All
Politics
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Celebrities
Hours after the U.S. bombed Iran’s three key nuclear facilities on June 21, PM Narendra Modi spoke with President of Iran Dr Masoud Pezeshkian. “We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations. Reiterated our call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability,” Modi said in a post on X. The conversation assumes significance as many Indian students are still in that country, hoping to return back home. Teheran had evacuated Indian students with the help of our mission to leave Iran via Armenia and Doha. Some batches of students managed to reach Delhi. Our mission in Tehran has been helping students from Nepal and Sri Lanka also to leave Iran. Pakistan too rushed to condemn the attack and said that Iran had all the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN charter. The official comments by Pakistan come days after its Field Marshal Asim Munir visited White House for a lunch hosted by President Trump. Pak reaction seemed odd considering the initial reports suggested that the U.S. plan was to use Pak base to attack Iran. But now media reports indicate that the U.S. Stealth bombers were flown from Missouri for over 37 hours and had refuelled mid-air to carry out the operation. Clearly it seems President Trump did not trust Gen Munir and had a surprise element in the strikes. In Iran, Hossein Shariatmadari, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative, has called for immediate retaliation. He talked about launching a missile strike on the U.S. naval fleet in Bahrain and simultaneously closing the Strait of Hormuz. Any adverse action in Hormuz could hurt India.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandra Babu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh is clearly moving centre stage in politics. The 42-year old Minister for IT and Human Resources Development came for high praise from PM Modi on the way he organised the International Yoga Day event in Visakhapatnam. The event was a logistical success with Lokesh overseeing extensive arrangements. Modi specifically praised Lokesh’s efforts, a gesture that resonated widely within TDP circles and reinforced his growing stature. He managed to mobilise a record crowd of 302,087 at Visakhapatnam alone. Calling him bhai, PM Modi said “I want to praise Lokesh profusely. He has proved how a social celebration should be planned, and executed and how all sections of society should be brought together in just one and a half months”. How Lokesh had organised the Yogandhra Abhiyan should serve as a role model for the rest of India. In this abhiyan, two crore people took part in it (referring to events across mandals). This is the cardinal principle of the Viksit Bharat, said Modi. TDP spokesperson Prof Jyothsna Trinagari said the Visakhpatnam numbers were double of Surat which was about 1.47 lakh. A notable highlight of the event was the use of a QR code-based participant tracking system, which yielded highly accurate attendance data, setting a new benchmark. Of course, it is not that Lokesh had suddenly moved into the spotlight; he has had a number of high-profile engagements with national leaders, including a one-on-one dinner with Modi on May 17 along with his family and meetings with key Union Ministers. These suggest that he has been slowly emerging as key interlocutor for Andhra and TDP — he has been acting as a bridge between the Centre and the state.
Just a year for the most bitter battle for the Tamil Nadu gaddi and a whole host of chinks and breaches in the DMK armour are tumbling out. Is the DMK being dismantled by a cunning Chanakya? Are DMK MP K Kanimozhi and MK Alagiri being instigated to rebel against a dynastic family succession? Political seers are seeing red at every turn. The latest buzz about the Maran brothers, Kalanithi and Dayanidhi fighting for their share of spoils has shaken the DMK leaders and cadres. The father of Maran brothers, Murasoli Maran was Kalaignar’s (nephew) alter ego, power broker and conscience keeper. The two families grew wealthy and powerful even as the DMK’s political relevance grew to sustain the families. Kalanithi, founder of the SUN TV Group, an entrepreneur with an unfailing Midas touch and brother Dayanidhi too basked in the sun’s radiance and held sway in Delhi. The timing of the fallout is what everybody is questioning. Whose hidden hand is at work? The recent star status accorded by PM Modi to Kanimozhi (Stalin’s step sister) to lead an all-party delegation post Operation Sindoor indicates she is a power centre in her own right. Was she given the plum role to highlight that she too was ready for the state’s CMship? On his recent visit to Madurai, an estranged Stalin made amends by calling on older brother MK Alagiri, who assured Stalin that he is no longer interested in politics and would create no trouble as the family’s “Southern Satrap”. BJP knows that 2026 may be too early to make a significant dent in the iron grip of the Dravidian parties. But chipping away brick by brick could dent that grip. Chanakya at work on many fronts.
After spending two years at 10 Janpath with his mother Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is moving into a new address. He started the process of shifting on his birthday on June 19. It is being said 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, barely two km from 10 Janpath, will be his new address and Rahul will move into the Type VIII bungalow before the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting July 21. The Sunehri Bagh residence was earlier occupied by Karnataka BJP leader A Narayanaswamy, who was Minister of State for Social Justice in the Modi government from 2021 to 2024, and had not contested 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Since he became an MP in 2004, Rahul has been staying at 12, Tughlaq Lane for 19 years till 22 April, 2023. This was the house he had to vacate after he was disqualified from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a defamation case involving PM Modi. He was given the choice of moving back to 12, Tughlak Lane — but it was believed that it lacked an auspicious vastu and the Gandhis declined moving back. Rahul had the option of paying market rent and continuing to stay in the bungalow after filing an application but he chose to stay with his mother. He continued to stay at 10 Janpath even after the Lok Sabha election and assumed the chair of Leader of Opposition.
Shares of Sun TV Network crashed over 5% on June 19 after a family feud came to light. Dayanidhi Maran accused elder brother Kalanithi Maran of taking control of the Rs23,000 crore Sun TV through fraudulent practices soon after their father Murasoli Maran’s death in 2003. Now, there are reports that the legal battle over Sun TV ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly elections has begun to worry the ruling DMK. DMK leaders have begun to worry how they would face the polls without media, muscle and money. They are not only feeling caught between feuding Maran brothers but also feel they have no answer for the TASMAC liquor scam involving close aides of Deputy CM Udhaynidhi Stalin. Sources close to DMK say Dayanidhi’s revelation is bound to please chief minister MK Stalin’s son-in-law V Sabareesan as well as be music to ears of his sister DMK Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi, who also runs a TV media network Kalaignar. Both Sabareesan and Kani have been in cold and watched Udhaynidhi flex his muscles. In his notice, Dayanidhi sought to restore the Sun TV’s shareholding structure to its pre-September 2003 status. This implies that Dayanidhi and his sister, Anbukarasi Maran, along with MK Stalin, and his two brothers and sister, would be the owners of Sun TV, as Kalanithi did not own any shares in the company 22 years ago. Dayanidhi says that after their father’s death, Kalanithi took over more than 75% of the company, while the shares held by their parents were reduced from 50% to just one single share. He claims Kalanithi used none of his own money to do this. He has threatened to request a government investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office if Kalanithi does not agree to fix the issue. The notice says that when Sun TV was founded in 1985, the only shareholders were MK Dayalu (Karunanidhi’s second wife) and Mallika (Murasoli Maran’s wife).
The West Bengal government’s action is once again under scrutiny after political cartoonist Manjul received a takedown notice from Cyber Crime wing of the state police. News website, The Wire, reported that the notice targeted two 2019 cartoons featuring chief minister Mamata Banerjee; one depicting defections from TMC to BJP, and the other on chit-fund scams under her regime. The state police cited alleged legal violations behind the notice. Earlier in March, FIRs were filed against CPI(M)’s Mohammad Salim and BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya for sharing a video showing a woman being flogged by a TMC leader in North Dinajpur’s Chopra. The post led to public outrage, prompting police to seek content removal. These instances reflect a long-standing pattern. In 2012, Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra was arrested for forwarding a cartoon featuring Banerjee; his case dragged on for a decade. Farmer Shiladitya Chowdhury was branded a “Maoist” by Banerjee after questioning fertiliser prices, then detained and legally pursued. In 2019, Sanmoy Banerjee, ex-Congress spokesperson, was arrested for criticising the chief minister’s nephew. In June 2022, YouTuber Roddur Roy was arrested from Goa for allegedly abusing Banerjee and her nephew. In 2023, advocate and former Congress spokesperson Kaustav Bagchi was also detained for allegedly derogatory remarks about Banerjee. Both later joined the BJP. Notably, during protests over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College in August 2023, artists criticised the state’s response. In retaliation, the TMC initiated a cultural boycott led by Kunal Ghosh, backed by MP Kalyan Banerjee and Education Minister Bratya Basu.
