The perception that January is a challenging month for the film industry is not without merit. Historically, this month has often been viewed as a “jinx” for film releases, primarily due to the post-holiday dynamics that affect audience behaviour and box office performance. As people transition from the festive season to their regular routines, several factors contribute to the underperformance of films released in January. Films released in December often enjoy extended viewership due to the holiday season, leaving little room for new releases.  Several films released in January have struggled to resonate with audiences, reinforcing the notion that this month is not ideal for cinematic success. For instance, Chhapak, which was released in January 2020, faced challenges at the box office despite its critical acclaim and social relevance. Similarly, in January 2023, films like Fighter and Mai Atal Hu failed to garner the expected audience turnout, highlighting a consistent trend of underwhelming performances during this month. The recent January releases, such as Emergency, featuring Kangana Ranaut, and Fateh, starring Sonu Sood, also struggled to find traction despite significant promotional efforts. This pattern suggests that even with star power and marketing campaigns, films released in January may face an uphill battle to attract viewers. Given the historical challenges associated with January releases, filmmakers and studios may need to reconsider their marketing and timing strategies. To mitigate the risks associated with January releases, studios could explore alternative strategies, such as targeting specific demographics or leveraging unique marketing campaigns that resonate with the post-holiday mindset. As the film industry continues to evolve, understanding the dynamics of audience behaviour and timing will be crucial for maximizing box office potential.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s newly released book, Banglar Nirbachon O Amra (Bengal’s Elections and Us) has squarely blamed the Congress party for the BJP’s return to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. With the book’s release at the 48th Kolkata International Book Fair, it has become clearer that Didi has decided that her party TMC will go alone in the 2026 West Bengal State Election. In the book, Didi argues that the Opposition alliance, INDIA Bloc, failed due to the grand old party’s rigidity and weak leadership. She further claims that the Congress won its seats in 2024 only because of support from other INDIA Bloc allies. She accuses the Congress-Left alliance in West Bengal of secretly helping the BJP by creating a larger anti-TMC front, which ultimately benefited the saffron party in the state. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw the BJP losing ground in West Bengal. The party, which had secured 18 seats in the state in 2019, saw its tally reduced to 12 in 2024. On the other hand, TMC improved its performance, winning 29 out of 42 seats. The Congress managed to win only one seat, while the Left failed to open its account. Incidentally, Mamata has stuck to her policy of supporting the strongest party against BJP, by sending its MP, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, to campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Political analysts see this as Mamata’s indirect message to Congress. TMC’s participation in AAP’s campaign indicates its commitment to the INDIA Bloc but also highlights the friction between the Opposition allies, especially after Didi’s criticism of Congress dominance within the coalition.

On Republic Day, Vijay’s last film’s title and first look were announced — Jana Nayagan (hero of the masses) cracking a whip with the tagline Naan Aanai Ittal. Besotted MGR fans, even 37 years later were intended to be captivated hook, line and sinker by this iconic song and MGR’s cult charisma. TN’s DNA is conjoined twins — cinema and politics, a   predictable, popular combo that has enthralled the cinema hungry and politics punched denizens of this state. Vijay who floated his party TVK in 2024 to harvest the votes in 2026 has it all planned. Or so it seems. This popular actor was launched by his father S A Chandrasekhar in 1984. After 68 films, Vijay now considers himself worthy of the crossover to TN’s throne, a charismatic Lord of the rings. There was a time when Vijay cannily shifted his MGR style to clone superstar Rajinikanth … .action, style and mass appeal, of course with a watchful eye on the box office take. If imitation is the best form of flattery, then it has to be acknowledged that Vijay reaped rich rewards in terms of fan following. So his last film is planned to carry a significant payload…MGR’s legacy as the cult Samaritan, forever ready to wipe the tears of the poor and pull them up from mired poverty. For which Vijay needs power, endorsement and legitimacy. He has carefully trained his virulent guns on the DMK so far, not pricking the AIADMK. Soothsayers say, at best he can divide and divert votes from both the behemoths. Can Vijay take an MGR incarnation?

Is Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan walking into a trap over his government’s sanction of a controversial brewery unit in Palakkad? Joining hands with the BJP and the Congress, CPI has published an article in its mouthpiece Janayugom, suggesting that promotion of businesses that exploit agriculture and food security was against the interest of the state. The opinion piece, written by senior CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri, said the government’s approval for the brewery unit raised the question of whether paddy or alcohol should be made from the land of Palakkad. “From where did they get the water needed for the brewery unit? Once the (private) company starts exploiting the water resources, there won’t be enough water for agriculture,” he wrote. The Chittoor region of Palakkad district, where Madhya Pradesh-based alcohol manufacturer Oasis Group is set to establish the unit, has one of the lowest groundwater levels in Kerala, the CPI leader said. The state government approved the setting up the Rs 600-crore grain-based distillation and brewery unit on January 15. The Congress, which leads the UDF, however, alleged that the firm, embroiled in Delhi’s liquor policy controversy, got the permission without a proper tendering process. Like CPI’s Mokeri, it said that the setting up of the unit would worsen the water crisis in the agrarian region. Earlier this month, the UDF-ruled Elappully panchayat, where the unit is proposed to be set up, also requested the government to reconsider its decision given the water concerns. The Kerala government has been reiterating that the unit will not affect the availability of water in the area as its primary source would be harvested rainwater. With the state headed for polls in 2026, it is quite likely that the brewery scam could come to haunt Vijayan just as the excise scam has cast a shadow on Kejriwal in Delhi polls.

This one hit national headlines in December 2021 when it attracted a $ 4.1 billion investment from the American fund TFCC International. Such a massive investment into this little known Chennai-based group became the talk of the town. This one was able to attract such a huge investment because of its technology prowess. This enables it to convert un-segregated waste into energy without leaving behind any toxic residue. Ram Charan group has since been doing quiet work in the field of waste management and inked a pact with Bhilai Steel Plant and others for waste management and converting them into value added products and fuel. In the wake of urbanisation and population growth, waste management assumes criticality for municipalities especially. Ram Charan is pursuing a blinkered-horse like approach to sort out this issue. Significantly enough, it has run a successful pilot project for municipal waste conversion in Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu constituency Kuppam. Following this, the Naidu government is reportedly toying with the idea of extending association with Ram Charan group across the whole Andhra Pradesh. The residue sludge is converted into a syrup which is then used as a fertilizer for agricultural purposes. The carbon-rich syrup is found to aid crop growth. Well, Naidu appears to be on a mission mode, and has found in Ram Charan a good partner.

Signing on poll advisers is not new to Tamil Nadu politics, but there have been some changes of late as the parties are getting serious about the 2026 Assembly polls that are nearly 15 to 16 months away. TN’s Dravidian parties may have entered into agreements with poll consulting firms later than other regional parties though Prashant Kishor was the first to take on a TN party when he signed up with the DMK. Now that he has started a political party of his own, the DMK has signed on Robbin Sharma’s Showtime Consultancy for the consulting and poll strategy role for 2026. Sunil Kanugolu has been advising the AIADMK party on poll matters and he continues in that role. One of the new political personalities on the TN horizon is Aadhav Arjuna, son-in-law of the lottery king Martin, who is now signing on with Vijay’s party as consultant even as TVK prepares for its electoral debut in 2026. He will also be formally joining the party on February 2. After falling out with the VCK, Aadhav has shown keen interest in Vijay’s party, and he will be on hand as poll adviser as well with his company to do data crunching and other tasks. An intriguing feature of the 2026 polls is that all the major parties are already gearing up for it well in advance with strategy sessions, preparation for booth-level presence and the regular matter of organising rallies and tours of their leaders. Party confabulations are already heavy over what are seen as very important elections coming up.

