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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.
The Shiv Sena established by Balasaheb Thackeray is undergoing an unexpected convulsion since his replacement was never imagined when the Sena’s constitution was drafted. The legal question now is: Will Uddhav continue to be the Sena ‘party chief’ (Paksh Pramukh) after Monday, 23 January 2023? Balasaheb died on 17 November 2012 and since then, the post of Shiv Sena Pramukh has remained unfilled. The party had argued that there was no question of his replacement as he was ‘one and only.’ Uddhav was ‘elected’ Shiv Sena Paksh Pramukh soon thereafter. The Eknath Shinde faction has argued that this new post has been created by Uddhav, who was elected for another five-year term to it in 2018. That period expires on January 23. Till now, there was no dispute about the post of Paksh Pramukh. However, after the split led by Shinde resulted in the two factions, the validity of Uddhav’s position has become a matter of legal wrangle. Now that the arguments of both sides are over before the Election Commission, they have been asked to file their written submissions. However, the moot question is: what about Uddhav after Monday? The Shinde faction has alleged that this change was carried out in 2018 without anyone’s knowledge. Uddhav’s lawyers have ridiculed this accusation. As the matter is sub judice, the EC’s verdict is awaited eagerly
Newly inducted as minister Udhayanidhi Stalin seems to be keen on earning his spurs in the Tamil Nadu Sports Ministry. Which is why in the midst of the ongoing Hockey World Cup 2023, Udhayanidhi decided to bring best sporting practices of Odisha to TN. Currently on a visit to Odisha where he witnessed some key matches like the one between France and Argentina at Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela and visited the stadium infrastructure. Impressed he got the Sports Development Authorities of Tamil Nadu and the Sports Dept of Odisha, sign an MoU to facilitate exchange of coaches, sports administrators and sports scientists. In a tweet, host Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik shared pictures of inviting Udhayanidhi to watch a match between India and Wales in Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Meanwhile, it has been otherwise a busy week for Naveen. That is because the dismantled Dakota aircraft used by his aviator father and legendary politician Biju Patnaik several decades ago was finally brought from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar. Escorted by Odisha Police, three trucks carried the dismantled portions of the aircraft from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to the Odisha capital, where they will be reassembled. After that, the Dakota (DC-3) VT-AUI aircraft will be kept at a designated place in the international airport. The CM said his father who died in 1997 had many historic exploits in Dakota planes.
State governments across the country are jostling with each other to lure investment. They spare no effort in making their state a desirable destination for investment. Tamil Nadu, too, is keen to attract global investors. The DMK Government is gearing up to organise global investors’ meet in 2024. Even as the Stalin regime is trying hard to hard-sell Tamil Nadu, many national trade bodies such as the Federation Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Associated Chambers of Commerce (ASSOCHAM), CII, ICC and the like are vying with each other to get a prominent space in Tamil Nadu. They already have offices in Chennai. They are not willing to leave any stone unturned to gain more than toehold in Tamil Nadu. They are bringing to bear everything they could to represent the interest of Tamil Nadu. The heightened activities of the national trade/industry bodies have thrown a big challenge to the native chambers. There are many local chambers such as Madras Chamber, Southern India Chamber, Hindustan Chamber, Tamil chamber and the like. Most of the native chambers are traditionally supported by the family business houses in this part of the world. With the national chambers aggressively pushing their claim to represent Tamil Nadu, the local trade bodies are finding the turf hard. Perhaps, they need to re-invent their role.
In a quick turn of events, AIADMK supremo Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) decided not to let the Erode East bypoll to the Tamil Nadu Assembly go without the party contesting, He requested ally GK Vasan of TMC to permit AIADMK to contest. The party will do irrespective of which way the verdict goes in the Supreme Court about the party, symbol etc. The party lawyers are confident of a favourable verdict on January 24 but EPS wishes not to depend on it and is going ahead with his plan to put up a candidate so that he can put O Panneerselvam’s faction in its place. AIADMK is confident that BJP will not disrupt the plan by insisting on a candidate of its own. The AIADMK candidate may be former minister KV Ramalingam of Erode to oppose any candidate Congress may put up as part of the DMK+ alliance. If the court orders don’t favour EPS claiming the party symbol of the “Two Leaves’, the candidate will contest on the “Crowing Cock” symbol that Jayalalithaa had first stood on in her political career. Congress has been asking the stalwart EVKS Elangovan to contest but he would rather point the way to his second son Sanjay as his eyes are set on a Lok Sabha seat in 2024.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ entered Jammu on January 19 from Punjab for the last leg of his foot march. Significantly, Rahul who has been marching through north India in peak winter wearing just a t-shirt, was for the first time seen in a jacket. It was probably the drizzle in Jammu that forced him to wear the jacket. For 3,400 km during the 125 days journey so far, Rahul Gandhi’s minimal clothing has been a matter of curiosity. The yatra, which resumed from Kathua on Friday (Jan 20) has been given a massive security cover, with both police and paramilitary ring-fencing the Gandhi scion and his co-travellers. Rahul was advised by security agencies to not walk certain stretches in Kashmir. As he entered Jammu, he got a grand welcome, with top Kashmiri leader and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah travelling to Lakhanpur to receive him. Dr Abdullah went overboard, comparing Rahul to spiritual guru Adi Shankaracharya. “Centuries ago Shankaracharya came here. He walked when there were no roads but jungles. He had walked from Kalady (in Kerala) to Kashmir. He (Rahul Gandhi) is the second person who took out a yatra from the same Kanyakumari and is reaching Kashmir. The aim is to unite India.” Rahul’s comparison with Adi Shankaracharya provoked sharp reactions in social media with some suggesting that when Shankaracharya visited Kashmir there was 100% Hindu population.
Mohinder ‘Jimmy’ Amarnath once called the national selectors a bunch of jokers. A 1983 World Cup hero, Amarnath made the acerbic jibe at the selectors after not being picked in the Indian team in 1989: by that time he had played 69 Tests, scored 4378 runs with 11 x 100s, and played 89 ODIs and scored 1924 runs. Some three decades later, young and built in ample measure, Sarfaraz Khan is not in a position to take pot shots at the selectors that Amarnath did. The Mumbai right hander has been prolific in the last three Ranji Trophy seasons. In all he has amassed 3380 runs in 36 first class matches before the ongoing Ranji match against Delhi. There has been a hue and cry over his non-inclusion in the Test team for the series against Australia, the outcome of which would be so crucial for India’s qualification for the ICC World Test Championship final. Skipper Rohit Sharma would like us all to believe that experience is the best option with himself, K L Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer in the established batting line up and the selection committee may believe that Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran (10000 plus runs across formats) and Rajat Patidar are already in the big picture along with Sarfaraz who will have to wait for the lucky day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Thursday (Jan 19) speech in Mumbai was dominated by his direct appeal to the labourers, hawkers and stall-owners, asking them to join the campaign to accelerate Mumbai’s development by bringing in a ‘triple engine’ government. The object of the clarion call was to attract the so-far untapped electors in view of the ensuing Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) towards the BJP and its ally, the Shiv Sena faction led by chief minister Eknath Shinde. Significantly, the word ‘Vikas’ (development) figured 10 times in his 25-minute address at BKC grounds. Modi referred to the downtrodden sections time and again, making it clear that he was looking beyond the traditional vote bank of his party for the next civic election. Modi’s keenness to capture the BMC was evident since his party does not control any of the four metros in the country. The Prime Minister lauded Maharashtra and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and remembered Balasaheb Thackeray. However, NCP leader Sharad Pawar was conspicuous by absence in the speech, which was applauded continuously with ‘Modi Modi’ slogans and drum beats. Modi’s emotional invocation to the working class for support speaks volumes about Mumbai’s changing demography since voting in upper class pockets is usually less while it is higher in blue collar localities.