After Opposition parties BJD and Congress lashing out at Majhi government’s performance, it’s now the turn of titular Puri King expressing his displeasure and disappointment. He has openly shown red flags to CM Mohan Charan Majhi’s administration capability over preparation of Lord Jagannath Temple’s Ratha Yatra in Puri on June 27. The King said, “Everyone thought the Majhi government will make darshan hassle-free at Lord Jagannath temple but nothing has happened so far.” Everything is moving at a snail’s pace and the entry/exit of devotees seeking Lord Jagannath’s blessings is yet to be finalised. This is because the temple management committee has not been formed in the last nine months despite King’s personal written request to the Majhi government to appoint the temple governing body. Meanwhile, the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA) management committee issue has now snowballed into a legal issue to be decided by the Odisha high court. According to Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan the delay in appointing the temple management committee is because one ‘sabayat’ and seven others had moved Odisha HC challenging the inclusion of two individuals in the sacred ‘patabola seva’ — a ritual service traditionally reserved for hereditary sevaks of the Puri Jagannath Temple. In the recent HC interim order on 19 June by Justice RK Patnaik, he has now directed SJTA to consider excluding finalisation of two names of the new temple committee members for participating in the committee meeting since it is reserved for hereditary sevaks.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has targeted the BJP for distorting Bengal’s contribution to India’s freedom movement through the recently released film Kesari Chapter 2, starring Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday. Banerjee and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) have accused the filmmakers of deliberately altering the names of iconic Bengali revolutionaries, alleging that this was done with political intent, as Kumar is known to be close to PM Narendra Modi and the BJP. According to Didi, the BJP had been consistently targeting the state and its rich cultural heritage. The film, directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, released in theatres on April 18 and later on OTT platform JioCinema, has now landed in controversy. A formal police complaint has led to a FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly insulting freedom fighters and misrepresenting historical facts. Ranjit Biswas, a resident of Nabapalli Sector IV in Bidhannagar South, filed the complaint, claiming that the courtroom scene in the film related to the Muzaffarpur Conspiracy Case misrepresents revolutionaries Khudiram Bose and Barindra Kumar Ghosh. In the movie, they are portrayed as ‘Khudiram Singh’ and ‘Birendra Kumar’ from Amritsar, which Biswas called an “insult to Bengal’s martyrs.” Following the complaint, the police have registered a case under BNS Sections 352 (intentional insult), 353(1)(c) (public mischief), and 353(2) (dissemination of false information). The TMC has demanded an apology and correction, accusing the film of whitewashing Bengal’s revolutionary history.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra is facing some sticky moments over the entry of two controversial politicians, both belonging to the Shiv Sena (UBT). BJP sympathisers and supporters are perturbed over the welcome accorded to Sudhakar Badgujar and Baban Gholap, both from Nashik in north Maharashtra. Badgujar was till a fortnight ago a close associate of Sena MP Sanjay Raut. He was expelled from that party since he presented a memorandum listing civic demands to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who was visiting Nashik. Badgujar was in the news for the past year after his pictures dancing with Salim Kutta, an alleged operator of Dawood Ibrahim, went viral on social media. Several BJP members had castigated the Sena though he had remained untouched. Even after he joined the BJP, Raut was cautious to react. Normally in the habit of launching a tirade against Sena opponents, Raut merely said about Badgujar that he would not comment on those who were not in his party. Gholap, a former minister in the first Sena-BJP alliance regime, was imprisoned for fraud and was rather inactive politically for a long time. His BJP entry was somewhat surprising for many. The BJP is facing heat for admitting the duo. Fadnavis has said that none should be held guilty unless convicted by the court. All said and done, Badgujar’s entry into the BJP has weakened the Sena (UBT) which is already facing a deluge.
Various political parties in Maharashtra are unanimous in opposing the imposition of Hindi in primary schools. The issue of teaching Hindi has provided cannon fodder to the various political outfits, which have started flexing their muscles in view of the coming local body elections. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has repeatedly clarified that the opposition to Hindi teaching is misplaced but this has had no effect for those who have taken up cudgels against Hindi’s teaching. For the first time in many years, the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by his cousin Raj Thackeray have expressed similar sentiments on the touchy situation. Those leaders and insignificant political parties, which had been in hibernation after the Lok Sabha election, have suddenly reactivated themselves. In this atmosphere, senior leader Sharad Pawar has once again taken an ambivalent position. Pawar has indirectly supported the teaching of Hindi. In a chat with the media, while saying that Hindi should not be imposed, he has observed that hating Hindi will not be in the interest of the students. Pawar also pointed out that nearly 60% of India’s population conversed in Hindi. Pawar’s position is considered reasonable though with a rider, as usual. Other partners of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi are nixed since they can neither support him nor speak against him. The issue, however, has potential to impact the local body elections.
Presented with a fait accompli of a General Council meeting ratifying Edappadi Palaniswamy as the Interim General Secretary until elections are formally held in the AIADMK party, former CM and now former Coordinator O Panneerselvem will be exhausting all legal avenues before charting his future path. In seizing total control over the party, EPS also had OPS ejected from party membership saying he had been given enough opportunities to discuss issues and sort out differences. The only recourse available now for OPS would be to approach the courts with his claim that the entire GC meeting was illegal as he had not co-signed the notice convening the meeting. The courts did not take kindly to OPS seeking to stop the meeting and OPS didn’t attend the meeting either, preferring to go to the party HQ on Lloyds Road and camp there with his supporters. The BJP washed its hands of the AIADMK internecine tussle and will sit it out until it’s clear who is legally and officially in control of the party. OPS had no support from the top duo of BJP and is out in the political wilderness. He tried to play his cards too smartly, keeping a foot in the Sasikala camp while keeping channels open to the DMK leadership. OPS’ hold was on the treasury but he has lost that too.
Novak Djokovic had the last laugh in his bromance with Nick Kyrgios as he kept his date with destiny in his 21st Grand Slam win. But just about. For a major part of the first set and in many parts thereafter, the explosive Aussie seemed the better player, serving solidly and dominating the exchanges as the Serb struggled to read his serve. It was his temperament that kept letting Kyrgios down as he muttered to himself, chattered to people in his box and imploded in the fourth set tiebreaker. The statistics are awesome – Djokovic is unbeaten at Wimbledon since 2013 across 39 matches but they don’t tell the real tale. Grass is not Djoker’s best surface though he has won seven Wimbledon titles, same as Pete Sampras and one behind Roger Federer. He has equalled Borg, Sampras and Federer in winning four Wimbledon titles on the trot. The grace of a multiple times champion, who has the albatross of being an anti-vaxxer on his shoulders, Djokovic came through in a difficult year in which he was hounded out of Australia and was underdone when Rafael Nadal outplayed him in a quarter-final at Roland Garros. It was poetic justice as a player a Covid-struck world loved to hate raised his game to beat Kyrgios and keep the long running race for Grand Slams with Nadal and Federer alive.
The curious silence over the past fortnight of a normally strident voice has led to much speculation, especially in view of the impending Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, which will take place after the monsoon. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has hardly spoken about the current political developments though his party’s lone MLA supported the Shinde-Fadanvis alliance during the trust vote and election of the State Assembly Speaker. While stray comments emerge from the MNS camp, Thackeray himself has refrained from speaking. Raj underwent surgery recently and is convalescing. While a few prominent visitors have called on him at his Shivaji Park residence in the past few weeks, he himself has not made any public appearance nor addressed any meeting or the media. Otherwise a regular media feature, Raj is said to be biding his time to speak out. The BMC is called the Shiv Sena’s oxygen plant, being the richest civic body in the country. Hence there is little doubt that the Sena will try its best to maintain its stranglehold on it. However, with the changing political equations in Maharashtra, the Eknath Shinde faction and the BJP will spare no efforts to snatch it away. In such a scenario, the role of MNS and Raj Thackeray will be crucial. Whispers are heard that an announcement can be expected soon about this.
Are some members of the Shiv Sena breakaway group likely to reconsider their decision to follow Eknath Shinde out of the party? Guesswork is rife owing to some prominent rebel MLAs repeatedly declaring their loyalty and respect towards Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. When BJP’s watchdog Kirit Somaiya described Uddhav as ‘mafia’ before television cameras, several Sena rebel MLAs took strong objection to the derogatory term and warned the former MP to mind his language. Buldhana MLA Sanjay Gaikwad has declared that many like him will walk out of the alliance with the BJP if Uddhav is attacked. Former ministers Gulabrao Patil and Deepak Kesarkar have declared that Uddhav will not be criticized by alliance members. Another rebel MLA, Suhas Kande, said he will lead a delegation of the rebels to the Thackeray residence, Matoshri. But Shinde’s trusted aide Kesarkar added a rider. He said, “If there is any talk for a patch up, our ally BJP, too, will be in the picture.” On the other hand, Uddhav, his son Aaditya and their spokesman Sanjay Raut have adopted a tough posture in response to the various pronouncements by the Sena rebels. The situation is further confounded as actress and Sena functionary Deepali Sayyad has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the initiative. “Uddhavji and chief minister Shinde will not defy your word,” she has said.
Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Tudu Bishweswar who hails from Mayurbhanj, Odisha is on overdrive to appease the tribal communities who constitute about 23% of Odisha population. This explains why as many as 87 Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS), a co-ed school affiliated to CBSE have been sanctioned for Mayurbhanj which is highest for any state as well as district in India. Eklavya Schools are being set up in States/Union Territories with grants under Article 27 and are being implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Every block with over 50% of Scheduled Tribe population having at least 20,000 tribal persons will now have EMRS and all backlog have to be completed by the extended target date 2025. Already, the parliamentary committee has expressed dismay over the slow pace of EMRS implementation work by the Tribal Ministry which for not being able to meet the original target of 452 Eklavya Schools by 2022 forcing the government to now extend the deadline to 2025. Tudu, BJP MP, is also under pressure to arrest the large number of tribal children who drop out of school — 55% at primary and nearly 71% at secondary level. It is clear the Modi government is on mission mode to uplift tribal communities and its action of nominating Droupadi Murmu also from Odisha as NDA’s presidential candidate indicates it means business.
Former BBC Global Food Champions, The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) UK, is growing rapidly with huge support from UK people. Speaking to shortpost.in, Bhawani Singh Shekhawat, CEO &Trustee, TAPF UK stated that his team is exploring all possibilities to open more kitchens in the UK. This means an addition to the existing kitchen at Watford which is already serving half million free meals a year. The new kitchens are likely to come up in the Midlands and North England in Manchester and will serve one million free meals every year, taking the total free meals distributed to 1.5 million a year. According to a TAPF study there are 8 million people in the UK affected by food poverty. Of these, nearly 5 million suffer from acute food insecurity. This includes low-income homes, the unemployed, the vulnerable and the homeless. There are close to 3 million children who sleep hungry during school holidays. Unfortunately, for 3 million children in the UK, holidays turn out to become “hungry holidays” instead of happy holidays. Besides, there are close to 300,000 homeless persons across England today. There are even more adults who are deprived of a basic plate of food. TAPF, winner of the Organization for Social Impact award at the India Global Forum, serves hot, tasty vegetarian food to the needy every day at no cost.
Tamil Nadu’s senior BJP leader H Raja may have lost elections, and his national Secretary post but neither age nor defeat have withered his chutzpah and energy to take on the DMK and chief minister MK Stalin whom he calls friend. At a recent press meet, Raja took on the DMK’s A Raja for his secessionist speech, daringly, yet managed to entertain the onlookers with his extempore slugs of wit. He nailed it when he demanded Stalin should either put A Raja behind bars for sedition or face his government’s dismissal under Article 356, if Raja was his mouthpiece. “No one should think this can’t happen. Even a lame duck PM like Chandrasekhar dismissed your father’s government in 1991”. Raja claims that Jagat Gasper, a protégée of the first family is an arms peddler, and Stalin has to show him the door. Stalin, according to Raja, has a talent for claiming credit for efforts of the Centre. The BJP government under the leadership of Modi brought home over 10,000 medical aspirants from Ukraine’s war zone Stalin quickly pounced on this opportunity to claim “It was our efforts that all came home unscathed“ . The sucker punch line H Raja delivered that turned the press meet into a Stand Up comedy, “If a neighbour celebrates the birth of a child, we must offer congratulations. But if you claim responsibility for that too….it becomes awkward”.
After a sort of Hitchcockian suspense, Justice (Retd) Dilip Bhosale has taken charge as Ombudsman & Ethics Officer of the Mumbai Cricket Association. According to people in the know of the intriguing outcome related to the nomination proposal by the MCA President Vijay Patil, the former CJ of Allahabad High Court received a wafer-thin 8-7 vote from the Apex Council, the decision-making body of the Association. Initially the numbers were stacked against the legal personality: it was purportedly 7-8 among the 15-member Apex Council of the Association. A preferred choice of Sharad Pawar, the kingmaker at the MCA for well over a decade, the 65-year-old Bhosale’s appointment will be validated at the Association’s AGM on September 28. The other development at the MCA, with the sudden change at the Maharashtra Government is of whispers being heard in the corridors of power about Amol Kale likely to be elected as President of the association. Reportedly a friend of the man in the news, former Chief Minister and the present Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, Kale was elected Vice-president unopposed three years ago. The MCA needs to thrash out a few issues with the government, and the prevailing sentiment among a large group of MCA with his chummy relationship with Fadnavis, can quickly fix nagging matters with the authorities.
Opposition Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha had decided to skip Jharkhand and West Bengal due to the stand taken by JMM chief Hemant Soren and statements made by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in favour of NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu. Mamata was open to letting her MLAs do what they want on the Presidential vote; she was also not keen about a Sinha visit to the state. However, it seems Opposition leaders have not taken kindly to Didi dropping Sinha like a hot potato for her electoral calculations in Bengal. In fact CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge do not want Sinha to skip Bengal or Jharkhand in his campaign as they feel it would send a wrong message. Yechury has even assured Sinha that the Left Parties would host him in Bengal. Meanwhile, Droupadi Murmu is reaching Kolkata on July 9 for a meeting with 69 BJP MLAs. She has also sought a separate meeting with Mamata. Now, it is clear Murmu’s presidential candidature has caught Mamata in a cleft stick– she can no longer wax eloquent about uniting the Opposition, but keep her focus on her home turf in Bengal.
The Congress high command is in two minds about taking disciplinary action against its seven erring Maharashtra MLAs for defying a party whip in the recently held Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council polls, fearing an exodus like the one witnessed by the Shiv Sena over the past fortnight. Due to the cross-voting by several MLAs, including seven of the Congress, it became possible for the BJP to bag an extra seat in both elections despite its numerical minority. The hurt was aggravated when a dozen Congress MLAs, including former chief minister Ashok Chavan, failed to turn up for voting when the saffron government led by Sena rebel Eknath Shinde was facing a floor test in the lower house. The issue was raised by another former chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan, demanding stern disciplinary action against the defaulters. Subsequently, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and a defeated party candidate, Chandrakant Handore, rushed to Delhi to appraise Rahul Gandhi. This was followed up by a meeting with Sonia Gandhi. However, they failed to get any specific direction from Delhi. Already, there is discontent in the party because of its support for renaming Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar. Hence, Sonia and Rahul are said to be proceeding cautiously. It is expected that they will wait till July 11 when the Supreme Court hears petitions regarding the developments in Maharashtra.
The decks are clear for Edappadi K Palanisamy to take over the AIADMK party as its General Secretary at the July 11 meeting to be held in Chennai. A division bench of the Madras High Court on July 7 dismissed a contempt application seeking to punish the former CM and AIADMK leader and his supporters for alleged non-implementation of its earlier orders. The bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and Sundar Mohan also dismissed the applications to stay the general council meeting and the one against Tamil Magan Hussain, who had been nominated as the permanent presidium chairman of the party at its June 23 general council meeting. Since their orders passed in the small hours of June 23 had been stayed by the Supreme Court on July 6, the judges said they were dismissing the applications and petitions. OPS has lost the battle because EPS was able to gather a brute majority favouring a “single leader” rule that had been in force till the death of party supremo and CM J Jayalalithaa in 2016. EPS ran a sustained campaign in the background to woo all important party functionaries to his side. His clever portrayal of OPS as a “double agent” leaning towards Sasikala as well as the ruling DMK helped swing support. Only the anointing of EPS as leader of the principal Opposition party in TN remains to be completed now.
Kerala’s capital city of Trivandrum is not quite a place of shopping frenzy like Mumbai, Bengaluru or Delhi. But Yusuf Ali’s Lulu Mall has done the impossible by introducing a midnight shopping concept in Trivandrum. What started on a trial basis has ended in a resounding success. The Mall owners have now promised to conduct the night shopping spree on a frequent basis. Huge crowds started milling around the Mall hours before the official opening at 11.59 pm (July 6). The roads nearby were chock-a- block and so were the parking bays. “Our intention to encourage midnight shopping was to offer a new and peaceful shopping experience,” said Joy Shadanandan, Regional Director, Lulu Group. To ensure the success of midnight shopping, there were many firsts like 50% discount on all purchases, a pink parking area exclusively for women customers. The security was upped with more personnel in mufti to ensure women safety at night. The Kerala Government also helped in with more policing and traffic management. Special bus services were introduced by the public transport provider, KSRTC. Lulu Mall in Trivandrum has crossed the one-crore-footfall mark since its opening in December 2021. With the success of the night shopping the erstwhile Travancore Kingdom could well attain the tag of “a City which never sleeps”.
