The Day of Rekha Gupta

FOR BHARATIYA Janata Party (BJP), Rekha Gupta ticks several boxes. One of the four women among the party’s 48 elected MLAs, the first-time legislator has her political roots in Delhi, where she first made her foray into student politics. The first in her family to join politics, non-controversial and untainted, at 50, she has a long road ahead of her.

By the time Gupta was chosen as leader of the House at a BJP legislature meeting on February 19, 11 days after the Delhi election results, speculation was rife about her being in the chief ministerial race. The foremost factor that seems to have gone in her favour is BJP leaning towards a woman legislator for the chief minister’s post, narrowing down its choices. Gupta had defeated her rival AAP’s Bandana Kumari, a three-time MLA, by over 29,595 votes from Shalimar Bagh. After losing the Shalimar Bagh seat in the 2015 and 2020 Delhi elections, she did not give up, but remained connected with voters of the constituency, recalls a BJP leader. In her third fight from Shalimar Bagh, her campaign slogan was “kaam hi pehchaan (my work is my identity)”.

While BJP had balanced caste equations in appointing chief ministers, mostly dark horses, in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, it was yet to have a woman for the top job, giving Gupta an edge over veterans.

A three-time councillor, Gupta belongs to the Vaishya community, like former chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. Besides, she is not a dynast and has the backing of BJP’s ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), with which she has been associated for around three decades, beginning with college where she was with its student wing ABVP. At a grand ceremony in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, where Gupta took oath on February 20, the son of former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, Parvesh Sahib Singh, who defeated Kejriwal in New Delhi, was sworn-in as deputy chief minister.

BJP has in the past appointed two women deputy chief ministers— Diya Kumari, a BJP leader from the royal family of Jaipur, in Rajasthan, and Pravati Parida, a lawyer-turned-politician, in Odisha. Gupta will be the only woman chief minister from BJP among the 15 states the party rules across India, and the 17th woman chief minister overall to have been sworn–in since Independence. The only other woman chief minister in the country at present is Trinamool Congress’ Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.

In the recent Delhi Assembly elections, the voter turnout of women was 60.92 per cent, against 60.21 per cent of men, with 41 of the 70 seats witnessing an increase in turnout of women voters. Political parties competed with each other in luring women with direct benefit transfer schemes in the run-up to elections. BJP has assured ₹2,500 a month to women who are not economically well-off, outmatching AAP’s ₹2,100 a month promise. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said ahead of the Delhi elections that once BJP comes to power, ₹2,500 will start going into the accounts of women eligible for the scheme on March 8. The first challenge before Gupta, who was national vice president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, would be to fulfil this promise, apart from others made by her party like providing ₹21,000 for pregnant women, cleaning up the Yamuna and continuing all the subsidies offered by AAP.

Gupta, who has had a 27-year stint in BJP, will be the party’s first chief minister in Delhi after Sushma Swaraj held the post 26 years ago. Like Swaraj, the first woman chief minister of Delhi, Gupta too is an advocate. The fourth woman chief minister of Delhi—after Swaraj, Congress’ Sheila Dikshit who served for three terms and AAP’s Atishi—Gupta said after being chosen leader of the House that she was committed to taking Delhi to “new heights”. The task before her is monumental.

Tamil Absolutism

The ongoing tussle between Tamil Nadu and the Central government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has reignited longstanding debates surrounding language imposition and federal autonomy. Central to this dispute is the NEP’s advocacy for a three-language formula, which Tamil Nadu perceives as a veiled attempt to enforce Hindi, thereby threatening its linguistic heritage. Historically, Tamil Nadu has staunchly opposed the imposition of Hindi. The anti-Hindi agitations of the 1960s are a testament to the state’s commitment to preserving its linguistic identity. These protests culminated in assurances that English would continue as an official language alongside Tamil, a promise that has since been a cornerstone of Tamil Nadu’s language policy.

The introduction of NEP 2020 has met with resistance from Tamil Nadu’s political leadership. Chief Minister MK Stalin has been particularly vocal, asserting that the policy undermines the primacy of the Tamil language and infringes upon the state’s educational autonomy. In a recent escalation, Stalin accused Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of linking federal education funds to the implementation of NEP, a move perceived as coercive. Pradhan, however, defended the policy, emphasising its flexibility and denying any intent to impose Hindi. With Tamil Nadu’s Assembly elections looming just over the horizon in 2026, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the ruling party in the state, has taken this old fight, dusted it off, and turned it into something urgent and useful. It has announced statewide protests against NEP, exacerbating latent fault lines to resuscitate an issue that had all but quietened down. This is because the party is facing an election where it needs to keep its anti-BJP, anti-Hindi, pro-Dravidian credentials burnished to a high, campaign-ready sheen.

It needs a clean, powerful issue to cut through the static of all the quotidian governance stuff—the infrastructure problems, the economic concerns, the eyebrows being raised at the perpetuation of M Karunanidhi’s political dynasty. It is not really about Hindi, or at least not just Hindi. It is about power, about who gets to decide what’s taught in schools, about how the Union government with a cultural homogenisation project keeps bumping up against a state that has built its entire modern political identity on resisting precisely that. (By V Shoba)

The Big Picture

Panchgani, Maharashtra, February 17, 2025
Flying Colours: Nineteen-year-old Samarth Mahangade paraglides to his exam centre 15km away at Pasarni Ghat to avoid slow-moving traffic

Newsmaker

Jannik Sinner: Sinner or Saint?
World No 1 tennis player falls foul to doping

JANNIK SINNER, THE No 1 tennis player in the world today and winner of the only Grand Slam held thus far in 2025, has accepted a three-month ban from the sport for two cases of positive drug tests from his previous season. This, of course, isn’t a good look for tennis, or Sinner, or the World-Anti Doping Agency (WADA) for that matter, who came to a settlement with Sinner’s team of lawyers and reduced what threatened to be a two-year-long ban to an unexpectedly lenient stint—between just February 9 and May 4 of this season.