Looks like AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal is caught in a deep mess of his own making by claiming that the BJP government in Haryana had “poisoned” Yamuna waters. Clearly, on a backfoot and out of desperation he sought to paint a scary scenario to Delhi voters. Now it seems these words will come to haunt him post February 5. The Haryana government has filed a case against him for creating a “false alarm” among the people. Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Nayab Saini to reassure people took a sip of Yamuna to indicate it was safe to drink. Though Kejriwal dismissed Saini’s action as a stunt, what he does not realise is that the Haryana case could prove to be a ticking time-bomb for him. It may explode once elections are over in Delhi. Haryana has filed in the CJM’s court in Sonipat under sections of Disaster Management. The court has summoned Kejriwal to appear before it on February 17. In an explosive claim, Kejriwal had asserted that Haryana was mixing “poison” in the Yamuna water it supplies to Delhi. The reference was to the high levels of ammonia — over 700 times the permissible limit. He said it was because of the vigilance of Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped. Endorsing Kejriwal’s charge, Delhi CM Atishi even wrote to the Election Commission and sought action against the BJP for “water terrorism”. The Delhi Jal Board, which Kejriwal said stopped the alleged “poisonous” water coming to the national capital, however rubbished the AAP leader’s claim. “These statements are factually incorrect, without any basis and misleading,” Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer Shilpa Shinde said in a letter to the Chief Secretary. Meanwhile, the EC has asked Kejriwal to submit proof of poisoning of Yamuna waters.

Ajith Kumar, Tamil films gentle hero, is often praised for his courteous behaviour and helpful nature; he will help any needy person in the film world. Even when the competitive race between him and superstar Vijay heated up, raising the stakes for the most bankable, he kept his cool and did not resort to cheap gimmicks for publicity. In fact, his huge fan following gave him the sobriquet, Thala, a leader worthy of worship. The scripts he chose reflected his humane attitude and realistic expectations in the world of make believe. Even though his film Vidaamuyarchi was much delayed, Ajith believed in his director Magizh Thirumeni’s ability to bring the film to the cinemas. And February 6 will showcase this Ajith-Trisha starrer. No wonder Thirumeni at an event in Kochi to release the teaser of Mohanlal’s film Lucifer’s sequel said, “I am fortunate to be yet another person in need of help at the right time. Proud to say that Ajith held my hand and believed in my skill”.  But what Regina Cassandra, a co-star of Ajith says is even more commendable. She says Ajith is a doer not a talker and does everything that has an impact. Unlike Vijay, he abhors politics. He has passion for car racing and his team won third place at the popular 24H Dubai 2025. A man with military discipline was recently awarded the Padma Bhushan.

The Congress party in Maharashtra is in most pitiable condition. It has neither leadership nor focus or has any agenda. Its senior leaders like former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan or Balasaheb Thorat were trounced in the recent assembly election and hence have no voice. State Congress leader Nana Patole is a former BJP MP while leader of the Opposition, Vijay Wadettiwar, has travelled from the Shiv Sena when it was unified. A staunch follower of then chief minister Narayan Rane, he has continued in the Congress but none is certain about his enduring loyalty, given his friendship with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The party has had no major victories in western Maharashtra or Marathwada regions. As a result, the organisation is demoralised. For a change, Patole has warned of a state wide agitation against the proposed fare increase by the state transport corporation, the largest public transport undertaking in Asia. However, even Congress workers are unsure if the protest will really take off. They remember how Patole had announced a mass agitation against the state government’s decision to hand over Mahananda, the state dairy behemoth, to Amul via the National Dairy Development Board and how not a whimper was heard later. Over the past two years, the Congress in Maharashtra has shown any signs of life only when party leader Rahul Gandhi has visited. Its headquarters, Tilak Bhavan, in Dadar is an abandoned mansion now. The workers are awaiting the arrival of a saviour to rejuvenate the party.

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is always compared to Naveen Patnaik, the former chief minister, a tall leader who ran the state under a tight leash for 24 years and in the process has put his signature everywhere. So, at the recently concluded Utkarsh Odisha — Make in Odisha event attended by India’s industry stalwarts and foreign investors everyone was asking, will the Majhi government surpass Naveen Patnaik’s Make in Odisha record of Rs10.5 lakh crore investment in 2022? Majhi’s government seems to be in a much stronger position. As per CM, his government has received 3 times more investment than his expectations. The numbers now stand at Rs 16.73 lakh crore backed by 595 initial proposals spanning across 20 sectors. This includes chemicals, petrochemicals, textiles, mining, metallurgy, renewable energy, tourism, food processing, IT/ ITeS and others. As on date, Majhi seems to have had a good knock. However, much depends on how fast the Odisha government converts those investment intentions to firm investment plans. Government sources say this positive situation will now set the speed ball rolling in Majhi’s favour creating new investment milestones.

Varun Chakravarthy has been left in the lurch — not once, but twice — by men in the blue. While fans across the world should be celebrating his five-wicket haul in the third Twenty20 skirmish against England at the Niranjan Shah stadium alongside the Jamnagar highway, they have been driven to feel pity for the white-ball tweaker — leg-spin-googly bowler — whose tricks the batters find it like a cryptic crossword puzzle to solve. The first time he took five wickets (5 for 17 off four overs) in a Twenty20 international was against South Africa at Port Elizabeth on November 10, 2024. India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, lost the low-scoring match by three wickets, and South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs, was declared the man of the match. Chasing India’s 124 for six wickets, South Africa made 128 for 7 in 19 overs, with Stubbs carving a 41-ball unbeaten 47. On Tuesday (Jan 28), Chakravarthy took 5 for 24 in four overs to check England ‘s score to 171 for 9, but the home team led by Suryakumar Yadav could make only 145 for 9, thus handing a first win for the visitor in three matches. Luckily, though, and as a consolation, the spinner was declared the man of the match, his second in the ongoing series. He won the man of the match award for his 3 for 23 for a winning result in the first match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Chakravarthy is the only bowler who has taken five wickets in Twenty20 international twice and agonisingly lost both. For the record, 26 other bowlers have taken a fifer once for a losing side!

On a day when Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a holy dip in Sangam at Prayagraj, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge took the unusual step of targeting the sacred act of a dip in the Ganga and said it would not help eradicate poverty. While a political storm of sorts was created for picking on Kumbh, many Congressmen wondered if Kharge was targeting because Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had taken a holy dip — a day before Amit Shah. His remarks that there was a competition among those taking Ganga dips simply showed he was perhaps more disappointed that leaders from the secular bloc like Akhilesh Yadav had made his way to Maha Kumbh. It is possible for Kharge to be worried about an ally like SP leader Akhilesh’s conduct, considering he is also teaming up with AAP in Delhi. Interestingly, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath asserted in a TV interview that he “hoped to see Khargeji” soon at Kumbh. After all, both Pandit Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi, as PMs, have had a Ganga dip during Kumbh.  UP BJP leaders said Kharge’s remarks against Maha Kumbh and Ganga snan were bound to cast a shadow on the February 5 byelection.  It was felt though Akhilesh Yadav did make some course corrections with a Ganga dip, much could have been lost. “…We hear many Congress leaders are also not happy with Kharge’s remarks,” says Rakesh Triparthi,  UP BJP spokesperson. Many in the Bihar Congress also feel Kharge’s remarks could put off voters. “At least we must appreciate that Amit Shah did not go to Kumbh on a Shahi Snan day.”  PM Modi is scheduled to visit Kumbh on February 5.

Access to Mantralaya, Maharashtra’s state secretariat, is scheduled to get tighter in Devendra Fadnavis regime 2.0. Glass flap barrier gates are being installed at various entrances to control access of visitors along with introduction of RFID and facial recognition access in high-security zones at Mantralaya. State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankhule has already written to his party cadres to coordinate with ministers through liaison officials, who will be sitting at the BJP office. The BJP ministers too have also been asked to hold weekly or fortnightly janata durbars at the party office. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party too are expected to follow suit and facilitate a similar policy for their party workers from their party offices. The idea is to reduce footfalls at Mantralaya as also to rein in middle-men, who tend to approach ministers for favours like transfers of officials or to bag contracts. Ajit Pawar has already asked his cadres to not seek transfers of officials or contracts, particularly if they are going to sub-contract the work to others. Maharashtra’s earlier chief minister Eknath Shinde prided on being known as a common man’s CM and believed in open access attracting huge delegations of party workers flocking to him at Mantralaya regularly. The legislative assembly sessions under Shinde were known to be particularly crowded with ministers complaining of not even being able to walk properly in the crowded corridors of Vidhan Bhavan. Since Fadnavis’ taking over, he has first shifted the CM’s public relations officials on the lower fifth floor, already truncating access of journalists to the CM’s office. Looks like Fadnavis has taken a leaf out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s playbook.

