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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.
The Shinde-Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has given Mangal Prabhat Lodha, a reputed builder and staunch BJP loyalist an important portfolio. He has been appointed Minister of Tourism, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Women & Child Development. And one big task he has been entrusted with is to attract global tourists to the state. Toward this objective he has decided to camp for over a week in London for roadshows. Incidentally, his wife Dr Manju Lodha, author-poet, is also in London to release her book Ankahin Kahaniyan at the Nehru Centre to be launched by the Indian High Commissioner. The minister is expected to use this event to hobnob with the biggies and woo them to Maharashtra. Post the book launch Lodha accompanied by Saurabh Vyas, Tourism Secretary, Dr BN Patil, Director, Directorate of Tourism and Dr Dhananjay Sawalkar, Dy Director, Directorate of Tourism will attend World Travel Market between November 7-9. Lodha and team are likely to privatise MTDC’s 30 resorts. The Lodha team is likely to engage Tatas (Taj group), Mahindra group and other experts from the travel trade and hospitality to revamp, refurbish and make all properties productive and profitable. The current Maharashtra government’s thinking is developing strategy is the job of the government but businesses have to be run by private enterprises.
This is one of the oldest private sector banks in the country. It was incorporated on October 31, 1904. Twenty prominent citizens of Kumbakonam joined together to sign the Memorandum of Association. Initially, it preferred the role of a regional bank and built for itself a place in the delta district Thanjavur. The first branch was opened at Mannargudi in January 1930. It was included in the Second Schedule of Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, on March 22, 1945. It was originally known as ‘The Kumbakonam Bank Limited’. In April, 1965, two other local banks – The City Forward Bank Limited and Union Bank Limited – were amalgamated with it. Consequently, it was renamed as Kumbakonam City Union Bank Limited. In November 1965, the bank’s first branch in Madras was opened at Thyagaraya Nagar. Its first branch outside Tamil Nadu was opened at Sultanpet in Karnataka in September, 1980. That set the stage for its foray into other states. Its name was changed to City Union Bank in December 1987. Today, it has a deposit base of over Rs. 48,770 core (in the 1st quarter). With a net profit of Rs.225 crore in Q1 FY23, the bank is on a solid ground. Unlike Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, which just went public, the journey of this one has been fairly smooth. Well, longevity lends substance to the brand.
Serious efforts are underway to revise the controversial power generation gas-based project at Dabhol in Ratnagiri district. The Shinde-Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has received positive signals to rejuvenate the project, popularly known as Enron. Presently, there is complete closure of the project since 31 March this year. Union power minister RK Singh recently held a meeting at which the power generation from the project was reportedly discussed. The project was launched by the government of then chief minister Sharad Pawar in 1993-95 with a counter-guarantee by the Government of India. After the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance assumed power in the state in 1995, it scrapped the project then revived it under revised conditionalities. The public sector NTPC is the principal shareholder in Enron. However, the project never fully recovered despite Centre’s efforts since gas supply to it was not adequate. It is now argued that if gas is made available at reasonable rates, power generation can become feasible at cheaper cost. The last per unit cost from the project was Rs.6.50 and the sole consumer was the railways. The railways started purchasing 500 MW of power from this plant on the basis of a subsidy from the Centre from 1 April 2007. The quota dwindled down to about 250 MW due to various reasons. The five-year agreement expired on 31 March this year, finally shutting down the operations.
With Rahul Gandhi slated to enter Maharashtra on November 7 for his Bharat Jodo yatra, prominent state Congress leaders are busy making themselves fit enough to accompany him for whatever distance they can walk. Their adherence to a strict regimen of exercising over the past few days has attracted media attention after former energy minister Nitin Raut, who was with the yatra, collapsed last night and is undergoing treatment at a Hyderabad hospital. While one version says he just could not cope up with the strain, his supporters said he was pushed by someone in a crowd that had gathered to greet Rahul. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan has been taking brisk walks amidst his followers and security personnel. He is said to be walking 5km daily for the past few days. As Rahul enters Maharashtra in Nanded district at Deglur, it is Chavan who will welcome him first on behalf of the state Congress. Chavan and his father late SB Chavan have dominated the district politics for decades. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole is toning up his muscles to withstand the yatra, whose average daily distance is stated to be 40 km. NCP chief Sharad Pawar was to join the yatra for some duration but his current hospitalization has raised a question mark about his ability to do so. Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray, too, will join the yatra though no details are announced as of now.
The by-election to the Adampur assembly constituency in Haryana on November 3 has become a prestige battle of sorts for the BJP and the Congress. It is a contest that is happening because sitting Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi resigned after he was blamed for the defeat of Congress Rajya Sabha nominee Ajay Maken in June 2022 when he allegedly cross-voted in favour of JJP-backed and BJP-supported Independent candidate, Kartikeya Sharma. Bishnoi was removed from all party posts including as special invitee to Congress Working Committee. On August 3, 2022, he resigned from the Haryana Legislative Assembly and joined the BJP. His son Bhavya Bishnoi is contesting on the BJP ticket; he is the grandson of former CM Bhajan Lal. Not wanting to leave anything to chance as it had lost two by-elections in two years – Baroda by-poll in 2020 and Ellenabad by-poll in 2021, the Haryana BJP has assigned senior leaders to campaign for the by-election. Senior leaders, including state president Om Prakash Dhankar, Ram Bilas Sharma, Capt Abhimanyu and Kamal Gupta have visited Adampur, says party sources. There has been a record of high profile campaigns for this seat by three CMs – Manohar Khattar (Haryana), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab) and Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi). Former CM Bhupendra Singh Hooda charged the Khattar Government of doing nothing except snipping the OBC quota and welfare schemes.
The travel bug has been let loose in India, as in the rest of the world, like the champagne from a just-uncorked bottle. Flights are full despite the high fares, hotels and resorts everywhere are choc-a-bloc and travel agents are doing brisk business with visa appointments, especially for the US and Europe, being available only months later. A new finding, however, is that all this is not only because of the average person having been allowed out of home after more than two years of having been confined since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Many travellers to more soothing climes are businessmen and industrialists. In the salubrious hill station of Madikeri in Coorg district of Karnataka, for instance, scores of tourists are strolling about on guided tours to look at the coffee plantations and the historic 17th-century Madikeri Fort and Omkareshwar temple. A difference this time is that they include a large number from other parts of the country who are getting away from falling sales and profits. “Nothing to do with business here,” says one auto components manufacturer from Maharashtra, who is here with his family. “We are just trying, unsuccessfully, to forget about the impending recession.” The only plus point, he adds, is that Coorg is “a nice place for a holiday, a must-visit destination”.
