All
Politics
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Celebrities
India and the United Kingdom signed a historic free trade agreement (FTA) on July 24 during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK, where he met his British counterpart Keir Starmer. This FTA which was under negotiation for around three years, will give a much-needed boost to bilateral trade between the two countries by around $ 34 bn annually. The deal was signed by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his British counterpart Jonathan Reynold in presence of the PMs of both the countries. With this landmark deal, India is set to see tariff slashes on several products imported from the UK and the export businesses in India will also benefit immensely. Goyal said that the deal provides duty-free access for about 99% of Indian exports, which will unlock “nearly $ 23 bn in opportunities for labour-intensive sectors, marking a new era for inclusive and gender-equitable growth.” Here’s what gets cheaper for India in terms of imports. (1) Aerospace parts & medical devices. (2) Soft drinks, cars: India will also have better access to British products such as soft drinks, cosmetics and cars. India’s average tariff on UK products will drop from 15% to 3%. (3) Duty cut on scotch by 50% — from 150% to 75% and then to 40% over the next 10 years – giving the UK an edge over international competitors. (4) More affordable for Indians to live in the UK. Indian firms and freelancers will have access to 36 service sectors in the UK with no ‘Economic Needs Test’. And Indian professionals can work in 35 UK sectors for 24 months, even without an office in the country. With tariff elimination (as high as 18%) under the CETA, engineering exports to the UK could nearly double in the next five years to touch $ 7.5 bn by 2029-30.
In an unusual break from noisy disruptions and hurried adjournments that have marked the Monsoon Session in the past few days, the Rajya Sabha briefly paused to bid goodbye to 6 MPs who were retiring. Incidentally, all MPs were from Tamil Nadu — MDMK veteran Vaiko, PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss and DMK leader MM Abdulla and three others. It was great to hear the way leaders of other political parties — particularly John Brittas of the CPI(M) or Manoj Jha of RJD — were paying tributes to octogenarian Vaiko for inspiring them to raise issues on the floor of the House. Recalling Vaiko’s commitment to Sri Lankan Tamils’ cause, Brittas mentioned how Vaiko would always be remembered for his daring and courageous journey to Sri Lanka some half-century ago to meet with the (now eliminated) LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. “He had then dodged watchful eyes of the Indian Navy as well the Sri Lankan Navy. More than Prabhakaran, it was Vaiko whose daring journey to LTTE hide-out and back made him a hero.” Brittas also shared how FM Nirmala Sitharaman had in a chat recalled Vaiko’s fiery oratory in his younger days. Barring lawyer P Wilson, DMK had not renominated any of its retiring MPs. Vaiko, who entered the RS with the help of DMK, could not have expected TN chief minister MK Stalin to back him as he had left the DMK protesting against late Karunanidhi promoting Stalin as his heir apparent. Ironically, Vaiko is now promoting his own son Durai Vaiko, who is Trichy Lok Sabha MP, at the cost of other MDMK leaders. AAP MP Sanjay Singh was amazed that DMK member MM Abdulla in his farewell speech raised an issue of connectivity for Hindu pilgrims on a busy route in Dindigul district– that too visiting a temple dedicated to a religious man who had passed away recently.
The much-discussed honey trap episode in Maharashtra has come back with a vengeance although its existence had been dismissed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Moreover, the CM’s Man Friday, Girish Mahajan’s one of the photographs with alleged kingpin of the scandal Prafulla Lodha has been circulating on the social media. In retaliation, Lodha’s photos with bigwigs like Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, her NCP colleague Jayant Patil, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and several others are surfacing. Fadnavis has said that such pictures have no significance since in public life, it is common to be photographed with different people. It is true but Lodha’s involvement in a rape case has now been reported from Pune, changing the complexion of the so-called honey trap matter. Lodha’s premises in north Maharashtra’s Jalgaon, Jamner and Pahoor have been raided by the authorities. That is the area to which Mahajan belongs. Mahajan’s sworn foe, Eknath Khadse, has threatened to expose more details though local people remember how Lodha was always seen with an influential leader and had later levelled grave allegations against the mentor. Last year, he had filed a nomination for the Lok Sabha election but later withdrew it. Subsequently, he joined the BJP. Looks like the honey trap case is not cooling down. Lodha was arrested earlier in Mumbai on 5 July in connection with a POSCO case. The honey trap case is discussed with references to a prominent Nasik hotelier, a top revenue official and a controversial woman seen with a score of police and government officials. The Congress party has alleged that 72 civil servants and some political bigwigs are trapped in the delicate situation.
Maharashtra’s debt has now crossed the Rs 10 lakh crore mark, revealed former Opposition leader in Maharashtra’s Legislative Council Ambadas Danve. The state is raising Rs 57,509.7 crore through supplementary demands. Danve pointed out that the state spends one-third of its revenue in servicing its debt. The state already has a per capita debt of Rs 72,761 and has already earmarked Rs 1.54 lakh crore towards debt servicing including Rs 89,798 crore for principal amount repayment and Rs 64,659 crore towards interest servicing, in the 2025-26 budget. Danve estimated Maharashtra’s fiscal deficit to cross Rs 2 lakh crore by the end of this financial year; it currently stands at Rs 1.36 lakh crore. The state has been issuing tenders though it doesn’t have the funds to pay contractors and now hopes to rely on revenue of Rs 24,000 crore expected from excise duty on liquor to sail through, he said. The state has already diverted Rs 1081.7 lakh crore from various departments to fund its Ladki Bahin Yojana. According to financial analyst Rupesh Keer of Samarthan Advocacy, this is the first time that the state has taken debts to service its ballooning debt interest which reflects poor fiscal discipline. Already, Maharashtra has slipped down to the fifth position in terms of development in the country. The state is already under fire from the Comptroller and Auditors Report (CAG) for various off-budgetary borrowings that bypass legislative scrutiny and threaten to lead Maharashtra into a cycle of debt trap.