In a surprise move, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav decided to take a dip at Triveni Sangam on Republic Day during the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj. The SP leader, who was hitherto not willing to share his travel plans and insisted that many of his party leaders have been visiting the Kumbh and not publicising it, was found sharing video of his holy dip in the party’s X handle. It is not clear if Akhilesh had rushed to Kumbh ahead of the prestige battle of Milkipur byelection on Feb 5 after the wipe-out he faced in November byelections losing majority of the seats to the BJP. Sharing details of his Kumbh dip, he asserted that he had taken 11 dips. In the run-up, he had even lashed out at UP CM Yogi Adityanath for holding a Cabinet meeting in Prayagraj last week and later having a holy dip with his ministers at Sangman. What made Akhilesh take about turn to aastha? Was it the fear of drubbing in Milkipur? Giving back to the SP leader, Yogi had attacked Akhilesh for spreading false propaganda about the Maha Kumbh and playing with the faith of India. In turn Akhilesh accused the BJP of misusing the police in the Milkipur elections. Apart from this, there was also a heated exchange of words between Yogi and Kejriwal in Delhi, and not cleaning up Yamuna. Instead of praising UP’s scientific efforts in keeping Ganga clean for Maha Kumbh, Akhilesh even dared Yogi to do achaman(a purifying ritual by drinking water) in Yamuna at Mathura. All this to express solidarity with Kejriwal, who himself is seeking another term to clean up the river in Delhi.

As the year begins, the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) finds itself at the centre of a fresh controversy in Tollywood. Reports suggest that director Kaushik Ganguly’s upcoming film has encountered hurdles with the Federation, raising concerns about whether the shooting will commence as scheduled. Sources indicate that the shoot for Kaushik’s new project was set to begin on January 27 in North Bengal, however, complications over crew members have allegedly created friction between the director and the Federation. Rumours have also surfaced suggesting that the Federation has “blacklisted” Kaushik. This follows past disputes between Tollywood directors and the Federation, tracing back to July of last year, when director Rahul Mukhopadhyay faced a similar standoff, leading to the suspension of his Puja film’s shoot. Rahul’s case escalated tensions between the Federation and the Directors’ Guild, which was later mitigated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after her intervention. Meanwhile director Joydeep Mukhopadhyay is facing similar issues as he prepares to start filming later this month. However, director Arindam Sil has got the green signal from the Federation even though he was suspended by the director’s guild over sexual harassment issue. Talk about selective treatment. Another layer to this controversy involves Federation President Swaroop Biswas’ earlier comments on workplace harassment. Last year, he claimed that 60% of directors faced allegations of sexual misconduct, coinciding with the city’s outcry over the rape and murder of a young doctor. Now, it is learnt that TMC minister Aroop Biswas, brother of Swaroop Biswas, might intervene to resolve the matter.

Jammu & Kashmir is not a minnows in India’s domestic first class cricket environment. Yet regarded as a poor cousin when juxtaposed against the giants of Indian cricket – Mumbai. The team from the northern most State of the country brought down the 42-time winner and the defending champion in a league match of the Ranji Trophy tournament with four full sessions of eight hours remaining in a four-day match. Jammu & Kashmir showed the drive and ambition to put it across a side that had India captain Rohit Sharma and India’s Test match opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Mumbai also boasted of Shreyas Iyer and a few more star players. More than a decade ago Jammu & Kashmir had scored a sensational win against Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium. The fortunes of the most recent clash swung here and there, but eventually Mumbai shot out for 120 in the first innings and were beaten, bruised and embarrassed. Both Rohit Sharma — woefully out of form — and Yashasvi Jaiswal were accommodated in the playing XI at the expense of an in-form batter and the new kid on the block17-year old Ayush Mathre who had scored over 400 runs in his debut first class season. Mumbai ought to have found a way to find a place in the XI for the teenager who was as they say in cricket in “good nick”, but the champion team did not, and paid a heavy price conceding all six points to its opponent and fret over qualifying for the knock-out. From Jammu & Kashmir’s point of view, it was a question of applying mind over matter and showing a terrific ambition in the opponent’s backyard!

Vignettes from the greatest devotional gathering on earth are flowing in by the minute. Even social media enthusiasts are unable to keep up with the variety and speed with which scenes and stories are sprouting from the Maha Kumbh. Imagine the absolute stunning effect a 16-year old gorgeous girl had on all those who sighted her, selling bead necklaces in the surging crowd in Prayagraj. Meet Monalisa Bhosle from Indore, who had come with her family to pitch their tent and peddle bead necklaces and garlands, hoping to make a decent take from the huge crowd looking for bric a brac and mementos to carry home. Instead most stood transfixed by this girl’s dusky chocolate complexion and her unusual coloured eyes, her grace and absolute spontaneity in peddling her beads. She quickly turned into a sensation — crowds started milling around her, photos clicked by the hundreds, podcasts even more profuse. Monalisa Bhosle quickly retreated into her shell, overwhelmed by the attention and focus on her, she was not used to. Her father went a step further and packed her off to Indore fearing fame flooding his female offspring and the potential for trouble. Monalisa had only an unusual name for fame. It has started…the kite fliers who spread all kinds of news. Monalisa was whisked to a beauty parlour to transform her. There was talk about her playing second lead to Jahanvi Kapoor in a movie led by Ram Charan. If this were to happen, definitely a game changer for the Menaka of Mahakumbh. She came, she stood, and she transfixed all spotting her.

The Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has been on a multi-year mission of taking on the state government at every possible opportunity. Unusually, chief minister MK Stalin had made a placatory gesture by attending the Governor’s Republic Day ‘At Home’ reception at the Raj Bhavan in 2024. Much water has flowed down the Cauvery in a year and the ties could not have been in a worse state than in 2025 when Stalin, his cabinet, his party DMK and all their allies turned their back on the Governor. Using the Republic Day as an excuse to put out a message, the Governor slammed the state’s economy, its ability to draw investments and the room it gives anti-national elements. This wasn’t a great gubernatorial gesture as the head of state is not expected to run down his own state, which is what the former Police/intelligence official did. Just a day earlier, the CM had at least taken a humorous view of the confrontational Governor issue by pleading to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah not to shift RN Ravi out of the Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan. The CM said his presence and his utterances have helped the DMK grow in the state. In his constant tirade against the DMK, its Periyarist ideological roots that recognises no gods and his lambasting the law & order situation in the state, the Governor has only helped the DMK gain more popular support as it is seen as being targeted by a representative of the Centre.

The attempt to push the ruling into a corner by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and the saffron alliance’s retaliation is now dominating Maharashtra politics. The Modi government at the Centre has caught the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray in a cleft stick by conferring the prestigious Padma Bhushan title on the late Manohar Joshi, who was a Lok Sabha speaker and the state chief minister. Although Joshi occupied such high posts, he was constantly humiliated by the supporters of Uddhav during his twilight years. The NDA government has thus created a quaint situation for Uddhav since he can’t either welcome the decision to decorate Joshi nor oppose it. Taking advantage of the situation, the Sena and the Congress have started a discussion of having a third deputy chief minister in Maharashtra. Although there is no basis for such a possibility since the state already has two deputy CMs, it is becoming embarrassing for the Mahayuti to discount the rumours since it could mean an indirect reflection on two of its leaders, Girish Mahajan of the BJP and Uday Samant of the Sena led by deputy CM Eknath Shinde. but it is generally felt that this is only an attempt to spread disinformation. The political game has gained significance as Sena MP Sanjay Raut has emphatically claimed that Samant has 20 party MLAs behind him. On the other hand, Samant has reiterated his total commitment to Shinde’s leadership. The Opposition has been planning to spread such confusing information to further deepen discontent in the Mahayuti quarters, it is felt.

Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi has never spared a moment to corner TN chief minister M K Stalin and his government on their shortcomings. He has been regularly sending reports to Home Minister Amit Shah on the state of affairs in TN, much to the irritation of the ruling DMK. With the assembly polls next year, his Republic Day eve address has upset Stalin. Without mincing words, Ravi raised several critical concerns regarding TN’s socio-economic and administrative challenges. He expressed concern over the declining autonomy of universities, alleging that the state secretariat exerts significant control over university operations, including academic councils and vice chancellors’ appointments. He also criticised the curriculum and syllabus management, stating they are now heavily influenced by the State Government Council for Higher Education. Ravi highlighted the rising menace of drug syndicates in the state, frequent reports of caste-based discrimination and violence against Dalits, including their denial of access to public spaces. The Governor stated that TN is no longer a leading destination for private investment, trailing behind states like Karnataka, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. He attributed this decline to dwindling foreign direct investment. Ravi further pointed to the state’s high suicide rate, at over 26 per lakh population — more than double the national average. He referred to Tamil Nadu as the “suicide capital of India”. He also raised concerns about national security, citing the National Investigation Agency’s discovery of terrorist modules and sleeper cells linked to international terror networks operating within the state. Notably, the Tamil Nadu government boycotted the tea party hosted by the Governor on Republic Day in response to these statements.

The revolving doors of Tamil Nadu political parties have started moving furiously with faster entries and exits. Recently, the DMK welcomed 3,000 quitters from grandstanding Seeman’s Naam Thamizhar Katchi, a defection that left him speechless. A rare event for Seeman. Even as AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami held a grand meet to kick off his election prep, party managers were under pressure to bring huge crowds in all his pit stops as he undertook a whirlwind tour of 234 Assembly segments. Apart from his mega plans, he had a few tricks and turns to display even as his tour itinerary unfolded. The big story was former VCK Deputy Secretary and ThirumaValavan’s shotgun speaker, Aadav Arjuna joining the AIADMK. Just a few months back Aadav was in the news for taking on the DMK, its dynastic culture and the automatic elevation of Udhayanidhi Stalin as Deputy CM. “We need to end this born to entitlement of the top slot just because the party founder happened to be your grandfather,” said Arjuna. Arjuna’s arrows made Thiruma squirm, and he suspended his protégée for six months. Rumour mills were on overdrive asking, will it be Vijay or Edappadi whose outfit would welcome Aadav. He also earned brownie points to gently nudge poll strategist Prashant Kishor to “agree” to be the AIADMK’s Dronacharya, a deal said to have cost the party Rs 200 crore.

In Odisha, the BJP never seems to lose an opportunity to take a pot-shot or criticise the former chief minister Naveen Patnaik style of governance. Patnaik’s party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) constantly faces BJP’s onslaught ever since it came to power. The latest accusation relates to a 16-year old case — smuggling of iron ore as a result of which the ship Black Rose sank. Reportedly, the ship was illegally carrying 23,847 MT of iron ore and sank while unloading at Paradip port, it tilted and sank. Since it was an illegal ferrying of iron ore the documents too were fake. That was September 9, 2009. This old issue was raked up after Odisha’s BJP MLA Padmalochan Panda had briefed the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Now the Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is expected to initiate a formal inquiry into the whole incident vis a vis expose corruption in the then BJD-run government. Even though BJP is now pushing for an in-depth inquiry but what puts BJP in odd position is that it’s present MP Bhatruhari Mahtab who was earlier ex BJD MP had gone on record stating that Black Rose ship was carrying iron ore from Haldia and was re-loading at Paradeep port when the ship tilted and sank without attributing any kind of illegalities. Though everybody knows nothing concrete is going to emerge from this inquiry, it seems BJP’s strategy is to keep embarrassing and pushing the Opposition BJD party in the hope its image will take a knock.

Social crusader Anna Hazare has released a video clip on the eve of the Delhi assembly election, obliquely criticising AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal by asking the voters to support that party and leader, who believe in public service and sacrifice. Anna had been instrumental in dislodging the UPA government in 2014 by launching an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Among his staunchest workers was Kejriwal, who later became the focus of the anti-Congress politics in the national capital. However, Anna had frowned at this development since it was his stand that his followers should keep themselves away from active politics and especially from power games. This position was reversed by Kejriwal in no time and after that, the two have hardly spoken to each other. In the video, which has been mostly ignored by major political parties, Anna has asked the voters to elect only such people who are having a clean character and who wish to work for the people without expecting anything in return. There is a pointed reference to alcohol consumption since Anna says, “One should not take a stand that I drink and help others to drink too.” This is considered quite vocal since Kejriwal is facing several serious charges concerning the liquor license distribution in Delhi. Anna’s decision to break his long silence just before the Delhi election, scheduled for 5 February, has raised eyebrows since Anna himself has faced charges that he was a stooge of certain forces. Anna has never responded to such criticism and has closeted himself in his village in Ahilya Nagar district in north Maharashtra. In the last many years, no political leader has called on him.

At a time when most magazines and newspapers have literally gone out of circulation, two well established magazines are making a comeback. The Chennai-based Industrial Economist launched way back in 1968 is back in a new avatar. It is learnt that the family members of the founder, late S Viswanathan, have graciously agreed to allow the Chennai-based Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd (KICL), the flagship company of DC Kothari Group, to continue the publication of Industrial Economist in digital and print formats under a licensing agreement. Being a listed company, KICL has informed the stock exchange of its new forays. Likewise, the Mumbai-based Society Achievers and Society Interiors, once upon a time part of the late media tycoon Nari Hira’s stable, has been acquired by Ashok Dhamankar’s Magnate Publishing Pvt Ltd. Dhamankar who held top position at Nari Hira’s outfit Magna Publishing for over three decades, deems it opportune to get back into print. It’s already in the digital space. In the case of Industrial Economist, the website is up. Soon, Industrial Economist magazine will reappear in a rejuvenated format. The core philosophy will remain the same. The focus will be on development issues and capturing ground-level happenings across business, commerce, industry and the economy. The emphasis will also be on highlighting the achievements of the Tamil Nadu economy and enterprises and celebrating the milestones. Ideally, IE will try to function as a think-tank for policy makers, industry bodies, researchers and others by providing credible information and data for their reference. Already two senior editors have been roped in to get the magazine back into circulation. Hope these two magazines have a salutary effect – to see relaunches of many more magazines and newspapers.

The Guinness World Records creative “Fifty Years Of Wankhede Stadium” using 14505 cricket balls — 7821 red and 6684 white — was an ode to the greatest short-leg fielder Eknath Solkar. Raised and nurtured on the maidans, the gutsy Mumbai left-hander who emerged from zilch to achieve world fame, crouching at a dangerous fielding position and plucking catches.  He also showed a stout heart while batting. “Ekky” as he was fondly known to his friends and fans was remembered by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) which dedicated the unique creative to him. It was all part of its Fifty years of Wankhede Stadium celebration with the creative displayed in front of the dressing room sight screen on January 23, the first day of the first Test at a venue in 1975. Solkar was the first Indian to score a century at the venue named after Sheshrao Wankhede, regarded as a man for integrity and sports-minded. Wankhede was responsible for breaking the umbilical cord with the Cricket Club of India (CCI) for good reasons; the Bombay Cricket Association of which was Wankhede was the President, wanted to be independent and keen to own a cricket ground. And Wankhede delivered it using his political clout. Fifty years after the MCA honoured some of its great cricketers, administrators and recognised the ground staff tending to many  venues in the city,  the MCA presented Rs 10 lakh each to the surviving members of the 1974 Ranji Trophy team and Rs 5 lakh to the family of Ashok Mankad and Sudhir Naik, both of whom contributed immensely to the MCA — as player, captain, coach, mentor, curator, managing committee member and what not. Don’t they deserve more!

Just like efforts to tie-up helter-skelter loose ends of a plot to reach the climax, film promo events offer chances to hit back at those who failed you. In Need. Tamil film’s classy director Gautham Vasudev Menon found just such a moment. It was his promo for the Mammootty starring Dominic And The Ladies’ Purse, a pink Panther like detective theme. Menon could not control his angst as he poured out “would it have made a difference for Suriya if he had acted in Dhruva Natchathiram as originally planned?” He reminded Suriya about the two hits Kaakha Kaakha and Vaaranam Aayiram that marked turning points in Suriya’s filmograph. With Surya’s exit, Dhruva Natchathiram then passed on to Vikram but some financial glitches delayed the film inordinately, though Menon was gung ho about its release, soon. So why was he tying up seemingly disconnected loose ends now? The release of Vishal starrer Madh Gaja Raja (after a 12-year delay for ditto reasons) and its runaway success buoyed up Menon, appreciably. So what if Suriya went out of the film? Lead actors are replaced many a time. And the Kanguva failure would have taught Suriya many a lesson…cinema is more often misses than hits. Just as Suriya is investing all his resources in Retro, Dhruva Natchathiram will shine like the Pole Star, says a confident Menon.

