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With as many as 141 lives being lost, 180 people being rescued and innumerable people still feared missing after a British era bridge in Gujarat’s Morbi district collapsed on October 30, there has been a war of words between the BJP and AAP in the social media over an AAP MLA from Delhi Naresh Balyan predicting dhamaka in Gujarat two days in advance. Citing these tweets, the BJP alleged a conspiracy and leaders like Kapil Mishra called the Morbi tragedy a “bhayanak hatyakand” or conspiracy. While AAP leaders dismissed this as an attempt to “evade responsibility and digress from the terrible tragedy”, Balyan explained his tweet as a possibility of “many BJP leaders joining AAP in Gujarat.” Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asked if it was an “act of God or an act of fraud”. Around 500 people were on the suspension bridge when the cables supporting it snapped, sending people crashing into the Machchhu river below. The bridge could take the weight of only about 125 people and had been shut for seven months for repairs; it was reopened to the public on October 26, the Gujarati New Year, without a fitness certificate from the civic authorities. The Morbi tragedy couldn’t have come at a worse time for the BJP in poll-bound Gujarat. PM Modi cancelled his road shows in Gujarat and is expected to be in Morbi on Tuesday.
It is daggers drawn in the West Bengal unit of BJP. According to party insiders, the state BJP President Sukanta Majumdar is likely to go; he may be replaced by the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. If this happens, Suvendu will resign from the post of LoP giving way to BJP MLA Manoj Tigga, chief whip of the state unit. These changes will be made once Panchayat Poll dates are announced. Majumdar is likely to get a shunting post of central secretary or any post in the parliamentary party. All these developments come against the backdrop of the party’s new state observer and All India General Secretary (Organization) BL Santosh’s discussions with the Bengal committee members following Majumdar’s failure to attack TMC over a series of issues. Besides, it is known that Suvendu even while at TMC had great acceptance, ground-level reach and connect. This will benefit BJP in the Panchayat Polls. However, both RSS and the old guards of the BJP are against Suvendu’s ascension as the next state president. They are rooting for National vice president and former state president Dilip Ghosh, a diehard RSS man. The state RSS and VHP members feel, if Suvendu becomes the state president, the power of the party will go into the hands of Trinamool turncoat which will tarnish the prospects of BJP in Panchayat polls.
DMK spokesperson Saidai Sadiq is on a sticky wicket after having called actors-turned-netas such as Khushbu Sundar and Gowthami as “items”. He may have believed he had picked soft targets but ran into a doughty Khushbu who took it up on social media with such force as a defender of women that Sadiq had to make a grovelling apology on TV. But that came only after Kanimozhi, DMK MP, had tendered an apology to Khushbu and others, saying such sexism cannot be tolerated. The high- profile daughter of M Karunanidhi has just been elevated in the party as a Deputy General Secretary and has clout with the top party brass, which is why Saidai’s position is looking increasingly shaky. Also, in picking on Khushbu, he may have strayed into very sensitive territory for, as a member of the DMK before she crossed over to BJP, she was very close to the first family, having known three generation of male leaders in Karunanidhi, Stalin and Udhayanidhi by dint of their film industry links. The issue at hand is, however, clearly about the denigration of women and to say they are an “item” was most demeaning. The speaker is certain to face his party’s wrath for only recently Stalin had said publicly that he has spent sleepless nights because of such unwarranted remarks from his partymen.
Manipur Governor La Ganesan, who is holding temporary charge of West Bengal, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appear to have warmed up to each other. He has invited Didi to his elder brother’s 80th birthday in Chennai on November 3. Mamata has accepted the invite, in what appears to be her attempt to mend ties with the Raj Bhavan. Ganesan was given additional charge of West Bengal in July after his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar became the Vice President. Dhankhar’s three-year tenure in the Raj Bhavan was marked by heated exchanges with Mamata who even blocked him on Twitter in January. But, with Ganesan being nice to her, she too wants to mend her ties. The big question is whether Ganesan’s move has the blessings of PM Modi or HM Amit Shah. The warmth in their dealings has apparently set the tongues wagging in Kolkata. On October 24, Ganesan attended Kali Puja at Mamata’s residence along with his family. The CM gave a short tour to the Governor amidst the festivities. Governor was “very impressed” by Mamata’s modest residence and asked her how she lives in a small house. Ganesan, who was close to DMK chief M Karunanidhi, has also invited Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin. Bengal BJP leaders dismiss the bonhomie between Ganesan and Mamata as of no consequence. Ditto TMC leaders.
Rishi Sunak’s rise as UK PM has prompted sharp responses in India. Sunak, the 42-year-old Indian-origin UK leader, is the first-ever UK PM of South Asian heritage, and is the youngest premier the country has seen in about two centuries. For the UK to have a PM of colour is being hailed as a key moment. In India, PM Narendra Modi defined Sunak — the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy — as a “living bridge” and looked forward to working with him. Meanwhile, the Opposition were gloating how a minority member has been accepted. “First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak. The people of the US and the UK have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government,” tweeted Congress’s P Chidambaram. “I think there is a lesson to be learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism,” he stressed. Coming from the Congress, it is a bit rich. The party could have got Sonia Gandhi elected as PM in 2004 itself. But then if one were to go by the account of K Natwar Singh in his book it was Rahul Gandhi’s threat that had made Sonia give up the crown. As for Shashi Tharoor wondering if India could have a minority PM in India, he forgets between 2004 and 2014, Dr Manmohan Singh belonging to Sikh minority was the PM.
In an emotional reunion, a young Army officer in Kargil presented PM Narendra Modi with a 2001 picture of him when Modi had visited Sainik School in Balachadi, Gujarat as CM and presented him with a shield. When they met again on October 24 this year in Kargil it was a nostalgic meeting. Interacting with soldiers, Modi pointed out, “There has not been a single war with Pakistan when Kargil has not flown the victory flag”. Emphasising on the importance of 1999 Kargil armed conflict for India, he recalled how he was a witness to the war and had watched it closely as he had come to spend time with the jawans when they were giving a befitting reply to the enemies. Modi had gone to Kargil as an ordinary citizen to drop off the supplies put together by countrymen and said that it was a moment of worship for him. What is of interest is the manner in which the PM was seen freely interacting with the soldiers, enjoying music with them — like when a soldier crooned AR Rahman’s number Maa Tujhe Salam. The high-altitude conflict zone reflected mini India with Tamil soldiers enthralling the PM with a Tamil song and even a Gujarati song boomed from Kargil —“Gandhiji Gujarati, Modiji Gujarati, Gujarati na bol bala amme lehri lala, amme lala“. Modi tweeted about the videos in Gujarati & Tamil.