The bypoll for the Erode East Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu to be held on February 27, will be the first major test of the political waters since the Assembly elections of 2021 won by the DMK under MK Stalin. The DMK+ is in pole position to take the seat and may well give it back to the Congress since its MLA Thiruman Eeveraa, great grandson of EV Periyar, had died mid-term, but the Opposition is in great disarray. AIADMK is not even certain it can put up a candidate officially as the cases between the EPS and OPS factions are still in the courts, in Supreme Court as well as Madras HC and ECI, and the final word on them may not come before the time for nominations arrives. As a matter of abundant caution, AIADMK has approached GK Vasan of TMC towards fielding a candidate again in case EPS, who heads the legally recognised AIADMK thus far, cannot get his candidate authorised to stand as the signatures of both Coordinator and Joint Coordinator may be needed for this. Since a TMC candidate had stood there in 2021, it might seem logical for the AIADMK+ in the State to make over the candidature to that party. EPS may also wish to avoid a showdown with DMK so early when the AIADMK cases are still in court.
While Mumbai and Maharashtra are celebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in the city on Thursday (Jan 19), the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has exposed more dissensions. A new tinge to its bickering has been provided by opposition leader Ajit Pawar’s son Parth, who called on senior minister Shambhuraj Desai, a close confidant of chief minister Eknath Shinde. Even before the dust created by rebellion of Congress MLC Sudhir Tambe and his son Satyajeet filing nomination for the legislative council seat in Nashik as an independent, the by-election for a Pune assembly seat is likely to deepen the discord. As MVA has had no candidate in Nashik, It has decided to support Shubhangi Patil, a new Sena (U) entrant. The Congress has suspended the Tambe father-son duo. In Pune, each MVA partner has claimed its right to contest the Kasaba Peth assembly by-election, caused by the demise of BJP MLA Mukta Tilak. Earlier a Congress stronghold, the BJP has been winning the seat since 1995. Still, the Congress has remained at the second position. However, given the changing scenario, NCP and Sena local leaders have started staking their party’s right to the seat in public statements. To add to the muddle, Parth Pawar’s call on Desai has given the BJP a new tool to hit out at the NCP, in particular the Pawar clan.
The CPI(M) Government in Kerala has decided to reward a lateral entrant like former Union Minister KV Thomas who joined its ranks with a plum Delhi posting. Yes, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has decided to appoint Thomas as special representative of the state in New Delhi with a cabinet rank. Thomas was a former Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Food & Civil Supplies in the Manmohan Singh government. A six term Lok Sabha MP and an MLA for two terms, Thomas was expelled from the Congress in May 2022 hours after he shared the stage with the Kerala Chief Minister in a by-poll meeting of the Left party-led front in Kochi. Once close to former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Thomas was first issued a show-cause notice for breaking party discipline as he attended a seminar organised by the CPM in Kannur, where he reportedly praised CM Pinarayi Vijayan. He was earlier denied permission to attend the meeting. In his reply to the panel, Thomas claimed that he had been the victim of ‘groupism’ of the Kerala unit, and he had been “discriminated against” by party leaders. The Congress had reportedly turned down his bid for candidature in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, 2021 Assembly and Rajya Sabha elections. Since then, he has been cooperating with CPM. Of course in between he did try to explore his options with the BJP.
This year’s Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu touched a high point for the government-run TASMAC liquor sales. Sales zoomed to Rs 850 crore in the run-up to Pongal (Jan 15) week and by Kanu Pongal day (Jan 17) it was expected to touch the Rs 1000-crore mark. The bump in sales could be attributed to a cash gift of Rs 2000 given to all ration card holders. Pongal is freebie time and all political parties in Tamil Nadu have been capitalizing on it to the hilt. Both DMK and AIADMK have made freebie gifting, a fine art form. Cycles, fans, mangalsutras, Pongal hampers are bankrolled by the state exchequer. But, Tamil voters are canny, impartial…they vote one party to power, alternately. But wait, there is a savvy, fully end-to-end integrated business model to this freebie. The story goes, when chief minister M K Stalin was asked about cash freebies even as TN is burdened with huge debt, one DMK warhorse quipped, “Don’t worry, by this evening the Rs 2000 freebies will come to TASMAC from our Kudimagans“. Kudimagan has a double meaning – it could mean a citizen or a drunk. PMK Chief Dr S Ramadoss lamented about the high sale of liquor during the Pongal festival. His moral stance, liquor leads to ruination…of health, wealth and family. The very same PMK has climbed on to the alliance bandwagon, alternately to suit their political needs.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s emissaries, Didir Doot bear the brunt of misgovernance and corruption during Anchake Anchale module under the party’s massive outreach programme — Didir Suraksha Kawach ahead of Panchayat polls. Under this Anchake Anchale programme 350 state and district-level TMC leaders will be visiting the villages with 15 flagship schemes of the government. The programme which kicked off on January 11 with party MPs and MLAs, state cabinet ministers and prominent leaders spending a day at a gram panchayat were marked by protests from the locals. Party’s state general-secretary Kunal Ghosh faced severe protests in East Midnapore, a stronghold of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. Besides Ghosh, state cabinet minister Jyotipriya Mallick, MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Saugata Roy and Satabdi Roy, senior leader and MLA Tapas Roy, youth wing leaders Debangshu Bhattacharya, Sayantika Banerjee also faced protests. Both Tapas Roy and Saugata Roy received complaints against TMC panchayat pradhans of corruption on the other hand Bhattacharya and Banerjee were stopped from entering a village as no action was taken after villagers had complained of bad roads, lack of supply of drinking water, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna and others. Interestingly, one of the MLAs Biswajit Das was confronted by the agitators for switching camps to BJP during the 2021 election and returning to TMC. Is this move by Didi an attempt to purge the party, amid reports, corruption and scams ahead of 2024 general elections?
