All
Politics
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Celebrities
Ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with the U.S. President Donald Trump next week, both the Houses of Parliament erupted in protest over the manner in which 104 illegal Indian immigrants from the U.S. landed in Amritsar in a U.S. military aircraft– shackled and restrained. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar sought to downplay the issue and said that such expulsions were routine. “It has been there for years. Hundreds of Indians have been deported annually, with figures ranging from 530 in 2012 to over 2,042 in 2019,” Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha. He pointed out that handcuffs were used on deportees since 2012. Asserting that it was “the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad”, he said efforts were being made to talk to deportees to track agents who sent them. The Opposition felt the government must stand up to the Trump Administration just as Columbia had done. “Why can we not fly back our citizens just as Columbia had done?” asked CPI(M) MP John Brittas. Colombia balked at the U.S. military flights and sent its own Air Force jet to pick up 110 deported Colombians. U.S. deportation flights are not new but the use of military flights is new, with the agency previously using commercial and chartered flights to deport people. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said while the U.S. may have a legal right to deport people who are illegally in their country, “but the manner in which it was done, in handcuffs, squeezed into a military aircraft, in such an abrupt manner, is not acceptable.” He pointed out how under the Biden administration last year, 1100 Indians were deported but there was no such humiliation.
In his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, PM Narendra Modi was at his aggressive best as he savaged LoP Rahul Gandhi. From mocking the Congress leader and two members of his family for becoming MPs — mother Sonia and sister Priyanka — at the same time to turning “certain spaces into personal museums”. He was referring to the manner in which the Gandhi family maintains control over Indira Gandhi Memorial and had refused to share documents pertaining to the Rajiv Gandhi era with the Prime Ministers’ Museum. The PM said we have established the Prime Ministers’ Museum, where the legacy of every Prime Minister—from the first to my predecessors—has been honoured. “I urge their family members to visit it.” Taking a swipe at the three Gandhis who are all MPs, Modi said, “I pose an important question to the citizens through this House — have there even been three MPs simultaneously from the same family of SC community? I also ask, tell me if there ever were three MPs simultaneously from the same family belonging to the ST community…” There is a vast difference between their words and actions. However, the harshest jab was when Modi felt leaders have compulsions to raise questions on foreign policy to be taken seriously — he was referring to questions raised by both Rahul and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on tensions with China. He asked them to read Bruce Riedel’s book JFK’s Forgotten Crisis— as it details discussions between India’s Nehru and the U.S. President John F Kennedy, revealing how foreign policy was handled during challenging times and the games played in its name. Congress leaders are apparently not amused by this suggestion.
Congress bossman Rahul Gandhi told Parliament that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar’s USA visit only sought an invite for PM Narendra Modi for the U.S. President Donald Trump’s oath ceremony. Jaishankar refuted RaGa’s averments, without revealing the true purpose after having accomplished never before witnessed outcomes. Highly placed sources reveal, “India’s MEA secured distinction of only nation’s representative holding bilateral discussions with the newly installed U.S. government both, before and after, official transition of power.” Dr Jaishankar didn’t elucidate beyond dismissing Gandhi’s tall tales to the Lok Sabha, but actually established grounds for PM Modi to ink U.S. deal for technology transfer regarding fifth/sixth generation fighter engines deliberately kept in abeyance over two years by erstwhile Biden administration. India will be on par though F35 fighter was doled out to Pakistan and, even poised to counter Chinese aviation capabilities with next generation fighters. Dr Jaishankar also held discussions with newly installed FBI director Kash Patel, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard over sensitive issues regarding Indian nationals targeted by earlier dispensation. Another positive outcome: Funding cut off for Gurpatwant Singh Panun, separatist pro-Khalistani rebel, creating aviation scares in India through threats of blowing up Indian commercial airliners. More covert results were achieved to become apparent sooner than later even as Rahul Gandhi termed Dr Jaishankar’s international statesmanship as mere kow-towing to U.S. hegemony.
Ever since mid-January when Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was accompanied by his son Nishant Kumar at a political function in Bakhtiyarpur, there has been a buzz that the JD(U)leader’s son would be taking a political plunge. The event was to pay tributes to freedom fighters, including Nitish’s father Ram Lakhan Singh, who too had participated in the freedom movement. Soon after the function, 50-year old Nishant, the only child of Nitish and his late wife Manju Sinha, told the local gathering that his father had put Bihar on the fast track of development and appealed to them to make him CM again. Nishant’s appeal came in the midst of reports that he was keeping indifferent health and had reduced public interaction. An engineer by training, Nishant had so far kept away from public glare. Raised by his mother, he is known to have spent time away from his father and dabbled in spiritualism. He came to live with his father only after his mother passed away in 2007. Those who have known the JD (U) supremo personally as well as politically feel with an indifferent health Nitish may no longer be in a position to even oppose entry of his son into politics much as he has always opposed dynastic politics. A section of JD(U) dominated by Kurmis is reportedly rooting for Nishant’s entry to perpetuate Nitish Kumar’s legacy; this section doesn’t care if it fits with Nitish Kumar’s vision of politics. It is being argued that JD(U) can’t survive without Nitish’s legacy. As for those competing against the towering stature of Nitish Kumar in Bihar — both the BJP and RJD — are also keen that a bumbling newbie and dynast Nishant does take the plunge and salvage JD(U). Ahead of assembly polls, JD(U) is likely to witness a churn.
What goes out seems to return to the same place. Well, how else could one view the unfolding scenario. Reports suggest that Aditya Birla Group-owned UltraTech Cement is in advanced talks to acquire Heidelberg Cement India. Heidelberg Cement India is the subsidiary of HeidelbergCement Group, Germany. It entered India in 2006 with the acquisition of erstwhile Mysore Cement, Cochin Cement and a JV with Indorama Cement. The company has plants at Damoh (MP), Jhansi (UP), and Ammasandra (Karnataka). If this acquisition happens, UltraTech may get Zuari Cements as well, which is a part of the Heidelberg Group. In such an eventuality, the Sitapuram plant of Zuari will also come under UltraTech. The Sitapuram plant was once with The India Cements (ICL). The India Cements got the Sitapuram plant as a bonus when it acquired Raasi Cement many years ago. Subsequently, India Cements sold the Sitapuram plant to Zuari to raise funds. The Parli grinding unit of India Cements, it may be recalled, was acquired by UltraTech. Since UltraTech has taken over India Cements, the Parli grinding unit has technically returned to its original place (since India Cements has now become a subsidiary of UltraTech). Well, the world is small after all. And, the world is indeed round!
An estimated 30% of the IAS administered Indian bureaucracy actively considers the VRS option. According to well-placed sources, “Last three years registered a spurt in the number of pending applications to exercise the VRS option, most officers still having over five years of service left. The handsome pension amount appears lucrative to many, including those put on notice by the Union government (and respective state governments like Maharashtra) for low productivity, efficiency and delinquent public service.” Majority of the pending applications seek the cushy handshake option, while those who fell foul of GOI evaluation parameters were told to consider exit plans sooner than resignation options later. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 1.0 and 2.0 tenures (between 2014 and 2024) had witnessed not only weeding out of senior officials through shortening of tenures under government service but also witnessed the lateral entry of professionals and industry domain specialists into government service. Similarly, several officials continue to perform government service notwithstanding their respective retirement from service due to their diligent and outstanding performance till retirement to include Pravin Pardeshi (CEO of MITRA). Others like former Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Dr Nitin Kareer are also expected to be tapped for active post-retirement service to the nation, sources reveal. As pen-pushing, non-productive Babus opt for early retirement the Maharashtra IAS fraternity anticipates similar cleansing of Maharashtra’s state secretariat that may be on the cards once again.
After all the hype over the low-cost DeepSeek artificial intelligence from China that seemed to be threatening the earlier model, doubts have begun to surface, at least in India, about its ability to continue posing a challenge to ChatGPT in the long term. The new app, which became the most-downloaded free app on the iOS App Store in the U.S. a fortnight after its launch on 10 January 2025, resulted in a steep fall in the share price of the more established Nvidia. While various users and reviewers have hailed it as a harbinger of the “global AI space race”, experts here are raising the old question of the longevity and reliability of anything made in China, especially when it is priced at a fraction of others in the same space. Says one leading infotech player, expressing the opinion of many in the field: “Like any data from China, nobody knows the real cost — it may be a whole lot higher than those incurred by Open AI.” Drawing a parallel with renewable energy, this expert points to a record 11 Gw of wind turbines commissioned years ago with turbines in almost all remote areas but no connection to the grid. “Renowned global consultants based in China whom I have met, always take any data from the Chinese government or otherwise from China with a pound of salt,” he adds. “It is perhaps disruptive news to pull the U.S. down. Let’s wait and see.” The Chinese company, established in Hangzhou, Zhejiang in 2023, is owned and funded by Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer, which develops open-source large language models (LLMs).