It will not only be a great moment in British history but also that of Indian history as Rishi Sunak takes over at 10 Downing Street after being voted in as Tory Party leader on Diwali day. It is 75 years since Winston Churchill, Britain’s greatest hero of World War II, made the terrible remark on Indians saying – “All Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw”. And that was said by a man who is considered as responsible for the Bengal Famine of the 1940s when he allowed Indians to starve while the grain was earmarked for British troops. Only seven years ago was the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi as the apostle of peace and fighter of freedom for India recognised as his statue was installed in the British Parliament in 2015. Britain gets an Indian origin Prime Minister. At 42, he is Britain’s youngest PM in 200 years, educated at Oxford in true blue Britain and Stanford in the US, as rich as royalty thanks to his wife Akshata, daughter of Narayana Murthy of Infosys fame, and as fund manager at Goldman Sachs conversant with the financial markets. The controversies over his wife’s non-domiciled tax status in the UK and the US green card he kept for too long are behind him now. He is expected to unite Britain at a time of a grave financial crisis.
While Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has scored his third political victory in as many days, his son Amit has asked the government to grant as bonus a month’s salary for police personnel in the state. Raj Thackeray’s Diwali celebration at the historic Shivaji Park on Friday (Oct 21) evening has deep political overtones since chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis appeared on his stage. Shinde made a loaded statement there. He said, “I wanted to attend this celebration for the last 10 years but could not come.” The barb has been aimed at his erstwhile boss Uddhav Thackeray, who is at loggerheads with cousin Raj. The first win for Raj was the prompt response to his appeal by Fadnavis to withdraw the BJP candidate from Andheri assembly by-election. The second was his letter to Shinde seeking relief to farmers. Soon thereafter, the CM announced the writing off the farmer loans. The third victory is the presence of CM and DCM on his platform. Amit also has been sending out clear political signals. Response is awaited to his appeal to Fadnavis, also the home minister, to consider the case of police personnel for a bonus so that their Diwali becomes joyful.
A day after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, announced that Pakistan is “no longer subject to its increased monitoring process” as it has agreed to continue to work with APG (Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering) to further “improve its AML and CFT (Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing) system” and India noted that it was scrutiny that had forced Islamabad to take anti-terror steps, DMK leader TR Baalu decided it was a good time to move the Modi Government for seeking help for a miniscule group — Tamils in Pakistan. In a letter to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Baalu pointed out that the Tamils in Madrasi Bara in Karachi have been living there for decades and were taken there by the British. “During the British days, they were taken to East Pakistan to do account related jobs and they subsequently moved to present day Pakistan.” Post partition, these people opted to live in Pakistan. However, in view of deteriorating ties between the two countries these expats have not been able to visit their ancestral villages in Tamil Nadu or enable their children to maintain a cultural and language connect with Tamil Nadu. Urging the EAM to arrange for a visit of the Pak Tamils to their villages, Baalu offered to extend support of MK Stalin government in imparting Tamil language skills to next-generation Pak Tamils.
The Maharashtra government has intensified its campaign to ensure that the state does not lose the multi-billion rupee Nanar refinery project in Ratnagiri district in Konkan region. The precaution is said to be taken to avoid recurrence of the Vedanta-Foxconn fiasco that occurred a couple of months ago. With an estimated Indian and international investment of over Rs 3 lakh core, Nanar was projected as the largest such refinery in the world. Nearly 7500 acres of land was acquired for it though some land holders were against it. The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime then decided to shift it to a nearby village, Barsu, though opposition from others quarters continued. After losing Vedanta-Foxconn, the Shinde-Fadnavis government held a cabinet sub-committee meeting, which took place after a lapse of 14 months. After discussing pros and cons, it was felt that the project should stay at Nanar and the opposing villages deleted from its planning. After keeping this area of about 2000 acres out, the proposed project can be developed on the acquired 5500 acres of land, it was suggested. Chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis have been wooing various industrialists to start their projects in Maharashtra. Coincidentally, the sub-committee met just when it was being announced that Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was to visit Pune to attract industry through his “Invest MP” initiative.
Former Union home minister Shivraj Patil has put his foot in his mouth on many occasions in the past and his latest ‘Jihad’ remark has come as no surprise for those knowing him. Patil was in the news last time when it was found out that he had completely deleted the sordid 26/11 terrorist attack tragedy on Mumbai by Pakistan from his autobiography Odyssey of My Life. A lightweight figure in Maharashtra politics, Patil was always rewarded due to his total loyalty to the Gandhi clan. In active politics for over 45 years, Patil was always close to the powers that be. He has not participated in any protest or demonstration. Due to his penchant for ‘correctness’ and razor-sharp crease of his suits, Patil never indulged into the hurly-burly of street politics. Every time a Maharashtra chief minister was to be changed by the Congress high command, Shivraj Patil’s lackeys would indicate that his name was being considered. On a couple of such occasions, he camped in Mumbai but was never sounded by the party. He would then himself discount the news reports and criticize the media for circulating them. Patil had claimed after the 26 November 2008 Pakistani attacks that he had air travelled to Mumbai in a cargo plane along with about 250-300 NSG commandos. However, the claim was rubbished by the officials who had been on that aircraft. As a result, the entire episode vanished from his autobiography. QLab Pro
It was interesting to hear former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu hold forth on the language issue. Unencumbered by any office, he spoke freely on Hindi imposition which is a pet project of the RSS and Modi Government. Naidu handled the sensitive subject in his own inimitable style. Addressing a News Broadcasters Federation, he said “‘We are a federal country, we have different states, but we are one nation. My preference is always for my mother tongue, then brother tongue and then any other tongue.” Recalling how as Rajya Sabha Chairman he had ensured all members could speak in their mother tongue. Describing mother tongue as eyesight, Naidu described English as spectacles. “Without eyesight, there is no use for the most expensive pair of glasses.” It was politically significant that Naidu called on people to “try and learn one language that is spoken by a large number of people — be it Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali or Marathi”. By this, he meant those from Hindi-speaking areas should also pick up an Indian language. “There should be no imposition of any language and also no language should be opposed. We should also not oppose English,” he said. Known for his quips as Rajya Sabha Chairman, Naidu made it clear he may have retired on August 11, but isn’t tired. And would continue to interact with people. Scrivener Crack
Remember the dramatic shoot out of Sandalwood brigand Veerappan? Tamil Nadu top cop and late Jayalalithaa’s alter ego, the much decorated K Vijay Kumar was assigned to capture Veerappan, the Sandalwood smuggler who was literally running a YouTube studio from the dense jungles of Sathyamangalam and teasing the cops. He had kidnapped Karnataka superstar Rajkumar. Enter Vijay Kumar and Veerappan’s story ends forever. Vijay Kumar, is now back in TN, after resigning from a high profile posting in Delhi as Special Security Officer to the Ministry of Home Affairs, following a notable stint as Security Advisor to J&K. He held plum posts 6 years after retirement and is said to be close to Amit Shah and Ajit Doval. Who is the new brigand Vijay Kumar has been sent to capture? Before we presume why he is back it is relevant to track two other top guns who came to TN from the Force. First was Governor RN Ravi now comfortably ensconced in the Raj Bhavan stonewalling many a bill to vex the ruling party DMK. Second, K Annamalai, an IPS officer posted in Karnataka has taken over as TN BJP chief. He has already made a name for his son et lumiere profile quickly. Now is Vijay Kumar back in TN to ferret out proxy terrorist units like the PFI or play a new role? Watch this space. Stardock WindowBlinds
