Search Results for West Bengal


The Price of Dissent- Is Bengal Headed Towards Another President’s Rule?

“Dissent is a safety valve for democracy. If this safety valve is not allowed to function then the pressure cooker will burst said Justice D.Y. Chandrachud as a part of a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra who was hearing a case regarding the arrest of 5 human right activists in Mumbai. India’s constitutional democracy is predicated on the people’s right to call state power to account. Right to dissent is, therefore, the cornerstone of Democracy. Protests strengthen representative democracy.


History of Darjeeling Shows We were Never Part of Bengal

On August 17, West Bengal tourism minister Gautam Deb addressed a press conference at Mirik in Darjeeling. Exuding his obvious concern for the Gorkhas and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue, he said, “If NRC is implemented in the Darjeeling hills, the hills will become empty, out of 15 Lakh people there will be no one to live there. Most Gorkha brothers and sisters and senior citizens they will be driven out from Darjeeling hills, both Darjeeling and Kalimpong, including Kurseong and this Mirik [sic].”





President’s Rule in Bengal – Possibilities and Implications

As tempting as it might be for the Center to implement President’s rule, they will in all likelihood wait out for this storm to pass, much like how they waited for Gorkhaland agitation to simmer down. As far as BJP central leadership is concerned, they seem to be in mood to give Mamata any toe hold.