Kolkata confidential

“No one comes here now.
Everyone goes to Mamata Banerjee’s house. We are,therefore,asking journalists to cover us. We are a national party,which journalists should realise,” a senior Congress leader was heard telling a senior reporter of a national daily.

United they stand at roadsides
Despite the Congress-Trinamool split,many candidates in the KMC elections have put up hoardings declaring their names as ‘alliance candidates’. A number of such hoardings were put up recently in South Kolkata,much to the annoyance of Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee. The hoardings call upon people to vote for the Trinamool candidate as a ‘mahajot’ candidate. Trinamool leaders explain: the alliance split was unexpected and the orders for the hoardings had been placed six months ago. “What to do? Who knew the alliance would break? I had ordered for the hoardings months ago and they were delivered recently while the seat-sharing talks were on,” said a senior leader. He added: “I have spent so much money on these hoardings and cannot afford to pull them down or replace them now.”

Comrades admit ‘mistake’ over Netaji
SEVEN decades after his party denounced Subhas Chandra Bose as an “imperialist agent” and “Tojo’s dog” (after Japanese Prime Minister Hediki Tojo),CPI general secretary A B Bardhan admitted at a function on April 5 that it was a “mistake on the part of the undivided Communist Party of India not to have recognised Netaji’s indomitable spirit of patriotism”. He added: “I have no hesitation in apologising for this lapse.” However,CPM general secretary Prakash Karat,who was also present at the function,ignored Bardhan’s reference to the “undivided” party’s view of Netaji. While he paid rich tributes to Bose,he did not make any reference to the historical “mistake”.

HC re’dresses’ Bengal teachers
The Calcutta High Court’s recent ruling that managing committees cannot impose dress codes on teachers came as a respite not only for the teachers,but also for the state government. The row over dress code had surfaced in a number of schools after female teachers were asked to shun salwar kameej and wear white sarees. Despite instructions from the state school education department,there was pressure from locals in the school committees to impose the code which caused immense harassment for teachers.

Penalty for priceless goal
Kolkata club East Bengal has reportedly offered a blank cheque to Churchill Brothers’ goal machine Okolie Odafa for the next season. Odafa,almost certain to emerge as the top scorer of the I-League for the fourth season running,is the only footballer in India to have an eight-figure annual salary. Odafa has till now refused all offers from Kolkata clubs as it seems he can’t forget the shabby treatment meted out to him by the big clubs here in 2005,when as a youngster,he was trying to find his feet in the Kolkata Maidan. Five years down the line,he has become the hottest property in Indian football. Former soccer star Mihir Bose was the only man in Kolkata who had seen something special in the Nigerian and advised him to pursue a career in Goa. Odafa still has huge respect for Bose and will consult the latter before considering East Bengal’s offer. So Bose,who now coaches Peerless SC,has suddenly become an important figure in the Maidan. East Bengal management has reportedly asked him to broker the deal. But,Bose has put the ball in Odafa’s court. “It’s his decision,I’m not going to interfere,” he said.

Mulayam makes Left see red

SAMAJWADI Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s change of heart vis-à-vis the ruling dispensation at the Centre looked complete on Friday when he silently watched the introduction of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill in the Lok Sabha. It was during the Opposition-sponsored cut motions against the hike in the prices of petroleum products that Mulayam first dumped the Left. And on Friday again,he rebuffed the Left which looked to him for support when the Nuclear Liability Bill was introduced. As CPM leader Basudeb Acharia tried to persuade Mulayam to oppose the Bill,the SP leader retorted that he had been an MLA for 11 terms and MP for five terms,so he did not need any advice. With that ended the Left’s hope of influencing the Bill that will go to the standing committee on energy headed by Mulayam.