News related to
Ashis Biswas

By Ashis Biswas Despite timely steps taken by the Government to avert a Sri Lanka-type of economic meltdown, general concern for the Bangladeshi economy continues. While the International Monetary Fund (IMF) promised a $4.5 billion loan to Bangladesh to help it shore up declining forex reserves, there are worries in Dhaka as to whether Bangladesh […]

The post Bangladesh Desperately Trying To Avert Economic Meltdown Through IMF Aid first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas By end 2023, rail journey time for passengers between Kolkata and the three Barak valley districts of Assam via Dhaka, Bangladesh may be reduced to 15/16 hours only, if things run according to plan. A Kolkata-Agartala journey would take only around 10 hours, according to Railway authorities. People in Assam, Meghalaya and […]

The post New Measures In Rail Connectivity Reduce Travel Time Between Eastern India And Bangladesh first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In northeast Indian states, upset Christians feel they must protest more vigorously against the recent demolition of a few churches in Manipur and Assam, for which they hold the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accountable. Intriguingly, Nagaland-based Christians have reacted more sharply than their follow religionists in the region. The Nagaland Pradesh Congress […]

The post Attacks Against Churches Anger Christians In North Eastern States first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas There has been a mixed diplomatic response from various foreign countries attending the recent G20 sessions in different states of India’s lush-green Northeast. Most among the attending foreign ministers and diplomats preferred discussing local/regional   development and tourism-related matters. This was in consonance with the generally agreed upon format of the G20 sessions, […]

The post Positive Vibes At G20 Meet In India’s Northeast, But With A Twist first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas KOLKATA: In an unexpected turn of events, a section of Christians living in Pakistan has issued its strong endorsement of the new citizenship legislation introduced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in India. The small yet commonly persecuted Pak-based Christian community is hopeful that it may be possible for its members […]

The post Pakistani Christians Applaud CAA Legislation Of Narendra Modi Government first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In Tripura, following its recent victory in the Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost no time to reach out to the tribal Tipra Motha (TP) outfit to address the sensitive issue of securing the long term future of indigenous people. As a first step, the Union Government decided to appoint […]

The post Central BJP Leadership Is Serious In Having Long Term Relations With TP In Tripura first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas After a tense truce, the war of words between American liberal lobbyists and the Bangladeshi ruling establishment over the Nobel laureate economist Mohammad Yunus has returned in full fury. 50 Dhaka-based thinkers have strongly countered a recent statement issued in a leading American daily in favour of Dr. Yunus, calling it a […]

The post Decade-old US-Bangladesh Spat Over Dr. Yunus Warms Up Again first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas For some time now, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal has been accused by other opposition parties of effectively helping the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through its decisions, while attacking it verbally. Last week, two seemingly contradictory steps taken by the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee further strengthened such allegations. In […]

The post Trinamool Congress In Bengal Introspecting The Reasons Of Sagardighi Loss first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Dr. Gyan Pathak Congress winning three Vidhan Sabha Constituencies and the BJP and its ally winning two in the byelections held for five seats in four states’ legislative assemblies –Maharashtra, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu – is defeat a clear indication of the Congress emerging stronger vis-à-vis the BJP, and thereby UPA is […]

The post Bypoll Results Show Congress Emerging Stronger In The States first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas There has been no negative impact in Bangladesh of recent disclosures made by the short seller US-based Hindenburg Research group, about an alleged stock market manipulation by the Adani group: A Bangladeshi Minister has confirmed that Bangladesh will receive its first supply of 750 Megawatts from an Adani-built power plant at Godda, […]

The post No Adani Affairs Impact On Indian Power Supply To Bangladesh first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In Tripura, with only 48 hours before the scheduled Assembly polls on February 16, the state Congress unit has been left to fend for itself by the party high command in carrying out its pre poll campaign. Despite earlier assurances by local Congress leaders, neither Mr Rahul Gandhi nor his sister Priyanka […]

The post Congress Is The Weakest Link In Left-Led Opposition Alliance In Tripura Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Pre-poll campaigning has reached its peak in Tripura, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting twice during the last three days for addressing election meetings in the state and the Home Minister Amit Shah holding road shows and meetings on February 6 and 7 and again on February 12. It was the biggest […]

