delhi in 2022. Laxmi has had a distinguished career across India and the United Kingdom. She has held many key roles- as political aide to the British Member of Parliament Bob Blackman, she was the Head of the CII in the UK, a board member of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, the Manchester-India Partnership, and the West Midlands-India Partnership. Kaul seeks to vigorously expand Grin’s publishing programme in India with Penguin Random House India and around the world. Kaul will build a curated team not only for Grin’s own expansive publishing programme, but also for books which are a better fit elsewhere, and will craft a strategy where Grin is also able to guide books to other publishers for publication. For the next phase of Grin, Kaul and her team are clear that they take inspiration from uniquely Bharatiya sources — the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust created by Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, and the Gita Press in India. Also well known as a social activist, Kaul will also explore how to translate the books Grin publishes into audio-visual adventures (films, documentaries etc.) for audiences at home and around the world. An ardent music lover, she was the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir Festival in the UK in 2016.
Despite intense speculation that PM Modi may cut short Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s two years governance, the big news is CM Majhi will continue for the full term. It is learnt that PM Modi is in favour of his continuation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu are expected to visit the state on June 20 to jointly attend a mega state level rally at Mayurbhanj district to celebrate the second anniversary of Odisha government. Yes, CM Majhi’s two years governance was not without blemish — slow implementation of policies, gaps in delivery coordination issues, deteriorating law and order situation, multiple portfolios held by his ministers who were unable to deliver results. Hence, the social media was buzzing that Odisha may see leadership change. However, CM Majhi has proved everybody wrong and disappointed some of the leaders who were eyeing his chair. CM Majhi has already shifted to his refurbished official residence bringing his family with him. PM Modi wants to strengthen CM Majhi’s position through suitable team adjustment. This means, say political observers “expect few ministerial heads to roll for not delivering.” To be fair to CM Majhi, his leadership was not an absolute failure; he opened up Puri Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar and its four gates premises, introduced the Subhadra Yojana programme and enhanced input assistance to farmers. His biggest concrete achievement has been the elimination of Naxalism in Odisha.
When did Karan Johar discover he is Janus-faced? After producing bling, bauble, bubble, highly commercial cinema that clicked with high voltage entertainment, he now wants to move on from fantasy illusion to folklore psycho horror illusion. Johar leaps into the perfectly crafted, absorbing and thought-provoking world of Malayalam cinema. He may counter your question why this shift? Karan Johar being Karan Johar may respond ‘Yeh zindagi hai ek maya hai’ …illusion. Malayalam cinema aficionados are chomping at the reins, waiting for the now in progress mega project from Dharma Productions …already Mammootty’s Brahmayugam and Pranav Mohanlal’s Dies Irae have raised the excitement for this genre of films …Folklore based battle between Truth and Illusion, normal and preternatural. Odiyan is a film set in 19th century Kerala. A matriarchal family Is threatened, violated by horror filled encounters with an Amanushya shapeshifting, para normal being. Kerala’s tradition and lore are full of such mystical events and ways of worship. It is said that the 4th Veda, Atharva veda deals mainly with paranormal phenomena. This epic spectacle has Karan Johar, Adar Poonawala, Apurva Mehta and Supriya Menon pooling their talent and skills. But wait …who leads the Odiyan illusion? Prithviraj Sukumaran and Manju Warrier are battling it out for supremacy in this script, directed by ace director Samuel Rahul Sadasivam. For those of you wanting more of shape-shifting horror …Werewolves, Japanese Kitsune (mythical forests), Norse God Loki (European) the faceless men in Game of Thrones, Harry Potter wizards and witches, Odiyan: The Age of Illusion is all set for scaring and socking the viewer – spectacularly.
