News Analysis India

Tag: Abhishek Banerjee

  • ‘CM doesn’t have audacity’: Mamata accuses Amit Shah of plotting attacks on Abhishek, Trinamool activists in Tripura

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was responsible for the recent attacks on her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other party workers, and asserted that she won’t be cowed down by such acts.

    Her allegation comes days after Abhishek Banerjee and TMC student activists were attacked in separate incidents in BJP-ruled Tripura, where the party hopes to expand its base ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.

    “The BJP is running an anarchic government in Tripura, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and wherever they are in power. We condemn the attacks on Abhishek and our party activists in Tripura,” she said after meeting injured TMC workers at state-run SSKM hospital here.

    “Such attacks would not have been possible without the Union home minister’s active support. He is behind these attacks which were carried out in front of Tripura Police as it remained mute spectators. The Tripura chief minister doesn’t have the audacity to order such attacks,” she added.

    At least 14 leaders and workers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), including those injured in an alleged attack by BJP workers the previous day, were arrested in Tripura’s Khowai district on Sunday for “violating Covid norms”, police said.

    The TMC activists were produced before the CJM court in Khowai, which granted them bail, the party’s Tripura unit spokesperson, Ashish Lal Singh, said.

    TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and the de facto number two in the party, along with other party leaders visited Khowai amid tight security arrangements.

    Police said the 14 TMC members were arrested for violating Covid restrictions by travelling after 7 pm when a night curfew comes into effect.

    Singh said that party leaders including himself, Debangshu Bhattacharya, Tania Poddar, Sudip Raha and Jaya Dutta were among those arrested.

    Raha and Dutta had sustained injuries when their vehicle was allegedly attacked by BJP workers at Ambassa in Dhalai district on Saturday.

    “After the attack, we were returning to Agartala via National Highway 8 when the police stopped our vehicles at Khowai and took us into custody stating that there could be more attacks on us by ‘miscreants’.

    “Indeed, BJP activists had gathered at several places on NH 8 to attack us,” Singh said.

    However, early in the morning, police said the TMC members were arrested for violating Covid restrictions.

    Apart from Banerjee, West Bengal TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh, the eastern state’s Education Minister Bratya Basu, and Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen also visited Khowai.

    Banerjee had earlier visited Tripura on August 2, when his convoy was also allegedly attacked by BJP workers.

    After securing bail for the 14 TMC workers, Banerjee returned to Kolkata while the other senior leaders stayed back in Agartala, Singh said.

    Injured party cadre, including Debangshu Bhattacharya, Jaya Dutta and Sudip Raha, were also brought back to the city late on Sunday night for treatment at a state-run city hospital, TMC said in a statement.

    Debangshu Bhattacharya said he will again return to Tripura soon.

    The West Bengal BJP welcomed the police action against the TMC activists, saying the Biplab Deb government is taking appropriate steps against “trouble-mongers”.

    Senior BJP leader and former Tripura governor Tathagata Roy claimed the TMC has no moral right to speak on law and order in the northeastern state as over 140 BJP workers have been killed in West Bengal in the last three years.

    “Does the TMC want to export West Bengal’s political violence to Tripura and fish in troubled waters? Their game plan will never succeed,” Roy told reporters.

    West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh echoed him, saying, “No one gives any importance to TMC in Tripura.”

    “They don’t have any organisation in the northeastern state. The TMC leadership is itself staging incidents to provoke the police but these will not give them any dividend.”

    However, senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim accused the BJP of “shedding crocodile tears” for democratic values in West Bengal and “carrying out barbaric attacks in Tripura”.

    Strongly criticising Saturday’s attack, TMC leaders had alleged that the incident proved there was “goonda raj” (lawlessness) in Tripura and the BJP has sensed its defeat in the 2023 assembly elections.

    Denying the involvement of its activists in the attack, the BJP claimed that the TMC is a non-factor in Tripura, and the West Bengal’s ruling party is spreading the “virus of political violence” in the northeastern state, where “outsiders” are fomenting trouble.

    Shortly after the incident, BJP and TMC supporters had faced off and staged road blockades 500 m apart on NH 8, forcing Chief Minister Biplab Deb to take a detour to return to Agartala after attending some programmes in Dharmanagar.

