It is widely known that Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Yashwant Sinha (former Finance Minister) don’t see eye to eye on many economic issues. No wonder, in the run-up to this general elections, the two have resorted to barbed attacks against each other.

Sample this. The other day, a reporter sought Chidambaram’s views on the economic issues raised by the BJP leader. Chidambaram side-stepped the query but wondered if Sinha even knew that a bank called Bharatiya Mahila Bank existed. Also, when asked about his successor, Chidambaram said “I could be my own successor!”

Election rhetoric

Nothing is sacred for politicians in election season. There have been attacks against rivals, the Election Commission and the bureaucracy.

Now, Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan is the latest victim of the election rhetoric, with a section of the BJP starting a campaign against Rajan. First it was Piyush Goyal, party treasurer, who raised the issue, before backtracking on his comments.

Then, Subramanian Swamy was quoted as saying that “if he (Rajan) gets one more term, you can safely say bye to all investment...”

But it apperas India Inc will be quite uneasy if Rajan goes. Says an industrialist: The BJP ought to rein in its spokespersons if it hopes to be the ‘ruling party’.

Pawan Kalyan Hataao

There is rising acrimony between political parties in Telangana and Seemandhra, which will be separated on June 2. Within days of Tollywood actor Pawan Kalyan of Jana Sena Party deciding to campaign for the BJP-TDP combine, a book was released against him with the title, Pawan Kalyan Hataao, Politics Bachao . The author, Boggula Sreenivas, says this is only his first book against the actor.

Making them sweat

SD Surana, hearing the case of Financial Technologies’ promoter Jignesh Shah, at the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act Sessions Court last week, gave the lawyers representing Shah and his aide Sreekanth Javalgekar a torrid time. They had to wait in a jam-packed, hot and humid courtroom for over an hour as he dictated the order. The two senior lawyers, Mahesh Jethmalani and Abad Ponda, may have hoped they would be able to get bail for their clients, but the judge remanded Shah and Javalgekar to custody.

Social media strategy

At a recent conference in Mumbai, a panel discussion extolling the virtues of social media and digital marketing to unlock the true potential of brands concluded with a noted brand strategy consultant confessing to an “open trade secret” that turned the topic on its head.

The consultant said: “Digital and social media marketing cannot help your company build a brand but it can certainly help destroy your competitors’ business. In fact, there are a number of marketers and agencies who are hired by some of the biggest brands to exclusively do just that,” he added.

Low profile

Siddharth Mallya has been conspicuous by his absence during the current IPL season. Two years ago, some of his tweets landed him in trouble and a case was booked against him. Last heard, he was busy taking acting classes in Los Angeles though his father might have wished he had been around for moral support, what with Royal Challengers sliding down the table with each match.

Unashamed

Journalist turned Trinamool politician and Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh has been in jail since November 2013, in connection with Saradha scam. Many feel he is paying the price for alleging the involvement of party top brass in the scandal.

Last week, when the Supreme Court ordered a CBI enquiry into the issue, ignoring opposition from the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, Ghosh reportedly celebrated by distributing ladoos to other jail-birds. And a vernacular paper reports that he also requested jail authorities to vacate a few cells immediately, to create space for more of his party colleagues involved in the scam.

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