"Tran ,,, Pori-tran" - Temporary relief and Deliverance ::: "Dont pay five rupees to a beggar, ensure he does not need to beg" .... ::: "What is important is not only that I am not a thief .... you perceive me not to be a thief" -- new Niti Aayog vice chairman's smart dig at Mamata

In a first major revamp of the NITI Aayog since its inception in 2015, the Centre has appointed economist Ashok Lahiri as its new vice-chairman and replaced four of its five full-time members. 

Lahiri will replace Suman Bery, who had been serving on the post since April 2022. 

(I met with Shri Ashok Kumar Lahiri ji and congratulated him on his appointment as Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. His rich experience in economics and public policy will further strengthen the path of reforms in India and the journey towards becoming a 'Viksit Bharat'. -- PM Narendra Modi tweeted with a snap) 

A member of the 15th Finance Commission, Lahiri has held roles with global financial institutions. He was BJP legislator representing Balurghat in West Bengal elected to the assembly in 2021.

Of course, he was not fielded for elections this year but remains one of the BJP’s more recognisable Bengali leaders. An alumnus of the Delhi School of Economics and Presidency University, Lahiri has also worked with the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the IMF. 

In an interview he took a dig at Mamata Banerjee and TMC leadership on the issue of corruption and says: 

"What is important is not only that I am not a thief .... you perceive me not to be a thief". 

After Pranab Mukherjee, Lahiri becomes first Bengali to hold such key positions in a policy making body of the central government.  

On February 24 this year, Nidhi Chhibber, Director General of the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office, which functions from within the Aayog, was given additional charge of Chief Executive Officer of the think tank following the completion of BVR Subrahmanyam's tenure.

PM Modi on Saturday met Lahiri shortly after he was named the new Vice-Chairman. The PM also congratulated the other newly appointed full-time members of the think tank in a post on X.

Lahiri's appointment amid elections in West Bengal may not mean anything related to drawing some electoral dividends. However, all these are crucial as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi would now like to take a relook at the developmental journey of 'eastern India' with a renewed perspective. 

All these are also relevant as the PM wants to set the ball rolling in eastern India for achieving a purposeful Viksit Bharat by 2047.   

Bhopal IISER Director Gobardhan Das has been inducted as a full-time member of the government think tank. Das, who also hails from Bengal, is an immunologist. 

Abhay Karandikar, Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology; Dr M Srinivas, Director, Delhi AIIMS; and KV Raju, member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, were the three other full-time members  appointed. 

Former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, who was appointed last year, is the only full-time existing member of the Aayog who has been retained.

In his media interviews, Lahiri said: "The main challenge is how to formulate new policies and policies .... cannot be the same in every country. Incentives cannot be the same. It has to be adopted. The issue is what is the right policy that will work. 

"If you ask me about thrust area, I believe pillars of development are Education, Health, Infrastructure and law and order". 

On various facets of economy and economy management in West Bengal, he said: "You must not only think of poverty today ... you must think of poverty tomorrow and day after....You don't have to give five rupees to the beggar, you need to ensure that the beggar does not need to beg". 

"In Bengali, we say Tran and pori-tran .... Tran is temporary relief, pori-tran is Deliverance".  To a question about high turnout he said - "It is seen all over the world, whenever there is a discontent against the ruling party .... the anti incumbency shows up in extra turnout". 

Diamond Harbour Model with a spin :::: Cracking whip on five TMC-friendly cops ::::: Election Commission still on move.... this time Abhishek's fiefdom Diamond Harbour ---report on additional SP Garai’s activities sought

EC deals Harbour blow: Suspension stick for senior cops on Abhishek turf

The commission has directed the chief secretary to submit a report on additional SP Sandip Garai’s activities to his cadre-controlling authority, the Union home ministry — a first such directive this Bengal election. 

The poll panel directed Bengal chief secretary Dushyant Nariala to suspend additional SP Sandip Garai, SDPO Sajal Mondal, the inspectors-in-charge of the Falta and Diamond Harbour police stations, and the officer-in-charge of Usthi police station and initiate departmental proceedings against them.

These officers are alleged for working in a manner partisan to West Bengal’s ruling party.

"The 'Syndicate King' is now just a guest for a few more days. Didi is on her way out, BJP is coming to power. Even in Tollygunge now, only BJP's victory chants are echoing." - Amit Shah 

The Election Commission enforced its own “Diamond Harbour model” late on Friday night by cracking the whip on five police officers, including an IPS officer, from the seven Assembly seats that make up Trinamool No. 2 Abhishek Banerjee’s Lok Sabha constituency.