In an unusual move, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he shared a stage with him at ‘Mangarh Dham ki Gaurav Gatha’ at Mangadh Hill in Rajasthan’s Banswara on November 1. He talked about how Modi “receives great honour when he goes abroad. Because he is the PM of the nation of Gandhi, where democracy is deep-rooted. When the world realises this, they feel proud that the PM of that country is coming to them.” At a time, when the Congress is usually targeting the PM, it is interesting that Gehlot chose to lavish praise on him. These words of praise for Modi seem to be coming days before new party chief Mallikarjun Kharge is set to initiate disciplinary action against Rajasthan leaders for defying high command authority. As a shrewd political player Gehlot may have chosen a public forum to send a message to the AICC that he could be exploring other options. On his part, PM Modi reciprocated Gehlot’s gesture by recalling working together as CM and how “he is senior most in our lot of CMs”. Interestingly, Gehlot loyalists had recently opposed Sachin Pilot’s elevation as CM on the ground that he had hobnobbed with the BJP during the 2020 crisis. But then is it okay for Gehlot to warm up to Modi? Or BJP is merely a punching bag for the Congress?
Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray’s right hand man Milind Narvekar continues to attract attention due to controversial statements made by the group led by chief minister Eknath Shinde. One such latest statement has been made by industry minister Uday Samant against the backdrop of the state’s decision to upgrade Narvekar’s security cover. So far, Narvekar has not reacted to any such statements. Considered quite close to the CM, Samant was among the very first batch of the Sena MLAs to leave Uddhav and rush to Guwahati along with Shinde. At present, Samant has been leading the assault against the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi regime over the flight of industrial investments from Maharashtra to other states, especially to Gujarat. In an interaction with the media, Samant said, “We shall remain behind Narvekar firmly if there is any threat to him. Narvekar will be welcomed if he wishes to join us.” Samant’s statement comes soon after Narvekar has been elected to the cash-rich Mumbai Cricket Association with the support of leaders like Sharad Pawar, Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis. In this regard, Samant has lauded Narvekar’s all-party cordial relationship. He revealed that when he decided to join the Shiv Sena by leaving the Nationalist Congress Party, it was Narvekar who took him to Uddhav Thackeray. “Some people feel jealous if Narvekar is praised,” Samant taunted.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s appeal to the Tata Group to invest in and around his hometown Nagpur has received positive response from the industrial giant while a political battle is raging in the state over the group’s earlier decision to shift its Airbus project to Hyderabad from Maharashtra. In his letter to Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran written on 7 October, Gadkari’s missive assumes significance over earlier losing the Rs 22000 crore aircraft manufacturing project for which the Group has tied up with Airbus. The Tata Group chairman has replied to Gadkari that his team would be interacting with a Nagpur delegation of Vidarbha Economic Development (VED) council, as suggested by Gadkari. On the other hand, Tata’s decision has kicked up a political storm in Maharashtra. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had told the media in Mumbai a day ago that a Tata official had said in 2021 to him that the conditions in the state were not suitable for setting up the Airbus project. Challenging him, Aditya alleged that the project was shifted to Gujarat at the behest of the Centre. The state had lost investments of thousands of crore rupees due to inaction by the Shinde-Fadnavis government. Aditya said, “I challenge Fadnavis to name the Tata company official who said that the situation was not appropriate to set up the Airbus project in Maharashtra.”
These days Shah Rukh Khan carries an umbrella. Reason: he wants to make sure that paparazzi don’t get a glimpse of him. SRK who was once very friendly with journos is miffed with the entire tribe for going overboard while reporting on his son Aryan Khan’s drug case. He is also angry with the media for publicizing his personal life. But, does hiding behind an umbrella ensure that the media will stop reporting on him or his son? Senior journalists say that SRK cannot complain as every time they tried to reach out to him or his legal team, they were stone-walled. Given this situation they could do nothing but file stories after talking to reliable sources. For Bollywood this is not a new phenomenon. In the eighties, Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha had banned the media for publishing their alleged relationship. They neither gave interviews nor allowed journalists on their sets. Big B broke his 10-year ban and has now become the darling of the media. In the case of Salman Khan it is a love-hate relationship. It came to the fore during his affair with Aishwaryaa Rai. In fact, a leading film magazine, much to his annoyance, stopped writing about him after he misbehaved with their photographer. Now Sallu bhai is a changed man but occasionally the old Salman Khan does surface. Meanwhile, Aryan Khan continues to carry an umbrella and refuses to oblige the waiting paparazzi.
Indian origin British citizen Chandru Iyer, former Head of Business Development, South Asia Group at Grant Thornton UK is changing his career track. Iyer will don the mantle of a diplomat. He moves from the UK to Bengaluru to take over as the British Deputy High Commissioner. Chandru’s experience in the India-UK business corridor gives him the additional responsibility to oversee the trade and investment in the South of India and South Asia. Incidentally, the term of Alan Gemell, the current British Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai who is also the Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia, comes to an end and thus it appears that Chandru’s role becomes more formidable extended to South Asia beyond south India. Chandru’s appointment comes at a time when the relationship between the two countries is extremely amicable and signing of the Free Trade Agreement is just round the corner. Hailing from Nagpur, Chandru needs no introduction to the corporate world, the India –UK business corridor, Department of International trade and the media in the UK. Fluent in various Indian languages Chandru was a popular host at several formal events hosted by Grant Thornton UK including the annual Diwali party. His name featured in the “Top 100 Influential People in India UK business relations”. He was instrumental in developing Grant Thornton’s strategic growth plans in the South Asia region.
The Munugode by-election is a barometer for the 2024 polls in Telangana. Tied in a three-way battle with the Congress and the BJP, it is prestigious for the ruling TRS of KCR. The BJP is fighting tooth and nail with KCR, drawing him out in a personal battle over his daughter they call ‘Liquor Rani’, to come up at least a close second to trigger a series of defections before the big event two years hence. The battle used to be between the Congress and the TDP in the constituency for decades before Telangana was formed and TRS came into the picture. But the Congress got so busy with the Bharat Jodo Yatra of its prince that it brought campaigning to a halt to go to the neighbouring district when barely days remained for the poll on November 3 (result on Nov 6). The BJP, already engaged in a large but shady campaign of wooing TRS MLAs over with inducements, is hoping to seriously challenge the TRS in Telangana in the coming Assembly elections. Surveys indicate a huge anti-incumbency building against TRS and KCR in India’s youngest state and BJP is aiming to not only take Telangana but also try to boost its tally of MPs from a non-BJP state in the south in 2024. It appears the Congress has willingly put itself in a third position where it should have been battling for a comeback.
