Will Modi Face Hurdles In Implementing His Delhi Promises?

Even as PM Modi promised to repay the trust Delhi voters placed in his party by vowing to turn Delhi into a “developed capital of a developed country” and said he will fulfil BJP’s poll promises, clean the Yamuna and ensure accountability for corruption under the AAP regime by promising to present all pending 14 CAG reports in the assembly, many within the party wondered if it was enough to oust AAP out of the Delhi state assembly. Or more needs to be done. As Modi said “This is not an ordinary victory. The people of Delhi have driven out AAP-da. The mandate of Delhi is clear.” BJP insiders pointed out that when the new Delhi government will begin its work on making the city garbage free, it is quite possible that AAP could still put a roadblock on its work via the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). That is because AAP controls the MCD with its 134 councillors; the BJP has 104 councillors. Elections to the civic body were held in December 2022. A section in the BJP feels Modi government should go in for fresh MCD polls in the light of assembly poll win, if it must clean up Delhi. Party sources, however, feel there is no need for any drastic step as many AAP MLAs and councillors may want to cross over to the BJP seeing the public mood. Sources also acknowledged that the BJP hugely benefited getting the lion’s share — an estimated 67% of women’s vote. It was clearly the Haryana effect of Rs 2100 payout under Lado Lakshmi Yojana that had swung the Delhi women to the BJP. They were no longer enamoured by AAP’s free bus rides. (By Lakshmi Iyer) 

BJP Seeking 289 Lotus MPs After Big Delhi Win, Pushing For 3 Big Reforms

BJP’s Delhi win has bolstered its Lok Sabha plan to up the numbers from the earlier 272 target to 289 plus in coming days. Decks are being cleared to usher in three long pending legislations before Parliament to include Uniform Civil Code, Waqf Board reforms and finally the One Nation One Poll (ONOP) political reform. Several MPs from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) Sena and Sharad Pawar led political formations are keen to enroll with BJP in Maharashtra but, Shiv Sena DCM Eknath Shinde and NCP DCM Ajit Pawar want to embrace them into respective party folds delaying the process. Giant killer of Delhi assembly elections Parvesh Verma (former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma’s son), a Jat leader, also credited with ensuring 12 assembly seat victories in Delhi, is frontrunner for CM’s post. “Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were the first to call, congratulate Verma immediately after his victory. Also, following the Haryana assembly win by BJP, influential Jat leadership was upset for being overlooked for CM’s post. Delhi may install Jat CM to compensate Haryana and build for Punjab and Bihar state assemblies,” a senior BJP leader says. Before the results the candidature of Dushyant Kumar Gautam, a senior BJP national general secretary was being considered as the Dalit CM face for Delhi but, Gautam lost a close fight for Karol Bagh seat to Vishesh Ravi of AAP by just under 8000 votes. Ravi clinched the seat twice before with winning margins exceeding 25000 each time. (By Renni Abraham)

It’s Maaya’s World At The WTA 125 L&T Mumbai Open

Tennis buffs were happy to read the bold and interesting catchline — Larsen & Toubro: Celebrating Excellence in Women’s Tennis — at the tennis courts of South Mumbai’s sports-minded Cricket Club of India (CCI). India and the world’s top engineering, construction and manufacturing company, was the title sponsor, for the fourth year, of the “LT Mumbai Open” which is a Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) category 125 professional tournament that draws budding and experienced international players who aim for the 125 WTA points and move up the world rankings. The tournament also helps promising Indian players who are not among the top notch get a “wildcard” entry into the qualifiers and the main draw. The CCI was a superb venue for the event, but the week-long tournament — revived after six years — enabled a rookie Indian junior, Maaya Rajeshwarann Revathi to cut her teeth in the big league and make a terrific impact. Thanks to the L&T, CCI and the Tournament Director, Sunder Iyer, four Indians — Ankita Raina, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Vaishnavi Adkar and Sahaja Yamalapalli — got a wildcard entry into the main draw of 32, and Maaya and Akanksha Nitture for the qualifier. But the young lass who impressed the most was the 15-year old from Coimbatore, Maaya who won two qualifier rounds and three main draw rounds to enter the semi-finals to be assured of 49 WTA points to enter the WTA world ranking list. She also earned a prize money of $ 5300. The week ending February 9 turned out to be path breaking for Maaya who trains at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Spain. Tennis needs more corporate patronage, just like the L&T ‘s support for the Mumbai Open. (By G Viswanath)