Uncertainty and instability seems to be the hallmark of Maharashtra politics these days. Over two months since a majority government took charge in Maharashtra, insecurity and uncertainty persists over further splits in the Opposition. While the Opposition is on the edge with talks of their elected representatives crossing over to the treasury, the coalition partners are equally on tenterhooks owing to their inability to work freely due to many restrictions placed. Rampant rumours of switching sides and crossing over, be it of Sharad Pawar’s men or even Uddhav Thackeray over to the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has been doing the rounds for some time now. Just when these talks of political shifts had subsided, another buzz was created about how the BJP was engineering a split in Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena by pitchforking another of his deputy, industries minister Uday Samant, who instantly issued denial from Davos. Ajit Pawar’s deputy Chhagan Bhujbal cuddling up to Amit Shah, who regularly drops in at Maharashtra to personally oversee affairs in state, is said to be just the tip of the iceberg.   Eknath Shinde who has been sulking since his demotion from CM’s post, is now upset with his ministers being bypassed for guardian ministership in two districts, Raigad and Nashik. His supporters went on a rampage to protest by burning tyres and blocking highways demanding the posts. Constant bickering and frictions between coalition partners over ministerial berths, portfolios, bungalows and now guardian ministerships seem to have become a hallmark of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis 2.0 term. To placate forces within his own party he created new posts like joint guardian ministers to accommodate Ashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Saner voices of reason like Supriya Sule have claimed that the tensions in government were deliberately being stoked in the state, to divert attention from pressing challenges facing the state like inflation, unemployment, corruption etc.

A population explosion occurred in Maharashtra over the last three years, apart from the natural births registered, with over 60,000 citizens mostly Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals belonging to the Muslim community, issued birth certificates by the Maharashtra government as Indian citizens. The scam came to light Tuesday (Jan 21) when deputy collector of Akola, Vijay Patil, provided data confirming 15,845 people (mostly in the 30 to 70 years age group) were issued birth certificates in Akola district alone. Another 10,273 applicants on the verge of physical delivery of the certificates were put on hold. “Ninety nine percent of 1,50, 000 applicants, over 60,000 issued birth certificates already, illegal Muslim Bangladeshi/Rohingya immigrants into India. In majority of cases only photographs were provided as supporting documents,” BJP leader Kirit Somaiyya has said. In Akola city 4849 (3953), 1899 (896) in Akot, 468 (1164) in Balapur, 1070 (787) in Murtijapur, 1262 (938) in Telhara, 3978 (1576) in Patur and 1319 (959) in Barshitakli already secured government endorsed birth certificates while similar number (in brackets) were pending physical delivery when the scam came to light. Senior BJP leader Mahendra Jain says, “This is organized crime with 99% applicants found to be foreign nationals. Government officials found complicit in crime must be booked under the provisions of terrorism laws applicable in India.” Suspensions of concerned officials complicit in issuance of certificates to even fictitious entities as Indian citizens and its terror implications is still being assessed. Ironically, the Special Investigation Team ( SIT) formed to tackle the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Maharashtra years ago has not met a single time since its inception or. at least rarely.

In an interesting political twist, Tamil Nadu Industries Minister TRB Raaja who was pitching for Tamil Nadu to the investors at World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was found heaping praise on Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. He described Fadnavis as an amazing leader and expressed his deep respect for him. Son of DMK Lok Sabha leader TR Baalu, it was refreshing to hear the DMK Minister say that while “I am going to fight for an investment to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra is trying to pull it for Maharashtra, I don’t mind as long as it comes and stays in India. We don’t want to lose out to Vietnam, Indonesia or Malaysia. That is the whole story when we are aggressive”. While sharing stage with Fadnavis, Raaja praised India’s growth story and described TN and Maharashtra as double engines. He also described Fadnavis as a people’s leader.”I have a huge respect for him”, said Raaja, perhaps referring to the huge mandate he recently received. He also acknowledged that Mumbai was beating TN in terms of numbers anyway. In a bid to attract investment six states — UP, Maharashtra, Telangana TN, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala fiercely competed for attention at the WEF (Jan 20-24). While Maharashtra aimed to sign MoUs worth $7 trillion, TN which had launched a global campaign under the slogan “Bullish on TN” for four days had scheduled meetings with 50 potential leaders. While it may be good optics for a DMK leader which is part of the INDIA bloc to bond with BJP CM but it does open the possibility for DMK to explore its political options beyond INDIA bloc.

The world’s oldest public transport service provider, Mumbai’s BEST undertaking’s plan to ramp up its comfortable air- conditioned travel option for last denominator citizens has ended in abject failure. The target 10,000 zero pollution EV buses by 2024 for Mumbai city, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to transform into the international Fin-tech capital has not materialized. BJP’s Maharashtra executive committee member Mahendra Jain has written to the PMO and Maha CMO seeking a high-level enquiry into reasons for the failure seeking full accountability over holding Mumbai city’s progress to ransom. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis shunted out BEST GM Anil Diggikar in December 2024 itself, appointed Harshvardhan Kamble as the next IAS incumbent. Kamble was shunted out too and the BEST is headless. PM Modi provided Rs 450 crore, lying unutilized in BEST’s bank account, under the National Clean Air Programme. BEST admits to having only 3100 EV buses as of January 2025, devastating the PM’s dream. Global tenders floated by BEST in 2021 and Olectra group, a part of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) quoted the lowest L1 value @ 49 per km for supplying 2100 EV buses within a maximum of 18 months-time while Ashok Leyland’s Switch Mobility quoted the L1 value for supplying 200 double decker EV buses.  After tenders were opened, litigation held up the process till November 2022, finally settled by Bombay High Court. But what happened thereafter? Till January 2025 MEIL only provided wet lease services of 275 single decker buses out of 2100 promised while Swift Mobility provided less than 60 of 200 double decker EVs till date.

The BCCI’s selection committee has played it safe was the wisecrack after India’s men in blue team was picked for the 3-match ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy. The two biggest failures against Australia — skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — made it to the squad with Sharma as captain. Both have quit the Twenty20 format, but have been highly successful in the limited overs game and the committee with Ajit Agarkar in chair did not want to take the radical step of punishing them for not scoring runs against Australia. With both Sharma and Kohli in the selectors in no way could have acted upon Shubman Gill who gifted his wicket to Australia in both innings of the final Test in Sydney. In fact, he has been named the vice-captain. The outcome of the ODI series against England at home and the Champions Trophy and their individual form with the bat may probably direct a specific course of action on a few old hands from the selection committee which can be said was very conservative in picking the squad for the two campaigns in India and in Dubai. Agarkar went to the extent of saying that the immediate focus is on the Champions Trophy and not about the future of Sharma — who took a swipe at the media during the Sydney Test — and Kohli. Indian cricket is yet to see something big and bold as the change of captaincy – from Tiger Pataudi to Ajit Wadekar — affected in 1971 by the then Chairman of the selection committee Vijay Merchant whose decisions took Indian cricket forward. When will a Merchant happen again for Indian cricket?

Delhi has BJP worried over outcomes considering 12 of 70 MLA constituencies are dominated by the minority community enjoying majority vote count. Rahul Gandhi, keen on BJP losing even at own party’s cost, predictably commenced campaigning from Muslim dominated Seelampur assembly constituency that counts over 50% voters from the minority community. Gandhi targeted PM Modi as usual, consciously launched broadside against Arvind Kejriwal under pressure from Congress local leaders Ajay Maken, former Delhi CM, Sheila Dikshit’s son Sandeep. For once Congress high command heeded local leaders’ advice to fight alone rather than according AAP walkover on pain of losing out erstwhile political bastion, even suffer further in Punjab like it did for general elections and was trounced. In Delhi 3:4 ratio of coalition drew a blank with BJP clinching all seven Lok Sabha victories. Gandhi’s sudden detour to meet RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar Saturday surprised some but was to smoothen political relationship for next-up, Bihar state assemblies at instance of Sonia Gandhi notwithstanding Tejashwi’s hard stance against Congress. Delhi Lieutenant Governor granted prosecution permission against AAP leaders putting Kejriwal in a bind even as conditional bail pre-empts his CM post assumption if AAP wins. NCP leader and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar preferred fielding 30 candidates for Delhi polls, including 13 Muslim aspirants, than settling within NDA coalition that accorded solitary seats to Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan.  Pawar’s gambit is similar to 30 assembly candidates he fielded in J&K, 24 in Jharkhand although the impact of his national foray is yet to register a winning mark.