In a significant move, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi clarified that it was “erroneous and far-fetched” to infer that he had suggested changing the name of the state with his recent comments on “Tamizhagam”. In a statement, Ravi sought to end “Tamil Nadu versus Tamizhagam” debate saying that “an interpretation or inference that it was a suggestion to change the name of Tamil Nadu is erroneous and far-fetched”. He said he referred to the word “Tamizhagam” while speaking on the “historical cultural connect between the Tamil people and Kashi”. In those days, there was no Tamil Nadu, he said. “Hence, in the historical cultural context, I referred to the word Tamizhagam as a more appropriate expression,” he said. “Without understanding the basis of my speech, arguments that the Governor is against the word Tamil Nadu have become a topic of discussion. Hence, I am giving this clarification to put an end to it,” he added. It is important to note that the Governor’s clarification came a day after two-day BJP national executive in Delhi and also days after Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai had dubbed the remark as “unnecessary”. He had clarified that controversy over the name change was the “one without any productive outcome”. Clearly, the BJP leadership wants the focus of its work in Tamil Nadu to be on its party unit and state leadership, not on Raj Bhavan.
In a major setback to the Congress, Punjab Congress leader and former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal quit the party and joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal at BJP headquarters in Delhi. He blamed the top brass for factionalism within the party. In a letter addressed to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Manpreet said he was “disillusioned” by the Congress. Manpreet is the first cousin of Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. With his entry into the BJP, hope of Akali Dal re-entering into a tie-up with the BJP further diminishes. A five-time MLA, Manpreet Badal was the finance minister of the state twice — the nephew of former chief minister and Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal, Manpreet served as the finance minister of Punjab both in the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government from 2007-11 and in the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government from 2017-22. Manpreet’s continued absence from Bharat Jodo Yatra in Punjab left many party leaders surprised as the Doon School educated Badal was considered very close to Rahul. Congress sources however conceded that Manpreet was forced to dump the party because he did not have cordial relations with PCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. In fact party sources say more leaders could head out because of Warring’s style of functioning.
Preparations on unprecedented scale are underway for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mumbai visit on Thursday (Jan 19) during which he will flag off multiple projects worth around Rs 39,000 crore. Huge police deployment and major traffic restrictions will mark the seven-hour visit that is aimed at boosting the BJP’s electoral prospects in Maharashtra. Infrastructure will be the focus of the PM’s visit as his schedule is replete with various projects that will be helpful in making average Mumbaikar’s life better. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis inspected the various arrangements accompanied by top police and civic officials to ensure that no glitch remains at the last moment. As this will be Modi’s first Mumbai visit after the installation of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, the BJP will exploit its mileage to the fullest extent with an eye on the BMC elections, due any time now. Strengthening the Metro network in Mumbai will be the highlight of Modi’s visit while various civic projects will also be launched by him. Modi, inter alia, will dedicate to the nation the Mumbai Metro Rail Lines 2A and 7. The commissioning of the two lines will connect Mumbai’s northernmost tip at Dahisar East with D.N. Nagar in Andheri (West) and Gundavali in Andheri East reducing the vehicular traffic load in the Western suburbs. Coincidentally, the foundation stone of the two lines was laid by Modi in 2015.
CPI(M) sees itself as the sole political unit that can combat RSS and BJP ideologically. As the Bengal CPI(M)observes 57th anniversary of its mouthpiece Ganashakti, it has initiated its maiden ‘digitally’ subscription programme for its supporters and sympathisers to donate to the party. Veteran Left leader and Politburo member Prakash Karat on this occasion said that the Left must put forth democratic, secular and Left ideology and vision among people so as to change the political scenario of the country. He further observed that RSS has the unique feature of functioning within the society through its various outfits, socially, culturally, and educationally and Left parties must counter this through their ideology and vision to uphold a democratic and secular environment. Taking a dig at the BJP, the former CPI(M) general secretary said that the minorities in India are being marginalised in the name of nationalism and the country is being run by an extreme right (wing) government. It may be noted that the Left is in power in only Kerala at present, having lost Tripura to the BJP in 2018 and West Bengal to the Trinamool Congress in 2011. The CPI(M) Bengal has released a short video where veteran party leader and Left Front chairman Biman Bose explains the need for going digital.
At a recent healthcare company’s Press Conference, John Abraham seemed irritable when scribes asked him questions about ‘Pathaan’ again and again. His answer: “next question”, “next question”. Finally, he got up and left rather angrily. Why is the 50-year old actor- producer-scriptwriter behaving in this fashion? Some say he didn’t want to speak about a film at a health event. Perfect. But, not once did he talk in favour of Shah Rukh Khan who was being hemmed in from all sides over Pathaan. To this, those who know John said he wants the film to do the talking; that’s what he said after he was trolled and called arrogant. Has his relationship with SRK soured? Nobody knows. Industry insiders say he has had a fallout with Salman during a world tour and both have not come together. John who has been in Bollywood for nearly two decades has not made many friends in the industry. Many say, he also take things personally; he closes communication channels with the directors if the film flops. Inspite of acting in over 20 films his strike rate in box office is poor. People remember him for Jism, Dhoom, Shootout At Wadala. Of late everybody is jumping on the OTT bandwagon but not John. Reason: He does not want to be available at Rs 299. That’s being gutsy.
There were no surprises when Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that J P Nadda’s tenure as BJP national president was extended. “The tenure of JP Nadda as national president of the BJP has been extended till June 2024. Under JP Nadda’s leadership, we had the highest strike rate in Bihar. The NDA won a majority in Maharashtra, won in Uttar Pradesh, and our numbers increased in West Bengal. We also registered a landslide victory in Gujarat,” said Shah. He also hoped “under the leadership of Modi ji and with Nadda ji, we will win more seats than 2019 in the 2024 polls.” The BJP national executive meet, which extended Nadda’s presidency, will draw a roadmap for the upcoming crucial state polls that will set the tone for 2024 when PM Narendra Modi seeks a third straight term. Nadda started as the BJP working president in 2019 when then party chief Amit Shah became a Union minister. He took up the full-time party presidency on January 20, 2020 and will complete his one term in office next week. His extension as the national president was inevitable as he has a very good working relationship with both Modi and Shah. In an election year, there was no way Modi-Shah could have opted for a new leader when Nadda had ensured carrying PM’s message up to the booth-level.
In the run up to 2024 Lok Sabha polls it is not just Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) who has been proactive in acquiring a national media profile ahead by engaging a media adviser and establishing an office for his Bharatiya Rashtriya Samiti in Delhi to refurbish his image. Taking cue from KCR, is Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. He may not have got any relief from the court for spending government money on political advertisements in 2015 and has been issued a notice for recovery of Rs 163.62 crore by his own government department. Yet, there is no stopping the AAP supremo from burnishing his profile. On the occasion of Lohri, Makar Sankranti & Pongal, Kejriwal chose to reach out to Delhi-based media from the South, mainly from Tamil Nadu. The media was invited over for a get-together at the Delhi Vidhan Sabha complex. Invites sent out in the name of Speaker Ram Niwas Goel. Reaching out to Tamil media makes sense because of their pockets of influence and votes in the capital.
