Pappu Yadav's son shows outstanding results in Delhi Premier League, may receive call-up to India squad

Akash Anand, nephew of the head of BSP Mayawati, spoke at a rally in Hatars on Monday and commented on the political situation, referring to the SP chief, Akhilesh Yadav, and Congress member Kangai Rahul Gandhi as 'uncles'. He noted that being 30 years old, he would refer to older people aged 50-52 as 'uncles'.

After a break of just over two years, Akash Anand re-entered the Uttar Pradesh political arena, displaying an aggressive speaking style similar to his previous appearances. Although he delivered a speech from a prepared script, he began making sharp remarks about the politics of Uttar Pradesh.

Anand attempted to position himself as the voice of the youth by utilizing the 'Gen-Z' movement. To achieve this, he mocked Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi by calling them 'uncles' and accused them of ignoring the interests of the multi-caste society. However, he appeared extremely reserved regarding the leader of the Azad Samaj Party, Chandrashekhar Azad.

Recently, the country witnessed a major youth movement when protests against 'exam leaks' at Jantar Mantar forced the government to concede to the demands of Gen-Z (the younger generation). It was the strength of this generation that compelled the authorities to comply. Mayawati likely recognized the political message of this movement. Notably, Chandrashekhar Azad initially supported this youth movement.

Now that the Gen-Z movement has proven successful, BSP understood that while the party might have missed the initial opportunity, such a thing should not happen in the future. Among the leaders trying to prove they are conduits for Gen-Z, none are peers of this generation; all of them, whether Rahul Gandhi or Akhilesh Yadav, have crossed the age of 50.

Under these circumstances, BSP has Akash Anand as a face whose age is much closer to Gen-Z. Akash Anand is 31 years old. If the SP can attract the youth, it could completely change the face of its politics.

On Monday, Akash Anand supported student protests for the first time, although BSP usually does not support any street movements, remaining aloof from protests. This movement belongs to Gen-Z and has gained ground among people, including a large number of students and young people.

The youth who supported Chandrashekhar Azad contributed to the success of this movement, with youth from the Dalit class being particularly involved. Thus, Akash Anand sees opportunities here, and his youth is important in his relaunch.

Akash Anand actively criticized the Yogi government, Akhilesh Yadav, and Rahul Gandhi, but remained silent regarding Chandrashekhar Azad, the leader of the Azad Samaj Party. Anand's silence during the rally in Hatars is viewed as a calculated political strategy by BSP. Anand's goal is to attract young Dalit voters who massively support Chandrashekhar. When Anand presented himself as 30 years old while remaining silent about Chandrashekhar, it became clear that Mayawati's plan was to prevent the outflow of Dalit youth to Chandrashekhar and bring them back to BSP.

Former fast bowler for the Indian team, Javagal Srinath, shared an interesting comment regarding one of the most discussed episodes involving Saurav Ganguly. Srinath suggested that if he had been the referee in the match between India and Australia at the Eden Gardens during the 2001 Test, he could have temporarily banned Ganguly from playing in some matches to force the Australian captain, Steve Waugh, to wait when determining the outsider.

Recalling past times, Srinath jokingly stated: 'I would ban Saurav for several matches.' This incident became widely known during the Australian team's visit to India in 2001, when Indian captain Ganguly made Steve Waugh wait while determining the outsider. Some viewed this as a tactic of psychological pressure on the Australian captain.

Nevertheless, Saurav Ganguly himself later explained the reason for the delay with other circumstances, stating that he could not find his blazer, which led to the delay in determining the outsider. In that Test match, the Indian team won despite playing on a follow-on. Subsequently, India won the series 2-1.

After the joke about the outsider situation, Javagal Srinath highly praised Saurav Ganguly's leadership, particularly noting his ability to prepare young players. According to Srinath, Ganguly supported players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Virender Sehwag by giving them ample opportunities for self-testing.