In the middle of a net session before the second Test in Galle, Australian batsman Steve Smith suddenly shouted “Bazball”. He was mocking the new buzzword to enter the cricket dictionary. But the English are mighty proud of having invented it to name it after their revolutionary new coach Brendon McCullum. He has taught them this method of a fearless approach to Test cricket in which they go after the bowling regardless of how tough or challenging the conditions or the state of the match were. Smith believes Bazball may not work when there is green in the pitch or the ball is turning square. But, in four remarkable fourth innings chases, England have rewritten the rules of batting and it has made cricket entertaining to watch. Bazball may not apply to all conditions but it is one hell of a way to play modern Test cricket, which would otherwise descend to chore-ridden cricket that even less people would watch than now. Many of the modern batsmen do play their own versions of the Bazball – like Pantball that Rishabh Pant plays. Team India may have been at the receiving end of Bazball but it was exhilarating to watch and they could adapt it too provided they can get over the superstardom of some of their greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and play more like a team with a positive approach.
On August 6 the country will have a new Vice President and there is a lot of speculation about who it will be. Though the BJP has not revealed its card, there is a strong rumour that it is most likely to be Union Minorities Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. A day ahead of his term ending in the Rajya Sabha, Naqvi quit as minister. He and JDU’s RCP Singh, who is Minister of Steel, also attended the Union Cabinet meeting where PM Narendra Modi praised both of them. Soon after the Cabinet, Naqvi visited BJP headquarters to meet with party chief JP Nadda. Initially, when Naqvi didn’t make it to the list of Rajya Sabha nominations it was felt that he would probably contest the Lok Sabha by-election from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, his native State. However, after BJP fielded Ghanshyam Lodhi in SP stalwart Azam Khan’s stronghold, it was felt that Modi was likely to field the only Muslim minister in his cabinet in the vice-presidential elections. Another name doing the rounds is that of Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot. Seventy-four year Gehlot was leader of the Rajya Sabha before he moved as Karnataka Governor. Yet, what could still work in Naqvi’s favour is that he is much younger at 64 and has been very familiar with Rajya Sabha working.
In a way he is like a cat with nine lives. Sanjay Dutt, 63, is one actor who has had four comebacks in his career spanning over four decades. Dutt who has acted in over 187 films, just gave a super hit KGF 2 in which he plays an antagonist. Now everybody awaits the release of Shamshera where he is pitted against Ranbir Kapoor. Right from the word go it has been a roller-coaster ride for Baba, son of Sunil and Nargis Dutt. Launched in 1981 by his father in Rocky, Dutt made his mark as an actor in Mahesh Bhatt’s Naam. At a very early stage of his career he turned a drug addict and had to be rushed to the U.S. for treatment. When he came back, producers eagerly signed him — a rare thing in Bollywood. A broken marriage followed by his arrest for involvement in Mumbai’s serial bomb blast case did him in. Each time when it looked like his career was over he got a film like Khalnayak, Vaastav, Munnabhai MBBS that resurrected him. He came out of jail in 2016 after that most of his films flopped. While shooting for KGF 2 he was diagnosed with cancer but he did not give up. No wonder a biopic was made on him essaying ‘to hell and back’ story.
DMK MP A Raja, a confidante of the late M Karunanidhi courted the country’s ire and shock while addressing a meeting of local cadres of DMK in Tamil Nadu. Raja, in the presence of the chief minister MK Stalin, threatened the Centre that TN would secede if the state was not granted more autonomy. “We will not stop until TN gets state autonomy ….I request the PM and the HM not to force us to revive the demand for a separate TN, an ideological demand made by Periyar for Thani (separate) Nadu “. The outburst, perhaps deliberate, is to remind the Modi government of their unhappiness with the TN Governor’s role, NEET issues not being addressed, inequitable distribution of GST, imposition of Hindi; the usual litany of woes that a non-BJP ruled states has with the Union government. Both AIADMK and BJP have condemned Raja’s seditious speech. But, what is intriguing is the CM playing the role of a mute spectator. Analysts are saying that the CM was using Raja as a trial balloon to assess people’s mood. Political analyst Sumanth Raman says “He embarrassed Stalin…sidelined in the DMK and sulking. Except for such fringe elements, no one in TN talks about separatism “. Says DMK Rajya Sabha MP TKS Elangovan, “Raja aired his frustration “. The grapes of wrath are bound to be sour. A Raja may soon discover, discretion is the best part of valour.
NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu’s visit to Ranchi to seek electoral support from MPs and MLAs of Jharkhand was a resounding success. She not only managed to strike an emotional chord with her electors as she disclosed that she was connected to Jharkhand by blood as her grandmother belonged to the state but seems to have also got assurance of support from the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Murmu, who was the Governor of Jharkhand (2015- 2021) shared with the NDA legislators that when she was declared as candidate, she had shared her apprehension with PM Narendra Modi about her ability to do justice to the responsibilities of the high office. To this Modi had told her that “The Constitution will guide and show you the right path.” He had also recalled how she had groomed “Jharkhand while being Governor”. During her stint, Murmu handled ticklish legislation issues amending tenancy laws. Significantly, Murmu called on JMM supremo Shibu Soren and his son Chief Minister Hemant Soren seeking their support. She was welcomed by the Soren duo at the Chief Minister’s residence. Though JMM-Congress is only a post poll alliance, and 18 Congress MLAs backing isn’t a big deal, state Congress Rajesh Thakur is already uncomfortable at the thought of JMM keeping away from UPA candidate. Is it because it could be a redux of Maharashtra once again?
Even though the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have a good equation, that has not stopped BJP from trying to foist its flag in the state. So every time there is an election in the state, BJP puts all its might only to come a cropper. Patnaik is a revered leader who has transformed Odisha which is helping the common man. BJP’s goal was to emerge as an alternative to the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha by 2024. Now that seems to be impossible given the fact BJD swept the panchayat and urban elections a few months back thereby derailing BJPs ‘look east’ campaign. But BJP is not giving up easily. Its State President Sameer Mohanty, National Vice President Baijayant Panda and Odisha State BJP in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar have jointly prepared a 3-month strategy to make the monsoon session stormy. This plan will see BJP raise its decibel level on Mahanadi water dispute, power outages, unemployment, mineral theft, PMAY corruption, law and order, tender fixing including Naveen babu’s foreign trip. BJD seems unfazed since it is well-versed in handling opposition darts. One has to wait and watch whether BJP’s going for the jugular strategy yields dividends?
The Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri deduction in the English summer last year that Ravichandran Ashwin does not fit into the scheme of things for the Tests at Trent Bridge, Lord’s, Headingley and The Oval was assumed to be based on the conditions — weather and pitch. A like call was taken by the new combo in Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Dravid for the newly time-tabled fifth Test at Edgbaston. They had no qualms to keep India’s most successful off-spinner on the fringes. It’s anybody’s guess as to what Rohit Sharma would have done had he not been struck by the Covid-19 bug and rendered hors de combat. On his part, Shastri, in front of the microphone at Edgbaston, explained the difficulties of leaving Ashwin out of the playing XI; he touched upon cloud cover etc. It was a fait accompli plight for Ashwin though, once his name was not inked in the first eleven at Edgbaston. “Field the best XI” has been the refrain from experts, including the SONY Sports commentator, Graeme Swann, England’s most successful off spinner. Point blank he said, it will be crazy to leave out Ashwin from any Test India plays. Ashwin has played a Test at Edgbaston and the numbers he delivered in 2018 were: 4/62 and 3/59! His victims were Cook, Buttler, Stokes and Broad and Cook, Root and Jennings.
