"Change of regime in Iran will bring in stability in the region," says - Israeli envoy to India Reuven Azar

Ambassador of Israel to India, Reuven Azar said on Monday :

"Neither the United States nor Israel has the intention of invading Iran...We want to give the Iranian people a situation in which they can actually put pressure for a change in policy or for a change of the regime. 

"We are going to see whether this happens or not but are resolute in putting a focus on that. It not only serves the Iranian people but it also serves our aim of creating a more stable future in the region. 

"I think it also serves the general interest in the region, of the Gulf countries and also of the international community, to see a West Asia or Middle East which is much more stable and freer from the terrible threats that the Iranians were planning to build or they were actually building." 

He also said:  

"Imagine what Iran would do, after we saw how Iran attacked all the neighbours, if they had a nuclear arsenal...

What we are undergoing now is nothing compared to what could happen in the future if the US and Israel hadn't taken action now."

Gyanesh Kumar's 'Bengal Operations' kicked off with shunting out of two 'Babus' and top cops -- considered close to Mamata

The Election Commission has started its West Bengal crackdown.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in his press conference to announce the election dates on Sunday, has assured that elections in West Bengal would be violence-free and peaceful. 

It has already removed Mamata Banerjee’s two blue-eyed top officials hours after election notification.

Now, Dushyant Nariala will be new Chief Secretary and Sanghamitra Ghosh new Home Secretary 

Outgoing Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and outgoing state Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena were very close to Mamata, it is said.  Nandini Chakraborty, first woman chief secretary, hit headlines during Mamata's 'stall ED works' exercise vis-a-vis I-PAC operations.  

In a letter sent to the chief secretary, the EC said that “the officers transferred out” – Nandini Chakraborty and Jagdish Prasad Meena – “shall not be posted in any election-related position” till the polls are over.

“The directions of the Election Commission should be implemented with immediate effect and a compliance report in respect of joining of Dushyant Nariala and Sanghamitra Ghosh be sent by 3 pm on March 16 (Monday).  

BJP leader and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar welcomed the new changes. 

"The Election Commission has decided this. These officers are very biased... It is right to remove them. The Election Commission did the right thing. 

Would it be right to conduct elections by keeping such officers who go to obstruct ED raids? Whoever Mamata Banerjee appoints as DGP or Chief Secretary, she uses them as members of her party... These are TMC's friends, these are TMC's administrative friends...".  

Nandini Chakraborty, the 1994-batch IAS officer was appointed as the first woman chief secretary of West Bengal on December 31 last year. Her presence with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with other top bureaucrats of the state, during the Enforcement Directorate’s search operation at I-PAC’s Kolkata office had sparked criticism from the Opposition BJP and former bureaucrats, calling it a breach of administrative protocol.

Dushyant Nariala is a 1993-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre. He currently serves as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) for the North Bengal Development Department.

He held Additional Charge as Principal Secretary of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) as well as Additional Chief Secretary of the Correctional Administration Department. 

Sanghamitra Ghosh, the new Home Secretary, is an IAS officer of the 1997 batch belonging to the West Bengal cadre. Ghosh served as the Principal Secretary for the Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare.

In her career spanning over 25 years, she has held several key administrative positions across the state. She also served as the Mission Director for the National Health Mission and district magistrate in several districts, including Howrah and South 24 Parganas.

Of course, it goes without stating that the replacement of the top two administrative officials of the West Bengal government by the Election Commission (EC) may add a new chapter to the ongoing confrontation between the EC and the TMC government in the state.  

The Election Commission on Monday announced the replacement of key police officers in West Bengal, including the acting Director General of Police (DGP) Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar.

Siddh Nath Gupta, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1992 batch, has been made the new DGP, replacing acting DGP Pandey.

Similarly, Ajay Kumar Nand, a 1996-batch IPS officer, had been made the new Commissioner of Kolkata Police, in place of Sarkar. Both Pandey and Sarkar were appointed on January 30.

Director General, Law & Order, Vineet Kumar Goyal, had also been removed and replaced by Ajay Mukud Ranade, a 1995-batch IPS officer, but as Additional Director General, Law & Order.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar 

Goyal is a former Kolkata Police Commissioner, who was removed from the post soon after his name was dragged into controversy after the ghastly rape & murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises in August 2024.