PM Modi responded to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation only after it had been accepted. In a brief message on X he said Dhankar has had “many opportunities to serve the country in various capacities” including as Vice-President of India. He wished him “good health”. What triggered 74-year old Dhankhar’s sudden resignation on the first day (July 21) of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament on July 21 evening? No one believes it has anything to do with his health. Some believe his exit is linked to the way he conducted Rajya Sabha proceedings on the first day. After years of being tough on the Opposition, he was suddenly found indulging them particularly on sensitive “national security issues”. This came as a shock to the government. He was found allowing LoP Mallikarjun Kharge to hold forth on everything from — Operation Sindoor to Pahalgam Attack to President Trump’s role in securing India-Pak cease-fire. Leader of the House JP Nadda did lodge a protest. Kharge contradicted what PM Modi said on Op Sindoor as an incontrovertible victory over Pakistan — just outside Parliament House. BJP sources said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had conveyed the government’s disquiet — rather PM Modi’s disappointment. It is felt Rajnath’s message must have upset him. Soon after Rajnath met Dhankhar, he was found playing the Opposition card as chairman. He mentioned that he had received a notice from the Opposition to constitute a statutory committee for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma and that it has been signed by more than 50 members of the Upper House. Of course, Dhankhar did ask Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal if a similar motion to impeach Justice Varma had been moved in the Lok Sabha. The buzz is Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is most likely to be next V-P– he is considered the best bet ahead of UP polls.
Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade is among the frontrunners for the vacant post of Vice-President of India. Hailing from Marathwada, he has devoted his life for the BJP. A former speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly, Haribhau had been a member of the house for multiple terms. Known for his accommodative nature, He was fondly called by his first name, which denoted both affection and respect. Those close to him would address him as Nana. So far, the Vice-President’s office has not been graced by anyone from Maharashtra though the state’s daughter, Pratibha Patil, became the first Lady President of the country. The highest political post was occupied by YB Chavan, who became deputy Prime Minister in the short-lived Charan Singh government. Haribhau was born on 17 August 1945 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. He became an RSS activist at a young age in a region that was averse to the saffron ideology. Haribhau toiled for decades to spread the message of the Jan Sangh and then the BJP. Many prominent regional leaders owe their rise to the guidance and support provided by Haribhau to them. As the saffron influence increased in Maharashtra, Haribhau was invariably made a party candidate for the assembly. Coincidentally, Pratibha Patil was the Governor of Rajasthan when she was selected by the Congress party to become the President of the country. If Haribhau is handpicked to become V-P, it will be one more feather in Rajasthan’s and Maharashtra’s cap.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has made it official that her party will take on BJP in the run-up to the State Assembly polls based on Bengali Asmita. Addressing a massive Martyrs Day rally in Kolkata she accused BJP of unleashing linguistic terrorism and Mamata made it categorical that another Bhasha Movement will be embarked upon to safeguard Bengali pride. She claimed that more than 1,000 Bengali-speaking individuals have been detained and jailed in BJP-ruled states such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. TMC supremo stated that terror has been unleashed on the Bengali language and described the BJP’s actions as a massive conspiracy against Bengali identity. She warned that if linguistic profiling of Bengalis does not stop, the resistance movement will be taken to the national capital. Mamata also announced a statewide protest campaign against what she described as the ongoing oppression of the Bengali language. Directly attacking Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Didi said he is unable to manage his own state but continues to interfere in West Bengal’s affairs. Interestingly, she went a step further in her political critique, claiming that the present Indian government is being remotely controlled by U.S. President Donald Trump. Significantly, during the rally, Mamata introduced the gathering to the father of Jhantu Ali Sheikh and a family member of Bitan Adhikari—both victims of the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year.
A skirmish between India and England, that’s been fascinating so far, is set to resume at Manchester from July 23. England will strive for a 3-1 lead and a series win before the teams travel to London for the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at The Oval. While England — given an impetus to its attack by the return of fast bowler Jofra Archer — will take the field with its tail up, India will have to do the catching up with no leeway for mistakes in the three departments of the game. The first three Tests have delivered contests that the purists of the sport would have taken delight at; so remarkable have they been. And yet it is India, shepherded by the young captain in Shubman Gill, that appears to be on the precipice before the first ball is sent down at Manchester. Gill has to get his No 3 in Karun Nair to be more productive and tell Yashasvi Jaiswal not to throw away his wicket. Then he has to find a bowling group that has the wherewithal to take 20 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah appears to be a case of “fait accompli” and lead the attack, a perforce situation for India dictated by England’s 2-1 lead in the series and an 8-day gap between the Lord’s and Manchester Tests. Mohammed Siraj, who flared up in the third Test will be his Dukes-ball partner. Seamer Anshul Kamboj has been added as a cover for the injured Arshdeep Singh. Gill has to choose from Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Kamboj as first change. Gill has plenty in his plate — including Rishab Pant’s finger injury — to ponder at in order to keep the series alive.