1st May 2025 is the release date of Kartik Subburaj’s Stone Bench Productions and Suriya’s 2 D Studios of their movie Retro. After the disaster of Kanguva, it’s widely talked about that Suriya must recover the lost ground via this new release directed by Subburaj himself. Suriya, it is learnt, was not keen to take any chance experimenting with new themes and avant garde story lines. Is that why they have hit upon the title Retro? The movie title is a bit mystifying and quaint for a romantic and action-filled movie whose teaser has set Suriya’s fans gushing over his talent for romance and action, a throwback to his highly acclaimed Kaakha Kaakha, Singam sequels, Pitamagan and Soorarai Pottru. Obviously, the team is not taking any chances. Suriya’s eager fans are rooting for a hit. Retro has to shine, shake and sell in the time frame when Ajith’s Good Bad Ugly and Dhanush’s much touted Idly Kadai will also draw eager fans to cinemas. Whatever the commercial and critical outcome, Suriya, Dhanush, Sivakarthikeyan are targeting that space left vacant by Vijay and Ajith. Vijay has launched his own political party.  Ajith is getting more involved in racing events as he has launched his own team. He recently won third place at the popular 24H Dubai 2025 race and caused a flutter when his car did a top spin after hitting a barricade. Seasoned actor that he is, Suriya knows the intricacies of unravelling a story and living his role as the mainstay. Who can predict…Retro might bring back the 90s and millennial styles.  

The BJP was in a dilemma regarding the Erode East Assembly bypoll in Tamil Nadu for a seat that became vacant with the death of Congress leader EVKS Elangovan. Having promised a seat to GK Vasan’s TMC, the party did not wish to go back on its word and take over the seat. At the same time, it was fearful of Vasan’s party being wiped out in the poll and finishing far behind Seeman’s NTK. A very poor performance by an ally would not have suited the national party either, which is why it decided not to contest and announcing it was following the AIADMK in boycotting the poll because the election would be fixed by the ruling DMK in bringing hordes of voters into nearby meeting places and then transporting them to the booths. AIADMK had decided to withdraw from the poll to give BJP the chance of putting up what could be a common candidate representing the opposition to the DMK in the state. The BJP boycott means the contest would be a walkover for the DMK that will face the only recognised party in the LTTE leader Prabhakaran-loving Tamil nationalist party NTK that has not won a single election so far. In any case, the seat will only be for a little more than a year as the Assembly elections to all 234 seats are to be held in the summer of 2026.

The suicide of Chandramouli Biswas, former bassist of the renowned Bengali band “Fossils”, has not only left Bengal’s music fraternity in shock but also opened a Pandora’s box about the challenges faced by Bengali musicians. Biswas was found hanging in his Kolkata residence and suicide note suggest the artist was battling depression. Sidhu, a member of the iconic band “Cactus,” lamented the lack of infrastructure in Bengal’s independent music scene. He noted that while the film industry has producers and structured promotion systems, independent musicians struggle to gain visibility. According to him, radio stations no longer play Bengali songs, and decisions about playlists are made by offices in Mumbai, sidelining local artists. Eminent singer Raghav Chattopadhyay added that the supply of music far exceeds the demand where gaining recognition in the music industry has become unpredictable, with some talented musicians struggling for opportunities while others achieve overnight fame without formal training. Another concern highlighted by contemporary musician Debdeep Mukhopadhyay is the lack of respect for instrumentalists. Chandramouli, according to his bandmate Mahul Chakraborty, was working on a new project, “Golok,” with plans to release an album before focusing on live performances. However, the lack of a producer and promotional support made the journey challenging. The lack of sustainable opportunities and acknowledgment for musicians has raised broader questions about the state of Bengal’s music industry. While legendary bands like “Fossils,” “Cactus,” and “Chandrabindu” paved the way, newer bands struggled to gain traction. The disparity between the thriving demand for international performances in Kolkata and the stagnation of local talent underscores the industry’s challenges.

A crucial meeting between RSS functionaries and BJP members of the Maharashtra cabinet in Mumbai will go a long way in charting the future path to be adopted by the state government led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The two-day conference was attended by Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrakant Bawankule, who is also the revenue minister. The ministers were told in no uncertain terms that their priority will be to serve the public and to maintain a clean image. Moreover, special arrangements should be in place to cater to the work connected with various individuals and organizations under the Sangh Parivar umbrella. The NDA’s unprecedented success in the state assembly election held recently is mainly attributed to the ground work done by RSS activists all over Maharashtra, especially to mobilise pro-Hindutva vote. Although the RSS has not taken any credit for this spectacular feat publicly, those working for the BJP candidly acknowledge the saffron organisation’s debt. A tentative agenda for the way ahead has been prepared for the ministers and discussed with them by top RSS representatives. Subsequently, it will be finalized as its importance will impact the local body elections, likely to be held in the near future. Like the assembly election, the BJP will dominate the candidate lists for the local bodies, too, it is expected. Accordingly, the two partners, the Shiv Sena led by deputy CM Eknath Shinde and the NCP under deputy Ajit Pawar, will have to be accommodated in the Mahayuti formula for the ensuring electoral bout, it is suggested.

In the absence of a leader of opposition in Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti’s dominant party, the BJP seems to have taken up the mantle of the Opposition’s role upon itself. Leading the attack against the lawlessness in Beed and raking up issues of corruption and extortion is none other than BJP’s own legislator, Suresh Dhas. Beed has been on the boil for weeks after a campaign against Dhananjay Munde and his aide Walmik Karad met up with large-scale violent reaction. Sanjay Raut (Uddhav Sena) has alluded that the entire Beed saga is a Fadnavis operation to cleanse the local political scene there. Local police officers have been transferred, gun licenses cancelled, corruption cases dug out as part of this operation. However, the central party leadership of the BJP particularly Amit Shah continues to be in the loop and maintains a hawk’s eye about the ongoing situation in the state. That the entire political situation playing out in Beed also has the Centre’s blessing is evident from the fact that leaders like Pankaja Munde and even Ajit Pawar, who have strong stakes in the local politics of Beed, have met and discussed the situation directly with Shah himself. The main accused Walmik Karad was slapped with the strong MCOCA Act, a day before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mumbai and briefed the state’s legislators. The man at the centre of the current political storm, NCP’s Dhananjay Munde was kept out of this crucial meeting with the PM. Though Munde has managed to retain his ministerial berth without resigning despite the controversy, he has been considerably weakened politically with his own leader Ajit Pawar disbanding his party’s entire team of office-bearers in Beed.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar has come under fire from firebrand leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who has lashed at the party’s ‘monopolistic’ style of functioning. Bhujbal’s outburst at the NCP’s Shirdi conclave and his distancing from Pawar by not even greeting him has sent warning signals within the party as the OBC proponent is among the senior most colleagues of Ajit. When veteran Sharad Pawar was attacked prior to the split in the NCP, it was Bhujbal who took up cudgels on behalf of Ajit and alleged that the latter was always sidelined. During the recent assembly election, Bhujbal’s importance was underscored following his spirited pro-OBC statements since it became evident that the OBCs had wholeheartedly voted for the NDA of which NCP(A) is a constituent. However, the picture suddenly changed when Bhujbal was not inducted in the government led by Devendra Fadnavis. The discord grew when Bhujbal maintained that Fadnavis wanted him in the cabinet but the NCP decided otherwise. So far, Ajit Pawar has not reacted at all to Bhujbal’s grievance even once. Hence, Bhujbal’s complaint that there was no collective decision making in the NCP is interpreted as a cautionary sign. NCP top leader Praful Patel has tried to quell it by announcing that internal talks will be held to exactly understand the issue. But this relief has not satisfied Bhujbal, who has declared that he will decide his course of action soon.