“Diamond Harbour is in the fourth stage of cancer in terms of electoral malpractices. That’s why, urgent surgery had to be performed to ensure free and fair elections there,” a senior poll panel official said.  

The EC asked the chief secretary to issue a warning to Ishani Pal, the Diamond Harbour SP, for her alleged failure to ensure her subordinates worked with fairness during the elections.

These steps suggest the commission considers the seven Assembly seats of Falta, Diamond Harbour, Satgachia, Bishnupur, Mahestala, Budge Budge and Metiabruz in the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency as the most trouble-prone, sources said.

Diamond Harbour, on Calcutta’s southern fringes, is the turf of Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek, who has been representing the Lok Sabha seat since 2014.

His vaunted development and governance model for the area — covering infrastructure, healthcare, welfare and political management — is often referred to as the “Diamond Harbour model”.

Huge Turnout for Amit Shah's rally is linked to 'fearless voting' 

The Election Commission has also ordered the suspension of the officer-in-charge (OC) of Hingalganj police station in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district after allegations that he was acting in a partisan manner ahead of the Assembly elections.

In a communication to Chief Secretary Nariala, the EC said it had examined a report submitted by state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on April 21 regarding complaints of bias and an alleged nexus between the OC and "local elements". 

Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP's twitter handle says - "Mamata Banerjee appears visibly rattled and leaves the sabha after seeing empty chairs at her Bhabanipur sabha, now shifting blame to a nearby BJP rally.

The signs are clear—impending defeat is breeding frustration."

ends 

Celebrated photographer Raghu Rai is no more !! His photographs would be always Unforgettable, Timeless but often Unsettling

 Raghu Rai began learning the craft in 1962, and by 1965 he had joined The Statesman newspaper in New Delhi as its chief photographer.

From The Statesman to Magnum: How Raghu Rai Rose to Global Prominence

The trajectory that followed was remarkable by any standard. In 1971, Raghu Rai exhibited his work in Paris, where it caught the attention of the French master Henri Cartier-Bresson — arguably the most influential photographer of the twentieth century. 

Cartier-Bresson was so struck by what he saw that he personally nominated Rai to join Magnum Photos in 1977, making him one of the agency's rare Indian members and cementing his place in the global canon.

By that point, Rai had already left The Statesman — departing in 1976 to become picture editor of Sunday, a weekly news magazine published from Calcutta. 

In 1980, he moved again, this time to India Today, where from 1982 to 1991 he contributed what many consider the definitive picture essays of that era.  

He had five-six long decades of exceptional images and the stories behind them. 

He was arguably; India’s greatest photographer.

His photographs of war, faith, monuments like the Taj Mahal, ordinary Indians, leaders, PM Indira Gandhi, saints and charlatans, deserts and much else besides in black and white, and in colour, are imprinted on our memory. 

Timeless, often unsettling, and always unforgettable, his pictures perhaps 'changed' the way people and leaders saw the world and its dynamism.

Raghu Rai has published almost 40 books of photographs. 

                              Born: 1942, Jhang, now in Pakistan; Raghu breathed his last on April 26, 2026 

Donald Trump evacuated from White House correspondents’ dinner after loud bangs heard ....gunshots fired :::: Trump says 'shooter apprehended'

 US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Saturday night after loud, unidentified noises triggered a major security response.

Trump says 'shooter apprehended' after president rushed from White House Correspondents' Dinner

Guests at the high-profile event abruptly stopped conversations as shouts of “Get down, get down!” rang out. 

Hundreds of the roughly 2,600 attendees took cover under tables while Secret Service agents in combat gear rushed into the dining area.  

BBC's Indrani Basu writes:

We had just finished our first course of salad at around 20:30 local time (01:30 BST) when I heard what sounded like glass shattering. Did someone drop a tray of wine glasses, was my immediate thought.

The BBC North America bureau chief, seated to my right, pulled my arm and shouted to get down. We all crawled under our table for what felt like a long time, but was probably just under five minutes. Eventually, we started crawling out after the immediate threat seemed to be over.

"I saw the main stage had been evacuated, where the president of the United States had been seated just minutes earlier," Basu said. 

US President Donald Trump posts, 

"Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. 

Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again."

According to a White House aide, Trump was safe after a freelance photographer reported hearing four to six loud bangs inside the hotel, though not in the immediate vicinity of the dinner hall. Initial media reports suggested the presence of a gunman, prompting panic among attendees.