With assembly elections early next year in Tamil Nadu, major political parties in the state including the DMK and AIADMK, have begun to enlist the services of consultancy firms to devise political strategies and campaign plans for their leaders. DMK, the ruling party, has roped in the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and Showtime Consultancy, owned by Robbin Sharma, through its in-house firm, Populus Empowerment Network (PEN), which successfully handled its 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The DMK as a political party has faith in political strategist ever since the I-PAC, then led by ace political strategist Prashant Kishor, was credited with the party’s comeback in 2021. This time round the DMK has roped in Robbin who worked for the TDP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) in the 2024 Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra respectively. TN is likely to face a four-cornered contest among DMK, AIADMK, TVK, and NTK. AIADMK, the principal opposition party has signed on Sravanth D and Hari H of the Hyderabad-based Pramanya Strategy Consulting. The firm had worked for Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena in the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Actor-politician Vijay has been working with John Arokiasamy, a political strategist who had previously worked for Congress and PMK, for his Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). His party colleague, Aadhav Arjuna, also owns a political consultancy firm, Voice of Commons. Current DMK President M K Stalin was the first political leader in TN to hire a political strategist, Sunil Kanugolu, in 2014. Though his strategy failed in the 2016 polls, leading to the AIADMK’s successive government, it succeeded in 2019. It is said both Dravidian parties kept political strategists away when they were led by the charismatic M Karunanidhi (DMK) and J Jayalalithaa (AIADMK), but things changed dramatically after their deaths in 2018 and 2016 respectively.
The Kolkata-based Hindustan Motors Ltd plant which once rolled out the iconic Ambassador cars has been leased out by the West Bengal government to Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd to manufacture rail coaches. The 40 acres of its long-defunct land has been leased out for 99 years. The Rs 126-crore deal will see the plant produce Vande Bharat and Metro train coaches. Hindustan Motors, part of CK Birla Group, began operations in 1957, producing both the Landmaster and Ambassador cars. The latter becoming a symbol of Indian roads for decades. The plant, which ceased operations in 2014 after a “suspension of work” notice post-Lok Sabha elections, struggled for survival amid growing competition and dwindling production; from 700-750 cars per month to 250-300. Even though the then Left Front government supported by making it mandatory, the use of Ambassador cars as taxis it failed to revive the plant. Titagarh Rail Systems, already operating a wagon unit nearby, has bagged major contracts to manufacture Vande Bharat and Metro coaches. And this plant’s strategic location — just 3 km from Delhi Road and close to rail lines — makes it an ideal expansion site. During the company’s 25th anniversary three years ago, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had hinted at land allocation, which has now received official cabinet approval. However, concerns persist over legal and compensation issues for former workers. The Supreme Court recently upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict allowing the state to reclaim 395 acres from Hindustan Motors for public use, including this project. This development brings a ray of hope to Hooghly, a district that has witnessed major industrial exits over the years—from Tata’s Nano in Singur in 2008 to Hind Motors shutdown in 2014 and Dunlop’s closure in Sahaganj.
The DMK, it must be acknowledged, has mastered the art of winning voters and influencing segments. Here, TASMAC, a company owned by the Tamil Nadu government, has a monopoly over wholesale and retail vending of alcoholic beverages. And TASMAC keeps the men coming unfailingly to quench their spiritual thirst, simultaneously filling up government coffers. TASMAC revenues keep zooming up every year, an abiding testimony to happy TN men. But the women are an unhappy lot as men save their income for slaking their thirst. And drunken behaviour had its social fallout in ill-treatment of women. But MGR cannily aimed his AIADMK welfare programmes at women, and Jayalalithaa too did likewise. AIADMK now headed by Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) took this women’s loyalty for granted. Not anymore. After humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha EPS has been doing intense stock taking of defeat and strategic run up to 2026 Assembly election. Intense powwow with his core group has thrown up some clues as to why Camelot was lost. Meanwhile, TN chief minister MK Stalin aims to make women in his state happy, and turn them into devoted vote banks. On 15th of every month Rs 1000 is credited to the homemaker’s account by the TN government. After women, the government is focussing on youth and putting a stop to cash handouts. DMK’s Tamil Nadu Manavar (Student) Thittam Scheme has in one fell blow, the practice of cash out handouts during election time. DMK feels regular open payments from the exchequer is the best incentive for vote bank loyalty. Looks like Stalin and his party came up with creative solutions that have put EPS on the backfoot.
Tamil Nadu politics may not have seen such an intensely personal battle between the heads of two state parties since the days of Karunanidhi-Jayalalithaa. Even in those days it was a battle in which the personalities rarely cursed each other in public and were quite prepared to let the other be, however contemptuous they were of each other. The same rules of engagement do not apply to K Annamalai, head of the BJP in TN and Selvaperunthagai, TNCC chief. They have been fighting tooth and nail in the media, freely cursing each other. Annamalai has taken it a step further by suing the TNCC head for libel. The verbal duel began when Annamalai said he was forced to refer to the TNCC chief as a “history sheeter” because of the challenges being thrown at him for inducting into BJP some persons with criminal antecedents. It appears that Selvaperunthagai was once detained under the Goondas Act and has several serious cases pending against him even as he jumped across five parties before hitting it big time with the Congress, which has some importance in TN thanks to its ally in the ruling party DMK. Does the Congress have a party chief in any state who has gone to jail charged with murder and jailed under Goondas Act, Annamalai asked. The duel has stirred media interest at a time when TN politics has had a dry run.
In Tamil Nadu, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is seen as leading the most routed party that MGR had built as an iconic political behemoth which was lovingly sustained by J Jayalalithaa till her untimely death. His adamant stance to go it alone and not have an alliance with the BJP saw his party AIADMK being nearly wiped out in the Lok Sabha polls. Edappadi claims that he had the 2026 Assembly elections as his pole star and did not want to give up the party’s unique identity. In a tear jerking letter to his cadres he said, “I am addressing this to you all my dear friends …I don’t know how to express my gratitude to you all for working so hard for the election. Our party is a historic institution built by MGR…a temporary eclipse has been cast on us.” He says that the subversion of power, money and fake promises by the winning side is the sole reason why his party lost. In a first, his party’s candidates lost deposits in seven seats. Looking at AIADMK’s vote share of 20.46% vs the DMK’s 26.93%, it seems Edappadi has not lost his way to end up in political oblivion. But with BJP’s surprise showing at 11.24%, it is logical to think that if EPS and BJP had fought the elections together it could have been a win-win situation for both. The ‘wise analysts’ say it’s better for him to mend fences with the old faithful’s of Jayalalithaa –Sasikala, OPS and TTV — and then the scattered factions can rise like the Phoenix. Does Edappadi have the diplomatic elan and charm offensive of the late MGR? Not quite.
