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Last week, as Congress leaders protested against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s so-called “anti-Ambedkar” remark in Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi joined his party MPs in a blue T-shirt, giving up his trademark white polo T-shirt. His sister Priyanka also twinned with him wearing a blue sari. Clearly the Gandhi siblings opted to go for a very visual protest against Shah’s remarks. The choice of the colour of clothes of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) — usually spotted donning plain white T-shirts raised eyebrows. The colour blue has been associated with Dalit politics since 1942, when Dr BR Ambedkar established the Scheduled Castes Federation to campaign for the rights of the Dalit community. The body adopted a blue flag featuring Ashok Chakra. The flag was later retained by the Republican Party of India (RPI), founded by Ambedkar in 1956. Over time, blue became very closely associated with Dalit identity and activism. Even political parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party and the ASP, which champions Dalit welfare, embraced blue colour in their branding. As the Gandhi siblings lead the protest, it was the choice of colour of their clothes that caught everyone’s attention!
The Winter Session which saw a two-day discussion on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution and introduction of One Nation One Election (ONOE) Bill has come to a close. It brought out sharp divisions over discussions and bills at least in two political parties — the Congress and DMK. In the Congress, if a first term MP Priyanka Vadra was seen opening the discussion on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, for some reason senior leader and eminent lawyer P Chidambaram did not get an opportunity to have his say about the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha. In the DMK, there was a clear division of views between the DMK parliamentary party leader TR Baalu and deputy leader Kanimozhi. While Baalu endorsed the government’s offer to refer the Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Kanimozhi seemed completely surprised by his stand and insisted that her party was opposed to the Bill and demanded its withdrawal.”DMK has consistently opposed the entire Bill. We do not accept that there can be ONOE because it is against the Constitution. It is against federal rights and it is against the will of the people. People choose state governments for 5 years, I don’t think you can take that right away from the people and give it to the EC to decide how many years governments can last or not. So, this is completely against the state, against federalism” said Kanimozhi. While her stand reflects TN assembly resolution passed in February against ONOE Bill this year, the media is awash with reports about how her late father Kalaignar M Karunanidhi had highlighted the benefits of simultaneous polls in his autobiography Nenjuku Neethi. Incidentally, Karunanidhi had advanced state polls to 1971 to coincide with LS polls.
The Thursday (Dec 19) visit of BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLAs to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur has become a hot political topic though there are other reasons, too, for intense politicking. Firstly, the MLAs belonging to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar did not join the event. Secondly, those disgruntled due to their non-inclusion in the council of ministers have started expressing their anger openly. Like earlier two occasions, Ajit Pawar and most of his followers distanced themselves from the visit organized by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The presence of former CM Eknath Shinde and his MLAs proved to be another highlight. However, the discontent brewing within Mahayuti on other counts is now becoming more vocal. Political heavyweight Chhagan Bhujbal was the first to articulate it. His open criticism of Ajit Pawar surprised many since he had stayed by the side of Pawar all through. Now, there are reports that some of Bhujbal’s supporters want him to join the BJP to end his political wilderness. So far, Bhujbal has maintained that he is with the NCP (Ajit). The other notable leader to become the subject of political speculation is the legislative council’s deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe. Her detractors, mainly the recent Sena (UBT) entrant Sushama Andhare, have started hinting at Gorhe’s plans to go with the BJP. Gorhe, too, has not reacted to the talk. Ajit’s sudden disappearance for two days from the winter session only added grist to the grapevine. His explanation that he was down with a throat infection is hardly swallowed. More murmurs are expected to be heard once Fadnavis announces the allocation of the portfolios.
The Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray has started preparing for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, expected to take place early next year. This will be the fight for political survival for Thackeray because the Sena has been in power in India’s richest civic body since 1985. Taking stock of the situation, other political parties, too, have begun their planning. The picture this time will be fundamentally different since the BJP has emerged as the largest party in the state after the assembly election. Its estrangement with the Sena (UBT), which split in 2022 owing to Eknath Shinde’s decision to walk out of it, will be a major factor in the coming election in which the Congress will be an insignificant player, given its lacklustre performance in Mumbai and the state as a whole. Equally exasperating is the condition of the state Congress committee as its president Nana Patole is perceived as an ineffective leader by the rank and file. The BMC’s last election saw the Sena winning 84 seats in the 227-member house while the BJP had captured 82. Owing to the alliance ethics, the BJP had made no effort to bag the mayoralty of the financial capital of India. However, the BJP is not prepared to take any chance this time and a decision about its Mumbai president is likely to be taken soon. Sitting chief Ashish Shelar is among the hopefuls though his inclusion in the council of ministers could be a decisive factor in the final choice.
This was to happen one day or the other with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) putting its foot down saying it will not send its national teams to India for any signature event of the ICC, like the World Cups in the two formats in men, women and the juniors. This was the PCB’s riposte to the long-standing BCCI position — citing security concerns — that it will not send its team across the border for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and that it will play only at a neutral venue. For three World Test Championship (WTC) the two nations have taken themselves off the Future Tours Programme (FTP). The cricketers of the two countries may enjoy good relationships when they lock horns in neutral country venues and have fans across the border, but the Indian government has been steadfast in denying permission to the BCCI. The latest communication from the ICC has confirmed that in the 2024-2027 cycle all ICC events given to India and Pakistan, the matches featuring the two countries will be held at a neutral country chosen by the host country; in the Champions Trophy case the PCB is the host. What all this means is the elimination of high security arrangements that India had to do when Pakistan played last year’s World Cup matches in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. It took hard bargaining by the PCB with the ICC — with Jay Shah in Chair since December 1, 2024 — for it to agree to a hybrid model in order to ensure that it remains the host in a neutral country venue as well and where India will play and this country is said to be the United Arab Emirates.
The massive success of Pushpa 2, has reignited the debate over screen allocation in West Bengal’s single-screen theatres. While the blockbuster continues to dominate the box office, its stronghold has created challenges for four Bengali films— Khadaan, Shontaan, Chaalchitro, and 5 No. Swapnamoy Lane—which targeted Christmas Day for their releases. The overlap has sparked a heated controversy over securing adequate slots in single-screen theatres, which remain a key audience base for Bengali cinema. Single-screen theatres across Bengal are grappling with the balancing act of accommodating these films while catering to the massive demand for Pushpa 2. Tollywood’s Christmas lineup has been significantly impacted, with producer-actor Dev expressing frustration on social media. He alleged that Khadan’s shows and advance bookings were disrupted due to the overwhelming presence of Pushpa 2. Arijit Dutta, owner of Priya Theatre, reported dividing slots among the films: Khadaan (two shows), Chaalchitro (one), 5 No. Swapnamoy Lane (one), and Pushpa 2 (one). However, veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty’s Shontaan was left out entirely, sparking outrage from its director Raj Chakraborty, who criticized the lack of consistent support for Bengali cinema. A distributor, speaking anonymously, blamed the simultaneous release of multiple Bengali films during the festive season, suggesting a lack of coordination among producers. He pointed to Bollywood’s strategy of staggering releases as a model Tollywood could emulate. Star Theatre owner Joydeep Mukherjee called for better planning within the Bengali film industry to avoid internal competition. Interestingly, allegations have resurfaced about Shontaan‘s producer, pressuring hall owners to prioritize its films. This history has led some distributors to side with independent producers in the current clash.
Sunday’s swearing in of 33 (16:9:8 ratio for BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP respectively) mostly young cabinet ministers in CM Devendra Fadnavis’ 3.0 government was not followed up by expected portfolio allocations even late Thursday (Dec 19). The unrelenting clamour for one specific portfolio by a senior BJP minister-in-waiting (in apparent conflict of interest), aspiration to improve upon earlier performance in power sector by another are in the open awaiting the Maha Chanakya to coolly decide upon. Scribes housed at the state government ‘Suyog’ facility within the Family court premises near Vidhan Bhavan enjoy the Nagpur chill over familial evenings at ‘Sneh Bojans’ hosted by these as-yet ‘Anamika’ ministers. DCM Eknath Shinde’s camp brews hostility from left out veteran MLAs and cherry-picking ministers-in-waiting who threaten boiling point anytime soon. This is unlike the chill that has set upon the near deserted NCP office at Vidhan Bhavan sans activity, notwithstanding the bustling beehive of activity right outside and within the state legislature that is hosting its winter session. It is probably the first time in Maharashtra’s political history for such an ongoing legislature session without specifically assigned ministers manning questions on the floor of the state assembly and council while responding to public interest issues of state. For now, all portfolios rest with CM Fadnavis. NCP veteran Chhagan Bhujbal, Sena’s Tanaji Sawant complain vociferously from out in the cold even as some BJP MLAs rue their bad luck despite winning big in Mumbai city where the richest civic body will face the hustings very soon.