Javagal Srinath also recalled the period after the match-fixing scandal in Indian cricket in the late 1990s. He believes that at that time, there was a collective desire among the players to restore the image of Indian cricket. The team, which was fighting for victories abroad in the 1990s, gradually began to change its behavior.

Javagal Srinath made an important statement regarding the 2003 World Cup final. In the decisive match against Australia in Johannesburg, Saurav Ganguly won the toss and decided to start with bowling. Srinath reported that during team discussions, he supported the idea of starting with batting. He felt that creating a score would be a more effective strategy to put pressure on Australia.

He noted: 'I was among those who said we should start with batting and then put pressure on them.' However, captain Saurav Ganguly decided on bowling. In Srinath's opinion, after the captain's decision, the team should accept it and move on. That day, Australia played strongly, and India's dream of winning the World Cup collapsed.

Javagal Srinath also recounted an interesting episode from the early days of Zaheer Khan. He saw Zaheer take six wickets against Air India while playing for MRF Pace Foundation and was very impressed by his bowling. After that, he recommended Zaheer's name to the then selector Chandu Bordey.

Chandu Bordey jokingly asked what would happen to Javagal Srinath if Zaheer Khan made it into the team? Srinath replied: 'If he is good, he will take my place.' This response from Javagal Srinath also demonstrates the team spirit of that era.

A series of serious upheavals has been observed in Bihar politics for the RJD party. Following a crushing defeat in the Bankipur elections, internal disagreements within the RJD have become evident. RJD deputy Bhai Virendra criticized the party's chief press secretary, Shakti Singh Yadav, without naming him.

Bhai Virendra is considered an associate of Lalu Yadav, whereas Shakti Yadav is seen as the right-hand man of Tejashwi. Bhai Virendra criticized some leaders close to Tejashwi Yadav, citing the results of the Bankipur elections. He demanded a thorough analysis of the by-election results and the exclusion from the organization of those whose presence negatively affects the party's image.

In response to Bhai Virendra's statements, Shakti Yadav asked what contribution Virendra himself had made to the party's work. This question put Virendra in a difficult position, and he intensified his verbal attacks on Shakti Singh Yadav, demonstrating his political achievements. The question arises: who is Shakti Yadav, who has become the target of Bhai Virendra's attacks? Previously, Mritunjay Tiwari, Rohini Acharya, Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter, and Tej Pratap Yadav had also attacked Shakti Singh.

RJD deputy Bhai Virendra from Manera raised questions about leaders close to Tejashwi Yadav in connection with the loss in Bankipur. He stated that some figures near their leader Tejashwi Yadav use inappropriate expressions, which draws public condemnation. Virendra insisted that such people should not be allowed into the machinery or kept nearby, and they must be fired. Shakti Singh Yadav countered by demanding that Bhai Virendra explain what contribution he had made to the party.

After Shakti Yadav's statements, Bhai Virendra became angry and advised him to 'be quiet.' He emphasized that he is a Lok Dal man and has been in politics since before Shakti Yadav was born. Virendra noted that in 2010, 22 people became deputies, and many have changed, but he remained constant. Today, in 2025, there are 25 deputies, and he is still in his place. Bhai Virendra warned Shakti Yadav that if he continues personal comments, he will disclose facts that will be difficult for some politicians to refute.

Before Bhai Virendra, Mritunjay Tiwari, who left the RJD, also raised questions about Tejashwi Yadav's associates. Tiwari claimed that some people consider themselves too important to obey Tejashwi Yadav, and that Tej Pratap Yadav was captured by them. He believed that a handful of people took control of the RJD, and his criticism was also directed at Shakti Singh Yadav, leading him to leave the party.

Instances of criticizing Tejashwi's associates are not new, as previously Rohini Acharya, Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter, and Tej Pratap Yadav also expressed similar concerns. Both left the party due to the influence of Tejashwi's circle. Now, Bhai Virendra has raised questions about Shakti Singh using arguments about Tejashwi's associates. Thus, the question arises: who is Shakti Singh whom so many leaders are criticizing?

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