The return of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of Britain is a distinct possibility. He will be up against his former protégé and now rival Rishi Sunak for the right to reside on Downing Street. There is reason to believe that Boris deliberately and cynically backed Liz Truss as the candidate for PM against Rishi though he knew he was backing the wrong candidate for the job. This was his way of creating a comeback trail for himself. Had he proposed the correct candidate in Rishi he may not have stood this chance of getting back in the job because Tory MPs would have realised what their wrong choice could do to the country and its economy. The master and his protégé had fallen out during the partygate crisis after Rishi had first stood by Prime Minister Boris. But, as the crisis grew in such proportions that Boris was in danger of being dethroned, Rishi pulled out to make a play for the top job. And that is when Boris plumped for Truss in the hope of swinging the nomination for her. This was cynical politics at its best and Boris was never averse to pursuing it. In what could be a shortened contest in view of the emergency situation in Britain, it might become a straight fight between Boris and Rishi with Penny Mordaunt likely to be left behind, once again. Teorex Inpaint Crack
While Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has scored another victory with his latest suggestion to the state government to help out distressed farmers, his son, Amit has asked the government to grant as bonus a month’s salary for police personnel in the state. Raj Thackeray’s latest appeal has come close on the heels of his earlier letter to deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to withdraw from the Andheri assembly by-election and the withdrawal of the BJP candidate soon thereafter. The letter written by Raj to chief minister Eknath Shinde seeking relief to farmers was released for publication and the CM’s announcement of writing off the farmer loans taken from the land development bank in the state was made within hours. Shinde said this Diwali gift involves the loan waiver of Rs 964 crore. In his letter, Raj had praised the state government’s policies of recording panchanamas of farmers’ losses but felt that this would not be enough. Demanding that the state should declare a ‘wet drought’ caused by excessive unseasonal rains, Raj said the losses suffered by farmers were unprecedented. Sending out clear signals, Amit is becoming more and more active. Government’s response is awaited to his appeal to deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, to consider the case of police personnel so that their Diwali becomes joyful. MiniTool Power Data Recovery Keygen
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week laid the foundation stone for a new air base at Deesa in Banaskantha district, Gujarat near the India-Pakistan border, it brought to light the importance of continuity in decision-making in the government. Deesa is a greenfield air base spread over 4,519 acres and as Modi himself put it “the international border is just 130 km away. If our forces, especially the Air Force, are in Deesa, we will be able to respond to any challenge on the western border”. According to Indian Air Force (IAF) officials the land for the base was acquired back in 1983. The approval to construct a full-fledged air base was given by the Centre in 2020. Although the land for Deesa air base was allotted an in-principle approval given was to the IAF by the Vajpayee government way back in 2000, the project was put on a back burner by the UPA government for the next 14 years. It was kick-started only after the 2017 massive floods in Banaskantha. That is when PM Modi and then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked IAF to provide flood relief. The Air Headquarters then headed by Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa found it difficult to provide relief as there was no airfield nearby. Nevertheless Deesa was still lying-in files. It was then that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stepped in and got all approval done along with Rs 1,000 crore funding.
Factional feud and infighting among senior leaders of Trinamool Congress (TMC), for the past few days, has made it split wide open ahead of the party’s Lok Sabha dream. While the BJP is trying desperately to regain its lost grounds in Bengal, the TMC infighting among the senior guards is adding fodder to saffron motive. Local MLA Tapas Roy took a jibe against party colleague and MP Sudip Banerjee of indulging in “anti-party” activity by “keeping a good rapport with BJP” as well as a “corrupt politician who has spent days in jail” for his involvement in a Ponzi scam 2017. Though Sudip did not make any counter claims but referred to the common saying “Hathi chale bazar…..”. Sudip is Didi’s representative in Delhi who has interacted with PM Narendra Modi several times on her behalf. In fact, Didi had invited Sudip and his wife, MLA Nayana Banerjee to a programme held in her constituency, making it clear about her support. Another local MLA Tapas Chatterjee expressed his dissatisfaction for not being invited to Didi’s event held at a venue situated within his constituency. In both incidents, senior party leaders, MP Sougata Roy and local MLA Madan Mitra came out in support of Roy and Chatterjee respectively. However, according to party insiders, on both occasions, Didi has expressed her anger with close circuit. She is quoted saying that Chatterjee could have spoken to her instead of going to the media.
A public interest litigation against Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and his family and an allegation that certain forces are bent upon splintering the family of NCP chief Sharad Pawar have come out back on back, raising speculation about the timing of both. The PIL against Thackeray and his family members, demanding to know the source of their income and wealth, came up before the high court in Mumbai on Wednesday. It has been listed for hearing on November 16. The petition has been filed by Dadar resident Gauri Bhide and her father, said to be close to the Thackeray family. The Bhide’s have a printing press near Saamana office in Prabhadevi. The other powerful family belongs to Sharad Pawar, whose grandson and NCP MLA Rohit Pawar had kicked up a storm after alleging that some forces were trying to wreck the family. When asked for his reaction, NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was evasive. Ajit said, “I shall ask Rohit what he exactly meant by making such a statement.” To add to the suspense, Rohit later said he had not blamed the BJP for the plans to dismantle the family but had merely said that some forces opposing the NCP were trying to create a rift in the family. Reactions of Pawar and Uddhav are awaited eagerly.
Election of Mallikarjun Kharge as Congress President by a comfortable number of votes — he polled 7897 votes against Shashi Tharoor’s 1072 — was on expected lines. Kharge with blessings of the Gandhis had to win. Except that Tharoor had hoped to poll about 2000 to 2,500 and that did not happen. After all, he had campaigned extensively in four states. He was hoping to tap on the latent discontent within the party. That is why party MP Karti Chidambaram backing Tharoor remarked “We are very pleased that we crossed the four digit mark – 1,072 votes”. In 2000, when Jitendra Prasada contested against Sonia Gandhi, he had polled a paltry 94 votes against Sonia’s 7,400 votes. In 1997, when Sitaram Kesri was elected party chief, he had polled 6,224 votes, Sharad Pawar 882 and Rajesh Pilot 354. Little wonder, Tharoor who lost the elections felt that the revival of the party “has truly begun today“. After all, winning trust of 1000-plus delegates is no small achievement. Meanwhile in poll-bound Himachal there is rush to file nominations as the last date for filing papers is October 25, day on which the solar eclipse falls. With Diwali holidays and the eclipse, candidates have no choice of good muhurat. Denial of nomination to a sitting Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi is also irking party leaders. Rahul Gandhi’s aide Krishna Allavaru is reportedly pushing for a Youth Congress pick.
