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Last week, as Congress leaders protested against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s so-called “anti-Ambedkar” remark in Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi joined his party MPs in a blue T-shirt, giving up his trademark white polo T-shirt. His sister Priyanka also twinned with him wearing a blue sari. Clearly the Gandhi siblings opted to go for a very visual protest against Shah’s remarks. The choice of the colour of clothes of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) — usually spotted donning plain white T-shirts raised eyebrows. The colour blue has been associated with Dalit politics since 1942, when Dr BR Ambedkar established the Scheduled Castes Federation to campaign for the rights of the Dalit community. The body adopted a blue flag featuring Ashok Chakra. The flag was later retained by the Republican Party of India (RPI), founded by Ambedkar in 1956. Over time, blue became very closely associated with Dalit identity and activism. Even political parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party and the ASP, which champions Dalit welfare, embraced blue colour in their branding. As the Gandhi siblings lead the protest, it was the choice of colour of their clothes that caught everyone’s attention!
The Winter Session which saw a two-day discussion on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution and introduction of One Nation One Election (ONOE) Bill has come to a close. It brought out sharp divisions over discussions and bills at least in two political parties — the Congress and DMK. In the Congress, if a first term MP Priyanka Vadra was seen opening the discussion on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, for some reason senior leader and eminent lawyer P Chidambaram did not get an opportunity to have his say about the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha. In the DMK, there was a clear division of views between the DMK parliamentary party leader TR Baalu and deputy leader Kanimozhi. While Baalu endorsed the government’s offer to refer the Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Kanimozhi seemed completely surprised by his stand and insisted that her party was opposed to the Bill and demanded its withdrawal.”DMK has consistently opposed the entire Bill. We do not accept that there can be ONOE because it is against the Constitution. It is against federal rights and it is against the will of the people. People choose state governments for 5 years, I don’t think you can take that right away from the people and give it to the EC to decide how many years governments can last or not. So, this is completely against the state, against federalism” said Kanimozhi. While her stand reflects TN assembly resolution passed in February against ONOE Bill this year, the media is awash with reports about how her late father Kalaignar M Karunanidhi had highlighted the benefits of simultaneous polls in his autobiography Nenjuku Neethi. Incidentally, Karunanidhi had advanced state polls to 1971 to coincide with LS polls.
The Thursday (Dec 19) visit of BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLAs to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur has become a hot political topic though there are other reasons, too, for intense politicking. Firstly, the MLAs belonging to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar did not join the event. Secondly, those disgruntled due to their non-inclusion in the council of ministers have started expressing their anger openly. Like earlier two occasions, Ajit Pawar and most of his followers distanced themselves from the visit organized by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The presence of former CM Eknath Shinde and his MLAs proved to be another highlight. However, the discontent brewing within Mahayuti on other counts is now becoming more vocal. Political heavyweight Chhagan Bhujbal was the first to articulate it. His open criticism of Ajit Pawar surprised many since he had stayed by the side of Pawar all through. Now, there are reports that some of Bhujbal’s supporters want him to join the BJP to end his political wilderness. So far, Bhujbal has maintained that he is with the NCP (Ajit). The other notable leader to become the subject of political speculation is the legislative council’s deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe. Her detractors, mainly the recent Sena (UBT) entrant Sushama Andhare, have started hinting at Gorhe’s plans to go with the BJP. Gorhe, too, has not reacted to the talk. Ajit’s sudden disappearance for two days from the winter session only added grist to the grapevine. His explanation that he was down with a throat infection is hardly swallowed. More murmurs are expected to be heard once Fadnavis announces the allocation of the portfolios.
The Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray has started preparing for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, expected to take place early next year. This will be the fight for political survival for Thackeray because the Sena has been in power in India’s richest civic body since 1985. Taking stock of the situation, other political parties, too, have begun their planning. The picture this time will be fundamentally different since the BJP has emerged as the largest party in the state after the assembly election. Its estrangement with the Sena (UBT), which split in 2022 owing to Eknath Shinde’s decision to walk out of it, will be a major factor in the coming election in which the Congress will be an insignificant player, given its lacklustre performance in Mumbai and the state as a whole. Equally exasperating is the condition of the state Congress committee as its president Nana Patole is perceived as an ineffective leader by the rank and file. The BMC’s last election saw the Sena winning 84 seats in the 227-member house while the BJP had captured 82. Owing to the alliance ethics, the BJP had made no effort to bag the mayoralty of the financial capital of India. However, the BJP is not prepared to take any chance this time and a decision about its Mumbai president is likely to be taken soon. Sitting chief Ashish Shelar is among the hopefuls though his inclusion in the council of ministers could be a decisive factor in the final choice.
This was to happen one day or the other with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) putting its foot down saying it will not send its national teams to India for any signature event of the ICC, like the World Cups in the two formats in men, women and the juniors. This was the PCB’s riposte to the long-standing BCCI position — citing security concerns — that it will not send its team across the border for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and that it will play only at a neutral venue. For three World Test Championship (WTC) the two nations have taken themselves off the Future Tours Programme (FTP). The cricketers of the two countries may enjoy good relationships when they lock horns in neutral country venues and have fans across the border, but the Indian government has been steadfast in denying permission to the BCCI. The latest communication from the ICC has confirmed that in the 2024-2027 cycle all ICC events given to India and Pakistan, the matches featuring the two countries will be held at a neutral country chosen by the host country; in the Champions Trophy case the PCB is the host. What all this means is the elimination of high security arrangements that India had to do when Pakistan played last year’s World Cup matches in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. It took hard bargaining by the PCB with the ICC — with Jay Shah in Chair since December 1, 2024 — for it to agree to a hybrid model in order to ensure that it remains the host in a neutral country venue as well and where India will play and this country is said to be the United Arab Emirates.
The massive success of Pushpa 2, has reignited the debate over screen allocation in West Bengal’s single-screen theatres. While the blockbuster continues to dominate the box office, its stronghold has created challenges for four Bengali films— Khadaan, Shontaan, Chaalchitro, and 5 No. Swapnamoy Lane—which targeted Christmas Day for their releases. The overlap has sparked a heated controversy over securing adequate slots in single-screen theatres, which remain a key audience base for Bengali cinema. Single-screen theatres across Bengal are grappling with the balancing act of accommodating these films while catering to the massive demand for Pushpa 2. Tollywood’s Christmas lineup has been significantly impacted, with producer-actor Dev expressing frustration on social media. He alleged that Khadan’s shows and advance bookings were disrupted due to the overwhelming presence of Pushpa 2. Arijit Dutta, owner of Priya Theatre, reported dividing slots among the films: Khadaan (two shows), Chaalchitro (one), 5 No. Swapnamoy Lane (one), and Pushpa 2 (one). However, veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty’s Shontaan was left out entirely, sparking outrage from its director Raj Chakraborty, who criticized the lack of consistent support for Bengali cinema. A distributor, speaking anonymously, blamed the simultaneous release of multiple Bengali films during the festive season, suggesting a lack of coordination among producers. He pointed to Bollywood’s strategy of staggering releases as a model Tollywood could emulate. Star Theatre owner Joydeep Mukherjee called for better planning within the Bengali film industry to avoid internal competition. Interestingly, allegations have resurfaced about Shontaan‘s producer, pressuring hall owners to prioritize its films. This history has led some distributors to side with independent producers in the current clash.
Sunday’s swearing in of 33 (16:9:8 ratio for BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP respectively) mostly young cabinet ministers in CM Devendra Fadnavis’ 3.0 government was not followed up by expected portfolio allocations even late Thursday (Dec 19). The unrelenting clamour for one specific portfolio by a senior BJP minister-in-waiting (in apparent conflict of interest), aspiration to improve upon earlier performance in power sector by another are in the open awaiting the Maha Chanakya to coolly decide upon. Scribes housed at the state government ‘Suyog’ facility within the Family court premises near Vidhan Bhavan enjoy the Nagpur chill over familial evenings at ‘Sneh Bojans’ hosted by these as-yet ‘Anamika’ ministers. DCM Eknath Shinde’s camp brews hostility from left out veteran MLAs and cherry-picking ministers-in-waiting who threaten boiling point anytime soon. This is unlike the chill that has set upon the near deserted NCP office at Vidhan Bhavan sans activity, notwithstanding the bustling beehive of activity right outside and within the state legislature that is hosting its winter session. It is probably the first time in Maharashtra’s political history for such an ongoing legislature session without specifically assigned ministers manning questions on the floor of the state assembly and council while responding to public interest issues of state. For now, all portfolios rest with CM Fadnavis. NCP veteran Chhagan Bhujbal, Sena’s Tanaji Sawant complain vociferously from out in the cold even as some BJP MLAs rue their bad luck despite winning big in Mumbai city where the richest civic body will face the hustings very soon.