Ever since its defeat in the Tamil Nadu elections, the DMK’s relationship with Congress has turned frosty. As a result, it did not join the INDIA Bloc meeting held on June 8 in the Constitution Club, New Delhi. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has accepted the DMK’s request to have its MPs seated separately from Congress MPs in Parliament following the alliance split. “Three of our allies (Congress, IUML, VCK) are now part of the TVK government led by chief minister Joseph Vijay. It means that they are no longer in the INDIA Bloc. AAP has already left and we are not in that alliance now,” says DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan. He recalls that the Congress was in such a hurry to join the TVK government that they did not even have “the courtesy” to inform us. “At least, the Left Parties informed us…” What has hit the DMK hard is the Congress wishing to contest forthcoming local bodies’ elections along with the TVK. It is learnt that DMK is exploring to form a non-Congress front. What has bothered the DMK is Rahul Gandhi’s issuing a statement asking the southern regional parties to partner with the Congress for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. It seems Sonia Gandhi’s is keen to have DMK in INDIA bloc for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. Sonia is convinced that Rahul Gandhi will need DMK’s support to become PM in 2029. Does it mean that the Gandhis aren’t convinced that Vijay’s TVK is enough to see the Congress through the Lok Sabha polls in TN? During his address at the INDIA Bloc meeting on June 8, Rahul Gandhi vouched that the DMK would be part of the Bloc. Will be nice to know what CM Vijay thinks about Congress keeping its option open with DMK.
With two of the senior party leaders in jail over corruption charges the debate of the era of young rule has once again surfaced in Trinamool Congress (TMC). Recently an explicit banner in support of Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee who is also the party’s national general secretary was put up near Didi’s home turf of Kalighat. The banner read “In the next 6 months, TMC will come up in a new avatar. Just like the one desired by the people”. Within 48 hours, a counter banner was put up in the same area stating “Old is base, new is the future”. The poster also read, “Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and under the command of Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool has been and will remain”. Post the Partha-Anubrata fiasco, the ruling party is undergoing an organizational overhaul across all the units including the youth wing, women’s wing, and students’ wing besides the mother unit. The whole process is being overseen by Abhishek. Once restructuring is complete then Didi along with Abhishek and others in the top-tier leadership are likely to meet all the office-bearers right down to the grassroots. According to insiders, Didi will be laying out the road map for the rank and file, which will be diligently followed after the Puja season. It will essentially be the run-up to the panchayat elections next year.
The uneasy question among the top leadership of Trinamool Congress is: who would take up the mantle from the party supremo Mamata Banerjee. Significantly, after a long time, Didi was accompanied by Abhishek Banerjee who holds the position of national general secretary during her recent visit to New Delhi. He was also present with Mamata when she took stock of her party’s activities in the monsoon session and endorsed the joint opposition moves in Parliament, especially those against the BJP’s use of central agencies to raid and arrest opposition leaders. Incidentally, a section of senior leaders including Kalyan Banerjee had been vocal about Abhishek’s prominence in the party. He was criticized for both the Goa election and Tripura bypoll debacle, and also for trying to replicate the Diamond Harbour model, his Lok Sabha constituency. However, the opposing faction including Kalyan babu praised Abhishek stating that the young leader gave space and a patient hearing to all senior MPs and leaders. But, the message is loud and clear; in the run-up to the party’s Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata, posters put up across the state featured just two leaders — Didi and her nephew Abhishek. Furthermore, it’s Abhishek who’s now expanding the party in Tripura, Goa, Assam, and Meghalaya. Clearly, Abhishek is being projected as the natural successor of Mamata Banerjee, but it has been the BJP that made him a leader by constantly attacking him.