It did poorly in the last edition of the IPL (Indian Premier League). That has not in any way brought down its brand equity, however. Proof of the pudding is in eating it is said. If at all any proof is required, here is the latest. For the first time perhaps in the annals of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings (CSK), its original franchisee owner, The India Cements Ltd (ICL), chose to leverage the CSK brand name and launched a new product sometime in the middle of March this year. India Cements launched on March 16, 2022, Conkrete Super King (CSK), a new brand of cement, across the country. Touted as a one-stop concrete solution – from foundation to roof, the launch of Conkrete Super Kings was followed by some aggressive digital campaigns, digital advertisements, hoardings, jingles et al. Well, the CSK brand of cement has sold one lakh tonnes since March when it was launched. The CSK brand launch has, coincidentally, seen India Cements beefing up its marketing apparatus. The N Srinivasan-led cement major has strengthened its marketing and sales force by recruiting a number of foot soldiers to give brand CSK a big push in the marketplace. A new-found focus is certainly on to give CSK cement an all-India visibility. Well, the numbers appear to be encouraging for the ICL mandarins.
The Taj Group of Hotels has retained the iconic Taj Malabar Hotel at Willingdon Island in Kochi, Kerala. The Cochin Port Authority (CPA) which owns the property, finalised the bid for operating the heritage property on July 1. Though many leading hospitality groups showed interest in the bid, but the Taj Group managed to retain it for an enhanced lease amount of Rs 1.25 crore per annum. Taj Group paid Rs 71 lakh per annum for the earlier lease. Under the new agreement which is for 30 years, the lease amount will increase marginally every five years. Quite a few hospitality chains had picked up the bid documents, but ultimately there were only two bidders. Though the Taj group had the benefit of first right of refusal, they resorted to outright bidding to retain the property. CPA, did not disclose the name of the competing bidder. With the new Coastal Regulation Zone rules in place, no expansion of the hotel can be undertaken. So, the Taj Group will undertake an exhaustive renovation of the hotel and resort. Ever since CPA indicated that it was going for a fresh bidding of the resort, no upgradation or renovation was done at the premises for nearly two years.
Presidential Elections: Worried About Losing Tribal Votes In Bengal, Mamata In Two Minds About Murmu
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent remarks that NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu’s chances are better in the presidential elections stirred a lot of political interest making every one wonder whether she was already having second thoughts about the Opposition choice, Yashwant Sinha. A fortnight before the polls, Mamata even began to distance herself saying she had no role in Sinha emerging as the choice even though Sinha was TMC V-P. “Now we know Droupadi Murmu’s chances are better because of developments in Maharashtra. BJP didn’t discuss with us before announcing their candidate for Presidential elections. They should have taken our suggestions then we could have considered,” she said. A section in the BJP even began to feel that perhaps Mamata’s rethink could make her endorse Murmu. However, such musings were short-lived as Didi loudly wondered in a TV interview on July 4 why the suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma was “not arrested” even after Supreme Court’s much contested observations. Of course, digging a little deeper, it seems Mamata was feeling increasingly nervous about Murmu’s candidature. Maybe she realizes that by opposing Murmu in the Presidential poll, she could lose her party’s tribal vote bank in south Bengal which she had regained from the BJP in the 2021 state Assembly elections. Her arch BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari has already participated in several events across the state’s Junglemahal region, which has a significant tribal population.
The exquisite array of gifts Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried to the G7 summit tells the story of an extraordinary politician who has made India and Indians proud. And the GI Tag on a few of these gifts came as an added bonus to promote Indian artisans and their body of work. The gifts ranged from a Gulabi Meenakari brooch and matching cuff links, GI tagged from Varanasi for the U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady. Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida was gifted Black Pottery, a process specific speciality of Nizamabad. The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was gifted an ultra special platinum painted tea set to commemorate the Queen’s platinum jubilee year. Emmanuel Macron was the recipient of a Zari Zardozi box crafted in Lucknow, encased in hand embroidered khadi silk in the colours of the French flag. The contents were even more exotic — it held Attar Mitti, a fragrance mix of jasmine, rose and musk. Germany’s Chancellor was gifted brassware from Moradabad .The Italian PM was delighted to receive a semi-precious stones inlaid marble table top, reminiscent of the Pietra Dura that originated in Rome. So what is unusual about PM gifting exotic memorabilia? Normally, one expects such esoteric tastes to a “Manor Born “. Or praise the team designated to choose. Ultimately, it is the leader’s forethought to showcase India discerningly, abroad.
Nothing seems to work for the Bengal BJP at present. While Trinamool Congress manages to make a significant dent in North Bengal by gaining the maximum number of panchayat and gram panchayat boards under Siliguri division, the Bengal BJP is grappling with internal feuds. Taking cognizance of this, the central BJP leadership has sent out a strong message to the leaders who have been vocal against the present state leadership. Towards this it has excluded Dilip Ghosh, former state president and MP from Medinipur, and Locket Chatterjee, MP from Hooghly, from the panchayat coordination committee. Instead, Debasree Chaudhuri, MP from Raiganj, has been given the charge. Interestingly, Ghosh had spearheaded the 2018 panchayat polls which helped BJP to make inroads and become West Bengal’s principal opposition party. Similarly, Locket who was in charge of the committee set up to celebrate the Modi Government’s 8th Anniversary celebration, also failed to be a part of the Panchayat Committee. Insiders said both Ghosh and Chatterjee had been voicing their dissent against the current president Dr Sukanta Majumder. Debasree is known to be close to Majumder. When asked why Ghosh has been excluded from the committee, BJP says Ghosh is one of the members of the National Working Committee. But so is Debasree. Locket’s exclusion is understandable as she continues to show her allegiance to the former state president.
With the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reportedly planning for eight programmes in the next decade, companies are confidently going ahead with the use of carbon-fibre composites. These, say those using them in their products – from windmill blades to railway bodies to rocket components – comfortably outsmart all other materials thanks to their high chemical resistance, tensile strength and stiffness as well as low thermal expansion. It is no wonder that Shekhar Sardessai, chairman & managing director of the Goa-based joint venture Kineco Kaman Composites, is over the moon with a new order from ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) for crew orbiter module adaptor assemblies (OMAs) for the country’s maiden first manned space flight, Gaganyaan. The contract for these was signed just after the successful supply of a composite equipment bay shroud to VSSC for the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) Mk-III as well as several other space and aerospace programmes. The OMA, a conical carbon fibre reinforced plastic structure integrated with metallic rings machined to tight tolerances, is a critical component of the GSLV, which acts as an adaptor between the crew escape module and the escape bay shroud. “We will definitely meet the stringent quality parameters and delivery timelines,” says Sardessai. The company will supply the first three assemblies by the end of 2023. After that, the sky is no longer a limit!
It’s been 35 years since a fast bowler led India. Not since Kapil Dev was dethroned after the home World Cup of 1987 – due to issues involving commercial stickers on bats by Chancellor cigarettes rather than for losing to England in the semi-finals – has Team India even thought of a bowler as captain in Test cricket. While there is no taking away credit from Jasprit Bumrah for having risen to the Test captaincy, the BCCI must accept that it has created this captaincy muddle with so many bewildering changes. All of them were thrust on the team thanks to Rohit Sharma, elevated as triple format captain, running into all kinds of fitness problems before being infected with Covid in England. An ego clash between Virat Kohli and BCCI boss Sourav Ganguly had led to all the dramas we are witnessing today. By making a big issue out of Kohli’s desire to drop the T20i captaincy only to lessen the burdens of triple format captaincy, Ganguly had created the conditions for a peeved Kohli to quit captaincy altogether. Since then, we have had KL Rahul leading the Test side to cover for injury to Kohli and then Rishabh Pant leading in white ball cricket. Old timers might believe they have not seen two players more unsuited to leading Team India.
Jasprit Bumrah has averred that he will be his own man, not a copycat, while leading India in the deferred fifth Test against England at Edgbaston. Bumrah is a man of action in the fast lane, and his rise as captain of the Test team has happened because of the sorry plight of Rohit Sharma, who is stricken with Covid-19. Whatever it may be, will it be a case that fits into the adage “Too many cooks spoil the broth”? The head honcho of the Indian cricket team, Rahul Dravid, is quite emphatic, nay dismissive, about the hazards of having to work with different captains. Dravid was matter of fact saying that “It is what it is. Even I would not have predicted that there would be so many captains when I became the coach some months ago. We are not fazed by such situations. You have to react and deal with situations.” Dravid has been coach for Indian teams led by Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, across the three formats. And now, Bumrah, who will be the 36th captain to lead India in a Test match, his 30th in which he has taken 123 wickets. Taking centre stage is routine to him because he usually starts with the shining red cherry, but captaincy, after all, is another cuppa!