The events outside Parliament House that led to injuries to two BJP MPs was best summed up by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in her X post. She explained how “During the INDI Alliance’s protest inside Parliament premises today, Rahul Gandhi had forcefully pushed an MP, causing a domino effect that injured 2 BJP MPs –Pratap Sarangi (Balasore, Odisha) and Mukesh Rajput (Farrukhabad, UP)” Both the MPs are now hospitalised as they have sustained head injuries. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was surprised that the Congress had so far not even bothered to say sorry. “I was wondering what was the purpose of Kharge-Rahul Gandhi’s presser, if they can’t say sorry. Our Nagaland MP, a tribal woman leader Phangnon Konyak had voiced discomfort that was caused to her by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.” She has written a letter to the RS Chairman. Adding further he said, “We feel Rahul simply does not deserve to be the LoP. When the Opposition is holding a protest, we usually take another gate. What was the need for Rahul Gandhi to wade into the area where BJP MPs were standing? He should simply quit as LoP.” BJP MPs including Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi at the Parliament Street Police station in connection with the scuffle between Opposition and NDA MPs. It is learnt that security forces repeatedly requested the Congress MP to use an alternative path, specifically arranged for a peaceful entry into Parliament. However, Rahul Gandhi declined the request. BJP’s Thakur said “The kind of attitude Rahul Gandhi has, he thinks he is above the law.” Responding to the allegations, Rahul said BJP MPs were trying to stop him and were threatening him “
Home Minister Amit Shah whose intervention in discussions on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution sparked off a row and seemed to have majorly united the Opposition. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge charged him of insulting Dr BR Ambedkar.. He accused his rivals of being “anti-Ambedkar” and “anti-Constitution”, and “spreading lies”. In his concluding remarks in the Rajya Sabha, Shah sarcastically said, “It has become the fashion to say ‘Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…’ If they (the opposition) took God’s name so many times, they will get a place in heaven.” At a Press Conference, he charged the Congress of distorting his comments in the Rajya Sabha saying the Congress had put out an edited version of his speech. “I come from a party which follows the ideals of Ambedkar,” asserted Shah.” Rebuffing calls for his resignation by Kharge, Shah made it clear that he had no intention of stepping down. “Kharge is asking for my resignation. If that will make him feel happy, then I’ll give it. But the Congress has to sit in the opposition for at least 15 more years. “In an unusual move — perhaps underlining the impact of the Opposition’s attack on this issue — PM Modi and senior ministers rallied behind Shah. “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!” said PM Modi. Amidst this, PM Modi and Shah met Rahul Gandhi and Kharge to appoint the next NHRC chief. TMC leader Derek O’Brien has moved a privilege notice against Shah in the Rajya Sabha for his remarks on Dr Ambedkar.
Ravichandran Ashwin was adroit in bowling the carom or knuckle ball or the doosra, but on Wednesday afternoon, Brisbane time, the nonconformist off-spinner of 13 years in the big league of the game deployed the “bombshell” to bring an end to his illustrious career. At the conclusion of the rain-marred third Test at the Gabba, the finger spinner with a few sobriquets, “scientist” being the most used among the media, Ashwin sitting beside his beleaguered captain, Rohit Sharma, matter of fact said: Today (Wednesday, December 18) was his last day as an international cricketer across formats and that he will be seen in action in club cricket, meaning IPL etc. The seasoned campaigner, starting his Test career in November 2011, was capped 106 times, and he missed 25 Tests after his debut; he featured in 61 wins, 47@home and 14 overseas. He read the writing on the wall about him losing the primacy as the No 1 spinner of the team in flannels after Washington Sundar was chosen for the first Test in Perth. Then being dropped to bring in Ravindra Jadeja for the third Test in Brisbane convinced him that his time was up…to hang up his boots. The home series against New Zealand that India lost 3-0 was a bitter pill to swallow for him. His numbers — 765 wickets in the three formats, including 537 wickets in Tests alone speaks of his right to be called a legend. It was a bold, practical call to take a bow while not in the field and that was an unhappy part that Indian cricket could not give one of its icons a fitting farewell. Ashwin has perhaps shown the way for a few more to bid adieu, sooner than later! They are over the hill, indeed.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will honour Sunil Gavaskar by presenting him a separate viewing box at the Wankhede stadium on Friday (October 29). This is the little master’s golden jubilee year of playing Test cricket, having been capped for the first time in the 1971 series in the West Indies that he made memorable by amassing 774 runs in four Tests. “The MCA has allotted a 10-seater box to Mr Gavaskar,” said the MCA Secretary Sanjay Naik. Gavaskar turned out for India in 125 Tests and became the first batsman in the annals of the game to cross the 10,000-run milestone and finished at 10,122 runs with 34 centuries. He was also part of the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup, but more significantly he showed tremendous commitment sporting the Bombay cap, playing 77 matches, scoring 5898 runs including a high of 340 in the 1980-81 season against Bengal. Gavaskar’s arrival in 1971 triggered a tremendous interest among the youth to pursue the sport. After bidding adieu, he has touched virtually every aspect of cricket from coaching to administration to expert commentary. Present at the Wankhede would be his brother-in-law, Gundappa Viswanath, another giant of Indian cricket, Dilip Vengsarkar who will be honoured by naming of a stand in his name and also Sachin Tendulkar, a jewel of Mumbai and Indian cricket.
Tamil Nadu’s powerful political family which has stranglehold on the film business is going all out to promote Rajini starrer Annathe this Diwali. Marans are leaving no cinema seat vacant to promote Annathe. Timing could not have been better. Superstar has just won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Besides, the overdrive is largely because one of the distributors is Udhayanidhi Stalin, Chief Minister’s son and promoter of Red Giant Movies — production and distribution house. Marans and Stalin call shots in all things entertainment in the State. Stalin Junior, according to Kollywood sources, is bargaining for a higher take from cinemas with a target of 700 screens all over TN. But is Annathe the one and only release this Diwali? No! A number of producers who have completed their films are praying anxiously for theatres to open but are scared to release their films as they do not want to take on the might of Rajini-SUN combo. But there are exceptions. Vishal and Arya starrer Enemy is planning to take on the behemoth as a me-too Diwali release. Flashback to 2019, when Rajini starrer Petta and Ajit’s Viswasam collided at the box office. Petta earned Rs 50 crore less than factored. Viswasam hit the finish line with critical acclaim and money.
Twenty-three year old Ananya Panday is probably one of the most promising millennial actors who won accolades from the audience right from the first film Student of the Year 2. Ananya who played a lead role in Pati Patni Aur Woh has already won two awards for ‘Best Female Debut’. The actress, daughter of the popular actor, Chunky Panday, has been quite vocal about social issues which is rarely a case with today’s younger actors in Bollywood. Ananya’s initiative – So Positive – seeks to create awareness about social media bullying, prevent negativity and build a positive community. This initiative has touched a chord with Bollywood. Ananya has over 20 million social media followers with almost all top youth brands in her kitty. She is also the first female brand ambassador for Skechers India. Currently, she is in the dock over a drug case and was summoned by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) post the arrest of Aryan Khan and others. But, people who are close to her say that the young actor was not nervous when summoned by the NCB. She not only appeared before NCB officials but post that she went about meeting her professional commitments — shooting for her forthcoming films and promoting brands. Clearly, Ananya knows how to balance the two worlds.