The settlement also ensures that the Italian will serve out his punishment during a period of relative lull in the calendar, returning in time for not just the next major, the French Open, but also be eligible for the Rome Masters, his home event. While WADA has said that the settlement was reached because they believe that the three-time Grand Slam champion “did not intend to cheat” (Sinner’s appeal claimed that the substance, clostebol, got into his system inadvertently via an over-the-counter ointment applied on a cut), the seeming unfairness of the ruling has not gone down well with his fellow players.

Novak Djokovic has accused the administrative bodies of ‘favouritism’ towards the top players, while Stan Wawrinka posted, “I don’t believe in a clean sport anymore,” on X. When accepting the ban, a statement from Sinner began such: “This case had been hanging over me for nearly a year…” This is perhaps apt, given that even after Sinner returns after having done his time, the case will likely continue to hang over him for a while to come. (By Aditya Iyer)

Noisemaker

Pullela Gopichand: Service Fault

Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand’s remark that athletes in non-cricket sports need rich homes to do well struck an odd note. Many of India’s new athletic prospects are from ordinary backgrounds. The Indian women’s hockey team has several such examples as do track-and-field disciplines. In fact, initiatives like Khelo India university games are proving to be a boon for athletes from non-elite families and from places other than the major metros. Perhaps Gopichand had private sporting academies in mind which charge an arm and a leg.

Ideas: Speech

When did humans begin to speak, and what led to that moment? This may not have been a single moment, but a gradual evolution over time where we developed this ability that distinguished us from other animals, including, many believe, other human species like Neanderthals and Denisovans. Speech played a crucial role in our survival and in establishing our dominance on the planet.

A new study finds that genetics might have played a big role. A recent paper in Nature Communications details the discovery of a protein variant of a gene called NOVA1 that proved crucial in the development of our ability to speak. While this gene is found in different creatures, this particular variation is an exclusively Homo sapien trait.

In this research, scientists used CRISPR gene editing to replace the NOVA1 protein found in mice with the variant found in humans. And, quite remarkably, this changed the way the mice called out to each other. Baby mice with the human variant squeaked differently from their counterparts without it when their mother came nearby. Even adult mice with the human variant chirped differently from others when they saw a female in heat.

Our ability to speak of course also depends upon other things like peculiar anatomical features in the human throat and parts of the brain that allow language processing. But this discovery, of a slight tweak in our genetic blueprint, where a variation perhaps arose among some and then spread out into the rest of our species, also shows how fortuitous the story of our journey on Earth is.

Money Mantra

Sharp Investing
When the markets are in a bear hug, bulldoze the sentiment with a diversified portfolio

THE ADAGE “FORM is temporary, class is permanent”, often used in cricket, holds true for investing in the Indian stock market as well.

Just as a skilled cricketer’s temporary slump doesn’t diminish his underlying talent, a high-quality company’s short-term challenges don’t negate its long-term potential.

At this point of time, when the narrative is bearish, it is time to focus on fundamentally strong businesses.

Instead of chasing short-term gains driven by hype or speculation, investors should prioritise companies with four attributes. First, strong financials, implying healthy balance sheets and consistent cash flows are crucial.Second, there has to be a competitive advantage, or a powerful brand, innovative technology, or other unique strengths providing an edge. Third, there needs to be consistent growth, or a track record of reliable earnings growth indicating a healthy business.And lastly, a sound management with prudent leadership and strong corporate governance essential for long-term success.

A successful investment strategy involves building a diversified portfolio that balances domestic and export-oriented companies, mitigating the impact of currency fluctuations.

A long-term perspective is crucial, allowing the power of compounding to work its magic. Fundamental analysis, focusing on financial health, management quality, and industry trends, should always guide investment decisions, rather than reacting to short-term news or market sentiment.

Just as a seasoned cricketer relies on skill and experience to overcome temporary setbacks, investors should trust in the long-term potential of fundamentally sound companies.

Market volatility, global events and currency fluctuations are inevitable. However, companies with strong earnings, visionary leadership, and resilience will weather these storms and emerge stronger.

A temporary dip in the market shouldn’t shake your confidence in quality businesses. True “class” in the market, like true class in cricket, will ultimately prevail.

( By Ramesh Singh)

Viral

Air Crash

It was a moment so bewildering, had it also not been equally frightening, that it would appear as if it had been pulled out of a Hollywood blockbuster about a crashed plane. In the video, a flight attendant can be seen helping passengers exiting a door that seemed a bit too high, even as the person recording the video—also a passenger—makes his way through the door into a snow-covered runway and turns around to find an airplane lying upside down on its back. “Oh my god, I was just on that plane,” he says, as smoke emanates from that plane. A Delta Airlines plane that had taken off from Minneapolis in the US, carrying 80 people onboard, including four crew members, had just crash-landed at Pearson airport in Toronto and flipped upside down. Since then, more videos of the moment the plane hit the runway and flipped upside down have appeared. Surprisingly, no casualties were reported, although around 18 passengers suffered injuries.

Delhi CM Rekha GuptaDharmendra PradhanMK StalinNarendra ModiPullela Gopichand