Alia Bhatt’s pregnancy has raised a number of questions. What happens to her projects? Will she come back like Kareena Kapoor or follow the footsteps of her mother-in-law Neetu Singh Kapoor? Currently, around Rs 300 crore is riding on her – both movies and ads put together. A trade pundit said not much will get affected as far as brands are concerned only alternative brands may replace the youth brands. The actress, who was shooting in Portugal for a Hollywood film, has only one film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani which has been completed. Her film with Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra has been put on the back burner because of date issues of all the three actresses. Alia has been short-listed to play the lead in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Baiju Bawra so will Bhansali wait for her to come back or sign another star? Meanwhile Darlings will be streamed on the OTT platform and Brahmastra is slated for release in September. Kareena has set a precedent for actresses. While shooting for Laal Singh Chaddha she got pregnant. Post that, her shooting dates were shuffled but she did not take a maternity break in the strictest sense. Incidentally, Kareena replaced Aishwarya Rai in Heroine when the latter was in the family way. Will Alia who plans to take a break face a similar predicament?
After attending a closed door meeting with Rahul Gandhi on election strategy for Karnataka elections early next year, an ecstatic Siddaramaiah could not avoid interacting with select journalists from Delhi media at a 5-star hotel. That’s because the Congress leadership more than ever seemed dependent on him. A party survey showed that 20 to 30% Muslims votes had shifted to formations like the SDPI and AIMIM. In a four hour discussion with state stalwarts like Siddaramaiah and DK Shivkumar, Rahul had expressed anxiety about Muslims moving away from the Congress and urged the need to win them over. He wanted both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivkumar to work together. What made Siddaramaiah happy was that the party was now ready to endorse his AHINDA formula under which party candidates were selected from minorities, backward castes and Dalits. However, even as he was interacting with journalists, he received a call from Randeep Surjewala, AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka warning him not to utter a word to Delhi media as they tend to misinterpret his statement on Karnataka politics. Nonetheless, Siddaramaiah could not help conveying that he was the top leader in Karnataka not DK Shivakumar.
Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sprung a surprise by announcing that Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde would be the new Maharashtra CM. However, this is not the ‘large-heartedness’ of the BJP, as Shinde believes, but a masterstroke that the BJP has played to cut to size the stature of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav and grandson Aaditya in the party and the state politics. “With Shinde at the helm of affairs in the state as well in the party with the backing of 39 MLAs, the significance of Uddhav Thackeray in the party will drop significantly,” said Jay Prakash Singh, a senior political analyst. He added that the move will help Fadnavis and the BJP garner sympathy votes during the upcoming civic elections for letting go of the CM’s chair for the sake of Hindutva. Fadnavis will be very much in the driver’s seat as deputy CM and this is the wish of the party high command. Fadnavis has declared, “BJP is the single largest party in the legislature… I will ensure the smooth functioning of the government.” However, is causing embarrassment to the Thackerays the only reason why Fadnavis passed on the CM’s chair to Shinde? “Once bitten, twice shy!” Singh asserts. “Fadnavis wants to play safe as he doesn’t want to face a situation similar to that of 2019. NCP leader Ajit Pawar went back to the party fold less than 48 hours after rebelling. What’s the guarantee that the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs won’t return to the Thackeray camp in the coming days/months?”
International travellers flying in and out of Trivandrum Airport in Kerala were deprived of duty free shopping for the last four years. With Adani Group taking over the airport in October 2021, things have changed for the better. The Customs authorities had shut down the duty free shop at the airport on the grounds of illegal sale of alcohol to the tune of Rs 6 crore. The allegation was that the then Malaysia-based operator, Max Plus, was diverting foreign liquor meant for sale at the airport to the black market. Max Plus was using travel documents of passengers passing through Trivandrum without their consent for the illegal sale. Even after four years, the Customs Authorities and the then operator, Airport Authority of India (AAI), were least bothered to hasten the investigation and reopen the duty free shop. Adani on the other hand meant business. After all, the group paid Rs 476.10 crore to earn the right to operate Trivandrum Airport. They immediately got the Customs NOC to reopen the duty free shop with a new partner, the Dubai-based Flemingo. In fact, Flemingo also operates the duty free shop at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport. With the footfalls expected to increase manifold, the Adanis are out to make a handsome packet. Incidentally, Adani is also the operator of the Vizhinjam sea port at Trivandrum.
Notwithstanding the fact that AIADMK has backed the NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu for presidential elections, that did not stop Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from calling up AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami to seek his support for Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. The call apparently surprised AIADMK’s top brass as O Panneerselvam was present in Delhi when Murmu filed her papers. So why and how did Rahul reach out to the AIADMK when it is already an ally of the DMK? It is being said Rahul’s call to the AIADMK leader was put through by election strategist Sunil Kanugolu. Having worked with AIADMK, Kanugolu had access to top AIADMK leaders. It seems the idea to approach the AIADMK was the brainwave of Viduthali Chiruthali Kathchi (VCK) leader T Thirmamaavalavan. The Chidamabaram Lok Sabha MP wants the Congress to move away from the DMK and forge an alliance with the AIADMK for 2024 Lok Sabha polls as the mood in the state is going against the DMK. On his part, Edappadi politely told Rahul about his party’s commitment to support Murmu.
The online gaming industry may be in for a rude shock as the Tamil Nadu government seems bent on banning any site offering online gaming with a stake. By stake it means money you pay to place a bet. The government, worried over reports of suicides due to debt problems of some addicted gamers, had appointed a committee headed by retired Justice Chandru of the Madras High Court to recommend what action to take. The committee which submitted its report to Chief Minister MK Stalin on June 27, recommended that the government enforce a ban of not only gaming sites but also the advertisements that promote it which are often seen during the cricket telecasts. The problem is that a blanket ban will not care to distinguish between the legitimate e-gaming sites and the gambling sites, including many offshore sites that are operating freely in the internet environment as it exists. The three largest online skill games associations are already concerned over reports suggesting that the GST rates on online skill games are to go up from 18 % to 28 %. Banning by one state could be emulated by other states. Karnataka had been contemplating action on online gambling in which several sites are claiming revenues in excess of Rs 1,000 crore per annum.
When BJP announced the name of 64-year old Droupadi Murmu from Odisha as NDA’s Presidential candidate penny and jaws dropped. One of India’s best management minds Prof R Vaidyanathan said: “The choice of Droupadi Murmu is a massive tectonic shift in Indian polity. Mark my words, not many developed nations could have mustered the consensus for such a role model like Droupadi to adorn the Presidential chair”. Murmu, a capable administrator comes from the adivasi Santhals of Odisha with stints as a Minister and later, a Governor. A devoted Sanathana dharmi, the first thing Murmu did was to visit the Shiva temple. Undoubtedly, the polity and power shift is in favour of the OBC’s. The RSS, focusing on the importance of the Vanavasis, set up 600,000 vidyalayas in tribal areas to bring the tribals under the umbrella of education. So the choice of Murmu is a logical step for inclusion. Two significant irritants cast their shadow on the tribals of India –.the Naxalite threat and the Christian Missionary Conversion issue, parading under the euphemism, “Soul harvesting by planting the cross”. With successive government’s tough stand, the Naxal threat spread over 185 districts has now come down to 25. Murmu is bound to face and preside over more such irritants and challenges as our nation moves up to pole position.
Boom to gloom sums up the life of 30-year old Rhea Chakraborty who made headlines when her beau Sushant Singh Rajput died of an unnatural death. Since then her life has been topsy-turvy. On September 8, 2020, she along with her brother Showik was arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for supplying marijuana to Sushant. After cooling heels for 43 days Rhea managed to get bail and made efforts to get back into circulation. A number of producers were keen but none signed for fear the drug case relating to Sushant was not closed. And their fears were not unfounded. On June 22, 2022, NCB filed draft charges against Rhea and Showik before a special court in connection with a drugs case linked to Sushant’s death. It may be recalled that the late actor’s family had accused the actress of abetment to suicide and siphoning off the actor’s money. In fact, Sushant’s sister Priyanka reacted to NCB’s chargesheet; so it is definitely not going to be easy for the Chehre girl. While her talent management company continues to work for her, a matured Rhea is taking everything in her stride; making public appearances, going to gym in the hope she will be back on the big screen or OTT platform. As for the money part, Rhea who has nearly 2.3 lakh followers on Twitter gets paid for her social media posts.