The events outside Parliament House that led to injuries to two BJP MPs was best summed up by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in her X post. She explained how “During the INDI Alliance’s protest inside Parliament premises today, Rahul Gandhi had forcefully pushed an MP, causing a domino effect that injured 2 BJP MPs –Pratap Sarangi (Balasore, Odisha) and Mukesh Rajput (Farrukhabad, UP)” Both the MPs are now hospitalised as they have sustained head injuries. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was surprised that the Congress had so far not even bothered to say sorry. “I was wondering what was the purpose of Kharge-Rahul Gandhi’s presser, if they can’t say sorry. Our Nagaland MP, a tribal woman leader Phangnon Konyak had voiced discomfort that was caused to her by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.” She has written a letter to the RS Chairman. Adding further he said, “We feel Rahul simply does not deserve to be the LoP. When the Opposition is holding a protest, we usually take another gate. What was the need for Rahul Gandhi to wade into the area where BJP MPs were standing? He should simply quit as LoP.” BJP MPs including Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi at the Parliament Street Police station in connection with the scuffle between Opposition and NDA MPs. It is learnt that security forces repeatedly requested the Congress MP to use an alternative path, specifically arranged for a peaceful entry into Parliament. However, Rahul Gandhi declined the request. BJP’s Thakur said “The kind of attitude Rahul Gandhi has, he thinks he is above the law.” Responding to the allegations, Rahul said BJP MPs were trying to stop him and were threatening him “
Home Minister Amit Shah whose intervention in discussions on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution sparked off a row and seemed to have majorly united the Opposition. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge charged him of insulting Dr BR Ambedkar.. He accused his rivals of being “anti-Ambedkar” and “anti-Constitution”, and “spreading lies”. In his concluding remarks in the Rajya Sabha, Shah sarcastically said, “It has become the fashion to say ‘Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…’ If they (the opposition) took God’s name so many times, they will get a place in heaven.” At a Press Conference, he charged the Congress of distorting his comments in the Rajya Sabha saying the Congress had put out an edited version of his speech. “I come from a party which follows the ideals of Ambedkar,” asserted Shah.” Rebuffing calls for his resignation by Kharge, Shah made it clear that he had no intention of stepping down. “Kharge is asking for my resignation. If that will make him feel happy, then I’ll give it. But the Congress has to sit in the opposition for at least 15 more years. “In an unusual move — perhaps underlining the impact of the Opposition’s attack on this issue — PM Modi and senior ministers rallied behind Shah. “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!” said PM Modi. Amidst this, PM Modi and Shah met Rahul Gandhi and Kharge to appoint the next NHRC chief. TMC leader Derek O’Brien has moved a privilege notice against Shah in the Rajya Sabha for his remarks on Dr Ambedkar.
Ravichandran Ashwin was adroit in bowling the carom or knuckle ball or the doosra, but on Wednesday afternoon, Brisbane time, the nonconformist off-spinner of 13 years in the big league of the game deployed the “bombshell” to bring an end to his illustrious career. At the conclusion of the rain-marred third Test at the Gabba, the finger spinner with a few sobriquets, “scientist” being the most used among the media, Ashwin sitting beside his beleaguered captain, Rohit Sharma, matter of fact said: Today (Wednesday, December 18) was his last day as an international cricketer across formats and that he will be seen in action in club cricket, meaning IPL etc. The seasoned campaigner, starting his Test career in November 2011, was capped 106 times, and he missed 25 Tests after his debut; he featured in 61 wins, 47@home and 14 overseas. He read the writing on the wall about him losing the primacy as the No 1 spinner of the team in flannels after Washington Sundar was chosen for the first Test in Perth. Then being dropped to bring in Ravindra Jadeja for the third Test in Brisbane convinced him that his time was up…to hang up his boots. The home series against New Zealand that India lost 3-0 was a bitter pill to swallow for him. His numbers — 765 wickets in the three formats, including 537 wickets in Tests alone speaks of his right to be called a legend. It was a bold, practical call to take a bow while not in the field and that was an unhappy part that Indian cricket could not give one of its icons a fitting farewell. Ashwin has perhaps shown the way for a few more to bid adieu, sooner than later! They are over the hill, indeed.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde’s clear signal about his future plans indicated by his visit to RSS headquarters at Nagpur on December 29 has turned volatile since the Shiv Sena (Uddhav) has criticised him with choicest words. Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis visited the Reshimbaug RSS complex. Shinde’s visit has assumed political overtones as it signifies his total alignment with the BJP. At Reshimbaug, Shinde paid respects to RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar and second chief M S Golwalkar, known as Guruji. He said his party would be hand in hand with the BJP. This statement will force Maha Vikas Aghadi partners to rethink their strategy, especially in view of the BMC elections which are likely to take place in early 2023. Shinde recalled that he used to be a RSS worker in childhood. Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray said, “Shinde’s mentality is dirty. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should check if Shinde had gone there to claim that complex.” His remark was in reference to Shinde faction’s efforts to acquire various Sena offices in Mumbai and elsewhere as its own. Uddhav’s caustic remark has the backdrop of a whispering campaign that the Shinde faction could attempt to take over Shiv Sena Bhavan, the party’s Dadar headquarters in the near future. Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, “Let their father dare to touch Sena Bhavan, developed by Balasaheb. Such a talk can vitiate Maharashtra’s atmosphere.”
As the Bharat Jodo Yatra reaches its last leg, people are increasingly seeing a different Rahul emerge, from that tentative, inarticulate Rahul Gandhi of his most forgettable years. He almost seems to readily accept the Pappu moniker, as if to say, yes, I needed to connect with India’s reality and my own inner strength. Enough has been said about his winter clothing — a T-shirt, his spontaneous responses to the variety of people and places, about his “Shraddha tinged Tapasya”. When someone asked what kind of a girl would be his choice for a life mate? Prompt came the response. An amalgam of my mother and my grandmother, Indiraji! A tall order, may be even impossible to replicate two of the most strong-willed women of the clan. When he was reminded about his Pappu nickname and how he planned to delete it permanently, an unexpected and stunning response from a normally reticent Rahul. “Oh, I don’t mind Pappu. I remember they referred to my grandmother as Goongi Gudiya. See where she reached?” Clearly, Rahul has prised open several secret doors to his latent self, discovering some unexpected strengths in himself. Rahul is emerging as a new avatar — the way of water, earth, space, fire and wind. The Pancha Bhutas, elementary to all in kinetic form.
An otherwise cautious chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis known for his restraint were livid and said in the state legislature on Wednesday, “Mumbai belongs to only Maharashtra, not to anyone’s father.” Shinde said Marathi people are like a fire, none should mess with them. Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents find this situation ripe to corner the BJP and Shinde. Some of them have been making statements laced with emotional appeals. The latest provocation is Karnataka minister Ashwath Narayan’s demand to declare Mumbai as a Union Territory. Shinde said several leading Kannadigas residing in Mumbai had called on him to protest against Karnataka’s stand, telling him that they had been in Maharashtra for a long time and would not support any atrocity against Marathi-speakers in Karnataka. He warned that Maharashtra would not be a mute spectator to any injustice by the Karnataka government in regard to Marathi-speaking people there. Shinde has been the focus of opposition tirade over the border dispute for his reticence after meeting Union home minister Amit Shah earlier this month in presence of Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai to defuse the situation. Similarly, the BJP in Maharashtra is already in a quandary due to inflammatory statements being made about the disputed Marathi-speaking areas in the neighbouring state, under BJP rule.
Karnataka Congress leaders were disappointed with party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s brief visit to Bengaluru. With assembly elections round the corner, many leaders were apparently advised by PCC chief D K Shivkumar to catch up with Kharge. Hoping to push their case for assembly tickets, the leaders were told by Kharge that he would not be able to interact with them as he wasn’t feeling comfortable – he had complained of backache. It was only natural that Kharge was physically exhausted – he had landed in Bengaluru, a day after keeping pace with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi. The day-long activity must have surely sapped Kharge’s energy. Unfortunately, the Congress chief had to fly back to Delhi to be at the AICC headquarters for the Congress Foundation Day. Meanwhile, what is irking Congressmen is that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be spending the next two days in Bengaluru and Mysuru and interacting with BJP workers. Asked to comment on Shah’s visit, a Karnataka BJP leader said “With elections coming all our top three leaders—J P Nadda, Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi — will be frequently visiting the state.Why should anyone mind?” Such coordinated action from the BJP is bound to bother the Karnataka Congress that is in any way in a disarray.
