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On June 9, BJP national president JP Nadda addressed a spirited presser to mark PM Modi’s 11 years in office – which he called a transformative period that should be “written in golden words”. The best part of the presser was that Nadda had marked his targets. He wanted to highlight the achievements of the government. It may be recalled that at a meeting with his ministers recently, PM Modi had shared a sense of disappointment that achievements of the government had not been adequately showcased. That is why even as Nadda attempted showcasing some of Modi government’s achievements such as reduction of Naxalite-affected districts from a high of 126 to just 18, he also settled political score with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh who was mocking PM Modi for not addressing a press conference in all these years. Nadda reminded Jairam, a Rajya Sabha MP, that he would never have spoken to the public as much as PM Modi does. Nadda credited the BJP government with bold decisions like the repeal of Article 370, abolition of triple talaq, Waqf amendment, demonetisation, and the women’s quota bill. He said PM Modi had changed the country’s political culture by making the government more responsive and accountable. Reacting sharply to LoP Rahul Gandhi’s remarks questioning Operation Sindoor and EAM Jaishankar, Nadda dismissed the LoP’s charges with a prayer that “may God give them true wisdom” because it’s very difficult to understand their objective. “When they attend an all-party meeting, they say they stand with the country. But when they step outside, they start raising questions, questions that are completely baseless. That’s why I can only say they are playing the role of an irresponsible opposition.”
If Rajeev Shukla, senior vice president of BCCI, goes on to become the president of BCCI in the elections to be held in September at the annual meeting, it will be unique as he is a veteran politician from the Congress fold. In the last 15 years or so, BCCI had presidents like Jagmohan Dalmiya and N Srinivasan who were industrialists taking the honorary role of cricket administrators. But, after the Lodha Committee ruling on the board, no administrator who reaches the age of 70 can continue. With Roger Binny attaining 70 in June, it is 65-year old Rajeev Shukla who will take over as the interim president. If the old liaison man, political survivor and acceptable personality across the spectrum can convince the ruling party BJP — which has been in total control of BCCI through the Home Minister Amit Shah’s son — that he can be a consensus candidate, he would be achieving quite a feat in cricket administration of today. Of course, Shukla had been useful to many top administrators when the UPA was ruling till 2014, and he had access to Sonia Gandhi when she was the Congress president and all-powerful figure in the country. A brother-in-law of senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, Shukla had also been IPL chairman for a few years. Of course, he would have to cash in on all his old cards if he is to convert his interim presidency to a more permanent one at the AGM. The political survivor would then have achieved quite something as cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny were the last two BCCI presidents who had served the game as players.
A couple of significant developments have taken place in the Chennai corporate world. One, Lakshmi Venu has been elevated as Vice-Chairman of TAFE (Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd), one of the largest tractor makers in the world. She had been a Director of TAFE, the flagship company of the Amalgamation group. TAFE has been driven by Mallika Srinivasan, mother of Lakshmi Venu. Two, Sudarshan Venu has been appointed the CMD of TVS Motor Company, one of the largest two-wheeler producers in the country. Venu Srinivasan, father of Sudarshan, continues to be the Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor. Sudarshan and Lakshmi are children of Venu and Mallika Srinivasan. The elevation of Sudarshan and Lakshmi in TVS Motor and TAFE respectively is significant for the way the young ones in the family are guided up the ladder. More importantly, this sort of set the template for succession planning for many in the family business. The erstwhile TVS conglomerate – which comprised four families — saw formal legal separation a few years ago which allowed each family within the TVS conglomerate to go their separate ways. This, in fact, has seen each one of them chalking out independent business strategies. The family arrangement in the erstwhile TVS group took over two decades to arrive at after two families went to court to settle a dispute over the floatation of a competing venture in early ’90s. If grapevine has to go by, the Murugappa group (which like the TVS family comprises many wings), too, is working hard to arrive at a similar family arrangement. Reading against these backdrops, the elevation of Sudarshan and Lakshmi is remarkable for the calibrated manner in which it was done.