Sparring between the RJD and the Congress has peaked so much that the national party outright denied a claim put out by RJD chief Lalu Prasad that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had telephoned him and inquired about his well-being. Lalu’s phone claim was debunked by none other than Congress’s Bihar-in charge Bhakta Charan Das, a Dalit leader from Western Odisha. And Lalu had been dismissive of him and called him “a stupid man” who was helping the NDA by fielding candidates in the forthcoming by-elections without consulting the RJD. In this backdrop, it is interesting to know why Lalu made a fake claim that Sonia Gandhi had telephoned him. Was it to confuse voters or Congress workers ahead of the by-elections to two assembly seats in Bihar — Kusheshwar Asthan (SC seat) and Tarapu — on October 30? It has almost become a prestige battle between the Congress and the RJD, UPA allies who had fought the 2020 assembly polls together. During the assembly polls, the Congress had fought and lost Kusheshwar by a narrow margin. This time the RJD decided to field a candidate in a seat it had left to the Congress constituency and is accusing the Congress of not consulting it. The by-elections have been caused due to deaths of sitting JD(U) MLAs. And usually, in such polls candidates of the incumbent government have an edge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had stayed overnight in a cave near Kedarnath Temple in the run up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections, will be visiting the temple again on November 5 but for a different purpose. It was Modi’s stay in the cave that had led it to becoming a big tourist draw. This time Modi is going there to inaugurate Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi that was reconstructed after the destruction in 2013 floods. The entire reconstruction work has been undertaken under his guidance. His guidance is visible not only in major governance reforms but also in forging high performance ministerial teams. Not only in the way files –that too e-files will move within the government departments but also in the way ministers themselves will move. As regards to movement of e-files, it has been decided that they will not move beyond four hands or four levels before a decision is taken on them by ministers. As for ministers themselves, Modi suggested that the ministers could have a carpooling system to come for meetings like the Council of Ministers — such as the one he had held recently. Carpooling, he felt, would not only save energy but also give them an opportunity to share information about their ministries with each other. The idea is to get one Cabinet minister and two junior ministers in the same car
The competition for survival has already begun with the West Bengal government setting up the Rs 15,000-crore greenfield Tajpur port project in the state — positioned next door to Tata Steel’s Rs 5,000-crore Subarnarekha port project at Chaumukh in Balasore district in Odisha. The Odisha government is moving fast. According to K Sudarshan Chakravarty, Collector and District Magistrate, Balasore: “The assignment of providing over 1,000 acres to Tata’s port project will be completed by November 2021.” With regard to the rail and road corridor, and land requirement of 197 acres, 40 acres have already been acquired. Tatas will begin project work sometime in January 2022. As for Tajpur port in WB, sources say that when commissioned this will be a major monopoly port in eastern India, accommodating Cape size vessels. Tajpur port has the backing of Port of Singapore, DP World and other big consortium and conglomerates who have expressed interest in the deep sea port project. Major business groups from W Bengal like Rashmi Group, Shyam Steel, Super Steel and companies from Kharagpur, Asansol, have shown interest to support Tajpur port project, especially steel and coke logistics business. Construction of Tajpur port will begin by mid-2023 soon. Sources say that the Tata Group which is now focussing on its prized Air India acquisition may go slow on the Odisha port project for now. When contacted, Tatas declined to comment.
In Rajasthan, both the Congress and BJP have woken up to the stark reality of widespread conversions happening in the tribal regions. And both parties are blaming Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) for this conversion. BTP is a force to reckon with in the tribal dominated regions of Rajasthan including Dungarpur where it won four local panchayat elections recently. Besides, BTP has two MLAs, who supported the Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot. Is conversion a new thing? Not really. It has been thriving for decades now thanks to poverty and illiteracy. Currently, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are hot spots of conversion along with Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. In the last six months, these states have witnessed a spike in conversion with 80% of converts belonging to SC/ ST. The BJP, it is reliably learnt, plans to launch nationwide agitations against conversions. According to an Intelligence Officer, “The impetus (read funds) for conversions has witnessed a spike as India is considered a soft state. However, these missionary movements funded by radical Christian groups based out of the USA and Europe have consciously kept out of most Islamic nations as they fear reprisals from Islamic forces.” One such missionary activist from the USA, who visited India recently, told this correspondent when asked about the residual fallout of her activities (on escalating tensions between denominations of Indian citizens), “Well I have a lot of money and I can give it to anyone I choose, even you.”
Her patience and perseverance are proverbial. Her silence stoic. But enough is enough for her. Sonia Gandhi has heroically sat on mentoring mode for years, hoping Rahul will pluck the party from her studious and strategic clutches. The time has come to talk about cabbages and kings, to muster enough ballast, to cast the die. Has Sonia seen the writing on the wall? Now or never….choose your successor, the heir apparent and quit the regent mode. Congress watchers and seasoned media hands are speculating that Rahul will take over the Grand Old Party, and Priyanka could be the electoral face, a doppelgänger for her Dadi. The party must be in the Gandhi family, take direction from Rahul. How else can one interpret Sonia taking the offensive to the party rebels and baiters? She made it clear that her party veterans lacked “clarity and cohesion.” She voiced her unhappiness… the party must fight the diabolical campaign of the RSS and BJP. At least, she has bought some time and respite from the rebel 23, chafing at the bit. Also, poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s statement – nothing can unseat the BJP, at least for now – suggests he may not be joining Congress. Sonia knows well enough: her children have the DNA to claim the throne. Heads or tails, she knows it is the TINA factor she has to work on.
What is in a name? Reputation. When this TVS firm wanted to stop accepting deposits, there was a huge public outcry. If you don’t, where will we go? That was the reaction of senior citizens then. For Chenniates, Sundaram Finance Ltd (SFL) has been a part and parcel of their life. SFL and Chennai are inseparably entwined. SFL has been hosting the annual Mylapore festival for very many years now. And, it has been holding a mikeless concert every first Sunday of a month for over a decade now at the Nageswara Park to provide kids a platform to demonstrate their skills. Covid-19 however has changed everything. In the new normal social distancing world, SFL has its job cut out. It is on a mission mode. It wants people to get fully vaccinated. It has launched a music video ‘Oosingo’, composed by singer Anirudh Ravichander and written by lyricist Arivarasu Kalainesan. Celebrity-influencers too figure in the video. “We are in the last mile in our fight against Covid,” says Harsha Viji, executive vice-chairman of SFL. Well, this TVS company has the experience in providing last-mile connectivity in the vehicle finance segment too. It has budgeted Rs 10 crore for the public service programme. Trust, thy name is SFL.
The Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has moved centre-stage in campaigning in the BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh by releasing a mini-manifesto, but the party is yet to decide whether to go solo or have alliance partners. Samajwadi Party has made it clear that it will not have any truck with the Congress due to past experience. Congress insiders said the party has no choice but to go solo. Among Brahmins, Yadavs, Muslims and various sub castes of Dalit the Congress party has little presence and they are not sure whether Priyanka’s charisma will work to defeat the mighty BJP. Meanwhile, there is unanimity among smaller parties to contest elections by joining hands with the Samajwadi Party under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav. NCP chief Sharad Pawar has announced that Akhilesh Yadav will lead the alliance of like-minded and secular parties to take on the BJP. They will soon meet to formally work out a seat sharing arrangement. Clearly, smaller parties feel that fighting the upcoming polls under Congress party’s leadership will be suicidal. Ironically these parties except BSP, AAP and AIMIM are okay with the idea of coming together and forging an alliance to take on BJP at the national level but are averse to joining hands with Congress in the state. Is Congress doing self-introspection as demanded by G23 for its rejuvenation?
When India plays Pakistan in a World Cup, sparks are expected to fly – but not of the kind that followed Pakistan’s victory over India in the 13th attempt. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed hailed the moment as “victory of the Islamic world (awaam-e-Islam ki fateh),” pointing out: “The Pakistani team had the emotional support of all Muslims of the world, Including Muslims of India.” Pakistan’s legends too didn’t hold back: In the company of Sohaib Akhtar and ARY News moderator, Waqar Younis gushed in: “The best thing, what Rizwan did, Mashalla, he offered the Namaz on the ground surrounded by Hindus. That was really something very special for me.” His expert comments also focused on how Shaheen and Babur – also the name of Pakistan’s missiles aimed at India – will be remembered for a long time. (Pakistan’s missiles Ghaznavi, Ghauri, Babur etc are named after some of history’s most barbaric conquerors who invaded the Indian Subcontinent). This sight of a civil society boasting like Islamic Supremacists has sent a wave of revulsion in India. “I really hope that a lot of genuine sports lovers in Pakistan are able to see the dangerous side to this statement and join in my disappointment. It makes it very difficult for sports lovers like us to try and tell people it is just sport, just a cricket match,” said cricket commentator Harsh Bhogle.
