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West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Oxford University to showcase her vision for Bengal’s development seems to have backfired as the event was disrupted by members of the Communist Party of India’s student wing, the SFI. Speculation had been rife prior to the event that the SFI-UK would target Banerjee with pointed questions on several contentious issues. Among the topics that were expected to dominate the discussion were the RG Kar rape incident, the development of industry in Bengal, major investments in the state, and the fallout from the Tata Nano factory relocation from Singur. Despite the heckling Didi did not relent. During her address, Banerjee emphasized the importance of inclusive development and denounced societal divisions, asserting that such divisions were always detrimental to progress. She reiterated that her governance model strives to avoid discrimination, always prioritizing the welfare of all sections of society. However, the atmosphere became increasingly heated as students began interrupting her speech with sharp questions. One question focused on the sensitive RG Kar Medical College rape case, followed by inquiries about the treatment of Hindus in Bengal. The situation reached a climax when chants of “Go Back” echoed from the audience, further escalating the tension. In her response, Banerjee defended her government’s handling of the RG Kar case, stating that it was under judicial review with the central government, and urged the audience to keep politics out of the forum. She appealed to the students to raise their voices in Bengal if they wished to pursue political causes.
Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd (KICL) has a Qatar connection. A company belonging to the Royal family of Qatar has invested in KICL picking up, in the process, a 10% stake in the Chennai-based firm. KICL is now solidifying its ties with Qatar. The Chennai company has set up a Kickers fashion store at Doha in Qatar. Kickers is a French footwear and apparel brand which was bought in 2007 by the Royer Group. The store opened on March 26. KICL has a long-term licensing pact to market Kickers brand in India and a few other countries. The Doha store signals the desire of KICL to firmly establish its footprint in the global retail market. The store is housed at a prestigious mall of Qatar. The collaboration with the Royer Group of France for Kickers brand has already seen KICL establish a mall in Chennai. With a rich legacy, KICL is making a strong comeback to regain its yesteryear glory. Rafiq Ahmed, the new owner of KICL, has laid out an ambitious plan to open 100 exclusive Kickers stores across India. KICL turnaround under Rafiq Ahmed has already seen its shares back on bourses. Since its relisting early last year, there has been an upward drive for the KICL share. Today, the market capitalization of KICL is inching close to Rs 1500 crore. Well, KICL is on a fast-lane and keen to go places, it appears.
In the past few days, Karnataka politics has been heating up over issues that may or may have not actually happened. Yes, heated political battles are being fought over alleged ‘honey trap’ attempts on ministers and legislators cutting across party lines. Karnataka cooperation minister KN Rajanna, a close associate of chief minister Siddaramaiah, put state assembly into a tizzy when he alleged that a honey trap attempt was made on him and that at least 48 leaders across parties had fallen victim to such schemes. His disclosure made everyone in the political circles a bit uncomfortable. That is why even as the Karnataka government has transferred the investigation of the alleged honey trap case to the CID, politics over it continues to simmer full throttle. Rajanna had described the honey trap attempt made on him as one made by strangers, adding that it needed to be probed whether they were acting independently or someone was behind them. While the reports of honey trapping seemed like a dark reminder to what happened with Prajwal Revanna, former JD(S) MP and grandson of former prime minister HD Devegowda, many politicians shuddered to think what could happen to them. But then Rajanna’s public talk of “honey trapping” was viewed more as an attempt by Siddaramaiah’s camp only to send a message to deputy CM DK Shivakumar that he should not contemplate destabilizing the government. The BJP accused Siddaramaiah of deliberately escalating the controversy for political reasons. It was felt the issue had intensified internal conflicts within the Congress as PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi had recently met former PM Deve Gowda and his son, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy in Delhi. Besides at any given time more Congress MLAs would be loyal to Siddaramaiah than to any other faction.