In recent times, Bollywood has seen a noticeable shift, with many newcomers struggling to leave a lasting impression on audiences. This decline can be traced back to a variety of factors, including the selection of projects that fail to resonate with viewers. Gone are the days when iconic films like Betaab, which introduced Sunny Deol or Rocky which launched Sanjay Dutt, captivated audiences and launched the careers of these stars. So too Jackie Shroff with Hero. In contrast, today’s newcomers like Suraj Pancholi, Siddhant Kapoor and Sasha Agha find themselves lost in films that do not provide them with the platform to showcase their talents effectively. The recent film Azaad featuring Aaman Devgan and Rasha Thadani serves as a case in point. Aaman Devgn, nephew of Ajay Devgn has struggled to make a significant impact, while Raveena Tandon’s daughter Rasha Thadani managed to capture some attention with her performance. Many of the films do not offer the newcomers a fair opportunity to shine; often focusing more on star power than on storytelling. For instance, in Azaad, the narrative centres around the titular horse rather than the lead pair, which diminishes the impact of the human characters. This misalignment can lead to a lack of engagement from the audience, making it difficult for the actors to connect with viewers. Aaman’s performance, despite being camera-friendly, lacks the emotional depth and histrionics that are often necessary to truly engage the audience. In contrast, Rasha stands out with her strong screen presence and impressive dance moves, showcasing a talent that could potentially elevate her career. Ultimately, even when a film does not resonate with audiences, a standout performance can create opportunities for newcomers to prove themselves.
The England captain Jos Buttler did not mince words on the matter of fast bowler Harshit Rana replacing Shivam Dube as the like-for-like “concussion substitute” in the fourth Twenty20 international in Pune. The scoreboard will show left-hander Dube having scored 53 off 34 balls with 7x 4s and 2x6s – a fine performance that went a long way in India posting a stiff 181 in 20 overs after being rocked by Saqib Mahmood’s three-wicket burst in his first over. It was Dube’s first international match in eight months. Rana, who replaced Dube after India chose to use the “Concussion substitute” rule at the innings break, ended up with flattering figures of 3 for 33, sending down his full quota of four overs. Rana took the wickets of Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton – all capable of giving the ball a solid whack. A pertinent question that cropped up was whether “Rana was a like-for-like’’ replacement for Dube, particularly as a fast bowler. In his previous 33 matches, Dube had sent down 45.3 overs and taken 11 wickets with a 3 for 30 as his best against Bangladesh in Nagpur in 2019. He did not bowl in 11 matches and went wicket-less in 15. Buttler disagreed with “Rana coming in for Dube” and wondered if Dube’s bowling speed had shot up by 25 miles per hour or if Rana’s batting had improved. On the face of it, Rana was a far from like-for-like replacement for Dube. India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, explained that the team forwarded Rana’s name and the match referee, Javagal Srinath approved it. The unsavoury event will compel the ICC to mull over the “Concussion substitute” rule.
Armed with a landslide majority in Maharashtra, the BJP, it is learnt, is now strongly pushing its coalition partners up against the wall. Not only has it launched a strong attack against Ajit Pawar’ party deputy leader Dhananjay Munde but it is keeping Eknath Shinde on the edge too. While the knives have been sharpened against controversial minister Dhananjay Munde demanding his resignation for the alleged involvement of his aide in the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde and his party have been resisting and fighting it against all odds. While Ajit Pawar may have strongly backed Munde for now, he realises that the BJP may not stop at him and could launch fresh salvo against his other deputies. Hence, Pawar has directed his men to maintain a clean slate and even demanded that freshers be vetted before giving entry in his party. His contemporary, Eknath Shinde too is not having it easy with BJP ministers like Ganesh Naik eyeing his Thane stronghold and launching a worker engagement campaign clearly with an eye on the forthcoming local body polls. While Shinde chose to brush aside concerns, his workers have threatened to do a quid pro quo by launching similar exercises in BJP’s constituencies. Shinde did not attend the cabinet meeting last week, while Munde is believed to have left mid-way. The BJP strategy seems to be to keep the coalition partners constantly on the edge.
Once the Qatar22 FIFA World Cup got rolling on November 20 with the match between Qatar and Ecuador, millions of fans have been engrossed in watching all the action with great relish. There would be disappointment among the locals because Qatar — which got an entry into the draw 32 because it had won the rights to be the host country — has been knocked out even before playing the last group match against the Netherlands. But the fans are having their fill of joy seeing the stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi scoring goals in their last World Cup. There have been quite a few thrillers like the match between Cameroon and Serbia, and Ghana and South Korea displaying the African brand of football. The FIFA and Qatar which has delivered an outstanding World Cup so far needs to be contended; there have been minor irritants, but these can happen in a tournament as humongous as the quadrennial event itself. The tournament will soon enter the Group of 16 from whereon elimination of teams will begin. But the happy news for the fans is Brazil, France and Portugal with six points have entered the Round 2 where the matches will turn into a real skirmish. Argentina’s fate will be known on Wednesday — it plays Poland — and England known on Tuesday night after its match against Wales.
Talent retention is a tough art. It is tougher still in the modern business world. Ipso facto, business enterprises have to think out of box to retain the talent. Ideas2IT and Kissflow are software companies in Chennai. They were trend setters in a way for employee recognition and retention. Sometime ago, Ideas2IT and Kissflow rewarded talent at the workplace in a unique way, giving ‘moving property’ to recognise these contributions. While Ideas2IT gifted 100 cars to 100 employees “for their constant support and unparalleled contributions to the company’s success and growth,” Kissflow gifted luxury BMW cars to its senior leadership team. Five senior executives of Kissflow were given the new 5 series BMW cars. Real estate developer Casagrand has hit upon a different route to keep its folks happy. It has chosen to take 700 of its employees for a 7-day long trip to Switzerland. The entire trip cost which includes air tickets, accommodation, sight-seeing, meals et al will be borne by Casagrand. It calls it the ‘Big Bonanza’. Each employee who has contributed her/his best effort to the company is rewarded with a trip abroad along with two months’ salary as bonus! Casagrand claims that it had arranged similar outings to its deserving employees earlier, too. Is this a sustainable formula for an enterprise to ensure that talent won’t move out?
There is an estimated shortfall of 12,000 doctors and 50,000 nurses in the UK. To meet this shortfall the country is exploring various avenues. Thus, between September and November 2022 two MoUs were signed between the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) and BAPIO Training Academy (BTA) UK and Bengaluru-based hospitals – Gleneagles and Vydehi Superspeciality (formerly Mallya hospital). This tie-up demonstrates the fact that the vast Indian medical community that serves the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has been an active and conscientious supporter of the NHS system. The tie-ups are with the aim of developing and providing world-class training and exchange programs for doctors and nurses in India to meet the growing demands of effective and safe delivery of emergencies. BAPIO with its Education Academy in the UK has actively geared up its resources to mitigate the current crisis faced by the NHS system. Chandru Iyer, Deputy High Commissioner UK in Bengaluru says, “Such tie ups will enhance collaborative training avenues for Indian medical students and professionals in the UK.” According to Prof Parag Singhal, Executive Director- BTA and National Secretary, BAPIO this training initiative is designed specially to help International doctors gain experience at core and higher levels in UK hospitals. The BTA Indo-UK Training Programme has been developed in partnership with University of South Wales and Kingsway Hospitals.
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev has sought pardon for his objectionable statement in regard to women’s attire by clarifying before the Maharashtra Commission for Women that it was not his intent to insult womanhood. Ramdev has been facing a barrage of criticism for saying that “women look nice wearing a sari or salwar suit; in my view, they look lovely even if not wearing anything.” The offensive remark was condemned all over and Amruta, wife of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, also faced trolling due to her presence on the dais with Ramdev. Seeking pardon, Ramdev has conveyed to the Commission that what he meant was that women looked beautiful even in simple clothes. “I have not violated any provisions of the Commission’s guidelines,” he said. According to Ramdev, he had always been active for women’s empowerment. In his defence, Amruta told a daily that Ramdev wanted to support women’s emancipation but could not articulate those views in proper terms. He could have used different words and expressed them in a decent manner, she felt. After Ramdev’s remarks made at Thane went viral, a notice was served on him by the Commission, which warned him that it had taken a serious note of his remarks and directed him to file a reply. After his response, Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar has tweeted Ramdev’s letter of apology.
