Can Bengal bounce back?
At 1 PM on Friday the 13th, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee drove into the sprawling, colonial Governor’s House in Kolkata and put in his papers, becoming the second chief minister in 44 years to not only lose...
View ArticleA month of Mamata
One month after Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool-Congress alliance swept to victory in Bengal, people there can heave a sigh of relief. Before the results came out, the victory was widely anticipated....
View ArticleHow the state of Bengal fell into an administrative black hole
Kolkata in January and it’s as if elections never got over. The Congress, now sharing power with ally Trinamool, is agitating against its partner. The CPM, recently ousted after 34 years in government,...
View ArticleToday, Bengal is sitting on a powder keg
It is rare for a policeman to be killed on duty. It is inconceivable that a policeman can be shot dead in daylight, surrounded by colleagues, while his shooter escapes. Yet, under chief minister...
View ArticleA Special Curse for Nitish
In Delhi recently, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar organised a rally to demand that Bihar should be recognised as a special category state. This would make it eligible for cheap central funds and tax...
View ArticleFear, loathing and the Federal Front
Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is busy sounding off about the shiny, new Federal Front she wants to form. Apart from the Trinamool Congress, which she leads, the other members are supposed to be...
View ArticleWhat’s left of the Left?
In the course of five years, the fortunes of India’s Left parties have come crashing down around their ears. Sure, in electoral terms, the Left was never a pan-India phenomenon. It was hugely...
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