Hounded by social media critics, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin dashed back to Chennai on cutting short his stay in Kodaikanal by at least two days. Mocked for staying in salubrious hill station weather while the rest of the state was being roasted in extraordinary conditions of high heat and worse humidity, Stalin called for a chartered flight to take him back from Madurai on May 2. He had gone on a break to one of Tamil Nadu’s two best known summer resorts, with sentiment guiding him to the more southern queen of hill stations as it had proved lucky for him after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in which his DMK+ alliance that he led won 38 of 39 seats. He called for an emergency meeting in the state capital on May 3 to take stock of the harsh summer conditions and what the state could do to mitigate the plight of the people. Tamil Nadu has a history of CMs going to hill stations with J Jayalaalithaa known to camp for months in her favourite tea estate in Kodanad in the Nilgiris. But she had to withstand much mockery then even though she was running the administration from there at a camp office. With Stalin trying his hand at putting on the Kodaikanal Golf Club’s greens, the noise on social media became louder, forcing him to take a call on the summer blues of the people.
“Malai da, Annamalai”, a famous Tamil punch dialogue from Superstar Rajinikanth’s movie Annamalai still pulls punches after 30 years. The Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai could well have reinvented this punch in his meteoric rise. He has risen to be the fastest brand in TN politics, after idolising MGR and Jayalalithaa. A Tamil digital page has an insightful take on what happened in Coimbatore recently. The Sangh Parivar and all other BJP resources had attended this motivational conclave in big numbers, including Ajay Ghosh, Vibhav Pracharak who spearheaded the strategy for the candidates — a mild caution against overconfidence and taking mass support for granted. Annamalai strode to the dais and belted out what seemed as a rebuff to all dissident voices. He is said to have thundered “…my mission is not to bring the North and South poles in alignment. I am here as Modiji’s choice for Coimbatore. I already have the three and a half lakh vote numbers. I have not come here depending on any power to boost my efforts and strategy.” The Sangh Parivar is said to have been stunned by this overriding confidence, and perceived lack of sensitivity to the common aim of party unity. But sources at BJP HQ in Chennai have a totally different spin. It is just Annamalai’s undiluted faith in Brand Modi and his loyalty to the creed of his party…that mere faces are not enough to win, you need the super optics power of Modiji to withstand the Dravidian behemoth.
AIADMK supremo Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is striding like a sumo wrestler. Political wags are impressed with his show of bravado even as the mighty BJP like the canny spider is inviting him to “come to my parlour”. He has stood his ground of stand-alone status for the Lok Sabha polls for six months, a defiance that has confused and confounded his flock. A senior analyst from the Vikatan Group warns against anyone taking his leverage for granted. This analyst quotes Palaniswami’s resilience in the wake of Jayalalithaa’s demise and how he managed to complete the elected term for the party, in the face of open rebellion by OPS and backroom manoeuvres by Dinakaran and Sasikala to hijack and Two Leaves election symbol and many an attempt to unseat him. He is confident of the support of the moneyed Gounders and his own party strongmen Jayakumar, Shanmugam and others who are voter influencers. Despite several concerted efforts of the BJP to wean him back, EPS stands adamant. EPS shared logic with his close aides “Suppose we get into the alliance, win some MP seats, where’s the guarantee that they won’t be enticed to cross over? I would rather prove our own strength to have bargaining power, than cave in to be used expediently.” The BJP is sure to have its own strategy …EPS or no EPS. As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, nor failure fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts”.
Hot on the heels of his crack of dawn powwow with his party lieutenants, Tamil film superstar Vijay finally announced the name of his party — Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (Vetri is Tamil for Vijay). As expected it was received with oodles of enthusiasm from his devoted fans and open criticisms from other political outfits. AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami says Vijay is being backed by BJP. Superstar Vijay is following the path already trekked by MGR, J Jayalalithaa, Vijayakanth, Sarathkumar and Kamal Haasan. Looks like politics is going to be his full time job as he will give up acting after his 69th film is released. But, one thing is clear: his party TVK is not contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls; they will be contesting only the 2026 Assembly elections in TN. Well known film director Ameer has tried to decode Vijay’s strategy. “No one would have raised questions if he had announced it after the Lok Sabha elections. He must be the only aspirant who neither met the people nor the media. Whoever advised him has misled him.” The claim that his official astrologer chose the auspicious date (Feb 2) and time for announcing his grand entry made for more spice. The addendum …though Vijay is a Christian by faith, he believes in astrology and all the attendant superstitions of the land. An experienced commentator demystifies. Vijay has cannily entered the political arena and set the cat among the pigeons. Right now Vijay is a Ghilli –a blockbuster he starred in 2004.
On January 25, the 49-year old Tamil superstar Vijay who has been nursing political ambition secretly called about 150 party apparatchiks to his Paniyur party office in Chennai at 5.30 am. This early morning exercise was done to stave off media glare and also collect affidavit signatures to register his party with the Election Commission of India. Sources say, his loyal soldiers arrived quietly from districts the previous night, it was followed by brainstorming over possible party names. The fans-cum-party cadres were treated to a rousing motivational speech by Vijay also known as Thalapathy. Even with so much beehive activity, Vijay and his fans converted to party cadres ensured no info leaks to the media. So when asked for Kazhagam (party) name all that the media scouts got …”you have it….Kazhagam”. Ok the teaser trailer is out. Now for the main feature! Is Vijay yet another Tamil film actor wanting to cash in on his filmi star status? Earlier, it was MGR, Jayalalithaa who became TN chief ministers. Is Vijay crowding the already crowded political scene or are his ground preparations and calculations aimed at making a real difference to the people of Tamil Nadu who have invested their faith in him? The cat will be out of the bag soon. Vijay is the highest paid actor who has played lead roles in 67 films and has significant fan following. In X it is nearly 5 million.