It’s an over hundred year old bank. A solid old generation private bank, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) became a listed entity when it entered the capital market a few months ago. TMB is a heady cocktail of an organisation. Promoted by the Nadars for the Nadars, this bank has been mired in controversy ever since the Ruias of the Essar group acquired over 65% shares by cashing in on the internecine quarrel between the promoter groups. But the Ruais had to depart by selling the investment arms that held TMB shares to Sterling C Sivasankaran for acquiring cellular licence for Delhi circle from the latter. But Siva too found the going tough and had to sell TMB shares. While the Nadar community bought back a part of it, it couldn’t muster money to buy the rest. Former chairman of the bank MGM Maran and other directors got into the act and allegedly facilitated a deal for the sale of 23.6% shares of TMB from Indian shareholders to unauthorised overseas persons. An investigation followed into advance remittances by certain entities for buying TMB shares through an escrow account with Standard Chartered Bank. SCB and Maran were levied hefty penalties. The Enforcement Directorate now has attached the properties of Maran – including his shares in group firms and TMB –and his company Southern Agrifurane. Well, the TMB issue never ceases to go away, it appears.
Even as Himachal CM Sukhwinder Sukhu is back in Shimla after a brief Covid infection, it still seems the state will still not get a full-fledged Cabinet until the New Year. No this has nothing to do with the Gandhis being preoccupied or Sukhu still remaining undecided about who to include in his team. It is only that Governor Rajendra Arlekar is going to be away for the year end at his home in Goa; he will apparently be back only in the first week of January. It is only after that CM Sukhu plans to hold a brief session of Vidhan Sabha when newly elected members will take oath. Thereafter, his hand-picked team could be sworn into office. This effectively means, Sukhu’s full-fledged team could come into being after the auspicious Makkar Sankranti! Congress sources however deny the CM was waiting all this while for a good date. He did have issues about inducting some MLAs loyal to late CM Virbhadra Singh. He found it difficult to include Virbhadra’s son Vikramditya Singh, Shimla (Rural) MLA in his team. After all, his father had never found it fit to include Sukhu in his ministry. It apparently took some convincing by AICC managers to sort out Sukhu’s problem with the Virbhadra group.
Maharashtra legislature expectedly adopted a unanimous resolution on Tuesday to endorse afresh the state’s position that the disputed 865 towns and villages with a majority Marathi-speaking population in Karnataka belong to the state. However, unlike in Karnataka, political fissures surfaced at Nagpur later. Opposition members became agitated when chief minister Eknath Shinde said that the border dispute with the neighbour existed even when both states were under the Congress party rule. They charged that Shinde was trying to politicise the issue. On the other hand, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray’s demand that the disputed areas should be made a Union Territory was deflated by opposition leader Ajit Pawar, who warned that similar demands could arise about the Maharashtra areas like Jath claimed by Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai. Moreover, as the matter was before the Supreme Court, the feasibility of fulfilling the demand would have to be examined accordingly, he said. Pawar also did not attach any importance to Sena (Uddhav) MP Sanjay Raut’s threat that he would make several ‘explosions’ soon, indirectly warning the Shinde-Fadnavis government. Pawar said, “Better ask those who made such statements. I have not said any such thing.” The unanimous resolution says that Marathi-speaking people in the disputed areas have been subjected to atrocities by the Karnataka government. It has reaffirmed Maharashtra’s resolve to fight the case before the Supreme Court by appointing best legal minds.
Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Samadhi stirred the social media more for what he was wearing in Delhi’s biting cold than he sought to convey. Rahul was spotted in his trademark Bharat Jodo Yatra T-shirt at various VVIP samadhis. He offered his tributes at Sadaiv Atal, Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat and also at memorials for Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. The BJP dismissed Rahul’s trip to former PMs’ samadhis as “part of a makeover exercise,” for the nth time that was meant strictly “for the shutterbugs and chattering elites”. The party wondered if Rahul Gandhi was sincere,” he would have visited former PM, P V Narasimha Rao’s samadhi in Hyderabad too. “He didn’t, even though it was on his way…” pointed out Amit Malviya in a tweet. On the other hand, Congress media chief Jairam Ramesh said Rahul’s visit to Vajapayee’s samadhi was an acknowledgment of the first BJP PM’s contribution to the nation. He said “Rahulji’s visit to the samadhi would have reminded PM Modi about the rajdharma lessons that Atalji had sought to give him in 2002. Rahulji today showed how politics is done with a big heart. This is what he has achieved by visiting samadhi.” This is a bit rich for the Congress as a day earlier a party coordinator Gaurav Pandhi had dubbed Atalji as a British stooge.
Former chief minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has demanded that the Centre should declare the disputed Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka as a Union Territory. In his first major speech in the Maharashtra legislative council, Uddhav attacked his successor and former disciple, Eknath Shinde harshly. The Maharashtra legislature was to adopt a unanimous resolution on Monday (Dec 26) to buttress the state’s stand in regard to the border dispute with Karnataka. However, it was still being drafted, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said. However, opposition leaders did not spare Shinde for his absence. They wondered how he could attend a function in Delhi rather than remaining in the house. Ridiculing him, Uddhav said it was intriguing that Shinde had not said a word about this dispute. “Nobody knows when he will be back. He can even reverse his flight and return to Delhi if a summons is received. Shinde is in Delhi though this serious issue is staring him in the eye,” Uddhav commented. Sena (Uddhav) MP Sanjay Raut had threatened a couple of days ago to make major exposes against the Shinde-Fadnavis government. When quizzed, Uddhav said his side had ‘several bombs with their fuses removed. They are just to be ignited.’ Uddhav announced that he would show an old film, ‘Case for Justice’ prepared by the state government to establish that Marathi was being spoken in those areas for centuries.
With elections to the coveted Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) round the corner, the media management has assumed critical proportions. On December 19, administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal issued an official diktat barring officials below the rank of additional municipal commissioners, from speaking to the media. However the diktat was withdrawn within a day reportedly with damage control ordered from none other than the chief minister’s office. The third day saw another fresh order, this time department heads could speak to the media but only with the permission of their superiors. All this is meant to ensure positive media coverage, retain its good image and nip fake news, the order explains. The ruling dispensation clearly wants the works of the BMC, especially its pet projects, to be highlighted in the media in the run-up to the elections. A media clampdown means less scope for tom-tomming civic works as soft political campaigning – a major handicap. Flip flops in decision making have come to become a hallmark of the BMC’s functioning ever since the formation of the new government led by Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis. Similarly, transfers of officials have also been withdrawn or changed, within 24 hours at times. “Fault lines within the new government have led to abrupt U-turns, creating chaos and confusion. The administrator’s failure to stand firm for the interest of the city and succumbing to random pressures, has become a bane of our city,” observes Ravi Raja, Congress’ ex- opposition leader in BMC.
Stars and singers from the Bengali film industry who have won the last Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections, across parties, have to come to terms that they are just symbolic leaders; don’t have much say as their constituencies are controlled by seasoned politicians. This seems more predominant in Trinamool Congress (TMC). Tollywood’s popular star ‘Dev’ Deepak Adhikari’s constituency is under the control of Midnapore strongman Manas Bhunia. Actress Mimi Chakraborty’s Jadavpur constituency is overseen by Didi’s close aide and cabinet minister Aroop Biswas. Nusrat Jahan’s constituency Basirhat is under several North 24 Parganas leaders taking all political decisions. Yesteryear’s noted actress Satabdi Roy, three-time MP from Birbhum, has no say. Her constituency is nursed by strongman Anubrata Mondal. Similarly, MLAs like renowned yesteryear actor Chiranjeet Chakraborty, TV star Arundhati Moitra and folk singer Aditi Munshi are voiceless with all decision making under the control of Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Rajya Sabha MP Subhashis Chakraborty and senior cabinet minister Sujit Bose respectively for the constituencies of Barasat, Sonarpur Dakshin and Rajarhat-Gopalpur. Noted singer, former BJP minister Babul Supriyo who switched to TMC camp is facing a similar predicament. Both Hooghly BJP MP Locket Chatterjee, and Asanaol South BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, both general secretaries are not treated in the same manner. Paul gets more importance as he is part of Suvendu Adhikari’s camp, while Chatterjee feels shortchanged as she is part of Dilip Ghosh camp.