“Takes jihadi mindset of another level to say this in a sport,” tweeted an anguished Venkatesh Prasad on Waqar Younis comment (“Hinduon ke beech me khade hoke namaaz padi, that was very very special for me”). A quarter century ago, it took “something special,” out of this world heroics from the Men in Blue to knock out Pakistan, the defending champions, at the Quarter Final of Wills World Cup 1996 in Bengaluru. The high-intensity match is remembered for Prasad sending Aamer Sohail off (after his arrogant taunt) and ripping the heart out of Pakistan’s batting by removing three wickets in 18 balls (including Inzamam-ul-Haq); Man of the Match Navjot Sidhu missing century (93 runs) — and Ajay Jadeja’s brutal clubbing of Waqar Younis (who conceded 22 runs in the 48th over and 18 in the 50th versus 27 in his first eight overs). “Cricket matches between India and Pakistan are “less cricket and more gladiatorial contests,” remarked the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh in mid-2001 during the NDA Government, which discontinued cricket bilaterals “given the atmosphere prevailing.” Situation has only worsened in the past 20 years with Pakistan emerging as a home to the world’s largest pool of UN designated terrorists – and India being the No 1 victim of the terror attacks like 26/11, Pulwama and a series of bomb blasts across cities, massacring and maiming thousands of Indians.
Indian Premier League (IPL), an estimated $7 billion property, became richer by close to $1.5 billion as the bids for two new teams touched Rs 12,715 crore. Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka, who had owned the Pune IPL team for two years, bid a phenomenal Rs 7,090 crore and chose the AB Vajpayee stadium in Lucknow as his team’s base while CVC Capital, a US firm which was running Formula 1 racing till recently, got India’s biggest stadium in Ahmedabad. Annually, the new team bids would fetch an additional Rs 1,200 crore to BCCI for next 10 years. But does shelling out so much money as a team’s franchise fee make business sense? Goenka thinks so, though industry estimates put prospective losses at around Rs 350 crore per year for the Lucknow franchise even if the team gets Rs 350 crore from the IPL central pool. IPL figures show that teams are currently earning around Rs 200 crore a year from central pool, Rs 100 crore from gate collection besides sponsorship and merchandising. The profitability prospects for the teams are likely to brighten with the next IPL media rights auction – and they could be big winners in the valuation game with individual IP teams rated as high as $1 billion. But, experts hold that the new teams may have to withstand losses even if the future share of central pool revenues is higher when the new IPL bidding cycle for media rights kick in.
In less than 24 hours Indian cricket took the rough with the smooth in Dubai: the UAE emirate became the first venue in the world where the national team bit the dust in an ICC World Cup match against Pakistan, and the very next day the BCCI got two franchisees to bare their heart and soul for the popular Twenty20 tournament which goes by the acronym, IPL. While Virat Kohli’s team was battered and bruised by left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi’s telling blows and Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s daredevil batting, the BCCI leadership under Jay Shah (son of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah) saw thin paper envelopes delivering a heavy Rs 12,715 crore from the two newly minted franchises and making it further cash-rich. Somewhere in the UK, Lalit Modi, the brains behind the IPL arithmetic, must be delighted to see a probably desperate Sanjiv Goenka of the RP-SG Group shelling out Rs 7,090 crore and choosing Lucknow, not far from PM Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi; and PE player CVC Capital winning Ahmedabad for Rs 5,625 crore. Now the starting valuation for any of the IPL franchises is Rs 7,090 crore, which means, any among the first franchises, can reap a windfall should they wish to place 20 plus stake for sale and wipe out the losses.
This Karwachauth saw more than the moon through the sieve of tradition. It saw the trampling of a tradition. Dabur aired this in-your-face ad about a lesbian couple, their beautifying for the sacred Karwachauth, when married women fast the whole day (Nirjal) for the longevity of the spouse. Dabur planned to sneak in a Fem ad, and also legitimise this relationship by presumably the mother of the gay partner. She is shown handing over costly sarees and jewellery, and blessing to the one who is the “wife spouse”! When netizens reacted with revulsion, Dabur withdrew the ad with an apology. However advanced sexual preferences are in the closet, there are certain mores you don’t trample on with impunity. Bhavesh Talreja, founder of Mobile Advertising platform, Global Media said, “All companies live and thrive under a political system….” Interestingly, a plea about same sex marriage had come up for hearing in the Delhi High Court…. timing, timing is everything. Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, argued that same sex marriages cannot be brought under the umbrella of the Hindu Marriage Act. The Government’s stand is that marriage is permissible only between a biological man and woman. Karwachauth is a premium event in the calendar of marketers, who must acknowledge that the society is still not ready for such woke gyan and experiments. Dabur seems to have got the message: don’t mess with our culture!
ICAI President Nihar N Jambusaria has stirred a hornet’s nest. In a signed message published in the October issue of The Chartered Accountant journal, he exhorted the members of India’s apex body for chartered accountants to adopt Hindi in their work and interactions with other stakeholders. For him, Hindi is a rajbhasha (official language). And, he wants his fellow CAs to promote Hindi. His appeal has virtually kicked up a row with many senior CAs, especially in the state of Tamil Nadu, warning the ICAI chief of the adverse fall-out of his action. Should ICAI be promoting a language? Or, should it be guiding the CA fraternity as a whole? The debate has already picked up steam on social media. Predictably, his move has drawn political reaction as well. A sitting MP from Madurai, S Venkatesan, has taken to Twitter to condemn the ICAI chief. “May be it (Hindi) is your mother tongue but not for all,” he tweeted. He has already dashed off a letter to ICAI, opposing the move. “Tamil Nadu would resist imposition (of Hindi),” Venkatesan asserted. The CA fraternity in Tamil Nadu is seething in anger. ICAI could live without such controversy. And, Jambusaria could have avoided playing to galleries (on September 14 being marked as Hindi Diwas). He reportedly clarified: “It (Hindi) is a choice… If you want to write in whatever language you want, there is no restriction on anybody.”
Looks like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plans to make a big bang start in Goa on October 28 may not quite happen. That is because she is not able to get the right kind of line-up of leaders — from the Congress and other smaller parties — to join her Trinamool Congress (TMC). Her key advisor strategist Prashant Kishor (PK) has been working on it for weeks. Yet he has not been able to make much headway. Initially, PK was lucky in persuading former CM Luizinho Faleiro, ex- Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief, to join the TMC. Faleiro had helped the Congress clinch a big win in 2017 by picking up 17 of the 40 seats — the BJP won only 13 seats and yet managed to form the government with the support of smaller parties. Faleiro is expected to draw the right mix of leaders to the TMC Goa but there has not been much headway. Of Goa’s 40 seats, 21 are from the largely Hindu North and 19 seats from the mainly Catholic South. Mamata is keen on getting Goa Forward Party leader Vijai Sardesi (who is seen tilting towards Congress’ working president Alexio Sequeira) and his two MLAs. Mamata even got a high profile TV anchor who flaunts his Goa connection and common surname to boot to call up Vijai Sardesai.
While in Delhi, the newly appointed Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi prefers to stay in his MS Flats at RK Puram than in the Governor’s suite in Tamil Nadu Bhavan in Chanakyapuri — which is part of the diplomatic enclave in the national capital. He had been staying in this flat during his long service in IB and retained it when he was the Governor of Nagaland till he was sent to Chennai. His visit to Delhi a month after taking charge has the ruling DMK worried. This is because he held a lengthy meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah and then called on PM Narendra Modi. DMK leaders wonder what may be cooking. Apparently, Chief Minister MK Stalin doesn’t want any confrontation with the Governor nor with PM Modi. Finance Minister Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) too has piped down his confrontation with the Centre. It may be noted that Governor Ravi’s daughter Prof Shamika Ravi was a member of PM’s Economic Advisory Council.
Indian Premier League (IPL) has proved to be a heady mix of sports, entertainment, and business. Not surprisingly, there is quite an interest around it. Sanjiv Goenka-led RPSG group is new franchisee for Lucknow and PE player CVC Capital for Ahmedabad. Indeed, the sport has changed. Is it cricket? Well, the debate has been on for a long while now. But N Srinivasan, the indefatigable former boss of Board of Control for Cricket in India, has a different take on his IPL team. “We look at CSK (Chennai Super Kings) as a pure sport,” says Srinivasan, who is the vice-chairman and MD of ICL (India Cements Ltd). ICL owned the IPL franchise team CSK from inception in 2008 till 2014, when the ownership was transferred to Chennai Super Kings Ltd. “CSK is a sport and never a business for us,” he makes it clear. Srinivasan is the fulcrum around both ICL and CSK. “I think my personality has rubbed off in CSK,” he says. Both at ICL and BCCI, he had endured the worst. “A less strong person would have wilted,” he feels. “Our reaction to victory and loss is the same. When we win we are happy in our heart. We don’t need to go out and blow the trumpet,” he said. Indeed, CSK will remain an inseparable part of Srinivasan.