POWERED BY: ICICI LOMBARD
AIADMK staying away from the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls is part of a master strategy worked out by the party’s head honcho Edappadi K Palaniswami and Amit Shah. The secret pact, arrived at as a Tamil-English interpreter from Karnataka was the only other person present at the one-on-one meet, was to enable the taking away of minority votes from the DMK by presenting an alternative in an independent AIADMK that is back to where J Jayalalithaa had kept it. There is no doubt that the DMK has suffered quite a few image hits recently, with the first conviction of a minister for graft and another sitting in jail as a minister without portfolio. The heavy rains of the monsoon in 9 districts around Chennai and the extreme south also led to undermining of the ruling party’s dominant political stature. So much so, there is an opinion shared by some Congressmen that it is time the party broke its DMK ties and accepted more seats that the AIADMK would offer it. One of those who is leading this campaign is currently being disciplined for suggesting PM Modi is more popular than the party’s scion Rahul Gandhi. DMK is planning on cutting the Congress seats down to just six to give itself a better chance to get the number of seats that would give it much bargaining power in any post-poll scenario.
The crowds that came to mourn late Captain Vijayakanth, founder of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam(DMDK), were unprecedented, harking back to the same heart-rending sorrow when MGR passed away. The intelligence wing conveyed that 1.5 lakh people had come in person. Starting his political career in 2005, Vijayakanth aka “dark MGR” had not just made a significant transition from films to politics, but had become the leader of the opposition when J Jayalalithaa was in power — a rare feat. Apparently, Vijayakanth’s demise has not left a succession void or clamour for leadership. Wife Premalatha, who is also a party treasurer, had taken charge even as he was in and out of hospitals in the last few years. She is no pretender inheritor. A little known fact about her. A BA in English literature, Premalatha is a former national level Shotput and Discus Throw athlete. Even as she stood by her husband’s cortège in the heat with crowds milling around, the determination to swim through this was evident. So were the efforts of the BJP, and other local TN parties to bring her into their sphere. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman who attended the funeral was seen conveying the woman to woman empathy. Would the cosying up translate into an alliance? Premalatha is a canny and savvy woman. She must be fully aware of the worth and weight of Vijayakanth’s legacy. The ensuing months will show how strong and agile a sharpshooter Premalatha turns out to be.
When people are angry, give them some money. That is what they did in 2015 when Chennai was overwhelmed, both from torrential rain from cyclone and poorly planned and desperate discharge from an overflowing lake. Jayalalithaa’s government gave Rs 5,000 per ration card in Chennai to try and assuage the anger people felt at the rulers for the apathy that led to a civic disaster in floods. Stalin’s government went one better in announcing Rs 6,000 per ration card. But that is no guarantee Chennaiites will vote for them when they turn up at the polling booth the next time. This is what happened to Jaya’s party when Chennai rejected almost all their candidates in the 2021 elections. The Tamil Nadu government is aware of that, but the bureaucracy and the rulers could not think of anything else to cool down the extreme anger displayed by the people whenever the leaders and officials came to visit them in their wet dwellings five days after the rain stopped on December 4. The disaster of 2023 was no less than that of 2015 with huge swathes of Chennai still under water while small pockets got back to normalcy quickly after the deluge. The State Chennai was in may have been made apparent to the defence minister who surveyed the disaster by helicopter. Nothing has changed in eight years except that the ration card holders of Chennai get Rs 1,000 more this time.
The seventh death anniversary of Tamil Nadu’s chief minister J Jayalalithaa may prove to be a daunting task for Chennai police as her acolytes and the splintered party factions are planning to pay tributes at the Marina beach Memorial in a show of strength. Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), the legitimate AIADMK chief has already sent the fiat to all 15 of his district functionaries….I want a deluge of party workers for the homage. His rival O Panneerselvam (OPS) struggling to get legitimacy for his faction and stay relevant has corralled his ragtag following to come in large numbers. TTV Dinakaran has set a target of 1000 persons to be brought by each party functionary. But wait, the icing on the cake…the dowager Queen Sasikala who still clings on to her title of General Secretary is planning a power packed presence …remember her first performance when she hit JJ’s monument with her fists after being convicted? Each faction has sent letters to the police asking for different time slots for paying “respects” to Amma. The police Intelligence wing is now fearing and processing a possible law and order issue which has its roots in the Thevar Poojai. On October 30, when the Thevar Guru Poojai mammoth gathering was held, EPS attended to convey his loyalty to the Mukkulathur community. But his motorcade was hit by chappals and stones, an incident that left the AIADMK seething. AIADMK blamed the OPS and TTV factions for this. A poignant memorial meet is now giving nightmares to the police.
AIADMK spokesperson Jayakumar dropped a bombshell on Vinayaka Chathurthi day in Tamil Nadu saying that the BJP Is currently not in the AIADMK alliance. He will obviously not be speaking without authorisation from his party boss Edapaddi Palaniswami (EPS). The war over local BJP chief K Annamalai and his outspoken ways in which he has been criticising revered AIADMK figures like Jayalalithaa and Annadurai and threatening to lay bare the corruption in previous AIADMK regimes is now out in the open. Jayakumar, however, kept the alliance lines open saying that any understanding with the BJP would be forged only before the polls. In a cheeky comment, Jayakumar said that, on its own, the BJP would fare poorly in the polls in the state and that Annamalai would struggle to beat NOTA. Former ministers have of late been lashing out at Annamalai for dragging the names of departed party leaders when speaking about his war on corruption and his exposes. The local chieftain may not be speaking without authorisation from BJP’s top brass either. But EPS’ equation with BJP’s top duo plus party chief JP Nadda is on a different plane and chances of a patch up cannot be discounted. Right now, AIADMK has dared to declare war and the ball is in the BJP court.