Maharashtra legislature is expected to adopt a unanimous resolution on December 26 to reiterate the state’s claim over the Marathi-speaking areas now in Karnataka. Opposition leader Ajit Pawar has already hinted that his side will support such a gesture. The Karnataka assembly has passed its unanimous resolution to reject Maharashtra’s claims and stuck to its stand that what has happened many decades ago can’t be reversed. Maharashtra has approached the Supreme Court to stake its right over the disputed areas along the two-state border. The matter has been sub-judice for 18 years. State’s minister Shambhuraj Desai told the media that the resolution to be tabled in the assembly on December 26 will be much stronger than what has been passed by Karnataka assembly. He reiterated the state’s stand that the dispute should be resolved at the earliest and none in either state should face any violence. He alleged that Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai’s behaviour was contrary to what had been decided at a meeting convened by the Union home minister Amit Shah earlier this month. This disapproval will be conveyed to the Centre, Desai said. Desai and education minister Chandrakant Patil are members of a coordination committee which has been formed to handle the matter. Both were to visit Karnataka to meet Marathi-speaking people in Belagavi in mid-December but cancelled the tour following Bommai’s request.
Independent MLA Ravi Rana has been receiving death threats on his mobile phone, according to a complaint lodged by his personal assistant with Amaravati police. Rana had made serious allegations against former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in the legislative assembly on Friday (Dec 23). He had said that Uddhav had tried to divert the focus of the investigation of a murder case. Complainant Vinod Guhe said that the threat calls have been received on Rana’s mobile phone. “If you utter a word against Uddhav Thackeray, you will be killed with a revolver and knife,” the caller has threatened the MLA, according to Guhe. At present, Rana is in Nagpur though the threat calls were received even earlier in Amaravati, Guhe has informed the police. The complaint has been filed as a precautionary measure. Rana’s wife Navneet, independent MP from Amaravati, had complained to Delhi police in May this year that she had been threatened by a caller that she would be killed if she entered Maharashtra. Ravi and Navneet Rana had announced their plans to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Uddhav’s Bandra residence ‘Matoshri’ in April. They were arrested by Mumbai police on various charges. Soon thereafter, Rana’s Mumbai residence had received legal notices from the BMC. Ever since, tension between the two antagonists has been palpable, surfacing time and again.
As Bharat Jodo Yatra winds its way into Delhi on Christmas eve, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was apparently quite keen to showcase the yatra as an event of Opposition unity. Maybe he was a bit too late. With Opposition leaders from South like DMK Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi — she joined the yatra outside Delhi — and newbie Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan joining the yatra, Rahul wrote to TMC Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, wanting to know if TMC MPs could join the yatra. The Trinamool leader spurned the offer and promptly shot off a reply saying TMC MPs would be busy in “their constituencies “. Clearly, this was a message from the TMC that it was going to maintain an equidistance in Opposition politics in the run-up to 2024 polls. After all, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had a series of meetings with PM Narendra Modi to get Centre’s funds released for various state schemes. Only last week, Mamata had a one on one meeting with Amit Shah in Kolkata on the sidelines of the Eastern Zonal Council meeting. Besides, PM will be in Kolkata on December 30 to chair the National Ganga Council meeting. He will also be launching the Vande Bharat Express that will run between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri in North Bengal.
After serious allegations were levelled against Aaditya Thackeray in Maharashtra legislative assembly on Thursday (Dec 22), it was the turn of his father and former chief minister Uddhav to be the target of grave charges in the house on Friday. Independent MLA Ravi Rana demanded a special investigation team (SIT) probe against Uddhav by alleging that the former CM had ordered Amaravati police officials to investigate local businessman Umesh Kolhe’s murder earlier this year as a case of robbery. Rana said that Kolhe was killed for supporting Nupur Sharma, the BJP’s ousted spokesperson for her certain remarks. The killers had now been booked by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for murder. Minister Shambhuraj Desai said that due to the gravity of the matter, details will be sought from the state intelligence agency and placed before chief minister Eknath Shinde for a final decision. Ravi Rana and his wife, independent MP Navneet Rana, have been at loggerheads with Uddhav for a long time. Their attempt to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside his residence had become highly controversial. Later, both had demanded transfer of then Amaravati police commissioner Aarti Singh for shabbily handling the Kolhe case. Singh was transferred last week as demanded by the couple. The allegations against the Thackerays are viewed against the backdrop of opposition demand for Shinde’s resignation over the Nagpur land issue.
Upping pressure on Rahul Gandhi to enforce Covid norms on Bharat Jodo Yatra, the BJP walked the talk by first enforcing Covid restrictions on itself. Yes, the party suspended its “Jan Aakrosh Yatra” that it had launched in Rajasthan on December 1 in view of a rising number of Coronavirus cases globally and in the state. In fact, masks made a comeback in the Parliament with presiding officers ensuring MPs wore masks. “The BJP has suspended Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Rajasthan in the wake of rising number of Covid-19 cases. For the BJP, people come first before politics. For us the safety of people, their health is priority,” announced BJP general secretary Arun Singh. He also described Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra as a “morning and evening walk”. The yatra is about to enter Delhi on December 24. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi pointed out, “Both the chairs in the Parliament have requested the members to wear face masks during proceedings. But the leaders from the Opposition didn’t wear masks which shows their attitude towards Covid guidelines “On his part, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi dismissed Covid concerns flagged by the Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya as BJPs’ new idea to stop his Yatra.”They are scared of India’s truth”. Against the global rise in Covid-19 cases, India has been reporting 153 new cases on an average every day.
The high-voltage death case of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s deceased manager Disha Salian rocked both houses of Maharashtra legislature on Thursday (Dec 22). Attempts to corner each other by the ruling and opposition sides made the day’s proceedings stormy, leading too many angry exchanges. The opposition was extremely agitated when deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced in the assembly that the case will be handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Fadnavis was responding to repeated demands from treasury benches to reopen the case with which some prominent names have been connected. Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leader Aaditya Thackeray also is the focus of several allegations in regard to Salian’s death. Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) tried to turn the tables when deputy chairman Neelam Gorhe, a Sena (Uddhav) leader, directed the government to appoint a SIT to probe charges against Sena (Shinde) MP Rahul Shewale, who had levelled grave allegations against Aaditya in Delhi on December 21. Uddhav Sena member Maneesha Kayande and former minister Anil Parab raised the matter in the upper house concerning Shewale without naming him. They alleged that he had been harassing a woman who could not enter Mumbai because of him. Gorhe ordered that the matter should be entrusted to a SIT. Fadnavis later told the council that Gorhe’s directions would be examined by the government for further action. This is seen as a cautious approach by the government about the chair’s fiat.
Selling is an art. The art of selling has undergone a tremendous transformation over the years. It’s no longer selling. It’s now become marketing. Not just that. Marketing has become innovative. And, it has turned out-of-box as well! SPR City, Chennai’s premium township developer, has hit upon a novel way to attract flat buyers. It chose to organise a unique midnight carnival, offering special rates for flat owners on walk-ins. The SPR City Experience Centre played host to the Jackpot Midnight Carnival, which was held from 8 pm to 2 am, stretching over four days. Initially scheduled for two days, SPR extended the Carnival to four days in the wake of encouraging response from customers. Over the four days, there were more than 550 customer walk-ins, resulting in over 100 plus bookings. Interestingly enough, over 350 of these walk-ins came in post-midnight and saw the maximum number of bookings. “We are constantly launching new campaigns to attract prospective customers. This was the latest. The turnout was good and I am happy to see that such an innovative marketing programme held at midnight succeeded in attracting a large number of consumers,” said Navin Ranka, Director, SPR India. SPR India is the developer behind SPR City, Chennai’s largest integrated township. Incidentally, it is coming up on land which once housed the iconic Binny Mills.
As the Bharat Jodo Yatra nears Delhi, it has begun to get a bit of a mixed reception. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandviya rushed a letter to Rahul Gandhi urging him to follow Covid protocols during the yatra. In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Mandviya suggested that he either adhere to Covid protocols or suspend the yatra. By Covid protocol, the minister meant allowing only the vaccinated and masked to participate in the BJY. Mandviya was apparently acting on complaints of three Rajasthan MPs who said their state had seen a spike in Corona cases in the aftermath of the yatra. There may be no exaggeration here; after all Himachal CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu tested Covid positive post his Dausa visit and failed to keep his date with PM Modi. While Jairam Ramesh dismissed complaints of MPs as a fallout of “enormous success of BJY in their state,” he admitted public health is far too serious an issue on which to play party politics. “If there is a protocol for gatherings Bharat Jodo Yatra will abide by it undoubtedly,” he said. Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Bhagel, however, felt the Centre was “looking for new ways to stop the yatra.” When there was Corona, you held polls in WB, Assam and UP. Now you’re making excuses to stop the yatra?” he asked.