TMC’s “Selective” Disciplinary Action Sparks Internal Controversy

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has reaffirmed its stance on party discipline, taking decisive action against three leaders whose public statements embarrassed the party. However, the party’s inaction against three prominent actor-turned-legislators and parliamentarians despite their controversial remarks has raised questions about a perceived selective approach to discipline. TMC’s disciplinary committee acted against MLAs Humayun Kabir, Narayan Goswami and Madan Mitra. Kabir’s call to appoint the party’s National General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee as Deputy Chief Minister with control over the police department did not sit well with the leadership. Goswami faced scrutiny after making incoherent statements and singing at a public event. Mitra triggered controversy by accusing the party’s advisory agency, I-PAC, of extortion. All three leaders either faced show-cause notices or issued public apologies to mitigate the damage. However, the party has remained silent on controversial statements made by Chandipur MLA Soham Chakraborty and MPs Rachna Banerjee and Shatrughan Sinha. Soham contradicted the party’s official stance on the high-profile rape and murder case at R G Kar Medical College by suggesting that the convicted individual may not have acted alone. Sinha, on the other hand, stirred controversy by advocating for a nationwide ban on non-vegetarian food, aligning with the ideological stance of the BJP. The disciplinary committee’s swift response to one group of leaders while ignoring others raises questions about selective approach. Is the party hesitating to take action against its celebrity MPs due to their public appeal? Or is there an underlying strategy to maintain a delicate political balance? (By Tanya Bagchi)

Vizhinjam Seaport Gets A Leg-Up From Mediterranean Shipping Company

Vizhinjam Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram is fast emerging as a key link between Asia and Europe with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest container shipping company by fleet size and cargo capacity, announcing its plans to make it a port of call. MSC’s Jade service, which connects Asia and Europe will now include a stop at Vizhinjam before continuing to the Mediterranean. This move would bring larger vessels with capacities ranging from 23,000 to 24,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). to dock at the port boosting its prospects. Since its inception in July 2024, Vizhinjam Seaport has handled 144 ships and 2,90,000 containers, showcasing the port’s increasing capacity and operational efficiency. Smaller MSC vessels have been primary contributors to its growth. This port has seen a steady rise in MSC ship calls. “We plan to increase the number of calls to 48 a month immediately, with a medium-term goal of reaching 60 calls per month. The projection will lead to having two MSC ships calling a Vizhinjam every day,” according to a MSC spokesman. Also, Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, Thiruvananthapuram, is replicating the success of Adani-run Mundra Port, Gujarat, by setting up a SEZ that will foster an industrial eco-system and port-led development. According to Harikrishnan Sundaram, head of container business at Adani Ports, the development of Vizhinjam Port has exceeded initial expectations by handling one million (TEUs) in its first year itself, an Indian record.  To sustain this growth Adani Ports plan to develop essential infrastructure including SEZs, logistics hubs and warehouses. He drew parallels with Jebel Ali Port which successfully created an eco-system supporting the UAE’s economic development. (By Our National Editor)