The million-dollar question, as a legion of excited Indian fans await coming Sunday’s (October 24) ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup match against Pakistan at the Dubai international stadium is: whether off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will make the playing XI cut. The injury to off-spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar may have paved the way for Ashwin’s recall for white ball internationals after a little over four years, but his place in the playing XI is not guaranteed. India captain Virat Kohli has given sufficient hints of fielding Ashwin in the crucial match against Pakistan that always raises the noise levels in the two countries across the Wagah and among the diaspora in the UK, USA, the antipodes and generally across the world. Going by his past record between 2012 and 2016, Ashwin has played five Twenty20 matches against the archrival, bowled reasonably well and won all five. Of these five, three were in Twenty20 World cup matches in 2012 in Colombo, 2014 in Mirpur and 2016 in Kolkata. The talk of the town here in Dubai is that Kohli has the mystery spinner in Varun Chakravarthy and left arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja to look at, before he mulls over Ashwin who played in the warm-up matches against England and Australia. Recently, Kohli also gave a thumbs up to the sidelined spinner in white ball cricket for five years.
It is a wager within Bollywood that once Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan comes out of the jail there will be any number of producers willing to sign him as a hero. “He is bound to become a big star,” predicts an industry insider. Really? Twenty-three-year-old Aryan had already made his intent clear that he wants to be behind the camera. So, one has to wait-and-watch whether he succumbs to producers’ pressure and becomes a reel life hero. How do the public at large react to those stars serving jail terms? Salman Khan has two cases against him: a fatal hit-and-run case in Mumbai; and a blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan. Salman’s brush with the law is in sharp contrast to his softer image supported via the Being Human foundation’s charity work. Also, reality show Bigg Boss helped him build a positive image. Likewise, Sanjay Dutt who served a jail term under the Arms Act continues to be Munnabhai for the people. Rhea Chakraborty – out on bail in a narcotics case – is also getting offers. So too Sooraj Pancholi post Jiah Khan’s suicide. But some careers were damaged: like Shiney Ahuja (out on bail in a rape case); and Monica Bedi, girl friend of gangster Abu Salem (who is serving life sentence) didn’t get any offers after a Big Boss show. Is it fear, one wonders!
The electric car maker and space enthusiast Elon Musk is on course to become the world’s first trillionaire. Analysts at investment banks are going gaga over the prospect of a trillionaire on earth as Tesla raced to a record quarter with revenues of $13.8 billion and profits of $3.7 billion despite a global chip shortage cramping car production. The potential of Musk’s rocket company SpaceX places Musk in pole position for gathering wealth to a stupendous trillion dollars. Thanks to its surging share price which went up by 18% just this year, Tesla is still the main driver behind Musk’s wealth whereas SpaceX comprises only around 17% of his $241.4bn fortune, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index. While SpaceX comprises multiple different companies, from earth observation and space infrastructure to deep-space exploration and other industries, his satellite communications business Starlink is behind a $200-billion valuation estimate. It is almost like Star Wars now as satellite broadband market players are launching satellite constellations that will blanket the earth with high-speed connections. Tomorrow’s broadband is likely to come down to earth from satellites, replacing expensive optic fibre cable laying. The race for number one ranking on the personal wealth index is loaded in favour of Musk who has made so many sunrise industries viable, most of all the Tesla electric car that the world laughed at when it made its debut.
Narcotics Control Bureau’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who is handling drugs cases involving high profile celebrities, may soon face inquiry into his caste certificate. There are allegations that Wankhede has not got a certificate from the caste scrutiny committee and therefore the certificate that he had produced at the time of his IRS exam – and after that – may be scrutinized. If the caste scrutiny committee takes objection, then the onus will be on Wankhede to prove his caste by producing necessary papers to substantiate his claim or face a punitive action. Few independent lawyers have already compiled details about Wankhede’s caste certificate. The scrutiny by a caste scrutiny committee is mandatory for a candidate contesting various elections and also for examinations and jobs. NCP minister Nawab Malik is firing salvos, day in and day out, against Wankhede, who must now not only counter the allegations, and combat drug cartels but also prove that his caste certificate papers are in order. Clearly, there are too many forces giving Wankhede a tough time.
Like corporate India, BJP too invests in future leaders. The latest news wafting from party HQ is that the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra state assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, is being groomed to move to the Centre. He is expected to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Pune which is currently represented by veteran BJP leader Girish Bapat. Fadnavis, who is currently a legislator from Nagpur south west constituency, recently bought a house in Pune. Pune is a safe bet as it is a Brahmin dominated constituency with a sizeable presence of RSS Parivar. Fadnavis has been recently told by the Central leadership to focus on Pune by increasing his visibility there. BJP has launched Samarth Booth Abhiyan with a resolve to retain power in the upcoming elections to the Pune Municipal Corporation. It is the party’s conscious decision to send Fadnavis to Pune to avoid any rumblings as Nagpur, which houses the RSS headquarters, is represented by veteran party leader Nitin Gadkari who will be the party’s nominee for the third successive term. Recently, BJP through a reputed organization conducted a survey for PMC elections in which it was revealed that the party’s popularity index was 54% in outer Pune which is growing exponentially.
As sought by him for some time now, Harish Rawat, former Uttarakhand CM, has been relieved of charge as AICC General Secretary handling election-bound Punjab. The Congress leadership has replaced Rawat with Rajasthan Revenue minister Harish Chaudhary, considered close to Rahul Gandhi. Rawat, 73, will, however, continue to be a CWC member – and chairman of the campaign committee for the Congress in the forthcoming Uttarakhand assembly polls. His hands had been too full trying to find a solution to tame a forever recalcitrant Punjab PCC chief Navjot Sidhu. Chief Minister Chandrajit Singh Channi has also been at wit’s end to meet Sidhu’s requirements. Initially, there were a lot of misgivings about Rawat’s equations with the Gandhis – as it was felt that he was not focusing enough on the return of all Congress leaders who had joined the BJP back to the party-fold. Interestingly, orders to relieve Rawat of his Punjab charge were issued on October 21 – that is on a day when Capt Amarinder Singh lashed out against Rawat for questioning his secular credentials because of his possible alliance with the BJP. “Don’t forget that the Congress took Navjot Sindh Sidhu after he was with the BJP for 14 years. And where did Nana Patole and Revanth come from if not RSS.” He also sought to know what the Congress was doing with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.
Veteran NCP leader Ajit Pawar is known for his no nonsense style of functioning. He follows his uncle and the party supremo Sharad Pawar in day-to-day functioning, including attending the Mantralaya, and government and public functions. But of late there has been any number of attempts to tarnish his image with the Maharashtra BJP levelling corruption charges. Pawar preferred to keep a low profile despite being repeatedly targeted by BJP and especially by the former MP Kirit Somaiya over the sale of Jarandeshwar Sugar Mill situated in Satara district. Finally, Pawar decided to take the opposition head on by asking them to prove the allegations. Pawar, it is learnt, gave the list of 65 sugar and textile mills sold or given on lease to operate for 25 years following the High Court order. Now the ball is in BJP’s court. They have to respond not just to get the headlines in the newspapers and TV channels but also to take the case to its logical conclusion. It may be recalled that BJP had threatened to submit truckloads of proof in the alleged irrigation scam linking it to Ajit Pawar but till date has failed to prove it, says NCP insiders. Power tussle in Maharashtra is getting curiouser and curiouser.
After being pulled up by Odisha Assembly Speaker Suryanarayan Patra for frequent power cuts, the Tata Power has got into the act to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply through its four distribution companies in the state. The company has firmed up ambitious investment plans. According to Sanjay Banga, President (T&D), Tata Power, the company will spend Rs 1,200-1,500 crore for each Discom in the next five years (around Rs 5,000 crore for four discoms). The capex for 2021-22 has already been finalized and submitted to the OERC. Most of the Capex budget will go for reliability improvement, loss reduction and technology upgradation. In the coming winter of 2021, TPC will go in for planned outages – a new initiative to work upon preventive maintenance. Banga says from March 2022 onwards, TPC customers in Odisha will experience better power supply connection with fewer trippings as Tata Power will spend Rs 300 crore towards preventive maintenance to address summer season reliability. “Odisha power reliability will be as good as Mumbai and Delhi sometime in 2023,” Banga added. It is learnt that the power networks, which have structural weakness as experienced in Odisha due to redundancy of single-source supply, will be changed to multiple-source power supply assurance. This will ensure reliable power. Tata Power has 51% stake in the Odisha entity with management control and the state-owned GRIDCO has 49% equity stake.