    TMC workers led by Subal Bhowmik, a former vice-president of Tripura BJP who recently switched sides, were protesting the alleged ransacking of a TMC party office by saffron party workers in the Batarasi area of Dharmanagar on Friday night.

    The West Bengal CPI(M) has also criticised the attack but also took a dig at the TMC alleging that it had kept mum when Left workers were earlier attacked in BJP-ruled Tripura.

  • 12 TMC activists arrested in Tripura for violating COVID norms

    By PTI

    AGARTALA: At least 12 leaders and workers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), including those injured in an alleged attack by BJP workers on the previous day, were arrested in Tripura’s Khowai district on Sunday for “violating COVID norms”, police said.

    TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and the de facto number 2 in the party, reached Agartala and left for Khowai to meet the arrested party workers, who will be produced before a court amid tight security arrangements.

    Police said that the 12 TMC members were arrested for violating COVID restrictions by travelling after the imposition of night curfew at 7 pm.

    Tripura TMC spokesperson Ashish Lal Singh said that party leaders including himself, Debangshu Bhattacharya, Tania Poddar, Sudip Raha and Jaya Dutta have been arrested.

    Raha and Dutta had sustained injuries when their vehicle was allegedly attacked by BJP workers at Ambassa in Dhalai district on Saturday.

    “After the attack, we were returning to Agartala through National Highway 8 when the police stopped our vehicles at Khowai and took us into custody stating that there could be more attacks on us by ‘miscreants’.

    Indeed, BJP activists had gathered at several places on NH 8 to attack us,” Singh said.

    However, early in the morning, police said that the TMC members were arrested for violating COVID restrictions.

    Meanwhile, three senior TMC leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, reached Agartala and left for Khowai to meet the arrested members.

    Banerjee had earlier visited Tripura on August 2, when his convoy was also allegedly attacked by BJP workers.

    Strongly criticising Saturday’s attack, TMC leaders alleged that the incident proved that there “goonda raj” (lawlessness) in Tripura, and the BJP has sensed its defeat in the 2023 assembly elections in the state.

    Denying the involvement of its activists in the attack, the BJP claimed that the TMC is a non-factor in Tripura, and West Bengal’s ruling party is spreading the “virus of political violence” in the northeastern state, where “outsiders” are fomenting trouble.

    Shortly after the incident, BJP and TMC supporters had faced off and staged road blockades 500 m apart on NH 8, forcing Chief Minister Biplab Deb to take a detour to return to Agartala after attending some programmes in Dharmanagar.

    TMC workers led by Subal Bhowmik, a former vice-president of Tripura BJP who recently switched sides, were protesting the alleged ransacking of a TMC party office by saffron party workers in Batarasi area of Dharmanagar on Friday night.

    The West Bengal CPI(M) has also criticised the attack, but also took a dig at the TMC alleging that it had kept mum when Left workers were earlier attacked in BJP-ruled Tripura.

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  • Suspension of TMC MPs proof that Modi regime has conceded defeat: Abhishek Banerjee

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee Wednesday said the suspension of six party MPs in Rajya Sabha during the day for protesting against the Pegasus snooping controversy has proved that Prime Minister Narendra Modi regime has conceded defeat in the case and vowed to carry on the “fight for truth”.

    Reacting to the action of Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, Banerjee tweeted: “YOU CAN SUSPEND US BUT YOU CANNOT SILENCE US”.

    The state BJP claimed the TMC members’ action in the Rajya Sabha belied the dignity of the House.

    Naidu suspended six TMC MPs for the day for carrying placards while protesting along with other opposition MPs over the Pegasus spying issue.

    The MPs had trooped into the well of the House, some holding placards, to demand a discussion on the issue of Israeli-made, military-grade Pegasus spyware allegedly being used to snoop on opposition leaders, government critics and journalists.

    The RS chairman had taken exception to the placards.

    Reacting to the suspension, Banerjee said on the microblogging site “The crackdown on our MPs clearly indicates that @BJP4India’s 56-inch GODFATHER has CONCEDED DEFEAT!” Banerjee’s allusion to “56-inch” was apparently to the oft mentioned 56-inch chest of Modi by the BJP to signify his stature as a leader.