Was it a gaffe or a prediction? Close to midnight Adelaide time on Monday (Oct 31), Chetan Sharma was in good form telling a long time journalist Vijay Tagore: “I am watching the team, I am with them. They are playing brilliant cricket. There are no problems. We (India) will win the World Cup. Don’t worry,” said Sharma, the Chairman of the BCCI senior national selection committee who is travelling with the Indian team. Sharma’s soothsayer-like statement came at the end of the answer to a question on Dinesh Karthik being preferred over Rishabh Pant in the first three matches of the ICC Men’s World Twenty20 against Pakistan, Netherlands and South Africa. Sharma has been the Chairman of the selection committee from December 2020 and obviously he is quite optimistic of Rohit Sharma’s team — that lost to South Africa last Sunday (Oct 30) — winning the World Twenty20 for the second time after 2007. Sharma began saying that it would be improper to comment when the World Cup is going on and that it is for the captain and coach to respond to questions on playing XI selections and that he would definitely do that after the World Cup is over. All this happened after he announced the teams for a white ball series in New Zealand and Bangladesh and also a Test series in Bangladesh. At the end of it all Head Coach Rahul Dravid said: We have to play very well in four more games to win the World Cup.
With as many as 141 lives being lost, 180 people being rescued and innumerable people still feared missing after a British era bridge in Gujarat’s Morbi district collapsed on October 30, there has been a war of words between the BJP and AAP in the social media over an AAP MLA from Delhi Naresh Balyan predicting dhamaka in Gujarat two days in advance. Citing these tweets, the BJP alleged a conspiracy and leaders like Kapil Mishra called the Morbi tragedy a “bhayanak hatyakand” or conspiracy. While AAP leaders dismissed this as an attempt to “evade responsibility and digress from the terrible tragedy”, Balyan explained his tweet as a possibility of “many BJP leaders joining AAP in Gujarat.” Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asked if it was an “act of God or an act of fraud”. Around 500 people were on the suspension bridge when the cables supporting it snapped, sending people crashing into the Machchhu river below. The bridge could take the weight of only about 125 people and had been shut for seven months for repairs; it was reopened to the public on October 26, the Gujarati New Year, without a fitness certificate from the civic authorities. The Morbi tragedy couldn’t have come at a worse time for the BJP in poll-bound Gujarat. PM Modi cancelled his road shows in Gujarat and is expected to be in Morbi on Tuesday.
It is daggers drawn in the West Bengal unit of BJP. According to party insiders, the state BJP President Sukanta Majumdar is likely to go; he may be replaced by the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. If this happens, Suvendu will resign from the post of LoP giving way to BJP MLA Manoj Tigga, chief whip of the state unit. These changes will be made once Panchayat Poll dates are announced. Majumdar is likely to get a shunting post of central secretary or any post in the parliamentary party. All these developments come against the backdrop of the party’s new state observer and All India General Secretary (Organization) BL Santosh’s discussions with the Bengal committee members following Majumdar’s failure to attack TMC over a series of issues. Besides, it is known that Suvendu even while at TMC had great acceptance, ground-level reach and connect. This will benefit BJP in the Panchayat Polls. However, both RSS and the old guards of the BJP are against Suvendu’s ascension as the next state president. They are rooting for National vice president and former state president Dilip Ghosh, a diehard RSS man. The state RSS and VHP members feel, if Suvendu becomes the state president, the power of the party will go into the hands of Trinamool turncoat which will tarnish the prospects of BJP in Panchayat polls.
Reliance Retail is eyeing the Kerala-based hypermarket and electronic store Bismi, owned by the first generation entrepreneur VA Ajmal. Bismi operates 30 electronics and grocery retail chains across Kerala. Each Bismi Hypermarkets which are a combination of food, groceries and electronics operate in premises of 30,000 to 40,000 sq ft. The standalone single format grocery stores occupy 10,000 sq ft. Started in 2003, Bismi generates a business of Rs 750 cr per annum. The company hopes to achieve a turnover of Rs 4000 cr in the next couple of years. On the anvil are 40 plus Bismi Hypermakets and electronic stores in tier-2 cities across the country. Informed sources said that the talks with Reliance Retail are at an advanced stage and should have been concluded by Diwali. The Bismi valuation is the vicinity of Rs 600 crore. However, Ajmal has refused to confirm nor deny the deal. Reliance Retail today operates 2000 brick and mortar grocery stores across India. It also operates JioMart, an e-commerce platform. The Indian retail market is estimated at $ 900 billion.
It is a pioneering enterprise of the independent era. It was born on February 21, 1946 when the World War was over and political freedom was around the country. It made a humble start with a cement factory at Thalaiyuthu, Tamil Nadu, an almost unmapped tiny village in Tirunelveli, which, over the years, grew to become a self-contained township at Sankarnagar. From a modest beginning in 1949 when Sankar Cement made its first appearance in the market, India Cements has grown in stature — from two plants with a capacity of 1.3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in 1989 to 10 cement plants with a capacity of 15.55 MTPA in five States. The company stood the test of time to become a strong player in the field. Well, N Srinivasan-led The India Cements has decided to celebrate 75 years of its birth. Why not? After all, the cement industry is by definition cyclical in nature. The celebrations are a testimony to its capacity – nay ability – to manage the cyclicality. The celebrations have been delayed by a year because of Covid-19 pandemic. If grapevine has to go by, Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to be the chief guest at the event, which will be held in Chennai in the first half of next month. Since 1989, Srinivasan has been in command. Looking at its remarkable journey, a big celebration is in order.
Odisha-based internationally acclaimed sand artist and Padma Shri Awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik seems to be grabbing headlines in the UK for all the wrong reasons. Pattnaik like most Indians was excited with the Indian origin Rishi Sunkak becoming the Prime Minister of UK. So, in his own inimitable style he paid tribute to Sunak by creating a sand portrait of Rishi Sunak on the Puri beach. This creation came in for heavy criticism from the British media which stated that the renowned sand artist Pattnaik has gone wrong in depicting Rishi Sunak; he looked very much like the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Sudarsan is indeed apologetic. He told The Independent, UK which he has uploaded on his Twitter handle “My only intention was to draw Mr Sunak to congratulate him. It was a proud moment for me to witness the historic moment of an Indian origin man becoming prime minister of the UK like many Indians.” Also, what propelled Pattnaik to draw Sunak was his personal connection with Sunak’s mother-in-law Sudha Murthy who had encouraged him in his initial years. Sudarsan laments the fact that his good intention has created unnecessary controversy but he will make up for it by creating another one, and make it look more accurate.