Brand “Thackeray”, currently flavours Maharashtra politics over possible rapprochement between cousins Uddhav and Raj appears headed nowhere even as internal party conflicts within BJP leaders on the wrong side of CM Devendra Fadnavis use pretext to settle scores with him. UBT Chief Uddhav Thackeray will announce what Maharashtra wants to hear (UBT Sena and MNS coming together or not) though no formal proposal has emanated thus far, apart from MP Sanjay Raut’s daily proclamations. Factions within BJP inimical to Fadnavis, termed as the ‘Raj Thackeray fan club’ by BJP insiders who insist MNS chief’s political flip-flops render the “Thackerays” coming together talks a non-starter. National BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde, former MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar, Ashish Shelar blame Fadnavis for their respective political downfalls in Maharashtra, are ratcheting up political foreplay to settle scores with Fadnavis as the climax. Tawde eschewed his Borivali MLA constituency to Sunil Mane (2019) who followed suit in favour of Upadhyay (2024) considered to be Tawde’s man. Tawde idolises Raj Thackeray, took MNS Chief to meet Home Minister Amit Shah a few months ago, even hosted Thackeray scion in Delhi hotel. Fadnavis backers in turn include Shiv Sena chief/DCM Eknath Shinde, his top lieutenant/industries minister Uday Samant who also held political parleys with Raj. BJP itself currently weighs options to appoint Mumbai Pradesh President as contenders in fray include MLAs Sanjay Upadhyay, Yogesh Sagar, Sunil Mane. Mane is frontrunner, sacrificed MLA constituency to favour Upadhyay, particularly, since he is the ‘Marathi Manoos’ imminently set to become Vice Chancellor of Atharva (deemed) University that he administers as an educationist whose institute of learning is renowned for having its own robot to boot.
Deepika Padukone has acquired significant sass after motherhood. Naturally when she has overtaken all female leads in Bollywood, is the brand ambassador to many snazzy brands and is now able to call the shots and crack the whip, she is a true Diva. Was she shown the door by Sandeep Vanga from the film Spirit or did she toss her regal mane and walk out? Now the buzz is she has walked out of Kalki 2 also? So, what are the reasons for this huff and puff? After the success of Jawan, it is rumoured Deepika has set the base remuneration of Rs 25 crore plus10 % share in profit, and working time restricted to 8 hours. Next…Spirit demanded some risqué scenes and she was not agreeable, so chose to walk out. And walked into SUN Pictures Pan World, under production …#AA 22xA6 (sounds like a rocket out of NASA) directed by Attlee. The lead is iconic star Allu Arjun, a name that has carpetbagged crazy global fans and dizzy fanfare after the twin Pushpas. This blend of mega scale, lead popularity and now Deepika’s electric presence is expected to bring big money to SUN and Kalanithi Maran, he of the gilded golden goose touch. One cannot but help ponder over the pole-vaulting success dynamics of stars …when a lead is unknown, an able director with a strong script and a production house that wagers big money on the project go all out for a hit film. Three or four such hits, the unknown turns Diva…the scales turn, equations spin upside down. This happens so often in cinema …the chronicler of fantasy. Till the next Deepika Padukone.
In an unprecedented step, the Election Commission has castigated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for once again raising suspicions about the Maharashtra assembly elections held late last year. The Congress and the INDIA bloc under its leadership had fared miserably in the election that had given a thumping mandate to the Mahayuti under the BJP. “Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the EC’s conduct of the elections are an affront to the law. All these facts were brought out in EC’s reply to the Congress party on 24th December 2024 itself,” the EC has said. At the same time, the political battle over the allegations has caught Rahul in a tight corner. BJP leader Amit Malviya and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis have ridiculed these charges. Moreover, Rahul has warned of similar tactics being used in the upcoming Bihar polls. “This means Rahul has already accepted defeat in Bihar,” Fadnavis has said. Accusing Rahul of undermining public trust in democratic institutions and the electoral process, Malviya has reiterated his allegation of a link between Rahul and U.S. billionaire George Soros. Malviya in his X said, “This is straight out of George Soros’ playbook – systematically erodes people’s faith in their own institutions, so they can be cracked open from within for political gains.” The Congress in the state is in a paralysed condition, lacking a focus or leadership. Hence, Rahul’s attack is not taken seriously by prominent leaders, but for making fun of him.