The finger of suspicion pointing at VK Sasikala and others in the matter of the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa might spell the end of her political ambitions. Already disqualified from contesting elections till 2027 after going to jail on a disproportionate assets charge, the former confidante of Jaya might find very few willing to join hands with her in promoting her political future. She might find a faithful loyalist in the pliant O Panneerselvam who was substitute CM whenever Jaya was not qualified to hold the CM post or ill. But none would take her seriously any more in Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian political scene after Justice Arumugasamy Commission indicted her. Having taken charge of everything during Jaya’s illness, including ordering the CCTV cameras in the CCU unit of Apollo Hospital to be switched off, she and her kin who is a doctor took the final call on several decisions regarding Jaya’s medical treatment. No one else, not even acting CM OPS, had access to the CCU area that was cordoned off. Bureaucrats who took orders directly from Sasikala will also be under the scanner when the government orders an inquiry. Any chance of rapprochement with the AIADMK party claimed by Edappadi K Palaniswami may have also evaporated as none would be ready to associate with a hanger-on suspected of doing away with her mentor in the hope of capturing her powerful seat.
Political permutations and combinations continue to take place in Maharashtra though their contexts are different and confusing for the common man. Within a couple of days of the BJP’s dramatic decision not to contest the Andheri (east) by-election against Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) election slated on October 20 will be fought by all major political parties in the state unitedly to ensure election of a BJP nominee as MCA president. The new MCA office-bearers and executive committee members will represent the Sena (U), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the BJP. Maharashtra Congress party president Nana Patole went to the extent of commenting that the BJP’s Andheri withdrawal looked as if it was a prelude to the MCA election. Even as dust is settling over the developments, NCP president Sharad Pawar and Uddhav have reportedly consented to join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo yatra in the state. Rahul will enter Maharashtra on November 7 at Nanded to begin his 383-km walkathon in the state. Pawar and Thackeray were invited to make their presence felt by former chief minister Ashok Chavan and other Congress leaders. Both have given positive signals. The place and day of Pawar and Uddhav participation will be decided soon. However, their consent is viewed as an encouraging sign for the revival of the erstwhile ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will celebrate Diwali with soldiers on October 24, something that he has been doing for the last eight years. Starting from a visit to Siachen in 2014, he has celebrated the festival with troops in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district twice — in 2019 and 2021. This year, the PM will visit Kedarnath on October 21 where he will oversee the ongoing development plans. Thereafter he will visit Badrinath the same day. On October 23, he will go to Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh for “Deepotsav.” His visit to the char dham in Uttarakhand is being seen as his attempt to ensure pilgrims have better experience while visiting these shrines. His concern for the pilgrim’s welfare came across even when he recently inaugurated a revamped Mahakaal Temple complex in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. In Ayodhya a grand event of lighting of lamps is being planned. Ever since the BJP came to power in UP, mega ‘Deepotsav’ celebrations have been organised by the Yogi Government. In 2021, Ayodhya created a world record after over 9 lakh diyas were lit along the banks of river Saryu. This year, a record 15 lakhs of lamps will be lit in the birthplace of Bhagwan Ram. It is being said Modi will visit the border village of Maana and interact with the villagers and soldiers.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi who cast her vote in party polls, surprised everyone with her remark – about how she has been waiting for a “long time” to vote in a new party chief. Coming from someone who has led the Grand Old party for the longest time – a record 24 years – it may seem a bit rich. Of course in between, her son Rahul did briefly take over from her in December 2017 through a process of uncontested polls but he gave it all up in 2019 after the Lok Sabha polls rout. While it is interesting to watch the Gandhis pursue agenda of party polls with an assurance that their man is Mallikarjun Kharge, the wager is it could throw some surprise by backing Shashi Tharoor. Yet the party is going to ludicrous lengths to assert about “purity of the election process” with AICC media functionary Jairam Ramesh unflinchingly comparing party’s Election Authority Madhusudan Mistry to the legendary TN Seshan. Meanwhile, many in the party are wondering why Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hasn’t joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra yet. Is she upset with her brother or was preoccupied with her rally in Solan on October 14? Must give it to Chhatisgarh CM Bhupesh Bhagel who is forever trying to be on the right side of the Gandhis; like he managed to be in Solan and joined Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Ballari the next day in Karnataka. Now, all eyes on October 19 result.
In a day of fast developments, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has alleged that the BJP asked MNS leader Raj Thackeray to write a letter urging Devendra Fadnavis to withdraw from Andheri (east) assembly by-election since an internal BJP survey had shown that it would lose to Shiv Sena (Uddhav) candidate by about 45000 votes. “What Raj had written was according to a script prepared beforehand.” Raut told reporters at the session’s court where he was brought for a hearing. He was reacting to Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule’s announcement about the withdrawal by the BJP from the crucial fight. Similar theories abound about the chain of events that led to the final BJP decision to opt out. First, Raj wrote a letter to BJP. It was supported by NCP president Sharad Pawar and CM Eknath Shinde’s confidant Pratap Sarnaik, Thane MLA. Fadnavis declared that the BJP would give a serious consideration to it in view of the appeal that a deceased’s spouse should be allowed to get elected unopposed. The culmination was Bawankule’s endorsement. In a related development, Raj has written another letter to Fadnavis on Monday, thanking his ‘Dear Friend’ for showing the magnanimity to withdraw from the fray. However, BJP candidate Murji Patel’s supporters were not happy, they shouted slogans against Raj after their leader withdrew from the by-election. But Patel said he was a disciplined soldier of the BJP and hence withdrew the moment he was asked to.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin recently lamented, “Every morning I dread waking up to some new controversy caused by some of my senior ministers “. Stalin warned these controversial cohorts in no uncertain terms during the recent DMK General Council meet “Should I resign or those who are guilty ready to resign? Of this motley council of ministers the enfant terrible septuagenarian, Durai Murugan has irked the government on more than one occasion. Recently, Durai Murugan accompanied by Health Minister Ma. Subramanian, visited a primary health Center in his own constituency, Katpadi and berated the doctors there for poor maintenance of precincts and ordered immediate transfer of a few doctors to a distant gulag. The Indian Medical Association took up the matter with Stalin who reversed the transfer decision. Minister for Transport K Ponmudi insulted women by referring to them as “OC (in Tamil it means free) bus passengers “. TN women have taken umbrage to his statement. In the case of finance minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, the less said the better. The sheen of his grand entry as party intellectual and finance wizard, wore off fast with other aspirants putting him in his place. It seems that the late Kalaignar would not allow a minister to ride with him in his car for such misdeeds. Stalin too is trying out this mode of punishment.