The Guardian’s Rachel Leingang was seated at the table alongside colleagues and guests when someone yelled that shots had been fired. Guests began diving under the tables. She recalls Secret Service agents running in and moving chairs of the way as they raced down the aisles.

“Everyone kind of stayed under the tables for a little while, until people started like popping back up and then everyone tried to figure out what was going on – they were talking to each other like, ‘What happened? What happened?’”

Then security agents came inside of the ballroom and said everyone needed to leave. Rachel said she left the room.

Now Rachel is outside, where the sounds of sirens and helicopters are buzzing all around. She is safe, and said the exits have been blocked. 

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said he was within a few feet of the shooter, and called into CNN to describe his observations.

Blitzer said he saw “a very, very serious weapon. He starts shooting, and I happened to have been a few feet away from him. As he was shooting, of course, the first thing that went through my mind: is he trying to shoot me? 

And I don’t think he was trying to shoot me, but I was very close to him as the gunshots were fired and he was very very scary. 

But I’m okay, now.”  

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is a black-tie event hosted by the association of journalists who cover the US president, held annually in the cavernous ballroom Washington Hilton.

Known as “nerd prom” the evening has traditionally been attended by the president, political leaders, comedians and celebrities, who come together in celebration of press freedom. Often the presidentHowever, Trump had made it a practice not to attend during his first term. This year was the first time he had ever attended the event, and was set to make a speech.

A number of lawmakers have posted statements on social media about tonight's dinner.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he is "closely monitoring the unfolding situation at the White House Correspondents Dinner".

"I’m grateful for the quick response of law enforcement and am praying everyone remains safe," he says.

Republican Senator Rand Paul says: "Thank God the President and all of the attendees tonight are safe."

Republican Representative Nancy Mace says Americans should "pray for President Trump and for our country right now".

Attendees check their phones in the lobby of the Washington Hilton after shots were heard during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington (BBC snap) 

Amit Shah’s rise as the BJP’s master strategist dates back to the 2014 :::::: AAP Split Shocker: Is Trinamool Next in BJP’s Bengal Playbook?

By NIRENDRA DEV

— Was the split in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on April 24 a coincidence—or a calculated political signal? And more crucially, could All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) face a similar churn as West Bengal heads into a high-stakes electoral phase?

“The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you,” wrote Chanakya—a line often invoked to describe the political style of Amit Shah.

Shah’s rise as the BJP’s master strategist dates back to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, where he engineered a stunning victory—73 out of 80 seats for the NDA, including 71 for the BJP. That performance amplified the Narendra Modi wave nationally and cemented Shah’s reputation as a formidable election manager.

In contrast, Rahul Gandhi’s electoral record has often been cited by critics as less successful, sharpening the narrative of BJP’s strategic dominance.  

From Mamata Banerjee’s 2014 jibe to Amit Shah’s 2026 ground push, Bengal’s battle intensifies amid Aam Aadmi Party turmoil  

West Bengal tells a story of dramatic transformation. In 2014, when Mamata Banerjee famously asked, “Who is Amit Shah?”, the BJP was a marginal player. The party held just two Lok Sabha seats—Darjeeling and Asansol—and remained on the fringes of state politics.

Even in 2017, the BJP’s assembly presence was negligible. But by 2021, it had surged to become the principal opposition, displacing both the Left and the Congress—an outcome that reshaped Bengal’s political landscape.

Now, the 2026 contest is effectively a bipolar battle between the BJP and the TMC. High voter turnout—over 90% in the April 23 phase—has added unpredictability, reminiscent of the 2011 election that ended Left rule.

Amid this backdrop, the April 24 developments in AAP’s Rajya Sabha ranks—seen as a sudden and unexpected split—have triggered wider political speculation. While the immediate impact may be limited to Delhi and Punjab, the timing has raised eyebrows in Bengal’s political circles.  

The underlying question being whispered: if AAP can fracture, why not TMC?

Reports suggest that “floating voters” could play a decisive role in the upcoming phases. 

Speculation is rife that if the BJP crosses the 110–120 seat mark in the 294-member assembly, it could emerge as the single largest force, setting the stage for post-poll maneuvering. 

The majority mark stands at 148.

Internally, TMC faces its own tensions. The generational shift led by Abhishek Banerjee has not been universally accepted within the party, with sections of the old guard reportedly uneasy about his leadership prospects.

Meanwhile, Shah’s extended stay in Kolkata—marked by back-to-back meetings with political actors, intellectuals, and business intermediaries—signals a deeper, multi-layered strategy.