At the Constitution Day valedictory function on November 26 evening, while reading out her prepared English speech, President Droupadi Murmu digressed a bit to speak extempore in Hindi. From her expressions it was evident these words came from her heart. She got a standing ovation which no judge or lawyer got in the two sessions at SC additional building complex auditorium. She spoke about doing something for undertrials in our prisons. What President Murmu said, could best be summed up in these words, “You judges and lawyers are knowledgeable and experienced. You should do something for the people languishing in jail. Neither do most of them know about their fundamental rights, nor their fundamental duties. People who may have just slapped a person during a fight sometimes languish in jail for many years without any legal help. But people who take other’s lives sometimes roam free….people say more jails are to be built as there is overcrowding in jails.. You say we are progressing (“vikas? kaisa vikas”) …then what is the need for more jails? Bringing down crime rate is also part of vikas…it is just my thought…saying this much I am leaving it you…give a thought on what all I said. When I was an MLA, I had the opportunity to visit jails. I wanted to know how the prisoners lived there… especially undertrials. I tried to make changes, but I couldn’t do much”.
Aadhaar linkage has always been a hot subject of political debate in the country. The DMK government led by M K Stalin has chosen to make it mandatory for the power consumers – of common kind – to link their Aadhaar numbers. The move must help it weed out bogus connections. What has surprised many, however, is that not much time has been given to the power users to do this. Power consumers who tried to pay their bi-monthly bills are directed to a separate site for Aadhaar linkage. Unless linked to Aadhaar, the system does not allow them to pay their bills. What has irked the power users is that they are unable to execute the action as the system trips more often than not. Also, there is a lot of confusion. What if a person has more than one house and hence more than one power connection? What about power used for common facilities in a residential apartment? The government says that for commercial use, no Aadhaar linkage is required. How will the power used for common facilities in a residential apartment be considered? How will the poor – who don’t have a computer facility in their home – get this linkage done? The Tamil Nadu government will do well to create an e-seva facility to sort out the very many glitches coming in the way of Aadhaar linkage?
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev has done it again. He has stirred a hornet’s nest due to his objectionable remarks about women at a function in Thane, outside Mumbai at a yoga event. Several opposition leaders and prominent women have condemned his remarks. In his speech, Ramdev had said, “Women look nice wearing a sari or salwar suit. In my view, they look lovely even if they are not wearing anything.” The women present for the event had come with yoga dresses. As part of the event, a gathering for them was arranged. Many had brought saris for it. But hardly any time was left for the change since a yoga camp was held in the morning and was followed by a yoga training session. Within moments, the gathering began. Hence, the women did not have time to drape saree. Commenting on this, Ramdev passed the offensive remarks. Eyebrows were raised when Ramdev showered praise on chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. On an earlier occasion, he had described Shinde as a glory of Sanatan Dharma and a true disciple of Shiv Sena icon Balasaheb Thackeray. About Fadnavis, the yoga campaigner said that he is a great personality. Shinde and Fadnavis together have created history, and will be doing so in the future, too.
There is no end to the football frenzy in Kerala. Huge cut-outs of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar have sprung up at street corners across Kerala. What takes the cake this World Cup are the cut-outs in the middle of paddy fields much to the consternation of municipal corporations. It is estimated that Keralites spent over Rs 4 crore on cut-outs in the Malabar region alone during the 2018 World Cup. This year the figures are expected to double. And if this is not enough the frenzy has moved on to another level. Around 17 football fans pooled their resources to pick up an old house for Rs 23 lakh at Mundakkamugal, near Kochi to watch the World Cup matches with friends. The house has been converted into a viewing gallery with the walls adorning flags of the 32 teams participating in the Doha World Cup and also portraits of Messi and Neymar. No match is enjoyable without loud cheering, fun and friendly banter, says P H Harris, one of the house owners. Following up on their elders, school kids from Perambra in Calicut and Shoranur in Palghat petitioned their Principals to wrap classes early so as to enable them to watch their favourite matches. At Doha Keralites make up the fan clubs of England, France, Brazil and Argentina. In fact, Keralites have their own football league in Doha, with teams named after each district of Kerala.
Over two lakh invitation cards have been distributed for the Sunday wedding of NCP leader Jayant Patil’s son Prateek with industrialist Rahul Kirloskar’s daughter Alika at his home base Islampur in Sangli district. VVIPs like chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, opposition leader Ajit Pawar and others have been sent special invites. The venue will be a pandal spread over thousands of square feet. All access roads have been resurfaced. Arrangements are being made to feed a large number of guests at any given time. The preparations for the wedding in one of the most influential political families in western Maharashtra have been discussed with a sense of awe for nearly a month. Jayant is the son of erstwhile political giant late Rajarambapu Patil, who controlled Maharashtra politics by taking on his rival, Vasantdada Patil, both belonging to the same district. Presently heading NCP’s state unit, Jayant has handled many important portfolios like home, finance and water resources in the state cabinet. The muhurta has been fixed at 5.35 pm on Sunday for tying the knot. Over the past few days, pre-wedding events like musical nights have taken place and some audio-video clips have become viral of the festivities. The newly married couple will accept good wishes from the guests at a special enclosure erected at Rajaram Nagar. Presence of various leaders is eagerly awaited since it would provide indications for future political formations in Maharashtra.
One thing was loud and clear at the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held in Goa from November 20, 2022 that the crowd is thinning. The craze and eagerness among film buffs to attend such festivals seem to be waning. So this raises the question: Is digital viewing killing the film festival market? According to one of the film enthusiasts seen in this circuit, “I have been attending film festivals for ages now, and I can say that this year the crowds were less. Some of the regulars were missing too.” The opening day didn’t have much of the enthusiasm one has seen in the past. Has the pandemic changed everything for the festival? Another regular at these festivals says “The magic has gone out of the festival. Netflix and others seemed to have kept quite a few cinema-goers away. Why would anyone come to the festival when they can see it at home?” Also, the focus at IFFI has now shifted to marketing India as a shooting destination and not about the experience of cinemas. One could see a huge pavilion which had stalls of countries like Russia, France and others trying to sell their country as a “shooting destination”. It seems to have become a B2B marketplace not a place to showcase talent and creativity. This year’s edition of the film fiesta showcased a collection of 280 films from 79 countries.
The infighting in Rajasthan Congress got a fresh lease of life with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot renewing his attack on his challenger Sachin Pilot. He not only called Pilot a ‘Gaddar’ but also accused him of taking money from the BJP to rebel in 2020. For some reason, Gehlot’s latest outburst was more a dare to the Gandhis to oust him from office. He threw the gauntlet at the Gandhi family barely 10 days before Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is to enter the state on December 3. So why is Gehlot precipitating a crisis? Has Gehlot heard anything from Kharge about imminent change? After all he had defied the Gandhis in the most unimaginable way possible and survived so far. He had refused to move to Delhi and become the AICC President. So why is he now trying to jeopardise Bharat Jodo Yatra? Gehlot claimed Pilot and MLAs supporting him were paid Rs 10 crore by Home Minister Amit Shah to rebel in 2020; he even claimed he had evidence of it. On his part, Pilot tried to be deferential and on the use of the word Gaddar, he said: “Such language doesn’t suit him… In the past too he called me useless.” Pilot’s MLAs are pinning hope on Jairam Ramesh’s statement that the differences between the two leaders will be resolved in a manner that strengthens the Congress. Will that happen?
Although Karnataka chief minister S R Bommai has indicated that his state will decide its stand over the border dispute with Maharashtra in an all-party meeting next week, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) feels the issue has been revived to divert attention from the statewide protests occurring against Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for his utterances regarding Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde had sent a feeler that the issue can be resolved through dialogue and Bommai has responded to it. But Sena MP Sanjay Raut said there was a deep-rooted conspiracy to rake up the border issue. Bommai’s earlier statement that areas like Solapur district of Maharashtra should be merged with Karnataka has led to a wave of anger in the state. Against this backdrop, his readiness to consider Shinde’s offer is viewed as a signal to wait and watch. But the Sena (Uddhav) is viewing it differently. The interstate border dispute is now before the Supreme Court following a petition by Maharashtra to challenge the inclusion of Marathi-speaking areas like Belgaum, Nipani and Karwar in Karnataka. Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, representing Marathi-speaking population’s interests in Karnataka, has been agitating for the past six decades peacefully to press its demands. However, leadership in Karnataka has declared its intent to make Belgaum the state’s second capital. Incidentally, Belgaum is at the core of the dispute.