    “We will not budge an inch to fight for our people & to fight for the truth … Until the last drop of our blood – BRING IT ON!,” tweeted Banerjee, whose convoy came under attack on Monday in BJP-ruled Tripura where he had gone to meet TMC members in view of the assembly election in the North-eastern state in 2023.

    He also attached a photo of the RS chairman’s order with the tweet.

    Commenting on the action taken against six TMC MPs, BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said they were creating nuisance inside the House, which is is unacceptable and contrary to the dignity of Parliament.

    “The TMC is talking about discussion (on the snooping controversy) but in the West Bengal assembly, it does not tolerate discussion.

    Bills are passed through guillotine method without discussion,” he told PTI.

    BJP spokesman Shamik Bhattacharya alleged that more than 33 party activists were killed in the state since the declaration of the assembly poll results.

    “To divert attention from its own misdeeds, which had been flagged by National Human Rights Commission, TMC MPs are resorting to disruption in both Houses,” he said.

    The six MPs who were suspended for the day are Dola Sen, Md. Nadimul Haque, Abir Ranjan Biswas, Shanta Chhetri, Arpita Ghosh and Mausam Noor.

  • TMC MLA threatens to ‘look after BJP members’ following ‘attack’ on Abhishek’s convoy in Tripura

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: A TMC MLA on Tuesday threatened to “look after” BJP leaders and workers in Dinhata area of West Bengal’s Coochbehar district “in a proper manner”, a day after the convoy of party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee allegedly came under attack in BJP-ruled Tripura.

    The BJP demanded penal action against Dinhata MLA Udayan Guha for issuing a threat in public against activists of an opposition party.

    “After the Tripura incident, BJP workers and leaders in Dinhata will have to be looked after in a proper manner,” Guha’s Facebook post in Bengali read.

    The post triggered a storm on social media, with many flaying the legislator for his statement while others extending support to him.

    ALSO READ |  TMC will end BJP misrule in Tripura, form government in 2023: Abhishek Banerjee

    However, Guha later clarified, “In my Facebook post, I didn’t speak about attacking anyone.”

    Guha’s hand was fractured in post-poll violence in Dinhata in May.

    Criticising the TMC MLA, who is the son of late Left Front leader Kamal Guha, BJP’s Natabari legislator Mihir Goswami said, “We demand that a case be lodged against Udayan Guha and action be taken against him.

    It seems that the stinging NHRC observations against him regarding post-poll violence and its perpetrators are justified.”

    Reacting to Goswami’s demand, senior TMC leader and state Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay claimed that Guha was literally speaking about “taking care of BJP workers, to live peacefully with them and ensure not a single saffron party member in Dinhata is harmed in retaliatory action.”

    “Only a party like BJP can twist such a comment which by no stretch of imagination means taking the law into one’s hands or teaching the BJP a lesson,” the veteran TMC leader told PTI.

    He said that the BJP should explain why no action was taken against police officers who were on duty during the “brazen and audacious” attack on Abhishek Banerjee in Tripura.

    “Action was taken against three police officers after the alleged attack on BJP national president J P Nadda in West Bengal in December last year,” he added.

  • Women, girls face harrowing experiences every day, Home Minister insensitive: TMC Gen Secy

    A nine-year-old girl Dalit girl died under suspicious circumstances, with her parents alleging that she was raped and killed and later cremated without their consent.

  • TMC will end BJP misrule in Tripura, form government in 2023: Abhishek Banerjee

    By PTI
    AGARTALA: Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who was in Tripura on a day’s visit, asserted on Monday that his party would end the misrule of the BJP and form government in the state in 2023.

    The TMC MP, who faced fierce protests by BJP workers on his way to Tripureswari temple earlier in the day, said if a parliamentarian is not safe in this state, people are definitely more vulnerable to attacks.

    “Democracy is withering in Tripura, there is no attempt to generate employment for the youth, law and order has completely collapsed. We would wil here to restore democracy and deliver good governance as we did in West Bengal,” Banerjee told a press meet here.

    The TMC, having registered a resounding victory in West Bengal polls, is trying to expand its base in other states, including Tripura, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    ALSO READ | Hinting at 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Mamata Banerjee says entire country to witness ‘khela’ in near future

    “If a convoy of an MP is attacked in this matter, one can clearly understand that common people have no security in the state.