In the same order, the Commission had ordered the posting of Natarajan Ramesh Babu, a 1991-batch IPS officer, as the Director General, Correctional Services.

Onions with skyrocketing prices had been "political hot potatoes" bringing down CMs -- What if 'LPG crisis' boomerang in 2026 ??

 The Donald Trump-inflicted 'LPG crisis' could not have come at a worse time for BJP and its leader Narendra Modi. The nation is going into crucial four states Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the UT of Puducherry.  

Emotional Indians  have on a number of occasions punished the ruling parties (state and central govts in power) when onion prices surged.  

India consumed 33.15 ‌million ⁠metric tons of cooking gas in 2025; with imports accounting for about 60% of demand. 

An estimated 90% of those imports came from the Middle East.

"LPG shortage is taking away from plates the things that matter the most to Bengalis of all stripes: amriti, jilipi, kalojaam, mihidana, sitabhog and other sweets that require high heat over long periods of time to be cooked. 

All of life’s troubles disappear when one eats a delicious, dripping kalojaam at the end of the day. With that gone, the BJP’s chances in Bengal will go too," says Rima Roy in Kolkata.

In India, onions are more than a simple vegetable mixed to add flavour. It is an essential ingredient in almost every Indian dish and delicacies.

We consume an estimated 17-5 millions tonnes of onions a year. India is the second-largest onion grower in the world after China. Onions have brought tears in the eyes of the Neta class earlier on a number of occasions. The BJP leaders remember 1998 when they lost power in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and this also marked 'Congress revival' under Sonia Gandhi for the first time. 

At present Sonia's son Rahul Gandhi is a struggling dynast. He needs miracles to upset Namo-applecart. 

Can LPG cylinders can go the onion way ?  

Crude oil, LPG, LNG supplies disrupted by U.S.-Israeli war

About 333 million Indian households use LPG cylinders  

"LPG ​is an issue of concern," said Sujata Sharma, a joint secretary in the Union Oil ministry, adding the government (plus state administrations across India) are cracking down on black marketing and hoarding of ​LPG cylinders. 

Of course, India's crude oil, LPG, and liquefied natural gas supplies have been disrupted due to global shipping constraints after the U.S.-Israeli ​war with Iran halted traffic especially through the Strait of Hormuz.  

In a country used to food inflation, the BJP leaders think the current spike in prices of LPG cylinders would be routed as routine.

In contrast -- the Congress and other opposition parties such as DMK, CPI-M and Trinamool Congress think otherwise.  

The saffron party leaders have - hence - repeatedly blamed hoarders for the high prices of LPG. They allege while Opposition parties are spreading concocted stories; the hoarders were keeping LPG consignments from reaching the markets to artificially inflate prices. 

The Modi Govt in the centre has taken a number of steps. 

** The centre has asked Coal India, the country's top coal producer, to make coal available to small and medium enterprises and ⁠the hospitality ​sector, including restaurants and hotels. 

Govt says there is "Panic buying".

It also asked refiners to boost LPG production. 

Domestic LPG production has risen by 30% since March 5. 

The government has prioritised ​LPG supplies for households, followed by hospitals and educational institutions, while ​allowing commercial ⁠users to use alternative fuels such as biomass, coal and fuel oil.

It's said the BJP as a party is ever in an election mode. It uses every election as an opportunity to expand its own political footprint. In thus year's fast approaching polls, it aims to capture power in West Bengal and retain Assam grip. It also wants to enhance base in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

How far will Trump-inflicted fresh turmoil impact BJP's poll prospects remains to be seen. 

The polls this year could be like quarter-finals for 2029 general elections where the BJP will be trying to retain for a record fourth consecutive term.  

But the outcome in these states could set the stage for much more fierce assembly polls due in next two years -- including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and also key Hindi speaking-provinces such as MP and Rajasthan and two other southern states Telangana and Karnataka. 

end 

A Naga Prism : Has the much crucial SOUL SEARCHING begun ??? ::::: History never asks how long we struggled !! .... "Cultural integrity" is more than Festivity

 This article in 'Ukhrul Times' is a must reading. And the author James Pochury needs to be complimented. A mere congrats note to him may not do justice; hence I thought of trying to interpret the spirit of this write up.  