Mumbai BJP has revived its plan to make fresh forays into the Worli assembly constituency represented by Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya on the occasion of Diwali. Several events, accordingly, will be organized between 19 and 23 October in the area by inviting leading film and television stars. During Navratri, BJP had held gala Garba gatherings in Worli, which is a predominantly Marathi-speaking constituency. So far, the Shiv Sena had monopolized it. However, in the new political equation, the BJP is keen to snatch it away from the Sena (U) by trouncing Aaditya. The strategic Jamboree Maidan in Worli will be the venue of the BJP’s ‘Deepotsav’ in which many cultural and cuisine attractions will be offered so as to ensure substantial footfall. Ever since the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance was established in 1989, Mumbai had been gifted to the Sena by the BJP for the municipal corporation and assembly elections while in the other parts of the state and the Lok Sabha elections, BJP was given more weightage. The situation changed in 2019 when the Sena broke away from the BJP to form Uddhav’s government in tandem with the NCP and the Congress. Stung by the shock, the BJP has decided to try its best to win the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which has been under the Sena since 1985.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) finally named Abanti Das to contest the Dhamnagar by-election to be held on November 3. Abanti Das, Mission Shakti specialist, is very actively involved with women Self Help Groups around Odisha. Political analysts say once again chief minister Naveen Patnaik has played his card well by focussing on women voters to win the prestigious seat left vacant with the untimely death of BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi. BJD is positive of Abanti Das because she is a fresh face and that fits into BJD’s strategy of giving breaks to newcomers. Also, BJD did not want to repeat the mistake of fielding a candidate which would trigger internal fights and give advantage to BJP like it did in 2019. This explains why BJD did not opt for its former two MLA’s Rajendra Kumar Das and Muktakanta Mandal as they are constantly at loggerheads. But, Patnaik’s move has not gone well with the former BJD MLA Rajendra Das. He has defied BJD supremo by filing nomination as an independent candidate. Abanti Das is the chairperson of Tihidi block at Bhadrakh who has vast experience in Mission Shakti. BJD is counting on her vote mobilisation networking abilities to win the by-poll election. BJD sources say “winning this time is expected, since BJD has won all the by-polls conducted since 2019”.
It was sort of deja vu. The Election Commission’s decision to put off announcing Gujarat poll schedule while declaring elections time-table for Himachal Pradesh has evoked predictable response from the Congress. While CEC Rajiv Kumar defended scheduling Himachal elections on November 12 and December 8 as result day, he said Gujarat poll dates would come later; he pointed to a 40 day gap of tenure of two assemblies (Himachal & Gujarat). Ideally, Congress should have cheered Himachal dates considering it has not even bothered to start its campaign in Gujarat and is largely relying on a proxy like AAP. The EC said it was scheduling an early poll in Himachal because of snowing in the upper reaches. In 2017 too the.EC had given separate dates for Gujarat and Himachal. At that time Gujarat poll dates were delayed to put off imposing the model code of conduct in the state as it was felt it would disrupt flood relief operations. Then CEC AK Jyoti had cited how in 2001 the law ministry and the EC had reached an understanding following that there would not be a gap of more than 21 days between the announcement of polls and the date of the notification of elections. That means the model code will be in place for 46 days. When elections to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were announced together in 2012, the model code remained enforced for 86 days.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sunil Tatkare’s nephew Avdhoot Tatkare has joined the BJP, snapping his ties with the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. A Sena MLA for 2014-19, Avdhoot is the son of Tatkare’s brother Anil. Avdhoot’s decision is considered politically crucial since his action to enter the BJP is looked at as a double blow, to the NCP and the Sena under Uddhav. NCP has recently appointed Sunil Tatkare as its national general secretary. His daughter Aditi is presently MLA and was a minister of state in the previous ministry led by Uddhav as chief minister. Sunil Tatkare himself is a confidant of NCP leader Sharad Pawar. In view of the stature of Sunil, the step taken by Avdhoot is considered significant against the backdrop of future electoral calculations. Avdhoot was welcomed by BJP state unit president Chandrakant Bawankule. After his formal entry, Avdhoot told the media that he had not joined the BJP for any post or with any precondition. However, it is felt that Avdhoot falling out with uncle Sunil happened since his claim was ignored in favour of Aditi. The BJP has been struggling to find a firm footing in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Avdhoot is considered a prize catch by the BJP since he is considered capable to take on the heavyweight Tatkare in Konkan.
The much-anticipated Indo-UK trade deal is a non-starter. A Diwali deadline had been put on its signing by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former British PM Boris Johnson. But the deal is on a back burner now despite Liz Truss wanting to move things along. In fact, it was suggested that PM Modi take a flying trip to the UK to meet Truss and speed up the deal, but that idea was shot down after Suella Braverman, Britain’s Home Secretary, swam into the picture to cloud up the waters with her gripe against Indians. An Indian-origin migrant born to Indian parents, Suella targeted Indians as the worst kind of visa over stayers in the UK. While statistically that may be true, there was little need for her to take off on a rant above Indian migrants at this juncture. The Indian foreign office is miffed with Suella’s tirade, which they see as a spoke in the wheel of the trade deal. Tending to the visa regime and laying down guidelines favouring India in visas was part of the deal. But the Tory government is on such shaky ground regarding the British economy and the mini-Budget that Kwarteng presented under Truss’ tutelage that the India trade deal has taken a back seat. The Diwali deadline is set to run out in 10 days from now.
Freebies are the inventions of political parties to win elections. More often than not, the poll promises of political parties across the spectrum contain liberal freebies. Once in power, they are, however, faced with the reality of the financial situation: How do we fund the freebies? One is reminded of the proverb `robbing Peter to pay Paul’. This is not a sound strategy. Parties – especially the ruling ones – are discovering this. Well, the Tamil Nadu Government has now decided to mandate the use of Aadhaar identification service in Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation, which gives free power to hut-consumers and farmers. Select categories of power users are given free supply to a limited extent. These are funded by the government of Tamil Nadu, and involve expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of the State. A government order issued by the Energy Department of Tamil Nadu Government on October 6 now makes it mandatory for all those using or desirous of using the freebies’ schemes to provide proof of the possession of Aadhaar numbers. If they don’t, they have to undergo an Aadhaar identification process. Freebies are indeed a necessary tool to bring about social justice. But the state must know if they really reach the needy. Well, the Aadhaar linkage is inevitable to plug the holes in the power distribution system.
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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is under pressure to merge his party Janata Dal United (JDU) with his new coalition partner Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). At its national executive meeting in Delhi early this week the RJD passed a resolution to change its name and symbol. The move is being seen as the RJD setting the stage for its likely merger with JDU, which would mean Tejashwi Yadav holding the reins in Bihar while Nitish moves on to play a role in national politics. Apparently resolution for change in the name of RJD or its electoral symbol ( hurricane lantern] and allied issues vested powers with national president Lalu Prasad Yadav or Tejashwi Yadav, was read out by Lalu’s trusted aide Bhola Yadav. Interestingly, the resolution was put in place before Lalu Prasad left for Singapore for kidney related treatment. The merger resolution caught RJD leaders by surprise as it was not on the agenda and came up suddenly. The RJD’s main argument for the merger is that Nitish will have support of a strong political base when he goes to Delhi. The Yadavs also feel it will be the best way to ensure that Nitish doesn’t go back to the NDA. So far JDU has not officially spoken about the merger talk. BJP leader Sushil Modi says “Nitish Kumar has no other option”. The RJD and JDU’s combined tally is 125 in the 243-member assembly.
