His wealth grew from Rs 37 lakh in 2013 to a whooping Rs 3.29 crore in April 2024 – nearly 800 percent.He is credited to have pushed for the setting up of a Sanskrit college in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur. Although he went to school only till class 11, he served as the state Sanskrit board chief between 2004 and 2008. He began his journey in electoral politics in 2008, unsuccessfully contesting from the Samri assembly polls as an independent candidate. He briefly joined the BJP and then switched to the Congress. He contested the 2013 assembly polls as a Congress candidate from Lundra and secured his first victory. He won in the next state polls from Samri.  Maharaj jumped ship in October last year, after being denied a Congress ticket for the assembly polls. His return to the BJP was hailed as “ghar wapsi”.His wealth grew from Rs 37 lakh in 2013 to a whooping Rs 3.29 crore in April 2024 – nearly 800 percent.For reports that matter, we need a free press. On World Press Freedom Day 2024, power (https://pages.razorpay.com/press-freedom-offer) the independent media.Know Your Turncoats, Part 9: A total of 12 turncoats in Phase 3, hot seat in MP’s Guna (https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/05/01/know-your-turncoats-part-9-a-total-of-12-turncoats-in-phase-3-hot-seat-in-mps-guna)Know Your Turncoats, Part 8: Gorkha leader, ex-MLAs among 13 defectors in INDIA bloc (https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/04/25/know-your-turncoat-part-8-gorkha-leader-doctor-turned-politician-among-7-defectors-in-india-bloc)

Shettar is known for mobilising the Lingayat vote in north Karnataka and has family links to the RSS. About a year later, he returned to the BJP and complained that “workers have no value in Congress”. He alleged that there is “a lot of dissatisfaction” in the Mallikarjun Kharge-led party as “kin of state ministers” were in fray.Shettar has served as the chief minister of Karnataka from 2012 to 2013. He also served as the state assembly speaker during 2008–2009.The politician is known for mobilising the Lingayat vote in north Karnataka and has family links to the RSS. His father SS Shettar was also a Jan Sangh leader. The Lingayats form around 18 percent of Karnataka’s population and are an influential voter.Shettar’s wealth stands at Rs 12.45 crore as of April 2024. It grew significantly from about Rs 4 crore in 2013. Chintamani Maharaj: Sanskrit activist, businessman, social reformer Chintamani Maharaj is the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from the ST reserved constituency of Surguja in Chhattisgarh. The 56-year-old businessman-farmer is also a self-professed social reformer and organises mass marriages for couples from weaker sections.

Mane began his political journey from gram panchayat in 2002 and successfully fought his first MP election in 2019, defeating then-incumbent MP Raju Shetti with a margin of over 90,000 votes. The semi-urban constituency is traditionally considered a bastion of farmers’ leader Shetti of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. Shetti is again in the fray, along with Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray faction’s Satyajit Patil.   Mane is an agriculturist by occupation and has no criminal cases, as per his affidavit. Oddly, his wealth plummeted from over Rs 3.59 crore in 2019 to Rs 2.06 crore in 2024.  Jagadish Shettar: Ex-CM, RSS link, Lingayat big name Jagadish Shettar is the BJP’s candidate from Karnataka’s Belgaum. The 68-year-old had defected to the Congress ahead of the Karnataka assembly polls last year on being denied a ticket. The Lingayat leader lost to BJP’s Mahesh Tenginakai by a margin of 35,000 votes.

क्या शंभू बॉर्डर के प्रदर्शनकारी किसानों पर हो रहा कश्मीर वाले पैलेट गन का इस्तेमाल?
https://hindi.newslaundry.com/2024/02/15/report-on-farmers-injured-in-police-action-on-shambhu-border-rajpura-and-khalsa-aid