The article makes one sit up and even pull up sleeves and perhaps even to close eyes for a while --- how could someone be so candid and yet correct.  The author actually raises questions - people often ask in private !! 

Is Corruption not the real disease but only a symptom ? 

He talks about Global Order. The article came on Feb 9th, 2026 -- hence we cannot blame Donald Trump's whims and fancies alone. 

The provocation must be more personal and social.

James says: "This way of thinking teaches people to admire strength simply because it wins. It treats success as proof of righteousness. It turns land into entitlement and suffering into destiny."  

He is quite eloquent : "Liberation movements rarely die because of enemies alone. They die when truth becomes inconvenient, when silence is praised in unity, and when loyalty matters more than integrity." 

Then he hits the nail : "By the time collapse becomes visible, the damage has already been done".

Then he takes the debate into another plane - No movement "fails because their causes were wrong", he notes.

His argument is to the point yet again : "They failed because they stopped holding themselves to the standards they demanded from others. This is the part many people prefer to avoid." 

In terms of Corruption and Criticism, the diagnosis is again good especially on the backdrop of Naga contemporary history.

James says: "The real disease begins when principles become flexible. When leaders start explaining away what they once would have condemned. 

When the question quietly changes from “Is this right?” to “Can we manage this?”

Once positions start giving moral cover, instead of moral character justifying positions, everything shifts. Criticism is treated as betrayal. Institutions exist mainly to protect themselves. Faith remains present, but it no longer disturbs anyone in power."  

He has yet another piece of simple advice --   

"We also need to be honest about the world shaping us". 

Kohima 

The author also maintains -- For Naga people... what is "damgerous" in today's context isto appreciate that 

the Naga "history was never about conquest".

"Our survival came from restraint, from knowing limits, from holding land as relationship rather than property. When our nationalism starts admiring power without asking how it was gained, or blessing success without questioning its cost, we are already moving away from ourselves.

This is how a people begin to destroy their own moral foundations without realising it."  

Take away:  

James Pochury's underlining message is perhaps revolved around few themes -- Let us try to analyse then --  

First; Everything that occurs now has some reference to the past, prejudice and politics. 

** Another pointer must be -- If the milk spilled .... does it matter who spilled it ? 

*** He may be thinking a bit 'philosophical' or at this end we are interpreting things too seriously. 

Another thematic viewpoint could be --  

Humans, insects and all animals may not be 'favourite creatures'; but they all including men/women are only part of a larger web that makes all life a reality.  

Essentially he is making Nagas think. He is also urging the youths to be more caring about things going around. And he wants to fix accountability at multiple levels - the political (both underground and over-ground), social and also at the intellectual levels.  

Then what happens --   

Let us examine this aspect with a different approach.

We all know Wasps and Bees.  We also know that the Bees are easily linked to honey and pollination and hence 'attraction' and admiration too.

But wasps are associated with stings and pain.   

Ukhrul Times Link

It's a fact of life that the emotional responses towards the other animals are always  complicated and even irrational. 

Final message - also streams from the science of zoology. 

They say, sharks are 'feared' but they have been around for 500 million years; they evolved perhaps before even trees and so they have survived.

The multiple mass extinctions did not affect them. 

Religion continues. Prophecy disappears, as James puts it. 

ends 

Marxist leaders even called her '420' and 'paagli' ::::: A reflection on 'History' of West Bengal politics since 1984 when Mamata defeated Marxist stalwart Somnath Chatterjee

Nothing is permanent like change. This is more so for politics.

By 2005, Mamata Banerjee was considered almost a has-been in Bengal politics, until Singur and Nandigram turned the tide.  

2026 polls is mostly about West Bengal and Mamata Banerjee !!

Time is also the best drug.  

Her ascent was driven by fiery grassroots opposition even getting manhandled by CPI-M goons and Marxist leaders calling her '420' and 'paagli (insane). But she  capitalized on agrarian unrest in Singur and Nandigram and had achieved the near impossible of one time - ousted the Leftists. 

In a country where politics has always been increasingly male-dominated and also dominated by dynasties, she was/is an outsider.  

