Your Daily Wrap: Soren’s boat ride with MLAs amid disqualification suspense; Supertech twin tower demolition tomorrow; and more
After much anticipation and a nine-year-long legal battle, the Supertech twin towers of Noida will be reduced to rubble tomorrow. The towers, which are part of the Emerald Court project of Supertech Ltd, were found to be in violation of multiple regulations regarding construction. How will the towers be demolished? What will be the impact? Have experts raised any concerns? Read here. A dust cloud is likely to appear up to 300 metres above ground level due to demolition, leading to elevated PM 10 levels. We reached out to doctors, who explained how residents can protect themselves from demolition-related pollution.
Continuing with its attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today called it “a party of illiterates (gawaar logon ki party),” and said the BJP wants to keep the entire country illiterate. This comes a day after L-G V K Saxena sought a report from the Chief Secretary over a delay by the Vigilance Department in acting on an inquiry report by the Central Vigilance Commission on construction of additional classrooms in Delhi government schools. On Friday, Sisodia and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at the BJP over the CBI raids at the former’s residence, calling the saffron party a “serial killer”.
The stage has been set for yet another confrontation between the two factions of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, this time over holding the annual public rally at Dadar’s Shivaji Park on the day of Dussehra. The annual Dussehra rally has been a Shiv Sena tradition ever since the party’s inception. While the two factions, one led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the other by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, are asserting that they are the ‘real’ Shiv Sena, it is the Thackeray faction that has sought formal permission to hold the rally. The ball is now in the BMC’s court.
Political Pulse
As tension between the Kerala government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan escalates over matters in higher education, the CPM is reframing the tussle as a battle between the ideologies of the Sangh Parivar and its own “secular” outlook. In doing so, it hopes to not just send a message to the Muslim voters it is trying to woo, but also preempt the Congress from seizing on Khan’s allegations of wrongdoing. Perhaps realising the same, the BJP has kept away from the conflict between the Pinaravi Vijayan-led LDF government and Khan. Shaju Philip reports.
The Shiv Sena president and former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray, seems to have adopted a new strategy to shore up his tottering party: alliance politics and regional pride. Close on the heels of declaring that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which comprises of the Sena, Congress and NCP, will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state together, Thackeray has now forged an alliance with the Sambhaji Brigade, a prominent Maratha organisation. Whether their alliance will boost the Thackeray-led Sena’s flagging prospects is to be seen, but its partnership with the Maratha outfit marks an interesting development in Maharashtra politics. Shubhangi Khapre reports.
Express Explained
Since the last few years, a Twitter trend has been gaining pace — #BoycottBollywood, which seeks a complete audience withdrawal from the Hindi film industry. It takes many shapes and forms, often specifically geared towards an upcoming film, actor, or in one of its latest avatars, #BoycottBollywoodCompletely. With the recent boycott campaign against the Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer Laal Singh Chaddha and its subsequent commercial failure, speculations have arisen that this trend could adversely affect box collections of films. What exactly is #BoycottBollywood? How influential is this trend? Read here.
Weekend Reads
What if spiders dreamt like humans?
ICYMI: Here’s a list of best news reports, Opinion, Explained, and features from The Indian Express this week.
‘Insulting, immature, childish’: Azad is first to exit with gloves off for Rahul
NDTV deal: Sebi ban on Roys may not get in Adani’s way
In Amrit Kaal, a lesson from the tragedies of Krishna
40 years after its first 800, small cars still keep Maruti Suzuki on overdrive
Contract ended, China firm claims damages, Indian Railways replies with counter
Jasmine Shah writes: Why the debate around revdi culture is crucial for India
