kolkata confidential

Balancing act

During her recent visit to Darjeeling,Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee struck a fine balance between the Gorkhaland demand and her political compulsion for not acceding to any request for a division of Bengal. Her efforts were evident even in the cultural show at the beginning of the function at Darjeeling Railway station. While local groups sang Bengali songs like “Aami Baanglar Gaan Gai”,there were recitals of “Gurung dance” — a dance form popular in the Hills. And the selections were made by Mamata herself. Keeping (RP)Force with her

That she treats the Railway Protection Force (RPF) as her own little fiefdom is no secret. Still,Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee never ceases to surprise. In the not so-distant past,she refused the Union Home Ministry’s request to spare 40 RPF Companies (around 40,000 personnel) for deployment in the forthcoming Bihar Assembly elections,the same way as she had done when the RPF was sought for polls in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. She only agreed after the Home Ministry persisted with its demand. However,Mamata then came up with a rider and told her ministry to ensure that RPF Companies were not pulled out from home state West Bengal for Bihar election duties. The result: RPF Headquarters had to overdraw personnel from other areas.

The last outpost

Is the state government keen on doing away with the post of Commissioner General (CG),land reforms? The question is doing the rounds as nobody has been appointed to the post since Sabyasachi Sen,the last one holding the post,was made the chairman state Public Service Commission and RD Meena joined as Land Reforms Commissioner. “The post may lie vacant for some time since there is no work,” confided a senior official. It was a place where bureaucrats,at the fag end of their career,used to relax,doing almost nothing.

Fishing for films?

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has done it again. This time his faux pas was made at Salt Lake’s Nalban complex last week. “The film festival is of great importance,” Bhattacharjee said while inaugurating the four-day National Fish Festival. “Sir,it is fish festival and not film

festival,” an official murmured from behind. The chief minister immediately corrected himself. “Sorry,I apologise,it is a fish festival,” he smiled. A few months ago,he confused astronomy and astrology. “ I don’t believe in astronomy,” he had said in a front of a group of students.