For Shah personally, Bengal carries stakes beyond the state. As succession debates within the BJP quietly simmer, the 2026 electoral outcomes could shape the future leadership trajectory under Modi. 

Whether the AAP split was an isolated incident or part of a broader political pattern remains to be seen. But in Bengal’s charged atmosphere, even distant tremors are being read as signals of an impending political shift.

( courtesy - The Raisina Hills )

ends 

In 2021, in Nandigram she tried 'wheel-chair'; in 2026 .... Mamata leaves stage amidst 'chor' slogans from BJP rally in Bhabanipur

“See how they are shouting. All the media is here. It is insulting and humiliating. They are shouting because they don’t want me to hold the meeting. I beg your pardon. I will not be able to address you now. Tomorrow I will hold a rally here," said Mamata Banerjee.

A tense showdown unfolded in Bhabanipur on Saturday as Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari held rallies barely 100 metres apart, triggering clashes between supporters of both parties.

This was a typical Drama Queen - a role she played in Nandigram in 2021 and campaigned on wheel chair and as the results came in giving her the mandate; the wheel chair had vanished. 

BJP leader Amit Malviya also weighed in, sharing a video of the incident and accusing Mamata Banerjee of losing her composure due to fears of her party's impending defeat.

"Everyone saw what happened. How our chief minister was insulted. This will go against the BJP," said Sovandeb Chatterjee, a senior TMC leader who was present at the public meeting trying to draw sympathy.

The incident took place at night near the Swaminarayan temple on Chakraberia Road.

"I apologise and I will leave. Please vote for me in protest of this,” said a visibly disturbed Banerjee, who left the stage.

Video Link

“We have taken official permission to hold this meeting. I was away from Bhabanipur for about a month because I was campaigning for the entire Bengal. I was campaigning for about 200 seats, and Abhishek (Abhishek Banerjee, TMC All India general secretary and Lok Sabha MP) was also campaigning. I will take legal action against this,” said Banerjee before leaving the stage.

Earlier, during a BJP rally, Suvendu Adhikari, the party’s candidate for Bhabanipur, had alleged that TMC put up loudspeakers to disrupt his event.

The Bhabanipur Assembly seat, which falls within Kolkata, is set to see a showdown between Mamata Banerjee and Adhikari. Adhikari is also contesting from his home turf of Nandigram, where he had defeated Mamata by less than 2,000 votes in 2021.

After the EC’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, a total of 51,000 voters were deleted from the rolls in Bhabanipur, amounting to 21% of its electorate. 

These deletions have put pressure on the TMC chief, whose victory margin in the 2021 by-election from Bhabanipur was about 58,800 votes. 

In the cosmopolitan Bhabanipur, Mamata is expected to visit Jain temples and Sikh gurdwaras to attract non-Bengali voters. She has been holding padayatras and closed-door meetings with residents of high-rises, where there are considerable non-Bengali voters.

Mamata leaving stage - Video

Frustration growing among TMC candidates:

“I will be defeated in Sagardighi. Jakir and Noor Alam will also be defeated from Jangipur and Samserganj assembly seats. Our candidate in Farakka will also be defeated. I can’t say about the entire state,” TMC's Sagardighi MLA Bayron Biswas said.

Bayron rushed to the Jangipur Polytechnic College strongroom, where EVMs have been kept under heavy deployment of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF), on Friday midnight and expressed his grievances, alleging non-functioning of CCTVs and cameras installed inside and outside.

He also alleged that the power supply was disrupted at the strongroom premises for long hours.

He strongly protested against the prevailing situation at the strongroom and alleged that it was a pre-planned conspiracy to ensure the defeat of Trinamool Congress candidates. 

But such remarks of a candidate is surprising and only displays frustration. 

ends 

West Bengal Political Dynamics ::::: Dinhata - TMC recorded win but the margin was only 57 votes ::: Singur remains trapped without industry and no longer good for agriculture

Ratan Tata's big announcement came in October 2008 

In no time he received an SMS from the then Gujarat chief minister - "Welcome to Gujarat".

Eighteen years on, the Gujarati is now India's Prime Minister. Another Gujarati - Amit Shah is a chief political strategist who has taken the battle to the interiors of West Bengal. Hubs like Nandigram and Singur included.

In fact Singur heralded a new era - the downfall of the communists and the emergence of Mamata Banerjee as the chief minister of West Bengal.

But Singur remains trapped between two ruins -- a car factory that never came up and the farmland that no longer yields agri products as before.  

In 2006, the then Left Front government acquired around 1,000 acres in Singur for Tata Motors' small-car project. 