Looks like Kanimozhi is the flavour of the season, not just in the DMK power camp but in the BJP’s net casting too. Just last month, she thanked home minister Amit Shah profusely for facilitating her mother’s trip to Germany for medical treatment. Then followed the significant reshuffling of Parliamentary Committees and appointment of new chairpersons by Narendra Modi. Kanimozhi was handpicked by the PM to head the Committee on Rural Affairs and Panchayat Raj. Not without rhyme or reason; it is well known that PM Modi imbues his decisions with ironclad logic and perceived future insurance. The DMK MP from Thoothukudi has worked hard in her constituency to make the Adopt A Village program noteworthy. Venkatesapuram, a village adopted by her, scored high in most development indices. This focused result-oriented work backed the PM’s choice for his Adarsh Gram Yojana outreach plan. The penny dropped at the just held DMK General Body Meet, Stalin was unanimously re-elected for a second term as party Chief, and he in a surprise move announced Kanimozhi as one of the five general secretaries. This was followed up with courtesy visits to her home by both Stalin and son Udhayanidhi. It may be recalled that the nephew Udhayanidhi had earlier ignored aunt Kanimozhi and now he was cosying up to her. Kanimozhi is a prized 5G asset now –a big contrast to the humiliation of the 2G days.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik is forever thinking of newer and newer ways to connect with his voters as he is keen to transform their lives. The latest programme unveiled by him is Odisha Millet Mission that will touch the lives of 95-lakh plus tribals in the state. Of course, these tribals will play a big role in the 2024 Assembly elections. Many in the opposition grudgingly admit that Mission Millet is a game changer. Realizing its potential — nutritional advantage and as political currency — the Odisha government has already declared November 10 as Mandia Dibas. Political observers say, it is Patnaik’s masterstroke by focussing on a single big constituency comprising tribals it will yield big dividends. Now, the state government is going all out to promote millet cultivation in a big way in both the tribal and non-tribal districts. It is learnt that the state government now plans to extend millet coverage to 142 blocks in 19 districts. Naveen babu who believes in his work speaking for him has constantly advised his ministers and party workers to “talk less, let the work speak for itself”. Looks like his mantra is working as the Odisha people are quite favourably listening to millet’s wellness advantage. So as of now it is Advantage BJD.
The ambitious Dharavi Slum Redevelopment project looks like it is poised to take off as the pre-bid talks for the work have received excellent response. The project will now be undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 23000 crore against the earlier Rs 7200 crore after it has been languishing for a long time due to political, administrative and global financial reasons. Mired in delays due to a variety of reasons, most notably the Covid-19 pandemic, the project was brought back on rails by the Shinde-Fadnavis government as soon as it assumed power. Launching the project will be crucial in view of the election to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, expected to take place later this year. The responding firms include several international undertakings. While eight firms have shown an interest in actual development, about a dozen are desirous to involve as consultants, according to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. The foreign firms are from Dubai and South Korea. The Dharavi redevelopment project, originally envisaged over a quarter century ago, was revised in 2004. It aims at resettling about 68000 families and a large number of commercial establishments already existing. The response to the pre-bid discussions has been heartening and the real picture will emerge after October 31 when actual quotations for redevelopment and for consultation are received.
Uncertainty hangs over the potential rival candidates for the prestigious Andheri (East) assembly byelection on 3 November owing to procedural, legal and political issues involved in Uddhav Thackeray faction’s nominee Rutuja Latke’s eligibility to contest. As the fate of Latke, an employee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), is still uncertain and amidst reports that chief minister Eknath Shinde’s side is eager to enter the fray, the BJP’s perceived candidate Murji Patel’s name has not been declared officially by the party. The flip flop over clearing Latke’s resignation will be argued before the high court on Thursday. Meanwhile, political claims and counterclaims continue. Latke met BMC commissioner I S Chahal on Wednesday (Oct 12) afternoon to press for the acceptance of her resignation but came out without getting any firm assurance. According to former minister Anil Parab, a plea in all likelihood will be heard tomorrow. Parab said that his side has kept Plan-B ready in case Latke is prevented from contesting. Latke told reporters that she was firmly with Uddhav and discounted reports that she had met Shinde. According to BMC, Latke’s first resignation letter was faulty since she had put some pre-conditions in the letter. An amended letter was submitted two days ago. However, given BMC’s procedure, it could take up to 30 days to process and decide. All these factors will be put before the high court on Thursday (Oct 13).
With panchayat elections scheduled to be held in the state in February 2023, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is already missing her close associate and party veteran Partha Chaterjee. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader was industry minister at the time of his arrest in the school recruitment scam in July this year. Partha’s absence is strongly being felt because of his knowledge of rural Bengal and network of party workers who reported to him. Partha as general secretary regularly kept in touch with party activists and gave regular feedback. Mamata is aware that her nephew Abhishek, party’s national general secretary and Howrah Lok Sabha MP, is not very grounded about rural Bengal issues and doesn’t seem to network or care about grameen TMC workers. That is why to overcome these shortcomings in the party set-up, the TMC supremo has reached out to her old associate Mukul Roy who got elected as BJP MLA in 2021 West Bengal assembly elections but nevertheless rejoined the TMC. It must be pointed out Didi’s overtures to Mukul Roy are being done on sly, that is when the nephew is reportedly away in Dubai. It is said Roy didn’t get much work to do since his return to the TMC because Abhishek Banerjee was not in favour of giving any importance to the old guards.
Healthy competition between two leading lights of Karnataka Congress even as Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is traversing through the state is simply overwhelming. The race between the two CM aspirants — CLP leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief DK Shivkumar — is getting ever so keen and obvious that it is irrepressible and also spills over into social media as it happened last week. When Shivkumar was away in Delhi answering ED summons, Rahul took Siddaramaiah’s hand and insisted that he join him in a spirited run. The 75-year-old former Karnataka CM quietly gave in and happily sprinted with the Gandhi scion. This display of close rapport between Rahul and Siddaramaiah naturally worried 60-year old Shivkumar with Karnataka assembly polls scheduled early next year. So the big man with deep pockets reportedly picking tabs of the Bharat Jodo Yatra decided to do some damage control. On his return from Delhi, Shivkumar rejoined the yatra for an upclose shot with his leader .The picture/ video is now a pinned tweet on his handle as a counter to his rival. With these ditty lines “Somedays you walk, somedays you sprint! Chasing a dream requires you to do both!
Even as a political battle is raging in Maharashtra, antagonists from the two sides have teamed up to capture the prestigious Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). NCP boss Sharad Pawar has fielded Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar for the post of MCA president. The MCA apex committee, too, has Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray’s right hand Milind Narvekar and Pawar’s confidant Jitendra Awhad, among others. Former cricketer Sandip Patil suddenly found himself sidelined when Pawar decided to switch his support to Shelar, following a meeting between the two leaders. Till then, Patil was projected as a Pawar nominee. The announcement of the names of Shelar and others in the panel has been made in writing on behalf of “Sharad Pawar—Ashish Shelar Group.” A top BJP leader’s close follower, Amol Kale, will contest the October 20 election for the post of vice president. MCA is the richest sports body in India and has been politically controlled over the years. Then Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi of the Shiv Sena and Pawar himself have headed it for a long time. MCA has invariably favoured politicians over cricketers and the defeated players so far include giants like Madhav Mantri, Ajit Wadekar and Dilip Vengasarkar.