The Maharashtra legislature’s budget session has concluded amidst a cascade of political allegations and counter-charges, giving ample indications that the battle will not subside any time soon. The main criticism against both sides of the house is that the issues which are not relevant to the common man have taken up more time in the house than they deserve. Similarly, all the three incidents that rocked the legislature repeatedly are old, except for the Nagpur violence. Maharashtra legislature was once described as a model house but of late, incidents of overlooking protocol and foul language in front of television cameras have been occurring frequently. The session was marred by the ruckus over the demand for demolition of Aurangzeb’s tomb. The Opposition tried to corner chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over the thorny issue but could not dent his argument that the tomb was declared as a protected monument by the Congress government long ago. The Opposition also failed to bring the government to its knees over its inability to raise the monthly allowance of Ladki Bahin Yojana from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100. The other stormy issue was the tragic death of Disha Salian since the name of Aaditya Thackeray was time and again attempted to be linked with her end. However, Uddhav Thackeray dismissed a question regarding the matter in a few words but the ruling side seems to be determined to highlight the issue at every available opportunity.
The BJP’s plans to distribute ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ kits to 32 lakh poor Muslims for celebrating the Eid festival in Bihar has been described by its arch enemy Uddhav Thackeray as ‘Saugat-e-Satta.’ Linking this gesture with the upcoming Bihar polls, the former Maharashtra chief minister has posed several questions for the saffron party. He has asked if the scheme will be for the election only or shall continue even later. Uddhav has been sore ever since his Maha Vikas Aghadi government was pulled down by his one-time right hand Eknath Shinde, who became the CM and is now the DCM in the state. Uddhav lambasted the BJP and demanded to know why it had retained green colour in its party flag if it was using slogans like ‘Batenge toh Katenge.’ He reminded the BJP that various of its pre-election assurances were not fulfilled. In a strong rebuttal, Shinde ridiculed Uddhav for not participating in the legislative council proceedings. “Some people only sign the member attendance register and then talk before the media but remain mute in the house,” Shinde said, taking a swipe at his erstwhile mentor. Minister Nitesh Rane, too, joined the firing squad. He said Uddhav had declared that he would resign membership of the council when he stepped down as CM in 2022 but has not kept even his own word. The war of words between the two sides will intensify, according to signals available now.
The Tata-IPL blast has truly begun with the batters going after the bowlers with a lot of innovative stroke-making and boundary (4 and 6) hitting. There has been an exception though in the low-scoring ‘El Clasico’ skirmish between CSK and MI. This was expected with the slow and turn-affording surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk. The opening pairs have been trying hard to blast their way to make the most of the first 6-over powerplay when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner 30-yard circle. The middle order, lower order has lashed out and even the tail has struck a few lusty blows. It all began with the Sunil Narine-Ajinkya Rahane power hitting in the IPL-18 inaugural match between KKR and RCB at the Eden Gardens. But it was left-hander Ishan Kishan who set the IPL on fire, turning out for the Pat Cummins led Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals on a featherbed of a pitch at Uppal, Hyderabad. Kishan dropped like a hot potato from the Indian team and from the annual contract, pummelled the Royals bowlers including Jofra Archer to make a power-packed unconquered 106 of a mere 47 balls with 11x4s and 6x6s touching a strike rate of 225.53. The Ishan Kishan explosive batting happened after his team’s opening pair in Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head went berserk raising 45 with both crossing the 215% strike rate. So far seven batters have scored at 12-run plus an over, including Delhi Capitals’ Ashutosh Sharma demolishing the Lucknow SuperGiants’ bowling to make a 31-ball unbeaten 66. LSG’s Nicholas Pooran joined the gang of hitters. In seven matches 156x6s and 233x4s have been hit. It’s been leather hunting, IPL style!
AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) arrived in Delhi on March 25 morning in a surprise visit sparking off speculations that he has reached the national capital to formalise AIADMK-BJP alliance ahead of 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. His sudden visit comes when he appears to be softening his stance with the BJP is a significant shift from his earlier opposition to it. The AIADMK had walked out of the NDA in October 2023, months ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Yet, the BJP in TN under K Annamalai’s stewardship had managed to double its vote share to 11%. Of course, neither the AIADMK nor the BJP could win any LS seat. With the entry of actor Vijay’s TVK party, it is possible that EPS once again feels the need to avoid a fragmented Opposition vote to take on the ruling DMK. Mired in liquor-marketing corruption of TASMAC that is being probed by the ED, the DMK is skating on thin ice and may meet the same fate as AAP in Delhi. It is in this backdrop that Palaniswami’s hurried visit to Delhi is of interest. Officially, he told the media that he was just “looking up” Rs 10 crore AIADMK office he had recently launched via video. However, the main agenda is to meet with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other key BJP leaders to draw up electoral strategies. Palaniswami’s surprise visit to Delhi had so stunned TN chief minister MK Stalin even publicly hoped in the state assembly that his AIADMK rival would articulate DMK’s views on New Education Policy or how the state loves the 2-language formula. Surely, Stalin knows an AIADMK-BJP alliance can simply unseat him in the upcoming polls.
The BCCI took some time to announce Rs 58 crore as cash bonus to the Indian team that ruled the roost and won the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai. The players and the head coach Gautam Gambhir will receive Rs 3 crore each and the others — depending on their position in the support squad — a specific sum. The BCCI had announced a cash award of Rs 125 crore to Rohit Sharma’s team that won the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Bridgetown, Barbados in June 2024. This is in addition to the prize money of $ 2.45 million from the ICC for winning the Cup and $31,154 for every match won. It’s $2.24 million for winning the Champions Trophy and an additional $34,000 for every match won. What the BCCI says is win ICC tournaments and we are ready to open the purse strings. Two years ago, India received $ 40,000 for each of the 10 matches it won in the ICC World Cup and $ 2 million for finishing runner-up to Australia. The prize money received from ICC is fully disbursed to the players. Even 14 years ago the Indian team under Mahendra Singh Dhoni received from the BCCI a cash bonus of around Rs 35 crore for winning the World Cup. Well, to think of it, the BCCI was not flush with funds to award the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team; that was 41 years ago. These days even the Ranji Trophy winning team receives Rs 5 crore as prize money. The Women’s Premier League winner Mumbai Indians received Rs 6 crore and the IPL winner will get Rs 20 crore was the prize money for the 2022-2024 cycle. Well, BCCI means money!
Savoury and sweet maker Haldirams run by the Agrawal family has been in the news for quite some time now. Recently, it sold a 10% stake to Singapore Temasek Holdings at a valuation of $10 bn. Besides, the Delhi and Nagpur arms are being merged to form a new entity Haldiram Foods & Snacks which may be listed soon. The latest news from Blighty is that Haldiram Nagpur has picked up a 20% stake in the UK-based fast food chain Shree Krishna Vada Pav (SKVP) run by two young entrepreneurs Subodh Joshi and Sujay Sohoni. Started in 2010 from a small sublet space on the high street of a suburban district of West London in Hounslow, the duo was the first to give vada pav a commercial status in the UK. It seems vada pav has tickled the palate of not only the Indian diaspora but also Britishers. In the last 15 years, SKVP, which has 70-plus Maharashtrian snacks, have sprung up in 18 locations across England, and with Haldiram they plan to increase the number to 30 in 2025 and double it by 2030 so as to have a presence in all cities in the UK. Plans are afoot to enter into other countries in Europe. Haldiram will appoint two members on the SKVP Board to offer its expertise, guidance and share the knowledge of its distribution and supply chain. Haldiram products including locally manufactured sweets will also find space on SKVP aisles.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin learnt much at his father’s political nursery — watching, waiting and willing to learn. That seems to have paid off. Today, Stalin is a Southern leader who cannot be brushed off as irrelevant. In fact, after winning the 2021 assembly elections with a thumping majority he has projected himself as a leader of substance. Of course, his Dravidam, North South polarity and unfettered opposition to Hindi have irked and irritated his opponents. But which politician would willingly dilute his party’s ideology for temporary gains? Even as the anti-Tamil slogan is fanned by Stalin as the major foothold for the 2026 assembly elections, he has now taken on strongly the delimitation demand and has been successful in herding the to-be-affected states and their leaders into a common corral. Stalin has seamlessly moved in as leader of this group — Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, AP, Orissa and Punjab. On March 21, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan was given a warm welcome as the first of the group when he landed in Chennai for a crucial strategy meet at the ITC Grand Chola. Senior DMK leaders Dr P Thiaga Rajan and Thamizhachi Thangapandian received him. Stalin referred to March 5 as a “Historic Day for Indian federalism” even as he projected his Joint Action Committee for fair delimitation. Stalin clearly knows which buttons are to be pushed at the right time.
