Delhi Confidential: Feast Forward

Targeted by his political opponents for attending only Eid Milan programmes and ‘iftars’ and allegedly ignoring Holi milan, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday organised ‘gujia-sewaiyan’ social harmony feast at the party headquarters in Lucknow. The live performance of folk songs and ‘qawwali’ as well as videos played on a screen were, however, all paean to Akhilesh. The artistes also wished him chief ministership in 2027. Guests were served ‘gujia’, ‘sewaiyan’, ‘chhole-bhature’ and ‘baati-chokha’.

Lucky Premises

The Uttarakhand BJP last week performed a puja at its state headquarters in Dehradun for the office’s extension plan. However, the party has decided that the key operations related to election management for the 2027 polls will be performed from the ‘lucky’ old building. The BJP had shifted to this building before the party won the 2007 Assembly elections. Party won again two consecutive terms in 2017 and 2022. This time, the party is working towards a hat-trick for Pushkar Singh Dhami as the Chief Minister.

Flipping Sides

Lawyers swear no allegiance; most would concur. In a key May 2025 patent dispute, Danish giant Novo Nordisk accused Dr Reddy’s Laboratories of infringing its patent on the blockbuster weight-loss drug semaglutide. In one hearing, Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi for Novo faced veteran lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for DRL. Novo secured limited relief. On March 25, 2026, Novo sued DRL for trademark infringement over the ‘Ozempic’ mark. This time, Singhvi was on Novo’s side while Sethi took up for DRL, flipping last year’s line-up. The firms settled amicably.