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is in a bit of a bother with the Kodanad Estate robbery and murder case coming too close to him for comfort. Taking a leaf out of the operations of the Union government through central investigating agencies to pile the pressure on political opponents, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, is also cranking up the machinery for replicating such tactics. The DVAC has moved against a couple of former AIADMK ministers even as the long delayed Kodanad case is picking up momentum amid myriad conspiracy theories and angles to move the lens towards former CM Palaniswami. Afraid of being framed in a case in which he had to take an interest as it involved the former CM J Jayalalithaa and her confidante Sasikala’s possessions and secrets, EPS went to New Delhi to convince Home Minister Amit Shah to get the CBI to take up the investigation so that he may not be called in for questioning by the State police who can be hostile to him. While a smokescreen was drawn to make it appear as if EPS had travelled to the capital to seal the alliance with BJP, the main purpose of the trip was to seek BJP top brass support in taking the heat off him from the Kodanad Estate case.
The EPS-OPS battle for the AIADMK mantle may have been settled finally with the Election Commission formally recognising Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as the General Secretary of the party. The entry was up on the ECI website leading to celebrations among the cadre owing allegiance to the EPS-controlled majority section of the party. This leaves the other former CM O Panneerselvam’s (OPS) political career out on a limb. He has lost the final battle for the party and has nowhere to go save to form his own party. There too he may have little support as even Sasikala, to whom he owed total allegiance despite her nephew riding roughshod over him when he was CM in Jaya’s place, has started spurning OPS. Additionally, his son has lost the fight in the Madras high court over his election to the Lok Sabha and will be appealing to the Supreme Court to hang on. It does appear as if time has turned sour on OPS, once the most powerful lieutenant of the Poes Garden dual power centre of Jaya and Sasikala. Long before EPS came on to the big stage in AIADMK and TN politics, OPS was ruling the roost with his Thevar connection keeping him relevant as Sasikala pulled the strings. That is all history now. The Salem strongman, EPS, has simply drawn away from his rival, taking the party with him.
The Thevars, once a politically powerful community when Jayalalithaa was the CM and Sasikala her confidante wielding power from Poes Garden, are looking to regain some of the clout by seeking allies. Numerically strong in the state, the Thevars were sidelined after Jaya’s demise and Sasi’s jail term. Their once trusted leader O Panneerselvam, CM in Jaya’s place on occasion, had rebelled against the clan and had even complained about their strong-arm tactics to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who laughed it off as OPS was CM then and had the police under him. They are now joining hands again in their attempt to regain their hold. OPS’ power electorally is suspect but TTV’s AMMK has a reasonable vote share which appears to be their lifeline. The OPS-TTV combine is hoping that the BJP, in its hunt for an umbrella coalition to take on the powerful DMK alliance, will spare some seats for at least the two of them as Sasikala is out electorally until 2027 as she has been banished for 10 years from standing in polls. The BJP is said to be planning to extract more seats from EPS and use some of them to accommodate the likes of TTV, OPS and even GK Vasan. With less than a year to the Lok Sabha polls, a lot of political action can be expected now.
On a day of fast-paced action, Edappadi Palaniswami was declared elected as General Secretary of the AIADMK, the party founded by MGR and nurtured by Jayalalithaa. In the morning the Madras High Court had rejected a plea on behalf of the O Panneerselvam faction on delaying the election of the General Secretary of AIADMK. The interim applications filed by the OPS camp were rejected and the EPS group, with a clear majority of the party behind it, moved quickly to the party headquarters to first celebrate the news of the HC order and then go ahead and announce the election of EPS as General Secretary. Earlier, the court had allowed the election to go ahead but asked the EPS group not to announce the result until the court ruled finally in the matter. It is clear now that the will of the majority has prevailed and that the attempts by OPS, with a small splinter group basically comprising supporters of the Jaya confidante Sasikala, to scuttle the complete takeover of the party by the EPS group have failed. The control of the trust funds worth about Rs 3,000 crore will also rest with the EPS group. Of course, OPS may go to the Supreme Court with challenges, but the de facto position with EPS as duly elected General Secretary will continue until further orders.
Bollywood queen Kangana Ranaut has the art of staying in the news. Recently when the Khalistan movement played up in Punjab she took to social media to say she had predicted this problem two years ago. A hardcore Modi supporter, she has been nursing political ambitions and reportedly made it known that she was not averse to standing for elections from her home state, Himachal Pradesh. Her outspokenness cost the 35-year old actor dearly when the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government headed by Uddhav Thackeray gave orders to demolish her house. Even her reel life role has been reflecting her political ambition, the kind of role she cherry picks or produces. She has played the role of modern leaders like Indira Gandhi and Jayalalithaa. Besides, she has also donned the role of legendary and religious characters in movies like Manikarnika 2, Sita: The Incarnation. Kangana is now busy shooting for Chandramukhi 2, a sequel to Rajnikanth’s horror comedy directed by P Vasu. Of late, she is more focused towards the south film industry. In Bollywood where she is known for not mincing words, she gets along with people who are right-winger like Anupam Kher; but one was surprised to see her making fun of Selfiee which had Akshay Kumar. And another surprising factor was her support for Nawazuddin Siddiqui and it may be because she is working with him. After fighting courting too many battles including a defamation suit filed by Javed Akhtar, Kangana, according to industrywallahs is now careful and measured in her talks and social media message. Is it?
