Suvendu's Sonar Bangla

The swearing in of 35 ministers in West Bengal puts in place a team now expected to deliver on BJP’s promise of a “Sonar Bangla”, where governance is not subsumed by a constant 24x7 cacophony against real and imagined enemies. For most of the 15 years she was in office, Mamata Banerjee tilted at windmills and waged a relentless battle with the Modi government. Whipping up of regional sentiments and catering to vote banks was a priority. Concerns over border security were not just trivialised but made subservient to political goals. Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh heading back home after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced holding centres to detain non-citizens confessed they had acquired Aadhaar numbers and had voter identities scratched by the Election Commission’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

No wonder the Trinamool Congress did its best—battering the doors of the judiciary and intimidating EC officials— to prevent the SIR. The new council of ministers reflects a regional balance in keeping with BJP’s strong showing in North Bengal, breakthroughs in Kolkata, and an adequate representation of Matua and tribal MLAs. The picks have the talent the new government needs to inject a sense of purpose and intent needed to undo decades of poor governance. The new inductees sworn in on June 1 include Arjun Singh, Shankar Ghosh, Tapash Roy, Deepak Barman, Manoj Oraon, Saradwat Mukherjee, and Swapan Dasgupta. Women ministers include Malati Rava Roy, who has independent charge, Purnima Chakraborty, Gargi Ghosh, and Sumana Sarkar. With seven ministers, including Adhikari, sworn in earlier, the strength of the council is now 41, with room for three more. The government has moved quickly to implement free travel for women ons state government buses, implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme, and is facilitating border fencing.

Hard Line on Iran

While US President Donald Trump alternates between extending the truce with Iran and resuming attacks, conservative think-tanks are advising the leader to sustain maximum pressure on the regime in Tehran. They argue that Iran must be rendered incapable of disrupting navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or pursuing nuclear weapons. In a memo, the Hudson Institute said Project Freedom must be resumed with coalition escort operations. The view in this quarter is that Iran’s hold-up of Hormuz and oil supplies that move through it will make other nations—even those not supportive of the US and Israel—consider forceful measures. The memo argues the US retains significant leverage over Iran and urges him to drive a hard bargain.

Goa Congress Woes

Amid organisational changes in Congress, the return of Girish Chodankar as state Goa party chief set off rumblings of discontent. Amit Patkar, who replaced Chodankar in 2022, made no secret of his resentment. Chodankar was in charge of Tamil Nadu and proved quite inadequate in negotiating with DMK before the recent state election. Congress veteran P Chidambaram had to step in to seal a deal with DMK leader MK Stalin. Chodankar’s failings do not seem to have come in the way of his re-appointment ahead of Goa elections early next year.

Dosanjh Silences Khalistanis

Khalistanis in Canada who have been trying to disrupt singer Diljit Dosanjh’s shows were in for a surprise at an event in Toronto. As the protesters arrived with banners and shouted slogans, the singer asked the audience, which had come to see him perform on stage, to drown out the intruders. The audience responded enthusiastically and soon the police, too, arrived to remove the troublemakers. Khalistani networks in Canada often have criminal connections. They have more than once targeted comic Kapil Sharma’s café in Surrey with drive-by shootings.

Prohibition Plea

There is almost nothing BJP and Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP agree on. Yet, both advocate a ban on alcohol in Kashmir Valley. This has put Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a tight spot, but the National Conference leader has asked why the parties did not take such a decision when they were in office as allies. The excise earnings from liquor sales are useful revenues, he said. More importantly, the demand plays into the hands of fundamentalists and is hardly in the interests of the region.

The Long View

As another IPL season concludes, the possibility of a longer season is being discussed. IPL Chairman Arun Singh Dhumal has spoken of an ideal format where 10 participating teams play nine away and nine home games. This will require an additional two weeks. This would make the tournament even longer than it is, with the decisive stage culminating as the mercury hits the high point. Dhumal is a relatively low-profile and affable administrator and younger brother of BJP leader Anurag Thakur. The development of the Dharamshala cricket stadium as one of the world’s most picturesque venues is credited to the brothers.

Cotton Calls

The Centre took a politically sensitive decision to reduce import duties on cotton in order to help the domestic industry that was facing rising costs of inputs. Usually, such cuts are not politically popular as they are seen to be at the detriment of Indian cotton growers. But as the government looks to ensure that the economy keeps moving despite steep energy costs and a stress on the rupee, tough calls are being taken. On the flipside, despite costlier steel, car sales have not dipped, even as increases in pump prices do not seem to have deterred commuters, going by holiday crowds and traffic congestion in cities.