Sharad Pawar is a good negotiator. Despite some NCP leaders prematurely seeking that Congress “do something soon” to prevent Sena-BJP resuming charge of the Maharashtra government in 1999, he kept Congress on tenterhooks till it accepted a power-sharing formula. He had told confidants then that had it been left to him from the start, the NCP would have got the CM’s post and the Speaker’s too, leaving some crumbs for the other. It is likely that hard bargaining for the Assembly’s Speaker’s post is in the offing. With Nana Patole quitting speakership on being appointed Maharashtra Congress President, the Speaker’s post has once again become a coveted target for all three parties constituting the government. The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Shiv Sena, NCP, and the Congress are not going to let go of an opportunity to grab it. Would the consummate Pawar, hailed as the architect of the coalition MVA, ensure his party gets the Speakership? Despite being partners with some give and take between them, except for the Congress making some noises against the Sena, the government has been functioning fairly in the Covid19 environment. Patole’s exit has clearly unsettled the equations. Now the fun begins.
BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy holds many incredible records. One important one: he has not lost a single defamation case. So much so that even international bodies like the United Nations are wary of taking him on. In fact, the services of Under-Secretary-General Adama Dieng were terminated for misattributing quotes to Dr Swamy. An elated Dr Swamy tweeted: “UN Under-Secretary General Mr Adaams Dieng, who defamed me in a media release by recycling my cut and spliced statement on CAA put out by Pakistani owned TV stn VICE, was terminated from UN post by “Good bye Sweetheart” letter from UNSG. I thank FS Shringla and UN Rep Trimurti.” Now, he has sent a defamation notice to Indian Express newspaper for publishing a column by Pakistani journalist Khaled Ahmed. Dr Swamy said that the Pakistani journalist wrote a lie that he said that Muslims are not equal citizens of India. This fake news was first published in a Canadian based TV known as Vice News owned by a Pakistani – and the United Nation’s Dieng issued a Press Release based on this fake news. Incidentally, even BBC carried the same news and reportedly a legal notice has been sent to them too.
Buzz in the Karnataka BJP is that search is on to find a successor to replace the current Chief Minister BS Yediyuruppa who despite crossing the 75-years-age cut-off limit has continued to hold the CM’s post. The party insiders claim he has lost the TINA (There Is No Alternative) Factor as discontent brews among the ministers, the party men, and the RSS parivar. The rift between Yediyuruppa and BL Santhosh, BJP national general secretary (organisation) has been widening. After the recent cabinet reshuffle, Yediyuruppa was forced to change the portfolios in Day Two as Santosh raised hue and cry over portfolio distribution. Even though the Karnataka assembly elections are still two and half years away, a section of party has put up a strong argument for a new face to be the leader. Yediyuruppa’s clout, according to the insiders, is eroding and the leadership is not ready to sacrifice the BJP government because of him.
The sweet scent of the ‘halwa ceremony’ at the Finance Ministry still lingers. N Sitaraman, the Finance Minister, ladled out the halwa to the face-masked officials and employees involved in the Budget preparation. This ritual marks the moment when the documents are green-flagged for printing. The final and irrevocable “go”. Not a line is added, not a line can be removed thereafter. Employees – each one involved, lock themselves in after the halwa is served till the printing is completed and sealed bundles are sent off to the Parliament House to avoid any leak of the Budget details till it’s read out in the Parliament. This time it could be “printed” in the pdf format. Yet, the media wouldn’t let go of its tradition of speculating on what the Budget may contain even after this. And lobbies often talk to the media to hopefully steer policies. The FinMin, however, has abandoned the practice of printing it on paper as in the past. The Budget, as the media have reported, has opted for a paperless Budget. But the futile speculation in the media continues. After all, who knows, at least one stone may hit the mango to boast about later!
