Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) has lodged a police complaint here against bollywood actor Paresh Rawal, alleging that the veteran actor made the remark to provoke riots and destroy the harmony between Bengali community and other communities.

Washington [US], October 16 (ANI): Pakistan army committed genocide in Bangladesh against Bengalis and Hindus during the Bangladesh Liberation war, stated a newly introduced resolution in the US House that condemns Pakistan's actions and called on President Joe Biden to recognise the atrocities of 1971 war.

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 18 (ANI): Pakistan is trying to justify the massacre of Bangladeshi residents by its military during the 1971 Bangladesh war, denying the extent of the military oppression and blaming the whole incident on Bangladesh for the separation.

Kolkata Mar 20 PTI Filmmaker Arindam Sil claimed that Bengalis have chosen to forget renowned writer-activist Mahasweta Devi and she has not received due recognition like other iconsSils movie Mahananda inspired by the life and works of the Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan awardee is slated to hit the screens on April 8He said that Mahananda is a political film but not a biopic of the Magsaysay and Jnanpith award recipient whose novels Hajar Churashir Maa Mother of 1084 and Rudaali have been adapted into Hindi moviesI am of the view that we Bengalis have chosen to forget Mahasweta Devi but she should have been at the forefront of our consciousness She is a Bengali icon like Amartya Sen or Sourav Ganguly but perhaps she has not got as much recognition Sil told PTI in an interviewSil said that his film which took two years to complete due to pandemic-induced delays is centered on a young sociology student named Mahananda whose character is inspired from Mahasweta DeviThe film spanning from 1990 to 2011 starts with Devis association with tribal movements and ends with the Singur and Nandigram land agitationsBut my film does not support any political party or propagate any particular ideology The 34-year Left Front rule had to be referred to for adding authenticity to the movie as that period was an important phase of her life But I have not taken any sides he saidSil said that Devi despite being a communist to the core was not afraid to speak out her mind when she had differences with the party and always held her head highDevi had once said that she had left the comforts of home to work for the Communist Party But now the time has come to take a stand in the interest of those affected I cannot go against my principles I tried to show this side of hers in the film Sil saidThe director said that he has spoken to Devis family several times before and during the course of the production of the filmI would definitely call it a political film as no movie inspired by the life of Mahasweta Devi would be without her mission social work and commitment to a cause he saidI found that it was not possible to capture her life completely and make a biopic What I could do instead was speak about her ideology principles and association with tribals Sil who has directed a string of Bengali movies on fictional detective characters Byomkesh Bakshi and Sabar Dasgupta saidSil said that though the movie is not a biopic there are real-life references to Devi such as the letter box outside her residence or her high chairItems used by her have been recreated as set props to add authenticity to the film the director said Mahasweta Devi is still important in contemporary times We need to talk about her political philosophy work and uncompromising spirit Hence we need this film today the director of movies such as Abarto Dhananjoy Egoler Chokh and Byomkesh Gotro saidAsked about casting actor Gargi Roy Choudhury in the lead role the filmmaker said Gargi immediately transformed into the character as the camera rolled Even during the peak pandemic period when we were in our homes we discussed over the phone ways to etch the character and I was sure I got my Mahananda Roy Choudhury said she had read about Devi and her work among tribals before bagging the role but now she knows and understands her moreI was amazed by the draft script but it underwent changes 19-20 times as it evolved and the character grew in me I have become oriented to the cause of Sabars and other tribals in the Jangalmahal region of West Bengal she saidThe actor said that every day it took two hours each to put on the makeup and take it offEminent musician and percussionist Bickram Ghosh said that he wanted to create a soundscape that goes well for the subject of the film Mahasweta Devis passion for the subalterns her struggle and literary career using a medley of songs and instrumentalAt the age of 90 Mahasweta Devi died due to multiple organ failure on July 28 2016 at a hospital in Kolkata after suffering a major heart attack a few days before PTI SUS ACD ACD

