MC Insider | A quit call of surprise; cocktail of business, politics and religion; recovery roadmap, and more!

Last Updated: April 16, 2024 / 02:15 PM IST

It was a bolt from the blue for people at this corporate house when the head honcho called it quits. Everyone, even those close to this person, was taken by surprise when the news broke. Whispers echoed in the corridors with people trying to hazard a guess over what could have gone wrong. “It wasn’t entirely voluntary, as all of you have written,” chirped this little birdie. The high chair that fell vacant had drawn the regulator’s attention with some undesired developments. The watchdog wasn’t particularly happy with the person’s growing influence across businesses, some recent appointments, and the involvement of family connection in the business. One wonders if the person was given a gracious exit after an amicable agreement with the regulator. What’s your take?

A heady cocktail is better than a swig of single malt! Is it? Perhaps, when you mix business with politics and religion, as this telecom veteran told a corporate chieftain eons back, who shared the chat recently on social media. “Usme paise kamaane ka scope jyada hain (It offers a greater scope to earn money),” said this telecom veteran after leaving full-time business to move into a blend of business, religion and politics. Looks like it paid off, really, as the gentleman’s hat sports… hang on… a 100-carat diamond!

This online consumer firm, which is battling many big boys from the listed universe, boasts of a seriously enviable cap table. It’s backed by an India Inc luminary, a poster boy of the startup world, two billionaire industrialists – one from the healthcare sector and the other from automobiles – and others. The latest gupshup we hear is that the company has signed up three investment banks and kicked off its plans to go public.

This beleaguered conglomerate sealed a big block deal a few months back, setting off rumours like wildfire that an investor that fishes in troubled water, may nibble on it. The investor, however, later denied any participation in the deal. Now we hear that no more block deals are on the cards for the near future for this debt-ridden group, as market participants expect it to sail through, aided by a recovery in business. As analysts struggle to take a call, given the rejig efforts, shares began inching up steadily on hopes of strong results.

All departments and ministries are busy prepping up their 100-day agenda, which they need to submit after the new government comes in, but we hear the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is an outlier. Since the GST Council is a federal body and the 100-day agenda is under preparation by the central government, it does not come within its ambit. “The GST Council cannot give a 100-day agenda as it’s a federal body. The finance ministry, however, will give its 100-day agenda, and the government and the prime minister will lay down the 100-day agenda after the elections,” a senior government official said. The GST Council is chaired by the finance minister and comprises the minister of state for finance and a minister from each state and Union Territory.