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Political parties have their own whims and fancy notions about good luck charms of their parliamentary party offices. That’s why when it comes to the new Parliament complex, it seems — both the Congress and the BJP– are reportedly being reluctant to move their parliamentary party offices from the old Parliament House. Both the offices are on the ground floor and have plenty of history to it. Of course ministers and the LoP do have their offices in the new complex. The only party which has moved into the new building is the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh winning 164 of 175 assembly seats in an electoral alliance with Janasena Party and the BJP and has 16 seats in Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha Secretariat allocated a new office, F09, to the TDP on the first floor of the new Parliament, a prime location that also houses the offices of the Prime Minister and Union Ministers. This change marks a transition from the party’s previous office, Room No 5, which was situated in the old Parliament building. Recalling how the YSRCP led by Jagan Mohan Reddy had occupied TDP’s office after party was routed in 2019 elections, a TDP source pointed out that in the 2019 LS polls, the YSRCP had swept the elections, winning 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state and TDP was reduced to just 3 seats. Official sources said regional parties like DMK are also reluctant to move into the new Parliament complex.
A new star has joined the Indian insurance galaxy! Galaxy Health Insurance Co Ltd is the new addition. The birth of Galaxy signals the re-entry of yet one more family of the erstwhile TVS group into the insurance space. Significantly enough, this happens a few years after the formal legal separation of four families of the erstwhile TVS group. Galaxy Health Insurance is promoted by Venu Srinivasan and his family. V Jagannathan, former CMD of United India Insurance Company and the founder of Star Health & Allied Insurance, is the co-promoter. Industry stalwart G Srinivasan, former head of United India Insurance, is the MD & CEO. The Galaxy board comprises Dr Sai Satish, a renowned cardiologist, and Sudarshan Venu, MD of TVS Motor Company. Galaxy Insurance is all set to commence its operations shortly. Insurance business is nothing new to the Chennai-based TVS Group. It was the owner of Madras Motor and General Insurance before the industry’s nationalization. After nationalization, Madras Motor merged into United India Insurance. Subsequently, in the post-liberalization era, Sundaram Finance, initially promoted by Madras Motor, launched Royal Sundaram Insurance, a general insurance company. Ironically enough, two former heads of United India Insurance will be guiding Galaxy Health Insurance to make a mark in the space. The size of the Indian health insurance sector was estimated at Rs 1.17 lakh crore in FY 2024, and is currently growing at a CAGR of 20%. Post the legal separation, assorted organisations who once formed part of the erstwhile TVS group are now freely exploring the freedom of opportunity, it appears.
Top BJP minister Nitin Gadkari’s sensational disclosure that he had been offered support for Prime Ministership by a prominent opposition leader before the Lok Sabha election is considered significant owing to its crucial timing. Gadkari generally avoids commenting on political developments and does not entertain any media questions in this regard. Hence, his candid revelation has surprised the BJP brass, which has refrained from reacting to it. The opposition, by and large, also has kept away from the potential bombshell. Gadkari has refused to name the opposition leader who made this offer to him. But the political grapevine is on overdrive to identify the opposition emissary. Various algorithms are applied to find out who it could be. Is he from Maharashtra? From Nagpur or Vidarbha? A former BJP member? Close to Rahul Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge? Or someone having tacit approach to the RSS decision makers? Of course, all these are supposition without any factual backing. Still, the suspense is mounting in view of the coming assembly elections. It is deepened since Gadkari has declared on multiple occasions that he is not interested in the topmost job and is happy with his ministry. In the past, his name was being discussed to become the Maharashtra CM but he had firmly rejected the idea. His only connection now with the state elections is that he is one of the star BJP campaigners.
The ongoing RG Kar Medical College protests have cast a shadow over the Bengali film industry, with many in the fraternity struggling to return to work amid constant backlash and online trolling. While several actors, directors, and singers actively participated in the protests, some have gone back to work sparking mixed reactions from the public. The situation intensified after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s call to “return to festivities”. This statement was widely criticized. Amidst this political tension, prominent figures in the Bengali entertainment industry have found themselves facing undue criticism from netizens. Celebrities like singer Iman Chakraborty, actors Swastika Mukherjee, and Sohini Sarkar, all of whom supported the protests, became targets of online trolling. Swastika faced particular backlash after promoting her upcoming film Tekka, despite her regular attendance at protest rallies. Dev, who stars in Tekka and is also a Trinamool Congress MP, defended his stance, supporting the movement while stressing that livelihoods, especially during Durga Puja, should not be affected. He pointed out that marginalized groups, such as dhakis, decorators, and vendors, depend on the festive season. Singer Shilajit, another victim of online criticism, echoed similar sentiments. He defended the importance of continuing work, noting that events contribute significantly to artists’ earnings. Director Raj Chakraborty expressed concern over how easily celebrities become targets for trolls, leading many to avoid social media. Amid this growing tension, promotions for upcoming Puja releases, such as Bohurupi and Shastri, have been toned down to avoid further controversy. The Bengali film industry continues to navigate these challenging times with caution.
The mantle of head coach of the Indian cricket team has passed on smoothly from Rahul Dravid to Gautam Gambhir. The once famous ‘Wall’ of Indian cricket has returned to IPL’s Jaipur franchise, Rajasthan Royals, but the immediate focus will be on the doughty left hander from Delhi who showed guts and gumption for India across the three formats, scored 10324 runs in 242 matches embellished with two World Cup titles — the Twenty20 In 2007 and the 50 over format in 2011. Gambhir’s international career spanned from 2003 to 2016 after which he spent time as a BJP member of the Lok Sabha from 2019 to 2024 before he joined Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders. His success there has catapulted him to the national team that won the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies in July. Gambhir’s first major work will be to facilitate India qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. India under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri and Rohit Sharma and Dravid finished second best against New Zealand and Australia in the two previous cycles of the WTC, the finals being played in Rose Bowl and The Oval. India has to win at least five of the remaining 10 Test matches to be in the running for a third consecutive WTC final appearance, and this time the final will be played at the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground in London from June 11 next. Gambhir will have five home Tests — two against Bangladesh, starting this Thursday and three against New Zealand — before the historic five-Test series in Australia from November 22. Guiding India to the WTC summit before the ICC Champions Trophy in February- March 2025 in Pakistan will give a perspective about Gambhir’s coaching and mentoring philosophy.
A free burqa distribution programme organised by a Eknath Shinde camp legislator highlighted the uneasiness between the ruling alliance partners particularly over the Muslim vote bank. While the BJP did express its displeasure about such acts as “appeasement politics”, they clearly had to leave it at that. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena neither publicly disowned nor criticised the drive, thus recognising the need to woo core voters. The MLA concerned, Yamini Jadhav recently lost from the prominent Mumbai South Parliamentary constituency by over 50,000 votes mainly due to the fact that the Muslim voters there chose to throw their weight behind Uddhav’s nominee, Arvind Sawant. The fact that 50% of voters in her Mazgaon constituency are Muslims, could not have been lost on her as she faces her electorate yet again to reclaim her MLA seat. All this, while the prominent alliance partner, the BJP continues to adopt an aggressive pro-Hindu pitch with Nitesh Rane’s diatribe against Muslims being the order of the day. The BJP has also been critical of Uddhav’s recent success in garnering the support of the Muslim vote bank terming it as a result of not being sincere to core Hindu ideology. The third partner, Ajit Pawar, has already clarified that he would continue to be secular, in spite of his alliance with the BJP. Pawar has gone ahead and almost-declared the candidatures in key Muslim-dominated seats like Bandra East (Zeeshan Siddiqi) and Anushakti Nagar (Nawab Malik’s daughter Sana Malik) ignoring the BJP.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin said he would be seeking an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and personally request him to release funds meant for the second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) project as well as the funds due to the State under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) relating to school education. Both funds have been blocked by the Centre. His finance minister Thangam Thennarasu has already issued a statement hitting out at the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for saying that the ongoing CMRL second phase for Chennai was a State sector project. He had pointed out that the project envisaged in 2017 was a central sector project in which the Union government’s share had worked out to Rs 7,425 crore. He also refuted a statement by Ms Sitharaman that the state had spent only Rs 5,880 crore on the 119-km phase II whereas the state had already expended more than Rs 18,000 crore so far. The step motherly treatment being meted out to Tamil Nadu, considered the last bastion against the ruling BJP is borne out by the fact that funds allocated for Metro Rail schemes in cities like Bengaluru (Rs 30,399 crore), Kochi (Rs 1,957 crore), Nagpur (Rs 6,708 crore), Pune (Rs 910 crore) and Thane (Rs 12,200 crore), are all from the Centre’s kitty while not even what was promised for Chennai Metro expansion has been delivered.
