The faction in the Congress which was pushing for an alliance with actor Vijay’s TVK well before the Tamil Nadu elections is predictably ecstatic that the party has got a foot into the state government apparatus after nearly six decades. The pro-Vijay lobby has convinced the Congress leadership that TVK’s lack of experience and grassroots cadre could prove to be a boon for the party as it can ride on the Vijay wave to revive and expand its footprint in Tamil Nadu. And in time, the Congress could also prevail upon the actor-turned-politician to campaign for them in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka where Mr Vijay is known to have a huge fan base. However, this faction faced a reality check when Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay skipped the swearing-in ceremony of V.D. Satheesan in Kerala even though he had been extended a special invitation for the programme. Instead, a day before the UDF govt’s swearing-in ceremony, the TVK launched its first expansion drive outside Tamil Nadu in Kerala’s Thrissur. Congress leaders who were opposed to a truck with Mr Vijay are now pointing out that their colleagues who batted for a TVK alliance did not realise that once Mr Vijay starts finding his feet in politics, he will try to expand the TVK beyond Tamil Nadu. There is every possibility that Mr Vijay could prove to be another Arvind Kejriwal who demolished the Congress in Delhi and Punjab and is attempting the same in Gujarat. In fact, there are murmurs in the capital’s political circles that Mr Vijay has been set up by the BJP to aid in the disintegration of the Dravidian parties and create space for a national party.
There was palpable tension among waiting Congress leaders when the party’s top bosses were closeted in a final meeting to pick the next chief minister of Kerala. A group of Delhi-based Congress leaders were convinced that AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal would be the chosen one given his proximity to leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. This group was actively propping up Mr Venugopal and was briefing media-persons informally that he was sure to be picked. When it was announced that the Congress leadership had decided on V.D. Satheesan, the disappointment among these leaders was all too evident. In fact, one leader had brought several boxes of laddoos which he had planned to take to Mr Venugopal’s residence. Instead, he distributed them to presspersons, admitting that he was deeply disappointed that Mr Venugopal had been overlooked. A few Delhi leaders were hoping that once Mr Venugopal moved to Kerala, one of them would be elevated as general secretary in charge of the organisation and hence get close to Rahul Gandhi. Since this script has gone awry, there is now a buzz in the Congress that Mr Venugopal has fallen out of favour and he will soon be removed from his current organisational position.
Now that it has succeeded in winning West Bengal, once considered an impregnable fortress, the Bharatiya Janata Party is preparing for its next challenge — Punjab, a state whose voters have steadfastly spurned its overtures. The first major step was taken in the midst of the West Bengal Assembly polls when seven Aam Aadmi Party MPs and leaders joined the BJP. It is now expected that there will be further defections from AAP closer to next year’s Assembly polls. At the same time, a hunt is on in the BJP for a Sikh leader to helm the party’s Punjab unit. Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini has been given the responsibility of mobilising voters and party cadres in Punjab, with a special focus on the large Saini population in the state. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who has been camping in Punjab after the party lost Delhi, has been using every trick in the book, including cutting off water supply to Haryana, to ensure that Mr Saini is kept busy in his state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gift of a packet of Melody toffees to Italian premier Giorgia Meloni took the Internet by storm last week. Memes, reels and quips on X flooded social media platforms as the Prime Minister’s choice of present was easily the most talked about subject. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal was quick to seize the moment with the announcement that India’s toffee exports had gone up by 166 per cent in the last twelve years. Candy and confectionery manufacturers may have hit the sweet spot in recent years as pointed out by the minister but it is also a fact that they have some distance to travel if they are to compete with top international brands which have a substantial share in the $17 billion-dollar international toffee and candy export market. The countries which currently dominate the global market include Germany, Belgium and Netherlands along with China and Mexico. India’s products are doing well in the low-cost market but the country does not have any premium recognisable brand, especially in the chocolate segment. It is hoped that the Prime Minister’s gift will encourage candy manufacturers to up their game and aim for a seat at the high table.