The de facto head honcho of Chennai Super Kings summed it up all by saying “Dhoni is CSK and CSK is Dhoni.” That is how much Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain with the magic touch, has captivated the IPL franchise as well as its host city. Dhoni might appear to be well over the hill but T20’s short duration gives him a chance to keep himself in the thick of action as wicket-keeper and a batsman who can finish a game with just his experience and the awesome power of his willow when he connects. Dhoni would love to have an emotional farewell season at CSK as a player and the team is willing to use its first available retention card to keep him out of the general auction pool. It’s only the lack of clarity on player retention for IPL-15 that keeps the guessing games going. In his 12 seasons with CSK in which time he led them into nine finals winning four, Dhoni has become a fixture of the franchise and the host city where his once famous night rides on super bikes kept cops on tenterhooks. Chennai’s favourite son will be seen in canary yellow as a player again and we have the word of vice chairman & MD of India Cements, N Srinivasan, for it.
In a major boost to UP tourism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to open Kushinagar International Airport on October 20. Kushinagar is of significance to Buddhists all over the world as it is here that Lord Buddha is believed to have attained Mahaparinirvana after his death (2500 BE). It is famous for the Reclining Buddha image inside the Parinirvana Stupa. Prime Minister will participate in an event, organized to mark Abhidhamma Day. The day symbolises the end of three-month rainy retreat – Varshavaas or Vassa – for the Buddhist Monks, during which they stay at one place in vihara & monastery and pray. The event will also be attended by eminent Monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea, Nepal, Bhutan and Cambodia, as well as Ambassadors of various countries. The inauguration of Kushinagar International Airport will be marked by the landing of flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Led by Namal Rajapaksa, son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Lankan delegation of over 100 Buddhist monks and dignitaries, including the 12-member Holy Relic entourage, is bringing the Holy Buddha Relics for Exposition. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 260 crore, the Kushinagar International Airport will facilitate domestic and international pilgrims to visit the Mahaparinirvana-sthal of Lord Buddha. The airport will also serve nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
A Congress Working Committee meeting is specially convened by Sonia Gandhi to tell an unenthused Congress cadre that it has no choice beyond Gandhi family or how she is still full-time party chief and there is no such thing as interim president. Sonia got what she wanted; managed to get all 38 members to endorse whatever AK Anthony and three Chief Ministers said — that is to urge Rahul Gandhi to return as Congress President. Yet, what added spice to the discussions was not a call to Rahul but the sycophantic remarks purportedly made by CWC member from Kashmir Valley, Tariq Hameed Karra who extolled Jawaharlal Nehru’s role in getting Kashmir to become part of India. He apparently claimed that Sardar Patel had colluded with Jinnah and was keen to keep Valley out of India. The BJP reacted by asking if Sonia would drop Karra from the CWC. New to Congress, Karra didn’t seem worried about Patel’s role or legacy. The CWC story is not Karra’s remarks but who leaked the closed door CWC proceedings to the media? Fingers apparently are pointing to a few G-23 members. By giving out details of Karra’s remarks at the proceedings, the defiant Congress leaders finally seem to be getting their back at Sonia who took a swipe at them in her opening remarks.
In popular TV serials the on-screen characters played by actors seem so real that it becomes difficult to separate the two. Audience not only falls in love with these screen characters but start empathizing, sympathizing and identifying with them. So be it Tulsi (Smriti Irani) in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi; Manav (Sushant Singh Rajput) in Pavitra Rishta or Dayaben (Disha Vakani) in Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma they all became synonymous with the characters. So, this brings us to the larger question, can these stars be replaced? When Shaheer Shaikh was announced as a replacement for Manav in the popular TV serial Pavitra Rishta 2 played by Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) the producers, pressurized by SSR’s fan club, had to clarify that Shaheer was replacing Hiten Tejwani, the second Manav as he was not accepted by the audience. Likewise Smriti Irani had to come back as the audience refused to accept Gautami as Tulsi in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu. The makers of Tarak Mehta Ka Olthah Chashma have been waiting for over three years for Dayaben (Disha Vakani) to return to the show instead of replacing her. In Ballika Vadhu Shashank Vyas as Jagya was a huge hit. So, when he decided to move out of the serial, the makers showed him going to the US so that the audience continues to wait for him to return to the show.
Amit Khare’s appointment as adviser in the PMO (upon his retirement as Secretary to Government of India) for a two-year period indicates he is probably set for much longer innings. The Jharkhand cadre 1985 batch IAS officer, who officially retired on September 30, may not have superannuated as Cabinet Secretary but he can still hope to have higher career goals. Valued as an upright, efficient officer who helmed two crucial policy decisions for the Modi Government — the National Educational Policy 2020 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rule 2021 or the IT Rules — Khare has always enjoyed the confidence of his bosses. In the UPA years, he served ministers such as Kapil Sibal and Pallam Raju. So, what made PM Narendra Modi pick Khare for his team? It is said that credit for zeroing in on Khare should actually go to incumbent Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. It is said Gauba was approached by Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das to take over as state Chief Secretary. At that time Gauba was posted in the IT ministry. It was Gauba who picked Amit Khare as Additional Chief Secretary (Finance & Planning) in Jharkhand. Given his administrative track record, Khare could eventually hope to become principal secretary to the PM.
From the noble cause for which the Sheikh Abdul Rahman promoted Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), (founded in the 1980s, to honour and present a handsome purse ranging from $15,000 to $50000 to the present and past icons of the game, mostly from India and Pakistan), cricket has travelled a long way in the last 40 years from Sharjah to the nearby outposts of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now recognised as a popular and profitable destination to conduct major competitions like the IPL and an ICC signature event and the people who have taken these two high profile tournaments are the BCCI which has been averse to playing Pakistan in a bilateral series at the neutral venues in the petro-dollar region. The game thrived there in the 1980s and 90s as the expats from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh saw much entertainment value in the thrilling matches played by the arch-rivals of Asia, and also were excited to see the legends in action. The BCCI, which is the host of the ongoing ICC Men’s World Twenty20, has scheduled a few matches in the Sultanate of Oman, but it’s the likes of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah that deserve a shabhash for making it happen — two big events in two months
Why does Navjot Singh Sidhu come across as a problem child throwing tantrums every other day? Barely two days after it was announced that he had withdrawn his resignation following a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary Harish Rawat, and it was assured that he would be back working as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, Sidhu flagged a 13-point agenda on his Twitter handle for the forthcoming assembly elections. Ironically, he was mainly listing all the non-achievements of the local Congress Government in the last four and half years. Sidhu’s critics in Punjab Congress were livid that he had gone public with his letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi particularly on a day when she had told members of the Congress Working Committee that they must communicate directly with her and not go to the media. The former test cricketer is a very frustrated man and is so very unpredictable ever since Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit leader has been appointed as CM replacing Capt. Amarinder Singh. Not that Channi’s appointment has enhanced Congress prospects. “If Channi and Sidhu continue to be at loggerheads, Congress will be wiped out,” fear party seniors. Support for the Aam Admi Party seems to be surging even without a Jat Sikh face. And this is Sidhu’s frustration.
Not for nothing is he known as Captain Cool. CSK coach Stephen Fleming said that Dhoni had that look in his eye which said: “I will take this on.” In the match against Delhi Capitals on October 10, Dhoni went out to bat with that intent when 24 were needed off the last two overs even if he wasn’t in the best of nick. That didn’t mean anything though as Dhoni dispatched the ball to the fence whenever it was within his sight and reach. That sight and reach may have dimmed or shortened but it didn’t matter as Dhoni made 18 off six balls and miraculously led his CSK into a ninth final in just 12 seasons — Remember his team was banned for two years. Dhoni never explains what he does at the batting crease. There were several revelations: “I wasn’t thinking too much. If you think too much while batting then you mess your plans up.” Also, Dhoni revealed a Sehwag-like code to batting, “My plan was simple, see the ball, hit the ball.” Dhoni can make that Sehwag plan seem even simpler while captaining too as he backed his bowlers even on a hard day when the ball was flying all around like when Hetmeyer and Pant were batting. But nothing is beyond Dhoni, the magician, not when it comes to the finish.