Women’s cricket in India is going places. Not long ago an IPLTwenty20 tournament to shore up India’s distaff cricketers was not on the anvil. But the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemima Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol and many more — who were relentless in their pursuit creating an attractive brand for the Twenty20 format – have successfully pressed for a glamourous event that has the possibility of becoming a roaring success. Very recently Jhulan Goswami — while responding to a specific question at the Dileep Sardesai Memorial — reiterated a view held by women cricketers that an IPL for them would be a game changer. Jhulan touched upon the point of the women cricketers benefitting from more money. It has taken time, but the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, has worked overtime to make his pet project a reality. After women’s cricket came under the BCCI administration some 17 years ago, the BCCI extended the monthly gratis to them, introduced the annual contract, lifetime achievement award, equal fee for Test, ODI and Twenty20 matches, allowances and more. As a first step towards making the WIPL a commercial viability the BCCI has sold the media rights for a cumulative sum of Rs 951 crore to Viacom18 for the first five years (2023-2027). So hopefully no more exhibition matches from this summer; but all intense, competitive and deadly!
Odisha-based Sri Sri University is the first University in India to sign MoU as a Knowledge Partner with W20, under the aegis of G20 Presidency of India. Prof Rajita Kulkarni, President at Sri Sri University says “We look forward to working with the W20 team this year across important priority areas like women entrepreneurship, climate change, education and skill development.” W20 is the official G20 engagement group focused on gender equality. Its primary objective is to ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed into G20 discussions and translated into the G20 Leaders’ Declaration as policies and commitments that foster gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. Envisioned by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji, Sri Sri University which became operational in 2012 blends the best of the East and the West, enabling the holistic development of its students. In a span of 10 years the university is offering different courses in areas of management, architecture, humanities, agriculture, health and wellness, science, literature, osteopathy and performing & fine arts. In 2021 Sri Sri University was ranked 1st in State & Zone, and 8th in India (quantum jump from 26th Rank in 2020) under the category of Best Private Universities and 27th in the category of Top 50 University of Eminence (Deemed & Pvt) by Indian Institutional Ranking Framework.
Ok, India and particularly Tollywood is still drenched in the acclaim for winning the prestigious Golden Globe for the iconic song Naatu Naatu from S S Rajamouli’s magnum RRR with music by M M Keeravani. Soon the Choreographer Prem Rakshit who put in grinding hard work to make this hit sizzle on screen is also going places. He is over the top when talking about the congratulatory phone call from none other than Dance Wizard Prabhudeva. “All that blood sweat and tears while getting the hook step just right, seemed worth it. We were in Ukraine’s Kiev in August of 2021, roasted by heat…a few of my team suffered with burst veins, but practiced relentlessly for two months,” says Rakshit. He recollects the joy of choreographing the award winning song. Who inspired him? With a chuckle of mirth and joi de vivre, he says “My inspiration came from Tom & Jerry, and Charlie Chaplin”. Now it becomes clear that the frenzied dance steps and the foot tapping beats could only be inspired by the likes of Tom wantonly chasing Little Jerry, and that master super mimic, Chaplin. S.S Rajamouli, his heroes Jr NTR and Ram Charan have collaborated for an unforgettable film, RRR which raked Rs 1500 crore globally, along with great entertainment.
Word has gone back to the BJP top brass that the ideological confrontations the Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi is getting into are not helping the party’s cause in the State. This is a time when there has been a bit of an upsurge in the party being led by former police officer K Annamalai to take on the Dravidian ruling party. The bit of salience achieved may be at risk if the Governor stays on the warpath on issues like religion and culture, which are very differently viewed in Tamil Nadu, a State known for religious diversity not causing any communal disturbances. The Governor seems to be intent on continuously raking up Sanatana dharma while putting down Tamil culture. It went to such an extent that he even tried to change the title of Tamil Nadu, which has constitutional ratification. This riled the chief minister who was keeping his cool on the issue while advising his party men not to make it personal though he may not have discouraged allies like VCK and even the PMK from taking on the Governor in a more direct manner. Stalin even called him with the disdainful Tamil pronoun of “Oruthan” in describing how “one person” was going around saying not to call the land Tamil Nadu. It would be the national party’s interest not to let this Governor needle the rulers and people of the State any further.
The extended western suburbs of Mumbai – the city’s most populous stretch — gets fully covered by the Metro network from January 20 onwards. Providing seamless connectivity on an entirely elevated network of 35 km of lines with 30 platforms at the cost of Rs 13,000 crore, has been presented as a solution against the congested Western Express Highway and its parallel running New Link Road. Completing the project was challenging, says SVR Srinivas, metropolitan commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the city’s planning body, as it meant carrying out major part of the works at night due to heavy traffic congestion. There were challenges in air as well — the Andheri (W) station had to be raised to 22 metres above ground to cross over the existing Metro line 1 lines beneath. This line is estimated to see a footfall of 3-4 lakhs passengers daily soon. This is the second network that is fully operational; the first Ghatkopar-Versova line is already providing much needed relief with its East-West connectivity. While the metro network huffed and chuffed in its initial stages thanks to opposition from residents and environmentalists, it has picked up much speed since then to move towards its target of achieving 337 km with 200 stations by 2030 to service 7 lakhs passengers per day.
The verbal combat between TV star Urfi Javed and BJP leader Chitra Wagh has taken a serious turn since a lawyer has written to the police that Urfi can be subjected to mob lynching. In a communication to the police by advocate Nitin Satpute, BJP’s Chitra Wagh has been instigating people over the attire of Urfi and Chitra’s followers are tarnishing her image. Moreover, Chitra has threatened to thrash Urfi publicly, the lawyer has said. Chitra and Urfi have been engaged in verbal duels day in and day out. Urfi has taunted Chitra repeatedly and occasionally dared her to take action. An oblique statement by Amruta, wife of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, is perceived as supporting Urfi. Still, the war of words between the two continues. Quoting Chitra’s previous statements, Satpute says in his complaint, “Chatra announced that she would present Urfi with a sari but warned that if Urfi’s behaviour did not change, she would smash the actress. Such provocative language can cause violent attacks against Urfi. Therefore, the authorities should initiate action against Chitra.” Wagh retorted, “I don’t care who has written to the police. I will not allow such a naked dance in Maharashtra.” Although Chitra has been extremely vocal about the issues concerning women, her stance against Urfi is not to the liking of the party bosses, who have distanced themselves from the controversy so far.
US-based billionaire Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, who was conferred with the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’ clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not apologise to him after some media reports claimed that Modi had “apologised” over his deportation from India in 2021 for allegedly supporting the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed three agriculture laws. “Elders never apologise. PM Modi is a man of big stature, and I respect him a lot. He said it’s my big heart that despite once being sent back, I came to India,” Dhaliwal was quoted as saying. He added, “It’s an honour for me to get felicitated with ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Award’…50 years ago people in foreign countries didn’t know about us but now India has become one of the world’s biggest power.” Dhaliwal was deported in October 2021, for allegedly arranging a langar for protesting farmers at Delhi’s borders. His brother is Akali Dal leader Surjit Singh Rakhra. After receiving the honour, Dhaliwal was quoted by the media saying, “PM Modi is really going out of his way to work with the Sikh community, both inside and outside India.” Earlier, Dhaliwal had claimed that Modi told him at a meeting in April 2022 in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Puri, “Hum se galti ho gayi thi jo humne aap ko wapis bheja, aap ka baddapan hai ki hamare kehne par aap phir aye. He added, “PM Modi met me in front of 150 people at his residence.” The meeting that Dhaliwal was referring to was called ‘Sadbhavana: A Gesture of Goodwill’.
