'Congress has a history of making adjustments with communal forces': Pinarayi Vijayan

No post for Priyanka?: In a recent organisational reshuffle in the Congress, many Rahul Gandhi loyalists were accommodated as general secretaries and in-charges. Yet, his sister Priyanka Gandhi, already a general secretary, was not given any additional role. But, there is growing buzz that Priyanka may get an important responsibility within the party—a result of a few meetings she had with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Some even suggest that she might be the new chief of the Congress’s impending election management committee—a role as powerful as general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal’s. However, that would create another power centre within the party and, therefore, her appointment is unlikely | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Holiday blues: In the two Telugu states, some civil services officers are facing rough weather post overseas trips. In Andhra Pradesh, IPS officer Sunil Kumar was suspended for visits to Sweden, Dubai and the UK without taking the necessary permissions from the concerned authority. In Telangana, five Indian Forest Service officers are in trouble for travelling to Tanzania and Kenya for a study tour. Though they had the green signal from the general administration department before going, they have been served memos. The reason—the chief conservator of forests was not informed about the trip.

Another Vijayashanti hit: Actor-turned-politician Vijayashanti was recently nominated by Telangana Congress as an MLC candidate and is all set to become a council member. And, with a cabinet reshuffle looming, she could even be in the race for a ministerial berth. Vijayashanti, known as Lady Amitabh Bachchan, has played a variety of ‘roles’ in politics, too. She began her political journey with the BJP, then started her own party and later joined the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. She then switched to the Congress, rejoined the BJP and has now returned to the Congress.

Honey, thanks for the money!: Apparently, Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson’s high net worth is not a factor in her and comedian-husband Colin Jost’s gross domestic happiness. Recently, on Saturday Night Live, Jost was roasted about his wife’s wealth. Mikey Day, as Lady Gaga’s husband Lord Gaga, bemoans his fate if his wife were ever to make more money than him. “Imagine, Colin, if I were sitting here on television behind this desk, staring at that camera, the world staring back at me, knowing that my wife’s income dwarfs my own,” says Lord Gaga. “I would die. What a living nightmare.” Jost, who looks like he couldn’t care less, smiles broadly. After all, when life gives you a breadwinner, you eat the bread | Getty Images

The mom card: Actor Khushi Kapoor’s latest, Nadaaniyan, might have been panned by critics and audiences alike, but she remains unfazed as she has another card up her sleeve. Or so says her father, film producer Boney Kapoor. “I have watched all of Khushi’s film—Archies, Loveyappa and Nadaaniyan,” he said on the sidelines of IIFA (International Indian Film Academy Awards). “I am planning a film with her too after No Entry Mein Entry. It could be Mom 2.” Mom, starring Khushi’s mother Sridevi, was about a mother who sets out to avenge her sexually-abused stepdaughter. It was a global blockbuster which got Sridevi a posthumous national award for best actress | AFP

Homegrown hip-hop: Rapper Hanumankind entered the big league with his viral hit ‘Big Dawgs’, which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Global 200 charts and the Billboard Hot 100. He even performed it for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York last year. And now, he’s out with his next, ‘Run It Up’. The video showcases the country’s cultural heft, with many of its martial arts and dance forms. It hit all the right notes with his fans. “Bro uniting the north and the south while most unemployed guys are dividing these days,” posted one of them. Another said that he’s the best advocate for ‘Make in India’. He might even be its best example. Who needs 50 Cent when we can mint an original? | Getty Images

Fun with Don: US President Donald Trump is his own biggest fan, so he has a treat coming his way. He gets to watch himself on TV pointing at contestants and drawling, “You’re fired”. Amazon Prime Video recently made available the first season of Trump’s hit series The Apprentice, which premiered on NBC in 2004. The subsequent six seasons will be released every week through April 27. “I look forward to watching this show myself—such great memories, and so much fun, but most importantly, it was a learning experience for all of us,” said Trump. It was entertaining to watch him fire others, but now that he’s president, it’s unsettling that he could turn his ire on you. The trump on your tv was much more fun than the trump in the white house | Reuters