Whereas opposition parties in Maharashtra have been cornering the Shinde-Fadnavis government over the contentious border dispute with Karnataka, all political parties in the neighbouring state have joined hands to oppose Maharashtra’s demand for merger of Marathi-speaking areas with the state. Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai has floated the idea of adopting a unanimous resolution in the state assembly to assert his state’s territorial status. The opposition Congress and other parties have agreed to support the unity gesture. Incidentally, they have kept mum over the issue, allowing Bommai to articulate Karnataka’s oft-repeated stand. On the other hand, various opposition leaders in Maharashtra have criticised CM Eknath Shinde over the statements coming from across the state border and his alleged silence about the whole matter. Despite intervention by Union home minister Amit Shah, tension continues to rise between the two states since then. Maharashtra excise minister Shambhuraje Desai has threatened to rethink about Koyna dam water supply from the state to Karnataka during summer season. Shiv Sena (Uddhav) MP Sanjay Raut has alleged that Shinde had been swallowing insults hurled at him by Bommai over the issue. No other state has humiliated Maharashtra like this, he commented. Leader of the opposition Ajit Pawar promised the government that it will receive opposition support to a similar resolution if it were moved in the Maharashtra assembly.
The TN BJP chief K Annamalai is keen on his party taking its own direction in the state. He wants to test the waters in the Lok Sabha polls of 2024 to check what percentage of the votes the BJP can get in the state when standing on its own. Depending on the outcome, he would like the party to decide on the Assembly poll alliance for 2026. The party is impressed with the response Annamalai’s leadership is getting even if he himself is under pressure over the designer Rafale special edition watch, said to have been priced at Rs 5 lakh, that has been raked up after he targeted the DMK for corruption. The AIADMK, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), is on tenterhooks regarding the outcome in the party case. The verdict is due on January 4 and his bargaining power on behalf of what is so far the official AIADMK could depend on where the judges go on the dispute with OPS’ wing of the same party. The BJP is playing a clever waiting game to see where the judgment takes the issue and if EPS comes off the worse in court, he could be in for a tough time. Meanwhile, there is talk of DMK joining the NDA fold but that is so much hot air at the moment even if in politics anything is possible.
For a change treasury benches were on the offensive in the Parliament. Congress President Kharge’s “chuha” charge against PM Narendra Modi spiced up House proceedings. It provided a breather from a stalemate on Tawang clashes. A day after Kharge called Modi a “chuha” or a mouse at a public rally in Alwar on December 19, there was sparring in the Rajya Sabha over Kharge’s name calling with the Leader of the House & Union Minister Piyush Goyal demanding an apology from him. Kharge naturally stonewalled and insisted that the remarks were made outside the Parliament and should not be discussed in the House. He argued that what he said during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan’s Alwar was outside the House and was politically outside the House, not inside. Karnataka Congress sources believe that by continuously attacking PM Modi, Kharge was pitching himself as a PM candidate for 2024. Kharge maintained that if he were to only “repeat “what he said outside it would be difficult for the BJP. “The BJP accused the Congress of holding ‘Bharat Todo Yatra’, to which I responded by saying that Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi gave their lives for the country. Who has given life from your side (saffron party)?” Interestingly, Kharge’s attack on Modi helped the Government shift focus from Tawang clashes in the Parliament.
DMK supremo MK Stalin, taking a page from the Telangana chief minister KCR has elevated his son Udhayanidhi to the cabinet as number 10, even though his portfolio, Sports and Youth Affairs is generally ranked way down in the pecking order of ministerial berths. This move seems to have evoked resentment and rancor among some senior DMK leaders. Lok Sabha MP T R Balu was expecting his son T R B Raja to be inducted into the TN cabinet. A hurt Balu skipped the coronation ceremony citing Parliament session in Delhi. The other person who also seems miffed is the state finance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan. Popularly known as PTR, he was seething with anger as his rank moved from 22 to 27. Stalin, it is rumoured, is planning to name his son Deputy CM while he takes off on his annual medical check-up trip to London. Sensing an undercurrent within the party fold over elevation of his son Stalin asked the party’s intelligence arm to survey the revolt potential within the party and family, if the son is made the boss. Sure enough, the survey revealed that Udhayanidhi may be good as a film star but politics is not his cup of tea, at least for now. K Annamalai, the BJP‘s dynamic chief could shred him in any debate. So the collective advice is to groom him and hand over the reins over a period of time.
It was interesting to watch External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar make a transition from a suave diplomat to an ace politician. After putting down Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto at the UN Security Council meeting, Jaishankar gave a full dressing down to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha for his comment on clashes between Indian and Chinese troops on December 9 in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, saying the word “pitai” (beating) should not be used for “our jawans”.“We have no problem with political criticism but we should not disrespect our jawans. I have heard that my own understanding needs to be deepened. When I see who is giving the advice I can only bow and respect,” Jaishankar said. He was taking on Rahul who had suggested that the EAM must “broaden” his understanding. “If we were indifferent to China then who sent the Indian Army to the border? If we were indifferent to China then why are we pressuring China for de-escalation and disengagement today? Why are we saying publicly that our relations are not normal?” the minister asked. Earlier, speaking at India Today event, Jaishankar said,” You have a deployment of the Indian Army on the China border that we never had. It is done to counter Chinese aggression. The Indian Army today is deployed to counter any attempt to unilaterally change LAC. This deployment is not on orders of Rahul Gandhi, it is on orders of the Prime Minister.” Will Jaishankar’s exhaustive statement help end Opposition disruption of the House?
The Shinde-Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has issued a tacit warning to ‘some’ political parties that the forces creating unrest in the state’s border areas by instigating demands for merger with neighbouring states had been identified by the police. They will be uncovered in the due course, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had indicated on December 18. The Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute has assumed a political hue even as an agitation was organised by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) at the border with Karnataka on Monday (Dec 19) to press for the merger of Marathi-speaking areas with the state. On the opening day of the state legislature’s winter session, opposition leader Ajit Pawar tried to corner the government over the chronic feud. In his impassioned retort, chief minister Eknath Shinde warned that the elements inciting village panchayat resolutions to demand merger with the neighbouring state have been identified. He, however, did not specify any details but reiterated that a bogus twitter handle in the name of his counterpart Basavaraj Bommai was used for fuelling the agitation. But former chief minister Ashok Chavan pointed out that the handle had been verified by Twitter as genuine. Moreover, even today, official Karnataka government decisions were uploaded on the handle, active since January 2015. If it was bogus, why was it not deleted, demanded Chavan.
The winter session of the Maharashtra legislature beginning at Nagpur from December 19 will witness caustic exchanges between the ruling saffron alliance and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over several issues, political, religious and emotional. As of now, the schedule has been finalised to continue the session till 29 December. However, prominent leaders from both sides are desirous of extending the duration to three weeks since Vidarbha region is going to be a lucrative battlefield in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 2024. If the extension is agreed upon, the main grievance of Vidarbha that it has been neglected will be addressed effectively, they feel. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari will be at the receiving end when MVA partners fire their salvos from the opening day. A remark by him about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has provided solid ammunition to the opposition. Another thorny issue will be the formation of a committee by the state government to consult and advise girls who have entered into interfaith marriages. The government’s decision to call back an award announced to the translator of alleged Naxal brain Kobad Ghandhy’s book ‘Fractured Freedom’ will also be challenged to corner the Shinde-Fadnavis government. The Nagpur police have received notices by organisers of about a hundred protest groups about their plans to stage demonstrations during the session. Security outside the bungalows of CM Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis has been beefed up accordingly.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde has unequivocally stated that the proposed oil refinery near Rajapur in the Konkan region will materialise as it is the wish of the local people. He has asked the detractors of the project to cooperate and not obstruct. During his first Ratnagiri district visit as chief minister, Shinde made several announcements to lure the public opinion in the region, which has been traditionally supporting the Shiv Sena set up by Balasaheb Thackeray. He promised that when commissioned, the refinery will generate huge employment. Shinde did not lose the opportunity to castigate the Sena (Uddhav) during his public address. He said certain elements had been hindering industrial progress by creating opposition to the proposals originally introduced by themselves. In this connection, Shinde said the land acquisition for the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway was attempted to be stalled by such elements but he had convinced the land owners of the potential benefits and persuaded them to cooperate. The same will happen in case of the refinery, he was confident. Shinde announced a package of Rs 700 crore for taking up various developmental projects in the region. He said an autonomous corporation would be formed soon to take care of the needs of the Konkan. Development of tourism and coastal areas, preservation of historical forts and monuments will be among the steps he spelt out.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has officially endorsed the idea of making her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) as a national one with “Mission Meghalaya”. In her two day tour, accompanied by the party’s second-in-command and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Didi went out all possible ways to tackle the issue of being “outsiders” or a “Bengali party”. Interestingly, Mamata spoke about a similar set of schemes of Lakshmir Bhandar for women of Meghalaya promising to pay Rs 1000 if her party forms the government in the upcoming election in February 2023. The northeastern state is presently ruled by the National People’s Party, an ally of the BJP. Didi also offered Rs 5 lakh to the bereaved family members of the deceased in the recent Assam-Meghalaya border clash. It must be noted that TMC’s previous ventures outside Bengal in the states of Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Goa had no positive results. Moreover, Didi had always given these responsibilities to party colleagues like Mukul Roy and then to Abhishek, without putting her political capital at stake, hence the failure of these experiments never cost her. But, this time she has made it official by lending her name to a mission outside Bengal. This could be seen as her attempts to match Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has made his Aam Aadmi Party’s presence felt beyond Delhi and emerged as a key player in the Opposition block.
