Power Games: Kamal Haasan may join Bharat Jodo in Delhi
Star Power
Kamal Haasan may join Bharat Jodo in Delhi
Superstar Kamal Haasan is likely to join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi. Sources said an invitation to join the yatra has been sent to him through the Tamil Nadu unit of Congress, and the matinee idol has accepted the invitation. An announcement about his joining the yatra is likely to be made soon. The Bharat Jodo yatra will enter Delhi on December 23 from Faridabad in Haryana and cross the national capital to end the city leg at the Gandhi Samadhi at Rajghat. Kamal Haasan is likely to join the yatra from Faridabad to Rajghat. The Congress party was initially planning to get Haasan to join the Yatra in Rajasthan but decided to have him in Delhi for a larger show in the national capital. Haasan fared badly in 2021 with his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam facing a rout in the Tamil Nadu assembly election in which he himself lost from Coimbatore, though by a thin margin. He has, however, bounced back in 2022 with the release of his blockbuster film Vikram. Sources said his joining hands with Rahul Gandhi may result in his party’s alliance with the DMK-led front in Tamil Nadu.
Drowned in the din
High fuel prices, windfall profits of pvt refiners
The spat between finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Trinamool Congress MP Mohua Moitra became so bitter in the Lok Sabha last week that many critical issues got swept aside in Sitharaman’s response to the discussion on supplementary demands for grants. Mohua’s characteristic fire and brimstone speech, filled with khisiyani billi, ‘who’s the Pappu now’ and pagal ke haath mein maachis jibes, triggered an equally fiery response from Sitharaman who spent a good portion of her time attacking the Trinamool government’s policies and the state of affairs in West Bengal. One issue that MPs wanted the minister to respond to was related to the import of discounted oil from Russia. During the course of the discussion, the minister was asked to inform the House why two private refineries were allowed to import the bulk of hugely discounted Russian crude and make windfall profits by refining the oil and selling it to US and EU. The finance minister was asked to explain why the government companies were not taking advantage of Russian discounts in a bigger way for the benefit of the common man. It was pointed out that fuel prices in India would considerably decline if oil PSUs were asked to import more from Russia. But the issue got drowned in the din.
Compliance Issues
Centre sends team to inspect RIL zoo in Jamnagar
The Ambani family has been known for its obsession with size. Dhirubhai established the world’s largest refinery at Jamnagar, and when Mukesh Ambani decided to have a new house for his family, he built Antillia, one of the largest and most expensive private residences in the world. Two months after the marriage of his older son Akash, Mukesh bought one of the world’s largest toy store chains, Hamleys, apparently in anticipation of the arrival of a grandchild. The tradition endures in the third generation of Ambanis. While regular folks acquire a pet, Mukesh Ambani’s younger son Anant, a passionate animal lover, has decided to build the world’s largest private zoo. The zoo, spread over 280 acres and called the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, will have around 100 different species of birds, reptiles, and animals from all over the world, including, giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, lions, sloth bears, komodo dragons, Indian wolves, rosy pelicans, fishing cats, ostriches, and meerkats. The zoo will have wildlife sections like ‘Forest of India’, ‘Frog House’, ‘Insect Life’, ‘Exotic Island’, ‘Wild Trail of Gujarat’ and ‘Aquatic Kingdom’. By all accounts, the RIL zoo will be one of the biggest attractions for wildlife lovers in India. But there have been complaints regarding certain violations. A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking constitution of an SIT to look into the affairs of the zoo. The court rejected it. Sources said complaints were recently filed with the government following which a high-level team was sent to Jamnagar. A report is being prepared on the findings and it will soon be made public.