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Biplab Deb does it again, now says Tagore returned Nobel; seven bloopers in two months

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8 years ago

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Biplab Deb does it again, now says Tagore returned Nobel; seven bloopers in two months

Many missed him on World Laughter Day on May 6, but Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb didn’t keep people waiting for long.

Speaking at a function in Udaipur to mark Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary, the 49-year-old CM told the audience Tagore had returned his Nobel Prize to protest against the British rule in India.

“Rabindranath Tagore had given away his Nobel Prize in protest against the British,” Deb is seen telling his audience in a video being circulated in the social media.

Tagore received the Nobel Prize in 1913 and he did not return it. For one, it wasn’t and isn’t granted by the British government. Deb had apparently confused the Nobel with Tagore’s rejection of knighthood in protest against the Jalianwalla Bagh massacre in 1919.

Deb, and because him Tripura, have become known internationally due to his frequent gaffes.

– Before his mistaken praise for Tagore on his birth anniversary, Deb had similarly extolled Buddha on his jayanti, saying Buddha had walked across India and went to countries like Japan, Myanmar and Tibet on foot to spread the message of peace and harmony.

Buddha hadn’t travelled to these countries during his lifetime and Buddhism spread to these places much later through his followers.

– One was a relatively minor blooper in comparison when, in a video that went viral, he was heard saying that nails of his government’s critics should be pulled out.

Comparing his government to a bottle gourd that gets rotten due to repeated digging of nails, Biplab said that he will not allow this to happen with his government. “If someone pierces or interferes, his nails should be pulled out. No one can touch my government,” Biplab is heard saying in the video.

– The Tripura CM, who regards Prime Minister Narendra Modi his political guru, lived up to this claim when, like the PM’s ‘sell pakodas’ remark, he advised the jobless youth of his state, to set up paan shops and milk cows instead of chasing government jobs and looking to the government for employment opportunities.

“Why run after netas for government jobs? Graduates should get cows and milk it to earn Rs 10 lakh in 10 years. Instead of running after political parties, had the same youth set up a paan shop, he would have had a bank balance of Rs 5 lakh by now,” Deb had said.

– In another fit, he said that Mechanical Engineers should not go for civil services, but Civil engineers should.

“One should not opt for civil services after studying mechanical engineering. Civil engineers have the experience and knowledge to help build administration and society. Civil engineering gives that kind of knowledge,” media reported him as saying.

– Earlier, speaking at a function on April 17, 2018, Deb had claimed that Internet and satellite communication existed in the days of Mahabharata.

“Internet and satellite communication had existed in the days of Mahabharata. Sanjaya (the charioteer of king Dhritarashtra) using the technology gave a detailed account and description to the blind king about the battle of Kurukshetra,” Deb said while inaugurating a two-day workshop on computerisation of Public Distribution System (PDS).

He further said that Europeans and Americans were wrong in claiming internet as their invention as it was invented by Indians “lakhs of years ago”.

“How could Dhritarashtra see through Sanjay’s eyes? There was technology available at that time… Internet was there, satellite communication was there,” said Deb and stuck to it, despite being made the butt of jokes.

– He also revealed a parochial north Indian mindset, questioning the Miss World title to Diana Hayden years ago. Claiming that the international beauty pageants were a farce as their results were predetermined, he said Indian beauty was exemplified by Aishwarya Rai rather than Diana.

“Indian beauty should ideally look like Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati. Diana Hayden did not deserve to win the Miss World crown. Actually, it was part of a fixed plan which was hatched keeping in mind the interests of the international market. Aishwarya Rai’s victory was well deserved as she represents the quintessential Indian woman,” he was reported to have said.

He later apologised for his remarks.

To those curious about the man, Deb was born on November 25, 1969 in a middle class family in Tripura’s Gomati district, in a village called Rajdhar Nagar. His father Hirudhan Deb was a local leader of the Jan Sangh, the BJP’s previous avatar.

Biplab Deb graduated from Tripura’s Udaipur College in 1999 – at the age of 30 – and left for Delhi soon after to join the RSS, where he was a volunteer for 16 years, training under prominent leaders Govindacharya and Krishnagopal Sharma.

He replaced Sudhindra Dasgupta, the longest-serving BJP chief in Tripura, in January 2016.

Deb has clarified that he is not a former gym instructor, as media reports had suggested. “During a television interview, I said I used to visit the gym to exercise, but now I do not get any time to exercise. I am surprised how the media reported that I was once a gym instructor,” Biplab Deb told news agency Press Trust of India.

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BJP releases first list of 47 candidates for Kerala assembly polls

The BJP has released its first list of 47 candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, including three former Union ministers.

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12 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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BJP releases list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 47 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9.

Voting will take place for all 140 seats in the state assembly, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. A party or coalition needs at least 70 seats to secure a majority in the House.

