kolkata confidential: joining the dots

The Writers' Buildings was abuzz this week about a report in a Bengali daily that Principal Secretary (Health & Family Welfare) Sanjay Mitra will become the next Chief Secretary when the incumbent, Samar Ghosh, retires this month. Though Mitra featured among the top three candidates for Ghosh's replacement, his chances were considered not bright than Jaya Dasgupta, who is currently in charge of planning and water resource investigation, and Nurul Haque, who is in charge of animal resource development. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could make history by choosing Nurul or Jaya for the top post as it would have resulted in the state getting its first Muslim Chief Secretary in Nurul or first woman Chief Secretary in Jaya. Grapevine has that Mitra's Delhi connection could prove fruitful for him as he had served the PMO. Moroever, he shares a great rapport with the all-powerful Gautam Sanyal, secretary to the Chief Minister.

Controversy sells

After Taslima Nasrin's book Dwikhandito, the other book that again created sensation at College Street is the one written by IPS officer Nazrul Islam, Musalmander ki Koroniya. So popular the book became after it hit the headlines because of the police raids at the publishers' office that it began to sell like hot cakes. The Rs 100-priced book sold in black market for Rs 150. Some of the book sellers lamented why the police do not create such ruckus when their books also get published.

SP would like to have good relations with Left, BJD, TDP: Nanda

Kolkata: The Samajwadi Party, which is providing outside support to the UPA government at the Centre would like to have good relations with Left parties, BJD and TDP, a SP leader said. "Our party will try to forge good relationship with various parties including the Left, BJD and TDP which are opposed to the Congress and the BJP," SP general secretary Kiranmoy Nanda said here on Sunday. Reminded that the SP had bailed it out of sticky situations earlier, Nanda, a party MP who was minister for fisheries in the previous Left Front government, said, "Our support is issue based. We are opposed to the promotion quota bill."

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