Nothing seems to be going well with the ruling Trinamool Congress after two of its prominent leaders Anubrata Mandal and Partha Chatterjee were arrested by the central agencies CBI and ED respectively. However, despite washing away hands from these two leaders, TMC has been prompt in protesting against Mandal’s arrest in a subtle way by organizing a two-day protest through youth and students wing. However, this was not the case for “Parthada”. “Kestoda” as Mandal is popularly called has held an unprecedented power for over a decade despite not holding any position in the government, not even as an elected legislative representative. His exceptional organizational skill of mobilising the masses to counter the Left in their erstwhile citadel of Birbhum helped Mandal to gain prominence in the TMC. Incidentally, Bahubali of Birbhum helped the party to win 11 out of 12 seats from Birbhum in the 2021 Assembly elections, and both Lok Sabha seats — Bolpur and Birbhum in 2019. Does Anubrata hold power beyond his district? Yes, he does. His influence spread over Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, which is why he was also made a part of the party’s national working committee. Kestoda, who is also a fundraiser for the party, has delivered on all fronts, party insiders. And this is why Mamata Banerjee has always defended him vehemently in public especially now by holding protest marches after his arrest.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent visit to New Delhi remained a low-key affair despite meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi appraising him about the state dues. She has always remained vocal and the biggest critic of the Modi Government and the BJP. But this time, her New Delhi visit did cover several meetings, sans high octane protest and meeting the media. Mamata’s mellowed stance about her visit has led to several questions. A section of the Opposition chief ministers said that Mamata despite attending the NITI Aayog meeting after a long time was not herself that of being extremely vocal. One of the insiders said that during the meeting, Didi did not complain or oppose the government policies. Interestingly, the TMC supremo in her last letter to the Prime Minister complained about non-payment of dues of Rs 97,000 crore by the Centre. Incidentally, chief ministers of Odisha, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Punjab briefed the media about their demands and observations. But not TMC. Insiders say that the media cell of the TMC was asked not to share any information pertaining to her visit. The CPI(M) has pointed out that the visit was mainly to address the ED raids pertaining to the SSC-Teacher Recruitment Scam involving a senior cabinet minister of her government. Presumably, Didi maintained a low profile to avoid any attack on her government over corruption charges.
The three-time chief minister of West Bengal and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee who had over the years made a clean image of her trademark white cotton sari and rubber chappals is on a path of image correction after the recent recovery of Rs 50 crore allegedly accumulated by her senior cabinet minister Partha Chatterjee. Right now, despite sacking Parthda (as referred to by Didi), the TMC supremo needs to rebuild her image with the Opposition parties. After her thumping hat-trick win in Assembly Polls last year, Mamata was upbeat and confident of taking her brand national and becoming the fulcrum of the Opposition’s planned league against Prime Minister Modi for the 2024 general election. But the TMC chief still does not hold all the cards in the fight against BJP and needs to build bridges with the rest of the Opposition. Mamata will be in Delhi from August 4-8, says party source. Though the official reason for her visit is to boost the confidence of TMC MPs who have been at the forefront of protests against the Modi government. Also, her meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi remains unclear due to TMC’s strained relationship with Congress. It is also being said that the TMC chief is likely to make an appearance in the Central Hall of the Parliament.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was at her usual self in launching a scathing attack on CPI(M) during her address at the Martyrs’ Day Rally in the heart of Kolkata on July 21. She not only referred to the alleged corruption during the Left Front regime but also threatened to rake up controversial files which would be a deviation from her slogan “Badla Noy Badol Chai” (No Revenge, But Change). Amid the row over irregularities in School Service Commission (SSC) appointments, Mamata slammed the CPI(M) by referring to the erstwhile government which always favoured and appointed the wives of CPI(M) party cadres as school teachers. She categorically named senior CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who has been contesting the TMC government over irregularities in SSC appointments for some time now. Is Mamata’s reference to the CPI(M) and Left Front a clear attempt to project CPI(M) as her principal opposition? Political observers believe that Mamata is clear about her opponents which remain Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. She doesn’t even take names of state BJP leaders instead she’s in cordial terms with veterans of CPI(M).Will CPI(M) take a cue from Mamata’s attack to rejuvenate the party and set forth Bhattacharya as the new face of the party?
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a call to reject the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. Addressing at the Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs’ Day) rally in the heart of Kolkata, Didi launched a scathing attack on the BJP stating that 2024 will not be a vote for election, but one for rejection of BJP for its monumental incompetence. Mamata made it clear that only her party has the spine to take on the BJP since her party is not afraid of ED, CBI and other Central agencies. Mamata said that in 2024, when the BJP fails to form a majority, the Opposition parties have to come together to set up the next government. According to political observers, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo had been trying to bring the Opposition parties together by organising a mega rally at Brigade Parade Ground but that attempt failed in 2019 general elections. Mamata stressed that in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, her party will win in West Bengal and other states such as Tripura, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh where it would be contesting. Significantly, the TMC chief remained tight-lipped about Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s questioning by the ED. However, party insiders say that Didi is focused on regaining the lost Lok Sabha seats, Opposition unity will therefore come later.