Among the candidates announced in the first list are three former Union ministers — Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V. Muraleedharan and George Kurian.

Key candidates announced

Kerala BJP chief and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been fielded from the Nemom assembly constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Chandrasekhar lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat to three-time MP Shashi Tharoor, but he led in the Nemom assembly segment during that contest. The party believes this performance strengthens its prospects in the constituency.

Nemom has held political significance for the BJP since 2016, when senior leader O. Rajagopal won the seat and became the party’s first-ever MLA in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly. The victory marked the BJP’s initial breakthrough in the state assembly.

However, the seat returned to the Left camp in the 2021 Assembly election when V. Sivankutty defeated BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan.

Former Union minister V. Muraleedharan will contest from the Kazhakoottam constituency, while George Kurian has been nominated from Kanjirappally.

Other candidates in the list

According to the list released by the party, several other candidates have also been announced for key constituencies. P. C. George will contest from Poonjar, R. Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu and Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur.

The BJP has also nominated Sobha Surendran from Palakkad, Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North and Kavitha K. S. from Sulthanbathery, a reserved constituency.

Raji Prasad will contest from the Kunnathur seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, while R. Rashmi has been fielded from Kottarakkara.

Political backdrop in Kerala

Kerala’s electoral politics has traditionally alternated between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). However, the BJP has been attempting to expand its presence in the state.

The alternating trend was interrupted in the 2021 Assembly election when the electorate returned the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to power for a second consecutive term.

The BJP believes recent electoral performances and local body successes have strengthened its position as it prepares to contest the upcoming assembly polls.

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Fire in ICU at SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack kills 10 patients

Ten patients died after a fire broke out in the trauma ICU at SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack early Monday morning. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced compensation and ordered a judicial probe.

Published

22 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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A major fire at the trauma care intensive care unit (ICU) of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, early Monday morning left ten patients dead and several hospital staff members injured.

According to officials, the fire broke out between 2:30 am and 3:00 am in the trauma ICU where critically ill patients were undergoing treatment. Emergency teams rushed to the scene soon after the incident, and multiple fire engines were deployed to control the blaze and assist in rescue operations.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said hospital staff were injured while evacuating patients from the affected ward during the emergency.

Patients shifted as rescue operations continued

Following the fire, 23 patients were moved to other departments and wards within the hospital to ensure their safety and continued medical care.

Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said seven critically ill patients died while being shifted to other ICUs and wards, while three more succumbed later.

“A total of 23 patients have been shifted to other departments. Seven serious patients died while shifting to other ICUs and wards, while another three patients died later. I have directed the concerned officers for proper treatment of the injured patients,” Majhi said.

Chief minister visits hospital, announces compensation

Soon after the incident, Majhi visited the hospital along with Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling to review the situation. They also met patients who were undergoing treatment at the facility.

The Chief Minister announced financial assistance of ₹25 lakh for the families of each deceased patient.

He also ordered a judicial probe into the incident to determine the cause of the fire and examine safety measures at the hospital.

Authorities continue to monitor the condition of injured staff members and patients who were shifted from the ICU.

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Arvind Kejriwal moves Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order in excise policy case

Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order related to proceedings in the excise policy case and alleging violation of his fundamental rights.

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22 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court of India challenging certain proceedings in the Delhi excise policy case and alleging a violation of his fundamental rights.

In a petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, Kejriwal has questioned a decision of the Delhi High Court that put a freeze on remarks related to the investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The petition also challenges an order of the High Court Chief Justice rejecting Kejriwal’s request to transfer the case to another bench.

Plea seeks change of bench

Earlier, on March 11, Kejriwal and several others submitted a representation to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya seeking reassignment of the case to what they described as an “impartial” judge.

In the representation, Kejriwal stated that he had a “grave, bona fide and reasonable apprehension” that the matter may not receive an impartial hearing before the current bench.

However, the Chief Justice declined the request and said the petition had been assigned as per the existing roster.

According to the communication sent by the High Court’s Registrar General on March 13 to eight individuals including Kejriwal, the Chief Justice noted that any decision on recusal must be taken by the judge hearing the matter and that there was no reason to transfer the petition administratively.

Order on trial court proceedings also challenged

Kejriwal has also challenged a March 9 order passed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court.

In that order, Justice Sharma had stayed a trial court direction that called for an investigation into a CBI officer who handled the excise policy case. The High Court had also asked the trial court to defer proceedings connected to the anti-money laundering aspect of the case.

Justice Sharma had further rejected certain observations made by the trial court while discharging Kejriwal and 22 others, stating that some of those remarks were erroneous.

Hearing expected on CBI plea

Meanwhile, Justice Sharma is scheduled to hear a petition filed by the CBI challenging the discharge of Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others in the excise policy case.

The matter remains under judicial consideration as the legal challenge now moves to the Supreme Court.

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