Gautam Gambhir was point blank saying that he was always against road shows to celebrate victories in sporting contests. The head coach of the Indian cricket team and an illustrious former cricketer, Gambhir did not mince words when he was asked to respond to the terrible tragedy in Bengaluru where 11 people died in a stampede around the M Chinnaswamy Stadium within 15 hours of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning its maiden IPL title in Ahmedabad. Gambhir who has led and mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL title wins had some strong words to express his anguish. He said he was against road shows and that the sad happenings in Bengaluru should be an eye-opener for all franchises. Gambhir and Shubman Gill were at the Cricket Centre, Mumbai for an interaction with the media before the Indian team’s departure to London for the five-Test series starting on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Gill and Gambhir were asked pointed questions on the challenges that’s likely to come up in England post the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and the potential absence of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah from one or two Tests in order to look after his workload. While his answers were predictable about the cricket part, Gambhir sent a message across to all the stakeholders and the franchises in particular that there has to be a strict ‘No, No’ for road shows and that human life is more important than anything else. RCB — like MI, CSK and KKR — has a humongous fan following and one and all is sad and gutted with what took place in the Garden City, the day after a memorable first IPL victory.
In recent times, the release of politically nuanced films ahead of elections has become a pattern too deliberate to ignore. Movies like Uri or The Kashmir Files, The Accidental Prime Minister or Mein Atal Hoon’s releases were timed so as to stir public sentiment during elections time. Now, with West Bengal’s assembly elections scheduled next year, acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Arindam Sil is on overdrive to get his film Karpoor, released this December. A politically charged mystery thriller it could test the boundaries between art and electoral influence. Karpoor is based on Dipanwita Roy’s novel Antardhaner Nepathye, which draws from the real-life disappearance of Manisha Mukhopadhyay, a former Assistant Controller at the University of Calcutta. Her vanishing in 1997, amid an alleged education scam, rocked Bengal’s academic and political landscape and triggered accusations against the then-ruling CPI(M) regime. Nearly three decades later, Sil revisits the unsolved case, threading it through dual timelines — 1997 and 2019 — with veteran actress Rituparna Sengupta leading the cast. The film is already generating buzz, not just for its sensitive storyline but also for its notable ensemble, which includes several political figures stepping into acting roles. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh makes his screen debut in a role reportedly inspired by the late CPI(M) heavyweight Anil Biswas. Minister and theatre stalwart Bratya Basu portrays the lead investigator, while TMC councillor Ananya Bandopadhyay takes on the role of a powerful media editor. Despite the presence of figures aligned with West Bengal’s ruling party, Sil has firmly denied any deliberate political messaging. The film’s content and timing could reignite and provoke fresh political discourse in the state.
RSS Ideologue S Gurumurthy who has facilitated many alliances and peace talks in Tamil Nadu is in the news once again. This time, the ambassador-at-large, has been called upon by the PMK party founder Dr S Ramadoss to find a solution between him and his son Dr Anbumani. The meeting between Gurumurthy was a personal one and the BJP had nothing to do with it, said BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran. With 2026 Assembly Elections ahead, brokering a rapprochement between the patriarch and his son was the number one need when all parties in Tamil Nadu are circling and calculating to shore up alliances. Earlier Gurumurthy had met Dr Ramadoss at his Thailapuram residence, the party headquarters. There is a power struggle between father and son over the control of the party. Clearly, Dr Anbumani, who was a Union health minister in the first UPA government, is no novice at power play. He has challenged his father on a number of issues: party funds, choice of his nephew, Mukundan being appointed as the leader of the Youth Wing. A sudden trip to Chennai by senior Ramadoss set off the grapevine bells clanging. Sure enough, Ramadoss headed to Mukundan’s residence in Poes Garden. Gurumurthy along with former Chennai Corporation Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy met Ramadoss. Obviously, bringing this Mango (the party symbol) on a platter will certainly help the NDA. It may be recalled that Gururmurthy was also closely involved in trying to patch up the differences between EPS and OPS.