Even as film fans across the country are wildly speculating about divorce in the Bachchan’s family comes the news from Kollywood that Jayam Ravi, one of the most dependable performers (the standout star of Ponniyin Selvan) dropped a bombshell on his 44th birthday (Sept 9) that he is seeking divorce from wife Aarti after 15 years of marriage. The couple have two children. A shell shocked Aarti, a successful entrepreneur in her own right, said “Ravi did not consult me, nor was I aware that he is about to drop this bombshell on me and the kids. This unilateral announcement never gave me a chance …much as I tried to talk to him.” Coincidentally, Ravi’s first hit, M.Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi was a film that touched the hearts of many. It is about a single mother who brings up her son with no help from a husband who walked out on the marriage. Ironically, Ravi asking for divorce will see Aarti face a similar predicament. Aarti is the daughter of successful TV serial producer Sujatha Vijayakumar. Has Ravi come to the end of his tether because of perceived interference of his in-law? Inspite of his busy schedule, Ravi has always given quality time for his family says sources. No one is aware of the real reason for Ravi’s ultimate break decision. But the way he has done it made Aarti lament, “My grace and individuality have been knocked out by the media speculations.” She still hopes for a rapprochement. Marriages are made in heaven, but hit the rocks in this fantasy world of tinsel make believe.
It was Chandrababu Naidu’s dream to create a world class city — Amaravati — as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. But, he lost the 2019 assembly elections badly and the new government headed by Y Jagan Mohan Reddy put his plan on the backburner. A kind of political vendetta. With Naidu’s TDP sweeping power in Andhra Pradesh 2024 Assembly elections Naidu is going all out with his dream capital plan. The new city, to be built from the ground up, will start from December 1. The Modi government has already sanctioned Rs 15,000 crore for the project, besides Naidu is talking to multilateral agencies like World Bank seeking soft loan for this mammoth project. Sources say Naidu definitely wants a city which is resilient, creates value, drives new markets and responds to future demand. For now the 29,966 farmers who had pooled in 34,400 acres of land for this ambitious project eight years ago are in a celebratory mood. The land prices have zoomed from Rs12,000 to Rs35,000 per square yard. Naidu has roped in renowned London-based architectural firm Foster + Partners to design the government complex to house the legislative assembly, high court and secretarial buildings. Sources say Amaravati would require a budget of at least Rs 40,000 crore.
Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has miffed his supporters by declaring that he has never hankered for the chief ministership. In the same breath, he has expressed determination to wrest power in the coming election. Conversing at a rally of an Old Pension Scheme organisation, Uddhav said, “You, the people of Maharashtra are my power, which none can take away.” Uddhav performed darshan of Sai Baba at Shirdi and later addressed the OPS meet at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. His observation is viewed in the context of the persistent efforts of his supporters to project him as the next CM of the state. The campaign had dampened some time ago as veteran NCP leader Sharad Pawar and state Congress president Nana Patole had publicly clarified that this issue will be discussed only after the assembly election results are out. Uddhav has refreshed the issue by giving an emotional touch to the meeting by saying that he had been invited to speak with its members though he had no power, no office now. “But you are my power. Nobody can retire me from this position. I don’t care for power, I am concerned for your future,” he said. Nonetheless, he assured the audience that he will wrest power and dispense justice to them and the people of Maharashtra. Uddhav has thus dwelt on both possibilities, although not in explicit terms. His statement, hence, can be interpreted in any way but will make his supporters think before taking any stand.
Every producer-director suffers pre-release jitters. Ajay Devgn has also caught anxiety before the release of Runway 34 in the wake of South Indian movies, dubbed in Hindi, smashing box office records and newer audiences veering towards OTT. So, he apparently courted controversy over Hindi with Kannada star Kichha Sudeep. There is little doubt he reaped good publicity too but, Devgn could not anticipate fresh controversy to emanate from another quarter. The Federation of Indian Pilots has thrown turbulence his way and stated, “The profession of airline pilots was unrealistically portrayed in the movie and may create apprehensions in the minds of nervous fliers. While we all enjoy being entertained and appreciate the artistic licence of a movie director, a thrilling tale should not be perceived as a true depiction.” Cinema buffs saw through Devgn’s story content, for stark similarities it bears to two acclaimed aviation dramas. The Captain, a 2019 film, portrayed the real-life drama of Sichuan Airline Flight 8633 which made an emergency landing at Chengdu Shuagliu International Airport after its cockpit windshield crashed. The other is the 2009 Clint Eastwood production Sully starring Tom Hanks. The flight from LaGuardia, was hit by a flock of geese forcing an emergency landing on the Hudson river with 155 lives on board. Sully was grilled by the National Aviation Safety Board while Devgn faced baritone Bachchan.
An interesting aspect of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to Chennai was that he stayed at the CRPF campus at Avadi, instead of residing at Raj Bhavan. That is because he was scheduled to next visit Puducherry. The buzz about Shah’s visit and that staying outside Raj Bhavan also allowed the Home Minister to schedule a number of appointments, including a meeting with an emissary of an influential leader of the DMK. Though there is speculation about who the leader was, it looks like everything was done so that it stayed below radar and eluded the prying eyes of the TN police. Meanwhile, Shah’s visit to Bengaluru on May 3, coinciding with suggestions by senior BJP functionary B L Santosh that only his party has “courage” to change a Government, put the Basavaraj Bommai Government in a spot. However, in an anti-climax of sorts, Amit Shah met with veteran leader B S Yediyurappa and other state leaders at Chief Minister Bommai’s residence over lunch; significantly BJP office-bearers meeting was called off. Bommai enjoys full backing of Yediyurappa. BJP sources admit changing Bommai, a Lingayat leader, would be a huge risk for the party. Endorsing Bommai, BJP national secretary Arun Singh says “Bommai is a common man. People like him for the way he is working for the poor and farmers under PM Modi’s leadership.”
Super Kings and that brought about a stunning transformation in the body language of the team. Unlike Mumbai Indians, CSK were never out of a mathematical chance to still make the playoffs. With 8 points in the kitty, after five games, they still have potential to reach 16 points. Early season debacles were owed to very conservative bidding at the player auctions, where reps of ‘Srini Mama’ and his daughter Rupa were apparently inert and hardly picked up players of high value. The change of captaincy, effected after the deal was signed, had offended the main sponsor TVS Eurogrip, who had shelled out Rs 100 crore. Miffed at the change in captaincy, and a lacklustre Ravindra Jadeja not looking the part to rev up the team, they pressured Srinivasan to bring back Dhoni as captain. Srini was concerned about any possible drop in valuation of the team, currently rated at around $1 billion, and impact on future sponsorships. There was only one way out of the impasse, bringing Dhoni back to the helm. CSK may or may not make it to the playoffs but they look like a competitive team now. The fans are mighty pleased and the sponsors are happy.
The face-off between Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and Chief Minister MK Stalin keeps hitting a new low every day. The latest grouse for DMK, after the snowballing on the NEET issue, is about the right to appoint University VC‘s, till recently a prerogative of the Governor. DMK’s shadow and alter ego, Dravidar Kazhagam headed by K Veeramani held a town hall meeting to publicize his state wide yatra to convey the alliance’s displeasure with the Governor that CM Stalin also attended. Veeramani shared strategies to take on the Governor. The few, who were privy to the meeting, were stunned by a suggested plan to annex Raj Bhavan, one of the largest stately gubernatorial residences in the country. Another alliance partner Sinthanai Selvan of Viduthalai Chiruthaigai Katchi told Stalin that the Raj Bhavan, housed on 160 acres of land, is under the state PWD ministry. He cited instances when former Chief Ministers J Jayalalithaa and Kalaignar had planned to relocate the Secretariat at Fort St. George to sites like Queen Marys College, Anna University. Stalin sensibly sought legal opinion on the audacious takeover plan for Raj Bhavan, and found his answer. The current economic status of TN rules out any such misadventure. Besides, and more importantly, merely changing his residence does not effectively change the Governor?