The latest news that the phlegmatic Sitanshu Kotak is likely to be the dedicated batting coach of the men in blue team starting from the five-match Twenty20 series against England has set tongues wagging about the need to equip the Twenty20 World Cup winning team with three ‘batting’ coaches — all left handers — under head coach Gautam Gambhir who himself is a left hander. Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach) is a left hander and so too is Kotak. The BCCI has not declared Kotak being added to the team that will meet in Kolkata for the first match.  While India’s batters in general flunked against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the knee-jerk response from the BCCI — cannot say if the 116-Test veteran Dilip Vengsarkar, a 1983 World Cup winning star, a former Chairman of the senior national selection committee and an Apex Council member was consulted about the addition of a batting coach to the national team. And also Shubangi Kulkarni the second former cricketer in the Apex Council. Only the BCCI can reveal if Kotak is going to do the batting coach role across formats. More importantly to whom will the batters take their problems to — Gambhir, Nayar or Kotak who has not played for India in any format. Kotak (52) has played 130 first class matches and scored only 15 x 100s!  He has been part of the National Cricket Academy set up for many years and has managed India A and junior teams. In addition the men in blue team has a second Assistant Coach in Ryan ten Doeschate, bowling coach Morne Morkel and fielding coach T Dilip, who was retained from the previous coaching staff under Rahul Dravid.

The rift in the powerful Pawar family appears to be widening despite persistent speculation that patriarch Sharad Pawar and his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar are likely to patch up eventually. Pawar’s recent kudos showered on the RSS cadres and his restrained reaction to various political developments have proved intriguing for his followers and detractors alike. On the other hand, Ajit’s frequent absence from important events in the state and especially at a function graced by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat have added grist to the rumour mill. Against this backdrop, the body language of Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule at a Pune dais with Ajit present alongside is considered quite vocal. Not a single word was exchanged between them during an agro exhibition at Baramati. The main event and the lunch thereafter were touted as possible venues for a handshake, which did not take place. The organisers had placed the chairs of Pawar and Ajit apart, perhaps to avert any discomfiture for either. Ajit and his wife Sunetra, Rajya Sabha member, were felicitated by Supriya but there was no verbal exchange. She rued the refusal by Ajit to talk to her. Supriya said that she continued to be in touch with Sunetra, as well as with their two sons. Supriya’s earlier grievance that Devendra Fadnavis would take her calls but not Ajit Pawar is recalled in this connection.

This Pongal saw an abundance of Tamilian, more pointedly Dravidian culture celebrations, with almost a week of holidays for them to meet, greet and bring cheer to families. Shopping was at its rousing best. And of course the Jallikattu bull taming, blood and gore to the fore in the districts of Madurai. The lead centre is Alanganallur, famous for exceptional bull breeding and competing tamers spurred by roars of excitement goading not just the bull tamer but the bulls too. This year 5786 bulls and 1698 “Veerans” participated in the sport. A car is to be gifted to the bravest tamer and the bull that defied capture. Inaugurating the high voltage sport, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu deputy CM was conspicuous by his presence, accompanied by his son Inbanidhi. No one can fathom whether M Karunanidhi (Kalaignar) the founder patriarch of the DMK had plans for a dynasty as prominent as Stalin and brood. Talk was inevitable…Kalaignar took his own time to groom son Stalin to take over both the party and the government. Kalaignar openly made it clear that Stalin would not get a walk in. Udhayanidhi had it quite easy with his mother pressuring husband Stalin to name him deputy CM.  Is Inbanidhi on the first step to learn the ropes by getting experience with his full blown lesson in bull taming … .valour, sense of adventure and the yearning for power? Raajneeti is not just electoral strategies. It is an eclectic mix of ambition, ruthless aspirations and of course lessons in bull taming.

Trinamool Congress General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee’s recently launched healthcare initiative, Sebaashray, seems to have raised a lot of questions about the existing healthcare landscape in West Bengal. By introducing a programme that delivers free medical services at the grassroots level, Banerjee has not only demonstrated a proactive approach to addressing healthcare gaps but has also sparked debates on the adequacy and accessibility of state-run facilities. In a message via social media Abhishek said, “Administration cannot be run with words alone; it requires action. Actions that can transform lives.” The party’s second-in-command highlighted the impact of Sebaashray by sharing statistics on its beneficiaries. Launched on January 2, 2025, in his parliamentary constituency, the initiative has already served 341,000 people, drawing significant attention and popularity, with many traveling from distant areas to access its services. The programme’s success has also prompted scrutiny, particularly regarding the necessity of a separate initiative alongside the state government’s existing free medical services. Responding to such concerns, Abhishek clarified that the initiative is not intended to replace or compete with the state’s healthcare framework but to complement it. While acknowledging the state’s progress over the past 10-15 years in establishing primary health centres and super-speciality hospitals, he explained that his initiative focuses on delivering advanced treatment directly to villages through a cluster-based model. Abhishek said that similar programmes would be replicated across West Bengal over a period of time. The initiative, however, has not escaped criticism. CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty argued that Sebaashray signals the inadequacy of the state government’s healthcare delivery at the local level.

The increasing influx of suspected Bangladeshis in Mumbai and certain parts of the state is causing grave concern. The Maharashtra police have intensified their efforts to identify and round up such infiltrators. However, existing procedure to deal with such infiltrators is such that the accused take benefit of the system and roam freely in India. Last year, over 300 Bangladeshis were arrested in Mumbai alone while more than 900 have been caught over the past three years. Sadly, just 220 of them could be deported due to the legal framework. Almost all of them were holding passports and Aadhar cards or ration cards. A few of them reportedly could vote for the recent Lok Sabha election as well. The Anti Terrorists Squad of the police has now accelerated the drive to weed out such illegally staying Bangladeshis. According to investigators, when such migrants are produced in court, they are able to secure temporary relief on technical grounds. Once protected by court orders, they indulge in various activities. A majority of them are said to be construction workers or plumbers. The ATS has now started writing to banks to freeze their accounts. Similarly, various state authorities like the transport and rationing departments are asked to cancel their driving licenses or ration cards. It has transpired that there is a systematic chain which manages different formalities so that the migrants can obtain official seal. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has termed this development as a Vote Jihad and asked the police to crack down ruthlessly.  

Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi kicked off a political storm by claiming that the Opposition was fighting not just against the BJP and the RSS but the Indian state itself. “Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP or RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself”. The Congress MP’s claims to fight against the Indian State in the backdrop of rout in Haryana and Maharashtra unleashed a war of words with the BJP. Union Minister and BJP chief JP Nadda alleged that Rahul Gandhi and his ecosystem have ‘close links with Urban Naxals and the Deep State’ who want to defame, demean and discredit India. FM Nirmala Sitharaman wondered how the LoP, who was sworn in by taking oath on the Constitution, was now speaking against the Indian State itself. She wanted to know why Congress men and Rahul Gandhi were carrying a copy of the Constitution in their hand! Main thrust of Rahul’s attack on the RSS made at the launch of the new AICC office was reserved for RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat who had described Ram Mandir’s “pran prathishtha” as true Independence of India. Bhagwat said that the date of Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya should be celebrated as “Pratishtha Dwadashi”.  Rahul called Bhagwat’s comments as an act of treason as it disregarded India’s freedom struggle. None of the Opposition parties have visited Ram Mandir out of fear of losing Muslim votes.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s biggest political test started this week. Over 40 crore people are expected to gather in the city of Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela and take a holy dip at the confluence of three sacred rivers — the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati. A sacred event for Hindus, the Maha Kumbh started from January 13 and will end on February 26. During the six weeks pilgrims will take part in elaborate rituals, prayers and religious processions. Yogi has personally supervised all arrangements to ensure that his management of the Kumbh will be remembered for a long time.  A sprawling 4,000 hectares of open land along the river banks has been converted into a temporary city to house visitors in 150,000 tents, equipped with 3,000 kitchens, 145,000 toilets and 99 parking lots.  PM Modi has given such importance to the Kumbh, that he even took the unprecedented step of effecting a bureaucratic reshuffle in the Finance Ministry in midst of budget making. A day after the Tirupati stampede, revenue secretary Arunish Chawla was moved out and replaced by Tuhin Kanta Pandey. As culture secretary, Chawla was in charge of Maha Kumbh and Republic Day. The Centre is  spending Rs 5,000 crore for the Kumbh and expecting  to generate revenue of Rs  2 lakh crore for UP. The Centre is taking all kinds of precautions as it does not wish for any repetition of the 1954 Kumbh stampede at Prayagraj, in which 800 people died. It happened under Nehru’s watch and Modi had referred to it in one of his speeches. People may credit Yogi if everything goes well. Yogi was praised last time for the arrangements made for Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya in January 2024.