Creating infrastructure in non-BJP ruled states for the Centre is increasingly becoming a hazard as it was discovered on January 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to launch the eighth Vande Bharat train of India from Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam on January 19 but his brief visit had to be temporarily postponed. It has however been made known that the PM will launch the Vande Bharat train virtually on January 15 on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The news of PM putting off his visit came amid reports that Vande Bharat train was damaged after stones were pelted at its coach in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam on January 11. In a repeat of what happened in West Bengal, the incident occurred when the train was going to the maintenance centre at Marripalem. Two glass panes of one of the coaches were damaged in the incident. Besides the train’s launch, the Prime Minister was also scheduled to address a public meeting at the Parade Grounds of Secunderabad. He was also expected to launch various developmental projects. Union Minister of State G Kishan Reddy said the PM would be launching the train at around 10 am on January 15.The train will cover the entire distance in eight hours. The intermediate stops envisaged for the journey include Warangal, Vijayawada, Khammam and Rajahmundry.
The Congress party in Maharashtra is preparing to face a major jolt following the sensational disclosure that former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s two MLA sons, Amit and Dheeraj, are likely to join the BJP. Deshmukh family’s generational foe and former minister, BJP MLA Sambhaji Nilangekar has leaked the possibility out at Latur, their home district. He warned that he would not allow their entry into the party. While Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has dismissed the likelihood as a rumour, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan refused to comment on it. State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule cryptically said, “Wait for the time and the place. The Congress is going to receive a solid blow.” Vilasrao was the face of the Congress party in Marathwada ever since his emergence in state politics in 1980. His rise was very fast with the blessings of another giant S B Chavan, former CM and Union home minister. Vilasrao had challenged the monopoly of veteran Shivajirao Nilangekar in Latur district. Sambhaji is his grandson, who has been engaged in establishing his hold in the district. Shivajirao and Chavan were bitter opponents of each other. For some time, Chavan’s son Ashok, former CM, is facing suspicion in the Congress owing to his absence at some crucial party meetings. At such a juncture, the news about Deshmukh siblings has rattled the Congress.
The Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) is said to be an autonomous body. But it isn’t. It has always been influenced by the ruling dispensation. Recall Gulzaar’s movie Aandhi which was banned in 1975 as it was based on the life of Indira Gandhi. Censor board now CBFC always had members who were political appointees. One remembers Mahesh Bhatt saying that the board objected to the word “randi” (prostitute) in his movie Arth, decades later it was beeped in Raaz but during Murder 2 the word stayed in the film. Looks like the board is slowly turning into a toothless body. There have been umpteen times when objections have been taken after the film was cleared by the CBFC. Prakash Jha faced it. At the time of Aarakshan his office was vandalised. He went to the court and got an order in the industry’s favour. In this social media age the board seems to be getting influenced/pressured by the trolls and Pathaan is a case in point. So much so chairman of CBFC Prasoon Joshi, a government appointee, had to issue a statement defining the role of the board. Despite the beeps, replacement and cuts the trailer of Pathaan rocks. Now, it is learnt that the government will come out with new guidelines that will give the CBFC chief power to withdraw a film even after certification. Very tricky days ahead for Bollywood?
Business tycoon Gautam Adani’s call on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday (Jan 10) and a meeting between Raj and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis hours later the same night has sent multiple signals as the Adani group is entering various commercial activities around the state. Adani reached ‘Shivteerth’ at Shivaji Park and was closeted with Thackeray for half an hour. For some time, Raj’s wife Sharmila and son Amit were present. Afterwards in the evening, Raj reached ‘Sagar,’ the official residence of Fadnavis. However, both have kept mum about the meetings. Adani has recently won a bid to redevelop Dharavi, the largest slum in perhaps the world. The multi-billion rupee project was held up since the erstwhile Thackeray government had revised the bid terms. The presence of the group in the state has been heatedly discussed since Adani Electricity has sought to enter the power supply sector around Mumbai’s periphery. The matter is under consideration of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC). Adani’s political liaisoning in Maharashtra has increased over the past few months. Earlier, he had called on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar at Baramati. Adani was driven around by Pawar’s grandson, party MLA Rohit Pawar, who is emerging as a formidable player in the state polity. Adani had called on former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, too, recently.
Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin wants to fulfil the DMK’s election manifesto promises and prepare the ground for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. More significantly, he needs to project his intention to create and save jobs. The shutdown of Ford Maraimalai Nagar plant remains a vexing issue. It had accumulated losses of over $2 bn. Recently, Tata Group’s Chairman N Chandrasekaran along with Tata Motors Executive Director Girish Wagh visited Stalin’s camp office. Also part of the meeting were Tamil Nadu chief secretary, ministers Thangam Thennarasu and Udhayanidhi Stalin. It was a courtesy call but it is clear that the Tamil Nadu government has been feverishly looking for a new owner to take over Ford Chennai plant. It may be recalled that Tatas have already bought over Ford’s Sanand plant in Gujarat. So buying Ford’s Maraimalai Nagar plant seems a logical conclusion. Both these plants can crank up Tata’s EV capacity. Currently, with significant bookings for Nexon EV, and Tiago. Tatas are able to meet only 50 % of the demand. The Ford Chennai plant has a number of hidden assets — its erstwhile vendor team supplied 40% of their captive production, the trained workforce can be retrained and logistics support of the Port is one of the biggest advantages. Tatas have taken a lead in EV, and if this acquisition happens then Chennai could emerge as an EV hub.
This Pongal should be very rewarding and exciting for the fans of Ilaya Dalapathi Vijay and Thala Ajit Kumar. The huge legions of crazed fans will finally get to see their heroes in action. Vijay’s Varisu and Ajit’s Thunivu hit big screens on January 11. Even though Brand Rajini and Brand Kamal are still eulogised as Superstar and Ulaganayagan for decades now, Vijay and Ajit too command the same kind of adulation and following. But the only difference is these two superstars’ fans have turned confrontationist. Reportedly, the price of a ticket, in black, for the opening shows were around Rs 1000-1300. This could climb to Rs 4,000 when fan craze becomes intense. New releases for Pongal are particularly star struck and of course, fans clash too over which hero commands more from at the Box Office. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant has distribution rights for both the movies, so it is: “Heads I Win, Tails I Win“. Vijay, it is learnt, has tried every trick in the trade to promote his film — launch of Varisu music in the Nehru Stadium, getting pre-release snippets in every media handle. Boney Kapoor, the producer of Thunivu has much more at stake in terms of finance. Kapoor has spread himself thin after Ajit’s last outing disappointed.
