In late July, the Maharashtra government issued a directive that any proposals approved by deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar must be routed to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's office for final clearance via the other deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. It cannot be easy for a man who has been used to unquestioned power.
This was just weeks after Ajit had, in a coup, split the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by his uncle and former chief minister Sharad Pawar to join the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) government. While Ajit got the crucial finance portfolio, his acolytes also bagged plum departments like cooperation and agriculture. In a redux of Shinde's split from the Shiv Sena in June 2022, Ajit claimed to be the NCP national president replacing Pawar Sr, and staked claim to the party name and symbol at the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Four months on, Ajit is still trying to find his place in the three-party Maharashtra government. It's the first time that Maharashta has two deputy CMS, and along with the CM, there are three power centres, with Fadnavis reported to be calling the shots in the administration. Known for saying it like it is (to the point of being abrasive), sources claim coalition politics has "mellowed" Ajit dada, as he is popularly known. Two senior IAS officers confirm this, saying unlike his previous stints as deputy CM, Ajit was "milder" and Fadnavis had the greater say. Just recently, with the growing unrest over the Maratha quota agitation, Shinde and Fadnavis had air-dashed to New Delhi to discuss the issue; Ajit later claimed to be unaware of the trip. And while Shinde did most of the fire-fighting to ensure that Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil broke his fast, Ajit was missing in action (his aides claimed he was down with dengue).
Denne historien er fra November 20, 2023-utgaven av India Today.
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Denne historien er fra November 20, 2023-utgaven av India Today.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