Edappadi Palaniswami is a man in a hurry. He would like to use his de facto position as chief opposition to the DMK government by getting himself elected as General Secretary of AIADMK, a post previously held by the likes of J Jayalalithaa and her super ambitious aide VK Sasikala. EPS would like to take advantage of all court rulings having come in his favour after fending off challenges from OPS, who was seeking to exert the influence of the Thevars. To prepare the ground for his election as General Secretary, EPS has called a meeting of office-bearers at various levels on March 9 and 10. After the passing away of Jayalalithaa in 2016, her close confidante Sasikala became the General Secretary by calling the general council that chose her to the top post though the party constitution framed by MGR clearly states that the General Secretary could be elected only by the primary members. Much of that is water under the bridge now as EPS pushes on to be recognised as the second biggest force in State politics after DMK’s MK Stalin. Having tried to steer a course midway between surrendering to the BJP and retaining some political independence, EPS would like to keep himself in a position strong enough to negotiate the terms on which the AIADMK-led alliance will be formed with the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In a quick turn of events, AIADMK supremo Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) decided not to let the Erode East bypoll to the Tamil Nadu Assembly go without the party contesting, He requested ally GK Vasan of TMC to permit AIADMK to contest. The party will do irrespective of which way the verdict goes in the Supreme Court about the party, symbol etc. The party lawyers are confident of a favourable verdict on January 24 but EPS wishes not to depend on it and is going ahead with his plan to put up a candidate so that he can put O Panneerselvam’s faction in its place. AIADMK is confident that BJP will not disrupt the plan by insisting on a candidate of its own. The AIADMK candidate may be former minister KV Ramalingam of Erode to oppose any candidate Congress may put up as part of the DMK+ alliance. If the court orders don’t favour EPS claiming the party symbol of the “Two Leaves’, the candidate will contest on the “Crowing Cock” symbol that Jayalalithaa had first stood on in her political career. Congress has been asking the stalwart EVKS Elangovan to contest but he would rather point the way to his second son Sanjay as his eyes are set on a Lok Sabha seat in 2024.
The Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi may make mysterious air dashes to the capital New Delhi. But, when in Chennai, he does what he can to light a match under the DMK’s ideological stand on various issues, most of all religion and NEET. The Governor can do little about the national entrance test as it is a Supreme Court cleared reform, apart from sitting on the legislation that the Assembly passes Where the Governor tends to get on the nerves of the rulers of the land of the Dravidians is when he harps on sanatana dharma, which is more a personal matter of faith though it becomes political as it clashes with the DMK’s ideological belief in atheism. The Stalin government has tried to make Governor Ravi the enemy No.1 of the state on the grounds that he sits on Bills and breaches Constitutional propriety. Clashes with Governors are not a new thing even in Tamil Nadu where Jayalalithaa passed a resolution in the House against Chenna Reddy with whom she had running battles. With regard to god and religion, the DMK has changed somewhat over time as the party line is one of leaving faith and religion to the individual. But, as the Centre is unlikely to budge on the Governor, TN can only disparage him rather than unseat him.
To do nothing with the Jayalalithaa death probe report submitted by the Justice (Retired) A Arumugasamy commission is probably the best course of action that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin may have decided upon. The very decision to first place the report in front of the Assembly, which is not due to meet till December 2022, is a clear indicator that the government does not wish to take any of the recommendations too seriously. Primarily, it has to do with a death that occurred in December 2016. And Stalin would be the last one to wish to interfere in the Opposition Party matters. The AIADMK is already doing enough to damage itself as the principal opposition. It needs no action from the ruling party to call for a probe into Jaya’s aide and confidante V Sasikala, who anyway met her Waterloo in the Disproportionate Asset case and spent four years in jail while also being ineligible to contest any election for another six years. Also, it suits the DMK to watch on as the AIADMK implodes with the EPS versus OPS fighting for the spoils and the not inconsiderable Rs 3,000 crore party kitty that lies in two trust accounts. At worst, the government may call for action on the people named in the report without pushing the police seriously to probe them.
Five years have passed by since the iron lady, Queen of quirk and TN‘s high voltage icon, late J Jayalalithaa died under mysterious circumstances. With all the state machinery and sleuthing strength at its command, this state is still floundering to unravel how and why she died. Claimants to her throne and her party are numerous. Whatever her alleged dark side of corruption, megalomania and unbridled arrogance, Jayalalithaa could not name a successor. On December 5, there were three distinct gatherings wanting to pay homage at her memorial on the Marina Beach, needless to add, each group assuming that they were the true inheritors of her legacy. Knowing the potential for a tinder box confrontation, the DMK government allotted three distinct time slots for each group. The first batch of the conjoined twins EPS and OPS, in different mourning shades of attire paid homage, jostling and elbowing for vantage…optics , optics! Then came the AMMK and Sashikala’s nephew TTV Dinakaran and his followers. And finally, Sashikala, shedding copious tears at the graveside of her beloved Akka. The undercurrents to keeping the party intact is well known, with powerful aspirants pressuring EPS and OPS to nurse the party out of the ICU. After “tearful tribute,” the ruling party floated an unofficial survey — Sasikala had the maximum followers! Talk of setting the cat among the pigeons.