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee played a spoilsport. She built up a mass agitation with villagers and pro-Naxal elements around claims that the fertile, multi-crop land was being taken from unwilling farmers.

What followed reshaped Bengal politics.   

When Ratan Tata announced in October 2008 that the Nano project would be shifted to Gujarat's Sanand, it marked the beginning of the end of the Left's 34-year rule.

A Reformist Communist - Buddhadeb Bhattacharya 

2011, Miracle happened. Mamata Banerjee entered the Writers' Buildings, the state's seat of power -- the building was renamed Nabanno.

Kolkata's red identity was replaced by blue. At times even to the level of violation of international traffic guidelines.

She stayed on as the chief minister for 15 long years.

The anti-land acquisition movements in Singur and Nandigram became part of the history or her-story.

But in Singur itself, triumph has turned into regret. The Supreme Court's 2016 order returning land to "unwilling" farmers was celebrated by the TMC as vindication. On paper, the land came back. On the ground, much of it did not.  

Mind Game and claim of 110 seats by BJP for phase 1 -- 152 seats: 

Those segments where elections have been done on April 23 - include 54 seats in North Bengal. Now the break up -- 

Cooch Behar has 9 seats -- in 2021 - BJP had won 7 and TMC got - 2 

Alipurduar  - out of 5 seats - it was clean sweep for BJP (all five). TMC- score was 'zero'. 

Darjeeling -- same BJP sweep -- scored five out of Five 

Uttar Dinajpur - BJP had won only 2 out of 9 and Trinamool had picked up 7 

Jalpaiguri - out of 7 -- BJP had won 4 and TMC won - 3 

Dakshin Dinajpur -- out of 6 -- both the parties had shared three each 

Malda - out of 12 -- TMC got 8 and BJP - remaining four (Notably has over 50 per cent Muslim population)  

Now Junglemahal region ::: --- West Medinipore - in 2021 TMC had 13; BJP could win only 2. 

Jhargram -- In 2026, the region made news for Jhalmuri. But in 2021 - it was a clean sweep for the BJP. Mamata-led out had clean sweep of all four seats. 

Purulia - Has 9 seats -- in 2021 - BJP won 6 and TMC remaining 3 

Bankura --- BJP had won 8 out of 12; the remaining four went to TMC 

Murshidabad (famous as being Muslim-stronghold) - Out of 22 seats - as expected in 2021 - TMC had won 20 --- BJP had won 2 (one of them was Bahrampur) 

East Medinipore is also politically crucial in this region. Here out of 16; TMC had won - 9 -- BJP managed to win remaining 7. 

Birbhum has 11 segments -- out of these in 2021 ---  BJP had won only one; and the rest 10 went to TMC's kitty. Importantly from statics point of view -- there were some seats in 2021 -- where the victory margin was minimum --- Take a closer look ---  

In Dinhata - TMC recorded win but the margin was only 57 votes. In 

Jalpaiguri = TMC won the seat by a slender margin of 941 votes. 

Coach Behar South --- BJP had won; and margin 4931 votes (that is below 5000 votes bar)   

Falakata -- BJP won the seat and margin was around 3000 votes only. 

Tapan seat - BJP had won and the victory margin was 1300 only 

Debate about elections in West Bengal 2026 

** Win for BJP and defeat for TMC --- would have serious and several far-reaching consequenes. 

** Internal rebellion will catch up TMC.

Gradually Mamata Banerjee may face 'personal marginalization'.

&&& 

From analysis point -- For West Bengal, this election transcends mere seat/vote counts. 

Sickular journos throwing up big phrases - a so-called contest between institutional headwinds and democratic exceptionalism.

Half the things would not make sense except sounding bombastically intellectual.

They do not want to flag off the real issues -  Threats to national security. 

Demographic Jihad and illegal immigration of Bangladeshi Muslims. 

On the other hand; a TMC victory possibly may create a bigger challenge for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party in 'INDI-alliance'. 

Notably, West Bengal has always preferred to remain on the 'opposite' box of the Govt in the centre. An anti-Delhi state trying to uphold Bengali pride.

There is a facade in that as the larger conspiracy seemed to be aimed at assisting the Demography Jihad.  

All these harmed the state and the people. Nevertheless; there was a perception that West Bengal would always stand firm as a defender of federalism. Though for practical reasons - it's all a left-liberal gimmick. 

Nationally, if TMC wins and if Mamata is accepted as 'national leader'; it could provide fresh energy to the otherwise demoralised opposition combo.

If TMC falls; India's 'regionalism frame' of polity will suffer a serious set back.