A personal birthday wish for Chidambaram from PM Modi
Former finance minister P. Chidambaram, who is in judicial custody at Tihar Jail for alleged corruption, received an unexpected birthday greeting this year — from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to a Twitter post shared by Chidambaram’s family, the letter in Tamil was sent to his village, Kandanur in Tamil Nadu, and forwarded to him.
“I am very happy to extend my warm wishes to you. May god give you good health and happiness to serve people like you do now, always,” read the PM’s signed letter. It was dated 16 September 2019, Chidambaram’s 74th birthday.
Chidambaram, whose arrest has been termed “political vendetta” by the Congress, got his family to tweet a reply. “As you have wished, I want to continue to serve the people. Unfortunately, your investigating agencies have prevented me from doing so,” Chidambram’s family wrote on his behalf Tuesday. “Once the present harassment ends, I shall be back among the people that both you and I are committed to serve.”
I have asked my family to tweet on my behalf the following:
Dear Mr. Prime Minister Modi @narendramodi @PMOIndia,
Pleasantly surprised to receive your greetings on my birthday (sent to my village address and forwarded to me) pic.twitter.com/kN381qpFyV
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 24, 2019
Why Debbarma’s resignation was not really a surprise
Congress’ Tripura chief Pradyot Debbarma may have resigned from the party Tuesday, but his relationship with it has been tumultuous for a while now.
Ahead of the Tripura assembly polls in early 2018, Debbarma was being wooed by the BJP aggressively, and the royal descendant was said to be interested in making the switch.
Grapevine has it that Debbarma even met some top leaders of the BJP, including party chief Amit Shah. However, he stayed back after the Congress high command met him and his mother Bibhu Kumari Devi, a former Tripura minister, and promised him a larger role in the Northeast.
The BJP went on to win that election with a thumping mandate, unseating a Left government that had been in office for 25 years.
West Bengal wants artists, industry to use Raj Bhavan for seminars
West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has set out to make Raj Bhavan in Kolkata people-friendly. If anyone — industry bodies, non-government organisations, artists, or authors — can’t find a suitable venue to hold meetings, conferences or seminars, Raj Bhavan may be opened to them.
Dhankhar is in the process of bringing many changes in the Republic Day function too, to make it a “treat to watch” for the people. He has also decided not to bring anyone on his staff from outside West Bengal.
Not many in Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, meanwhile, are amused with his decision to open up the Raj Bhavan.
(Contributors: Deeksha Bhardwaj and Ruhi Tewari)
Also read: Modi makes everyone happy — grumbling ex-ministers, NDA allies, friendly opposition parties