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KK’s demise: Mamata cuts short Bankura visit, rushes to Kolkata

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In view of the sudden demise of the playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, decided to cut short her scheduled political programme in erstwhile Maoist-infested Bankura district on Wednesday morning and rushed back to Kolkata.

A mega public rally at Bankura was scheduled on Wednesday at 12 noon. However, the Chief Minister arrived at the rally venue at 10.45 a.m. and completed her speech within 20 minutes.

“I will take a flight to Kolkata from Andal Airport. If I am able to reach Kolkata in time, I will interact with KK’s family members who have already arrived there. I have spoken to KK’s wife. My ministers are there to oversee all the necessary arrangements. Gun salute by Kolkata Police personnel will also be arranged to pay respect to the deceased singer at the Kolkata airport only,” the Chief Minister said.

Wednesday’s rally at Bankura was quite crucial for the Chief Minister considering that this erstwhile Maoist-infested district shifted towards BJP since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Both the Lok Sabha constituencies in the district, namely Bankura and Bishnupur, have elected BJP Parliamentarians now. Even in the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, Trinamool Congress conceded defeat in four assembly constituencies.

Understanding that the negative public sentiment about Trinamool Congress is still prevailing in this erstwhile left- wing extremism (LWE)-affected belt of the state, the Chief Minister confided that people of the area went away from her party because of the wrongdoings by some of her partymen.

Speaking on the occasion, she called for block-level stirs in Bankura district to demand the immediate release of the central dues to the state government.

While addressing a similar public rally at another erstwhile Maoist-infested district of Purulia on Tuesday, the Chief Minister asserted that that since the Central dues to Bengal is the greatest barrier in accelerating the pace of development projects in the state, there is a need for block level agitation, where common people will put pressure on the local BJP leaders to ensure the clearance of the Central dues.

Also understanding that the consecutive defeats have negatively impacted the morale of the grassroots level party workers in Bankura district, the Chief Minister said, “If after facing defeat I can come to Bankura again, why will you keep yourselves confined at home.”

Maharashtra

Ekta Kapoor opens up about global storytelling at WAVES Summit 2025

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Mumbai: Recently seen at WAVES Summit 2025, Emmy Award winner and well-known producer of India, Ekta Kapoor shared some very interesting things about global storytelling. She told how Indian drama and serial formats are no longer limited to the country, but are also making their strong hold in the international market.

When Ekta Kapoor was asked how she views global storytelling after building such a big empire of content on TV and digital platforms, she replied in a candid manner as always, “The way of storytelling should be such that it connects directly to the heart.”

Ekta Kapoor emphasized that today’s audience is adopting stories from all over the world, be it Korean, Turkish, American, Spanish or European. She said, “Global platforms and networks have proved that language is no longer a barrier. People enjoy stories because of dubbing, they actually connect with the story.” She also said that in today’s world of content, the language barrier no longer matters.

Drawing attention to India’s rich heritage of stories, Ekta Kapoor said, “We have the oldest and longest tradition of storytelling. And this is our real capital, it has always been our currency.” She admitted that till now there have been some practical obstacles, which prevented Indian content from spreading rapidly across the world, but now the situation is changing and she hopes that the era of Indian stories has now begun globally.

Pointing to the global identity of the Indian film industry, Ekta Kapoor said, “Now we are getting there.” However, she also said that now we need to move beyond just ethnic stories. “Now it should be non-ethnic i.e. beyond traditional stories. I think we are standing at a turning point.”

Ekta Kapoor concluded her speech by thanking the audience and giving a clear message: Indian content must now tell stories that reach every human heart, beyond borders and subtitles. Meanwhile, she is gearing up for her next production “VVAN – Force of the Forest”, starring Sidharth Malhotra in the lead role.

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Maharashtra

Deven Bharti’s coronation: There is no room for the post of Special Commissioner in Mumbai

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Mumbai: Mumbai After Special Commissioner Deven Bharti was appointed as Mumbai Commissioner, who will be the next Special Commissioner of Mumbai or will this post also be abolished and Deven Bharti will prove to be the first and last Special Commissioner. Before Deven Bharti was appointed as Special Commissioner in Mumbai, this post did not exist in Mumbai and the department worked under the Commissioner and Joint Commissioners in Mumbai, but by making Deven Bharti a Special Commissioner, the first Special Commissioner post was created in Mumbai and before that, the post of Special Commissioner was only in Delhi.

Now who will be the next Special Commissioner in Mumbai or will this post be abolished after Deven Bharti becomes Mumbai Commissioner? Deven Bharti has been appointed by placing 11 IPS officers on site and the main contenders in this were DGP Sadanand Date, Sanjay Verma, Archana Tyagi, while for the Additional DG level Deven Bharti has been made a commissioner by ignoring senior officers. Deven Bharti started his journey as DCP of Mumbai Crime Branch, after which he was made Additional Commissioner Crime, then ATS Chief and Additional DG Corporation. Will the post of Special Commissioner in Mumbai remain or can this post be abolished after Deven Bharti becomes Commissioner? For Deven Bharti’s coronation, the DG level post was converted to Additional DG level. Earlier, this post was assigned only to DGP level officer. This post was downgraded in 2024.

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National News

Maharashtra and Gujarat different states with one soul: Governor CP Radhakrishnan

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Mumbai, May 2: Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan said that although Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed after the linguistic division, both have one soul.

He further stated that Maharashtra and Gujarat have uniquely contributed to the country’s freedom struggle and instilled a sense of patriotism among the people.

Under the Central government’s ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative, the statehood days of Maharashtra and Gujarat were celebrated on Thursday at Raj Bhavan in the presence of the Governor and Chancellor of State Universities Radhakrishnan.

“The states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have given India many great national figures, and today their identity is not limited to their native state. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the son of Maharashtra, is a role model for the entire country, while the philosophy of non-violence of Mahatma Gandhi, the son of Gujarat, has become a guide for the entire world today,” said the Governor.

He added that today, Gujarat and Maharashtra are making a valuable contribution to the country’s economy.

Giving historical evidence of the relations between Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the Governor said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had conquered the forts of Jinji and Vellore in Tamil Nadu and also worked to protect religion by establishing the Shiva temple in Tiruvannamalai. The Bhosale Raja of Thanjavur preserved rare Tamil literature in his ‘Saraswati Mahal’ library.

Stating that India has become a great nation today due to this cultural unity, the Governor expressed his belief that if the country maintains its unity in the future, it will become the number one nation in the world.

“Many world leaders question how India is a unified nation despite people of different religions and sects, speaking different languages, living in this country. But despite having different languages, different clothes and different food cultures, this country still has the foundation of religion and culture,” said the Governor.

The Governor expressed his belief that if this foundation of unity is preserved, India will become a developed nation.

On the occasion, the Governor appreciated the students of Savitribai Phule Pune University for presenting an excellent programme of folk dances and songs of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

In the cultural programme, the students performed the state folk dances Koli, Waghya Murli, Dindi, and Tippani.

The students also performed the state song ‘Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat’. In the State Foundation Day programme, documentaries depicting the history, heritage, folk art and culture of both the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat were shown, said the release issued by Raj Bhavan.

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