India has expressed its displeasure after a US state department official referred to PM Narendra Modi while talking about waiver to Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman to travel to the US. At its weekly briefing on November 25, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi frowned upon remarks made by the US state department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel in citing examples of immunity given to several heads of state including Indian PM Modi along with that of Saudi Crown Prince. “Frankly, I fail to understand how the comment on PM Modi was either relevant, necessary or contextual. Our two countries enjoy a very special relationship which is growing from strength to strength and we look forward to working with the US to further deepen it,” said Bagchi. Significantly, he also flayed attempts in the social media to downplay the outcome of the bilateral meetings at G-20 summit at Bali between US President Biden and PM Modi. “We’ve seen some social media stuff. So let me just say the PM did meet President Biden on a number of occasions during the course of the Bali Summit, including a brief bilateral meeting and trilateral meeting that involved President Widodo (Indonesia). During these interactions, they exchanged views on a number of issues. Our press releases and tweets as well as you would recall foreign secretary’s briefing in Bali, encapsulates all these conversations.”
Brazil, popularly known as Selecao, proved it is a class apart! For decades the many stalwarts of the South American country – a five-time World Cup Trophy winner (the Jules Rimet Trophy/ FIFA World Cup) — have proved to be the prime crowd pullers of the game and on Thursday (Nov 24) put out a number that validated its undisputed claim. The stunning Lusail Stadium awash with Brazil’s yellow top was packed with 88103 spectators, which was a few thousands shy of the 92000 plus spectators who filled the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the India versus Pakistan match of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup on October 23. While the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador was seen by 67372 spectators here at Doha that can take pride in having created a fantastic Metro Network to make the transportation of the public easy and comfortable, Thursday was always marked as the `D’ Day for the 22nd edition of the competition here. Lionel Messi’s Argentina had already triggered interest with a spectator count of 88102 in the match it lost to Saudi Arabia at the Lusail, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal attracted a crowd of 42662 in its first appearance with a 3-2 triumph against Ghana in the third match on Thursday, Neymar’s Brazil team with a 2-0 win against Serbia made it a perfect day for its fans and for the FIFA too!
Suddenly, Samantha Ruth Prabhu (35) has faced a number of personal setbacks. The much publicised marriage with Nag Chaitanya ended on the rocks. In Koffee With Karan show, Samantha was candid to say, “If you put us in a room, better hide all sharp objects “. Whew! It couldn’t get any more cathartic! And then came the gut wrenching diagnosis that she had Myositis, an auto immune disease. Even as the stars were shining on her, the evil eye had cast a dark cloud on this beautiful, talented star. Her latest release Yashoda did good business, grossing Rs 30 crore in 10 days. Rumours are rife that she is in Apollo, Hyderabad though people close to her deny it. This Kollywood comet streaked across the filmy firmament, fiery and feisty, the envy of many South Indian film peers. Making her entry in 2010 in Tamil cinema, she quickly rose with hits like Kathi, Mercel, Theri, Mahanadi and the recent one, Kaathuvakkile Oru Kaadal. In this film, she stole the show from right under the nose of South siren, lady super star Nayanthara. Her sizzling solo dance number in Pushpa: The Rise was over the top hot, justifying the astronomical Rs 4 crore rumoured to be her remuneration. Her OTT serial, The Family Man Season 2 brought her global acclaim. Will this femme fatale get back her fame and fortune?
India is emerging as a popular tourist and business destination against the backdrop of the Free Trade Agreement between India and UK to be signed soon. The MICE industry is flourishing with several business delegations travelling to India not just to Tier 1 but to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. West Midlands Mayor Andy Street who led the West Midlands, UK delegation to India, did not confine his visit to New Delhi but travelled to Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. He played Kabbadi and has promised to host the World Kabbadi tournament in Birmingham in 2024. Global Tech Advocates hosted their global meet with the Tech India Advocates led by British citizens Ani Kaprekar, Af Malhotra and Nilesh Gopali. The 40-plus delegates visited Bengaluru, Hubballi (Hubli), and Deshpande’s Tech Foundation. The global organisation TiE will host their annual summit in Telangana. About 3000 entrepreneurs are expected to attend. Bill Gates, N R Narayana Murthy, Gautam Adani, Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao are expected to take part in the summit. At the recently held World Travel Market in London, Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India and Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism stated that “India is gearing up for the G20 Presidency to start from December 1, 2022. India is expected to host over 200 meetings across 55 cities in the country.”
Maharashtra Chief minister Eknath Shinde’s unscheduled detour in Nasik district on Wednesday (Nov 24) has become the talk of the town following media reports that he had dashed to Eeshanyeshwar temple in nearby Sinnar to consult an astrologer. ‘Shinde came only for darshan in the temple, not to know his future,’ astrologer Ashok Kharat has clarified. Shinde had visited the famous Shirdi Saibaba temple amidst tight security on Wednesday. On way back to Mumbai, his convoy suddenly turned to Eeshanyeshwar temple in adjacent Sinnar taluka. This diversion in his schedule resulted in his criticism in which NCP president Sharad Pawar and many Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leaders joined. Workers of the anti-superstition groups, too, hit out at Shinde ‘for this anti-scientific act.’ Education minister Deepak Kesarkar, who had accompanied the CM and his wife to the temple, has explained that Shinde had made a donation some time ago to the astrologer who wished to develop a shelter for cows. Kharat had requested Shinde to visit the temple and the CM acquiesced. Kesarkar said, “Kharat is my friend. Revenue minister Radhakrishan Vikhe Patil and I were present with the Shinde couple.” Disapproving the spread of ‘wrong’ information, Kesarkar quipped, “Had Shinde wanted to know his future, he would have called Kharat to Mumbai.” One of Shinde team’s ministers remarked, “Shinde creates futures. He does not need to know his future from an astrologer.”
The familiar battle ground again haunts Odisha just like successful opposition to the National Test Range at Baliapal in 1980’s. The villagers at Gopalpur and its neighbouring six panchayats fearing impact of pollution have collectively decided not to allow Smartchem Technologies Ltd to set up a 377 KTPA ammonium nitrate plant at Tata Steel Industrial Park. Smartchem Technologies is a 100% subsidiary of Deepak Fertilisers & Petrochemicals. The villagers are asking what guarantee the company can give to assure that there will be no accidents at SEZ Gopalpur. There are examples galore worldwide of explosions because of poor storage and handling of ammonium nitrate. According to locals, the company has done very little to educate the local people about the robustness of their hazard handling process and thereby allay their fears. Though the government promoting chemicals is part of industrial development strategy, villagers are determined not to allow hazardous chemicals in their area and are asking to replace it with environmentally-friendly industries instead. With assembly elections due in 2024 the Odisha government headed by Naveen Patnaik may not want to take a chance and is trying to find the middle path in the best interest of all stakeholders. Surely, for Petrochem major Deepak Fertiliser which was ready to invest Rs 2200 crore via its subsidiary this is a temporary setback.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) is trying to gain a foothold in the North-eastern states. It has seriously started campaigning in Meghalaya which goes to poll in March 2023. Having bitten the dust in Tripura in the last Assembly polls held in 2018 and by-poll in 2021, TMC’s focus on Meghalaya came to fore after the former chief minister Mukul Sangma switched camps from Congress to Trinamool in November 2021. Interestingly, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s mission to evolve from a regional party to a national party is being shaped in the north-east. It may be recalled that her Goa experiment failed miserably. Didi, who is personally focusing only on West Bengal, has asked her nephew, party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to oversee the North-eastern states affairs. And he has got into the new role quickly. He has already addressed a rally in Tura and is expected to do more in the coming months. Besides, he has launched a scathing attack against the present state government led by Conrad Sangma, chief of National People’s Party, who is in alliance with the BJP. Abhishek has claimed that the NPP government is shadow governed by the Centre and Assam chief minister Hemant Biswa Sarma. He announced that “sons of the Meghalaya’s soil Chief Minister Mukul Sangma would be the party’s chief ministerial face in the upcoming polls and that the TMC will not run the new government from Bengal if it comes to power.
After a day’s break, if PM Modi was back in Gujarat for electioneering it should not be a surprise; he is scheduled to address 35 more rallies in 93 assembly segments that are going to polls in the second phase on December 5. Over the next two days, he will address rallies at Mehsana, Dahod, Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Palanpur, Dehgam, Matar, and Dholka. He has already addressed 16 rallies during his first visit, taking his overall tally of meetings to 50. It is apparent that Modi’s aggressive campaign is crucial to breaking his own record of 2002 when BJP won 127 seats. In fact, at the end of his speeches Modi appeals to people to help CM Bhupendra Patel break his record so that Modi could go “back to do his work in Delhi” — that is to hand the BJP 150 seats. Gujarat takes a lot of pride in Modi’s achievement as PM. It is for this reason Modi hit out at Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry’s remark about showing “aukat” to him. Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi for hand-holding social activist Medha Patkar as someone opposed to Narmada Dam, Modi said those who stalled the Narmada project for 40 years through litigation had kept Gujarat thirsty for 40 years. “The people of Gujarat will punish those who are doing padyatra to get back to power and punish those who were against the Narmada project”.
