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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Modi’s ‘Melody’ diplomacy stuns the world

Overjoyed investors buy shares of a wrong company after the PM’s gift Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gifting his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni 'Melody' toffees, reviving the light-hearted "Melodi" wordplay associated with the two leaders on social media. Meloni thanked Modi and shared a video on the social media in which she could be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee - Melody.” Modi, who was also seen in the video, burst...

Modi’s ‘Melody’ diplomacy stuns the world

Overjoyed investors buy shares of a wrong company after the PM’s gift Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gifting his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni 'Melody' toffees, reviving the light-hearted "Melodi" wordplay associated with the two leaders on social media. Meloni thanked Modi and shared a video on the social media in which she could be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee - Melody.” Modi, who was also seen in the video, burst into laughter as Meloni jokingly referred to the "Melody" toffee while showcasing the gift. The hashtag "Melodi", a blend of Modi and Meloni's names, was coined by the Italian prime minister during the COP28 in Dubai in 2023 and later went viral on social media following the warm interactions between the two leaders at global events. Modi, who arrived in Rome on Tuesday, is on the final leg of his five-nation tour to the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15-20. Modi’s gift not only floored the social media, but also earned gushing gratitude from the manufacturer of the sweet candy, Parle Products, in Vile Parle, Mumbai. “Thank You. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for taking Parle Melody to the global stage. A proud moment for all of us at Parle Products to see an Indian favourite being shared across borders,” said a social media post from @ParleFamily, a 97-year-old company. Parle Products describes Melody: “Parle Melody brings to you an irresistible layer of caramel on the outside & a delightful chocolate filling inside. Open & pop it in your mouth & relish the unique experience. It won't be too long before you start asking yourself the age-old question "Melody Itni Chocolaty Kyun Hai?”.” Cong Attacks Modi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other Congress leaders also attacked Modi saying he continues his PR even when the economy is suffering. However, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal hit back at Gandhi, accusing him of "hating India" and refusing to tolerate the "global respect" the country has garnered under Modi's leadership. Gandhi, who is on a visit to his constituency Raebareli and Amethi, said on X, "This isn't leadership, it's a gimmick." At a time farmers, labourers, traders and others in the country are all in tears, the prime minister is laughing and making reels while BJP folks are clapping along, the former Congress president said in his post in Hindi. "An economic storm is raging over our heads, and our prime minister is busy handing out candies in Italy!" he said. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Modi over issues of "rising" prices, unemployment, paper leaks, "dampening" investment and "sinking" Rupee, saying the prime minister continues his PR even as the economy is suffering. Shares turn sweet but the company was mistaken Shares of Parle Industries Ltd saw frenzied buying on Wednesday, surging five per cent to hit the upper circuit limit after Meloni posted the video. Investors wasted no time and flocked to the counter to buy the stock. Shares of the firm jumped to Rs 5.25 - the highest trading permissible limit for the day - on the BSE. On volume terms, 8.57 lakh shares of the firm were traded on the BSE during the day. But, there is a catch! Investors mistook Parle Industries for the maker of Melody toffees. Parle Products, the FMCG major, is the manufacturer of Melody toffees and is not listed on the stock exchanges. Parle Industries Ltd is a diversified commercial services provider, engaged in the business of infrastructure & real estate, and paper, waste paper and allied products. The history of swadeshi toffee is entwined with the country’s Independence and the company, House of Parle was founded in 1928 by Mohanlal Dayal Chauhan, a tailor from Pardi near Valsad, then part of the Bombay Province. As the country was flooded with imported sweets and confectionery, he decided to give it a ‘desi’ touch and flavour, and with a band of 12 workers, he launched the Parle products from a musty old warehouse near Vile Parle east station, when large parts areas of Vile Parle west were still marshes dotted with a few old bungalows and chawls. Later, he visited Germany to master the art of confectionery and returned with machinery worth Rs 60,000 to churn out simple sweets, toffees and locally flavoured Indian confections at affordable prices – willy-nilly challenging the imported British offerings. It was in 1983 that the chocolate Melody toffee. -WITH PTI

RSS vetoes Amit Shah's elevation 

Mumbai: The BJP is unlikely to get its National President anytime soon as the RSS has refused to budge and has vetoed the elevation of Amit Shah or his favorites in the party, sources have said.


Top RSS office bearers had a closed-door meeting at the organisation's headquarters at Reshimbag in Nagpur over the weekend. Apart from organisational issues and issues related to preparations of the centenary celebrations, the top brass discussed issues related to proposed changes in the union cabinet, BJP national president's election, Vice President's election and the desired changes in the BJP organisation.


The key take away from the deliberations was that henceforth all the major appointments in the BJP or the government will have to get a clearance from the RSS. It was also decided that the BJP will have to mould the party organisation on the lines of other Parivar member organisations wherein the decision-making is democratic and organisation-centric rather than autocratic and personality-centric, said the sources.

 

Organisation supreme

During the expansion-mode of the party several elements have creeped in in the party who are not used to the democratic and organization-centric processes, the RSS high command observed and opined that desired character in the organisation will have to be built from the grassroots to the top.


While expressing full confidence in the leadership of and support to PM Narendra Modi, the RSS high command is also said to have vetoed the elevation of Amit Shah or his favorites in the party.

 

The sources described this stand off as the "war of nerves" between the RSS high command and the BJP top brass and added that the RSS high command has indicated that it is in no hurry and that it is unlikely to budge.

 

Dhankhar, the trigger

The tough stand of the RSS high command is said to have been triggered by the recent resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, a turn coat. The high command was also not very pleased with the outcome of the party's experiments with Satyapal Malik, who was made the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. Due to such unpleasant experiences, it has now been decided that at least the statutory posts would go only to those who are firmly rooted in the RSS-ideology and way of functioning.

 

According to the RSS top brass, since the government under the BJP at the centre doesn't face any significant immediate threat, the period needs to be utilised as the consolidation phase wherein ideological purity should be given primacy over the political astuteness while electing the key individuals within the party and the government. However, it was also made clear that the BJP will have to carry out the whole process.

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