Swapan Dasgupta: Bengal’s Financial Saviour

For colleagues who worked with Swapan Dasgupta—journalist, author, columnist, and now West Bengal finance minister—he invariably came across as a diligent professional with a highly disciplined work ethic. He preferred to write before daybreak. This was when there were no distractions and words flowed swiftly and lucidly. Dasgupta was an early convert to the BJP’s political worldview at a time when it was decidedly unfashionable to be a rightwinger. In fact, there were serious costs to sympathising with BJP’s agenda for a Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370 and a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Newsrooms were dominated by left-liberal opinion that treated a ‘saffron’ point of view with the very intolerance it accused BJP of, thoroughly oblivious to the obvious double standard. For his part, Dasgupta never let a colleague’s ideological persuasion colour his opinion and examined reports with a discerning eye.

After stints with newspapers and magazines, he gravitated towards a political role and was nominated to Rajya Sabha in 2016. He unsuccessfully contested the Tarakeshwar Assembly seat in 2021 but won from Rashbehari in Kolkata with a handsome margin in 2026. His dapper figure in a tucked shirt, trousers and sandals seemed just right for the bhadralok constituency. Over the years, Dasgupta has been an influential writer and commentator on rightwing issues, explaining the cultural and political relevance of Hindutva, countering narratives tarring it as an unscientific and lumpen reconstruction of India’s past. Now, as finance minister, the one-time Trotskyite who embraced Thatcherism, has the task of steering West Bengal away from a financial abyss.

Stadium Facelift

The sports ministry has an ambitious plan to redevelop Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which sits on 102 acres in the heart of the capital, into a sport city with facilities for multiple disciplines, hostels, and coaching. This will put the arena to much greater use and make it accessible for sportspersons at all levels. The stadium is well-connected by road and Metro and its residential standards will be world-class. Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is awaiting a blueprint which will include private participation in developing the stadium and its campus. The stadium underwent a 900-crore refit in 2010 for the Commonwealth Games, but could not overcome problems like track sinkage and leaky roofs.

Jhalmuri Icon

A meeting of NDA to felicitate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for becoming the longest continuously serving elected prime minister saw an interesting twist with the popular spicy snack jhalmuri being served to delegates. A video of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari serving a plate to Modi was widely circulated on social media. It was a fitting tribute since Modi’s halt at a street vendor during the West Bengal campaign was seen as a turning point of sorts in the debate over whether BJP would be culturally acceptable to voters.

The Amarinder Turnaround

Former Punjab Chief Minister and veteran leader Amarinder Singh’s unhappiness over the appointment of Kewal Singh Dhillon as BJP state president seems to have subsided even if he is not wholly happy about the turn of events. Singh has conveyed to the BJP brass that he will remain in the party and has no plans to quit. As things stand, he is strongly opposed to sad and continues to be sore with Congress for having staged a coup against him when he was chief minister. BJP hopes to make an impression in the state where elections are due early next year, and Singh’s opposition to Dhillon would have been a drag on its prospects.

Decisive Nitin Nabin

BJP President Nitin Nabin hosted media representatives for a lunch which marked the Modi government’s completion of 12 years in office. This was the first time that the media got to hear and interact with the new party president on an occasion attended by dozens of journalists. Nabin’s matter-of-fact style seemed to confirm reports that he has a decisive approach to dealing with organisational details and makes an effort to familiarise himself with developments at home and abroad. It was also an opportunity for Nabin to meet the capital’s press corps.

Mum’s the Word

BJP is tightlipped over the departure of Tamil Nadu leader K Annamalai who has said he is keen to set up a new political outfit in the state. The leader was recently in Delhi where he met senior leaders before returning to Tamil Nadu. It is understood that the subject of his leaving BJP did not crop up in his conversations, though he made his points on the political situation in the state. The former police officer feels that a clean break from both AIADMK and DMK is needed for any political alternative to succeed in the state that has been long dominated by the two Dravidian majors.

Mobile Thieves

An interesting aside to the protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar was that it proved a hunting ground for thieves looking to steal mobile phones. Dozens of mobiles went missing, but thankfully for the victims, Delhi Police were keeping a watchful eye and nabbed several miscreants. A frantic phone call from a journalist trying to track his mobile was answered by a cop who directed him to a nearby police station to reclaim the lost article. The petty criminals who thought they could make a quick buck had not counted on the cops who had spread themselves out at the venue.