The Congress will finally have its own premises in New Delhi. Never mind that it is coming 15 years too late. At least it has come up in the midst of Delhi Assembly elections which the party is fighting with renewed vigour. The foundation stone of Indira Bhawan (IB) was laid by Sonia Gandhi, as Congress President, on the party’s 125th anniversary in December 2009. On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, January 15, she will be launching IB as CPP chairperson. Party sources said MCD clearance had delayed IB’s opening by four months. The Congress led by Indira Gandhi had moved into 24 Akbar Road office — a Type VII Lutyens bungalow — in 1978 when the party was out of power for the first time since Independence. It was offered by a Lok Sabha Dalit MP from Telangana. Ironically, when it is moving out of the bungalow, the party is also out of power. Nevertheless, there is a lot of confidence among Congress leaders that the party could see a comeback. Much hope is riding on Priyanka Gandhi, as she is a MP now. Meanwhile, to avoid having the BJP icon in its address, the Congress chose to have its front gate on Kotla Marg, which is essentially the rear of the plot. As a result, 9A Kotla Marg will become its new address. This has of course got many Cong men wondering if the vaastu for the hi-tech building is perfect.  This is the fourth time Congress will be moving its party’s office since independence. From 7 Jantar Mantar Road to 5 Rajendra Prasad Road in 1971 and then to 24 Akbar Road in 1978. In 2015, the Centre cancelled the allotment of 4 bungalows given to the Congress — including 24 Akbar Road.  In contrast, the BJP built its headquarters in 6A Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in a record time of 18 months in Feb 2018.

Sunil Gavaskar dressed in a pistachio China collar gave a pleasant surprise to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Ajinkya Naik and its Apex Council by gracing the Wankhede Stadium Golden Jubilee inauguration on January 12. The MCA had invited the batting maestro and legend for the big celebration on January 19 when the association will felicitate the India captains from Mumbai. Upon being called to the stage after the MCA Apex Council match against the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai on Sunday — a 10-over thrash — Gavaskar said: “I got myself invited for today’s function because I was captain of Bombay (Mumbai) first before leading India. So I decided to invite myself.” The MCA was naturally excited at its illustrious son of the soil cricketer turning up at the Wankhede where he has scored 1122 runs in 11 Tests at 56.10 with five centuries including a high of 205 against the West Indies in the 1978-79 series. He had missed a century in the first Test at the Wankhede against the West Indies in January 1975. He scored 86 in the first innings. Gavaskar led India for the first time in January 1976 against New Zealand in Auckland, several months after he led Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy season of 1975-76. Gavaskar led Mumbai to three Ranji Trophy title wins; in April 1977 against Delhi at the Kotla, in April 1984 against Delhi at the Wankhede when he scored an unbeaten 206 and in April 1985 against Delhi at the Wankhede. No wonder he arrived at the historic venue on Sunday, January 12, to the delight of one and all!

What’s in a name? Who cares for longevity? Time just sweeps everything aside. Well, the year just went by was significant for this iconic name in the city of Chennai. N Srinivasan-owned The India Cements Ltd (ICL) has changed hands. And, the Birlas have become the new owner of the company. No doubt, change is the only constant in this world. But this change was totally unanticipated. At the employee-level, this change has come as a bolt from the ICL blue. Srinivasan has always been known to be a caring and employee-friendly owner. To be sure, the entire ICL team rallied around him through thick and thin. That bonding with his employees stood Srinivasan out in this highly competitive cement business. But he had little choice but to ship out. It was a bold call from an aging owner. To quit or hold on. That was a tough decision to make. In the end, Srinivasan chose to go out. It requires an extraordinary courage to give up something you were passionate about and something you nurtured all along with sweat and toil. In the end, he chose to call time so that the organisation could continue and become robust. One can debate until the cows come home as to what caused this change. As the new owners – UltraTech Cement — take charge at ICL, speculations are rife. Will the new owner keep the identity of ICL? Will ICL remain a Chennai company? Well, imaginations are running amok at the moment. One thing is sure, however. For Chenniates, it is hard to see ICL slipping into a new hand.

Come to think of it, one does not really see yesteryear popular stars like Reena Roy or Jaya Prada getting publicity…save for some guest appearances on reality shows. The same cannot be said of the 70-year old husky sexy popular star Rekha. From time to time she is visible in the social media space and makes dramatic appearances at the big event. The paparazzi loves her because she has struck a good chemistry with them…goes that extra mile to pose for them. But ironically, she is not friendly with any journalists. That’s why you only see her…don’t read her interview. An insider said, “She is a costly affair when she agrees to participate in an event or award function and goes into details like Amitabh Bachchan.”  Rekha who has acted in more than 180 films is nostalgic, mystical and continues to have a big draw wherever she goes. Just recently she was spotted at Raj Kapoor’s 100th birthday celebration. Here too the actress pleased all the paps… even gave a photo of Raj Kapoor sweet kiss. Sources say she is keen to get back to acting. Any Bollywood producers listening?

The situation in Bangladesh has become a matter of grave concern, particularly for the Hindu community, which is reportedly facing severe persecution with alleged administrative complicity. In light of these developments, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat along with nine senior leaders, is scheduled to visit Bengal for 10 days from February 7 to 16. This visit is being viewed as unprecedented, with no recent parallel in the state, according to sources inside the RSS headquarters. The RSS is celebrating its centenary this year, and officials have stated that the visit is primarily for organizational meetings and discussions on the various events organized across the country for the occasion. Bhagwat and other leaders will be in Kolkata for three days of closed-door meetings, followed by a visit to Bardhaman, where they will engage with regional leaders about the RSS’s activities in central Bengal, particularly in tribal and Kurmi-dominated areas. The visit has attracted significant attention from political analysts and international relations experts, especially given the current geopolitical dynamics. In neighboring Bangladesh, the Hindu community continues to face increasing violence, and the political instability has ramifications for India. Additionally, the presence of radical Islamic groups in eastern India has heightened concerns over internal security, leading to increased vigilance from central agencies. Inside RSS circles, however, some see this trip as addressing deeper concerns about the organization’s presence and influence in Bengal. A senior RSS member noted that while Hindu assertiveness has grown significantly in northern and central India, Bengal has lagged behind, prompting the leadership to focus on the state’s socio-political landscape.

Old timers may still reminisce about that 1964 runaway Tamil comedy hit, Kadhalikka Neramillai. Tamil audience is in for yet another namesake of this film, Kadhalikka Neramillai, directed by Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi, wife of Tamil Nadu deputy CM, to be distributed by husband’s Red Giant Movies. So when the film’s cute heroine Nithya Menen said in the music promo and trailer event, “I just don’t like the filmi world I am in. Just when I decided to quit and look for another career (pilot), destiny dropped the National Award for best female lead in Thiruchitrambalam, in my lap”. An award she richly deserves. Even as she goes from strength to strength as a bankable actress, she wonders why she continues … .no freedom to move, an image to be kept up. How many aspiring leading ladies would happily exchange places with her! Nithya comes from an agnostic family based in Bengaluru. But now she strongly believes that there is a “supreme power and destiny that presides over our lives”. She admits that she has turned into a believer. Is she practising the essence of Gita philosophy? Do your duty to the best of your ability, be detached and don’t depend on outcomes. She is sought after in all South Indian languages, delivers the best that a character demands. Her all-time favourite is the 2023 Kolaambi. O Kadhal Kanmani brought her many accolades. This sparkling lady is sure to find “kadhalikka neram” soon.