The casting couch allegations made against Odisha’s NRI film producer Akshay Parija by an aspiring 23 year old actress has now turned into a nightmare for high profile politicians, businessmen and celebrities. Akshay Parija filed a retaliatory police complaint accusing the 27-year old Archana Nag as the mastermind stating he was “honey trapped”. When the police raided Archana’s luxury apartment in the heart of Bhubaneshwar from where she and her husband Jagabandhu Chand ran a high profile prostitution racket, they stumbled upon photos of top BJD, BJP and Congress leaders in compromising position. The sex racket has opened a Pandora’s box. Congress leader Suresh Rautray has urged the chief minister to take stringent action against Archana and her husband for blackmailing and extorting money from several prominent personalities including political biggies of Odisha. Police have stumbled upon as many as 64 photos of influential people from Archana’s laptop and this includes two from erstwhile royal families, who are veteran political leaders. Nag who had hired around 20 high-profile sex workers instructed them to always click photographs of prominent personalities in compromising position. Archana has been arrested while her husband is absconding. “I do not know when, how and who clicked my photo, ” said Law Minister Jagannath Saraka. Similarly, BJP Lok Sabha MP Jual Oram dismissed his link with Archana saying “I do not know the women. As politicians we meet many people where they click selfies and photos. She might have clicked a photo at a public event.”
In the passing away of socialist veteran Mulayam Singh Yadav (82), Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have lost his one well-wisher across the aisle. Recalling an incident in the 16th Lok Sabha, Modi pointed out how he treasures to this day Mulayam’s words as a blessing; words that had stunned the entire Opposition. Modi said it was just ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mulayam had predicted that he would return as PM. “Mulayamji had said he wanted to congratulate the PM for trying to move forward by taking everyone along. I hope you (Narendra Modi) will become the Prime Minister again. It was ahead of 2019 general elections when the opposition was planning to form a mahagathbandhan to take on Modi’s BJP. His statement had stirred the hornet’s nest, shocking his son Akhilesh Yadav too,” recalled Modi speaking at a rally in Gujarat. It is this penchant to throw surprises that has marked many upheavals in the long career of Samajwadi Party patriarch. Be it joining hands with BSP supremo Mayawati in 1993 to form a short-lived coalition government in UP or refusing to extend support to Congress President Sonia Gandhi to become PM after the fall of Vajpayee Government by one vote in 1999. Mulayam could have become PM in 1996 but his chances were scuttled by Lalu Prasad and Sharad Yadav — ironically, his kinsmen. Now, Lalu Prasad proudly talks of “Netaji” as a close relative since his daughter is married into Mulayam’s family.
Nationalist Congress party chief Sharad Pawar’s statement that the minority Muslim community has contributed the most to Bollywood has generated intense political heat, leading to indications that this remark can become a political tool in the coming Andheri assembly constituency by-election, to be held on November 3. At a function organised by Vidarbha Muslim Bauddhik Manch at Nagpur, Pawar said the highest contribution has come from the minorities, whether it is art, literature or cinema. Pawar felt that the community is not getting its due share though being a large part of the population. In the past, Pawar’s various statements have generated sharp reactions. His remarks about the Brahmin community is a case in point. Following the turmoil, Pawar interacted with a delegation of the community in Pune in a bid to assuage the feeling of hurt expressed by its members. About the latest statement, BJP spokesman Shehzad Poonawala has asked, “What about the contribution of Dadasaheb Phalke, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishor Kumar, Madhuri Dixit and such luminaries?” BJP MLA Ram Kadam said the statement was made with an eye on the vote bank. Producer Vivek Agnihotri tweeted, “When I came to Mumbai, SP ji was the king. Like any king, his party collected taxes. Many Bollywoodiyas contributed generously. In return, they were allowed to create their own kingdoms. I always wondered who were those people. This from Pawar has cleared all my doubts.”
Ahead of 2024 election preparation, BJD and BJP in Odisha are all set for high voltage by-election drama to contest Dhamnagar assembly seat on November 3.This decision was necessitated after the recent death of two-time sitting BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi. This win or loss at Dhamnagar by election which as of today is BJP’s citadel, will set the pace for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. BJP is likely to field a member of the Sethi family as it is hopeful that voters will give BJP another chance to fulfill the unfinished task of Sethi who was known as a prolific writer, poet and thinker. However this time, the task for BJP is cut out, given that in 2019 election, BJP’s Sethi had won by thin margin 48% visa-vis BJD 45% votes, while Congress garnered only 4% votes. Interestingly, if one looks at by-election results held in Bijepur, Tirtol, Pipili, Brajrajnagar, Balasore Sadar between between 2019 and 2020 then all seats have been won by the ruling Biju Janata Dal. Leader of opposition Jaya Narayan Mishra representing BJP is hopeful that Sethi’s good reputation will ensure victory at Dhamnagar by-election and BJP will treat this as a practice match ahead of the final match in 2024.
Looks like this whole Bharat Jodo Yatra is all a bid to change perception about Rahul Gandhi. That is why a day after Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot was attacked for praising industrialist Gautam Adani at the State Investor Summit even as his party leader is known to target Adani-Ambani, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi came forward to clarify his stand. Overruling Jairam Ramesh at a Bharat Jodo presser, Rahul volunteered to speak up on Adani-Gehlot cosying up by saying that “Adani has committed ₹65,000 crore to Rajasthan. No chief minister can refuse such an offer. In fact, it wouldn’t be correct for a CM to refuse such an offer.” Tweeting a pic of Adani with Gehlot, BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya dubbed it as another sign of revolt and brewing discontent against the Gandhis. “Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot invites Gautam Adani for the investor summit. He is given a seat right next to the CM. This is an open message to Rahul Gandhi, who doesn’t tire berating Adani-Ambani, to back off.” It was to answer such jibes that Rahul said, “My opposition is to 2 or 3 or 4 large businesses being helped politically to monopolise every single business in this country. That is where my opposition is.” High on media hype, Gehlot declared will welcome all investments from “Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani to Jay Shah.”