Indian Legend Sunil Gavaskar’s column in Mid-Day on Fitness and passing Yo-Yo & Dexa tests being paramount for being selected for India reminds me of a story recounted by him when he played for Rest Of World vs MCC at Lord’s in 1987, the match which had 22 of the world’s finest, locking horns to mark MCC Bicentenary. The maestro had arrived in advance and had reported for practice at the hallowed ground with a few teammates. The manager of ROW Clive Lloyd saw his compatriot (from ROW vs Australia, 1972) sitting comfortably behind the nets while the other players were doing laps of the ground. Walking up to Gavaskar, who was peacefully reading a book, Lloyd asked him if he had done his ‘laps’ and if he’d like to join his mates for a few more. “I’m with them….mentally,” replied the little master with a smile. Two days later, after fielding for 133.1 overs, Gavaskar notched up 188 runs against an attack comprising Malcolm Marshall, Richard Hadlee, Clive Rice, John Emburey & Ravi Shastri. The monumental hundred, in his last first-class match, had his name inscribed on the Lord’s honours board – the only achievement that was missing in his illustrious career!
The Congress government in Himachal got a full-fledged Cabinet after a month this week and seven ministers were inducted. In spite of the delay there are many heartburns and interestingly protest statements like a tonsured head have made headlines. These protests are also a warning for party managers. Yes, supporters of two AICC secretaries, including Kangra MLA Sudhir Sharma and Ghurmawin MLA Rajesh Dharmani, have openly expressed their resentment after their names were dropped from the list of Cabinet ministers. “I have shaved off my head in protest against the step-motherly treatment of Rajesh Dharmani. I also appeal to others to protest peacefully. Let us see what Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhuji will do now,” says Ghumarwin Congress leader Subhash Sharma. Names of Sharma and Dharmani figured in the list sent for party high command approval by the CM but their names didn’t make it to the final list. “I am a third time MLA and my constituency falls in Bilaspur, the same area where BJP chief J P Nadda comes from,” says Dharmani. Looks like the party high command may have decided against taking in one more person from Hamirpur — considering both CM and Dy CM belong to the same Lok Sabha constituency. As for Sudhir Sharma, a four-term MLA from Dharamshala and a former minister in Virbhadra government,seems to have lost out because of faction politics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled Mumbai tour on January 19 will prove to be a game changer, party rank and file feel since he is expected to make some major announcement during his first visit to the metropolis after the split in the Shiv Sena and the formation of the Shinde-Fadnavis government. According to the PM’s tentative schedule, he will dedicate two Metro routes – 2 A and 7 – to the nation. The state BJP is keen to organise a public meeting to be addressed by Modi but no final decision has been made so far. Another possible event during the visit will be the inauguration of a cancer hospital in Thane, the backyard of chief minister Eknath Shinde. Modi will either go there or open the hospital online; but the modalities are still being worked out. The Mumbai and state BJP units are in an upbeat mood since they are determined to win the first public test through the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, likely to happen any time soon. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents are still looking in different directions but efforts are on to face the hustings together. Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis are scheduled to visit Davos on January 15-19 to attend the World Economic Forum. However, if the PM confirms his plans to be in Mumbai, they will rework the schedule, according to party leaders.
War may have been declared on the Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, but the Chief Minister MK Stalin is not saying it. He had a word of caution for his MLAs the day after the theatrical events of the first Assembly session of the year in which the Governor skipped portions of his address prepared by the government and added a few things of his own. Stalin warned his MLAs about there being a conduct code for them and that they are also bound by the whip in the Assembly. “Don’t make it personal,” he cautioned. It will be DMK’s allies who will be taking on a brunt of the campaign against the Governor who has not endeared himself to Tamil Nadu by suggesting that the State be named “Tamizhagam”, maybe because the “Nadu” (country or place) in Tamil Nadu may be suggestive of a land seeking autonomy or independence. The issue itself could be quite silly as the DMK had shed its call for breaking away from the Union of India almost 60 years ago, in the wake of the China war of 1962. There were demos by students as well as DMK’s political allies and posters reading “Get Out Ravi”. Stalin would like to keep it to protest in formal channels rather than take it to the public as the appointment of a Governor is at the President’s pleasure.
Remember Shantanu Sugwekar, the most talented batsman from Maharashtra in the 1980s and 1990s? Known for solidity and style, Sugwekar was one of those unlucky from Maharashtra who could not convince the national selectors that they were good enough to play Test match cricket for India. Milind Gunjal, Surendhra Bhave and a handful more like Shrikant Kalyani, Shrikant Jadhav and Santosh Jedhe gave their heart and soul for Maharashtra but none of them could tick the box that would have enabled them to play for India. They were fine individuals too, but somehow the voters of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) do not seem to appreciate their contribution to the State’s cricket. At the MCA election, Sugwekar who has played 74 Ranji Trophy for Maharashtra, 10 Duleep Trophy matches and one Irani Cup match for Rest of India and scored in all 6563 runs with 19 centuries and 26 half centuries and played 46 limited over matches and for India under-19 — received just two votes; his own and from another. The 56-year-old was a candidate for the post of a councilor; he did not fit into the internecine politics played by the MCA members. One can only pity, the likes of Sugwekar who are keen to get into administration but end up as also-rans. We care a fig for what you have done, is the message voters seem to be telling him.
On the heels of the Indian Information & Broadcasting Ministry setting up a Task Force for the promotion of animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC), the Singapore-based Gamepay has made plans for a launch in this country by the end of 2023. “We see a big opportunity in India so that gamers can be rewarded and incentivised for the time they play games,” says Gamepay’s founder-director Daniel Santos. “We also see gaming as one of the fastest-growing sectors and we want to make an impact to Indian GDP by playing an active role in its growth.” Rolling out the project involves establishing a chain of investors and game partners, whom he has invited through a series of social-media posts: “Anyone interested in gaming and tech, pls message me,” says the entrepreneur, originally a Brazilian who had earlier floated another game, Chickey Chik, on his platform. Gamepay, described as “the ultimate gaming destination to incentivise gamers”, is an avenue for gamers to vibe and create a community across various game genres, as well as a platform for listing and promoting games. With more than three billion people worldwide spending time playing online games and Web 3 gaming activity accounting for almost 1.3 million unique active wallets (UAWs), Santos is in a win-win situation, which he is offering to share with his Indian partners, making money from subscriptions, advertisements, and transaction and service fees.