    I would like to tell the people of Tripura that more they increase their attacks, stronger the TMC would become.

    We would not leave any stone unturned to topple this anti-people government,” he said.

    Assembly polls in Tripura are slated to be held in the first half of 2023.

    Banerjee, who is also the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, further said that he would return to Tripura after a fortnight and announce the formation of a state committee of his party His visit comes days after a controversy had erupted in the state over “detention” of poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC team in an Agartala hotel room by the police, citing COVID-19 restrictions.

    The incident prompted back-to-back visits by TMC leaders, including West Bengal ministers Bratya Basu and Malay Ghatak and TMC MP Derek O’Brien, who decried the “illegal detention of young boys and girls” of a professional firm.

    Criticising Deb over the deterioration in the law and order situation, the TMC MP said the central government “runs him with a remote control”.

    He claimed that many MLAs from Tripura have contacted the TMC and met the party’s leadership in Kolkata, expressing their willingness to join the camp.

    The parliamentarian, nevertheless, clarified that his party does not want to break away legislators and disrupt the functioning of the present BJP government He appealed to all anti-BJP parties to join hands with the TMC and said, “Anyone outfit can come join hands with us and revive democracy in Tripura.

    We shall put up a united fight and form the next government here.

    ” However, when asked if the TMC would consider forging an alliance with opposition CPI(M) here, Banerjee said there was no question of stitching a coalition with the Left party.

    “The spontaneous response that I have received from people on the way to Tripureswari temple indicates that they are looking for a platform against the BJP.

    Mark my words, the TMC will form the next government in Tripura for sure,” Banerjee asserted.

    Lashing out at the Biplab Deb dispensation over the “attack” on his convoy, he said, “I am overwhelmed by the reception that I was accorded on my arrival here,” he pointed out.

    Agitators, allegedly bearing allegiance to the saffron party, were seen trying to stop Banerjee in places when he was heading towards the temple in the morning.

    Many were also heard raising ‘Go back Abhishek’ slogans Banerjee, taking to Twitter, shared a video of the incident and said, “Democracy in Tripura under @BJP4India rule! Well done @BjpBiplab for taking the state to new heights.”

    Rebutting allegations that his party members attacked the convoy of the TMC MP, BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said the saffron camp workers “were simply staging a protest over the ongoing political violence in West Bengal”.

  • TMC slams BJP for ‘attack’ on Abhishek Banerjee’s car in Tripura

    By Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday alleged the car of its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was attacked by BJP workers in Tripura.

    The party claimed three of his security personnel, who came from Kolkata, were injured.

    Today, I visited the Tripureshwari temple. I pray to Maa Tripureshwari for the well-being of everyone in our country.Despite using all his might, @BjpBiplab SHALL NOT be able to stop me from reaching out to the people of #Tripura who deserve to see the light of Democracy! pic.twitter.com/do4a3oyiCJ
    — Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) August 2, 2021

    The incident occurred when Banerjee was returning to Agartala after offering puja at the famous Tripureswari temple in the state’s Udaipur.

    ALSO READ | TMC will end BJP misrule in Tripura, form government in 2023: Abhishek Banerjee

    Banerjee told reporters his car was attacked with sticks. He alleged road blockades were organised to prevent his visit to the temple.

    He shared a video in a tweet and wrote: “Democracy in Tripura under @BJP4India rule! Well done @BjpBiplab for taking the state to new heights.”

    Democracy in Tripura under @BJP4India rule!Well done @BjpBiplab for taking the state to new heights. pic.twitter.com/3LoOE28CpW
    — Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) August 2, 2021

    The BJP’s state unit rubbished the TMC’s charge. “No BJP workers obstructed or attacked Banerjee,” the party said.

  • TMC no 2 Abhishek Banerjee to visit Tripura Monday, hold meeting with party members

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: As part of the outreach campaign in BJP-ruled Tripura, TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee will on Monday visit the north-eastern state, where the party claims it has a sizeable support base.

    The visit of Banerjee, nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and defacto number two in the party, comes day after a controversy had erupted over “detention” of poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC team in an Agartala hotel room by the police, citing COVID-19 restrictions.