It was as if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was waiting for a question on border dispute in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to unleash his scathing attack on the Modi government. Charging the Centre of being clueless, he claimed, “China is preparing for war, but the Indian government seems to be sleeping. China is gearing up for the war but our government is not ready to accept this fact.” These words were a bit rich coming from a leader, who took briefing from a Chinese envoy when Indian soldiers gave a befitting response to the Chinese soldiers in Galwan two years ago. Recently the Chinese Government has acknowledged 11 of its soldiers had died in Galwan. But then Rahul is so easily convinced by Chinese official propaganda that he even went on to assert that “China’s PLA is beating our soldiers on the border. They are preparing for the full offensive, but our government is hiding it. We need to be careful as the government only indulges in rhetoric.” Unfortunately for the Congress and the Opposition, the Indian side did not suffer much in Tawang clashes and even the soldiers who required hospitalisation in Guwahati were so few. So why is Rahul pushing the China narrative in India? Who does it benefit? Is it because the Congress has some fraternal ties with Communist Party of China that Rahul is feeling compelled to defend every action of Beijing? Possibly.
The BJP will organise a protest march on Saturday ( Dec 17) in Mumbai to retaliate against a silent march by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Both sides are planning to ensure huge turnouts for this first trial of strength on streets after the formation of the Shinde-Fadnavis government. The provocation for both the morchas will be the same – insult to great personalities of the past. Leaders of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav), the Congress and the NCP have directed their workers to bring maximum people by train, bus and private vehicles for the morcha. Former CM Uddhav Thackeray will be the main speaker. After some suspense, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis declared on Friday that permission for the MVA morcha will be issued. But they will have to maintain peace and order, he said. The MVA morcha will be taken out to express outrage against certain objectionable remarks about giants of the past by prominent people like Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. The BJP will try to hit back by taking out a protest march to condemn Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s statement that Dr B R Ambedkar was born in Maharashtra. BJP leader Ashish Shelar said this was an insult to the architect of the constitution as he was born at Mhow in today’s Madhya Pradesh.
It has been a week since election results came out. Yet there is no full-fledged government in Himachal Pradesh. Both CM Sukhinder Singh Sukhu and his 39 MLAs are busy doing parikrama of Delhi. They are expected to join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Dausa, Rajasthan on December 16 on completing 100 days. As for giving the final shape to his team, Sukhu says it will happen after an assembly session. That’s probably why BJP leader and former Himachal CM Jairam Thakur is no longer moping about losing the elections but focusing on turning tables on the Congress for running a campaign against him and calling him names like “helicopter vale CM”. He hit out at the Congress for just appointing a CM and a deputy CM and went full blast raising questions on the misuse of helicopters. Thakur wanted to know how a small state like Himachal which has a legislative assembly of 68 MLAs can have a CM and a deputy CM? The chopper first goes to drop the Dy CM and then returns to pick the CM. Now there is talk of appointing another Deputy CM. Will it not increase financial burden? Meanwhile CM Sukhu has already made three Cabinet rank appointments. His close aide Sunil Sharma has been appointed political adviser, AICC joint secretary Gokul Butail as principal adviser (IT & innovation) and Naresh Chauhan as principal adviser (media).
We are never far from statue politics in a country that reveres its icons so much that there cannot be a town without a clutch of statues, ranging from nation builders to sporting champions. The latest salvo against a statue comes from the husband of Mary Kom, six-time World Women’s boxing champion and an Olympic bronze medallist. Onler Karong says the statue in Imphal’s Olympic Park does not resemble his wife, Mary. Be that as it may, there was more trouble in the capital of statues, which is Chennai in Tamil Nadu when a statue of Indira Gandhi had to be moved out of the pedestal to make way for six-laning of the Chennai-Bangalore highway at Sriperumbudur, a spot not far from where her son Rajiv Gandhi was cruelly decimated by a body belt bomber from Sri Lanka who came straight out of a Frederick Forsyth novel. TN’s Congressmen were upset that an iconic statue to which Rajiv had paid homage before going to the public meeting at which he was assassinated on May 21, 1991 was being shifted. They would not let the highways department move the statue but then relented in a public cause of highway expansion. They moved the statue themselves to the entrance of the Rajiv Gandhi memorial so mother and son could be remembered as victims of political assassinations. Finally, who can forget Mayawati for erecting statues of herself when she was UP’s chief minister (2007-12).
Leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituent parties have expressed chagrin over the Shinde-Fadnavis government’s delay to permit its protest march planned in Mumbai on Saturday (Dec 17 ). The permission is likely to be issued later tonight or on Friday, though under certain conditionalities. MVA leaders are uneasy since hectic preparations by the Shiv Sena (Uddhav), the NCP and the Congress to ensure a large turnout are underway but there is an air of uncertainty. Presence of Communist leader Prakash Reddy and JD(U) MLC Kapil Patil, however, has heightened opposition morale. Organisers of the morcha were planning to erect a dais opposite the Times of India building on busy D N Road for MVA leaders to address the audience. However, the police have not cleared the plan. Similarly, there are still some rough edges about the route of the silent march and discussions are underway to come to an understanding. Leader of the opposition in the legislative assembly, Ajit Pawar has declared that the morcha will take place under any circumstances and he himself will join it. After a MVA meeting to discuss the modalities of the morcha at Pawar’s residence, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said every party had a right to lodge its protest in a democratic manner and no government could stop it.
Chaatrapati Shivaji Maharaja’s direct descendant Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale has now trained his guns against Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar over what he terms as political infiltration in the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha in rural Maharashtra. Sent to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP despite his defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Bhosale has been in the news at present for leading various protest actions organised to condemn the recent objectionable statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji. Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, popularly called just Rayat, is among the largest educational institutions with over 4.5 lakh students and 17000 employees. Headed by Pawar for a long time, there is no representative from the royal Bhosale family on its governing body although the family had donated land during Rayat’s initial years. Not just Bhosale, even Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leaders from Satara had criticised Rayat on this count. Pawar’s detractors had alleged that due to political influence, even the job of painting Rayat’s buildings had been awarded to a person from Baramati. Bhosale visited the agitating employees of Rayat at Satara for their various demands. Blaming the role of politicians in Rayat, Bhosale said the founder, Bhaurao Patil, had stated in writing that the president of Rayat should be the chief minister of the state. However, it is captured by politicians, leading to the sorry situation when academicians have to protest for their rights.
With the fall of December, heavy-weight Trinamool Congress (TMC) and state BJP leaders have locked horns for the 2023 Panchayat polls. Both the parties have been indulging in organising counter rallies as a show of strength and their organisational hold of the area. Recently, the state witnessed the most high voltage rallies, where TMC’s National general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP targeted each other’s fiefdoms with their choice of rally venues. While Abhishek held a rally at Contai near the residence of Adhikari, the latter chose to address a gathering at Diamond Harbour, the constituency that the TMC national general secretary represents in Lok Sabha. However, both the leaders moved the court in order to hold the rallies and later directly challenged each other at their respective public meetings. Adhikari has been quoting multiple dates saying the present Didi’s government will not last beyond December and the state will have assembly elections along with Lok Sabha election in 2024. However, BJP sources have said that quoting dates has not gone down well with the BJP high command. Besides taking on TMC’s second in command, Adhikari held a rally at Didi’s home turf at Harzra. Interestingly, Adhikari backtracked from his claim of toppling the government in December, instead giving a fresh date of January 13.