With a huge success hosting Commonwealth Games in the City of Birmingham, Mayor Andy Street is set to travel to India between November 6-12 leading a big delegation of business leaders and politicians. Andy’s India trip includes visits to Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. Andy’s visit in early November comes at a time when the UK is undergoing a huge political, social and economic turmoil and the Free Trade Agreement that was scheduled during Diwali has been postponed. Thus this mission is expected to build on the on-going negotiations for a new UK-India FTA and will promote opportunities for bilateral trade and investment between India, the West Midlands and the wider UK. During his visit it’s learnt that his delegation will sign various MoUs. Meeting with the Chairman of the ICCR Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe has been scheduled in New Delhi and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre will sign a MoU with the ICCR. Andy and Senior representatives from The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) and partners including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) will explore business partnerships with CII members, meet Telangana leaders in Hyderabad and visit WE Hub to encourage women entrepreneurship. They have lined-up meetings with the Tata Group, TVS, Mahindra & Mahindra, Switch Mobility, Firstsource, Air India and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
Corporates usually queue up to greet clients with gift hampers during Diwali. But this one has decided to do a different thing. Shriram AMC (Asset Management Company), a unit of the Shriram group, has launched “Deepti” this Diwali. It’s a financial initiative intended to have a lasting positive impact on the lives of girl children. Through Deepti, AMC will extend its assistance to select girl students who have great visions but struggle for funds to finance them. Shriram AMC had roped in Mumbai-based Katalyst – a non-governmental organization — to implement Deepti. Shriram AMC has identified two sets of beneficiaries under Deepti initiative. The Deepti will benefit college-goers from economically-challenged backgrounds. Katalyst will help Shriram AMC to identify and reach the target group who are good at academics but lack the relevant training and mentorship to face the corporate world. Typically, Shriam is seeking to invest in their training that will eventually help them in the future. The beneficiaries of Deepti in this category would be engineering college students with good academic profiles and a vision for their career paths. Deepti will also benefit school students who come from poor backgrounds. Deepti is a part of the Shriram group’s vision to work for the cause of women empowerment.
DMK spokesperson Saidai Sadiq is on a sticky wicket after having called actors-turned-netas such as Khushbu Sundar and Gowthami as “items”. He may have believed he had picked soft targets but ran into a doughty Khushbu who took it up on social media with such force as a defender of women that Sadiq had to make a grovelling apology on TV. But that came only after Kanimozhi, DMK MP, had tendered an apology to Khushbu and others, saying such sexism cannot be tolerated. The high- profile daughter of M Karunanidhi has just been elevated in the party as a Deputy General Secretary and has clout with the top party brass, which is why Saidai’s position is looking increasingly shaky. Also, in picking on Khushbu, he may have strayed into very sensitive territory for, as a member of the DMK before she crossed over to BJP, she was very close to the first family, having known three generation of male leaders in Karunanidhi, Stalin and Udhayanidhi by dint of their film industry links. The issue at hand is, however, clearly about the denigration of women and to say they are an “item” was most demeaning. The speaker is certain to face his party’s wrath for only recently Stalin had said publicly that he has spent sleepless nights because of such unwarranted remarks from his partymen.
More than 90000 spectators turned up for the India-Pakistan World Twenty20 match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23 and 36000 plus for the India-Netherlands Group 2 league match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 27. The rest of the matches are going to be played at the Optus Stadium at Perth on Sunday (Oct 30) and Adelaide Oval before the last league match against Zimbabwe at the MCG again. The ICC has been smart to schedule India’s matches at venues that will draw a big crowd and rake in the moolah. Among the spectators are the faithful of the Indian kind from different parts of the USA, UK and Continental Europe. A Gujarati couple from Chowpatty, Mumbai but settled in Baltimore said they will follow the Indian team till the end and they have not travelled all the way from Baltimore just for one marquee match against Pakistan. Last October in the UAE, India lost the first two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand, but a year later Rohit Sharma’s team has reversed the trend in Australia by winning the first two matches. These two wins have raised the hopes of India winning the title, but as it happened in the third match on Thursday (Oct 27), Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by one run to almost eliminate Babar Azam’s team from the tournament. However with Virat Kohli ever so determined, India should reach the semi-finals from where it can be anybody’s game!
Manipur Governor La Ganesan, who is holding temporary charge of West Bengal, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appear to have warmed up to each other. He has invited Didi to his elder brother’s 80th birthday in Chennai on November 3. Mamata has accepted the invite, in what appears to be her attempt to mend ties with the Raj Bhavan. Ganesan was given additional charge of West Bengal in July after his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar became the Vice President. Dhankhar’s three-year tenure in the Raj Bhavan was marked by heated exchanges with Mamata who even blocked him on Twitter in January. But, with Ganesan being nice to her, she too wants to mend her ties. The big question is whether Ganesan’s move has the blessings of PM Modi or HM Amit Shah. The warmth in their dealings has apparently set the tongues wagging in Kolkata. On October 24, Ganesan attended Kali Puja at Mamata’s residence along with his family. The CM gave a short tour to the Governor amidst the festivities. Governor was “very impressed” by Mamata’s modest residence and asked her how she lives in a small house. Ganesan, who was close to DMK chief M Karunanidhi, has also invited Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin. Bengal BJP leaders dismiss the bonhomie between Ganesan and Mamata as of no consequence. Ditto TMC leaders.
The adage that governments should not be in business is turning out to be true as far as the App hailing cab service launched by Kerala’s Left Front government goes. Launched on August 17, Kerala Savari seems to have come a cropper. Over 5000 trips were cancelled. A closer look reveals that 5,141 trips were cancelled by the drivers registered with the app while the user cancellation was only 76. According to officials, drivers tend to go for more attractive deals on other private apps and cancel the rides. The private auto services are charging Rs 55 for a minimum distance with Rs 23.50 being added for every one-half km, which is much higher than the standard rate fixed by the government. The slew of cancellations have eroded the trust of the users at a time when the app is available only in Trivandrum city limits on a pilot basis. However, it failed to take-off due to technical glitches for two weeks. The hiccups raised concern among drivers who enrolled for the taxi app. They also complained of no effective marketing strategies. The CPM has been at the forefront of such foolhardy decisions designed to give its historically militant labour unions a leg up on the employment front. A recent example was the government’s failed attempt to take over the Trivandrum Airport which went to Adani.
Fifty three year old Ajay Devgn is one of the busiest actors in Bollywood. The actor–director-producer has four films in the pipeline; one just released this Diwali. Ajay is not really a Diwali hero as most of the time it has been the Khans who time their movie release with Diwali. And if Ajay has released his film on Diwali it has been a clash most of the time with Shah Rukh Khan; he does not really enjoy a rapport with SRK although his wife Kajol hits off with him both on screen and off screen. Ajay Devgn has been a consistent-intense actor who works at his pace and is not in the rat race. With more than 100 films under his belt, he has won national accolades for his contribution to cinema. He has worked with well- known directors like Prakash Jha, Rajkumar Santoshi and Ramgopal Varma but it was Rohit Shetty who gave him the angry Singham stamp. And the same Shetty’s Midas touch has made Ajay’s poker faced comedy a huge box office hit in the Golmaal series. The actor is also a director and Raju Chacha was his first venture. In recent times Ajay has directed Shivaay and Runway 24 the latter starring Big B. The politically correct devoid of controversy actor has several projects on hand — Thank God has just been released. It will be followed by Drishyam 2, Maidaan and Bhola.
