Pranab's son in fray, bolstered by dad's goodwill

October 8, 2012

Jangipur (West Bengal), October 8: The welfare projects undertaken by his father President Pranab Mukherjee during his tenure as Lok Sabha MP have stood son Abhijit, contesting the Oct 10 Jangipur Lok Sabha by-poll in West Bengal's border district of Murshidabad, in good stead.

Abhijit, a first-time Congress legislator from Nalhati assembly constituency of Birbhum district of the state, is being fielded by the Congress from Jangipur. The Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after his father Pranab Mukherjee was elected president.

Though Abhijit battles the heat and dust and campaigns on the muddy roads of Jangipur, it is the record of development works undertaken during his father's tenure as MP that are spoken of most.

Pranab Mukherjee - two-time Lok Sabha MP from Jangipur since 2004 - used his clout as the 'number two' of the Indian government to bring in prosperity and welfare projects in the area.

Pranab Mukherjee - who since his 2004 victory made Jangipur his second home - had always been 'indebted' to the people of Jangipur for electing him as Lok Sabha MP, which in turn had helped him to remove the tag of "rootless wanderer," a tag that stuck long since he had been unable to enter the Lok Sabha despite being in politics since the late 1960s.

Now, with Abhijit in the poll fray, ready to step into his father's shoes, the son seems to tread an easier path, since both Jangipur and Murshidabad district as a whole have been considered a bastion of the Congress since the mid-nineties.

"Pranab babu has done a lot of development for the area. Now, we wish that if Abhijit babu wins, he will carry forward his father's developmental projects," said Samsul Alam, a resident of Jangipur.

Congress supporters claim Abhijit has the upper hand over his nearest rival of the Left Front, given the work his father has done for the area in the last eight years and considering the victory margin of two lakh that Pranab registered in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

With a total electorate of 10,86,052, the constituency is considered to be a Muslim majority constituency.

Clad in kurta and pyjama, Abhijit greets people lining the roads and peeping from their windows and rooftops in villages and small towns with a smile and folded hands.

Two of the most important concerns that the people of Jangipur face are land erosion - vast acres of land have been swept by the Brahmaputra - and arsenic contamination in ground water.

Congress supporters claim that under Pranab Mukherjee's initiative, work has started on a plant to purify water of arsenic. Several steps have been taken to prevent erosion.

Although a total of 11 candidates are in the poll fray, Abhijit's main rival seems to be Left Front's Muzzafar Hossain. The Trinamool Congress has decided not to contest the by-election.

CPI-M politburo member Biman Bose Sunday accused the Congress of inciting violence and creating an atmosphere of terror in Jangipur.

"Two CPI-M supporters have been killed in the area. The Congress is perplexed with the questions that are being asked over the fake promises that they have made in last eight years. So, to terrorise the people, two people have been killed," said Bose in a statement.

Bose appealed to voters of the area to be calm and defeat the alleged terror tactics initiated by the Congress.

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Indian Air Force’s Tejas fighter jet crashes during Dubai air show

News Network

November 21,2025

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet crashed on Friday, November 21, afternoon during its aerial demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, plunging to the ground at around 2:10 pm local time while performing a manoeuvre before thousands of spectators.

The IAF confirmed the incident, stating that a Tejas aircraft participating in the show had crashed and that further details were being gathered. An Air Force spokesperson said more information would be shared after initial assessments.

The crash sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky near the airport, causing panic among visitors, including families and children who had gathered to watch the display. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the pilot managed to eject before the aircraft went down. Emergency response teams rushed to the scene, and officials have not released information on casualties or damage so far.

The Tejas is a 4.5-generation, multi-role fighter aircraft developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Designed for versatility, it is capable of offensive air support, close combat, ground attack missions and maritime operations. The aircraft family includes single-seat fighters and twin-seat trainers for both the Air Force and Navy.

HAL describes the latest version, the LCA Mk1A, as the most advanced in the series, featuring an AESA radar, an upgraded electronic warfare suite with radar-warning and self-protection jamming, smart multifunction displays, a digital map generator, a combined interrogator–transponder system and a modern radio altimeter. These enhancements significantly improve the aircraft’s combat capability and survivability.

Further updates from IAF and UAE authorities are awaited.

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Chaos continues as IndiGo cancels more flights including 73 from Bengaluru airport

News Network

December 4,2025

Domestic carrier IndiGo has cancelled over 180 flights from three major airports — Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru — on Thursday, December 4, as the airline struggles to secure the required crew to operate its flights in the wake of new flight-duty and rest-period norms for pilots.

While the number of cancellations at Mumbai airport stands at 86 (41 arrivals and 45 departures) for the day, at Bengaluru, 73 flights have been cancelled, including 41 arrivals, according to a PTI report that quoted sources.

"IndiGo cancelled over 180 flights on Thursday at three airports-Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru," the source told the news agency.

Besides, it had cancelled as many as 33 flights at Delhi airport for Thursday, the source said, adding, "The number of cancellations is expected to be higher by the end of the day."

The Gurugram-based airline's On-Time Performance (OTP) nosedived to 19.7 per cent at six key airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — on December 3, as it struggled to get the required crew to operate its services, down from almost half of December 2, when it was 35 per cent.

"IndiGo has been facing acute crew shortage since the implementation of the second phase of the FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) norms, leading to cancellations and huge delays in its operations across the airports," a source had told PTI on Wednesday.

Chaos continued at several major airports for the third day on Thursday because of the cancellations.

A spokesperson for the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru said that 73 IndiGo flights had been cancelled on Thursday.

At least 150 flights were cancelled and dozens of others delayed on Wednesday, airport sources said, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, according to news agency Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said it is investigating IndiGo flight disruptions and has asked the airline to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as its plans to reduce flight cancellations and delays.

It may be mentioned here that the pilots' body, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze".

The FIP said it has urged the safety regulator, the DGCA, not to approve airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate their services "safely and reliably" in accordance with the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

In a letter to the DGCA late on Wednesday, the FIP urged the DGCA to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines, which have the capacity to operate them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages."

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