Looks like the Modi Government has decided to keep the DMK Government in Tamil Nadu in the loop, at least on Sri Lanka. With a possible PM Narendra Modi trip to Colombo and, considering DMK’s uneasy equations with the Rajapaksas, Delhi thought it better to have DMK on board. That is why, responding to the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s resolution — passed in mid-April — seeking permission to supply rice and essential medicines as aid to the troubled island nation, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar conveyed to Chief Minister M K Stalin that the state’s request to provide assistance to Colombo may supplement what is already being provided by the Government of India (GoI). Jaishankar added that Sri Lanka preferred inclusive distribution. An effusive Stalin thanked the Jaishankar and responded that the state government would consider deputing TN Chief Secretary to coordinate with GoI while supplying the relief material. Interestingly, the MEA’s approval for Tamil Nadu’s aid to Sri Lanka comes even as state BJP chief K Annamalai visited Jaffna on invitation from the Ceylon Workers Congress. Annamalai was critical of the DMK Government for trying to politicise the aid issue without mention of the help GoI was already providing to Sri Lanka that includes, financial credit of US $3 billion, 4 lakh tonnes of fuel and 40,000 tonnes of rice.
The Congress went all out defending Rahul Gandhi’s night out in Kathmandu, even as the video of his evening at the nightclub has gone viral. While his evening at Lord of Drinks was picked from a Facebook post, the fact that Rahul had reached the Himalayan kingdom, along with three of his friends, was confirmed by a report in Kathmandu Post. He was apparently attending the wedding of his Nepali friend Sumnima Udas on May 3. Sumnima, a former CNN correspondent, was getting married to Nima Martin Sherpa. The bride’s father Bhim Udas, former Ambassador of Nepal to Myanmar, confirmed that he “had extended an invitation to Rahul Gandhi to attend the wedding of his daughter “. Latching on to the invite, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Rahul had not landed in Nepal without an invitation, alluding to PM Modi’s surprise visit to Islamabad in December 2015 to celebrate former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s birthday. “Maybe after today, PM Modi and BJP may decide it is illegal to attend a wedding. Last I checked, having a family in this country, having friends in this country, attending weddings, engagement ceremonies was a matter of our culture and civilization. It has still not become a crime in this country to marry, be friends with someone or to attend their wedding celebrations,” said Surjewala.
The BCCI deserves a pat on the back after conducting domestic cricket tournaments this year. Last year, it could not due to the Covid pandemic. This year, however, BCCI ensured domestic cricketers found opportunities to play and earn a livelihood. Applauding the BCCI initiative, former GM, Game Development, BCCI, Prof Ratnakar Shetty said: “The decision to conduct the Ranji Trophy, although with a revised format, was a welcome decision by the BCCI. It provides a platform for budding talent and also badly needed monetary help to first class cricketers.” Since 2003, when the BCCI resolved to share 26% of a certain portion of its annual income with cricketers — 13% each to the national and domestic cricketers — India’s consistently performing first class cricketers playing for the Ranji Trophy and other senior tournaments earned over Rs 20 lakh per season. The annual outgo now for the national men’s team was in excess of Rs 100 crore. The senior teams (men and women) receive an annual retainership. But the sheer size of domestic cricketers — the ballpark figure is between 800 and 1000 cricketers — makes the overall sum disbursed to them much higher. So, this year, it’s not only the cash cow IPL the BCCI is conducting, but also the Ranji Trophy, the bread-and-butter tournament for domestic cricketers.
Is Elon Musk picking up a bias against Indians? It would appear so if emerging dramas follow an early trend in which the world’s richest man, out on a spree to buy his favourite toys, has had bones to pick with Vijaya Gadde, a lawyer of Indian origin, even as the status of Twitter’s CEO Parag Agrawal is under a cloud after the acquisition. Vijaya, top censorship advocate at Twitter had taken decisions to keep out contentious content in 2020 and she was fiercely defended by Twitterati after the Muck onslaught. As owner of the company, Musk will have the power to fire key individuals and Parag may be the a name on that purging list even if he had picked up a reputation as a top engineer who had helped transform Twitter’s developing projects, including letting algorithms guide moderation software. Musk’s ‘absolute free speech’ platform may be up for confrontations with India, which has been thin-skinned to the extent of being the country asking for the most tweets to be taken down. Musk’s ties to China with his Tesla electric cars, which are not being allowed free access if they are not made in India, might also put him on a collision course with India. His obsession with the number 420 places him in a piquant position with the number in India’s IPC that is to do with cheating and fraud.
A recent Union Government move to forcefully evict eminent artistes, including Padmashree awardees from government quarters located in plush localities of New Delhi, has angered the denizens of the arts and culture world. These artistes were permitted to stay for 6-year-terms but, many have even continued to stay on since the 1970s. Some of the artistes include: painter Jatin Das, Kathak dancer the late Pandit Birju Maharaj, Santoor player Bhajan Sopori, Odissi dancer and Padmashree awardee Mayadhar Raut among others. The BJP government thought it prudent to get out of the cycle of never-ending extensions and held consultations with the national artistes who were overstaying in government allotted quarters even as they simultaneously pursued legal options to secure stay orders from courts. Policy makers and lawmakers questioned whether national artistes should continue receiving such perpetual government patronage of free housing. The government thought it prudent to evict them post December 31, 2021 after serving them final eviction notices. Observers say, if the government has a legitimate role in pursuing art and culture, it must set out broad inclusive policies and create an environment, so that, eminent artistes, researchers, scientists, writers and poets can have a special place that’s conducive to working, teaching and interacting with like-minded people. And that place does not necessarily have to be New Delhi.
Stalin To Induct Son Udhayanidhi Into TN Cabinet On DMK Govt’s First Anniversary, May Get Dy CM Rank
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin no longer wants to continue in charade mode. Of course, party seniors and youth wing sycophants are pressuring him to anoint son Udhayanidhi, as cabinet minister with Deputy CM rank. It could well be on May 7, the first anniversary of DMK‘s storm troopers regaining power after 10 long years. The celebratory mood is evident. Even when Udhayanidhi delivered his maiden speech in the State Assembly recently, mother Durga and wife Krithika eagerly watched him from the spectator’s gallery. Having essayed hero roles in at least eight Tamil films, playing to the gallery was a cake walk. The plan to elevate him in party ranks is not just a politically astute move, considering that simmering family/palace intrigues keep rearing its ugly head regarding step aunt MP Kanimozhi, prickly uncle M K Alagiri and, a cohort of Stalin’s brothers as potential rival claimants. Simultaneously Stalin has co-opted son Udhayanidhi into the family trust and boards, Anjugam Trust, the party’s bellwether Trust Fund, Murasoli and the family brand TV channel Kalaignar TV. Once the political pecking order and the purse strings are unequivocally marked, family claimants are likely to back off. Stalin seems to have the astuteness and wisdom of his father woven into his signature style of firm handling of the party and the government. Yet another son rises.
Two distinct trends emerged from Bollywood. It has run out of original story ideas resorting to remakes of popular south Indian movies increasingly, to maintain the Hindi film industry churn. Secondly, it is a bad copycat. Two remakes Laxmmi Bomb and Bachchan Pandey, starring Akshay Kumar failed the box office collections. Latest to join the flop list is Jersey, featuring Shahid Kapur and Mrunal Thakur. Producer-director Ram Gopal Varma tweeted: “The DISASTROUS fate of the film JERSEY in Hindi signals the DEATH of REMAKES for the simple reason it has been proved multiple times, that dubbed films like #Pushpa #RRR #KGF2 are doing far better than originals, if the content is good.” It’s very likely that no south (Indian) film with good content will sell its remake rights. Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep rubbed it in saying Bollywood was struggling, with even its dubbed versions in Tamil and Telugu failing at the box office. Southern stars have stormed the film industry and assumed Pan India (actor) identities. One of the reasons for Bollywood taking a hit on the stories front is because most good writers have shifted to OTT platforms. It’s about time the Bollywood fraternity came together and scripted a strategy to regain eroding industry hold. Will Bollywood get its next ACIONS right?
One thing the much-publicised engagement between poll strategist Prashant Kishor (PK) and the Congress leadership has done is demonstrated the capacity of the two sides to keep future options open. At the same time, the PK-Congress engagement pushed Congress President Sonia Gandhi to take decisions; to usher in changes — at least in election-bound states. Like revamping Himachal, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. While in Haryana, Sonia decided to completely back Bhupinder Hooda, handing the PCC to him, in Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath opted out of heading the CLP in order to prepare for the 2023 assembly battle. Now it’s easy to see why leaders like Digvijay Singh are betting big on the Udaipur brainstorming session scheduled in May for the emergence of a rejuvenated Congress. Engagement with PK also brought to the fore the Priyanka-Rahul divide. Sources point out that it was only Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who backed PK while Rahul was less than enthusiastic. In this context, party leaders questioned Priyanka’s dominating role over Congress matters, she was seen taking an interest beyond her limited domain of Uttar Pradesh. “She is in charge of UP. Why did she operate out of a porta cabin from 10 Janpath and not AICC? She wants her finger in every pie. Rahul has never done that,” says a miffed Himachal leader.