BYJU’S, which recently announced the retrenchment of 5% of its 50,000 strong staff in a phased manner, has now gone ahead and shut down its Trivandrum office. The Kerala government’s General Education and Labour Minister, V Sivankutty in a Facebook post has stated “It is alleged that BYJU’S has closed down its Trivandrum office at Technopark, forcing its employees to resign.” More than 170 employees with the Trivandrum unit have told the Minister that they are seeking compensation and pending salaries. Technopark Today, the community media platform, reported that BYJU’S employees were demanding “payment of salary for the month of October 2022 and one-time settlement of salary for the upcoming three months, from November 2022 to January 2023.”Also, “they have demanded encashment of earned leave and full settlement of variable pay as applicable to each employee.” BYJU’S which commands a valuation of $ 22-billion announced a slew of belt tightening measures after posting a loss of Rs 4,588 crore for the fiscal of 2021. Apart from retrenchment of its staff, the company announced that it is optimising its marketing budget, prioritising spends, reducing operational cost and integrating multiple businesses. The company put the blame of its losses in 2020-21 due to the operations at WhiteHat Jr.
Arshdeep Singh has come a long way in a short span of time and proved his mettle in the big league of international cricket. He was sounded out at the back-end of the IPL Season 15 by the selectors that they are looking at him as a contender for the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup. And that’s because he is a left-hand seamer, and potentially long term prospect — a rare talent among the fast and seam bowling variety in India’s domestic circuit. Last Sunday (Oct 23), the young kid on the block silenced the Pakistan supporters among the 90,000 odd who had come to watch the India-Pakistan skirmish at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium. Making his debut in an ICC event for the first time, Arshdeep manipulated the ball into the right hander bowling from over the wicket and the Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was trapped in front first ball. It was the fifth time that Azam was dispatched for a first ball duck. Azam has scored 3231 runs coming into the match; he had baulked India in the last year’s World Cup opener in the UAE. Arshdeep went on to dismiss Mohammed Rizwan and Asif Ali in his second spell and now has a tally of 22 wickets in 14 matches. The Sardar is turning out to be a real find!
Rishi Sunak’s rise as UK PM has prompted sharp responses in India. Sunak, the 42-year-old Indian-origin UK leader, is the first-ever UK PM of South Asian heritage, and is the youngest premier the country has seen in about two centuries. For the UK to have a PM of colour is being hailed as a key moment. In India, PM Narendra Modi defined Sunak — the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy — as a “living bridge” and looked forward to working with him. Meanwhile, the Opposition were gloating how a minority member has been accepted. “First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak. The people of the US and the UK have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government,” tweeted Congress’s P Chidambaram. “I think there is a lesson to be learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism,” he stressed. Coming from the Congress, it is a bit rich. The party could have got Sonia Gandhi elected as PM in 2004 itself. But then if one were to go by the account of K Natwar Singh in his book it was Rahul Gandhi’s threat that had made Sonia give up the crown. As for Shashi Tharoor wondering if India could have a minority PM in India, he forgets between 2004 and 2014, Dr Manmohan Singh belonging to Sikh minority was the PM.
This Deepawali, the crowds in front of his house, “Brindavan” in Chennai started swelling from 7 am. Men, women and youthful enthusiasts stood rearing to greet Thalaiva with frenzy. The Poes Garden cul de sac of just six families has witnessed this crazed stargazing crowd, year after year. Age does not wither nor custom stale the Rajini phenomenon despite all the criticisms flung at him…fickle political stance, waning star attraction, dropping box office collections, hackneyed formula films…Rajini is Teflon coated and super resilient. The phenomenon has kept his fan base intact for over 45 years now. The 70-year old clad in a simple dhoti, white jubula with vibhuti generously smeared on his forehead came out, stood on a bench and greeted the crowd. The roar that went up must have given him goosebumps. The star still reigns super. After the lukewarm response to his Annathe, Rajini signed up for SUN pictures Jailer, directed by Nelson and its shooting is in progress. With Aishwarya Rai and Ramya Krishnan as female foils, Rajini hopes to stir up a storm. He is working hard to be fit. Neighbours spot a trim Rajini on regular brisk walks, wearing his earphones, even walking backwards, a yogic practice for balance. Is Rajini the ultimate Karmayogi? Do your stuff, move on, don’t let success or failure weigh you down. This phenomenon endures, a cult figure.
In an emotional reunion, a young Army officer in Kargil presented PM Narendra Modi with a 2001 picture of him when Modi had visited Sainik School in Balachadi, Gujarat as CM and presented him with a shield. When they met again on October 24 this year in Kargil it was a nostalgic meeting. Interacting with soldiers, Modi pointed out, “There has not been a single war with Pakistan when Kargil has not flown the victory flag”. Emphasising on the importance of 1999 Kargil armed conflict for India, he recalled how he was a witness to the war and had watched it closely as he had come to spend time with the jawans when they were giving a befitting reply to the enemies. Modi had gone to Kargil as an ordinary citizen to drop off the supplies put together by countrymen and said that it was a moment of worship for him. What is of interest is the manner in which the PM was seen freely interacting with the soldiers, enjoying music with them — like when a soldier crooned AR Rahman’s number Maa Tujhe Salam. The high-altitude conflict zone reflected mini India with Tamil soldiers enthralling the PM with a Tamil song and even a Gujarati song boomed from Kargil —“Gandhiji Gujarati, Modiji Gujarati, Gujarati na bol bala amme lehri lala, amme lala“. Modi tweeted about the videos in Gujarati & Tamil.
It will not only be a great moment in British history but also that of Indian history as Rishi Sunak takes over at 10 Downing Street after being voted in as Tory Party leader on Diwali day. It is 75 years since Winston Churchill, Britain’s greatest hero of World War II, made the terrible remark on Indians saying – “All Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw”. And that was said by a man who is considered as responsible for the Bengal Famine of the 1940s when he allowed Indians to starve while the grain was earmarked for British troops. Only seven years ago was the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi as the apostle of peace and fighter of freedom for India recognised as his statue was installed in the British Parliament in 2015. Britain gets an Indian origin Prime Minister. At 42, he is Britain’s youngest PM in 200 years, educated at Oxford in true blue Britain and Stanford in the US, as rich as royalty thanks to his wife Akshata, daughter of Narayana Murthy of Infosys fame, and as fund manager at Goldman Sachs conversant with the financial markets. The controversies over his wife’s non-domiciled tax status in the UK and the US green card he kept for too long are behind him now. He is expected to unite Britain at a time of a grave financial crisis.
With 5G being the flavour of the times, the emphasis on the present day mobile and broadband speed is turning out to be low priority. According to Ookla Speedtest Global Index, the Indian ranking in media mobile network speeds as well as fixed broadband speeds globally has slipped marginally from 117 and 78 respectively to 118 and 79 respectively. However, the median download speed marginally increased from 13.52 Mbps in August to 13.87 mbps in September. In the case of fixed broadband median the average speed also increased from 48.29 Mbps to 48.59 Mbps. For the record, China tops the Speedtest Global Index with Shanghai as the fastest city with a median download speed of 158.63 Mbps for mobile networks. During its trail phase, the Indian 5G networks have generated a download speed of 500 Mbps. The Ookla report also goes on to state that close to 90% of existing Indian mobile owners will shift to 5G as and when it comes about. Reports indicate that it will take from two to three years for 5G to cover the entire country. Till then Indians will have to live with the present download speeds which puts India’s ranking lower than Nepal (115), Pakistan (116) and Sri Lanka (117).
While Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has scored his third political victory in as many days, his son Amit has asked the government to grant as bonus a month’s salary for police personnel in the state. Raj Thackeray’s Diwali celebration at the historic Shivaji Park on Friday (Oct 21) evening has deep political overtones since chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis appeared on his stage. Shinde made a loaded statement there. He said, “I wanted to attend this celebration for the last 10 years but could not come.” The barb has been aimed at his erstwhile boss Uddhav Thackeray, who is at loggerheads with cousin Raj. The first win for Raj was the prompt response to his appeal by Fadnavis to withdraw the BJP candidate from Andheri assembly by-election. The second was his letter to Shinde seeking relief to farmers. Soon thereafter, the CM announced the writing off the farmer loans. The third victory is the presence of CM and DCM on his platform. Amit also has been sending out clear political signals. Response is awaited to his appeal to Fadnavis, also the home minister, to consider the case of police personnel for a bonus so that their Diwali becomes joyful.
India captain Rohit Sharma was a cool captain, deftly fielding questions on the eve of India’s opening ICC Men’s Twenty 20 World Cup match against Pakistan at the majestic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. He readily acknowledged that Pakistan has always been a competitive side ever since he played against them in 2007 for the first time and that the supporters would hope to see a good match. Sharma has been the full time captain of the Indian team across all formats since October 2021. At the outset he pointed out that giving security (of their position in the team) has been the biggest change in the last 12 months. The highest run getter in the Twenty20 format – the second being Virat Kohli — Sharma confessed that the team knows that India has not won an ICC event since 2013, but is not burdened by such thoughts. India and Pakistan have played three matches in the last 12 months, one in the last year’s World Twenty20 and twice in the Asia Cup. Well into his 30s, Sharma will not have the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja and so he will have to depend on the exploits of Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh to deliver the goods with ball, and also hope the spinners rise to the occasion.
A day after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, announced that Pakistan is “no longer subject to its increased monitoring process” as it has agreed to continue to work with APG (Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering) to further “improve its AML and CFT (Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing) system” and India noted that it was scrutiny that had forced Islamabad to take anti-terror steps, DMK leader TR Baalu decided it was a good time to move the Modi Government for seeking help for a miniscule group — Tamils in Pakistan. In a letter to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Baalu pointed out that the Tamils in Madrasi Bara in Karachi have been living there for decades and were taken there by the British. “During the British days, they were taken to East Pakistan to do account related jobs and they subsequently moved to present day Pakistan.” Post partition, these people opted to live in Pakistan. However, in view of deteriorating ties between the two countries these expats have not been able to visit their ancestral villages in Tamil Nadu or enable their children to maintain a cultural and language connect with Tamil Nadu. Urging the EAM to arrange for a visit of the Pak Tamils to their villages, Baalu offered to extend support of MK Stalin government in imparting Tamil language skills to next-generation Pak Tamils.
The Maharashtra government has intensified its campaign to ensure that the state does not lose the multi-billion rupee Nanar refinery project in Ratnagiri district in Konkan region. The precaution is said to be taken to avoid recurrence of the Vedanta-Foxconn fiasco that occurred a couple of months ago. With an estimated Indian and international investment of over Rs 3 lakh core, Nanar was projected as the largest such refinery in the world. Nearly 7500 acres of land was acquired for it though some land holders were against it. The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime then decided to shift it to a nearby village, Barsu, though opposition from others quarters continued. After losing Vedanta-Foxconn, the Shinde-Fadnavis government held a cabinet sub-committee meeting, which took place after a lapse of 14 months. After discussing pros and cons, it was felt that the project should stay at Nanar and the opposing villages deleted from its planning. After keeping this area of about 2000 acres out, the proposed project can be developed on the acquired 5500 acres of land, it was suggested. Chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis have been wooing various industrialists to start their projects in Maharashtra. Coincidentally, the sub-committee met just when it was being announced that Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was to visit Pune to attract industry through his “Invest MP” initiative.
Former Union home minister Shivraj Patil has put his foot in his mouth on many occasions in the past and his latest ‘Jihad’ remark has come as no surprise for those knowing him. Patil was in the news last time when it was found out that he had completely deleted the sordid 26/11 terrorist attack tragedy on Mumbai by Pakistan from his autobiography Odyssey of My Life. A lightweight figure in Maharashtra politics, Patil was always rewarded due to his total loyalty to the Gandhi clan. In active politics for over 45 years, Patil was always close to the powers that be. He has not participated in any protest or demonstration. Due to his penchant for ‘correctness’ and razor-sharp crease of his suits, Patil never indulged into the hurly-burly of street politics. Every time a Maharashtra chief minister was to be changed by the Congress high command, Shivraj Patil’s lackeys would indicate that his name was being considered. On a couple of such occasions, he camped in Mumbai but was never sounded by the party. He would then himself discount the news reports and criticize the media for circulating them. Patil had claimed after the 26 November 2008 Pakistani attacks that he had air travelled to Mumbai in a cargo plane along with about 250-300 NSG commandos. However, the claim was rubbished by the officials who had been on that aircraft. As a result, the entire episode vanished from his autobiography.
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It was interesting to hear former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu hold forth on the language issue. Unencumbered by any office, he spoke freely on Hindi imposition which is a pet project of the RSS and Modi Government. Naidu handled the sensitive subject in his own inimitable style. Addressing a News Broadcasters Federation, he said “‘We are a federal country, we have different states, but we are one nation. My preference is always for my mother tongue, then brother tongue and then any other tongue.” Recalling how as Rajya Sabha Chairman he had ensured all members could speak in their mother tongue. Describing mother tongue as eyesight, Naidu described English as spectacles. “Without eyesight, there is no use for the most expensive pair of glasses.” It was politically significant that Naidu called on people to “try and learn one language that is spoken by a large number of people — be it Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali or Marathi”. By this, he meant those from Hindi-speaking areas should also pick up an Indian language. “There should be no imposition of any language and also no language should be opposed. We should also not oppose English,” he said. Known for his quips as Rajya Sabha Chairman, Naidu made it clear he may have retired on August 11, but isn’t tired. And would continue to interact with people.