Sixty-five-year old Pinaki Misra, an eminent Supreme Court lawyer and politician, created headlines for marrying 51-year old firebrand Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and that too quietly in Germany on May 3. Odisha born Misra is four-time MP, winning on both the Congress and BJD tickets. Their marriage photo which went viral was broken by ABP’s The Telegraph. Why did two high profile people get married in Germany and that too quietly was the question everybody was asking. Incidentally, it’s the second marriage for both. Reportedly, Misra who hails from an illustrious family, his father Loknath Misra was a Rajya Sabha member, later Governor of Assam and whose net worth estimated around Rs 130-crore plus has houses in Germany and Delhi. It is said that Mishra’s relationship with Mahua solidified in 2023 following her expulsion from Lok Sabha in cash-for-query scandal wherein she received cash and gifts from industrialist Darshan Hiranandani in return for allowing him to use her Parliamentary login to pose questions against the Adani Group. When this issue came to light, Hiranandani openly alleged about her relationship with Mishra. At that time Mishra brushed it off labelling it malicious. For both Mohua and Pinaki this is their second marriage. Mohua was married to Danish financier Lars Borson and later she was in a relationship with lawyer Jai Anand Dehadrai. Pinaki, who divorced his wife Sangeeta in 1984, has two children. Incidentally, Page 3 circles were not surprised by this wedding as their affair was a public secret.
The BJP was in a dilemma regarding the Erode East Assembly bypoll in Tamil Nadu for a seat that became vacant with the death of Congress leader EVKS Elangovan. Having promised a seat to GK Vasan’s TMC, the party did not wish to go back on its word and take over the seat. At the same time, it was fearful of Vasan’s party being wiped out in the poll and finishing far behind Seeman’s NTK. A very poor performance by an ally would not have suited the national party either, which is why it decided not to contest and announcing it was following the AIADMK in boycotting the poll because the election would be fixed by the ruling DMK in bringing hordes of voters into nearby meeting places and then transporting them to the booths. AIADMK had decided to withdraw from the poll to give BJP the chance of putting up what could be a common candidate representing the opposition to the DMK in the state. The BJP boycott means the contest would be a walkover for the DMK that will face the only recognised party in the LTTE leader Prabhakaran-loving Tamil nationalist party NTK that has not won a single election so far. In any case, the seat will only be for a little more than a year as the Assembly elections to all 234 seats are to be held in the summer of 2026.
Believing in the myth of the LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran being alive is a kind of business in Tamil Nadu. Perpetuating the myth of the slain separatist who waged war against the Sri Lankan State on behalf of the Tamils is the MDMK leader Vaiko and a few others who were close to the Tiger chief when he was alive and even took breaks in Tamil Nadu to meet top political leaders, including MGR. As his anniversary comes around, the myth is narrated by Vaiko and even picked up by the media. This year, there was additional grist to this mill with a fake video surfacing purportedly showing Prabhakaran’s daughter Duwraka speaking. Truth is Sri Lanka’s top military brass reported to the political boss Mahinda Rajapaksa that the LTTE chief had been captured on May 17, 2009. The President was said to have then sent the army chief to get rid of the rebel leader and all his family as the State did not want his DNA to survive. This is why Prabhakaran was eliminated, so too his wife Mathivathani Erambu, daughter Duvaraga and son Balachandran. As his clan was seen as enemies who waged war against the State, the murder of his entire family was not seen as a human rights violation. Keeping him alive is the job of semi-retired politicians like Vaiko, who made a big business out of supporting the Eelam cause, Pazha Nedumaran and Kashi Anandan.
Of all the crazy things heard in recent times this one must take the cake. Former Congressman and Indira Gandhi’s aide Pazha Nedumaran claimed that the long-dead Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is alive, safe and in good health. He also claimed the LTTE chief would soon make a public appearance. This flies in the face of the internationally revealed event when Prabhkaran was captured in Sri Lanka. Reliable sources in Sri Lanka averred then that far from being treated as a prisoner of a civil war, Prabhakaran was treated as a terrorist who had to be shot. The then Sri Lankan army chief, after briefing the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa of the capture of the most wanted terrorist, flew down to the scene of Prabhkaran’s capture and is said to have personally pulled the trigger on him. His body was then dragged to a pond and shown to the world as having been killed in the battle against the LTTE. Not only was Prabhakaran eliminated thus, but also his minor son who was also disposed of as Colombo was said to have conveyed to the Army General that no DNA of the man who waged a decades-long war against Sri Lanka should survive. The story of Prabhkaran’s capture and shooting has been documented by those in the thick of events at the end of the civil war in 2009.
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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.