After a gap of two years, Trinamool Congress is holding its Martyrs’ Day Rally in Kolkata on July 21 with the party chairperson and chief minister Mamata Banerjee likely to raise her national pitch ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, and to lay out the big strategy of expanding TMC base outside West Bengal. This will be the first physical rally after Mamata’s historic hat-trick win in the State Assembly polls last year. Even though the senior party leaders including second-in-command of the party and Didi’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee remained tight-lipped, speculations are rife that some senior leaders from both BJP and Congress are likely to join the TMC. One-time aide of Mamata, Sovan Chatterjee and his associate Baishakhi Banerjee are likely to rejoin the party after a gap of almost four years. Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh who switched camps from TMC to BJP during 2019 Lok Sabha Polls was back in the party a couple of months ago. Now his son Pawan is likely to join the TMC. Besides them, three prominent Congress leaders of National ranks presumably from North South and North East States would also be present at the rally tomorrow. Interestingly, after catering to the northeast with the Tripura bypoll election and making public Mamata’s national ambition with the Goa election, large TV screens will be placed in Meghalaya and other north-eastern states for the audience to watch Mamata speak.
The CPI (M) in West Bengal is currently under extreme political crisis after being completely whitewashed in the 2021 Bengal Assembly Election. With no MLAs at the Assembly, the party has been trying desperately to reach out to the grassroot level and increase their public relations by highlighting the achievements of the 34 years of Left Front regime. Lack of leaders with the stature of someone like the late chief minister and CPI (M) patriarch Jyoti Basu and his successor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the party continues to highlight upon their 34 years of Left Front regime. Moreover, it celebrated the anniversary of the establishment of the first Left Front government. Numerous social media posts and videos were shared along with the talk shows participated by former Left Front chairman Biman Bose, former Left Front minister and senior leaders Surjya Kanta Mishra, Ashok Bhattacharya and others. Significantly, Bhattacharjee still remains still the go-to person, despite staying away from public limelight since leaving office in 2011. The party made an interesting choice, when it urged the 78-year-old ailing Bhattacharjee to address the 11th All India Conference of the CPI (M)’s youth wing the Democratic Youth Federation of India recently held in Kolkata. For a party that is now looking to gain a toehold in the state after over a decade of continuous electoral reverses, has also held ahead several events on the occasion of Jyoti Basu’s 109th Birth Anniversary.
Even though BJP continues with its winning streak in the bypolls of Tripura State Assembly, all is not well within the party. Internal feuds continue to loom large just months ahead of the Tripura State Assembly Polls in early 2023. The rift which transpired after the sudden replacement of the chief minister Biplab Deb a month ago, resurfaced after the former CM was sidelined during the programme to host Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu. Deb was not seen along with Murmu and chief minister Manik Saha on the dais. He had to be content sitting with the group of common legislators perfectly hinting at “dais to diaspora”. The incident has not gone down well with Deb’s followers. They have taken up the matter with National president J P Nadda and also intend to personally meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. The rift basically ensued as these followers believed that the replacement of former chief minister with low-key medical practitioner Saha, who was also a late entrant and an ex-Congressman, was temporary. Fissures have deepened further with a clear indication when a relatively weak candidate was nominated to the prestigious Agartala seat during the recent bypoll against a strong Congressman. It was literally a walkover for Sudip Roy Burman who recently went back to his original party – Congress – from BJP.
Nothing seems to work for the Bengal BJP at present. While Trinamool Congress manages to make a significant dent in North Bengal by gaining the maximum number of panchayat and gram panchayat boards under Siliguri division, the Bengal BJP is grappling with internal feuds. Taking cognizance of this, the central BJP leadership has sent out a strong message to the leaders who have been vocal against the present state leadership. Towards this it has excluded Dilip Ghosh, former state president and MP from Medinipur, and Locket Chatterjee, MP from Hooghly, from the panchayat coordination committee. Instead, Debasree Chaudhuri, MP from Raiganj, has been given the charge. Interestingly, Ghosh had spearheaded the 2018 panchayat polls which helped BJP to make inroads and become West Bengal’s principal opposition party. Similarly, Locket who was in charge of the committee set up to celebrate the Modi Government’s 8th Anniversary celebration, also failed to be a part of the Panchayat Committee. Insiders said both Ghosh and Chatterjee had been voicing their dissent against the current president Dr Sukanta Majumder. Debasree is known to be close to Majumder. When asked why Ghosh has been excluded from the committee, BJP says Ghosh is one of the members of the National Working Committee. But so is Debasree. Locket’s exclusion is understandable as she continues to show her allegiance to the former state president.
