Where is Congress’ social media head Divya Spandana? The suspense only grows

File image of Divya Spandana | Facebook

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The growing suspense over Divya Spandana’s next move

Divya Spandana a.k.a. Ramya, head of the Congress party’s social media, has her party colleagues in suspense over her next move. She has been skipping meetings of the party’s publicity committee headed by Anand Sharma. Congress president Rahul Gandhi constituted the committee in August to devise a coordinated action plan for publicity in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but Ramya wouldn’t have anyone interfere in what she believes is her exclusive domain — that is, the party’s digital communications. A few weeks back, she had removed her bio as Congress party’s social media head from her Twitter profile, triggering speculation about her continuance in the post. The bio was back three days later but her absence from the publicity committee meetings shows the actor-turned-politician is still unhappy. A committee member sought to play it down, saying that she did not show up at the last meeting Saturday as she underwent a surgery. But the fact is she hasn’t attended any committee meeting in the past two months. Congress leaders in the committee are now feeling like hapless directors who have to put up with the tantrums of star actors.

Twitter on back foot after ‘Smash Brahminical patriarchy’ row

As the controversy around Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s ‘Smash Brahminical patriarchy’ placard continues to rage, Twitter India has been put on the back foot and seems to be taking pre-emptive steps to prevent any further damage. Even though it has not been asked for a version, senior representatives of Twitter India have been going out of their way and calling up government officials across ministries on their own, including in the home ministry, in a bid to explain their stand. Officials are being told what happened was unintentional, that Dorsey means no harm and this isn’t what Twitter stands for. Twitter India’s panic to pacify the government and be heard by the highest authorities is understandable, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is an ardent user of the platform, and has made sure all his ministers are active on it. Incidentally, the Brahmin factor is particularly important to BJP given the party built a chunk of its politics on representing the upper castes.

Now, I-T officers want an armed wing for protection

Worried about the security of income tax officers, the IRS Association is mulling something radical. After some attacks on its officers during I-T raids, the IRS body is contemplating if it could have an armed wing. I-T officers encounter several dangerous situations while conducting raids, and are typically dependent on police personnel for security cover. However, the idea of income tax officers carrying revolvers is too radical for some IRS officers themselves, hence the body is divided over the proposal. For starters, they feel that carrying weapons could diminish the value of the evidence they produce after raids since it could be argued that it was obtained under duress.

NCP leader enters Maharashtra legislature dressed as Chhatrapati Shivaji 

Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Prakash Gajbhiye at Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan | Manasi Phadke/ThePrint

Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Prakash Gajbhiye, a member of Maharashtra’s legislative council, loves his fancy dress. He is often known to rent outfits and have role plays to protest various issues in the state legislature, and grab eyeballs. On Thursday, Gajbhiye, who hails from Nagpur, came to the legislature dressed as Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji. He stood before cameras in Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan in his rich red robe, complete with a kamarband (waist belt) and a golden sword tucked in it, jewels around his neck, a typical tilak on his forehead and a pagdi on his head. He said, his attire was to insist the urgency of implementing a Maratha reservation in the state and fast-track the mid-sea Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial. In the past, Gajbhiye has come dressed as various saints and once even as Manohar Bhide, the right-wing leader originally accused of inciting the 1 January Bhima Koregaon violence.

KCR fears grand alliance could win Telangana polls

Has KCR scored a self goal by accepting that the TRS could be facing a loss in the upcoming elections? In a public meeting in Khanapur, KCR spoke about how there is speculation that the Mahakutami (grand alliance of opposition parties) could win these elections in Telangana and if they are elected Telangana would be pushed into darkness. This statement is being seen as an inadvertent slip by the TRS chief who has begun to feel the heat from his rival parties. Many say this is indicative of TRS finding itself losing popular support and KCR’s statement may have been a Freudian slip. The Mahakutami comprising TDP, Congress, CPI and TJS has been targeting KCR’s ‘autocratic rule’ and campaigning on the issue of how the TRS is more of a party to benefit the KCR family rather than the people of Telangana.

Film fest draws flak for giving prominence to #MeToo accused

The organisers of the ongoing International Film Festival of India in Goa has drawn criticism for giving prominence to #MeToo accused. Both the preview and steering committees of IFFI, which started Wednesday, comprise industry stalwarts. What’s more, the image of actor Nana Patekar, one of the first names that cropped up during the #MeToo movement, is prominently featured in the opening montage of the IFFI app. It is understood that while the app, aimed at helping delegates with information about various venues and films to be screened, was developed by a private vendor, the pictures and other relevant content were provided by the organisers — the directorate of film festivals under the I&B ministry as well as the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), under the Goa government.

Even filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who was also accused of sexual harassment by two women last month, continued to be part of the steering committee of the festival, drawing flak from other members.  While Ghai had denied the allegations, his proximity to the BJP is believed to have ensured his inclusion in the committee.

(Contributors: D.K. Singh, Ruhi Tewari, Sanya Dhingra, Manasi Phadke, Rohini Swamy and Amrita Nayak Dutta)