Seemingly overwhelmed by rigours of Bharat Jodo Yatra Congress leader Rahul Gandhi indulged in a bit of self-praise and succumbed to describing India as “land of tapasvis” and not ‘poojaris’ and how the Congress believes in ‘tapasya’, while the BJP was an organization of ‘pooja and pujaris’. Short of describing himself as a tapasvi, he went on to say how “BJP-RSS forced people to worship them” adding” India is a country of ‘tapasvis’ (ascetics) and not ‘pujaris’ (priests).” Rahul’s statement naturally irked several priests. Ujjwal Pandit of Yuva Teerth Purohit Mahasabha alleged that Rahul had insulted India’s ancient cultural traditions in which priests have played a central role. It was clear that the Congress leader wore ‘janeu’ (holy thread) and tilak on his head for show, he alleged in a statement. Swami Dipankar noted that the Gandhi scion had described his yatra as his “mohabbat ki dukan” (place for love), but was now talking about “hate”. Should priests be then thrown into the sea, he asked. At some places, including Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, priests carried out protests and burnt Rahul’s effigies. In the temple town of Deoghar in Jharkhand, priests demanded an apology from the Congress leader for insulting their tradition. RSS ideologue Ratan Sharda found it odd that Rahul Gandhi found his yatris to be tapasvis. He said foremost tapasvis that the nation has known are Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s two grandsons fought out an election to the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), despite his efforts to bring them on the same page. The keen contest resulted in the victory of party MLA Rohit Pawar as MCA president. The loser, Abhishek Boke, is a grandson of Pawar’s sister while Rohit is a grandson of his elder brother, the late Appasaheb Pawar. MCA has been under Sharad Pawar’s control for decades. However, he took little interest in the MCA affairs though it has been operating from his home base, Pune. Initially it was handled by the late Dnyaneshwar Agashe and subsequently by Ajay Shirke. However, Pawar kept away from the MCA. Ever since the MCA election was announced, the atmosphere has been politically surcharged. Opposition leader Ajit Pawar was approached in a bid to arrive at a settlement so that the election could become unopposed. Ajit convened a meeting of about 40 voters but the efforts came to a naught as Boke declined to withdraw even after receiving suggestions to do so. Finally, polling was held on Sunday (Jan 8) and results announced late in the night. Several other members of the MCA body owe allegiance to the NCP as well.
The Lamborghini group is looking at opportunities to invest in Kerala in the areas of luxury flats, apartment complexes and boutique hotels. Tonino Lamborghini, son of the legendary Italian businessman, Ferruccio Lamborghini, is currently in Kerala enjoying the backwaters, cuisines and ayurvedic spas. He also found time to meet the Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev to identify areas of investment and tax holidays. The group is also interested in partnering with local businesses and also exploring manufacturing opportunities for some of its products. Despite hiving off its famous luxury car business to the Volkswagen group, the Lamborghini family still retains the brand name. The Lamborghini brand has under its belt a line of luxury products like watches, mobile phones, sunglasses, perfumes, bags, clothings and boutique hotels. The group is also looking at partnering with Indian companies to help their brands enter the worldwide market. Tonino also expressed a desire to set up an electric car manufacturing unit. To start off, he felt golf carts would be an ideal area to enter. Tonino is visiting Kerala with his partner, Angela Kriegar and Usman Rehman, MD of Times World group and brand ambassador of the Lamborghini brand in Dubai.
Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown have hit the fortunes of several lines of businesses. But some businesses have got a leg-up too. A case in point is OTT. In India, during lockdown we have been entertained by superlative themes and extraordinary Indian creativity via various web series like Delhi Crime, Mirzapur, Panchayat to name a few. Netflix and Amazon, the pioneers who brought entertainment to homes, have garnered a binge audience for their serials and films. Now, Amazon Prime Video is all set to bring the 8-episode ‘Farzi’ from February 10 onwards. It is directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK of ‘The Family Man’ fame which brought international acclaim to Manoj Bajpayee and Samantha Prabhu. The creators of Farzi, D 2 K Films are ready with a sizzling star cast of Vijay Sethupathi from Kollywood and Shahid Kapoor from Bollywood, Raashi Khanna, Kay Kay Menon, Regina Cassandra, Zakir Hussain, Bhuvan Arora, Amol Palekar, and Kubbra Sait. Raj and DK have set their story in the middle class milieu /ethos of middling everything, soaked in comedy. The talented twins claim that Farzi will truly reflect the sweat and slick creativity of this team and make it binge worthy.
Tamil Nadu‘s Tenkasi district is seeing huge demand for donkey’s milk by rural folks. Donkey’s milk? That smirk and guffaw with epithets of ‘gadha’, will soon be replaced by incredulousness. While city folks are protesting at Rs 2 increase per litre of Mother Dairy or Aavin Milk, the villagers are ready to fork out Rs 100 per 50 ml or Rs 2,000 per litre of fresh donkey milk to build immunity especially in infants and ward off other ailments. Who knows the next unicorn or IPO may well be from this remote area in Tenkasi if some enterprising donkey aggregator decides to set up a world class plant to process and peddle this much sought after milk and get GI Tag too. The global market value for donkey’s milk stood at $ 23.2 mn in 2021, expected to grow at a CAGR of 9%by 2028. This faith in the efficacy of fresh donkey milk may gain currency like curcumin turmeric latte, tulsi tea, neem oil and coconut products. Donkey owners in Tenaksi have their own logistics and promos for fresh donkey milk, with megaphone announcements. An enterprising breeder, brings his herd to the spot, on fixed days in a truck and rurals line up with conch shells or even silver cups. Looks like it’s big money at the bottom of the pyramid.
The Maharashtra government has been presented with a bizarre demand by its employees’ organisation, which says that the identity of the officials caught red-handed while accepting bribes should be kept confidential until the case against them has been finally decided by the court of law. In a petition submitted by the organisation to chief minister Eknath Shinde, the reasoning behind the demand has been explained unreservedly. It says that government officials are under the scanner of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and caught often. After the action, their pictures and other information is provided by the ACB to the media. However, this needs to stop as the official is defamed even before judicial conviction, the organisation has complained. The petition has pointed out that in many cases, such officials are exonerated by courts. This has happened time and again. However, in the intervening period, the official and his or her family are subjected to infamy and social consequences. “Therefore, it is our demand that till the moment the official concerned is convicted by court, his or her picture or identity should not be disclosed,” the petition has stated. The most corrupt arm of the government is the revenue department Maharashtra; the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is the most corrupt civic body while Pune is the most corrupt district in the state, according to various findings.
Shiv Sena (Shinde) group’s MLA Yogesh Kadam’s survival in a major road accident has flabbergasted political circles in Maharashtra as he is the third MLA to suffer such a highway mishap in a matter of a month. The first to be injured in such a smash-up was BJP MLA Jaykumar Gore. He was followed by controversial NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde. Both were immediately hospitalised and are recovering. Kadam is not hurt though his car driver and a police constable deployed for his protection have sustained minor bruises. All three MLAs were coming towards Mumbai. Kadam’s father, Ramdas, is a veteran Sena leader who has joined the camp of chief minister Eknath Shinde. A former minister, Ramadas has been a bitter critic of Uddhav Thackeray. His son Yogesh was elected to the assembly from Dapoli, an important tourist destination in the Konkan region, in 2019 on a Sena (Uddhav) ticket. Later, he deserted the organisation and started facing local opposition from the rival camp. Yogesh Kadam’s car was banged by a dumper on the Mumbai-Goa highway even though it was between two police vehicles escorting the MLA. The rear portion of the car has been badly damaged. Yogesh Kadam has raised grave suspicions about the incident, given the police cover under which he was travelling. He has decided to demand a thorough enquiry into the disaster.