Looks like Trinamool Congress Supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is taking no chance as far as elections in her state are concerned. Panchayat polls are in 2023 but Didi is already in an election mode. She plans to visit every district in the state so as to establish direct contacts with TMC booth-level workers and voters. This early preparation by Didi is for several reasons. First, to take stock of the implementation of her government’s development schemes and glean whether local leaders and administration are working in tandem. Second, to nip factional feuds within TMC. Third, to weed out corruption from the grassroots level. Above all, Didi has recruited a special force from outside to give her reports without dilution of what’s happening within her party at all levels. Didi who kicked off her panchayat campaign visiting the Jangalmahal areas in the Jhargram district is likely to visit all 23 districts of the state. Her one message to her party workers is: ensure panchayat polls are peaceful unlike 2018, which was marred by violence and opposition not allowed to contest. That poll violence cost the TMC dearly in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections where it lost 16 seats – from 38 it was down to 22 seats. This worked to BJPs advantage, winning 18 seats. Didi cannot afford that mistake again.
Four-time National award-winning director Srijit Mukherji’s film X=Prem was declined screening slots at the iconic state-run Nandan theatre. Director-cum-Trinamool Congress MLA Raj Chakraborty’s film Habji Gabji got an afternoon slot though. Srijit tweeted, “Two films released on the same day. Both applied for Nandan. But, only one got through. Whereas ideally and in all fairness either both or neither should have. Why did this happen? Though all films are equal, some films are apparently more equal than others :-).” Raj Chakraborty’s counter was quick stating, “I don’t want publicity through controversy because the film will speak the final (last) word.” Mukherji later clarified that his question was addressed to the state government’s information and cultural affairs department, which did not cite any reason while denying him the daytime slot. Interestingly, the reason why producers clamour for the state -run theatres, especially Nandan, is because 50% of the revenue earned at the state-run theatres goes to the producers after GST deduction. The rule is applicable for the first week of release and, thereafter the amount drops to 40% in week two and so on. In the recent past, director Anik Dutta’s film Aparajita, based on legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s journey on his masterpiece creation Pather Panchali, was denied screening at Nandan as Dutta is anti-TMC.
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Is Here To Stay…
Time, they say, flies—and how true that is. Here we are celebrating our 5th Anniversary. Five years ago, when Covid-19 was wreaking havoc across the globe, I took a leap of faith and launched Short Post, India’s first website for Authentic Gossip. That was on January 31, 2021. I was convinced there was a clear gap in the market for gossip that was credible, sharp, and impactful—especially if told in just 250 words.
In this, I was fortunate. Scores of senior editors across diverse verticals bought into the idea and, in the process, gave wings to my dream. Quite honestly, Short Post could not have crossed these milestones without the unflinching support of its contributing editors. Like all start-ups, we have seen our share of ups and downs, but these editors have stood by us like a rock. I take this opportunity to doff my hat to them.
Thanks to their commitment, we have published close to 5,000 stories spanning politics, business, entertainment, and sports. I say this with pride: we made our mark as people who matter read us. “Small packs, big impact” truly captures the essence of Short Post.
We all know that Covid-19 has reset businesses worldwide, and the media sector is no exception. In the post-Covid era, investors have become more cautious and selective—and advertisers too. To compound matters, the entry of AI has disrupted the media landscape in equal measure. So far, we have managed to hold our ground, hopeful that some angel investors will take a shine to us.
What gives me confidence is this: AI cannot smell news—especially the gossipy kind. In other words, AI cannot churn out Short Post-type stories, no matter the prompt. That puts us in a safe zone. As someone rightly said, “AI is a co-pilot, not a pilot.”