It's Stalin vs Centre over language, delimitation; Azmi feels the brunt of Aurangzeb remark

Welcome readers! Another week has passed by and so much more has happened in Indian politics.

The headline grabber was Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin and his continuous onslaught on the Centre over delimitation, NEP and the language debate.

His politics seem to have influenced others as well, with another language row erupting out of Maharashtra over the comments of RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi.

Elsewhere, Aurangzeb haunted Maharashtra again, while Mayawati kicked out her presumed political heir.

On the international front while Ukraine and Zelenskyy faced the fallout from the clash with Trump, the US President did what he promised and imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China.

Lets take a look at all the different acts that came together in the grand theatre of politics:

Of Delimitation and Imposition by M K Stalin

Determined to achieve victory on the issue, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin has become the flag bearer for the Southern states' protests against delimitation and the imposition of Hindi.

Tamil Nadu saw an all-party meeting chaired by the CM, where a resolution was passed against delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies based on the 2011 census.

His fellow leaders in the South who aren't a part of the NDA also seem to agree with him, asking why the South must be punished for controlling its population better than the North.

Stalin went so far as to ask the Centre to freeze the current number of seats till 2056.

Besides the all-party meeting, there were many letters sent to the Centre by Stalin on the issue, as well as on the issue of Hindi imposition on Southern states.

Stalin's letters also went to his fellow CMs, who he asked to meet on March 22 and form a Joint Action Committee on the issue.

The Centre has repeatedly tried to answer Stalin's attacks, but they only receive more fire from the DMK president. The latest reply saw Home Minister Amit Shah, who said that the Modi govt has effected changes and now ensured that the CISF aspirants could write the exam in their respective regional languages.

Aiming his guns at the Tamil Nadu CM, Shah asked Stalin to 'start the engineering and medical education in Tamil in the state for the benefit of students'

Inspired by Stalin?

As Stalin carried the mantle of fighting for the language row in the South, the effects seem to have reached further north too. RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi triggered a controversy in Maharashtra by saying that “people coming to Mumbai may not necessarily have to learn Marathi," adding examples of Gujarati being the language in Ghatkopar and Hindi in Girgaon.

Many in the state took offence at the 'attempt to divide Maharashtra.'

From calls for motions in the assembly condemning the statement, to a challenge of making the same statement in other states (and try to escape the ire of the people there), opposition leaders put the NDA-Mahayuti government on the spot.

It took a clarification from the CM himself to alleviate some of the ire. Fadnavis said that Marathi is the language of Mumbai, Maharashtra, and that Bhaiyyaji would agree with him that if you love and respect your own language, you do the same to other languages.

Bhaiyyaji himself also clarified his words, saying, "My mother tongue is Marathi. But I also respect the existence of all languages... I request everyone to see it from the same perspective…The language of Maharashtra is Marathi.

Aurangzeb troubles Maharashtra once again

Praising Aurangzeb in the land of the Marathas is very much asking for trouble, but that is exactly what Maharashtra's Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi did, causing an uproar in state assembly and drawing the ire of allies and opponents alike.

In the aftermath, he retracted his statement, but the damage was done.

Mumbai police began investigating the MLA, who was suspended from the Assembly, which he claimed as unjust as he retracted his words.

Maharashtra CM Fadanavis practically guaranteed jail time for Azmi, warning that whoever insults Chhatrapati Shivaji and Chhatrapati Sambhaji will not be spared.

Meanwhile an irate UP CM Yogi Adityanath took the opportunity to slam the Samajwadi Party for 'idolising' Aurangzeb, while also asking for Abu Azmi to be sent to UP, stating that his government knows how to ‘treat’ such people.

Heir-fall

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati with her nephew Akash Anand.

After calling him her heir, and natural successor, Bahunjan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday sacked her nephew Akash Anand from all key posts in the party, before kicking him out entirely.

And she declared, while this was happening, that she had no successor while she was alive.