In Bollywood, Big Launch Of Star Kids Is Passe

In Bollywood a new trend is emerging. The traditional approach of the big launch of star kids via big screen is history. For instance, Saif Ali Khan’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan’s debut film Nadaaniyan will be released on Netflix with the usual marketing drive. According to film historian Dilip Thakur, “Gone are the days when big launches would happen for newcomers or star kids; the last big launch was that of Hrithik Roshan…that was 25 years ago.” There is not going to be any superstar with the advent of OTT culture and GenNext seems okay with it. Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor’s film Loveyapa is their first theatrical release; both have already made their debut on OTT with Maharaj and The Archies. Junaid’s father Aamir Khan is going around promoting them. Unlike Janhvi kapoor, Khushi had a rather quiet launch with The Archies but her acting prowess was noticed. Both are somewhere sure that they have been accepted and therefore fine with it. Thakur says the business of cinema is all about the first weekend and that the game is over unless it is Pushpa or a Pathaan.  Besides the exposure to OTT is more than the cinema and only spectacles are going to work in cinemas and the generation next knows it and is practical about it. Hypothetically, if they don’t make their cut in acting, the paparazzi culture has already made them influencers so they will be around in some form connected with Bollywood. (By Our Entertainment Editor)

USAID Funded Ukraine Regime Change And Undisclosed Indian Names!

Non-government privately operated Indian agencies, in the sphere of education, healthcare, infrastructure and governance as well as undisclosed Indian nationals received huge financial outlays from USAID under the Biden administration in the USA. Allegations that USAID was a front for American governments of the past to undermine, engineer coups to change the political leadership across the globe have emerged now. USAID played during the Ukraine Maidan uprising of 2014, for instance, with leaked phone call conversations from February 2014 between the U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt and Victoria Nuland (Assistant Secretary of State, European and Eurasian Affairs) exposed American efforts to dislodge then Ukraine President to install U.S. preferential candidate (read Vladimir Zelensky) through a regime change operation. Similarly, high fund allocations to Indian entities including Gurugram-based Priyanka India Pvt Ltd ($238,560), SF&B INC ($18,989), Jefferson Consulting Group LLP ($129,477), New Delhi based Impact Investors Council ($ 14,567), Techno Relief (Overseas) India Pvt Ltd ($226,670), People’s Science Institute ($176,037) based out of Dehradun in Uttarakhand, Boland India E ($267,393) by USAID are under the lens. More intriguing is the huge fund allocations made under the head of miscellaneous foreign awardees (from India) distinct tranches ($4732; $16,750; $16, 200) besides several payouts to undisclosed American entities with allegedly close India ties ($783,736; $15,823; $188,100; $176,665; $218,084; $214,103; $237,271.51; $368,466; $324,686; $529,142.98). Actor Sonam Kapoor’s husband’s firm as also Tata Communications (formerly VSNL) were also similarly funded $18,906 by USAID as now revealed. Indian agencies are keen to know the nature of inputs provided by these social sector agencies to the government for policy formulation. (By Renni Abraham)

Cong Leader Manickam Tagore Guilty Of Taking Delight At AAP’s Fall

The antics of Tamil Nadu Congress MP Manickam Tagore have not gone unnoticed in the wake of the Delhi poll results. Displaying what was clearly his delight at the AAP taking a tumble in the Delhi elections, the MP had posted on X just two words – ‘Delhi Results’ – along with a video of Arvind Kejriwal declaring that there be no tie-up in Delhi. While schadenfreude is understandable, what the post tries to make is a case that Kejriwal was to blame for the Congress not agreeing to adjustments and the grand old party going ahead to contest in all 70 seats and playing the spoiler. In fact, it was Congress, which often accused the AAP of being the BJP’s B team, ended up playing the role of ‘BJP B’ in the Delhi polls by clearly affecting the results in 14 seats, including that of Kejriwal, and turning the contest around for a BJP sweep. If the INDIA alliance had been in place and Congress contested only a few seats to keep up its Delhi identity and poll ambitions, the verdict may have been totally different with the AAP prevailing in a close contest. What happened in the end was that Congress scored a triple bagel – 000 – in three successive Delhi polls and Kejriwal lost power and Congress spokespersons were looking at the crumbs of the poll verdict and predicting the party’s comeback in 2030. (By Tamil Raja)

Fadnavis Says Modi’s ‘Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai’ Magic Worked In Delhi

