Ashis Biswas

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.

By Ashis Biswas In Tripura, the ruling BJP continues to be hit by factionalism and organisational problems, despite efforts made by senior Delhi-based leaders to improve discipline. As things stand, with parties gearing up for the 2023 Assembly polls ,senior BJP leader Mahesh Singh, who played a major role in crafting the party’s electoral victory […]

The post Tripura BJP Is Plagued By Factional Fights Between Two Groups On Poll Eve first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas With the Assam Government sealing the newly opened museum devoted to ‘Miya culture’ within hours of its opening in Goalpara district, clearly the targeted marginalisation of Bengali speaking Muslim settlers is set to intensify further. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma personally spearheads the offensive, describing the community as not indigenous. The […]

The post Assam Govt Sealing The Just Inaugurated Miya Museum Is A Case Of Vendetta first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Certain official decisions announcing better pay/allowances for their employees in the neighbouring states have caused major embarrassment to the West Bengal Government. As it is, the ruling Trinamool Congress(TMC) has for some years been facing the charge of being unsympathetic to state Government employees, because of its stubborn refusal to pay their […]

The post Trinamool Government In Bengal Is On Backfoot Over Pending DA Payment To Its Staff first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In West Bengal, the administrative deadlock with the centre over the mandatory provision of 100 days work for unskilled rural people under the MNREGA scheme drags on, adding to the political concerns of the ruling Trinamool Congress(TMC) Government. This project, suspended since last December in the state, is the centrepiece of the […]

The post Centre-State Confrontation Hurting Rural Poor In West Bengal first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Prospects have brightened for a new tea auction centre (TAC) in Northeast India to be located in Tripura, following recent negotiations among local trade circles and state officials. Earlier, Indian Tea Association(ITA) authorities had suggested that NE-based tea producers , especially those operating out of the Barak Valley districts and Tripura, use […]

The post Tripura Bats For New Tea Auction Centre At Dharmanagar Town first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Ever since underground leader Jiban Singha of the banned Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) reiterated the call for a separate state, there have been signs of a resumption of activity on part of its activists in Assam and North Bengal. Northeast India media reported the arrest of two KLO activists from Kokrajhar, Assam, […]

The post Demand For Separate State In Tribal Belt Of Bengal Revives Again first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Recent revelations of massive corruption in West Bengal Government’s Education department, along with shocking accounts of major criminal activity in Birbhum and neighbouring districts, have shattered the state’s administrative morale. The situation has deteriorated to a point where the Government stands publicly accused of spreading ‘fake news’ about Gujarat-based private sector companies! […]

The post Mamata Government In Bengal Lacking In Administrative Coordination first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In West Bengal, the controversy over how many farmers have committed suicide in recent times is a settled issue. Despite strenuous efforts made by the state Government of late that no distressed farmer ever killed himself during the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) tenure, it is common knowledge that such claims fly in the […]

The post Peasants Suicides Continuing In Trinamool Congress Ruled Bengal first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s   long-awaited visit to India beginning September 5 is unusually significant for a variety of reasons:  From all indications, the burden of expectations is more palpable within the ruling establishment in Dhaka than among Indian political leaders. During her three-day stay, Ms Hasina would meet Indian Prime Minister […]

The post Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Three-Day Visit To India Crucial first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas When it comes to dealing with the BJP-controlled central Government, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee still behaves like an eternally malcontent oppositionist, despite her long years spent in the ruling establishment in Kolkata and Delhi. There is more to the story about the TMC as a regional political force, never mind […]

The post Mamata Intensifies Her Fight Against Centre As ED Sends Notice To Abhishek first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas With Nepal disallowing the Indian Army’s proposal to recruit Gorkhas to join its new Agneepath scheme, India’s uneasy relations with its regional neighbours have surfaced again. Under the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, often perceived as being ‘right wing’, India cannot apparently avoid its diplomatic missteps in dealing with its smaller neighbours. The […]

The post India-Nepal Relations Get A Jolt Over Agneepath Recruitment Of Gorkhas first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas   While it has not been possible for the Border Security Force (BSF) and different state police authorities to reduce illegal cattle sales to Bangladesh to zero level, cow smuggling has declined sharply over the years.   However, reports from Assam and West Bengal areas close to the Bangladesh border suggest that comparatively […]

The post Livestock Smuggling To Bangladesh Is Witnessing Changing Patterns first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Largely unnoticed by the Indian mainstream media, Bangladesh hosted the Ministerial Conference of Developing 8 grouping, D-8 for short, a few days ago. This relatively new alliance brings together eight Muslim countries spread from South East Asia to Africa. There were a few tangible, positive decisions taken at the virtually conducted Foreign […]

The post Bangladesh Hosts Top Ministerial Summit Of D-8 Islamist Countries first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In recent times, more Bangladeshi and Nepali migrant workers have died abroad than before. An increase in migrant mortality has been reported from countries as varied as the Middle East to Malaysia. Both the Nepal and Bangladesh governments are deeply perturbed by an ominous uptick in fatalities among their valued workers, whose […]

The post The Looming Crisis Of South Asian Migrant Worker Fatalities Abroad first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised the stakes higher in its running battle against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), claiming that at least 38 TMC MLAs were in close touch with the saffron party. Further, well-known pro-BJP actor Mithun Chakraborty told newspersons in Kolkata that at least 21 […]

The post With TMC Minister Mired In SSC Scam, BJP Raises Stakes In Bengal first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas In a curious paradox, Bangladeshis are scrambling to emigrate to Western shores even as the country emerges as an economic model in South Asia, faring a cut above others during the pandemic-hit times. Yet, ina mystifying development, hundreds of Bangladeshis are denting their country’s increasingly glowing international image as they head for […]

The post Dhaka’s International Image Undone By Bangladeshis Moving Out first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas Nepal and Bangladesh are feeling the negative impact of the uncertainties plaguing power generation and related operations in India, in the wake of the Ukraine war. Neither Nepal, nor Bangladesh can expect much relief from long power cuts until more supplies can be sourced from India later this year. For the present, […]

The post Bangladesh And Nepal Badly Hit By Power Shortages, Seeking Help From India first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Ashis Biswas For the ruling Trinamool Congress(TMC) in West Bengal and its bigger ally in the Northern districts Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), the recently concluded elections brought good news. The BGPM dominated the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) polls, winning 27 seats, while the TMC won five. Led by Mr Anit Thapa, the BGPM […]

The post Trinamool Congress Marginalises BJP In North Bengal Local Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.