The age-old border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka has pitted BJP governments in both states against each other again. On the other hand, all political parties in Maharashtra have come together to oppose any move by the neighbouring state Karnataka in this direction. The dispute was born with the formation of Maharashtra and Karnataka (then Mysore) states on linguistic basis over 60 years ago. Several Marathi-speaking areas were included in Karnataka. Since then, the two states are at loggerheads even when both have had governments of the same parties, first the Congress and now the BJP. The dispute at present is before the Supreme Court. After an all-party meeting in Mumbai a couple of days ago decided to jointly fight the matter, Karnataka chief minister Basavraj Bommai has asserted that his government was considering a demand by 40 villages in Jath taluka of Sangli district along the border to merge them with his state since they were facing water scarcity. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the demand was made way back a decade ago. During his chief ministership, the problem of water shortages was handled by him. If the remedy is held up due to some reason, it will be implemented soon, he promised. Fadnavis has emphatically declared that not a single village from the state will go to Karnataka.
People are still shell shocked by the concentrated and concerted effort of the BJP’s Kasi Tamil Sangam show, presided over so eloquently as a hard sell by the PM, a month long event focussed on the Tamils. Thirteen religious heads of Mutts from Tamil Nadu are camping in Kashi, Uttar Pradesh, the PM’s much vaunted constituency. Maestro Ilayaraja and his group performed a mesmerising Shiva sthotram with the PM clapping in rhythm. A full trainload of religious Tamil Savants and assorted youth was seen off by no less than Governor of TN for back to back religious events and tours of Kasi .And oh! not to forget the 13 language translation and book release of the Thirukkural, a historic spiritual work of poet Thiruvalluvar, long hijacked by the Dravidian parties as their own. Topping this blitz cake was the PM’s address; he looked comfortable in a “Veshti and Angavastram”. Kashi is the second home for Tamils. Who scripted this eclectic show? When the PM’s chopper trip to Madurai airport was cancelled due to bad weather he took the road. And BJP’s Tamil Nadu K Annamalai was handpicked as a solo companion to accompany the PM on this hour-long drive. And the entire Kashi caper was scripted and presented to the PM. Kashi, the oldest city in the world is now the newest magnetic confluence of politics.
The Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA), the apex body of companies like Amway, Herbalife, Tupperware, is going through bad times. Not due to regulatory issues and being badmouthed for being multi-level marketing rackets, as its members were branded in the past, but because of another factor that has generated a lot of hype and interest among entrepreneurs looking to make astronomical returns on their investments. With Bitcoin exchanges having mushroomed, and many of them having vanished after collecting money from investors, the cryptocurrency – touted as “the new oil – has lured many of the players’ younger elements away from direct selling. The impact of the Bitcoin frenzy is particularly severe in the direct selling, which is based on a self-entrepreneurial business model, leading many top leaders in the industry to brainstorm strategies to retain their sales field force in training which they have invested heavily. Emerging industries, like food, cab hailing services and e-commerce marketplaces, as well as direct selling and FMCG, which have adopted an aggregator business model using gig workers for last-mile delivery, are experiencing attrition. Industry leaders have also expressed concern about Bitcoin exchanges propagating their businesses as MLM. “We are all over the place,” says an IDSA official who doesn’t want to be named. “Sales have taken a hit because of Bitcoins – the lure of making quick money is attracting the youth.”
Even before AAP could make much headway in Gujarat, it has been caught into a trap of its own making in Delhi. Yes, the party that was founded by the Ghaziabad boys — Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia — and won its first election in 2013 on an anti-corruption plank has now lost its credibility over corruption charges. Allegations of selling tickets for the upcoming Delhi municipal corporation (MCD) elections are flying thick and fast and Kejriwal has no answers. Two videos purportedly shot by an ex-AAP member Bindu Sriram alleged that the AAP had sold tickets to candidates contesting the polls. Sriram claimed that she was asked to fork out Rs 80 lakh to get a party ticket from Rohini ward D. IIT-educated Kejriwal who won three back to back assembly elections (2013, 2015 & 2020) on power freebies, is a cornered man now. It appears he will not be able to easily wrest control of the MCD which has been with the BJP for 15 years. Besides, the AAP Government’s flawed liquor policy, and visuals of its jailed minister Satyendra Jain receiving massage from a rape accused Rinku in Tihar Jail have further dented Kejriwal’s image. On its part, the BJP has unleashed a mega campaign to reclaim the MCD. Senior leaders like Rajnath Singh, CMs of Haryana, Assam and Uttarakhand have all hit the road.
The mega oil refinery project to be developed around Barsu village in Ratnagiri district is appearing to be taking off, involving an investment of over Rs 2 lakh crore and generating large scale employment. A positive prospect about the project’s revival became apparent after a meeting industry minister Uday Samant held in Mumbai. Significantly, it was attended by local Shiv Sena (Uddhav) MLA Rajan Salvi. In fact, previous chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had written to the Centre at the fag end of his tenure that nearly 13,000 acres of land could be acquired in Barsu and vicinity, in addition to over 2.000 acres at nearby Sakri-Nate village. Barsu is about 20 km away from Nanar, which was to be the original location but had been scrapped for political reasons. The refinery project will require 6,200 acres of land. Consent letters for 2,900 acres from land owners have been obtained. Its fresh water requirements will be fulfilled by bringing supplies from the massive Koyna hydel project. Salvi had demanded deletion of a few villages from the refinery project lands. Samant indicated that a positive response would be forthcoming by considering local sentiments. Sena (Uddhav) MP Vinayak Raut did not attend the meeting for which he was specially invited, Samant said. Meanwhile, a local committee to oppose the project has decided to intensify its agitation.
Nothing spectacular may have happened in two days — match wise — of the Qatar22 FIFA World Cup at Doha. One of the smallest countries in the world area wise — the Persian Gulf country ranked as the 164th tiny-dot nation in the globe, higher than Jamaica, Gambia and Lebanon, and below Falkland Islands, Vanuatu, Montenegro and Bahamas — is hosting the greatest sporting event, having won the bid long long ago. Qatar and FIFA’s masterstroke was that it rostered the 29-day event in November and December when the weather bureaus would report cooler climes and not in keeping with the trend of scheduling the event between May and July. So far four matches have been played and all have reported excellent numbers with the opening match between Qatar and the fourth qualifier from South America, Ecuador reporting a 60000 plus turnout at the Bedouin-tent shaped Al Bayt Stadium. As the FIFA president Gianni Infantino articulated, attention has riveted on the beautiful game’s spectators who have saved hard-earned money for years to be part of the celebration of football in the Arab World. Qatar has been held in awe and admiration by the football community, but one has to raise a toast to the thousands of volunteers whose polite department has played its part in giving Qatar an exalted place in the football map of the World.
The Tamil Nadu branch of the Congress seems to be on a suicide mission. There is a rebellion against its chief KS Alagiri but then this is routine for a PCC that has a leader thrust on it from New Delhi. Worse is to come for the party as the DMK is on the road to forming a grand alliance against AIADMK and BJP and wants to corner as many of the TN (39)+ Puducherry (1) 40 seats as possible to take a leading hand in the government formation after 2024 polls. The DMK plan is to include PMK, DMDK and Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi besides old allies like VCK and MDMK in its coalition. The Congress share of seats may come down drastically from the 10 seats they had last time out. At best, DMK may allot 5 or 6 seats to the Congress as it must accommodate so many others. The DMK is also sweating after the new thrust of BJP under K Annamalai resulted in his being able to organise demonstrations against rising milk prices in as many as 1,200 places in the State with 25 to 1,000 workers at each spot. The AIADMK-BJP alliance is in trouble over unity issues in AIADMK that may lead to the Two Leaves symbol being frozen if Edappadi K Palaniswamy is not willing to compromise.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena (Uddhav) MP Sanjay Raut have given ample indications to signal a truce between the two parties following their open differences over some remarks by Rahul against Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who is revered by the Sena. Raut himself has revealed that Rahul called up him to enquire about his health and express concern over ‘the crushing of dissent’ around the country. Raut said he was thankful to Rahul for showing such magnanimity in the present milieu of political hatred. Rahul had criticized Savarkar in the last leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra. Incensed at his remarks, Raut had threatened serious consequences for the Maha Vikas Aghadi for the ‘uncalled for’ utterances. Subsequently, Rahul totally skipped the subject of Savarkar at his Shegaon rally, which marked the conclusion of his march in Maharashtra. However, Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ did not spare him and lambasted the remarks in strong language. Raut made it a point that he was expressing the sentiments on behalf of Uddhav Thackeray. In a bid to prevent any further fallout after some Congress had maintained that their party had its own stand, Rahul called up Raut. Expressing gratitude, Raut said the call was like a breeze of fresh air whereas Sena’s former allies like the BJP and MNS had not bothered to find out how he was.
