Internet lessons

Mr Mukherjee’s attempt to become most enthusiastic amateur historian in Rashtrapati Bhavan faces a few hurdles, but the most prominent of which is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Ms Banerjee, who tried to block his candidature, is not known for changing her mind, after all. Yet, oddly, someone seems to have given her advice on social media. A very short while ago, she was convinced that Facebook and Twitter were the medium of “conspiracy by CPM and Maoists”, and she and the internet had pretty much declared war on each other. Yet word has now percolated out at Writers’ Building that the chief minister will no longer address the media, but will make all her official comments — on Facebook. Clearly, it’s not just the social media that has turned against her; why else would a CM who held frequent press conferences, sometimes more than one a day, turn to a medium she despises? Writers’ Building reporters are pleased, though; they were beginning to be exhausted by Ms Banerjee’s frequent and interminable short-notice or without-notice press conferences.