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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

Test of the Trouble Shooter

Updated: Nov 12, 2024

Girish Mahajan

Over the past decade Girish Mahajan has come be known as the most trusted aide of Devendra Fadnavis and an ace trouble-shooter for the BJP. He had been an MLA since 1995 and had been active in the politics since much before that. Yet, the meteoric rise of this fitness-freak leader in the state politics over the past decade is mesmarising.


Born in a Marathi Gurjar family, on May 17, 1960, in Jamner of Jalgaon district of North Maharashtra, Girish Dattatray Mahajan first came to political fore as a student activist on the dais of ABVP in 1978. As an active member of the students’ organization, he engaged in grassroots activities, including painting walls and distributing promotional posters. His dedication and leadership skills quickly earned him the position of Taluka President of ABVP.


Mahajan’s formal political journey began in the early 1980s when he became the Taluka President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP. His first significant electoral success came in 1992 when he was elected to the Gram Panchayat of Jamner. This victory marked the beginning of a long and illustrious career in state politics.


In 1995, Mahajan was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the first time, representing the Jamner constituency. He had defeated former MLA Ishwarlal Jain who had a considerable clout over the district politics and hence Mahajan was hailed as a giant killer. He had received an insider’s help from within Jain’s camp and he boasts about it ever since then. After that victory, Mahajan has been re-elected from the constituency multiple times, hoping to continue with the seventh consecutive term as of 2024. His consistent electoral success is a testament to his strong connection with the people of his constituency and his effective leadership.


Within the BJP Eknath Khadse was the prominent state-level leader from the Jalgaon district. Mahajan remained underdog for a long time and after 2014 he got the chance he had been waiting for to carve out a space for himself in the state politics.


Mahajan was appointed as the Minister of Water Resources in the cabinet of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in 2014 and in 2016, he took the role of Minister of Medical Education. In 2022, under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, he was appointed as the Minister of Rural Development. But, his main role in the state politics remained outside the departments he handled. Under both the chief ministers, he remained a prominent negotiator with the Maratha activists. For Fadnavis he always remained a loyal aide whenever there were troubles within the party also. He gained political power by systematically wiping out the opposition from Dhule, Jalgaon and Nandurbar districts of North Maharashtra and has emerged as an undisputed leader of North Maharashtra.

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