It was an exercise to filter non-serious ticket aspirants for upcoming Karnataka assembly elections next year. Tightening grip on party, KPCC president DK Shivakumar had asked ticket aspirants to avail forms paying Rs 5,000 and submit the applications with a demand draft of Rs 2 lakhs between November 5 and 15. When he found that at least 35 sitting MLAs, particularly senior leaders like G Parameshwar and former CM Siddaramaiah had not responded to his call for applications; he extended the deadline to November 21. Finally 1,100 applications were received and out of which 945 were submitted with a DD of Rs 2 lakh for the general category and Rs 1 lakh for SC & ST aspirants. Party sources said while the high fee ensured only serious applicants remained in the fray, the Congress was richer by Rs 55 lakh. The party picked about Rs 20 crore in the form of DD. Shivakumar also made it clear that aspirants will be allowed to apply for one seat. Restricting the contest to a single seat could put seniors like Siddaramaiah in a spot. Last time, Siddaramaiah had contested from two seats and lost in one. Shivakumar has already submitted his application seeking a ticket from Kanakapura constituency in Ramanagara district. Siddaramaiah is yet to finalise his constituency but may not contest from his incumbent Badami seat as it is far from Bengaluru.
Nationalist Congress party (NCP) demonstrators in Pune tried to pull away the dhoti of a youth dressed as Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday following his controversial statement about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj a couple of days ago. Koshyari has attracted statewide ire after he quipped that Shivaji Maharaj was an icon of the past while modern icons are like Babasaheb Ambedkar or Union minister Nitin Gadkari. Anger erupted as soon as various news channels made the statement viral. The comparison has been condemned by all opposition parties. Protest actions have been taking place all over the state. NCP organized a protest near Savarkar statue in Pune where demonstrators had brought a young boy dressed as Koshyari. The boy was wearing a dhoti and a black cap, like the one Koshyari wears. Some protestors tried to pull away the dhoti worn by the boy. In Beed town of Marathwada, Shiv Sena (Thackeray) district chief Anil Jagtap has announced a reward of one lakh rupees on behalf of his organisation for bringing Koshyari’s black cap. NCP spokesman Mahesh Tapase has complained against Koshyari to President Draupadi Murmu. He has demanded that Koshyari should be removed forthwith. A few months ago, Koshyari had invited another round of protests when he had said that no money would be left in Maharashtra if Gujarati and Rajasthani people were removed from here. Later, he apologized for it.
With months to go for the Panchayat Election 2023, reports of back-to-back violence, crude bomb blasts, recovery of firearms and live bombs are being reported in some districts of West Bengal. Some of the districts of South Bengal — Birbhum, North and South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, and Junglemahal areas have seen recent cases of political violence with bomb blasts killing three minors and injuring several people including children in separate incidents. Both Didi and second in command of the party, her nephew Abhishek Banerjee have been categorical to keep away from violence after the party suffered brutal electoral losses in last Lok Sabha polls due to political violence that took place during Panchayat Election 2018. Incidentally, both Bengal Police and Bengal Special Task Force (STF) have arrested a number of people having allegiance to the ruling party for being involved in the blasts and clashes. This has largely prompted Oppositions to claim that Bengal is “on a bed of bombs and arms”. However, senior cabinet minister Firhad Hakim countered stating the Union Government has eased inter-state border vigilance so that arms could be smuggled into the state to create anarchy. According to political analysts, the panchayats of Bengal have emerged as the epicenter of political violence as they provide critical opening for the parties to strengthen their hold over nearly every aspect of rural society besides the dominance and political influence to the grassroots.
To a cheering audience at the recently held 3rd Annual Conclave of Global Chamber of Saraswats Entrepreneurs and Professionals(GCSE) in Goa, Chairman of Saraswat Bank Gautam Thakur announced a lucrative and special loan scheme to support young Saraswat entrepreneurs. Honouring his commitment, Saraswat Bank’s top brass signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GCSE on November 17. Saraswat Bank has initiated an exclusive scheme Loan For Entrepreneurs And Professionals (LEAP) that would provide loans/ OD facility for first generation entrepreneurs from the Saraswat Community at a concessional rate of interest. Founder Director of GCSE Siddharth Sinkar, said, “Not only will LEAP boost the morale of the existing young first generation entrepreneurs for scaling up their businesses. This will also promote the entrepreneurial drive amongst the Saraswat minds.” This facility will be offered only to members of Saraswat Chamber. While GCSE would do the basic due diligence of applications routed through them, the final decision to grant loan will rest with the bank.
2023 Pongal will see one of the most anticipated clashes of the Kollywood Titans, Vijay and Ajit when their films, Varisu and Thunivu are to be released simultaneously. Cinephiles of these two super heroes are waiting to clash, to establish the box office draw of their heroes. Tamil Nadu witnesses an opening day craze that’s like no other in terms of fan hysteria and foot stomping action. For instance, Rajini fans do a milk abhishekam on larger than life cut-outs. Vijay just amps up such maniacal following with his hit song Ranjithame which cornered 5.5 crore hits in a fortnight. Apart from his super dancing skills (Rahul Gandhi is a self-confessed fan of Vijay’s dance moves), this action hero is a crooner too, trained by his mother Shobha. In his 28 years Vijay has belted out many hit songs. His very first film song, “Bombay city, Sukha roti” was an instant hit. Dirty dancing his way to woo Rashmika Mandanna, Vijay belting out Ranjithame Ranjithame is on his way to launch yet another Kollywood anthem. Vijay’s voice, the double entendre lyrics are mere foils. It is sexy Rash who rivets as she transforms into Ranjithame. From that Sami Sami song of Pushpa fame, Rash has zoomed up to pan India popularity. Kollywood sure aces in cinematic masala for a rush of testosterone.
The ambitious Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) appears to be finally taking off after official procrastination of over three decades to launch it. The estimated time to complete the massive scheme is around seven years. Bids for DRP have been submitted by three giants – DLF, Adani and Naman. This was in response to a tender published by the state government on October 1. Soon, the technical bids will be examined. The next step will be to open financial bids. Officials feel that it will be possible to wrap up the bidding process by the end 2022. Actual working on the project can start early next year. According to previous projections, the DRP would have cost around Rs.23000 crore. However, now the picture will be clear only after financial quotations are examined. The DRP’s highlight is rehabilitation of nearly 68,000 families by offering each a minimum of 400 sq ft apartment. In return, the developer will be able to exploit 4 FSI on the land mass admeasuring almost 210 hectares. DRP was originally conceived nearly 30 years ago. It was revised in 2004. Its focus remains resettling about 68,000 families and a large number of commercial establishments already existing for decades. Dharavi is planned to be redeveloped as a counter to the sprawling Bandra Kurla Complex that is almost saturated. Dharavi can pour billions in government coffers if the project is implemented professionally, officials feel.
Gautam Adani’s story would make for a good Netflix series like Succession. India’s business tycoon Adani is numero uno on all parameters. What makes Adani different and what are his success mantras is well captured by the veteran journalist RN Bhaskar in his book Gautam Adani: Reimagining Business In India And The World. Bhaskar who has been tracking Adanis since 2007 has brought to light information that not many know. Bhaskar writes, “In many ways Gautambhai is destiny’s child. He has escaped accidents, major trading crises and even terrorist attacks (26/11). For instance, in January 1998, much before he became a big industrialist, Gautambhai and Shantilal Patel, an associate, were kidnapped. Adani and Shantilal Patel were abducted at gunpoint after they left Karnavati Club in a car and headed for Mohammadpura Road in Ahmedabad. A scooter reportedly forced the car to stop, and then a group of men came in a van and abducted both men. They were taken to an unknown place in a car before being released, the police chargesheet said.” The case was finally closed after 20 years when an Ahmedabad court in November 2018 acquitted the two main accused – Fazl-ur-Rehman alias Fazlu and Bhogilal Darji alia Mama. Reason for their acquittal was because Adani refused to press charges. “One reason for not pressing charges could be that a large ransom was paid, estimated at $1.5 mn,” says the author.