SunRisers Hyderabad’s prospects of advancing to the Tata IPL-15 playoffs will be known within the week or, thereabouts. It ought to have forced a win against Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium the other night but caved in, to the pyrotechnic batting displayed by Rahul Tewatia and Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, to get placed 3rd on the points’ table, with five wins and 10 points. It was a skirmish that once again focused the spotlight on budding fast bowler Umran Malik, who took his first fifer in any competition. Hats off to the franchise’s conscious decision taken last December to retain the virtual unknown, from Sunjwan — a village on the outskirts of Gujjar town in Jammu Union Territory. The SunRisers’ advisors Muttiah Muralitharan and Tom Moody had articulated Malik’s retention as an investment for the future. Their decision is reaping rich rewards for the franchise owner, Kavya Maran, who proactively placed bids at player auctions for IPL-15 held in Bengaluru. Malik’s potential (he had replaced indisposed left armer T Natarajan last year) and now, after only 8 matches this IPL season, he is already primed for an India call-up because of bowling speeds at 150 kmph. He has scalped 15 batters so far from 8 IPL-15 games with a four-wicket haul and a fifer. Great call by the Marans to retain Malik at Rs 4 crore.
No one in the Congress party believes former Union Minister K V Thomas, known to have easy access to 10 Janpath, was censured by the A K Anthony headed AICC disciplinary committee only for attending CPI (M)’s meeting in Kannur, Kerala. Thomas had also hailed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the “pride of Kerala”. In the past, Anthony himself attended functions of rival parties. What got Thomas into trouble then? Buzz is that he fell out of Rahul Gandhi’s favour as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), an office he held between 2014 and 2017. Rahul was upset that Thomas failed to bring out a single report faulting purchases made by the Modi Government when he headed PAC, any report to bolster his chowkidar chor hai campaign. Thomas makes way for Mallikarjun Kharge. The Congress chose to club the disciplinary action against Thomas and former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar and announced the removal of both leaders from all held party posts in view of their “anti-party activities”. The joke is on the Congress leadership where Jakhar is concerned as he held no positions. A miffed Jakhar, who didn’t reply to the AICC show-cause notice, said: “I have been longer in Congress than anyone else.” His only fault, he claims, is that more MLAs backed him as CM after Capt Amarinder Singh’s exit.
Aware that political VIP culture doesn’t go down well with citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi avoids travelling during peak hours in Delhi. When he has to, he takes the metro to avoid discomfiting commuters. To attend NIA meetings or events in South Delhi, Modi opts for the metro. His standing instructions: wherever possible, traffic may not be halted. Taking cue from Modi, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai and his ministers also decided to eschew this ” zero traffic rule” when commuting in Bengaluru. CM Bommai issued an order stating he does not want the zero traffic rule applied for him. The Bengaluru Traffic Police also issued an order to keep traffic signals free even when ministers travel and ambulance fare also allowed to travel. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, whose autobiography titled One Amongst You was released recently, is irked by news media persons. A reporter from a leading English daily was not allowed to cover the function presided over by Stalin since he was sporting a black shirt. This colour code is peculiar in a state that celebrates the colour black in Tamil films. From superstar Rajnikant to popular film numbers celebrating the colour black– Karuppu tan enukku pidicha colouru.
Looks like there is finally going to be a truce in the Congress for 2024. Nearly two years after they wrote to her seeking wider consultation and involvement, Congress President Sonia Gandhi reached out to rebels who have been questioning the way the party is being run. In a gesture that is bound to be reassuring to the Congress cadre, Sonia picked most of the prominent G-23 leaders to be part of subject committees for the Udaipur brainstorming session of the AICC between May 13 and 15. From Ghulam Nabi Azad to Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor to Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Manish Tewari to Mukul Wasnik, most of the G-23 leaders were placed on the six different subject committees. They were expected to prepare papers for the brainstorming session for Congress delegates. While Azad and Tharoor are on the political committee with Mallikarjun Kharge as convenor, the economy committee headed by P Chidambaram has Sharma and Tewari, the farmers committee is headed by Hooda and the organisational committee is headed by Wasnik. Some prominent G-23 signatories did not make it to Sonia’s list including Kapil Sibal, Prithviraj Chavan, Renuka Chowdhury and Vivek Tankha. Brainstorming on the five state assembly results, scheduled in the first week of April, was delayed by the pre-occupation of the Gandhi family to dissipate intra-party disillusionment.
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s fresh overture to Congress, a 78 slide PPT is under review. A Congress G23 member says, “PK reached out four months ago. His formal enrolment or associate role was left open ended. We did not ask him to enrol although he had set some preconditions. We wanted to know his role play? His single-minded agenda to defeat Narendra Modi connects with us.” PK next met Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in New Delhi. Former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan told shortpost.in, “I also had a long (45 minute) meeting with Ms. Gandhi on April 14, submitted suggestions to enthuse demoralised party cadre after results of state assemblies. Decision on PK’s PPT is awaited and pertains to internal party issues, I may not discuss. The Party Chief asked where difficulties exist and sought suggestions.” Another Congress leader says PK is clear that only a broad arrangement of like-minded (anti-Modi) political formations can overcome BJP. Says he, “Importantly, PK charts a clear course for Rahul Gandhi, who must decide to be Prime Minister and if so, eschew party presidentship. Rahul must assume leadership of opposition in Lok Sabha, a disciplined lifestyle. It is hard work, getting up early, reading the day’s agenda, and 9:30 am attendance in Parliament. Moot question is whether RaGa will warm up to PK’s advice after returning from his foreign tour? Will he, won’t he?
Stylish opener KL Rahul has been playing like a true professional in the Tata IPl-15. Rahul and Rohit Sharma were the victims of Pakistan left arm seamer Shaheen Afridi in the ICC Men’s World Twenty20 last year in Dubai. Six months later both are using the IPL with 14 league matches to fine tune their game — facing the new ball at the start — for the next edition of the World Twenty20 in the Australian summer. While Sharma has come a cropper, unable to steer his team Mumbai Indians to a single win in eight matches, Rahul has scored two methodical centuries — 103 each — both against Sharma’s team. Former India Head Coach Ravi Shastri had predicted that Rahul could be in the running for the Orange Cup given to the highest aggregate scorer in the league. Shastri told Star Sports: “He’s got a solid all-round game, the technique is good, he’s got all the shots, great temperament, and good presence of mind. The responsibility of leading a new franchise (Lucknow Super Giants) is getting the best out of him.” Rahul is a rock solid opener who understands the importance of his contribution to the team that has been weighty. His three figure knocks have helped his team, Sanjiv Goenka’s LSG win and put it on the road to a playoffs berth.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR), who was encouraged by Chief Minister M K Stalin, to develop a working relationship with the Centre and interact with FM Nirmala Sitharaman seeking ways to improve state finances is being side-lined gradually. For the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Annual Meeting scheduled next month, Stalin has deputed Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu instead of PTR. The CM’s pick has apparently surprised state bureaucratic circles. Thennarasu is brother of Lok Sabha MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian. The buzz in DMK circles is that by opting for Thennarasu, Stalin has sent a message to the party cadre that his son Udhayanidhi’s supporters do enjoy certain privileges. At Davos, the TN government is likely to set up a special lounge for the entire duration — May 22-26. A while back Stalin had deputed Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian and Thennarasu to meet the Governor R N Ravi. The meeting lasted for 45 minutes and Thennarasu said that the main agenda discussed was about the anti-NEET Bill. It was Thenarasu who conveyed Stalin won’t attend his tea party. While leaders from some other Indian states are also likely to visit Davos. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some senior union ministers are also expected to participate in the WEF summit, one of the most high-profile congregations of the world leaders
Rumours abound that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy may call for snap polls two years before his tenure ends. He has a long way to go to implement his welfare schemes to win back the confidence of the people. However, of late, there have been reports that Jagan has decided to go to the people and spend most of the time touring different parts of the State to oversee the implementation of his welfare schemes and get direct feedback from the people. The recent reshuffle of the cabinet and the appointment of YSRC regional coordinators, district party presidents and in-charge ministers ahead of the party plenary in July gave rise to a talk in political circles as to whether Jagan was contemplating early elections. Jagan is going to tour the districts as frequently as possible to communicate with people, his vision for the State. He reportedly instructed the AP State Road Transport Corporation authorities to keep ready two bullet proof buses with all the facilities for his district tours. Hereafter, Jagan will travel only in these bullet proof vehicles. During the tours, the chief minister will conduct Racha Banda (public forums) with villagers and also visit village secretariats to oversee their functioning. As usual opposition BJP is completely clueless about Jagan’s next move.