पंजाब के किसानों के दिल्ली कूच के ऐलान को आज तीसरा दिन हो चला है. लेकिन दिल्ली तो दूर वे अभी पंजाब से हरियाणा की सीमा में भी दाखिल नहीं हो पाए हैं. शंभू, दाता सिंह वाला और खनौरी बॉर्डर समेत कई अन्य जगहों पर हरियाणा पुलिस  द्वारा की गई कई लेयर की बैरिकेडिंग और आंसू गैस के गोलों ने उनके पांव जमा रखे हैं. इस कार्रवाई में जहां अब तक दो दर्जन से ज्यादा पुलिसकर्मियों के घायल होने की ख़बर है. वहीं, किसानों का दावा है कि उनके भी सैंकड़ों साथी पुलिस की कार्रवाई में घायल हुए हैं. न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री ने शंभू बॉर्डर पर पुलिस कार्रवाई में घायल हुए किसानों से बात की और जानने की कोशिश की कि आखिर वे लोग किस तरह चपेट में आए और उन्हें कितनी चोट पहुंची है. इस दौरान किसानों ने आरोप लगाया कि पुलिस सिर्फ आंसू गैस के गोले नहीं दाग रही है बल्कि पेट्रोल बम भी मार रही है. जिससे कि उन्हें ज्यादा चोट पहुंच रही है. वहीं, कुछ किसानों ने कश्मीर वाले पैलेट गन तो कुछ ने गोलियों के छर्रे लगने का भी दावा किया.  देखिए ये रिपोर्ट. किसान नेता जगजीत सिंह डल्लेवाल बोले- आंदोलन जारी रहेगा, स्वरूप कुछ भी हो  (https://hindi.newslaundry.com/2024/02/15/farmer-leader-jagjeet-singh-dallewal-on-delhi-chalo-call-by-punjab-farmers)पुलिस की कड़ाई के बीच किसान आंदोलन का लेखाजोखा (https://hindi.newslaundry.com/2024/02/15/farmers-protest-2024-delhi-national-capital-region-blocked-due-to-the-barricading-at-border-and-in-several-parts-of-delhi)

Shambhu border: Farmers targeted with ‘pellet guns, petrol bombs’ by cops?
https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/02/15/shambhu-border-farmers-targeted-with-pellet-guns-petrol-bombs-by-cops

The third day of ‘Dilli Chalo’ protests by farmers saw relative calm at the protest sites as farmer union leaders engaged in talks with the government over their demands, including a new law to ensure minimum support price for agricultural produce.    But at Shambhu border in Haryana’s Ambala, enroute to Delhi, which was a site of high-pitched tension between police forces and farmers for two days, protesters continued to seek medical aid for injuries purportedly inflicted by “pellet guns”, “petrol bombs” and “tear gas shells” earlier fired by the police. Many of them are seeking treatment at Rajpura Civil Hospital, while others are being administered first aid at the protest site by Khalsa Aid. Some farmers who spoke to Newslaundry, showed marks of “pellet gun-like” injuries all over their body.The farmers claimed that more than hundred protesters have been injured in the police action. Meanwhile, at least two dozen police persons also reportedly sustained injuries. Several farmers alleged that the police were “not only firing tear gas shells but also hurling petrol bombs and firing pellet guns”. What unfolded on ground zero at the protest site?Watch.This report was published with AI assistance. Tear gas fired despite ‘ceasefire’: A night at Shambhu border amid barricades (https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/02/14/tear-gas-fired-despite-ceasefire-a-night-at-shambhu-border-amid-barricades)Camera broken, ANI cameraperson thrashed by farm protesters at Shambhu border (https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/02/14/camera-broken-ani-cameraperson-thrashed-by-farm-protesters-at-shambhu-border)‘Godi media, go back’: ABP journalist manhandled, heckled by protesters at Shambhu border (https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/02/14/godi-media-go-back-abp-journalist-manhandled-heckled-by-protesters-at-shambhu-border)

किसान नेता जगजीत सिंह डल्लेवाल बोले- आंदोलन जारी रहेगा, स्वरूप कुछ भी हो 
https://hindi.newslaundry.com/2024/02/15/farmer-leader-jagjeet-singh-dallewal-on-delhi-chalo-call-by-punjab-farmers

पंजाब के हजारों किसान शंभू बॉर्डर पर डटे हुए हैं. इस बार जगजीत सिंह डल्लेवाल का संयुक्त किसान मोर्चा (गैर राजनीतिक) और किसान मजदूर मोर्चा आंदोलन की अगुवाई कर रहे हैं. किसान मजदूर मोर्चा 18 किसानों का समूह है, जिसके मुखिया सरवण सिंह पंधेर हैं. हालांकि, किसानों के दिल्ली कूच के ऐलान के बीच हरियाणा पुलिस दीवार बनकर खड़ी है.  दूसरी तरफ सरकार भी किसानों से लगातार बातचीत के प्रयास करती दिख रही है. इस पूरे मामले पर न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री ने किसान नेता जगजीत सिंह बातचीत की. उन्होंने कहा कि वो भले दिल्ली न जा पाएं लेकिन उनका मकसद सरकार को बातचीत के लिए मनाना था. जो फिलहाल पूरा हो गया है. जहां तक बात है आंदोलन के रुक जाने कि तो आंदोलन जारी रहेगा. उसका स्वरूप जरूर अलग हो सकता है. डल्लेवाल ने और क्या कुछ कहा जानने के लिए देखिए ये वीडियो. पुलिस की कड़ाई के बीच किसान आंदोलन का लेखाजोखा (https://hindi.newslaundry.com/2024/02/15/farmers-protest-2024-delhi-national-capital-region-blocked-due-to-the-barricading-at-border-and-in-several-parts-of-delhi)किसान बनाम सरकार: शंभू बॉर्डर से दिल्ली तक क्या कुछ हुआ? (https://hindi.newslaundry.com/2024/02/14/farmers-protest-updates-14-february-2024-shambhu-border-to-delhi-rahul-gandhi-and-narendra-modi)