The post BJP Leadership Desperate To Retain Power In Tripura Again At All Costs first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas With only a few days left for the Tripura Assembly polls, major parties have continued their efforts to work out pre-poll alliances. So far, only the CPI(M) and Congress are in the process of finalising a joint pre-poll campaign , having agreed to contest the elections in alliance, in an effort to […]

The post Tipra Motha’s Rigid Stand On Separate State Halts Alliance Talks With BJP first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas As pre-poll campaigning heats up for  the coming Assembly polls in Tripura and Meghalaya, people of Nagaland are somewhat disappointed that the greater ’political solution ‘ for the state remains unsettled.  State-based regional parties as well as local Congress leaders acknowledge that their participation in the polls may not be whole-hearted. Nagaland […]

The post BJP Talking With Tipra In Tripura For Alliance, But Many Problems Remain first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In Tripura, on the eve of the state assembly polls next month, a fresh development has taken place giving some relief to the ruling BJP which has been struggling to get the support of the tribals to retain power . The CPI(M) , following its State Committee meeting attended by senior politburo […]

The post A New Third Front Emerges In Tripura Threatening Division Of Anti-BJP Votes first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas With most major parties adopting an ethnicity-based approach in their pre-poll campaigning, voting in the coming Assembly elections in Meghalaya could be sharply polarised, according to observers. Intriguingly, such a trend may be less noticeable in Tripura. The involvement of Assam-based political heavyweight leaders with elections in neighbouring Meghalaya, which used to […]

The post Religio-Ethnic Tensions Mark Election Campaign In Meghalaya As State Polls Near first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In Tripura, the main contending formations in the coming Assembly elections have stepped up efforts to secure an alliance with the pace-setting tribal Tipra Motha (TM) party. So far, the TM has maintained an equidistance from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)/IPFT alliance and the Left front/Congress grouping. Observers find such tactics […]

The post In Tripura, All National Parties Vying With Each Other To Woo Tipra Motha first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas With old ethnic tensions being revived during the current pre –Assembly polls campaign in Tripura and Meghalaya, there is every likelihood of a more polarized vote in the Northeast. And the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is largely responsible for this. As anticipated, the major controversy triggered by the ‘secret’ Assam police Special […]

The post Undercurrents Of Ethnic Tensions Revived In North East Before State Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas As the pre Assembly poll campaign warms up in Tripura, the state seems to be heading for a sharper ethnic divide in 2023 between the majority Bengalis and native tribal groups. New poll entrants Tipra Motha (TM) fighting for a greater separate Tripura (Tipraland) state, have confirmed the worst fears of the […]

The post Division Among Tribals In Tripura Has Special Significance For 2023 Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas With crippling power cuts continuing, Bangladesh Government is going all out to buy more power from its regional neighbours , and also examining the possibility of producing ‘green energy’ by using hydrogen, following recent measures taken in advanced Western countries. The ruling Awami League (AL) Government has been subjected to stinging attacks […]

The post Bangladesh Takes Up Power Sector Reforms Focusing On Green Energy first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Ahead of the Meghalaya and Tripura state Assembly elections in 2023, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo  Mamata Banerjee , currently visiting the Northeast,  is sending out  mixed signals to  major national  parties like the BJP and Congress . Steps taken by the TMC  so far  in Meghalaya and Assam, indicate a flexible, carefully […]

The post Mamata’s Meghalaya Visit Focuses On Alliance Strategy To Defeat BJP In North East first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In Meghalaya, led by MP Abhishek Banerjee, the state unit of the Trinamool Congress (TMC)has surprised hill voters by launching a massive pre-poll campaign a few days ago. In a state where most other parties including the ruling National Peoples’ Party, Congress and the BJP have not moved beyond the stage of […]

The post Trinamool Congress Makes Big Forays In Meghalaya Before Assembly Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Thanks to improved regional connectivity and growing bilateral interest, the volume of trade between India’s Northeastern states and Bangladesh has gone up significantly in recent years. Present trends are positive enough to generate optimism among analysts about medium term prospects of North East India-Bangladesh bilateral trade: they feel that the foundation of […]

The post North East India-Bangladesh Trade Gets A Big Boost In Recent Years first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In Meghalaya, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as a small entity within the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, starts its pre-2023 Assembly poll campaign with a handicap against rival, the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Led by former Congress leader Mukul Sangma, the TMC has 12 members in the 60-strong state Assembly and […]

The post As Meghalaya Heads For Polls, Political Theatrics Heat Up first appeared on IPA Newspack.