‘Industry will surely come from Gujarat, Maharashtra’ In Amit Shah’s to-do list for Calcutta is the rejuvenation of Adi Ganga and a plea to UNESCO for Heritage City tag Aveek Sarkar | | Published 19.04.21, 02:22 AM
TTOnline: You once said that Didi was a successful mass leader, but a failed chief minister. Why do you see her as a failure?
She has failed in all respects. Take law and order. The deterioration of law and order in Bengal during Mamataji’s time has probably not happened anywhere else. I can say this on record that at least during the communist era, thugs did not go so far. They did not sit on their heads, there was a control over them. Maybe they were under the cadre, but that was unconstitutional too. But they were there. Now, the thugs are sitting
The bereaved families of four CISF firing victims at Jorpatki village in Cooch Behar district have said only the chief minister could give them justice as they are eagerly waiting to meet Mamata Banerjee at Mathabhanga on Wednesday.
Mamata will reach Mathabhanga on Wednesday morning and meet the families at a ground next to the subdivisional hospital at the town, 20km from the village.
“It seems the Election Commission has forgotten us.. Only Didi can give us justice,” Jobed Ali, the father of Nur Alam Mian one of the four deceased youths said on Tuesday evening as local Trinamul Congress leaders were busy making arrangements so that representatives of the deceased families could reach Mathabhanga.
Sanjeev Ahluwalia | Indian subnationalism past its expiry date?
Published Apr 11, 2021, 12:00 am IST
Updated Apr 11, 2021, 12:00 am IST
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, represent exemplar benchmarks for regionalism with deep political, social, linguistic and cultural roots
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Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu all awaiting new governments in early May this year are the last bastions of strong linguistic and cultural regionalism which have resisted the mainstreaming of politics under BJPs “one country one party” theology. Assam capitulated in 2016 and is expected to remain within the BJP’s fold in May this year.
It is not as if other Indian states have no binding cultural roots. Punjab, for instance, is actively demonstrating its independence of spirit and community strength via the ongoing anti-farm bill agitation.
Sanjeev Ahluwalia | Indian subnationalism past its expiry date? asianage.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from asianage.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
April 9, 2021
‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.’ Charles Dickens in Tale of Two Cities.
The author may have been reflecting on Britain in the mid nineteenth century but 21
st century India seems trapped in its own Dickensian moment. If 2020 was the year of doom and gloom, 2021 seems to be the year when hope alternates with depression. Early year optimism that the worst was over is now rapidly descending into deepening concerns over a ‘second’ Corona wave. Covid 19 cases have climbed back up to more than one lakh a day but if you are covering the state elections you wouldn’t really know of a pandemic. The masks are off as thousands gather to poll rallies. The sadhus and devotees are in celebrator