Stung by West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi?s voluntary power cut for two hours to empathise with the power-starved people of the state, the Left first attacked him?before going on the defensive once the story caught popular attention all over the country. This week, state power minister Mrinal Banerjee went over to Raj Bhavan to request Governor Gandhi to withdraw his own version of Gandhigiri. Though no one from Raj Bhavan will confirm what transpired at the half-hour meeting, the minister claimed that the governor has agreed to review his decision to switch off lights. But now that people are talking about all this, something tells Eavesdropper we haven?t heard the last of this powerless power struggle.
Nanofied, sir
At the ongoing panchayat polls in West Bengal, residents of Singur?yes, that?s where the world-acclaimed gamechanger Tata Nano rolls out from?voted as villagers perhaps for the last time. In an estimated six months, Singur will be an industrial zone, complete with plans for a municipality or corporation. The district administration has already sounded out the outgoing panchayat samiti.
Whenever
Even though the entire Budget exercise for the year is over, taxmen at the Central board of Direct Taxes and the Central Board of Excise and Customs are gearing up for more work. The reason, Eavesdropper hears, is that many sleepy businesses are just waking up to the new tax proposals announced in the Budget and are now queuing up at North Block with representations. Taxmen, last heard, were laughing that that?s India for you: instead of just-in-time management, it?s just-bin-time. Jab bhi…