Vignesh Shivan and K Town superstar Nayantara are set to tie the knot, an event fans have waited for with baited breath. The couple has been dating, dating some more, and on a still dating status for long now. Further testing how much more waiting besotted fans could take…the couple’s production company Rowdy Pictures is now ready with Tamil romantic comedy Kaathuvaakila Rendu Kathal for worldwide release on April 28 April. Directed by Shivan, starring crowd puller Vijay Sethupathi, pitching his love to two of the most winsome ladies from down South, Nayantara and Sexy Samantha Ruth Prabhu, she of Pushpa The Rise and The Family Man hit series, and spiced up with Anirudh Ravichander’s hot music, the film makes no pretensions to serious cinema. The cherry on the cake, the film will be distributed by Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies. The makers plan to simultaneously release a Telugu dubbed version as Kanmani Rambo Khati. What more could fans want? The excitement quotient has doubled with the film’s teasers promising a romantic comedy, a raunchy race, rife with ribald dialogues and the promise of a hero Rambo romancing two hot heroines — Khadija and Kanmani. If fantasy and escapism is what fans are seeking, this movie is already paisa vasool.
It appears election strategist Prashant Kishor is running rings around India’s political parties with his well-researched understanding of the voter behaviour, besides insights into which seats swing on what issues. But his former poll research company Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), from which he had disassociated himself, has signed up with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). While Sonia Gandhi, in her own political despair, is said to be inclined to accept Kishor’s help though it comes with conditions like his wishing to be like a working president while she remains the figurehead, senior Congressmen are not convinced. Insider dope has it that despite Kishor’s dalliance with TRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao, which included a two-day stay at his residence, Sonia might accept Kishor into her party. There may be a bundle of contradictions in Telangana where Congress must fancy its chances of a comeback in the face of disillusionment among the people with KCR’s style of governance. But Congress will be left hoping that people might understand that a common cause unites not only KCR but also the Left who oppose Congress in Kerala but are on the same page when it comes to national affairs. No decision is likely before Kishor’s one year of self-declared detachment from politics which comes to an end in early May, however, a week of drama is on the cards.
In stark irony, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson inaugurated a JCB manufacturing factory at Halol in Gujarat. The bulldozer with claw-like extensions, has become the contemporary mascot for an aggressive Indian mainstream politics today and used rampantly to raze encroachments, even homes of offenders stoking communal fires in BJP ruled states. The use of the bulldozer to get even became quite the rage in UP, MP and lately New Delhi, before it ran afoul of the Supreme Court for being pushed into action at Jahangirpuri of north Delhi. Under the prompting of the BJP head of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), bulldozers had cleared shops in front of a mosque. The message for the minority community over allegedly stoking communal passions, resorting to stone throwing during a Hanuman Jayanti procession that was taken out by the majority community was loud and clear: do not take the majority for granted. Even as the issue boiled over into the top court, a voice of reason was said to have come from one of the highest in the land. BJP insiders revealed that Home Minister Amit Shah had sent a message down the ranks to keep the bulldozers at bay for now, idling in parking lots for the time being. With the message already conveyed, the Home Minister wants to maintain peace, at least for now.
The recent fire that destroyed 20 electric scooters manufactured by a firm in Nashik, Maharashtra, has set the cat among the pigeons in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, which has already got the jitters over several isolated instances of spontaneous combustion of EVs. Why and how does this happen, is the question in the minds of everybody? There’s a lot riding – literally – on electric two-wheelers, more than cars and three-wheelers even as sales in the segment have rocketed nearly 500% in just one year. According to the government’s VAHAN portal, 2021-22 saw the producers laughing all the way to the bank with well over a quarter million EVs sold, compared to mere 40,000 sales in 2020-21. Chetan Maini, Co-Founder & Vice Chairman at SUN Mobility, the pioneer in the EV world who created India’s first electric car REVA, gives a variety of possible reasons: “Such things can be caused by poor cell selection, defective cells, poor thermal management, manufacturing issues and poor charging management amongst others.” According to his fellow Bengalurite Amitabh Saran, Founder & CEO of Altigreen, which started off in 2013 creating EV technology and now manufactures electric three-wheelers, these products were “not engineered in or for India”. Whatever the cause, the hope that it can be controlled – and soon — is universal, with EV being widely seen as the future of mobility.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is increasingly demonstrating a tendency to deploy the Punjab Police to settle his old political scores with foes. Much to their grief, his former AAP colleagues Kumar Vishwas and former Delhi MLA Alka Lamba, tasted a dose of Kejriwal’s new penchant to outsource his desired policing action through borrowed powers. Officials from the Punjab Police department came knocking on poet Vishwas’s house in Ghaziabad and pasted a notice on Lamba’s house about making her a co-accused in the FIR and summoned her to join their probe. Vishwas tweeted about how the Punjab Police not only refused to disclose the name of the complainant but also, failed to upload the copy of the FIR against him on their website. In the run-up to the Punjab polls, Vishwas had accused Kejriwal of collaborating with Khalistanis; even as Kejriwal countered with a rebut describing himself as a “sweet terrorist.” Lamba claimed police officials threatened her of “consequences” if she failed to appear before the SIT. Former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was the first to denounce the state police for being puppets in the hands of Kejriwal while the new Punjab PCC chief wrote to the state DGP demanding withdrawal of the FIRs against Vishwas and Lamba. It remains to be seen if Lamba’s party continues rallying behind her.
Recently, Tamil Nadu’s leading magazine Junior Vikatan made news with a sell out cover story edition “Rough Governor, Tough CM”. The headline sums up strained relations between TN Governor R N Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin. The bone of contention is that the Governor is sitting pretty on the bill against NEET passed in the TN assembly among others including amendments to the cooperative law. Matters came to a head when the Governor’s motorcade was blockaded, black flags hurled at it on its way back from a visit to the Dharmapuri Mutt. Is the Governor more important than the voice of 8 crore Tamilians? Talk is rife that powerful TN MP’s even lobbied for his recall. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan (additional charge of Puducherry) is facing hard times too. She has faced Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s ire for raising political issues. KCR does nothing to hide his animosity towards the PM and Home Minister. Last week’s buzz, Soundararajan was being moved to Kerala, to swap Raj Bhavans with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. Is Khan considered a better foil, for KCR to be put in his place? The BJP is leaving nothing to chance taking Chanakya Neeti’s dictum Sarasa, Sama, beda danda, chatura. Governor Soundararajan summed it up aptly, “We are not rubber stamps to sign on dotted lines”.
The general perception is that West Bengal is in the abyss. Not really, if one goes by the response to the recently held 2-day Bengal Global Business Summit. The summit witnessed inking of MoUs entailing a total investment of Rs 342,000 crore that could create 40 lakh new jobs. This includes the Rs 10,000 crore of proposed investment by the Adani Group. A total of 137 MoUs or letters of intent were signed. In her concluding speech, WB chief minister Mamata Banerjee described the sixth edition of BGBS summit as having been ‘immensely successful’. It was attended by 4,300 participants from 42 countries. She underscored that a task-force would be set up under the chief secretary for speedy implementation of projects. The CM is confident that the quantum of investment secured through MoUs and Expressions of Interest will increase further in coming days unless the Union Government disturbs industrialists through central revenue intelligence agencies. An industry leader present at the venue said: “From the organiser’s point of view, the summit is a success because it was well attended and all these MOUs and EOIs have apparently been signed or talked about. But seeing is believing and if you ask me, I’ll begin to get impressed if I see industries coming in on the ground, rather than in government files.” True that!
To make good the exit of South Korean steel major Posco, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has successfully roped in India’s leading integrated steel major JSW Steel, part of the $13 bn JSW Group headed by Sajjan Jindal. JSW’s wholly owned subsidiary JSW Utkal Steel is expected to set up 13.2 MTPA at an investment cost of Rs 65,000 crore in Jagatsinghpur district close to Paradeep port. The Odisha project dovetails with Jindal’s game plan of achieving 50 MT capacity. The JSW project has already received EC clearance and is getting ready to implement pre-project stage requirements including employment and livelihood creations. The Odisha government seems confident of handing over 2,950 acre land to JSW Steel this fiscal since most land parcels belong to the government anyway. Other small gap are being covered through collective persuasion, court support rejecting vested PILs and fair compensation for loss of betel-nut farm lands. Learning from the Posco experience, the Odisha government is not leaving any chances for slippages anywhere, by taking everyone on board through village meetings, addressing concerns with matched speed of action to deliver complete parcels of land to JSW this fiscal. If Naveen babu gets the project going Bhubaneswar could well emerge as the steel capital of India with other players like ArcelorMittal, JSPL and others also evincing interest.