When the initial stripping of positions occurred, many assumed it might be the case cycle of political drama that had occurred a while back, which had seen Akash Anand’s father-in-law and former Rajya Sabha member Ashok Siddharth thrown out of the party over ‘anti-party’ activities.

Perhaps Anand himself assumed the same, with him saying, "Every decision of Behan ji (Mayawati) is like a patthar ki lakeer for me (carved in stone). I respect and stand by every decision taken by her."

However, the ball dropped on Monday, when the former UP CM kicked Anand out of the party stating he reeked of ‘arrogance’ and ‘selfishness’.

Congress' Udit Raj took the opportunity of the chaos in the party to invite its members to the Grand Old Party. He also accused BSP of being controlled by BJP, because Anand's expulsion is apparently a suicidal step, according to him.

'Promises, Promises, Promises, but none have been kept yet,'

In their poll promises for Delhi, BJP had guaranteed that they would put Rs 2500 in the accounts of women as financial aid by March 8, which is International Women's Day. And as the deadline looms closer, AAP has started to taunt the ruling party over the promise.

Posters were put up by AAP workers in Delhi on March 5 that said "only three more days."

AAP leaders themselves have been questioning the arrival of the scheme, claiming they are just enquiring on behalf of the people. The latest round of questions came from LoP Atishi, who said, "They (Women of Delhi) are hoping that the first instalment will be credited to their accounts as assured by the BJP. To give the women of Delhi their due, the funds should be transferred without delay. Every woman in the city is looking towards you with hope."

The taunts seem to have gotten under the skin of the new Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, who put out a statement asserting the opposition party cannot dictate her government's agenda while reiterating the BJP dispensation's commitment to fulfilling its poll promises.

Lights, Camera… No Action?

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar

The 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival was inaugurated on March 2, with little turn out from the stars of the Kannada film industry. And, that irked the Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who brought down his wrath on the Sandalwood actors for their no show.

'The event isn't mine or the CMs, but an industry event. If actors, directors, and producers won't attend it, who will?' he questioned. He warned the industry, adding that he knows where and when to tighten the 'nuts and bolts' if need be.

The opposition, however, did not like his attitude, with Karnataka LoP R Ashoka asking whether Shivakumar thought the actors were Congress' slaves. “Issuing threats to artistes like this will not do any good and is most undemocratic,” he said.

Shivakumar defended his statements, but clarified that since his language isn't very refined, he will rectify any mistakes.

In reply, members from the industry commented against the politician, saying it was important to delink film festivals from the government.

Actions speak louder than words, or so was the reasoning

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's convoy in the UK was threatened by a group of Pro-Khalistani protestors, who breached security and blocked his vehicle's path.

The small group chanting pro-Khalistan slogans and waving separatist flags was barricaded and monitored by a significant police presence outside the venue on Wednesday night, with officers rushing to restrain the man as he ran past the barricade in an attempt to block the path of the minister’s car, while pulling at an Indian flag.

India condemned the act, and hinted that pro-Khalistanis got the 'licence' to do such things in the UK.

Trump's tariff tandav begins

US President Donald Trump's 25 per cent tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China came into effect on March 4, fulfilling the promise that the Republican made when he was elected.

Canada has threatened retaliatory tariffs, and PM Justin Trudeau stated that US and Canada will be in a trade war for the foreseeable future.

China on Tuesday retaliated against the US by slapping an additional 15 per cent tariff on American goods and initiated legal action against Washington at the WTO.

Mexico got some relief, meanwhile, with Trump announcing that they needn't pay tariffs until April 2.

India will also receive its US tariffs on April 2.

Zelenskyy doesn't Trump in US, but at least he has Macron

In the aftermath of the row in the White House with Trump and US vice-president J D Vance, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy might have lost support in the US, but the reaction to it has seen the rest of the world, including Europe and especially France supporting the country at war.

When US pulled out its intelligence services to Ukraine, France stepped in to provide the same. And, Emmanuel Macron has been very vocal in his statements against Putin, and has even brought up nuclear talks.