Mainstream Weekly

Has Narendra Modi Lost His Way?

Amitava Mukherjee — 2018-09-15T15:05:42Z

There are now unmistakable signals from the top echelons of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that a section of the organisation is not happy with the way Narendra Modi is going about his administrative and political duties. There are reasons behind it. Even die- hard supporters of the Prime Minister will admit that Modi has failed to show results in three most important areas of administration

- 2018

T.V.R. Shenoy

Amitava Mukherjee — 2018-06-02T12:25:23Z

TRIBUTE
With the death of T.V.R. Shenoy—Shenoy Saab to some, TVR to some others and Sir to me—Indian journalism has lost a doyen and a titan. Rarely have I seen a person more erudite, more humane and more unassuming than this towering journalist. He was absolutely free of pretensions and had many attributes which succeeding generations of journalists should try to emulate and follow.
Thaliyadiparambil Vittappa Ramachandra Shenoy hailed from Cherai in Cochin in the district of Ernakulam, (…)

- 2018

CPM Plenum

Amitava Mukherjee — 2016-01-30T22:12:11Z

Initially the CPM Plenum in Kolkata had raised some expectations and a section of the media had even described it as the one which would provide the much needed guidance to the Left politics of the country. In the end, however, the Plenum turned out to be a damp squib and an exercise in nothingness. Instead of providing the beacon-light, the Plenum has shown all the potentialities of pulling the Left to a muddy swirl. But this was expected as the Indian Left is yet to get over its (…)

- 2016

West Bengal after the Saradha Scam: Is it the Darkest Hour in Bengali Life?

Amitava Mukherjee — 2014-12-27T19:27:55Z

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us”.
—Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities
Not one but many observers of West Bengal politics had expressed themselves in the same vein after Mamata Banerjee came to power in the State trouncing the (…)

- 2014

Letter from Kolkata: Is Mamata fit to be the Chief Minister?

Amitava Mukherjee — 2014-11-22T19:32:56Z

Siddhartha Nath Singh, the BJP leader in charge of West Bengal, has made a highly controversial comment, which may kick up a hullabaloo at the national level. Right at this moment there is no need to give much attention to Siddhartha Nath's allegation that Mamata Banerjee had taken help from the Jamaat of Bangladesh to win certain Assembly seats situated near the Indo-Bangladesh border as the BJP leader has failed to cite any credible source save some intelligence reports of the Bangladesh (…)

- 2014

Letter from Kolkata: Saradha and Mamata Banerjee

Amitava Mukherjee — 2014-11-09T20:06:37Z

Finally, by winding up the Justice Shyamal Sen Commission, Mamata Banerjee did what she should have done long before. There is really no point in doling out money from the State's exchequer to refund those who have exhibited avarice by depositing their money with the Saradha while several safe avenues of investment like banks and post offices were around. Moreover taking out money from the State's coffer and then distributing it among the Saradha depositors is both morally and legally open (…)

- 2014

West Bengal Scenario: Will Mamata Learn from her Mistakes?

Amitava Mukherjee — 2014-04-29T07:27:50Z

If psephological gurus are right then there are prudent reasons behind Mamata Banerjee's recent political postures. In spite of the drubbing she has received from Anna Hazare, it may be a distinct possibility that her Trinamul Congress (TMC) may turn out to be one of the deciding players in the formation of the next Union Cabinet after the conclusion of the Lok Sabha election. Although the “gale of change” which had brought Mamata to power in West Bengal in 2011 has certainly ebbed a bit, (…)

- 2014

Ukraine: Threat to Europe's Energy Security

Amitava Mukherjee — 2014-04-20T16:07:52Z

The crisis over Ukraine, by far the gravest one Europe has faced after the end of the Cold War, now opens the prospect of an energy crisis in the continent. Even if military conflicts do not escalate any more, Russia and the United States, the two big powers, may confront each other on the strategic issue of energy supply to Europe. Tensions have been mounting. Already Russia has been suspended from the G-8 group of countries and Barack Obama, the US President, has described Russia as a (…)

- 2014

Reflections on Nehru and Sino-Indian War

Amitava Mukherjee — 2012-10-24T11:25:10Z

AFTER FIFTY YEARS
Even fifty years after the India-China war of 1962, balanced and dispassionate analysis of the event is hard to come across. While the Chinese side of the story is available in plenty there is a strange and inexplicable diffidence from the side of the Government of India in placing in proper perspective what had really happened at that time. There have been two casualties of this sheepish approach. First is the reputation and credibility of the then Prime Minister (…)

- 2012

The Maoist Problem

Amitava Mukherjee — 2012-08-17T09:34:10Z

As the new Home Minister of India, the most daunting task before Sushil Kumar Shinde will be handling the Maoist menace. Although the West Bengal Government has recently registered some spectacular successes against the Maoists, the performance of the Central Government and some other State governments leaves much to be desired in this respect. The Maoists' record in recent times underscores that they are operating with impunity while the governments at the Centre and in several States only (…)

- 2012