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Remember the dramatic shoot out of Sandalwood brigand Veerappan? Tamil Nadu top cop and late Jayalalithaa’s alter ego, the much decorated K Vijay Kumar was assigned to capture Veerappan, the Sandalwood smuggler who was literally running a YouTube studio from the dense jungles of Sathyamangalam and teasing the cops. He had kidnapped Karnataka superstar Rajkumar. Enter Vijay Kumar and Veerappan’s story ends forever. Vijay Kumar, is now back in TN, after resigning from a high profile posting in Delhi as Special Security Officer to the Ministry of Home Affairs, following a notable stint as Security Advisor to J&K. He held plum posts 6 years after retirement and is said to be close to Amit Shah and Ajit Doval. Who is the new brigand Vijay Kumar has been sent to capture? Before we presume why he is back it is relevant to track two other top guns who came to TN from the Force. First was Governor RN Ravi now comfortably ensconced in the Raj Bhavan stonewalling many a bill to vex the ruling party DMK. Second, K Annamalai, an IPS officer posted in Karnataka has taken over as TN BJP chief. He has already made a name for his son et lumiere profile quickly. Now is Vijay Kumar back in TN to ferret out proxy terrorist units like the PFI or play a new role? Watch this space.
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The return of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of Britain is a distinct possibility. He will be up against his former protégé and now rival Rishi Sunak for the right to reside on Downing Street. There is reason to believe that Boris deliberately and cynically backed Liz Truss as the candidate for PM against Rishi though he knew he was backing the wrong candidate for the job. This was his way of creating a comeback trail for himself. Had he proposed the correct candidate in Rishi he may not have stood this chance of getting back in the job because Tory MPs would have realised what their wrong choice could do to the country and its economy. The master and his protégé had fallen out during the partygate crisis after Rishi had first stood by Prime Minister Boris. But, as the crisis grew in such proportions that Boris was in danger of being dethroned, Rishi pulled out to make a play for the top job. And that is when Boris plumped for Truss in the hope of swinging the nomination for her. This was cynical politics at its best and Boris was never averse to pursuing it. In what could be a shortened contest in view of the emergency situation in Britain, it might become a straight fight between Boris and Rishi with Penny Mordaunt likely to be left behind, once again.
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While Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has scored another victory with his latest suggestion to the state government to help out distressed farmers, his son, Amit has asked the government to grant as bonus a month’s salary for police personnel in the state. Raj Thackeray’s latest appeal has come close on the heels of his earlier letter to deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to withdraw from the Andheri assembly by-election and the withdrawal of the BJP candidate soon thereafter. The letter written by Raj to chief minister Eknath Shinde seeking relief to farmers was released for publication and the CM’s announcement of writing off the farmer loans taken from the land development bank in the state was made within hours. Shinde said this Diwali gift involves the loan waiver of Rs 964 crore. In his letter, Raj had praised the state government’s policies of recording panchanamas of farmers’ losses but felt that this would not be enough. Demanding that the state should declare a ‘wet drought’ caused by excessive unseasonal rains, Raj said the losses suffered by farmers were unprecedented. Sending out clear signals, Amit is becoming more and more active. Government’s response is awaited to his appeal to deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, to consider the case of police personnel so that their Diwali becomes joyful.
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When Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week laid the foundation stone for a new air base at Deesa in Banaskantha district, Gujarat near the India-Pakistan border, it brought to light the importance of continuity in decision-making in the government. Deesa is a greenfield air base spread over 4,519 acres and as Modi himself put it “the international border is just 130 km away. If our forces, especially the Air Force, are in Deesa, we will be able to respond to any challenge on the western border”. According to Indian Air Force (IAF) officials the land for the base was acquired back in 1983. The approval to construct a full-fledged air base was given by the Centre in 2020. Although the land for Deesa air base was allotted an in-principle approval given was to the IAF by the Vajpayee government way back in 2000, the project was put on a back burner by the UPA government for the next 14 years. It was kick-started only after the 2017 massive floods in Banaskantha. That is when PM Modi and then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked IAF to provide flood relief. The Air Headquarters then headed by Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa found it difficult to provide relief as there was no airfield nearby. Nevertheless Deesa was still lying-in files. It was then that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stepped in and got all approval done along with Rs 1,000 crore funding.
She is the insider who made it big in Bollywood with her extraordinary talent. Alia Bhatt, who is in the family way, is all over the place – print, TV, internet — endorsing all kinds of products. And her spontaneity, innate talent and charm seems to be emoting well with her audience. Once upon a time marriage or pregnancy were considered a taboo. Not anymore. In fact, stars are cashing on it. Kareena, Anushka and Dia have all done it. The trend of pregnant celebrities endorsing products is increasing by the day. Reportedly, Kareena Kapoor Khan earned around Rs 12 crore via endorsements during her pregnancy. In the case of Alia, she has already endorsed over 23 products. She also features with her husband Ranbir Kapoor in Spotify ads done during the promotion of Brahmastra. Experts from the adworld say there’s a correlation between brands, and ad recalls of products endorsed by the celebrities during their pregnancy as for a large number of women these stars are their idols. And social media has given more heft to these celebrities. According to Duff & Phelps (now Kroll) Celebrity Brand Valuation Report, Alia’s brand value stood at $ 68.1 million in 2021. That’s huge for the 29-year old actress who entered Bollywood 10 years ago. No wonder she is wearing several hats — model, actor, producer and promoter.
They are a supplemental channel of credit intermediation alongside banks. Over the years, the NBFC (non-banking finance companies) sector has undergone a major metamorphosis in terms of size, complexity and interconnectedness within the financial sector. The RBI has a scale-based regulatory framework to address the risk profiles of NBFCs. This covers a host of issues such as capital requirements, governance standards, prudential norms et al. The dynamics of the NBFC sector changes faster these days. This forces the banking regulator to be on the guard, and tweak the regulation when required. The RBI has now made it difficult for NBFC groups to escape tighter oversight. NBFCs that are part of a common group or are floated by a common set of promoters shall not be viewed on a standalone basis. Henceforth, the total assets of all the NBFCs in a group will be consolidated to determine the threshold for their classification in the Middle Layer. The group may have multiple NBFCs. If the consolidated asset size of the group is ₹1000 crore and above, then each of these companies will be classified as an NBFC in the Middle Layer, and, consequently, regulations as applicable to the Middle Layer shall be applicable to them. These guidelines have come into force from October 1. Is it a regulatory overload or a right move?
Factional feud and infighting among senior leaders of Trinamool Congress (TMC), for the past few days, has made it split wide open ahead of the party’s Lok Sabha dream. While the BJP is trying desperately to regain its lost grounds in Bengal, the TMC infighting among the senior guards is adding fodder to saffron motive. Local MLA Tapas Roy took a jibe against party colleague and MP Sudip Banerjee of indulging in “anti-party” activity by “keeping a good rapport with BJP” as well as a “corrupt politician who has spent days in jail” for his involvement in a Ponzi scam 2017. Though Sudip did not make any counter claims but referred to the common saying “Hathi chale bazar…..”. Sudip is Didi’s representative in Delhi who has interacted with PM Narendra Modi several times on her behalf. In fact, Didi had invited Sudip and his wife, MLA Nayana Banerjee to a programme held in her constituency, making it clear about her support. Another local MLA Tapas Chatterjee expressed his dissatisfaction for not being invited to Didi’s event held at a venue situated within his constituency. In both incidents, senior party leaders, MP Sougata Roy and local MLA Madan Mitra came out in support of Roy and Chatterjee respectively. However, according to party insiders, on both occasions, Didi has expressed her anger with close circuit. She is quoted saying that Chatterjee could have spoken to her instead of going to the media.