Soon after mother-son duo Maneka and Varun Gandhi were dropped from the National Executive of BJP, the central decision-making body, there was speculation that Varun would join his cousin Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra. There was a buzz that he might even show up at her Congress kissan rally in Varanasi. Though no such thing happened. His exclusion is attributed to his indiscreet utterances on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident that saw a hit-and-run accident and retaliatory lynchings, leaving eight dead. On his part Varun played down his exclusion by saying that he had never attended any of National Executive meetings in the last five years. However, BJP sources say, Varun’s activities have been under the radar of the top bosses for the last five years. In 2016, Varun had found himself embroiled in a major controversy after he was accused of leaking military secrets to an arms dealer and weapon manufacturers after being “honey-trapped.” Varun did toy with the idea of leaving BJP five years ago when Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka sent word through an intermediary. But eventually he decided to bide his time, fearing action over allegations, and also because of Maneka’s equations with Sonia. Sheltered during Vajpayee rule, now it looks likely that Maneka and Varun won’t get a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. And Maneka may not mind Varun joining hands with Priyanka. But, will Rahul welcome his cousin?
Sankar Cement and Coromandel Cement of India Cements have been part of some of the country’s iconic structures. Sankar Cement is associated with the building of Idukki Dam in Kerala, Pamban Bridge in Tamil Nadu and Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari. Infosys Building in Bengaluru and Rajiv Gandhi International Sports Stadium in Hyderabad were built with Coromandel cement. Well, Sankar and Coromandel are trusted brands in the cement industry for many summers and belong to 75-year-old India Cements Ltd (ICL), a leader in south India. With such history behind it, the ICL management, led by N Srinivasan, vice chairman & MD, is now engaged in the process of reconfiguring the brand strategy. The time appears to have arrived now. With the Chennai Super Kings having a dream run in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), team ICL chose to celebrate Platinum jubilee of the company with Captain Cool Dhoni & his boys and the dealers in a live engagement. This is perhaps the first and unique exercise to leverage CSK to promote India Cements, which is the principal sponsor of Chennai Super Kings. The focus now is on creating a distinct and strong corporate brand identity for India Cements. Iconic cement brands are to be promoted around this corporate brand among dealers and influencers. Well, the pitch is clear indeed!
Various theories have been doing the rounds in the Capital ever since Captain Amarinder Singh, former chief minister of Punjab, met with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. His meeting with Doval made it loud and clear that Captain was not joining BJP. So, what was the meeting all about? One theory is that Captain came to reveal his game plan of floating his own party and seek an alliance with the BJP so as to not only turf out Congress but also put AAP on the back foot. But, the real reason Captain met with both these gentlemen is to give information on Navjot Singh Sidhu that when divulged or leaked to the media may derail Sidhu’s political career and embarrass the Gandhis for backing him. Captain, it is learnt, is miffed that a die-hard party loyalist like him who was close to Gandhi family since Rajiv Gandhi’s days was given a shoddy treatment by brother-sister duo in order to accommodate a newcomer like Sidhu. So, over the next few months, it will be interesting to watch which way Sidhu’s political graph is headed — North or South?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah decided to give an interview on 20 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s elective politics. Interestingly, he did not choose any of the private channels to air his views. Rather, he chose to speak to Sansad TV — a relaunched Parliament TV. Interestingly, it was aired on a day Congress leader Priyanka Vadra addressed a kissan nyay rally at Varanasi. The Shah interview naturally monopolised airtime as all private channels went live with the interview. Sansad TV, a news channel that has combined the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha TV, was launched on September 15, 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called it the new voice of the Parliament. In a break from the past, the news channel is roping in well-known MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to host their own shows or conduct panel discussions. First, one saw Congress MP Shashi Tharoor interview renowned Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan and painter Anjali Ela Menon. Other well-known names that will be regularly seen on the channel are: Economist and author Dr Bibek Debroy who will be hosting a show on religion. Former diplomat Vikas Swarup will moderate a show on foreign affairs while Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will be doing a weekly show on government reforms. Well, it seems interesting on the face of it.
When it comes to axing ministers in his cabinet and chief ministers in the States over their performances, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ruthless. In July this year, Modi shocked and surprised everybody by dropping 12 ministers from his cabinet which included the likes of IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, I&B and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, and Health & Science Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. There were murmurs of protests and then came the news that some of the dropped ministers will land top positions in the party or hold gubernatorial positions. But some leaders like Minister of State Babul Supriyo felt badly insulted and decided to switch sides by joining Trinamool Congress. Will more follow as many veterans have lost hope? According to sources in BJP’s HQ, those dropped both at the Centre and States may not return to power or hold important positions in the party as long as Modi is the PM. He adds that Modi has seen their worth and capabilities, so has decided to build the next line of leaders. This exercise was evident in the recent cabinet reshuffle in Gujarat too. Scotching rumours that some of these veteran leaders may join other parties, the source said it is “unlikely.” They will remain permanent party soldiers. Is it? Only time will tell.
Sitting next to SK on the metro, you could easily take him for just another middle-class commuter. His simple, boy next door, no airs looks hide a volcano of talent and dedication to cinema. Currently, he commands Rs 35 crore per movie, overtaking his finder and mentor Dhanush at Rs 28 crore. Thirty-six-year-old Sivakarthikeyan made his debut in Tamil cinema in 2012. With over 22 movies, this stand-up comedian and TV show host has seamlessly transformed himself into a saleable star, singer, lyricist and film producer. Yet, he has not lost his simplicity and humility, and wins over his audience with his tongue-in-cheek portrayals of the accidental hero. His just released Doctor in cinemas after a gap of nearly two years of lockdown is already wowing his fans. As its producer, SK had a few serious financial hiccups prior to release, he was bailed out by a well-known production house. Doctor is drawing appreciation as just the right prognosis for a good cinema house run, post Corona blues. The black comedy is all set to rake in the Dhan, though audiences are a bit baffled by a new look SK — all stern and serious throughout the movie. Oh, well, the director must have wanted him to play a serious comedian.
While the BCCI is dilly-dallying with the idea of founding the Women’s IPL Twenty20 competition, Cricket Australia has not lost the opportunity to draft in eight Indian players for the ever so popular Women’s Big Bash League. The most exciting batter of recent times, India opener Shafali Verma and left arm spinner Radha Yadav will feature in the Sydney Sixers on Thursday, October 14. The Indians — apart from Shafali and Radha, the magnificent stroke player Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemima Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Poonam Yadav and Deepti Sharma — will earn decent Australian dollars, but what’s of importance is the players will get some experience of competitive cricket before the ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand in March-April 2022. There have been conflicting views on the need to start the IPL for women; some among the discerning believe India doesn’t have the talent pool to start one but is it not a good thought to start one when women’s cricket has a successful face in Smriti, who was in rollicking form in the pink ball Test against Australia at the Gold Coast. The BCCI should cash in on the opportunity that has presented itself now with a handful of young players showing the desire to embrace the sport.
Come Sunday (October 10), the deadline day for the teams taking part in the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup to effect changes in the squad. The teams that have qualified for the global slang-bang event under the aegis of the ICC went through the process of announcing the 15-member team by September 10. The ICC has allowed the Cricket Boards to carry out changes in the squad till October 10. The immediate question is whether the Indian Cricket Board will ask its selection committee to make changes in the team, either due to injury, lack of form in the IPL or otherwise. In normal circumstances the selection committee sticks to its original choice of players because that’s done in consultation with the captain. There is speculation though that Hardik Pandya, with a vulnerable lower back, has given an opportunity for the selectors to review his selection because he has not sent down a single ball in the ongoing IPL-14 in the UAE and everybody finds this confounding. One month ago the chairman of the selection committee Chetan Sharma said that Hardik will be fit to bowl four overs in every match in the World Cup. By now the BCCI must have obtained the fitness status of the players selected for the multi-nation bash in the UAE. Hardik’s fate will depend on his medical report and also Kohli’s opinion.
A few years back, when Shah Rukh Khan was targeted by the Shiv Sena for speaking in favor of Pakistan’s inclusion in the IPL, his film My Name Is Khan was almost banned by the Sena in Mumbai. Then, he had to fight his own battle; the film fraternity did not come out in the open to support him for the fear of incurring the wrath of Sena. SRK too never spoke why he was targeted but in one of his interviews he obliquely hinted at the religion factor. Likewise, when Aamir Khan in an interaction with the Indian Express said that his wife had told him that she wanted to leave the country over an ‘intolerant’ issue, he faced a lot of flak. The actor had to do a lot of firefighting via social media till the issue simmered down. Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was attacked by the conservatives during the making of Padmavat. Bhansali did not speak a word about it; he quietly made changes and released the film. It was Sushant Singh Rajput’s death that brought to fore that Bollywood is not united and that they don’t speak in one voice to fight the injustices done to them. Most of them admit, they fear being singled out by politicians or government agencies and this is why they don’t openly show their solidarity or express their views.