questions, anchor Rajat Sharma asked him if he had enjoyed earning money as a child. During the same interview – promoting aggressively on India TV’s rival and Adani’s new acquisition NDTV – the billionaire dismissed allegations of receiving preferential treatment from Prime Minister Modi. He said his group’s work spanned 22 states, including those governed by the opposition, and one couldn’t get “personal” help from Modi. He also addressed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations against him of crony capitalism, saying it was just “part of the business of politics”.It was a continuation of the vibe of his December 2022 interview to India Today, where Adani was presented as a humble, self-made man who was hyper-focused on not only the growth of his companies but the growth of the nation. Not much changed when the Hindenburg report came out, at least on a section of news channels. NDTV, News18, Aaj Tak, Times Now and Republic rushed to Adani’s defence, presenting the report as an attack on India.But what the report did do was push the opposition to relentlessly question Modi’s closeless to Adani. Months later, when Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was accused of taking bribes to ask questions on the Adani Group in Parliament, the group reacted (https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/some-groups-and-individuals-working-overtime-to-harm-our-name-adani-group-amid-allegations-against-mahua-moitra/article67426852.ece) with vindication. It said the charges revealed how  “groups and individuals have been working overtime to harm our name, goodwill and market standing”.While the investigations by Indian and foreign authorities and courts are yet to be concluded, as the year ends, Adani has not been formally charged with anything yet. With an important election in India just a few months away, it remains to be seen what 2024 will hold for India’s second-richest person.Adani or algorithm? NDTV’s digital views continue to shrink (https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/12/14/adani-or-algorithm-ndtvs-digital-views-continue-to-shrink)

“credible”. In response (https://business.outlookindia.com/markets/adani-hindenburg-row-supreme-court-outcome-drives-adani-stocks-up-by-20), the shares of Adani Enterprises went up by nine percent and of Adani Total Gas by 20 percent in a single day.The year ended with the Adani Group exploring an investment of $10 billion (https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/vietnam-pm-pham-minh-chinh-receives-gautam-adani-says-welcome-investments-in-strategic-areas-4733833)in Vietnam over the next decade, further solidifying plans by meeting with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.Overall, Gauti Adani raised $8-10 billion this year through stake sales in group companies, The Hindu Businessline (https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/adani-raises-8-10-billion-via-stake-sales-in-2023/article67638196.ece) reported. He spent $6-7 billion to consolidate stake in the companies.The fallBetween January 24 and February 22, Gautam Adani’s net worth fell from a whopping $120 billion to $46.1 billion. Eleven months later, his net worth stands at $72 billion. He started the year as the world’s third richest person but is now just the sixteenth. (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/gautam-adani-is-now-16th-richest-globally-after-wealth-tops-70-billion/articleshow/105748781.cms#:~:text=Indian%20businessman%20Gautam%20Adani%20is,now%20stands%20at%20%2470.2%20billion.)Adani’s companies lost $110 billion in value in the two weeks following the Hindenburg revelations. Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-02/adani-s-52-billion-wealth-wipeout-in-six-days-has-few-parallels) estimated that the “severity, scale and speed of Adani’s plunge” was unlike anything the world had seen before. In February, Adani Enterprises abandoned – a move termed (https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/02/business/gautam-adani-speaks-hindenburg-hnk-intl/index.html) as “abrupt” – a $2.5 billion deal to sell shares, just 24 hours after it was sealed. In August, fresh accusations against the Adani Group emerged through a report (https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/documents-provide-fresh-insight-into-allegations-of-stock-manipulation-that-rocked-indias-powerful-adani-group) by Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which said that the group used “opaque investments” through Mauritius. While these accusations too were denied (https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/adani-mauritius-based-fund-deny-allegations-by-occrp/article67255759.ece) by the tycoon, Adani Group’s shares slipped into the red territory as a consequence. Four companies of the Adani Group are among the worst 10 performers on the S&P BSE 200 Index this year, Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-27/property-wins-big-adani-lags-in-stellar-year-for-indian-stocks?srnd=markets-vp#:~:text=Four%20companies%20of%20the%20Adani,January%20triggered%20a%20stock%20rout.) reported. The flagship company of the group, Adani Enterprises, is yet to recover from the blow and is down more than 25 percent. Growing media presenceFrom media appearances to media acquisitions, Gautam Adani made significant progress in the media world  this year. After a landmark takeover of NDTV last year, Adani’s media wing, AMG Media Networks, acquired a majority stake in newswire agency IANS in December. Eyebrows were raised at how the group managed to acquire 50.5 percent of the company for just Rs 5.1 lakh, but that’s a story for another day.This month, Adani also relaunched NDTV Profit in an “all-new avatar” combining it with BQ Prime. The group also acquired the remaining one percent stake in Quintillion Business Media in August, taking full control in the firm that operates BQ Prime.This diversification into media means that the tycoon’s grip over the media is getting stronger. After an hour-long interview with India Today last December, Gautam Adani also gave a 90-minute interview to India TV this January, in a mock courtroom setting. Among other hard-hitting