After an initial high in the home internationals against West Indies and Sri Lanka — 11 wins — Rohit Sharma experienced the painful disappointment of being beaten in every game Mumbai Indians (MI) has played in the Tata IPL-15 so far. He now joins the notorious group of captains who have lost seven matches in a row in the high-profile Twenty20 competition. The India captain, across all formats and, who has won five IPL titles for MI has lost seven straight matches in IPL-15. Sharma though finds company in the same league with Adam Gilchrist (Deccan Chargers, 2008), Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2018-19), George Bailey (Kings XI Punjab/Punjab Kings, 2015), Yuvraj Singh (Pune Warriors, 2011) and Mahela Jayawardena (Delhi Capitals, 2013-14). But there are captains who have lost eight, nine and eleven matches in a row. Sourav Ganguly (Pune Warriors, 2012-13) and Kevin Pietersen (Delhi Capitals, 2014-15) tops the list with eleven defeats in a row. Brendan McCullum (Kolkata Knight Riders, 2009) and Angelo Mathews (Pune Warriors, 2013) have lost nine in a row and Virender Sehwag (Delhi Capitals, 2012-13) has lost eight in row. With seven more to go MI will win a match or two on the way, but it looks like it’s curtains for MI in so far as the play-off qualification is concerned.
Ever since he signed his first movie Refugee in 2000, there has been no respite for 46-year-old Abhishek Bachchan. He is constantly compared with his larger-than-life father Amitabh Bachchan. Is this comparison even justified? Abhishek has acted in 73 films in his 22 years career, even made a mark in films like Sarkar, Dhoom, Yuva and Guru. He carved a space for himself, worked with big banners and famous directors, yet that big moment has eluded him – the role to catapult him into the big league. There were a lot of expectations from The Big Bull where he played scamster Harshad Mehta but, he lost out to the web series Scam 1992 played by Pratik Gandhi over timing of the release. He got praise for his role as an uneducated politician in Dasvi though it was not a box office hit. Bob Biswas also failed to propel him. So, what worked against Junior Bachchan? A respected source says “Abhishek, unlike his father, does not give a 100% for every movie. In some movies he goes the whole hog while in others it seems like he is disinterested.” If he wants to step into the Big B’s shoes he has to put 150% into all the roles he plays – big or small. Only then will his Oscar moment arrive!
A year after the Union government amended the All India Services (AIS) Rules for the Jammu and Kashmir union territories, under which four IAS officials were recently sacked, and powers of the local administration to grant two three month extensions to superannuated IAS, IPS and IFoS cadre officials was withdrawn, a new notification makes the same rules applicable pan India. A well-placed source told Shortpost.in, “The move comes in the wake of West Bengal’s confrontationist attitude, whose then Chief Secretary continues in the state despite repatriation to New Delhi. When PM Narendra Modi visited WB on May 28, 2021 for a ground report on the cyclone that hit the state, CS Alapan Bandyopadhyay did not brief him, even left the meeting. Similarly, Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee demanded WB’s leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari be excluded.” In June 2021 Bandhyopadhyay retired and was appointed as Chief Advisor to Banerjee. The new notification, with retrospective effect, disallows such extensions without prior clearance from the Central Vigilance Commission and intelligence committee. The new rules provide for a two-year jail term for officials found in violation and also includes anti-government comments on social media as grounds for action. The new AIS rules will impact other states like Maharashtra where former CS Sitaram Kunte and before him, Ajoy Mehta were also appointed as advisors to CM Uddhav Thackeray post retirement.
Former Congress MLA Baba Siddique’s annual iftar party in suburban Bandra has always been a star-studded affair. Be it at Sheesha Sky Lounge on Linking Road from where it started, to the iconic Mehboob Studio at Hill Road, and from 2010 onwards at the Taj Lands End at Bandstand, the party has seen regular attendance from the Khans of Bollywood. However, due to the Covid situation, Siddique couldn’t host the annual ritual these past two years. This year, with Covid restrictions withdrawn from April 2, an enthusiastic Siddique — like always — invited both the Khans, but ended up annoying their fans. Shah Rukh Khan made his first media appearance after a long time. The superstar graciously greeted the media but wasn’t feeling comfortable posing for photographs. However, Siddiqui, who was escorting the actor inside the venue, forcibly stopped him and made him pose. While SRK maintained his calm, he looked extremely uncomfortable. This irked netizens who slammed Siddique. Likewise, while seeing off Salman Khan, Siddique got too close for comfort and even placed his hand on Salman’s head as if he’s a kid who doesn’t know how to sit in a car. Interestingly, it’s both the Khans who had made Siddique’s iftar bash a national event by embracing each other after a feud following an ugly spat at Salman’s then-girlfriend Katrina Kaif’s birthday.
One of Kerala’s iconic hotels, the Taj Malabar Resort & Spa in Kochi near Willingdon Island is up for grabs. Cochin Port owns the property built in 1936 and named after the first Viceroy of India, the 1st Earl of Willingdon and, has invited bids. The Taj group which has been managing the property since 1985, is now running it on extension after the expiry of its lease. Cochin Port has invited tenders for a pre-bid meeting for the Port-owned buildings (Malabar Hotel) for a period of 30 years. The last date for submitting the bid is May 6. The Taj group currently pays a lease rental of Rs 71 lakh per annum. Many contenders have lined up for this prestigious property including the likes of ITC Hotels, Oberoi Group and Kerala’s top business names like RP Group, Lulu Group etc. The Malabar Hotel offers stunning views of the Cochin Harbour and the Arabian Sea and can still remain with the Taj Group if they invoke the right of first refusal in the bidding process according to well-placed sources. The Tatas may still retain the property if they match the highest bidder. A spokesman for the Lulu Group denied being in the race and said that the Group was currently focused on only two properties: the Grand Hyatt at Bolgatthy and Marriott Hotel at Edapally.
In the backdrop of recent clashes in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a series of directions. All organisers are henceforth required to submit an affidavit promising to maintain peace and harmony before permission is given. Only traditional religious festivities will be allowed and new events to be denied permission, a tweet from CM Yogi’s official account said. Yogi’s announcement assumes significance as the festivals of Eid and Akshay Tritiya will likely fall on the same date early next month. He has also cancelled the sanctioned leave of all police and administrative officials in the state till May 4 asking them to report back on duty within 24 hours. Yogi’s preventive action is linked to the surprise Jahangirpuri riots. There was no intelligence that the Hanuman Jayanti procession would be disrupted. Reports indicate the main Jahangirpuri riot accused Ansar received a phone call and he then gathered a few trouble makers outside the mosque even as the VHP procession approached. Probe is on to establish who prompted Ansar to confront the VHP procession. Of the three Hanuman Jayanti processions police are ambiguous about its clearance to the VHP procession. There was a SDPI protest rally in Jantar Mantar in Delhi the same day. Did the SDPI prompt Ansar? Ansar who hails from Bengal is affiliated to AAP.
Seems like some Congressmen do not repose much faith in election strategist Prashant Kishor who made a detailed presentation to the party leadership on poll strategies for the 2024 general elections last week. Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s decision to get his ideas vetted by a panel indicates that all is not well for PK. Notably, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stayed away from PK’s presentation. A Bihar leader points out how PK was of little help in states like Bihar, where the recent by-election for Bochahan saw the Congress registering only 1336 votes, far less than even NOTA. Meanwhile, PK’s possible role in the Congress has already had a political fallout in Telangana. Kishor is said to be still working with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), even as the Congress is a sharp critic of the K C Rao government. The BJP opposition in Telangana exploited PK’s Delhi role in the Congress to suggest a possible TRS-Congress coalition in the state. Denying any possibility of collaborating with KCR, AICC in charge of Telangana Manicka Tagore tweeted that “Rumours of a Congress coalition with TRS are totally false. The Congress won’t move back an inch from its commitment to save Telangana from the TRS and BJP.” In the thick of all this Rahul Gandhi is travelling abroad for a short holiday.
