Tax evasion to multi-crore scams: Inside the world of India's sham political parties

The gold standard: While most of the MPs from Tamil Nadu were going on roadshows to thank the voters, the DMK’s parliamentary leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi chose to thank the party workers who toiled for her election from Thoothukudi. She hosted a sumptuous feast for them, with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies, and personally thanked them as she served the food. It looked like a smart outreach effort, but some workers were still not happy. In 2021, fisheries minister Anitha R. Radhakrishnan had rewarded party workers with gold chains and rings after winning the assembly election from Tiruchendur in the Thoothukudi parliamentary constituency. Some of the workers apparently expected the same from Kanimozhi | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Port of no call: While inaugurating the trial run of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not mention Oommen Chandy, who was chief minister when the project began in 2015. The government did not also invite opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan to the inauguration. As Congressmen protested, journalists sought Governor Arif Mohammad Khan’s comments about these omissions. The governor, with whom the state government has been at odds on various issues, thanked the journalists for informing him of the inauguration, leaving them in splits.

Defeat and delight: The defeat of Peasants and Workers Party general secretary Jayant Patil in the legislative council elections came as a jolt to the opposition front in Maharashtra. Naturally, it was good news for political rivals. Shiv Sena MLA Mahendra Dalvi was probably happier than most. Dalvi and Patil are rivals in the politics of Raigad. So excited was Dalvi about Patil’s ouster from the council after almost two decades that he threw a party at a farmhouse. Amid the gaiety, the 59-year-old was seen jumping into a muddy pool and lying in mud, while supporters chanted mitti me mil jayega (will bite the dust). Presumably, the chanting was about Dalvi’s rivals.

Turban charged: It seems the world can’t get enough of Diljit Dosanjh. After Coachella and The Tonight Show, he slayed it in Canada. In a first for a Punjabi artiste, the show at the Rogers Centre was fully sold out. To top it off, he had a surprise visitor—Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. Dosanjh shared a video of Trudeau and him hugging it out. “Diversity is Canada’s strength,” he captioned it. “Prime Minister @justinpjtrudeau came to check out history in the making....” Trudeau, too, shared photos with Dosanjh on Instagram. “Canada is a great country,” he said. “One where a guy from Punjab can make history and sell out stadiums.” | Instagram@justinpjtrudeau

The great Indian duel: King Khan is living up to his name in his next action thriller, King, which also stars his daughter, Suhana. Recently, Amitabh Bachchan confirmed on X his son Abhishek Bachchan’s casting as the villain in King. Sharing a post about the face-off between Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek in the film, Amitabh captioned it, “All the best Abhishek... It is TIME!!” Abhishek has earlier worked with Shah Rukh in films like Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Happy New Year. King is scheduled to release next year | PTI

Air born: Director Sudha Kongara’s Sarfira, a remake of the national award-winning Tamil film Soorarai Pottru, released on July 12. Kongara says that it was initially difficult to work with Sarfira’s star Akshay Kumar, before they acclimatised to each other. “It was like, ‘Why is this girl making me do all this rubbish’?” she said. The actors she wants to work with next include Dulquer Salman, Mammootty and Mohanlal. “The dream is to direct Amitabh Bachchan someday,” she said. Sarfira’s story is inspired by how Captain G.R. Gopinath founded Air Deccan.

It’s raining in Venus: For the first time, NASA has trasmitted a hip-hop song—‘The Rain’ (Supa Dupa Fly) by Grammy-winning American rapper Missy Elliott—254 million km across space to the planet Venus. “Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting,” said Brittany Brown, director (digital and technology) at the NASA headquarters in Washington. “I chose Venus because it symbolises strength, beauty and empowerment....,” said Elliott | Getty images

Onwards and upwards: Filmmaker Greta Gerwig will receive 2024’s Pioneer of the Year award by the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, bestowed upon those who have made an invaluable contribution to the film industry. Gerwig has directed movies like Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie, all of which have received Oscar nominations for best picture. She is currently adapting C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia book series for Netflix | AFP