What? No more statues? Would Tamil Nadu, or any State for that matter, exist without feeling the need to put up statues for venerated leaders? An order from a Madras High Court judge to the contrary would have sent shivers running down the spines of various people, from social reformers to politicians. While disallowing any new statue to be installed, the judge would like to send all existing statues on roads and public places to a “Leaders’ Park” where presumably the erectors of statues would pay for their upkeep and people would line up to pay homage to saints and demigods, social thought leaders and tall political leaders, including most of all of actor-politicians in cinema-crazy Tamil Nadu. This is a tall order in a State that is crowded with statues of Gandhi, Nehru, Periyar, Ambedkar, MGR, Jaya, M Karunanidhi et al in public places including the Marina Beach that is the world’s longest drive past an array of statues to saints and leaders. The erection of statues and paying homage to them is intensely political too. Not a day passes by without a political group paying homage to a departed leader by adorning his statue with flowers. It does appear that the order will be quickly challenged in court one before the State prepares the ground for creating ‘Leaders’ Parks’ in several places.
The Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party’s aggressive posture has put the otherwise combative Bharatiya Janata Party on the defensive. NCP kept quiet despite repeated attacks by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya targeting party supremo Sharad Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and former home minister Anil Deshmukh over alleged corruption and various scams. NCP minister Nawab Malik has alleged collusion between BJP and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the seizure of drugs on cruise liner, and the subsequent arrests. BJP party leaders like Pravin Darekar, Atul Bhatkhalkar, and Ashish Shelar Ram Kadam have dismissed Malik’s charges, but the allegations over the involvement of party office bearer Manish Bhanushali’s role in the ongoing saga continue. According to observers, “BJP cut a sorry figure after Bhanushali’s photos with PM, HM, former CM, party president were released on social media.” This is NCP’s attempt to make it amply clear that it has no plans to cosy up with BJP. Pawar has also made it clear that he will go all out to mobilize non BJP parties to counter BJP in 2024 polls. Clearly, BJP faces a tough challenge to revive its anti-corruption crusader image. Party insiders in Maharashtra admit that it is time BJP rejigs its strategy as merely criticising the Maha Vikas Aghadi will not garner votes. Is Devendra Fadnavis listening?
It’s a known fact that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is overtly and avowedly an Atheist, the lynchpin of Dravidian philosophy. But his wife Durga is too deeply involved in religious beliefs and rituals. One can say, she is an empowered woman and her husband, an enlightened liberal. Just a couple of days back Durga undertook a three-temple vow to fulfill Parikrama. She walked the two odd kilometres from the toll gate to the famous Sakthi Peetam, Samayapuram Mariamman Temple in Tiruchy, as her wish to see Stalin become CM was fulfilled. The past week, her temple visits have been media highlights. When K Annamalai, the TN BJP president protested that Hindu temples were kept shut for three days every week citing Corona, the challenging sentiment spread. BJP leaders H Raja and PonRadhakrishnan took up the vanguard of dissent in Srivilliputhur and other temples. Rightly so. Starting from the holy month of Aadi (Jul 17-Aug 16), this sacred period of temple visits and worship has been affected. So is Corona a selective excuse to reign in Hindu religion? For years, Indians have witnessed selective and exploitative secularism, when the Congress interpreted Secularism to suit its vote bank politics. This wheel of discrimination is turning again, where Dravidian philosophy edges out Hindu culture. Equality before law is much akin to the elephant interpreted by blind men.
Thackeray scion Aaditya Thackeray is on move. Aaditya, who is the Tourism and Environment Minister and also the Mumbai Suburban District Guardian Minister, has increased his visibility by attending social, religious, party and government functions. But the focus is on launching a number of infrastructure projects including Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Mumbai Coastal Road Project, Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, sewage disposal projects and Mumbai Metro projects ahead of the ensuing BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Shiv Sena, which is leading the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, has expressed its resolve to retain power in India’s richest civic body, BMC, despite its estranged ally BJP’s Mission 2022. Although Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also Shiv Sena President, will play a lead role in poll management and campaigning, Aaditya will be party’s face to sell party’s pro-development agenda in addition to Marathi Manoos plank. Aaditya has already hired a public relations agency to take position across print, electronic and social media. A well-educated, progressive and friends of almost every community, it is Shiv Sena’s attempt to lure non-Marathi and Muslim votes by projecting Aaditya as its face. It is a paradigm shift for a party which in the past was accused of running campaign against various communities. Will the voter fall for Sena’s bait? Only time will tell.
The ousted AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala has been playing the guessing game. First, she trumpeted that she is going into political sanyas. Then suddenly surfaces, from time to time, to wrest the control of AIADMK without success. The latest news is that Sasikala aka Chinamma has come out of her self-imposed exile on the auspicious Mahalaya Amavasai and announced a slew of high profile events to mark the return of the piqued Panther to active politics, hostile takeover, slaying enemies and rocketing right to the top of the leadership in AIADMK. What set off this intense comeback plan and the rumblings heard in its wake? According to her inner circle, the soothsayers have said that her ‘innings 2.0’ would be a hit sequel to her prequel. Embark on it, you will not regret it, seems to be soothsayers’ advice. Also, she has been emboldened and energised by a secret phone call from a top AIADMK leader assuring his prostration with followers. With such assurances, Sasikala has announced her launch events. Visit JJ Memorial on October 16, big plans for the party’s Golden Jubilee on October 17, visit MGR’s home, rake up the Kodanadu Estate murder case, bring in her vaunted enemy EPS into the ring of suspicion. The astrologer has even pin-pointed a particular temple in Tirunelveli from where she should start her comeback.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known for delivering shock therapy. It was visible sometimes back when BJP replaced the veteran Lingayat leader BS Yeddyurappa as the chief minister of Karnataka by appointing Basavraj Bomai. Likewise, Modi took the call to replace Uttarkhand’s then chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat with Lok Sabha member Tirath Singh Rawat. In July, four months after being made chief minister, Tirath Singh Rawat was replaced by two-time MLA Pushkar Singh Dhami. In Gujarat, ahead of assembly elections slated for 2022, Modi surprised the party legislators by appointing a first time MLA Bhupendra Patel, who hails from the politically influential Patidar community, thereby replacing Home Minister Amit Shah’s confidant Vijay Rupani who comes from the Jain community. Rupani was the fourth CM to be replaced by BJP in the last six months. Now, within the BJP circle, there is a strong buzz about replacing Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar who does not belong to the Jat community, by appointing a Jat community leader especially in the wake of ongoing farmers’ agitation. Khattar, who was handpicked by Modi, has been under the latter’s radar for his style of functioning during his second term. Also, Khattar’s controversial statement of “jaise ko taisa,” asking BJP’s farmers’ arm to form groups against Opposition-led farmers’ blockades seems to have angered the top leaders of BJP.
Shareholder activism has been gaining currency and managements have to think twice before proposing resolutions to be approved and voted by shareholders. SEBI is also ensuring that it becomes difficult for promoters to push anything just because of their majority stake. For every negative vote, you now need three positive votes to approve the resolution. In some cases, the promoter is not allowed to vote and the minority shareholders decide the outcome. Readers would recall that Eicher Motor shareholders rejected a pay hike to Sidharth Lal, its MD & CEO. Similarly, IDFC shareholders rejected the reappointment of Vinod Rai as independent director. In the case of Zee Entertainment, two directors stepped down on the eve of the AGM as proxy advisors had asked the shareholders to vote them out. Meanwhile, the company which announced a non-binding agreement sale to Sony Entertainment has been directed by NCLT Mumbai bench to consider shareholder Invesco’s request for EGM to oust MD Punit Goenka. Jindal Steel & Power wants its shareholders to approve payment of one-time remuneration to its four independent directors. Proxy holders are advising shareholders to oppose the same as it violates terms of an independent director. Further an investor has rejected the reappointment of Shallu Jindal, wife of Naveen Jindal and a director on the board of the company for nine years. Indeed, it is a tough time for promoters.
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.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
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.