No doubt, he is Tamil Nadu‘s treasure and pure and unadulterated symphony for cinema. Ilaiyaraja became a household name for his resonating music and giving consistent hits as composer and singer for over 30 years. Isaignani (Saint Musician) as he is referred to (an encomium conferred by Kalaignar) has over 7,000 songs to his credit. He is Asia’s first symphony writer and even A R Rahman’s Oscar has never daunted the music Raja, the acknowledged doyen of the music industry. Suddenly though, controversy surrounds the Raja. Has he moved from Sangeet to become a Sanghi? There is no smoke without fire and Ilaiyaraja himself stoked the flames and his reputation as a professional without any political leanings. His foreword to a book titled, Ambedkar & Modi, Reformer’s ideas, Performer’s Implementation launched by BlueKraft Digital Foundation, has stirred up a hornet’s nest. Raja further gilded this lily by making a comparison of the two titans, with brother Gangai Amaran serving as his mouthpiece. Even as media talking heads and YouTubers analysed his claim, news has leaked out that President Ramnath Kovind received a list of three names from the world of Art and Entertainment to nominate as Rajya Sabha members. So, one of the names is that of Ilaiyaraja. The penny has dropped with a loud clink.
Whoever said Tamilians, laidback to the point of indolence as they can be, do not nurse ambitions? Take the case of Tamilisai Soundararajan, Telangana Governor who is also in charge of Puducherry. Having been given a supposedly apolitical gubernatorial post, she is angling for much higher things as all BJP and pro-BJP personalities are on a watchlist for picking the next President of India. So useful will that person be in office with the power to call who will form the government in case of a hung poll that BJP will be extra careful in zeroing in. Tamilisai is in the running, according to BJP insiders. Meanwhile, music maestro Ilaiyaraja, in the news lately for comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his penned preface for a book, is facing the music on social media in a state that is highly opinionated against Modi. It is believed that the maestro, who once supported Leftist causes using his music, is now angling for a Rajya Sabha nomination. The DMK — politically savvy enough to keep on the right side of the Prime Minister in public while haranguing everyone else about the Centre’s interference in State subjects — is maintaining a studied silence in public and claims that it has no opinion either way about Ilaiyaraja’e apparent endorsement of Modi.
After the crushing defeat in the state assembly election, the party high command asked Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Kumar Lallu to put in his papers. With no new state chief and with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra keeping away from Lucknow, Congressmen in the state are running around directionless, like a brood of headless chickens. A senior party leader and member of the AICC told shortpost.in, “The organization that we had built by fielding candidates on all seats is crumbling now. Moreover, Priyanka has not even looked back at the party in the post-poll situation.” He also revealed the reason why, unlike the other four states that went to polls earlier this year, the party adopted the ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon‘ campaign in UP. “No strong candidate was willing to contest on our ticket. The few we had were the ones denied tickets by their respective parties who came, not out of choice but, by compulsion.” Another leader, however, claimed the scenario will be different in the 2024 general elections. “The party can win back the support of Muslims, Brahmins, and BSP’s voters who are looking for a new alternative,” he said, adding that now its only poll strategist Prashant Kishor who can save the crumbling state unit, strengthen the organization, and make the party politically relevant.
Akshay Kumar was trolled for endorsing a pan masala ad Vimal Elaichi that has featured Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan earlier. The commercial promotes the elaichi brand of the product but, the company also makes gutka and the actor, known to be a fitness icon, is on record saying he would never endorse any tobacco brand and has come under fire. Although there was no response from the brand or an apology from either party, it may be recalled that Amitabh Bachchan had returned the money earned from the Kamla Pasand advertisements after being trolled by his fans. In this age of social media, trolling is part of the game with celebrities prepared to face the music though it seems like most brands don’t really bother about the trolls. Like Telgu-Kannada actress Rashmika Mandana was trolled for ogling at Vicky Kaushal’s innerwear brand Macho Sporto, Kartik Aaryan for sporting fake abs for a hair removing brand; neither stars or advertisers really bothered. Till only a few years ago, these stars would have lost their contracts, had the ads pulled off air. It happened to Aamir Khan when he used the word “intolerance” in one news interview. Recall how yesteryear super models Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre were dragged to court for posing nude for the Tuff Shoes Ad with a python wrapped around them.
Leg spin is the most difficult art of bowling — being unorthodox in style when juxtaposed with the conventional finger spinner — but they are wicket takers and match winners in the most difficult circumstances. India’s premiere leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal saw lady luck smile on him while plotting Rajasthan Royals’ victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders much against the run of play. He became the fifth leg spinner in the Twenty20 league after Amit Mishra (a phenomenal three times; for Hyderabad v Pune, DD v Deccan Chargers and for Deccan Chargers v Mohali), Shreyas Gopal (for RR v RCB), Samuel Badree (for RCB v MI) and Pravin Tambe (for RR v KKR) to perform the magic feat. Chahal got rid of Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Mavi and Pat Cummins to provide the 21st instance of a hat trick in the TATA IPL-15. This feat had eluded him at the start of the tournament when he flummoxed Mumbai Indian’s Tim David and Daniel Sams after which substitute Karun Nair dropped Murugan Ashwin at slip. With his first 5 wicket haul against KKR, he is all set to go past the fourth placed Piyush Chawla’s 157 victims in the competition. The leg spinner did the trick for Chahal not the googly! ‘I had to take wickets”, the RR hero said of his 17th over tour de force!
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal summoned Punjab state government officials to Delhi, sans the state’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, to discuss the power supply situation spooking leaders of Congress, Akali Dal and the BJP alike. Criticism flowed in from at Kejriwal’s attempt to remote-control Punjab. Punjab Chief Secretary, PSPCL and other Punjab power department officials met Kejriwal to discuss AAP’s pre-poll promises, including 300 units of free power. Delhi’s Power Minister Satyendra Jain and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha were also present. Red flagging Kejriwal’s intentions, former CM Captain Amarinder Singh tweeted: “Arvind Kejriwal has taken over Punjab much before it was expected to happen. That Bhagwant Mann was a rubber stamp was a foregone conclusion, now Kejriwal has proved it right by chairing Punjab officers’ meeting in Delhi.” Ironically, even as Punjab reels under a financial crisis, the AAP Government will buy luxury Sports Utility Vehicle – Toyota Fortuners for ministers and Multi Utility Vehicle – Toyota Innova Crystas for MLAs. Although CM Bhagwant Mann denied this, the state transport department has sought Rs 18 crore from the finance department to purchase vehicles for ministers and legislators. The Delhi meeting was preceded by ADGP Gaurav Yadav’s appointment as Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Yadav and Kejriwal are batchmates who cleared civil services in 1992, opting for IPS and IRS respectively.
It was not the big fat Punjabi wedding many had expected. Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt decided on a low-key affair at their Bandra residence ‘Vastu’. Both consciously chose a simple marriage over a celebrity event, with all the associated drama and restricted it to their families and a few close friends, while keeping the paparazzi, politicians, celebrities and industrialists out of the picture. An invitee at the wedding said: “If you ask me how it was different from other celebrity weddings, the word is, simplicity.” Many who expected invitations were thoroughly disappointed and of course, best man Ayan Mukerji features in all the frames. So does Karan Johar. Alia-Ranbir were seeing each other for five years and, merely decided to give their relationship the official tag of “Just married”. On social media, Neetu Kapoor posted: “This is dedicated to Kapoor Saab (red heart emoji). Your wish has been fulfilled.” It was a family get together, with mehndi and sangeet on the same day with choreographer Rajendra Singh who arranges dances at all the Kapoor weddings. Attendees said it was full of fun and laughter as it is, in all Kapoor household weddings. There was singing and dancing that wouldn’t have been complete without Alia and Karan Johar grooving to the “Radha, Tera Jhumka song from Alia’s first movie Student Of The Year.
Hardik Pandya has won more admirers in the last three weeks. The reason is his overall commitment to batting, bowling, fielding and leadership of Gujarat Titans in the Tata IPL-15. The new team has surprised the discerning, winning four of its five league matches to be placed on the pedestal. After its win against the Rajasthan Royals on Thursday (April 14), the Titans have eight points, thanks to Hardik’s brilliant unbeaten 87 off only 52 balls. He dropped anchor and also sprayed shots at the DY Patil Stadium as the Titans reached a match winning score of 192 for four. Hardik has been in such a good nick with the bat that he is only second (with 228 runs) behind Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler (272 runs). Captaincy has indeed brought about a transformation in his overall game. He was declared the man of the match after leading his team to a 37-run win. Hardik is plain lucky that the BCCI added two more franchises and one of these turned out to be from Gujarat which retained him and made him the captain. And the team anthem, “Aava De“, seems to be gelling well with his character. Not very long-ago Hardik saw his fan base eroding but, he has used the Gujarat Titans and IPL to regain ground simply, leading by example.