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has described the BJP’s spectacular victory in Delhi assembly election as one more example of Ek hai toh Safe hai. Welcoming the verdict, Fadnavis recalled how Maharashtra voters had supported the NDA in the recent assembly election, scripting the first instance of Ek hai toh safe hai after BJP’s poor show in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Fadnavis explained how the BJP had lost the Dhule Lok Sabha seat since it had hardly received any votes in the Malegaon assembly segment in which Muslims are in majority. In all the five other segments, the BJP was leading but had to accept defeat due to the substantial anti-BJP voting in Malegaon alone. He termed it as the ‘Love Jihad’ effect and said a dozen Lok Sabha seats were lost by the NDA due to the same reason. Fadnavis said that for the assembly election, PM Narendra Modi toured Maharashtra and spread the message of Ek hai toh safe hai and the impact was magical. After Maharashtra, the message has shown its power in Delhi, he observed. Fadnavis had campaigned in the national capital assembly election, too. He had held several meetings in the Marathi-speaking population of Delhi and mobilised their support. The CM has ridiculed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for alleging that a sudden spurt in the registration of new voters was noticed in Maharashtra just before assembly polls. He advised Rahul to introspect and learn to accept the popular mandate.  (By Dilip Chaware)

Anna Hazare’s Appeal Against Kejriwal Ignored By Media But Lauded By PM

 

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has hit out at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and held him responsible for his party’s resounding defeat in Delhi assembly election while analysing the pro-BJP outcome in the national capital. Anna said about his one-time ardent disciple that Kejriwal was influenced by power and money so much that he was not ready to listen to alarm signals voiced time and again against his style of functioning. Anna’s recent video clip, released on the eve of the election, had told Kejriwal in no uncertain terms to mend his ways. The message was mostly ignored by the media though shortpost.in had uploaded a news item about it just before the polling. Reiterating his stand, Anna said after the results were declared, “Ideology and actions should be pure in public life. An individual should not carry any stigma so that the electors develop confidence in that leader. I repeatedly conveyed this message to AAP but it was ignored.” An exasperated Anna had asked the voters not to support AAP in this clip. In fact, there are many in Maharashtra who feel smug, ridiculing Anna and supporting Kejriwal. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged Anna’s stand while addressing a BJP victory rally in party headquarters in Delhi. Modi also focused on AAP’s corruption by pointing out that all its top leaders had been in custody. Modi said Anna’s anti-graft crusade had catapulted Kejriwal to become the Delhi CM and expressed happiness that Anna’s stand had been endorsed by the people of Delhi. “Finally, Anna has been liberated from the AAP shroud,” the PM said to a huge applause. (By Dilip Chaware)

Odisha Govt Plans Greater Bhubaneswar Economic Region To Beat Bengaluru, Chennai

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is firing on all cylinders as he is in a hurry to cross several milestones. Plans are afoot to set up a new city near Bhubaneswar. In fact, his development basket for Odisha now goes beyond ‘Viksit Gaon-Viksit Odisha’ (Developed Village, Developed Odisha) scheme for which Rs 5,000 crore has been earmarked to be spent over the next five years. Majhi, it is learnt, is putting pressure on District Collectors to deliver quick results; toward meeting this objective he has asked the District Collectors to submit a prospective development plan of villages block-wise to his office by February 18. Besides this, the CM has outlined Greater Bhubaneswar Economic Region (GBER) plan. He is now adding Puri and Paradeep to Cuttack and Bhubaneswar encompassing a sustainable economic zone spanning 8,500 sq km creating a size greater than Bengaluru and Chennai metropolitan areas. This ambitious Greater Bhubaneswar project having one of the largest urban development initiatives in Odisha’s history is aimed to transform the region into a major economic hub as Odisha aims to be a developed state by 2036. (By Sangram Mohanty)

Adani GroupAnna HazareArvind KejriwalDelhi Assembly Election 2025Indian politicsNarendra ModiShatrughan Sinha