Looks like the Congress high command may have to opt for leadership change in Rajasthan if it has to halt erosion in the party’s cadre ahead of 2023 assembly elections. Acharya Pramod Krishnam, a close aide of Priyanka Vadra, has openly called for elevating Pilot as CM and a central role for Gehlot. Party sources admit that a groundswell of sympathy is emerging in the state for Pilot, who as PCC chief led the Congress to victory in 2018, but was denied CM’s post. Sources said if Gehlot leads the party to assembly polls, then it’s likely that BJP may sweep the poll. It was felt if Pilot was made the CM, the Congress could somewhat reverse the damage. After all, even state BJP leaders call Pilot “Neelkanth” (swallower of poison). Significantly, Rahul Gandhi recently praised Pilot’s patience at Jantar Mantar. Rahul’s praise seems to have rattled Gehlot which is perhaps why he has begun attacking his former deputy chief minister for taking BJP’s help during his 2020 rebellion. On his part, Pilot continues to play cool about Gehlot’s taunt and takes it in his stride. “Earlier, also the CM had spoken about me saying nakara (useless), nikamma (jobless) and much more. Ashok Gehlot is an experienced, elderly and fatherly figure, if he speaks something I don’t take it otherwise,” he said.
Almost six years ago the Supreme Court of India found a way to set things right at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Following alleged malpractices in the IPL, the Apex Court appointed a Committee of Administrators (COA) to run the BCCI’s day-to-day affairs. The BCCI is still not convinced with certain reforms in cricket as recommended by former CJI RM Lodha; but in recent times the Courts — the Apex Court and the Delhi High Court have probably taken the cue from the BCCI case to sort out administrative and other matters at the All India Football Federation, Hockey India, and the National Federations of Table Tennis and Judo. In the year of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham, England, the Courts have appointed COAs to make the federations compliant with the National Sports Code and “clean the administration” as described by a senior sports administrator. A couple of big guns — Praful Patel of the AIFF and Narendra Batra of the Indian Olympic Association — were unseated following the Court orders. Amidst all the hullabaloo around the maladministration of the sports bodies, a former table tennis player of repute, wondered whether the COA is the right way and solution to bring integrity in the functioning of the national sports federations. Well, as of now, it’s like telling us: Like it or lump it!
The news that Lakshmi Kaul, Head & Representative, Confederation Of Indian Industry, UK has moved out caught everyone in London by surprise. Nobody knows where Kaul is headed. Unlike her predecessor Suchita Sonalika who moved to the USA in 2018 to head the CII office in Washington, sources say it is unlikely that Lakshmi will stay within the CII. While Lakshmi was in New Delhi last week, CII’s senior director in Delhi, Kavita Choudhry flew to London to hold the fort till a new successor is found. Kavita who has worked with CII for over a decade was responsible for the Europe sector for over four years as well as the South East Asian corridor. Though Kavita is capable and has rich experience, the sudden departure of Lakshmi has perplexed trade, business and media especially at a crucial time when negotiations related to the Free Trade Agreement are in full swing. CII plays a stellar role in the UK as a powerful trade organisation representing Indian business interests. Lakshmi’s warm demeanor and social engagements have proved very valuable to CII over the years. Lakshmi who worked for over 15 years in the UK handled a whole gamut of things ranging from relationship building, public relations, research, strategy and policy work to creating community networks. Lakshmi will definitely be missed.
Before filing his papers for President’s election, joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha reached out to BJP veteran L K Advani for a meeting with him and to seek his blessings. The staff of the BJP leader however told Sinha that since Advani’s daughter Pratibha was down with Covid, a meeting perhaps would not be possible now. Interestingly, before the papers were to be filed the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti pledged its support to Sinha. It was also announced that KCR’s son KT Rama Rao would be present. And he did. Prominent among those who joined him to submit his papers included Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel, Akhilesh Yadav, DMK leader A Raja and Tiruchi Shiva, and Farooq Abdullah. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot was also present. However, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was not represented as Jharkhand’s ruling party is yet to decide on whom to support in the presidential polls. Also present was Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh, TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee and Saugata Roy, CPI-M’s Sitaram Yechury and CPI’s D Raja, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Jayant Chaudhary, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Misa Bharti, Revolutionary Socialist Party’s N K Premchandran and Indian Union Muslim League’s Mohammed Bashir.
Normally, in by-elections ruling parties tend to have an advantage. This was seen in the manner in which BJP clinched the two Samajwadi Party (SP) bastions of Azamgarh and Rampur in Lok Sabha by-polls in Uttar Pradesh (UP). However, what came as a surprise was that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost Punjab’s Sangrur Lok Sabha seat — a parliamentary constituency, vacated by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, in less than four months after it swept to power in the state. While the two Lok Sabha seats in UP were previously held by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav (Azamgarh) and senior SP leader Azam Khan (Rampur), the Punjab seat considered a stronghold of Mann has gone to an avowed Khalistani supporter Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) candidate Simranjit Singh Mann. AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, however downplayed the loss by pointing out that “AAP had retained its vote share with a meagre fall from 37% to 35% and all other parties INC, SAD (Akali Dal) and BJP lost deposits.” The BJP’s tally of Lok Sabha seats in UP has risen from 62 to 64, while the SP has been reduced to three seats. Though the BJP bagged the Rampur seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it lost the seat in 2019. Interestingly, Akhilesh Yadav had stayed out of campaign in Rampur while Azam Khan fielded a “weak” candidate.
Looks like Trinamool Congress Supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is taking no chance as far as elections in her state are concerned. Panchayat polls are in 2023 but Didi is already in an election mode. She plans to visit every district in the state so as to establish direct contacts with TMC booth-level workers and voters. This early preparation by Didi is for several reasons. First, to take stock of the implementation of her government’s development schemes and glean whether local leaders and administration are working in tandem. Second, to nip factional feuds within TMC. Third, to weed out corruption from the grassroots level. Above all, Didi has recruited a special force from outside to give her reports without dilution of what’s happening within her party at all levels. Didi who kicked off her panchayat campaign visiting the Jangalmahal areas in the Jhargram district is likely to visit all 23 districts of the state. Her one message to her party workers is: ensure panchayat polls are peaceful unlike 2018, which was marred by violence and opposition not allowed to contest. That poll violence cost the TMC dearly in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections where it lost 16 seats – from 38 it was down to 22 seats. This worked to BJPs advantage, winning 18 seats. Didi cannot afford that mistake again.
Tennis’ great rivalry is set to resume at Wimbledon with Rafael Nadal, the champion with 22 Grand Slams, and Novak Djokovic seeded at the top to meet only in the final. Their quarter final at the French Open was a match for the ages in which Djokovic bowed to Nadal’s supremacy on clay. On grass, it will be a different Djokovic who could deny Nadal the greatest quest of his career of a calendar Grand Slam as the Australian and French Open winner of 2022 sniffs at a chance he has rarely had in his career. His 22 Grand Slams are weighted in favour of clay at 14 but he has two Wimbledon titles suggesting he can master the fastest of the four different surfaces too. Of course, Djokovic, the last player to come within a title of the calendar Grand Slam but was to be denied by Medvedev in 2021 when he was beaten in the U.S. Open, boasts of seven Wimbledon titles in his collection of 20. Nadal said after his French Open win that tennis was a passionate pursuit at which he also won titles but Djokovic is known to chase the record of Grand Slams. It will be 2022’s greatest match if the two gladiators get to the final.
Land is a touchy subject. Not surprisingly, any land deal in this part of the world draws more than cursory interest across the canvass. This time it belongs to the venerable Theosophical Society in Chennai. This institution at Besant Nagar in the heart of the city of Chennai has now penned a pact with an equally well-known name – Shiv Nadar Foundation. The society has decided to give the foundation 14 acres of its land on a long-lease basis to the Shiv Nadar Foundation. The Shiv Nadar Foundation is planning to set up a world-class K-12 school in Chennai, which, it claims, will be a progressive, ecologically-sensitive school with the highest international standards. Shiv Nadar Foundation is India’s leading philanthropic initiative by Shiv Nadar, founder of the HCL Group. It has established a chain of not-for-profit progressive schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. Today, these are among the most sought-after educational institutions in the area, and are consistently ranked among the top schools in the country. With their novel pedagogical approach, Shiv Nadar School nurtures young children into life-long learners and conscious citizens. The Society-Foundation alliance comes years after its lease pact with J Krishnamurthy Foundation-run school expired. In a state where anti-anything sentiment sprouts up at the drop of a hat, the society-foundation agreement has also come under intense focus.