For a change, the Congress benches were happy that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla allowed their Virudhanagar MP and AICC in charge for Telangana Manickam Tagore to make a brief special mention in the House the issue of Hyderabad police raid on of the office of its key poll strategist Sunil Kanulogu and detaining of five people for allegedly posting on social media derogatory comments against Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). Kanugolu, member of AICC national task force, is currently strategising for Telangana PCC. After lodging an FIR in the case, the Hyderabad Cyber Crimes police conducted the raid, seized mobile phones, laptops and other equipment used by the Kanugolu’s team. Tagore said the police barged into Kanugolu’s office on September 13 evening without an FIR and picked up an eclectic team working with the strategist on the instructions of KCR’s son and Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao. After the party got to record its opposition against Telangana in the Lok Sabha, the AICC still decided to equate KCR with PM Modi. ”When it comes to his own daughter K Kavitha in the Delhi liquor scam, KCR demands from the CBI…give me this paper, show me that notice…only then will my daughter be questioned by the agency. However, while raiding the war room of the Congress or detaining members of Sunil Kanugolu the Telangana police behaved like goondas,” charged party spokesperson Pawan Khera.
Ahead of the Maharashtra legislature’s winter session beginning in Nagpur on December 19, hectic preparations are on by various opposition parties to make a protest demonstration to be held in Mumbai on Saturday (Dec 17) successful so as to present a united face against the Shinde-Fadnavis government. In a rare gesture, the Communists and the Samajwadi Party have announced their support. So far, they have been keeping away from any faction of the Shiv Sena. Incidentally, former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will be spearheading the morcha as leader of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Over the last two days a series of meetings were held to finalise the preparations. Controversial statements by top guns of the ruling alliance under Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis have provided fodder for the opposition cannon, which has been booming over the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute to corner the saffron alliance. The attacks will be intensified at the winter session, expected to last till the end of the year. The Saturday morcha’s route in Mumbai will pass through the congested areas like Bhendi Bazar and Fort. An application has been filed with the city police for permission though a green signal is still awaited. Nonetheless, MVA is determined to ensure an impressive turnout.
Rail &Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is not the usual polite technocrat that he seems; he could be even politically savvy given an opportunity. Much of his wit was on display during the Question Hour on December 14 when he was taking a query on network problems of BSNL from a Karnataka BJP MP. Vaishnaw explained that the BSNL went through a very bad phase, primarily because of “certain political parties, especially during the UPA Government” when a lot of its funds were diverted. With DMK benches being empty in the Lok Sabha, there was not much contest on this point though Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was present in the house. Disclosing that PM Modi has approved a package of Rs 164,000 crore for the revival of BSNL. “We should take pride in the country’s engineers. The PM gave this challenge to our engineers, in line with PM’s Make-in-India initiative, today, the 4G and 5G technologies stack are made in India, designed in India, and developed in India. Today, it is recognised all over the world. For certain people — from the other side of the House — BSNL was always a cash cow. Those days are gone.” On questions raised by Congress members on data cost, he countered them saying that under the UPA consumers had to pay Rs 200 for 1 GB, today it is around Rs 20.
The National Law University in Delhi was established in 2008 under the National Law University Act, 2007 with the objective of imparting comprehensive and inter-disciplinary legal education. Project 39 is inspired by Article 39-A of the Indian Constitution, a provision that furthers the intertwined values of equal justice and equal opportunity by removing economic and social barriers. It holds annual lectures under Project 39. The 5th Annual Project 39 lecture was supposed to be held at the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) in Chennai. ACJ is part of The Hindu Group of publications. The speaker this time around is A G Perarivalan, a death row prisoner in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Fifty-year old Perarivalan, arrested in 1991, is now out of prison under an order from the Supreme Court. But the decision of ACJ to provide its space for hosting the lecture drew flak from varied quarters. Assorted questions were raised over the ACJ accommodation for this particular lecture programme of Perarivalan. In the wake of rising opposition, the organisers have decided to turn this into an online lecture. The title of the lecture is “Denial of Justice and A Quest Unfinished”. Asserting their commitment to Perarivalan to share his experience in the prison, the organisers said that they were taking the lecture online in view of the threat perception over the choice of speaker. This lecture will now go online on December 17.
A DMK minister was heard saying that the initiation of Udhayanidhi Stalin into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet was late by a year and a half. He should have been there from the start in May 2021 so the line of succession would have been clear already. Others say that the family is safeguarding its interests by bringing in a successor who will carry forward the Karunanidhi tradition. The most interesting aspect of his inclusion in the Cabinet now is that the date of swearing-in was chosen by his mother Durga who wished to avoid Margazhi, considered inauspicious for various occasions like marriages and events. And hence the hurry to induct him before the Tamil month of Margazhi, famous for Chennai’s music festivals, begins on December 15. CM Stalin may not be willing to accommodate any religious feelings as he goes about his duties as the party’s credo is not faith in God. But he can hardly argue against the wishes of his religious wife Durga whose temple visits are well-recorded. The first lady’s influence can be seen in the tolerance for faith and religion that the DMK shows now even in its official dealings with different religious heads, temples and places of worship. Stalin had studiously maintained that he is not against people following their faith and belief in God.
In a coordinated manner both Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah cornered the Opposition that was trying to politicize Chinese Army aggression in Tawang on December 9 which was ably rebuffed by the Indian Army. While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed both the Houses of the Parliament that there was “no death, no major injuries to our soldiers” on India-China LAC clash and urged the Parliament to support “the valour and courage of our army with one voice”, the Opposition leaders preferred to stage a walkout as they weren’t allowed to discuss the clashes. Home Minister Amit Shah launched a broadside at the Congress MPs outside the Parliament for trying to disrupt Question Hour in the Lok Sabha by raising the issue of Tawang clashes only to avoid questions on the money received by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) from China and controversial preacher Zakir Naik’s organisation. The Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha had demanded to suspend Zero Hour and relevant rules relating to Question Hour. Shah said that the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of RGF was cancelled by the Home Ministry as the foundation accepted a grant of over Rs 1 crore from the Chinese Embassy and Rs 50 lakh from Naik.”I saw the question hour list and after seeing question number 5, I understood the anxiety of Congress.” The question was regarding the cancellation of the FCRA licence of the RGF.
Much of the BJP losing Himachal Pradesh is being viewed through the prism of the party doing badly in I&B Minister Anurag Thakur’s Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency where the Congress won 12 of the 17 assembly seats; the BJP had 44 seats in the outgoing assembly. The BJP lost all the five seats in Hamirpur district and it is significant that the Congress picked Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu who is an MLA from Nadaun that falls in Hamirpur region. Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri is Haroli MLA from Una district that is also part of Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat. What does this mean for the BJP? Will a Congress win in 2022 make it difficult for Thakur to get re-elected from Hamirpur in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls? Himachal Congress leaders themselves admit that Thakur would face no threat for the Lok Sabha seat in spite of a strong Congress performance. “That is because assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections would be fought on different issues. Besides, remember an assembly seat like Sujanpur in Hamirpur was secured more by postal ballots than the EVM,” pointed out a Congress leader. Congress sources admit that though Thakur had campaigned aggressively, it was his father PK Dhumal’s laid back strategy that benefited Congress — yes they admit to have gained from the J P Nadda-Dhumal rift.
The Shinde-Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has received a breather since the Election Commission has postponed a hearing till January over the claims for ownership of the Shiv Sena election symbol, bow & arrow. The first hearing today was over within a few minutes since EC officials explained to both sides the procedure they will follow to ascertain the claim made by the Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray and the one under chief minister Eknath Shinde. Sena (Uddhav) MP Anil Desai told the media that the EC will take a call on whether to proceed on the material submitted to it so far or to ask for any supplementary information. The next hearing is likely to be held in the first week of January 2023. The EC’s decision to defer the hearing will enable the Shinde-Fadnavis government to face the ensuing winter session of the legislature more confidently. The session will be held in Nagpur later this month. Its schedule and other details will be decided at a meeting of the business advisory committee (BAC) to be held in Mumbai on December 13. The government is in an upbeat mood since Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Shinde near him in Nagpur and patted him on the back. The television clip has gone viral. To bolster its confidence, the EC’s decision will be helpful, the ruling coalition feels.