A public interest litigation against Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and his family and an allegation that certain forces are bent upon splintering the family of NCP chief Sharad Pawar have come out back on back, raising speculation about the timing of both. The PIL against Thackeray and his family members, demanding to know the source of their income and wealth, came up before the high court in Mumbai on Wednesday. It has been listed for hearing on November 16. The petition has been filed by Dadar resident Gauri Bhide and her father, said to be close to the Thackeray family. The Bhide’s have a printing press near Saamana office in Prabhadevi. The other powerful family belongs to Sharad Pawar, whose grandson and NCP MLA Rohit Pawar had kicked up a storm after alleging that some forces were trying to wreck the family. When asked for his reaction, NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was evasive. Ajit said, “I shall ask Rohit what he exactly meant by making such a statement.” To add to the suspense, Rohit later said he had not blamed the BJP for the plans to dismantle the family but had merely said that some forces opposing the NCP were trying to create a rift in the family. Reactions of Pawar and Uddhav are awaited eagerly.
Lobbyists play an important role in the political space across the globe. Their services are widely used to influence key decisions. In the world of commerce, they take a different nomenclature. Influencers are setting the game for many big brands. Increasingly brands see influencer-marketing as one of the mainstream forms of digital marketing. The reason is simple. There are over 20 lakh content creators in India. Chennai-based Social Beat launched www.influencer.in, a marketing platform, to help brands create quality content and amplify the reach among the target audience by leveraging verified digital influencers across Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and the like. The platform has just released “The influencer marketing report 2022”. The report expects the influencer marketing industry to grow to Rs 2,500 crore by 2025 from Rs 900 crore in 2021. According to the survey, 61.2% of all brands recognize the power of influencer-marketing to tap into a newer audience pool to boost brand awareness. The survey finds 36.9% of brands rely on Instagram and 20.6% on YouTube for their dedicated influencer-marketing efforts. Facebook continues to be popular, with 18.7% of brands using it. About 50% of marketers indicate that they spend up to 10% of their digital marketing budget on influencers annually. Well, they are the change-driver of a new kind!
Election of Mallikarjun Kharge as Congress President by a comfortable number of votes — he polled 7897 votes against Shashi Tharoor’s 1072 — was on expected lines. Kharge with blessings of the Gandhis had to win. Except that Tharoor had hoped to poll about 2000 to 2,500 and that did not happen. After all, he had campaigned extensively in four states. He was hoping to tap on the latent discontent within the party. That is why party MP Karti Chidambaram backing Tharoor remarked “We are very pleased that we crossed the four digit mark – 1,072 votes”. In 2000, when Jitendra Prasada contested against Sonia Gandhi, he had polled a paltry 94 votes against Sonia’s 7,400 votes. In 1997, when Sitaram Kesri was elected party chief, he had polled 6,224 votes, Sharad Pawar 882 and Rajesh Pilot 354. Little wonder, Tharoor who lost the elections felt that the revival of the party “has truly begun today“. After all, winning trust of 1000-plus delegates is no small achievement. Meanwhile in poll-bound Himachal there is rush to file nominations as the last date for filing papers is October 25, day on which the solar eclipse falls. With Diwali holidays and the eclipse, candidates have no choice of good muhurat. Denial of nomination to a sitting Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi is also irking party leaders. Rahul Gandhi’s aide Krishna Allavaru is reportedly pushing for a Youth Congress pick.
The finger of suspicion pointing at VK Sasikala and others in the matter of the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa might spell the end of her political ambitions. Already disqualified from contesting elections till 2027 after going to jail on a disproportionate assets charge, the former confidante of Jaya might find very few willing to join hands with her in promoting her political future. She might find a faithful loyalist in the pliant O Panneerselvam who was substitute CM whenever Jaya was not qualified to hold the CM post or ill. But none would take her seriously any more in Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian political scene after Justice Arumugasamy Commission indicted her. Having taken charge of everything during Jaya’s illness, including ordering the CCTV cameras in the CCU unit of Apollo Hospital to be switched off, she and her kin who is a doctor took the final call on several decisions regarding Jaya’s medical treatment. No one else, not even acting CM OPS, had access to the CCU area that was cordoned off. Bureaucrats who took orders directly from Sasikala will also be under the scanner when the government orders an inquiry. Any chance of rapprochement with the AIADMK party claimed by Edappadi K Palaniswami may have also evaporated as none would be ready to associate with a hanger-on suspected of doing away with her mentor in the hope of capturing her powerful seat.
Politicians, who take pot shots at each other in the Legislative Assembly, and at the hustings in the lead up to the elections day, have in the last three decades, virtually taken ownership of the top post in the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). And, Sharad Pawar has always been the playmaker when not occupying the MCA President’s post. He held the coveted post for 13 years with a resolution passed at a general body to extend his term beyond eight years. But it was the most affable personality in SK Wankhede, the assembly speaker who held the top post for 23 years — from 1963-64 to 1986-87. A former MCA official described Wankhede’s time as the most defining one in the history of the Association when it broke the umbilical cord with the Cricket Club of India and built its headquarters at D Road, Churchgate. Former officials also described Pawar’s contribution as significant because the Wankhede was refurbished for the 2011 World Cup and a new facility worth over many hundred crore now came into existence at the Bandra Kurla Complex. Manohar Joshi was MCA President for eight years and Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ashish Shelar for around one year each. Vijay Patil hails from a family entrenched in politics and now Amol Kale, who is pitted against a cricketing hero Sandeep Patil is said to have good equations with Devendra Fadnavis. Truly, the politicians love the MCA.
The West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee came out strongly in support of hometown boy and displaced BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. She wants the BJP government at the Centre to back Dada for the ICC president’s post. But it may be too late already as only a couple of days are left for filing a nomination for President ahead of the ICC meet in November. Didi made it clear that she was only batting for youngsters as she also supported Jay Shah continuing for a second term as BCCI Secretary. Ganguly got ejected from the ticket thanks to N Srinivasan, the former CSK owner and de facto boss, shooting down Dada when the cricket group met at Amit Shah’s house where Roger Binny’s candidature to replace Dada was worked out. The sitting ICC President Greg Barclay is seeking a second term and the BCCI may not like to rock the boat there. All Didi got in response to her backing for Dada is a snarky comment from BJP brass asking her why she cannot replace Shah Rukh Khan as Brand Ambassador for Bengal and give Ganguly the endorsement package. Dada lost out because he chose commerce over leadership role in BCCI by signing on with companies competing with the Board’s official sponsors in such fields as betting and gaming.
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.