    The incident prompted back-to-back visits to Tripura by TMC leaders, including West Bengal ministers Bratya Basu and Malay Ghatak and TMC MP Derek O’Brien, who decried the “illegal detention of young boys and girls” of a professional firm.

    Banerjee will offer prayers at the Tripureswari temple in Agartala during the day, hold a meeting with party members and address the media in the afternoon, sources in the TMC said.

    Elections in the northeastern state are slated to be held in 2023.

    Deputy leader of TMC in Rajya Sabha, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, told PTI, “Abhishek will lead the party’s journey in Tripura where Bengalis and other communities are rooting for us, our leader Mamata Banerjee.

    They are frustrated with the performance of the Biplab Deb-led BJP government.

    ” The “landslide victory of the TMC in West Bengal on the face of BJP blitzkrieg” has encouraged a majority of Bengali voters in Tripura to pledge their support for Mamata Banerjee, the parliamentarian said.

    “Abhishek Banerjee is immensely popular among Tripura electorate — youth and women in particular.

    He will chalk out the road map of our Tripura journey,” he added.

    Veteran TMC leader and Lok Sabha MP Sougata Roy claimed that “Abhishek’s visit will be the precursor to the storm that will be raised by our supremo Mamata Banerjee in Tripura in the near future”.

    Making light of the visit by TMC national general secretary, Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh pointed out that the Mamata Banerjee-led party has no base anywhere outside this state.

    “In the past, too, the TMC had made futile attempts to gain foothold in Tripura. They (TMC leaders) are still day dreaming people of Tripura, including Bengalis, stand solidly behind the BJP. The TMC should protect its flock in Bengal, where the BJP has increased its assembly tally to 77 from just three,” he added.

     

  • CM Mamata Banerjee draws succession line, nephew Abhishek made TMC national general secretary

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  A month after the Trinamool Congress stormed back to power in West Bengal, the party elevated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee as its national general secretary on Saturday. The decision to appoint Abhishek, the MP from Diamond Harbour, was announced at an organisational meeting convened by Mamata, the first since the recent Assembly elections.

    West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee withAbhishek Banerjee during TMC’s CoreCommittee meeting in Kolkata | PTIWhile it was his rising influence in the party that has been seen as one of the main reasons why several TMC leaders, including Mamata’s former trusted lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, defected to the BJP, political analysts say Abhishek has been credited for playing a key role in the party’s thumping victory in the Assembly polls. He was also instrumental in hiring poll strategist Prashant Kishor.

    Abhishek’s elevation is not only indicative of the TMC’s line of succession but also the party’s response to the BJP, which had relentlessly attacked him, branding him as “tolabaj bhaipo” (extortionist nephew), during the election campaigns. The BJP had also hit out at Mamata, accusing her of projecting her nephew as Bengal’s would be chief minister.

    The party also appointed actor-turned-politician Sayani Ghosh as president of the party’s youth wing, MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar as president of its women wing and others. TMC leader Partha Chatterjee, meanwhile, said the committee has decided one person will be allowed to hold just one post in the party. It was also decided that no minister will ride in vehicles with red beacons or hold organisational posts. The meeting was also focused on the party’s strategies for upcoming bypolls in six Assembly constituencies.

  • TMC reshuffle: MP Abhishek Banerjee appointed as all-India general secretary, quits youth wing president position

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday elevated MP Abhishek Banerjee as the party’s all-India general secretary, a senior leader here said.

    Addressing a press meet, TMC leader Partha Chatterjee also said that the working committee has decided that one person will be allowed to hold just one post in the party, and the core committee has duly given its approval.

    “Our party chief Mamata Banerjee has nominated MP Abhishek Banerjee as the all-India general secretary of the TMC,” Chatterjee said, following two crucial meetings earlier in the day.

    Abhishek, the nephew of the party supremo, will be replacing Subrata Bakshi as the national general secretary, while actor-turned-TMC leader Sayoni Ghosh has been made the youth wing president – a post earlier held by the MP.

    Chatterjee further stated that no discussion was held on turncoats, who had quit the TMC to join the BJP ahead of the assembly polls, and was now willing to return to the party fold.