Although Congress leader Rahul Gandhi refrained from saying a word against Veer Savarkar in his public rally at Shegaon in Vidarbha Friday evening, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav) has taken him to task for raking up ‘irrelevant and avoidable’ issues. In the same breath, it has reiterated its reverence for Savarkar, Pandit Nehru, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel. Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ in its editorial has lamented that even though Rahul’s Bharat Jodo yatra had been evoking huge public response, the march took an undesirable turn due to Rahul’s tirade against Savarkar. Why Rahul and the Congress repeatedly speak against Savarkar is beyond comprehension, the edit has wondered. “Rahul has caused embarrassment for even Congress people in Maharashtra by his uncalled for comments,” it said. Savarkar’s grandson Ranjit had yesterday passed some snide comments against Pandit Nehru at his media conference. Disapproving them, the editorial opined that all freedom fighters had made sacrifices for the country’s independence; hence it is unfair to speak against them. Savarkar was, in fact, the apogee of Indian freedom fighters, it stated. After Rahul’s remarks against Savarkar, widespread protests had erupted all over the state. To avoid further aggravation, Rahul avoided any reference to Savarkar. Instead, he focused his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his well-attended rally, Rahul alleged that the Modi government had abandoned farmers’ interests and was working for select capitalists. The yatra is scheduled to enter Madhya Pradesh tomorrow.
Qatar22 FIFA World Cup is almost upon us with the host nation — hoping to progress to the Group of 16 (second stage) — all set to challenge Ecuador, the fourth smallest nation in South America in the inaugural match on Sunday (Nov 20). Easily one of the greatest sports spectacle in the world ever since it was founded in 1930, the sport of football — that earned the sobriquet” The Beautiful Game” and was popularised by the greatest ever player — Brazilian Pele — has a mass appeal nonpareil. The Arab world’s first World Cup will be FIFA’s 22nd and the title has been won by Brazil five times, Germany and Italy four times each, Argentina, France and Uruguay two times each and England and Spain once each. As usual Brazil is the strong favourite to win the title and give Neymar his first World Cup, followed by Argentina which hopes to win the Cup and decorate Lionel Messi’s illustrious career. Cristiano Ronaldo will take the centre stage once again but his team Portugal is not as fancied as Brazil and Argentina or even Germany, England and France, the winner of the title four years ago in Russia. The Italians will be missed, but 32 qualifiers in eight groups will portray their brand of football to the millions watching the matches at the venues and on the small screen.
Great-grandsons of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and a grandson of Veer Savarkar are at the centrestage of a controversy that can imperil opposition unity in Maharashtra. At the same time, Hindutva sympathizers are consolidating to repulse the criticism of their icon. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, while reiterating his organisation’s reverence for Savarkar, has warned those attacking Savarkar and questioning his patriotism. Raut said, “We highly respect Savarkar. Our leader Uddhav Thackeray has already made this clear. Hence, we are not on the same page with the Congress party.” Very soon, Raut was contacted by Congress spokesman Jairam Ramesh, who adopted a conciliatory tone. He said differences on some core issues existed before the formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi and some still exist. However, the three parties had come together for the same objective, which is still relevant. Ramesh told the media that MVA was and would remain intact. Reviving the issue, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar endorsed the criticism leveled by Rahul Gandhi. He said historical evidence was available to prove that Rahul’s statements were factual.To counter, Savarkar’s grandson Ranjit has dug out some of Mahatma Gandhi’s letters to the British government. At one place, a letter ends with a respectful salutation. ‘’But we know that it was the protocol of those days. We won’t misinterpret such use of words,” Ranjit has said.
Who is the Prime Minister’s most favourite officer? Well, after getting yet another year-long extension on November 17, Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra will now have a longer term than the senior most bureaucrat in the country, the cabinet secretary. Mishra, an Indian Revenue Service officer, will now enter his fifth year as the ED director while the maximum term that any cabinet secretary has had so far is four years. Mishra was appointed the ED chief in 2018 and the latest order says he will continue in his chair till November 18, 2023. A number of sensitive and high-profile probes, especially against various opposition leaders, are being led by the ED presently and the move is hence expected to attract swipes from the opposition parties. The government had last year brought in an ordinance to enable itself to give a five-year term to the ED and CBI chiefs, up from two years. The government had argued before the Supreme Court, where the move was challenged, that the tenure of the ED chief had been earlier extended “in public interest” as various cases being probed by the agency were at a crucial juncture and continuity of officers means proper and expeditious disposal of cases. The ED is investigating cases against Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, TMC leaders in West Bengal, AAP minister Satyendar Jain, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Congress leaders including Gandhi family.
When Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to inform her about the appointment of Dr CV Ananda Bose as the new Governor for her state she apparently told him that he had not consulted her before taking a decision but was only routinely informing her. The HM retorted that “consultation with states did not require consent”. Speaking in a lighter vein, he assured her that she would perhaps have better equations with the new governor than may be even Meghalaya Governor La Ganesan who had temporarily held the charge after Jagdeep Dhankar was elevated as Vice President. Bose, the 1977 batch IAS officer, recalled his emotional relationship with the state; his first job as bank officer was in Kolkata. Although from Kerala, he was named Bose by his father, who was a freedom fighter, apparently after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Bose joined the BJP before the 2019 general elections. During the Covid pandemic, Bose was asked by the Union Labour Ministry to prepare an action plan for the welfare of migrant workers. He was Principal Secretary to the late Congress veteran K Karunakaran during his term as Kerala Chief Minister. He was District Collector of Quilon district (Kollam). Born in Mannanam, Kottayam district, Bose has penned over 40 books in English, Hindi and Malayalam.
The quirkiest of techniques in a big walk across the stumps will not be seen anymore at the batting crease. Steve Smith, who made batting seem almost comical in his big shuffle and his mannerisms like tugging at his pads and gloves, has transformed into a still, almost statue-like approach to facing the cricket ball. He is so confident now about his reformed batting technique that he was heard telling his partner David Warner – “I’m back, baby”. Once the world’s top rated Test batsman who defied the fastest of bowlers while walking across his stumps to play them, Smith found himself less wanted in the white ball game. He was almost an anachronism in the T20 game because he was wedded to the old-fashioned technique of playing in the V. His innings in his new style against the white ball world champions England was significant. “I’m actually using the middle of the bat for once. I’m just standing a lot stiller, not moving as much. I feel good at the moment,” he told the commentary team on the mike during a break for drinks. Even more classical now at the crease, Smith is looking forward to making runs again. Maybe, his batting clone Marnus Labuschagne, will also give up the copycat gestures soon.
The billion rupee question everybody in Bollywood is asking: Can Ranveer Singh and Rohit Shetty recreate the magic at the box office this Christmas? Forty-eight year old director-producer-TV host Rohit Shetty is one of the most successful filmmakers who has had a 90% success ratio at the box office with his movies like Singham and Golmaal series. But this Christmas he returns with a period comedy that is reportedly inspired from the 1982 comedy movie Angoor directed by Gulzar starring Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Varma. But, Rohit denies it. One of the highest paid stars, 37-year old Ranveer Singh has been signed for Cirkus. It may be recalled Ranveer Singh’s Jayesh Bhai Jordaar was a disaster and the trade is a little sceptical about him currently, but has full faith in Shetty who seems to have a Midas touch. Those in the trade say that all said and done Cirkus and YRF’s Pathaan starring Shah Rukh Khan are two films that the exhibitors and the entire trade is banking on and hoping that these two films will revive Bollywood. A trade pundit said that both the films come with a good mix of star power and entertainment value and SRK and Ranveer Singh are the last of the superstars the film industry has and there may not be another after them.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra will face an acid test on Friday due to reiteration of his caustic remarks against Hindutva icon Veer Savarkar as workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have been directed to protest by remaining present at his rally at Shegaon in Buldhana district. In Mumbai, the freedom fighter’s grandson Ranjit Savarkar has demanded arrest of the former Congress president, who has dared anyone to stop his long march in the state. Chief minister Eknath Shinde’s supporter MP Rahul Shewale had demanded that the yatra should be stopped. Enraged by Rahul’s statements against Savarkar who is held in great esteem by MNS, party chief Raj Thackeray has directed his workers to reach Shegaon to protest. Maharashtra BJP, too, has condemned Rahul for his comments. Rahul’s diatribe against Veer Savarkar, meanwhile, has evoked widespread protests across the state. Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, too, has expressed displeasure about the remarks amidst media reports that he will not participate in the yatra for which he and NCP president Sharad Pawar have been specially invited to join at Shegaon, a famous pilgrimage town in Vidarbha. Rahul is scheduled to address a public meeting there tomorrow. Uddhav’s son Aaditya had embraced Rahul during the yatra a couple of days ago, generating large scale criticism for cozying up with a ‘Hindutva critic.’