Embattled Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s letter to Union home minister Amit Shah pleading his case has given rise to a fresh bout of political fracas. Already, protests like bandh have been held in many parts of the state. Koshyari’s letter dated December 6 has gone viral on December 12, prompting NCP MP Amol Kolhe to raise suspicions about the timing of the placatory communication. Already, Koshyari’s controversial statement is disowned by the BJP and incited some parties to organise protest actions, which continue even now. Koshyari had described Chhatrapati Shivaji as an icon of the past in a speech. Clarifying his position in the letter to Shah, the governor has stated, “I can’t imagine even in my dreams to insult any icon of the past. However, mentioning achievers of the present time does not mean disrespect towards the legends that existed here.” In a sly taunt directed at Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, the governor has pointed out that despite his advancing age, he has walked to visit historical forts like Raigad, Sinhgad, Shivneri and Pratapgad, identified with memories of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The taunt refers to Uddhav’s staying at home during the Covid outbreak and even later, rarely visiting Mantralaya. However, Kolhe has questioned the timing of the letter becoming public and asked, “If there is no intention to dishonor any giants of the past, why are statements derogatory to them made repeatedly?”
Three months of being on Bharat Jodo Yatra seems to have made Rahul Gandhi somewhat a much wiser man. He is at least very nice and polite with senior leaders and has surprised them with his inter-personal skills. He probably learnt it all while doing the balancing act between D K Shivkumar and Siddaramaiah in Karnataka. Like he recently surprised a party veteran in Himachal Viplove Thakur when he warmly greeted her with a hug and even complimented her for “looking much younger” when he met her in Shimla. Such kind words from the Gandhi scion naturally cheered the former Rajya Sabha MP when she reached the podium for the swearing in of Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as chief minister. Only person to reach the swearing-in late was a sulking PCC chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh and the Gandhis took it in their stride. Whatever the objectives of the yatra, Rahul now seems more open to people and the yatra has certainly helped him reach out to more leaders within his party than his office would have ever allowed. Himachal Congress leaders were also happy that Rahul took a break from his yatra to savour the success of his sister Priyanka in retrieving the hill state from the BJP. In turn, Priyanka has joined her brother’s yatra with an all women team in Rajasthan on Day 95.
All is not well in the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP. State President K Annamalai is constantly in Operation Damage control mode fighting the ruling DMK dispensation or forces within the party. The latest one relates to the sensational call made by the party’s high profile leader heading OBC wing Tiruchi Surya to Dr Daisy Saran (minority wing secretary). In the now infamous audio clip which has gone viral, Surya used vile and filthy language, threats to humiliate Dr Daisy. He threatened to cut up her genitals and fling her into the sea. Gayatri Raghuram, an actor and BJP functionary, forwarded the clip to the party’s higher ups like the All India Women’s Wing chief Vanathi Srinivasan and Union minister L Murugan. This move backfired. Gayatri was suspended from the party for six months for her anti-party activities and Dr Daisy was read the riot act. Everybody is asking why is Annamalai soft on Tiruchi Surya? Tiruchi Surya, son of DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, has been prodded to resign from the BJP on his own. In his resignation letter Surya states “Annamalai is my elder brother, a treasure trove of the party. I have learnt all strategic nuances under his stewardship …” For good measure he also added that Annamalai is future PM material. With this kind of letter has he figuratively thrown Annamalai in the lion’s den?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sunday visit to Nagpur is eagerly awaited as he is expected to becalm the tension between Maharashtra and Karnataka over their six-decade-old border dispute. As if impervious to the problems suffered by people from both sides, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has again tweeted that the matter is with the Supreme Court. “A meeting between Amit Shah and some Maharashtra MPs would not make any difference,” he has taunted. This stand has been condemned by opposition parties in Maharashtra. Maharashtra being the second largest state after Uttar Pradesh electorally, it occupies a crucial place for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for the BJP. Despite this, Bommai has been adding fuel to the fire by his various statements. Hence, BJP leaders in Maharashtra are caught in a delicate situation. Chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis have already appealed to the PM to intervene. Union home minister Amit Shah’s initiative to invite both chief ministers next week for talks to find a solution will take a specific direction after Modi’s Nagpur visit tomorrow to inaugurate the ambitious Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway’s first leg and other projects. But Bommai’s latest outburst has again created uncertainty. Modi is expected to advise both sides to exercise restraint till a solution satisfactory to will is formulated.
The Narendra Modi Government is believed to be going ahead with its move for a ‘one nation, one election’ plan. Though the plan has not found favour with the main opposition parties. The next Lok Sabha elections is expected to be simultaneously held along with 12 assembly elections. To accommodate this, the Election Commission will have to tweak the dates and even consider advancing the next Lok Sabha elections by a couple of months. The tentative period being considered is believed to be December-January 2023-24, according to informed sources. While the next Lok Sabha elections are due in April-May 2024, the assembly terms of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana will end by December 2023 and Mizoram by mid December 2023. The other states being roped in for the mega election plan are three non-NDA ruled states with BJP affinity — Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim. The term of these assemblies are scheduled to end by June 2024. And also in the mega election plan are two BJP ruled states, Haryana and Maharashtra, where the elections are due in November 2024. If mega election plan fructifies it will bring down the cost of holding elections across India. The cost of the last Lok Sabha elections was around $ 7 bn (approx. Rs 56,000 crore, up 40% from the previous election. The US spend for its Presidential and Congress elections is around $ 6.5 bn.
It is now more or less clear that display of street-power by those supporting Himachal PCC chief Pratibha Singh could just come a cropper. Efforts by her supporters to gherao vehicles of Congress observer Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel or Pratibha Singh’s own claim that she has support of 25 MLAs cannot swing the opinion of the Congress high command. In fact party old timers say Pratibha’s supporters seem to be following everything from her late husband Virbhadra Singh’s playbook. “Pratibha Singh had won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in a by-election in 2021. In the assembly elections, of the 17 seats under Mandi Lok Sabha the Congress managed to win only 6 seats, 11 went to the BJP,” pointed out a party veteran. Besides, the favourite of high command seems to be Sukhwinder Singh Sukku. A former Youth Congress president, he claims support of 19 MLAs. He is also close to Rahul Gandhi’s aide, K C Venugopal. Beyond Sukku, Pratibha and CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri, the Congress may go for a fresh alternative — an OBC face from Kangra — Jawali MLA Chander Kumar. That is because in this election the Congress won 10 of the 15 seats in Kangra. “Whoever wins Kangra wins Himachal. Last time, the BJP had won 11 of the 15 seats. It is only right that someone from Kangra becomes CM,” said an ex-party MP. Pratibha may also back Chander to block Sukku.
Maharashtra, too, is examining the possibility of implementing a law on the lines of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, also known as the ‘Love Jihad’ law. The UP law provides various penalties for a convict, either an individual or an organisation. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told the media that the legislations adopted by various states to prevent forcible conversions under the guise of marriage are being studied at the moment. He was asked if the Maharashtra legislation could come up during the ensuing winter session of the legislature in Nagpur later this month. Fadnavis clarified that as of now, no decision has been taken. Against the backdrop of reports that Love Jihad cases were on the increase in the state, the demand for such a law in Maharashtra has intensified after the gruesome murder of Vasai girl Shraddha Walkar. Her father Vikas who met Fadnavis told the media that he was assured by Fadnavis that no effort would be spared to punish the guilty of the girl’s death. Vikas expressed displeasure with the manner in which local police had handled the matter. He said his daughter would have been alive if the police had acted with alacrity. Vikas demanded investigation of suspect Aaftab Poonawala’s parents as well.
After the rout of the Congress in Gujarat and MCD elections in Delhi, emphatic return of the party to power in Himachal Pradesh is the best news that could have happened to it. For some reason credit for the Congress victory is being given to none other than Priyanka Gandhi Vadra — who is not even AICC General Secretary responsible for the state. It is only that she has her residence in Chharabra. Interestingly a party leader close to her, Acharya Pramod Krishnam was the first to go public crediting the Himachal victory to Priyanka on live TV. ff support data apkIt was obviously a fan girl moment for him. He felt this was the first good news, the first success since Priyanka made a formal entry into politics in 2019 as AICC General Secretary for UP. Party sources conceded that Priyanka had been working closely with Rajiv Shukla, tải ff support dataAICC functionary handling the state. minecraft lmhmodOf course, she did not address many meetings; just addressed four rallies. But then Congressmen like Krishnam feel Priyanka’s camping in Himachal for nearly a month helped. “Everyone felt Priyankaji was closely monitoring everything.” It is also felt the Himachal results could burnish her CV as political leader after the poor show in UP in 2022. Meanwhile, the party has a tricky issue on hand of finding the next Congress CM. While PCC chief and Mandi MP Pratibha Singh could be the front runner,programlarindir MLAs could root for one amongst them — either Sukhwinder Singh Sukku or Mukesh Agnihotri.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
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If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
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