It is not often that Stalin gets worked up so much about religion that he must lash out at those eternally projecting his party as anti-religion. Provoked by a series of comments including the latest round of loaded political words from the feisty Governor RN Ravi, chief Minister M K Stalin came out in voluble defence of how his party is not anti-Hindu as the opposition makes it out to be. He emphasised at yet another function hosted by the HR&CE, this one to announce Rs 2 lakh support to each of 2,500 small temples in rural areas, that his government was committed to protecting the temples as they exemplified the State’s art and culture and stood as witness to traditional expertise and talent in sculpture making and art. He said he had attended as many as 25 events connected to temples in a year and presided over grants that benefited nearly four lakh people. Regardless of his personal faith in God or lack of it, Stalin has always maintained that his party is for all religions and that the only reform they aim at is social equality by which temples must be made to accept that priests can be from any community. This was also part of the Dravidian Model, he pointed out in the course of a stout defence of Dravidian beliefs.
Virudhunagar Lok Sabha MP and AICC secretary Manickam Tagore suffered a personal setback in the beginning of the year as he was relieved of Telangana charge. This was following revolt by Telangana Congress leaders who had protested against his style of functioning and backing PCC chief A Revanth Reddy to the hilt. Though Telangana leaders basically were targeting Reddy for his pro TRS approach and soft-pedalling issues against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, they wanted Tagore out of the AICC for encouraging the rot. “Before Revanth Reddy we used to only lose elections, but after he took over we began forfeiting deposits,” said a leader. Pointing to the rot he cited how former Chennur MLA Nallala Odelu and his wife Nallala Bhagyalakshmi, who is the Mancherial ZP chairperson, had rejoined the TRS in October citing factionalism within the Congress. Both had quit the TRS and joined the Congress in May last year in the presence of Priyanka Gandhi. In the face of Telangana backlash, Congress high command shifted Tagore to Goa. The Goa assignment is an unenviable one as it comes at a time when the party has just three elected MLAs left. Of these, one may join BJP. Tagore replaced Dinesh Gundu Rao as Goa in charge amidst reports that the party chose to replace Rao following ongoing fight between Karnataka and Goa over diversion of Mhadei river water.
The Indian cricket fan is so unique to the world of cricket; in the sense that he/she buys a ticket only with a fond hope of seeing the national team win even if the chips are down. About 25000 turned up at the Wankhede Stadium on January 3 and a narrow home team win — by 2 runs — resulted in a bigger turn out for the second match at the MCA International Stadium, near Pune. Hardly anyone among the 30,000 plus was ready to leave after Sri Lanka had dismissed the top 5 Indian batters for a frugal collection of 57 runs. The reason for not giving up hope; Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) was still in the middle. Such has been the kind of impact SKY has made on the Indian fan in a very short span of time, thanks to the slam bang variety of the sport. And SKY has his own inimitable style to executive strokes that can be found in coaching manuals and also find ways using his hands and wrists to send the ball racing to the fence and also soaring over the line. Though left hander Axar Patel swung that bat for optimum results to make the Sri Lankans anxious, Yadav roared into action to bring India close to the target. The Indian cricket fan was thrilled by the Yadav- Patel onslaught, but a tad disappointed by the 16-run defeat.
On January 5, DMK MP Kanimozhi turned 55 and the road to her Chennai residence was jam packed with birthday greeters and revelers indicating she is a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu politics. The whole neighbourhood was festooned with DMK flags. Late Kalaignar’s favourite child Kanimozhi is chief minister M K Stalin’s half-sister. What is even more evident as she led a big crowd to her father’s resting place on the Marina beach was that she no longer appeared to be that tentative, hesitant and defensive politician who was incarcerated in the 2 G scam. Kani has parachuted out of that crisis, to become a significant power centre. Potential for an alternative to the first family’s dynastic culture, Kani was made deputy treasurer of DMK, a sop to keep her content against the rising son, claim party wags. Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi’s confrontational attitude towards his aunt has changed too, maybe in the interests of warding off rebellion. The DMK behemoth built by cadres and functionaries is definitely chafing at the dynastic moves. A recently charge-sheeted Youtuber and journalist voiced scathing opinions when comparing Udhayanidhi and Kani in terms of capability, political savvy and experience, groomed as she is by none other than Kalaignar. Suddenly, whispers are getting loud and overt. What if BJP uses her as a Trojan and a deserving family claimant to TN throne?
She is one of the sought-after heroines. Thirty-seven year old Deepika Padukone who entered Bollywood in 2007 and made quite a mark, seems to be courting controversies these days. The right wing has called for a boycott of her soon-to-be-released Pathaan starring superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Earlier it was Padmavat. And in both the cases she has remained unfazed. During Padmavat release when a section of the saffron brigade threatened to cut her nose, she wasn’t really scared. In fact, at the height of student’s agitation, Deepika landed up at JNU to show her solidarity with the student’s union. In fact, her visit had nothing to do with the release of her film Chhapaak based on acid attack survivor. The film bombed because of a boycott by right wing or bad execution of script nobody knows. The actress hasn’t really had a good run at the box office in the recent past. Chhapaak, Gehraiyan, 83, Cirkus all failed to draw audiences. One of the top paid actresses, Deepika also seems to be fighting gender bias. Reportedly, for Baiju Bawra she asked Sanjay Leela Bansali for more fee than Ranveer Singh. He quietly signed up Alia Bhat. According to Duff & Phelps 2022 report, Deepika’s brand value stood at $ 51.6 mn. As of now, Deepika has five films in the pipeline which includes Pathaan, Fighter with Hrithik Roshan and Rohit Shetty’s Singham 3.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has linked the flight of industry from Maharashtra with the increasing number of young men remaining unmarried in the state. Addressing a NCP function in Pune, Pawar said industrial units from the state were shifted outside while new industries wishing to start in the state were refused facilities and concessions. Consequently, unemployment was on the increase in Maharashtra, leading to many young men remaining single since they could not get married. Pawar’s observation has come against the backdrop of public protests by young men in a couple of districts of Maharashtra on account of their unemployment and the resultant lack of prospective brides coming their way. In Solapur district, youngsters had, Pawar said, the double-engine government at the Centre and in Maharashtra had been pursuing the same policy of leaving the populace to fend for itself despite rising prices. Tall claims and exaggerated promises were made by the ruling party before coming to power. However, as it is not possible to implement them, caste and religion are used for creating enmity in society, he alleged. Taking a dig at Pawar’s observation, BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said, “Sir, what you say is correct. Many unemployed men like Rahul (Gandhi) and Aaditya (Thackeray) can be cited as the best example to support your analysis.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.