United opposition?: It seems that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has come a long way since her anti-left days. Recently, while criticising the Centre, she said: “I have political differences with (CPI(M) general secretary) Sitaram Yechury. But I strongly condemn [including his name] in a charge-sheet [in the Delhi riots case]. This government is very vindictive.” The CPI(M) in West Bengal, however, is sceptical. “She cannot be trusted because she will say something today and she will contradict it the next day,” said a party central committee member. “We are sure she would befriend the BJP like she did in the past.” | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Party planning: Walter Lindner, the German ambassador to India, has been twice unfortunate. The Indophile envoy, who arrived here last summer, has been wanting to host his Indian friends in style. Last year at the German National Day bash, he had arranged to put up a musical performance himself. But an unexpected downpour forced the guests into nearby buildings and drenched the grand set on the lawn. He had hoped for a better show this year, but the pandemic played spoilsport. Unfazed, Lindner is planning a surprise event, different from regular webinars. What it will be, we will get to know on October 3.

Friendly fire: Voters in Madhya Pradesh have an interesting battle on their hands. The state Congress has urged Sachin Pilot, the former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, to campaign for it in the upcoming assembly byelections. He would focus on the crucial Gwalior-Chambal region, which has a sizeable Gurjar population. More importantly, Pilot would have to take on his long-time friend and now BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose act of leaving the Congress with his supporters necessitated the byelections. The confrontation would be especially interesting as Pilot himself had recently rebelled against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan.

Show of support: Kalki Koechlin stood staunchly by her ex-husband Anurag Kashyap, who was accused of sexual harassment by actor Payal Ghosh on September 19. “Dear Anurag, don’t let this social media circus get to you,” she tweeted. “You have fought for the freedom of women in your own scripts, you have defended their integrity in your professional space as well as your personal life.” Koechlin is among a host of celebs, which includes Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha and Anubhav Sinha, who have come out in support of Kashyap | AFP

Sonnets to self: In an Instagram post, actor Ileana D’Cruz was all about self-love, quoting a favourite poet about “admiring yourself like you admire poetry… because you are walking poetry”. “So many times,” she wrote, “it is just so much easier to look at your flaws and focus on them…. You are made of so much more…. You are your own kind of beautiful…. How about celebrating that?” And here you were, thinking you don’t really need rhyme or reason to love yourself! | AFP

Brewing designs: Gauri Khan is soon to turn author with the coffee table book, My Life in Design. Penguin Random House will publish it next year. “There are several experiences in my journey as a designer that I would like to record for posterity,” she said. “The book will be very visually appealing with exclusive pictures and information that I feel could guide aspiring designers or those who are just generally interested in the art of design.” Khan started her design label, Gauri Khan Designs, in Mumbai in 2013 | PTI

All the president’s thoughts: Former US president Barack Obama’s memoir, A Promised Land, will be out in November, just after the election. It will be one of two volumes that will cover his early political days up to the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011. Due to high demand, Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is expected to print three million copies of the US edition initially. “There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I am proud of this one,” stated Obama | AFP