2023 could have been the year that wrecked Adani. Did it?
https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/12/29/2023-could-have-been-the-year-that-wrecked-adani-did-it

There was one question on everyone’s mind the first month of this year: Will the Adani Group be able to weather the Hindenburg storm?Editorials were written, numbers analysed, and stocks weighed. And for good reason too, after Hindenburg Research, a US-based short-seller, published a damning report in January accusing the group of “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud” and pulling the “largest con in corporate history”.Did Gautam Adani escape unscathed? Hardly. He’s still dealing with some of the consequences. Among the 500 richest people in the world, his net worth sank the most – by over $60 billion (https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/02/03/how-gautam-adani-lost-more-than-60-billion-in-just-10-days-and-his-ranking-as-asias-richest/?sh=56040ccf60c3) within just 10 days of the report emerging. He also faced the biggest one-day loss (https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/gautam-adani-lost-more-than-rs-4-trillion-in-last-six-months-of-2023-report-388890-2023-07-09#:~:text=On%20January%2027%2C%20Adani%20lost,accounting%20fraud%20and%20stock%20manipulation.) of any billionaire, shedding $20.8 billion on January 27.But as the year draws to a close, how deep do these scars run? Has Gautam Adani bounced back?The answer is both yes and no.Acquisitions after a 7-month pauseThe Hindenburg report did put a brake on acquisitions by the Adani Group. Shortly before the report came out, Adani managed to wind up a deal five years in the making – the purchase (https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/adani-led-group-completes-purchase-israels-haifa-port-2023-01-10/) of Haifa port in northern Israel for $1.15 billion.The group’s first major acquisition (https://www.ft.com/content/13b7724a-59c2-4e49-8ed9-17b857cea3a7) after the Hindenburg fiasco came seven months later in August, when Adani’s Ambuja Cements bought cement company Sanghi Industries in a $600 million deal.In November, Adani’s Colombo port terminal project received (https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/adanis-sri-lanka-port-terminal-project-to-get-funding-from-us-government/article67512233.ece) $553 million in financing from the US International Development Finance Corporation. When asked about the Hindenburg report, the corporation’s CEO said: “I don’t think Adani Ports, the subsidiary, was implicated in any of the allegations you mention.” The US federal government’s Development Finance Corporation had conducted and concluded a due diligence investigation into the Adani Group. Additionally, in June, the US Attorney’s office had sent inquiries to investors with large holdings in the Adani Group while the US Securities and Exchange Commission also announced a probe into the Hindenburg allegations. It’s unclear whether these investigations have wrapped up.December was a busy month as the Adani Group closed deals and started partnerships to end the year on a higher note than when it began. Adani Green Energy finalised (https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/adani-green-signs-ppa-for-8-000-mw-solar-power-with-solar-energy-corp-123122500622_1.html) a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Solar Energy Corporation of India. Adani Energy Solutions acquired (https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/adani-energy-solutions-esyasoft-in-jv-for-smart-meter-solutions/article67679483.ece) a 49 percent stake in the smart metering arm of the UAE-based Eyasoft Holdings to form a joint venture.And while the Supreme Court reserved (https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/adani-hindenburg-no-material-to-doubt-sebi-probe-impartiality-of-expert-committee-members-says-supreme-court-reserves-judgment-242938) its judgement in the Adani-Hindenburg case in November, the court remarked that media reports should not be treated as “gospel truth” and that the Hindenburg report could not be considered

Daily Dose Ep 1537: Bajrang Punia to return Padma Shri, no bail for AAP’s Sanjay Singh
https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/12/22/daily-dose-ep-1537-bajrang-punia-to-return-padma-shri-no-bail-for-aaps-sanjay-singh

Sukrit Kumar brings you the news from Delhi, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, and Gaza.Produced by Prashant Kumar, edited by Hassan Bilal.