New Delhi Nov 26 PTI Bengal planted the seed of nationalism and nurtured it into a sapling eventually leading to the creation of the worlds largest democracy but the state has been isolated from the national political scene for nearly 45 years argues public policy analyst Sugato Hazra in his new bookIn Losing the Plot Political Isolation of West Bengal he attempts to trace the states changing leadership political ideology and discourse over the yearsThe author argues that this so-called seclusion encouraged a move towards undemocratic systems and procedures which naturally led to socio-economic degradation of a state that once took the lead in national pride and identityHe raises pertinent questions about the contemporary state of politics in West Bengal Claiming that West Bengal has been isolated from the national political scene for the last 44 years he sets about trying to find out how the state ended up becoming isolatedBengalis have come a long way since the early days of the British rule and the espousal of English education to the rule of a regional political party led by the first female head of the state he writes in the book published by Niyogi Books imprint Paper MissileHe says West Bengal is a story of an unending descent - economically culturally and politically It is the story of a state that has lost its plotThe book has 12 chapters that look into the complicated political history of the stateThe first chapter traces the birth of modern ideas and nationalism in the state of Bengal and how these spread across IndiaIn the second chapter Bengals move towards neo-nationalism and its role in creating a separate line of political movement have been highlightedThe third chapter shows how the Bengal leadership had differences with national politics particularly after Mahatma Gandhi entered the scene The tussle over legislative entry and revolutionary politics between Bengals popular leader Chittaranjan Das and Gandhi and the change in the political landscape after the untimely death of Das explain the eventual loss of prominence of the state in national politicsThe days of confusion in Bengal after the system of elected government was introduced are captured in the fourth chapterThe fifth chapter outlines the internal dissension and infighting within the Congress highlighting its failure not only to protect its turf but conceding the same The author focuses on the division of the state with catastrophic consequences for many Bengalis and he underlines the failure to bring in relief for them thereby delineating the sorry state of the people and its politicsThe beginning of democratic rule under Bidhan Chandra Ray was turbulent and a narrative in slow motion of the receding national political party the Congress and the emergence of a regional political narrativeWith the passing away of charismatic leaders the confusion that ruled the state as also the nation and its effect on the lives of Bengalis are the focus of the seventh chapterThis chapter points out how a weak and internally divided leadership failed in administering the state and in fact created multiple problems The experiment of an unwieldy coalition government - consisting of political opposition to the Congress with no ideological harmony - and the harmful repercussions on the people of the state are neatly summed upThe next chapter - chapter eight - captures the institutionalisation of violence as part of the politics of the state under a Congress government that came not through popular mandate but through its sheer control over violence - the most critical turning point in West Bengals political historyChapter nine also explains the darkness in the system not readily acknowledged in popular discourse while chapter ten talks about the weaknesses which finally exposed the Left Front government and led to a change of governance - the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011The change in government as seen in chapter eleven was not exactly for the better but proved deeply isolationist hurting the betterment of the people of West Bengal the book claimsThe final chapter of the book sums up the entire historical process raising serious questions about the states futureFinally in a postscript the author analyses the 2021 West Bengal state assembly election outcomes and its ramifications noting that The extreme political bitterness between the TMC and the BJP escalated during the 2021 state election and it continues to play out even after the election In conclusion the book makes the point that Politically West Bengal has opted for isolation from Hindi heartland politics thereby holding aloft its distinct regional identity PTI ZMN RB RB

Kolkata : BJP Legislator from Tripura Ashish Das was in touch with Trinmool Congress for months. On Tuesday shaved his head, took a dip in the Ganga and offered prayers at Kalighat’s Kali temple close to chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s home, saying he was performing an act of atonement before joining West Bengal’s ruling party. Earlier, BJP MLA, who reached Kolkata, described Mamata Banerjee as the ‘real leader of mother, soil, manush’ of Bengal and said that it would be a matter of pride for every Bengali if she becomes the prime minister in future.