West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is clear about which galleries to play to. At the first-ever India International Potato Expo in Kolkata, not to be confused with the Auto Expo in Delhi where even a Harley?s potato-potato-potato rev would?ve had to struggle to be heard above the din, Union ministers Jairam Ramesh and Subodh Kant Sahai began by addressing the dignitaries on the dais. But Bhattacharjee made it a point to acknowledge the farmers present. ?Aapnara esechhen, aapnader ami dhanyabad janachchi, apnara ei alochonay angsagrahan korchhen amader sabar upokarer janya,? he said, in Bengali: ?Thank you for coming, you are participating in the discussions for our?benefit.? If Jairam Ramesh had anything witty to add about tea, it would?ve been lost in the thunderous applause.
Pyrotechnics
First, Nandigram rattled West Bengal?s Left Front government. Now, it?s Nandaram. Or what?s left of it. A fire has been raging at Nandaram and Kansiram bazars in Burrabazar. When a group from Rajasthan, the state to which most shopkeepers belong, turned up to meet the state fire minister Pratim Chatterjee, he refused to meet the visitors, including MPs, saying they didn?t have an appointment. Quipped an MP, ?Sad, the fire came without appointment.?