Many of us may have noticed world leaders turning on warmth and bonhomie while greeting PM Narendra Modi. Be it French President Emmanuel Macron giving a friendly tap to our PM on his shoulders as he walked in or US President Joe Biden acknowledging him, it just showed the bond world leaders have been sharing with Modi. On his part, Modi also seemed to be making an effort to seal his ties with every leader. He had special gifts for each one of them showcasing India’s culture and arts. Like he gifted a Kangra miniature painting portraying ‘Shringar Rasa’ to the US President. The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak received Mata Ni Pachedi, a sacred textile piece made by nomadic communities in Gujarat. While the head of state from Italy got the Patan Patola Dupatta packed in a ‘Sadeli’ box, which in itself is a decorative piece of woodcraft native to Surat. The Patan Patola textile woven by the Salvi family in Patan area of Northern Gujarat is so well crafted that it becomes a feast of colours, with the front and the reverse being indistinguishable. Leaders from France, Germany and Singapore received Agate bowls from Kutch which are supposed to have healing powers. Modi gifted a tribal art piece, Pithora paintings, to his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. As for the host country, Modi gifted Indonesia a silver bowl from Gujarat and a Kinnauri shawl from Himachal.
The mood at BJP Odisha HQ is upbeat after winning the recently held Dhamnagar by-election. The party is hoping to repeat the feat in the Padampur by-election to be held on December 5. Smarting under the defeat Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal is also taking no chances. It plans to replicate BJP’s sympathy wave strategy in Padampur with the hope of securing women and youth votes. BJD is fielding 29-year old highly qualified Barsha Singh Bariha, elder daughter of the late BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha. Besides, to woo voters BJD has promised to accord district status to Padampur by carving it out of Bargarh district. The BJD government has already announced a slew of projects worth Rs 488 crore for Padampur before election dates were announced which shows its thorough preparedness. It has also inducted politician Raju Ghibela into its fold as he had earlier polled 2% of total vote in the last election as an Independent candidate. If Barsha wins, BJD will make history. This is because Padampur has a history of not voting the same party for two successive terms. BJD had won Padampur seat in 2000, 2009 and 2019 while BJP’s Pradip Purohit lost by a margin of 5,734 votes last time, while Congress finished third. Looks like BJD is determined to rewrite history at Padampur. All eyes on December 8 results.
The prestigious Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Berhampur, Odisha has appointed Sandeep Ranade popularly known as “Geek Gayak” as a visiting scientist. Ranade probably is the first non-PhD scholar to be appointed to this post. He is expected to inspire students to do research in different areas of music. Pune-based Ranade, a software engineer, became globally popular after he won the Apple Designer of the Year Award 2021 for his App –NadSadhana. According to developers at Apple, “NaadSadhana is the sort of future-world app that could only be created by someone with an extremely specialized, almost-impossible skill set. Sandeep Ranade was that someone.” Ranade began singing from the age of four and by the 11th grade he had developed a great liking for vocal music. He has a masters from Johns Hopkins, two decades of tech-world experience, and a thriving career as a Hindustani classical vocalist. He returned to India to pursue both technology and music. He gave the app a test run by recording “Na Corona Karo,” a song about taking precautions against Covid-19 that went viral in social media after it was shared by AR Rahman and others. Ranade says his App is fully based on AI, and is trained not to adjust to the complexities of each instrument, but to the mix of the orchestra and the mood of the singer.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee is on a two-day tour to the two most tribal-dominated districts of Jhargram and West Midnapore amid off-the-cuff remarks by one of her ministers regarding President Droupadi Murmu. The tour also holds significance, with an increase in Maoist activities and considerable hold of the BJP in this area. Didi first conducted administrative review meetings in West Midnapore and Jhargram, followed by a political rally at Midnapore College grounds. She also met the leaders and functionaries to brief them ahead of the rural polls. Incidentally, there is a potential electoral impact since tribal voters account for about 5.8% of Bengal’s total population and in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won five of the eight tribal-dominated seats across the districts of Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram, West Midnapore and Birbhum, popularly called Junglemahal. However, Didi recovered her lost ground by winning 28 of the 54 tribal-dominated seats in south Bengal which includes four Assembly seats in Jhargram and 13 of 15 constituencies in West Midnapore in 2021. According to party insiders, Mamata is worried about the reports of infighting in Jhargram between her tribal MLA Dulal Murmu and a strongman of the district leadership, Ujjal Dutta. She is also worried about the absence of her most trusted lieutenant Anubrata Mondal, who was also looking after the party functioning in West Midnapore, besides Birbhum.
A huge banner has been installed outside Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray’s residence, ‘Matoshri’ in Bandra East at his own behest. It displays pictures of Balasaheb, Meenaatai, Uddhav himself and Aaditya Thackeray. The 70 feet long and 8 feet broad banner has been put up “to prevent defacing of the area outside Matoshri.” The banner also informs the visitors that it has been arranged by the Sena’s Bandra (East) unit following directions of Uddhav. An ace photographer, Uddhav was unhappy since the area outside his residence was used by various Sena leaders on different occasions like birthdays and anniversaries to display their own images and hoardings. This banner will be a permanent fixture so as to protect the frontage of ‘Matoshri,’ which is regarded like a holy place by Shiv Sainiks. The Sena’s new name, ‘Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)’ and its election symbol ‘Torch’ have been inscribed prominently on the banner. The imposing artwork has been viewed as a new initiative by the Uddhav Sena to instill fresh confidence in the rank and file to rejuvenate it for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections though their date is to be announced. Party leaders are in upbeat mood after the unilateral victory of its candidate Rutuja Latke in Andheri (East) assembly by-election last month though they feel the party machine needs to be kept active one way or the other.
Congress In A Cleft Stick On EWS Quota; Could Hurt Its Support Base Among Jats, Lingayats & Marathas
When the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Modi Government’s decision to implement 10% reservation in jobs and higher educational institutions for the economically weaker sections (EWS) in the general category, the Congress initially welcomed the court’s ruling. The party even claimed credit for implementation of the reservation meant for the poor among general category people. The 10% quota, based on economic status, excludes the SCs, STs and the OBC, who already have 49.5% seats reserved for them in government jobs and higher education. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the amendment was the result of a process initiated in 2005-06 by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government. The government had appointed a three-member commission, headed by Major General (Retd) SR Sinho which submitted its report in July 2010. Both the Congress and Modi government have cited the Sinho Commission report as the basis for the legislation. Now, it seems the initial enthusiasm for the EWS quota of the Congress has waned and the party is caught in a cleft stick. That is because the DMK is in no mood to implement EWS quota as Tamil Nadu is already providing 69% reservation. The DMK is stoking anti-Brahmin sentiment over EWS. Interestingly, the Congress manifesto for the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections had taken a different stand. Any anti- EWS stand by the Congress could ultimately hurt its Jat, Lingayat and Maratha support base.
Will heads roll following the Men in Blue team’s inept display against England in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia? Not just going down to the Jos Buttler-led team, but beaten hollow defending a competitive total of 168 was most disappointing, which mirrored the inability of the bowling department to rise above the commonplace. The discerning were quite appalled at the team’s think tank for ignoring the claims of leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal right across the tournament. Rishabh Pant and Chahal ought to have been given permanency on the back of Pant’s run-getting ability on Australian pitches and the potential of Chahal in the big grounds. The BCCI whose president now is Roger Binny and the selection committee must look for ways to cause a big churn in the composition of the white ball teams. Hardik Pandya has to be the front-runner to take over as Twenty20 captain. Perhaps also the one day format should his back does not flare up. The team needs to come out of the stereotype. The choices are limited; Pant has been named the vice-captain of the white ball teams and he could be given a run before next year’s World Cup in India. The BCCI is not known for knee jerk reactions… but fresh ideas are the need of the hour.
Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) is determined to fork out on his own path if the BJP pushes him too hard to take back OPS and Sasikala to make a united AIADMK. If push comes to shove, EPS will not hesitate to break the alliance with the BJP provided he is secure in the legal status quo of his heading the party with the Two Leaves symbol and the Lloyds Road HQ. The local BJP chief K Annamalai asserted recently that the BJP-AIADMK alliance is intact and that the AIADMK lead by EPS will lead that alliance into the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The national leadership seems, however, to favour a united AIADMK party along with the two politicians who are right now out in the cold – OPS and Sasikala. OPS made a show of going out to meet Amit Shah at the India Cements diamond jubilee celebrations but all he got was a perfunctory greeting from the Home Minister who later went into a huddle with his own party men in Chennai rather than invite allies over. The Prime Minister was in Tamil Nadu too but on a schedule in four states in two days too busy to pay much attention to Tamil Nadu politics.
TRENDS & VIEWS
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.