The International Olympic Committee is more intent on protecting its bottomline and itself from the multiple litigations it could face if the Games were postponed further or cancelled. It has little interest in “safeguarding the health of the athletes” or of anybody else, for that matter.
The state government’s decision to set up an upper house is a strategic move made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to augment her unfulfilled political and business interests.
The recent resuscitation move by the Reserve Bank of India may not be enough to help small businesses stay afloat. A petition filed in the Supreme Court wants a fresh moratorium on interest on bank loans.
Now that she is back as chief minster once again, Mamata Banerjee must put an end to the post-poll violence, shore up facilities to save lives hit by the raging pandemic and restore the economic health of the state.
This will emerge as the new reality and the global village concept, at least as far as trade goes, may have reached its “use by” date. Protectionism won’t be an evil word anymore.
The pandemic is surely surging back, and who knows what level of infection would be detected after the poll process is over. In the end, though, the common man is the worst sufferer. He is damned if he does (engage in the poll process) and damned if he doesn’t.
Just where central Kolkata ends, melding into the north, inside Akrur Dutta Lane, there is a special place for Mohun Bagan supporters. It is a typical Kolkata take-off on TMC’s poll plank, khela hobe, (there will be a match). “There are very few East Bengal supporters in this lane,” asserts an old timer.
West Bengal represents the BJP’s final frontier but the party heavyweights are up against a gutsy street fighter in Mamata Banerjee. The elections have become a volatile mix of horse trading and power games and, to paraphrase the TMC slogan, the game is on. The final score will have a major impact on national politics.
The two rather contradictory news the government’s decision to hike customs duty on solar modules and solar cells and Delhi HC’s objections to India exporting Covid-19 vaccines that appeared recently are interesting studies in the nature of diplomatic paradox.