Actor-dancer-reality show judge Shilpa Shetty has always been in the limelight. Yet, she yearned to return to the big screen. Towards this the 47-year fitness freak signed two films Nikamma and Hungama 2. Unfortunately, both films flopped thereby crashing her comeback dream after 14 years. It is learnt that Rohit Shetty has signed her to play as a cop for an OTT series. This role could be a game changer for her. Shilpa who made her debut in 1993 with Baazigar was an average actor but a great dancer. Her move to reality TV shows as a judge worked in her favour. She has been part of that ecosystem since 2006. The star, known for her videos on yoga, shot to fame after participating in the UK reality show Celebrity Big Brother. She received international media coverage for the racism she faced by her fellow contestants and for eventually winning the show. Like Shilpa, there are many actors scripting their comeback. Neetu Kapoor who returned to films after a long gap has won accolades for her role in Jug Jugg Jeeyo. She has already signed a web series and is judging a reality show. Bhagyashree who returned with a cameo in Thalaivi will now be judging a reality show. And finally An Evening In Paris gal, Sharmila Tagore too makes a comeback.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee has had a tough time in forging Opposition initiatives to finalise a candidate for Presidential elections. Even as Yashwant Sinha quit TMC to please Left parties that found it difficult to back a candidate affiliated to a political party, Didi was quite stumped by her efforts to get NCP chief Sharad Pawar to be first a candidate and later to even attend the initial round of meeting she had called on June 15. Pawar’s presence was important for her to forge Opposition unity but for some reason the NCP chief was reluctant to take any lead. Didi had to persuade Supriya Sule and Praful Patel to ensure that the veteran leader was present at the event. Mamata even called on Pawar at his residence along with her nephew Abhishek on June 14. Yet in spite of her extra efforts, not all non-BJP parties turned up. Parties like AAP and TRS gave it a miss while the Left was critical that the meeting was held at short notice. Leaders of regional parties seemed more worried about their worth in 2024. At the meet Pawar surprised Mamata by ruling himself out of the contest right at the launch. This wasn’t how Mamata had planned. So finally on June 21 when Yashwant Sinha’s name was finalised at the Opposition meet, 2nd round, Mamata chose to skip it.
India has experienced the full gamut of sentiments concerning the cow — from cow worship, cow vigilantism, to riots to protest beef eating and intolerance to use of leather products. Against this backdrop, a new chapter has just opened up. For the first time a whopping 192 metric tonnes of indigenous cow dung has been exported to Kuwait by the Jaipur-based Sunrise Agriland Development & Research. The company’s director Prashant Chaturvedi is elated that even Islamic countrIes like Kuwait understand the nutrient value of cow dung. Atul Gupta, President of the Organic Farmer Producer Association of India is gung ho about the potential for organic fertilisers, especially cow dung. Reportedly, in 2020-21, the export value of natural fertilisers was Rs 27,155 crore. According to Kashmir Digest, “Many countries have found after research on indigenous cow dung that it can, not only increase the production of crops, but the use of the products produced from it can relieve humans from serious ailment. This is the reason that many countries have started importing indigenous cow dung along with organic manure from India.” Kuwait has singled out cow dung as an appropriate fertiliser nutrient for increased Date size and yield. This move has made Goshalas in India optimistic which had all along claimed that dung was the best organic fertiliser for healthy agri-products. Holy Cow, dung in demand!
Having exhausted all attempts to stop the conduct of the AIADMK General Council (GC) meeting, to be held on June 23, party coordinator O Panneerselvam (OPS), who is expecting to be ousted from his post, has decided to boycott the event. He refuses to be part of what could be the coronation of his party colleague, joint leader, and now enemy No 1 as he aims to crown himself the sole leader of the party. OPS had been telling his supporters in the GC to strategise counter moves to those of the Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) camp who are determined to raise the issue of a single leader and take control of the party. OPS could not scuttle the GC legally as the court refused to stay the meeting. He also wrote a letter to the Avadi Police Commissioner requesting him to deny permission for the meeting at Vanagaram that falls under his Avadi jurisdiction. But the police are unlikely to take OPS’ word as the party has officially convened the meeting. Police are expected to be present in good numbers as OPS has raised the bogey of violence both in the court and with them. It does appear OPS’ days are numbered in AIADMK and he may also lose the post of Treasurer presiding over two big trusts that control about Rs 3,000 crore corpus.
While India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has set a target of 100 GW for wind energy by 2030, it is also understood that the government is proposing two pilot research projects for sea-based windmills, one each in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. These initiatives, according to alternative energy experts, should result in reduction in the oil import bill. Prominent wind evangelist Senator Dr PKC Bose, for one, was gung-ho about World Wind Day (June 15). “Let’s enjoy the natural therapy of wind,” says Bose, who is Vice Chairman & Managing Director of the German Enercon Group’s Indian subsidiary Enercon Windenergy. Kochi-based boat builder Dr Jeevan Sudhakaran, CMD of Samudra Shipyard in Kochi said,“The sail harnessed it first and continues to do so”, and then told Bose “You are electrifying it without a carbon footprint!” Wind is surely slated to play a large part in the future of energy, with people like John Burroughs, American naturalist and nature essayist of the 19th and 20th centuries, having declared: “The fuel in the Earth will be exhausted in a thousand or more years, and it’s mineral wealth, but man will find substitutes for these in the winds, the waves, the Sun’s heat, and so on and so forth.”
The defeat of Congress’s first candidate in Maharashtra Legislative Council elections — Chandrakant Handore– and victory of second candidate Bhai Jagtap by eight votes reflects more poorly on vote management by senior ministers Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat, who is also PCC chief. Party sources feel defeat of Dalit leader Handore, who was to get first preference votes, was a shocker and, fear it would have implications in the Mumbai civic elections. Handore’s defeat also reflected the mood of MLAs who did not like the way party affairs were being managed. Sources said Handore’s defeat was a snub to Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. Apparently, state leaders were irritated by the way Kharge got around to pushing for neo-Buddhist candidates in every election. Once it had even cost the party post of deputy chairman in the Legislative Council in 2018 as he insisted on the late Sharad Ranpise’s candidature. Many in the party feel the defeat of Handore is also a message of Maharashtra Congress to high command for imposing non-Maharshtrian candidates for Rajya Sabha in the past three consecutive elections — Rajiv Shukla, P Chidambaram and now Imran Pratapgarhi. Post Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde revolt, senior Congress leader Anant Gadgil feels Congress should have never joined the Government. “I had told Ahmed Patel in 2019, let us provide outside support to MVA,” recalls a vindicated Gadgil.
Baba Nirala of Aashram has given Bobby Deol a new lease of life. Now, everybody takes the 53-year old actor seriously. It has been a chequered career for Bobby Deol ever since he made his debut with Barsaat in 1995. Post that it was almost like one film a year for a few years and then with most of his movies bombing no producers were willing to sign him on. No work saw him hitting the bottle. Once while meeting Salman Khan over a drink, Bobby said “Let me climb on your back…give me opportunity”. Big hearted Sallu bhai strongly recommended him for Race 3. That was in 2018. Though the movie did not do well Bobby’s role as Yash Singh was well appreciated to land him two movies – Housefull 4 and Class Of ’83 – in quick succession. For this Dharmendra’s second son, family meant everything; he did everything whatever his father or brother would say. In a way he was cocooned and that perhaps cost him dearly in terms of choosing the script. Even though Bobby has worked in nearly 50 movies yet cinema-goers can’t recall any of the characters or dialogues from any of his movies. But, people do remember his elder brother Sunny Deol’s movies, characters and Dhai Kilo Ka Haath dialogue. Aashram which is now into Season 3 has given him that recognition.
Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda has been sulking ever since his arch rival and fellow Jat leader Randeep Surjewala got elected from Rajasthan as Rajya Sabha MP and he couldn’t get anyone elected from Haryana. So when Congress high command initially dialled him to make protests in Delhi and at Jantar Mantar over summoning of Rahul Gandhi by the ED a success, a miffed Hooda told them to take help of Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot who had ensured election of three Congress RS MPs. Hooda’s refusal made a desperate party leadership to send out a message to summon Rajasthan MLAs and party workers to reach Delhi to block streets on June 20 — Rahul’s fourth day at ED headquarters. But then it seems after initial reluctance, Hooda relented; his supporters not only made the protests a success in Delhi, Hooda himself turned up at Jantar Mantar. Meanwhile, party sources admit Gehlot had emerged as a troubleshooter in the Congress and he has been carrying messages on behalf of party president Sonia Gandhi. She wanted Ghulam Nabi Azad to handle the AICC Organisation — something he had managed in the 80s; Gehlot reached out to Azad who declined saying it must be given to younger people. He also pacified a miffed Tariq Anwar. Both Azad and Anwar were hoping to get a RS berth.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.