"It is not me, it is the people of Bengal. That I am a woman is not the issue. Without my sisters I cannot do my job but not without my brothers too," Mamata had said after 2011 election victory. 

                                                 

Has Mamata Banerjee been trapped into SIR-politics ?

How ?  

West Bengal would now have only 6.4 crore voters, as stated by the CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

That means about one crore remain undecided. 

Even in Bhowanipore, Mamata's constituency -- she lost sizable voters. 

And her tragedy is she cannot say .. -- no poll till SIR is done... because then President's Rule may come.   

In Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s own constituency of Bhowanipore, 47,111 voters have been deleted from the final rolls. 

The significance is not lost. In 2021, Mamata had suffered a stunning defeat in Nandigram against Suvendu Adhikari — before winning a subsequent by-election in Bhowanipore to retain her assembly seat and her position as the Chief Minister.

                                               

CEC Gyanesh Kumar says, "The Election Commission of India is constitutionally bound by Article 326 to include electors who are above 18 years of age, who are citizens of India and who are staying in that assembly constituency to be in the electoral rolls. The Election Commission of India has been undertaking this responsibility in the form of Special Intensive Revision. With regard to the political statements by certain political leaders or political parties, the Commission does not wish to engage in such dialogues. 

But much has changed about her and the state of West Bengal since then. She was seen as 'people's answer' to Left goondaism and autocracy of leaders like Jyoti Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Biman Bose. But her 15 years in office shows she has undone the communists.

She has become the 'evil' and disastrous' images of the erstwhile Marxists' regime.  

Mamata Banerjee, a law and history graduate from a lower-middle-class family who wore a traditional cotton sari with bathroom slippers today symbolises syndicate of lawlessness and corruption.  

In more ways than one Mamata Banerjee is an accidental leader. But having said that and taken note of several coincidences punctuated with 'mistakes' of others; none can deny her the credit of hard work.

If gimmicks work in politics; she knew how to use that.

There came a time in West Bengal under hugely popular Jyoti Basu as the chief minister; Mamata would be on the spot in her hawai chappal (bathroom slippers) and cotton sari and a Santiniketan bag at every spot of any murder.

She would also successfully link those to the CPI-M's goondaism and the people easily bought that line.

Loved to be called Didi or at times Mamata Di; she was hailed by a section Bengali media as "Agni Kanya"  --- "Fire Maiden" or "Girl of Fire".

The irony of all that lies in the fact that after few years of her days in power as the chief minister; senior journalists who probably called her Agni Kanya -- later denied having said so or maintained it was someone else who did it. 

A feeling dawned that she never deserved such adjectives. 

Nevertheless, she had big armies of admirers and still she is the most popular face of West Bengal politics. 

The phrase Agni Kanya refers to a woman who radiates intense energy, transformation, and inner strength -- that she has been. But whether she deserved to be often likened to the purifying and intense nature of fire will be debated in years to come.

Jyoti Basu regime: Mamata Banerjee fractured her head in 1991 in an attacked by a CPI-M goon Lalu Alam. The incident took place at Hazra in south Kolkata when she was leading a Congress rally.

Note how a few coincidences changed her career and life too.

In 2009 and later 2011, her party's  tie-up with the Congress – was in effect facilitated by the Prakash Karat's or Left’s tactically unwise withdrawal of support for the UPA in 2008. 

This had granted Mamata Banerjee considerable clout.

In 2009 polls - two big-time miracles happened. Manmohan Singh could return as the Prime Minister and it marked the end of the political graph of L K Advani. 

In West Bengal, the 2009 polls marked the great revival journey for TMC as Mamata's 19 MPs became crucial for the UPA.

And by 2011; the communists were ousted.  

** Coincidence was while she won 1984 Lok Saha polls from Jadavpur against Somnath Chatterjee by not so big margin; in 1989 she lost the seat to a low profile professor Manini Bhattacharjee by a much bigger margin. 

She never contested from Jadavpur again like she would probably never contest again from Nandigram - the seat she lost in 2021 to her onetime lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari. 

*** In 1984; generally people attribute Indira Gandhi wave for Mamata's victory. The ground zero factor was a legal case. Two children were mercilessly killed in Kolkata those days and Somnath Chatterjee had appeared for Kolkata police trying to suggest those were accidental deaths. 