The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Ordinance that totally bans all games of chance with money or other stakes goes further than most states in curbing what is an uncontrolled menace in the country. The ordinance says online gambling is addictive, causes suicides due to unsustainable debts and leads to financial distress and ruined families. It’s not certain how the ban will apply online as net trawlers may know how to get around outright bans. But features like geo-tagging may make it tougher for the ordinary web user to get on to gambling sites from Tamil Nadu. Based on the recommendations of the 5-member committee headed by Justice (Retd) K Chandru, the ordinance was brought in with the clinching evidence from a survey of 2 lakh school teachers revealing that concentration in children was impacted, eye defects were detected, intelligence quotient decreased, writing skills and creativity affected, self-esteem lowered and anger and indiscipline increased. The ordinance provides for setting up a ‘Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority’ to exercise powers and regulate the gaming industry and prohibits banks, financial institutions and payment gateway providers from extending any financial services to the gaming industry. Only 27 people out of 10,735 who sent mails expressing their opinion on online gambling and games, did not want a ban.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Eknath Shinde’s admirer Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s latest statements have suddenly sprung a surprise for many since MNS had stood steadfastly with both leaders till recently. The change has happened after the Dussehra rallies of the Shiv Sena’s two factions. The first surprise was MNS leader Akhil Chitre’s criticism of the rally’s management by the supporters of chief minister Eknath Shinde. In a tweet, Chitre expressed displeasure that the Mumbai University Kalina campus was used for parking the buses which had transported Shinde supporters from various districts of the state. He was particularly sore about the mounds of empty liquor bottles spotted where the visitors had camped. The second chiding came from MNS leader Amey Khopkar, who opposed BJP MLA Ram Kadam’s demand to ban the movie ‘Adipurush’ forthwith. Kadam had said that the movie demonized Hindu deities and hence would not be allowed to screen in Maharashtra. Khopkar said that it was wrong to criticize a movie without first watching out. No ban was called for, he felt, adding that this could be Kadam’s personal stand. Raj Thackeray had recently praised Modi and Amit Shah. His meetings with CM Shinde had generated speculation about his plans in regard to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election later this year.
Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray is under concerted attack from the rival Sena faction as well as the BJP due to a remark he made about the grandson of chief minister Eknath Shinde in his Dussehra rally speech at Shivaji Park. In a sharp response, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has demanded a public apology from Uddhav. He told the media that he resented the unsavoury remark, which should not have been made in the first place. Fadnavis said Uddhav must withdraw his words. Rattled by the onslaught, Uddhav faction spokesman Ambadas Danve has tried to mollify the opposition. According to him, Uddhav’s statement was political in nature and should not be interpreted otherwise. Attacking the chief minister, Uddhav in his speech had said that Shinde’s son was a member of parliament and now even his grandson would be in line, eyeing some municipal corporator post. Within hours, Uddhav began getting flak from various quarters. The Uddhav camp has taken the precautionary step to explain away the remark in view of the Andheri assembly by-election scheduled to take place on 3 November. If no damage control measures were in place, the opposition would exploit the remark to rouse anger, Shiv Sena strategists felt. “When my grandson Rudransh was born, your downfall began,” the CM retorted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s second visit to Jammu & Kashmir early this week has been remarkable. He addressed well-attended public rallies in Rajouri( Jammu) and Baramulla(Kashmir) that showcased popular mood in the Union Territory .”Earlier delimitation was for the benefit of only three families, for the first time after independence, now there has been a real delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir, due to which people of the hilly region have got their rights,” he said. Shah made it clear that BJP would not align with any local player — either the National Conference or the PDP, or even Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Azad Party; elections are to be held next year. Making it clear that the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 had paved the way for extending reservation benefits to deprived sections of the society at a public rally in Rajouri, Shah assured reservations to the Pahari community. Recently, the Modi Government had nominated Ghulam Ali, a member of Gujjar tribe, to the Rajya Sabha. Shah began his visit by offering prayers at Vaishnodevi Temple. Significantly, he struck a positive note when he removed the bullet proof shield and paused his speech at the time of azaan in Baramulla. As a goodwill gesture to the family of Mudasir Sheikh, the policeman who laid down his life fighting terrorists in May he visited his grave in Uri.
Every TV news channel had a noisy field time discussing thread bare, was Raja Raja Chozhan, the Chola Emperor who built the immortal Tanjore Temple, a Hindu? Why this sudden mushroom cloud about an Emperor’s religious leanings, that too extrapolating from a film that has made history in more ways than just cinematic? Kalki’s immortal 5-part compendium Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan, written over 70 years ago, with few attempts at filming it, has remained a seminal magnum opus literary work. Even Kamal Haasan is said to have toyed with the idea of a film based on it. After the unalloyed success of his Vikram, box office collection of Rs 600 crore, Kamal’s cinematic ego and artistic aura may have been bruised by Ponniyin Selvan-Part 1 collecting Rs 300 crore in just six days of release. The legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam has succeeded beyond expectations. With his cinematic craft, and perhaps the only one who could bring Kalki’s classic to the screen…on a breath-taking scale of the art and architecture of the Golden Era of the Cholas, of beauteous women who powered exquisite palace intrigues, an era that still stands tall and unmatched, etched in stone in temples, an era when Hinduism showcased its finest traditions of Shaivite and Vaishnavite worship. Ponniyin Selvan will remain a spectacular pan Indian film, and a feat hard to match.
Jasprit Bumrah’s back flared up and it straightaway pushed India back to the wall in gearing up for the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. It would be a big shoe to fill for anyone as an eleventh hour replacement for him, even if it is a seasoned campaigner like Mohammed Shami or Deepak Chahar, who is trying to find his feet into the world of international cricket competitions. Twenty20 format is cut out for those who have the stomach for a fight in each of the 120 balls. That’s why the name of Shami — with many matches under his belt — is being bandied about, though he has not sent down a single ball in a Twenty20 international for a year. Recently Shami was laid low by Covid-19 and the decision makers are monitoring his recovery speed and trying to find out if his body will be able to withstand the strain and pressure the multi-nation competition will demand in Australia. The first challenge will be to deal with Pakistan’s successful opening pair in Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. India needs someone to start with the Kookaburra ball along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the two Sharma’s– Chetan (Chairman, Selection Committee) and Rohit (Captain) – along with team’s Dronacharya, Rahul Dravid will pick Bumrah’s replacement soon.
When Congress president Sonia Gandhi briefly joined her son Rahul Gandhi at the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Karnataka’s Mandya district on October 6, it created a photo opportunity. Amid cheers and slogan-shouting by party workers, as she walked beside her son Rahul and other leaders for a few kilometres, there were several Kodak moments. “We have weathered many storms and will overcome all challenges. Together we will unite India,” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi as he posted a photograph of him walking with his mother, with his arm around her. Another picture of the mother-son duo that was widely shared on social media by Congress leaders was of Rahul Gandhi bending to tie his mother’s shoelaces. “Those shielded by love fear nothing! On the road, the picture prompted Congress leader Shashi Tharoor to post in Hindi, which said “There are blessings even when she breathes, no one can replace a mother as mothers are mothers.” Sonia Gandhi, 75, joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra on the 27th day. Meanwhile, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai sought to downplay the participation of Sonia Gandhi in the Yatra, saying “she has walked for half-a-km and gone.” He also asserted that Congress’s mass outreach programme will have no impact in the poll-bound state.” Sonia is likely to be back for a rally in Ballari on October 15.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.