When the late J Jayalalithaa and her mother, actor Sandhya bought this 24,000 sq ft sprawling property in tony Poes Garden in 1967 for Rs 1.32 lakh to build their luxurious home 81, Veda Nilayam, little did they imagine what controversies and intrigues it would churn up. This CM’s residence quickly became the epicentre of TN‘s destiny and the course of its history after her election as the leader of AIADMK and the CM. Her blood relatives, niece Deepa and nephew Deepak, children of JJ’s brother late Jayakumar were overwhelmed by the cunning attempts to usurp all that JJ owned, including her power and mass popularity by imposter claimants who had wormed their way into her bungalow and hijacked her life. Why didn’t Amma leave a will? Edappadi Palanisamy, successor to Jayalalithaa stunned everybody by issuing a government gazette order proclaiming the bungalow as a museum memorial that the public could visit and view. But her niece and nephews had immense faith in the law of the land. In a dramatic move, the Madras High Court has struck down the validity of the government acquisition turning it into a memorial. Jaya’s house would go to her bloodline heirs. Just goes to show many a shady plan of mice and men being torpedoed by law.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister visiting rain-affected areas of Chennai after an extreme rainfall event last Sunday was not mere tokenism. He spent hours together over three days surveying areas under water, overseeing the distribution of relief and attending endless meetings on monsoon preparedness while fulfilling duties associated with normal CEOs of States. If there was a message in Stalin’s sustained supervision of relief measures it may have had to do with what happened to Chennai in 2015 when its wettest ever time came about in 36-hours with a perfect storm dumping 50 cms of water. The average of 20 cms that the city received overnight in 2021 was not as phenomenal but it caused nearly as much damage. What had made 2015 rain so catastrophic was the uncontrolled release of over 100,000 cusecs of water from a city reservoir in Chembarambakkam, flooding the Adyar river and causing immense loss of life and property. This had come about because desperate water managers had not been able to get through to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who was not 100% well at the time and was prone to sleeping it off in her Poes Garden residence. Stalin, a fit 67-year-old with a healthy lifestyle, would like to show that his antenna is up and is always available for duty.
A biopic, Thalaivi, of the avowed stormy petrel of Indian politics, late J Jayalalithaa (former CM of Tamil Nadu, reigning Queen of Kollywood of the 80’s) was one of the most awaited releases. Kangana Ranaut, who plays the lead is also a firebrand in her own right. The budget for Thalaivi was Rs 90 crore. But, OTT signing, music rights and cinema advances have already netted Rs 110 crore, and whatever overflows now is money for jam. Meanwhile, there is a fight royal between the top cinemas — PVR, Inox and Cinepolis and Netflix. The Hindi version rights have been awarded to these entities, and cinemas are adamant that they need at least four weeks between their shows and OTT. Netflix is bent on immediate release. What about the original Tamil and Telugu prints? Thankfully, Amazon Prime is more yielding and agreed to wait for the cooling period. Any surprise that Kangana made a whirlwind promo trip to Chennai, to cool all tempers on the political front. She visited the memorials of JJ, MGR and Kalaignar to ensure all round peace! Thalaivi shows that ignoble public display of crass behaviour in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, some 35 years ago, when Kalaignar was the CM and a DMK MLA pulled her saree. Is DMK ready to squirm when Thalaivi hits the Tamil audience?
The civility will remain, but it is the end of the bonhomie between the Opposition AIADMK and the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu. When former chief minister O Panneerselvam, on his wife’s death, wept in the close presence of current chief minister MK Stalin, it was a sign that maturity in Tamil Nadu politics is here to stay. But the DMK is bent upon pursuing its own interests as a few actions betraying agenda pursuits were witnessed. The first was the move to affiliate the Jayalalithaa University in Villupuram to the Annamalai varsity, which is seen as a move by the rulers to suppress Jaya’s name. The second was the announcement that the Karunanidhi statue would be restored to its original place on Mount Road from where it was removed during the Jayalalithaa regime. “Traffic hazard” was quoted as the reason to move a centrally placed tribute to the late DMK patriarch in his bronze statue with the trademark tinted glasses to cover for a childhood eye injury. Stalin was more than civil in allowing ration and condiments bags with the portraits of Jaya and EPS to be in continued use until they are exhausted in order to save Rs 10 crore for the government. But he is pursuing other things close to his dad’s heart like hiding the Assembly in the Omadurar building rather than Fort St George.
The 2017 Kodanad case is back in the limelight years after J Jayalalithaa died and one of her drivers led a break-in on the tea estate nestling in the Nilgiris. The latest turn in the case may be entirely political with the new regime headed by MK Stalin in Tamil Nadu seeking to put pressure on former CM Edappadi Palaniswami wondering if he could be named a conspirator but the fact remains that a Hitchcockian suspense over events were never satisfactorily explained. Two major gang leaders of the break-in met with road accidents at virtually the same time on the same day. While the prime accused Kanagaraj died in a two-wheeler crash in Salem, the first accused MV Sayan survived a car crash but lost his wife and daughter on a Kerala road when another vehicle bumped suspiciously into his. The key to the mystery lies with Sayan now who is much wanted as the ruling DMK seems very interested in the outcome of reinvestigation. A hunt is on for the main conspirator who may have set a gang of nine to break in and see if they could get into locked rooms of the bungalow which were supposed to contain great treasures including jewels and cash. The CCTVs were conveniently off at the time leading to the suspicion of an inside hand.
The late J Jayalalithaa was a firm believer in vaastu all her life. While she was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, even the choice of sari to wear for the day was determined by the stars. As an intense believer, she encouraged many a soothsayer to study her Kundali (horoscope) and give her advice. And, ironically, after her death too the question of vaastu is hanging around the political party AIADMK which she headed after her mentor MGR’s death. The election defeat and the prevailing confusion and infighting in her party ranks is now being ascribed to bad vaastu. Voices are now being raised about bad vaastu creating all the problems, chaos and infighting in AIADMK. If you believe the pundits, the theory is that Amma’s memorial on the Marina Beach is totally against vaastu. At least one vaastu believer avers that Jaya was no Phoenix rising from the ashes and such a depiction in her memorial by the architect is all wrong. There were other designs submitted that would have served Jaya’s memory best, like a blooming flower that would last forever. The erroneous curvilinear design is to blame for all the woes, says the ardent Jaya admirer but it is unlikely that the party will tinker with the memorial now.
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.