Bonhomie between Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banejree and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray was on full display at the recent meeting of opposition chief ministers when Mamta praised Uddhav for doing a great job despite the BJP’s repeated predictions that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will not last. Mamata also responded to Uddhav’s call for whether Humein darna hai ya ladna hai?” (Do we have to fear or fight)? She thundered: “Ladna hai (we must fight). Shiv Sena’s announcement to contest West Bengal assembly elections also comes with a tacit understanding. Sena proposes to contest polls on the Hindutva plank, working as the Team B of Mamata just as Asaduddin Owaisi’s All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen alleged to be the BJP’s Team B. Sena is insignificant in West Bengal but the Trinamool Congress insiders and the Shiv Sena think tank believe that it may split the BJP votes and thereby help Mamata in a small way. Although there will not be any formal alliance but voters may shout Jai Maharashtra and Jai Bangla together for the first time.
Since 2014 the BJP has been trying very hard to make inroads into Tamil Nadu but found no takers – perhaps because its rivals have so far been successful at associating it with the Hindi chauvinism. This state, which rotates power between two parties AIADMK and DMK, has had three legendary leaders – M Karunanidhi, MGR and J Jayalalitha – running the State for almost 50 years. Now with no charismatic Dravidian leaders to turn to, the field seems to be open to a leader like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is widely accepted in TN owing to his credentials as a crusader against corruption. Some impact is also being created by the ever-resourceful RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, who is helping the BJP press the right button in TN. His research came in handy when the Modi government went in for demonetisation. Guru managed to convince the legendary star Rajnikant to enter politics. Thailava as he is popularly known said yes – and was all set to kick off his spiritual-political odyssey but for an unfortunate hospitalization and a health condition that stopped him in his tracks. Thailava has decided not to launch his own party or contest 2021 elections. In a new development, with Sasikala Natrajan, (confidante of the late J Jayalalithaa former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu) completing her jail term, the state’s political landscape once again changes.
Despite veteran leader and former minister Kapil Sibal’s repeated criticism of the Congress party’s present state of affairs, chorus is growing louder for Rahul Gandhi to take over as the party president. The party veterans have taunted – without directly naming Rahul – that this move may not necessarily help revive the party or regain the past glory. But that has not stopped the party’s state leaders from kicking off the Come Back Rahul Ji campaign. Rahul had a major say in the recent appointments of the state-level or city-unit chiefs in various states, including Maharashtra. Senior party leaders may continue questioning the election process for the new president, but the local state leaders are unanimous that time is opportune for Rahul to take over as he is the sole leader who is fearlessly taking on the troika of PM Modi, the BJP and the RSS. So the scene shifts to the states for a moment.
Eyebrows were raised when NCP MP Supriya Sule said her father and the party chief Sharad Pawar is most unpredictable. Well this view is widely shared not just by the NCP leaders but also by Pawar’s friends across parties. Be it his unilateral announcement to support the BJP to avoid fresh elections (even before the assembly poll results were announced in October 2019) or his support to the Modi government on the issue of conflict with China – the unpredictable Pawar was evident to all. Pawar also said one must not politicise matters related to national security, which irked the Congress and other opposition parties. Despite all this, Pawar is widely seen as the leader who can bring together the opposition and the like-minded parties to take on Modi led BJP in the next general elections. Though he has denied the speculation that he was eying the post of the UPA chairperson. Pawar stood out again when he welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling to stay three farm laws and appoint a four-member committee to talk to the agitating farmers. The BJP’s estranged ally Akali Dal claimed the new move as an ‘’unacceptable joke’’ while the Congress alleged that it was a partisan panel which could not be expected to be a “neutral arbiter.” Pawar’s close confidante in private admits that he would have held the PM’s post long back had he not been unpredictable! Yes, the breaking away from the Congress two decades ago was unpredictable too.
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.