For all his flaws, Bimal Gurung is still liked by a large section of the people from North Bengal. Especially in remote rural regions where politicians rarely venture, Bimal Gurung is seen as someone who has cared for the people. But will this sentiment prevail across the region? It’s difficult to say. But in tying his fate to TMC and also himself, Bimal has made a bold move, will it help him bounce back or will it backfire?
Beware North Bengal, things are not as rosy as they would have you believe. The recent days have induced a lot of changes in our…
“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.
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].”
I was at a hospital in Siliguri, a town in North Bengal a three-hour drive away from Darjeeling, on June 8. I was there to…
West Bengal was once the epitome of progressive and critical thinking with the civil society closely engaged in the political processes. The rise of TMC…
Almost all the major dailies published in West Bengal have today turned themselves into a publicity platform for the party in power. Rightfully so, because the romance associated with revealing the truth has died a natural death, and all-paid foreign trips for journalists where one could get an opportunity to steal silver cutlery is in vogue.
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.
Reportedly, there was a clash between two groups in the outskirt of Oodlabari (Mal Subdivision) in Jalpaiguri District, recently, over an issue of land. Oodlabari…
If anyone wants to study the reason why despite holding investment fairs every year, very few investors actually invest in Bengal, the proposed expansion of…