The Congress is smacking its lips in anticipation of assembly polls due in Karnataka next year, having secured the resignation of Rural Development Minister K S Eshwarappa over the unnatural death of civil contractor Santosh Patil. The Congress is also immensely relieved to shift the political battle from contentious issues, like the hijab and halal meat, to core issues of BJP mis-governance like corruption. BJP leaders, however, feel the Congress campaign will head nowhere and end like the sting CD on former minister Ramesh Jharkhioli in 2021. Minister Jharkhioli had also resigned but the probe has meandered ever since. Karnataka BJP also charged that contractor Patil was originally a Congress worker, adding that he carried out works without required sanctions from the authorities. It alleged that the 40% commission scam was a ‘toolkit’ developed by the Congress. If this is true, then why did Eshwarappa, a prominent Kuruba face, offer to quit? It seems he had little choice as an FIR had been filed against him. The deceased contractor, who made the corruption allegations against the minister, had also marked it to the PM. Patil had been given oral instructions for a Rs 4-crore project in the rural parts of the State. Patil’s grievance was that he did not receive any payments for the job even 18 months after project completion. Eshwarappa’s pleads innocence and asks “How can payment be released without a work order?”
The relationship between Raj Bhavan and Fort St George were strained even when Tamil Nadu was a ruling BJP-allied State but, has turned adversarial now. Even before R N Ravi headed to Guindy from the northeast, whispers campaigns abounded about his being an ex-IB official, who spelt trouble for the DMK regime. He started off fairly amiably until the new Governor, at the instance of New Delhi, decidedly ran afoul of Stalin & Co. Governor Ravi is sitting pretty on the bill against NEET passed in the TN assembly. He also held back others, including amendments to the cooperative law. The ruling DMK finds itself in a piquant situation, even had to boycott the unveiling of the statue to Bharatiar, beloved poet of all Tamilians, to express their displeasure of the Governor. In days gone by, several occupants at the picturesque Raj Bhavan located in the reserved lung space of Chennai, were dreaded by the then ruling parties. M Chenna Reddy’s run-ins with the fiery Jayalalithaa became part of political folklore. Governor Vidyasagar Rao kept Sasikala waiting as prospective CM until the Supreme Court passed the verdict to send her to jail. There was even a Governor who believed in going into the woods for his morning ablutions, providing the only comic relief from Raj Bhavan.
Politics of protests, confrontation has peaked in Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M K Stalin skipped the ‘at home reception’ – a tea party — hosted by Governor RN Ravi at Raj Bhawan on April 14 to mark the occasion of the Tamil New Year. The DMK and allies boycotted the event as a mark of protest against the Governor who did not forward the anti-NEET Bill to the President for approval. If the ruling DMK is still sulking over NEET, the opposition BJP grabbed headlines after countering attempts to disrespect PM Narendra Modi made by the DMK, which removed his portrait from panchayat offices. In two separate incidents in Thanjavur and Coimbatore districts, the PM’s photo was put back at the Veppathur town panchayat office (VTPO) after a huge uproar. The VTPO chairman Anjammal had removed Modi’s photo that adorned the civic body office. In Coimbatore, BJP state president K Annamalai also placed a portrait of PM Modi in a ration shop to raise awareness about the Union government’s welfare schemes. Meanwhile, the race for Rajya Sabha vacancies in Tamil Nadu has picked up. While Congress is pushing for two seats, CPI (M) wants DMK to nominate prominent editor N Ram. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal whose RS term from UP is ending in July will visit Chennai on April 16 to attend a function and meet CM Stalin.
Thalapathy Vijay’s vast army of fans who waited with bated breath for his latest release Beast were disappointed, going by reactions of those exiting cineplexes, where frowns and let down feelings were clearly evident. After Kolamavu Kokila and an acknowledged hit in Doctor, the heady combination of director Nelson, action czar Vijay and foot tapper Anirudh was expected to set the box office on fire. While fans don’t blame their hero Vijay, who captures every frame with style and pizzaz, they are disappointed with the weak story line and at Nelson for “wasting the actor’s immense talent “. Clashes between fans of filmstars Ajit and Vijay over perceived popularity ratings and ability to deliver more hits is infamous. Currently, after Ajit’s Valimai also faltered, petering out within days of release, both are left standing on the same pedestal. Sun Pictures left no stone unturned to pull off another superhit, including pre-release publicity stunts, exclusive interviews with Vijay claiming this as his best performance in over a decade! Beast’s music by Anirudh with two chart busters in Arabic Kuthu and Jolly O Gymkhana became chart-toppers and loved by fans. Beast has followed quickly in the footsteps of the commercial failure Radhe Shyam. Fan frenzy for Thalapathy notwithstanding, the diamond did not get its perfect setting to shine.
Yuzvendra Chahal says he was dangled from a 15th-floor hotel balcony by a heavily drunk fellow player during the IPL in 2013. The incident took place during a get-together when the loquacious leg-spinner was a Mumbai Indian. The buzz in Indian cricket is, while many in the know are aware of who the character is, no one wants to say it in public lest the player involved take offence. The player is also a pretty big personality in Team India today and taking his name might be problematic as some voices have already been raised saying the said “bully” should be banned from cricket. It was a party prank but a very scary one for the “victim” who said, “I was holding on to him, with my arms around his neck. If I had lost my grip, we were on the 15th floor… had there been a small mistake there, I would have fallen down.” The player had fainted at the prospect of hitting the ground from that height. The spinner has named others who played milder pranks on him when he was a Mumbai Indian but the perpetrator of the cubase torrent major incident could not be named as he is at the top of the totem pole now. A driver toolkit 8.5.1 serial key guess as to the major player’s identity is allowed.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s ambitious Ekamra Shetra Project which aims to transform the old temple town of Bhubaneswar into a world class tourist and pilgrimage centre at a cost of Rs 700 crore has run into rough weather. BJP is opposing the project while Congress is supporting it. The issue centres around the beautification initiative to make Bhubaneswar a world class heritage temple city based on 12th century Lingaraj Temple. Patnaik is keen to include Bhubaneswar’s ancient structures in UNESCO World Heritage sites. But it has already run into controversy over allegations that ancient monuments were destroyed during an excavation drive by the state government. ASI says they were never consulted and watchdog INTACH has alleged that many priceless structures were destroyed as there was no deployment of ground-penetrating radar analysis before commencement of work. Based on this feedback, the Union Home Ministry has blocked Odisha’s Lingaraj Temple Legislative Ordinance terming it unlawful as it falls under Ancient Monuments & Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR), 1958. The home ministry has pointed out that Patnaik government has already violated the AMASR Act around Lingaraj temple by building modern structures. The real bone of contention seems to be the appointment of Dr Santrupt Mishra, Group Director from the Aditya Birla Group to head the project instead of getting experts from INTACH. This move, many bureaucrats in Odisha believe, was needless.
Looks like Salman Khan and his close friend Sajid Nadiadwala have decided to part ways on the professional front as they seem to have serious differences over their new venture Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali? According to a highly placed source, differences arose over Salman Khan’s payout. For the astute film producer Nadiadwala that number was not making business sense. Instead of creating bad blood, a wiser Nadiadwala has handed over the project lock, stock and barrel to Salman and walked out. An insider is at pains to point out that their old friendship continues; it is purely a business decision. Be that as it may, Salman has seen and been in such situations several times. He walked out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Inshallah after the set was erected. Bhansali lost quite a fortune but he was smart enough to utilize the set for making Gangubai Kathiawadi. Earlier, Priyanka Chopra ditched Salman to get married, left high and dry, he quickly roped in Katrina Kaif for Bharat. Kabir Khan who got along famously with Salman is no more on his speed dial post the flop of Tubelight. Similarly, he replaced director Ali Abbas Zafar with Manish Sharma for Tiger 3 which features Katrina Kaif with whom he was once linked with. How will their chemistry be in the movie given the fact he was not invited to her wedding?
Madhya Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seems to be in a mood to change his own image. Taking a cue from Yogi Adityanath, Chouhan decided to go after trouble-makers in the state with bull-dozers. He cleared strong action against those who created trouble during Ram Navami procession in Khargone. In a major development, the state government demolished houses of accused involved in the violence to recover the damage caused to properties. So far 45 properties including 16 houses and 29 commercial properties have been demolished — these were mainly illegal constructions. While the jury is still out on this sort of instant justice, the Government has taken a tough view as six policemen were injured in the violence — one of them an SP received a bullet injury. In this context, Chouhan ticked off Congress leader Digvijay Singh for tweeting pictures of an incident outside MP just to “foment” trouble in the state. Even as the state was contemplating action against the former CM, Digvijay deleted his controversial tweet but blamed the police for not being prepared.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
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If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.