This proved death-knell for Somnath babu as middle class Bengali Bhadrolok took him as an advocate of the devil.  

After she floated Trinamool Congress along side Mukul Roy - who was actually first chairperson of the new party; Mamata had allied with the BJP for 1998 polls. The Lotus party got a sizeable toehold in communist bastion but TMC could pick up seven seats. 

ends 

End of one mega suspense : No PR in West Bengal .... but .... few questions remain ... Has TMC walked into a trap of its own ?? ::: Is polls in Bengal without completing the enrolment list would be unconstitutional ???

 With poll dates announcement, the Model Code Conduct comes into effect in all the poll-bound states.  

The term of the current 17th West Bengal Legislative Assembly, a 294-member House, is set to end on May 7, 2026. 

While the NDA bloc led by the BJP currently holds 86 out of the 126 seats in the Assam Assembly, the Congress, which is sitting with just 22 seats, will have an uphill task at hand to break the majority mark barrier of 64 seats.

Assam- Date of Polling-  9th April 

Tamil Nadu- Date of Polling- 23rd April 

West Bengal- Date of Polling- 23rd April (1st phase), 29th April (2nd phase) ; 

Keralam- Date of Polling- 9th April 

Puducherry- Date of Polling- 9th April; 

Date of Counting in four states and Puducherry - 4th May

The term of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is going to end on May 10, before which the elections need to be concluded.  

The 140-member Legislative Assembly of Kerala will have Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Communist Party of India (Marxist), which is part of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) coalition, taking on the BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

The term of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly is set to expire before May 23, 2026.  

CPI-M Leader & Senior Advocate, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya says, 

"Any attempt at a declaration without completing the enrolment list would be unconstitutional. 

The Election Commission would unnecessarily be inviting much more litigation. 

This is not the way a constitutional authority should function. It's their failure that they could not yet complete the upgradation of the issue of voter list and this failure will create disparity." 

West Bengal - two phases of polls --- "6.44 crore voters in Bengal ... when supplementary list comes, they shall be added" ::::: No President's Rule in West Bengal ? "Festival of elections are going to be held in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and UT of Puducherry" - CEC Gyanesh Kumar

1. Assam- Date of Polling-  9th April; Date of Counting 4th May 

2. Tamil Nadu- Date of Polling- 23rd April; Date of Counting- 4th May

3. West Bengal- Date of Polling- 23rd April (1st phase), 29th April (2nd phase) ; Date of Counting- 4th May

Keralam- Date of Polling- 9th April; Date of Counting- 4th May.

Puducherry- Date of Polling- 9th April; Date of Counting- 4th May

"Five states and UTs Kerala, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (UT) represent distinct geographical and cultural landscapes of India. These elections represent not only a democratic exercise, but also  the cultural richness of India and truly reflect the unity and diversity of our nation...", says CEC Gyanesh Kumar. 

Has Trinamool and Mamata Banerjee walked into a trap ?

He also said:

"About 17.4 crore electors, roughly, also comprise the continent of Australia, France, South Africa, Germany and Canada. 

We will also see our guests from more than 20 countries from their electoral commissions who will be visiting these elections for witnessing the festive celebrations, the transparent and efficient celebrations of elections in India. 

The commission, along with lakhs of election officials and security personnel, is committed for ensuring free, fair, transparent, accessible and peaceful elections." 

"Election Commission of India is also prepared to welcome each and every voter to their polling stations and provide them with a pleasant and comfortable voting experience. 

"I would also like to make a special appeal to our youth and the first-time voters- my dear friends, you are about to step into one of the most important responsibilities of your life, exercising your democratic right, the right to vote. I urge you to participate enthusiastically in this great democratic exercise and cast your vote with pride, responsibility and confidence. 

Your vote is your choice in shaping the future of your state and the nation...".  

Gyanesh Kumar also said: "To give you a little overview of the electors, Assam as per the final list would be roughly 2.25 crores, Kerala 2.7 crores, Puducherry 9.44 lakhs, Tamil Nadu 5.67 crores, 

and West Bengal, the final list on 28th February comprises of 6.44 crores, and the learned judges, after their adjudication, whatever supplementary list comes, they shall be added..."