India, Aug. 25 -- "Are you a Bengali from Kolkata and West Bengal? Or are you a Bengali living away from Bengal, a permanent resident of Delhi's Chittaranjan Park?" These are questions Swapan Dasgupta, the Finance Minister, still has to answer. He was asked the same questions during the election as well.

His usual response is that his family home has been in Kolkata since 1930 and that his family roots are firmly connected to this city. At the same time, there is no doubt that after living in Delhi for many years, he has developed a deep sense of belonging to Delhi and has become closely connected with the city in every possible way.

When Swapan Dasgupta came to Chittaranjan Bhavan and spoke before members of the Bengali expatriate civi...