News Analysis India

Tag: Laxmi Ratan Shukla

  • Quit politics to work for development of sports: Laxmi Ratan Shukla

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Two days after resigning as state minister and TMC president of Howrah Zilla (sadar), former Bengal Ranji team captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla on Thursday said that he is “quitting” politics for the time being, as he wants to work for the development of sports.

    “I do not want to be in politics for the time being. That’s why I have resigned,” Shukla told reporters during a press conference at his cricket academy.

    Shukla, in a letter to party supremo Mamata Banerjee, had said on Tuesday that he was resigning as the minister of state for sports and youth affairs and TMC Howrah (sadar) president, but would complete his term as a legislator.

    “I personally thank everybody I have come across. I will continue going out (to reach out to people) as I am still the MLA. I thank the people of Bengal for their support. Even today they call me a sportsperson and that’s my true identity. I am happy that my identity has not changed,” he said.

  • Laxmi Ratan Shukla rules out possibility of joining any other party after resigning from Mamata’s cabinet

    By ANI
    HOWRAH: Days after resigning from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet, Trinamool Congress MLA Laxmi Ratan Shukla on Thursday ruled out the possibility of joining any other party stating that he is taking a break from politics and will focus on sports.

    “I have done politics as honestly as I have played cricket. My identity as a cricketer is the most fundamental. For now, I will focus on sports. I will complete my term as MLA…Since I’m going to take a break from politics, the question of joining a party doesn’t arise,” Shukla said in a press conference here.

    Shukla had resigned from the post of state Minister-of-State, Department of Youth Services and Sports. The former cricketer’s resignation came days before the scheduled visit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Jagat Prakash Nadda to the state on January 9.

    In December last year, former Trinamool Congress heavyweight leader and transport minister Suvendu Adhikari had quit the party and the cabinet to join the BJP in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a public rally in Midnapur.

    The development comes ahead of Assembly elections in West Bengal, which is scheduled to be held later this year.

  • West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar accepts TMC Minister Laxmi Ratan Shukla’s resignation

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Laxmi Ratan Shukla from the state’s council of ministers on the advice of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Shukla also resigned as the Trinamool Congress’s Howrah district president, but is likely to continue as the MLA. 

    Shukla was the minister of state for youth services and sports.

    “Shri Laxmi Ratan Shukla ceases to be a member of the Council of Ministers with immediate effect,” the governor said in an order.

    The charge of the youth services and sports department will vest with Aroop Biswas as recommended by the chief minister, Dhankhar said in the order.

    While political circles were busy assessing the impact of Shukla’s withdrawal, coming as it does within a month of Mamata’s once trusted lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari’s BJP switch, the Bengal chief minister said, “He is a nice boy. There is no scope for political rumors over this issue.

    He told me that he wanted to concentrate on sports and that is why he stepped down. He said he would continue as the MLA.’’ However, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the TMC was losing people by attacking us.

    “The split in TMC has already begun,” he said. Left Front leader Sujan Chakraborty echoed Ghosh while saying, “The chief minister should understand that her colleagues are no longer relying on her.”Union minister Babul Supriyo sent feelers to Shukla, saying BJP was ready to accept him, if he wanted to join the party.

    (With PTI inputs)

  • CM Mamata accepts Laxmi Ratan Shukla’s resignation

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday said the resignation of the Minister of state for Youth Services and Sports Laxmi Ratan Shukla has been accepted and that she has fowarded the letter to Governor Jagdeep Dhankar.

    Banerjee, who is also the supremo of the ruling TMC, wished Shukla good luck in the future.

    Shukla, the former captain of the Bengal Ranji team, in his resignation letter sent to Banerjee earlier in the day had said he would like to “retire” from politics.

    The 39-year-old former pacer sent a copy of it to the governor.

    His resignation came almost a fortnight after senior state minister Suvendu Adhikari quit the party and joined BJP.

    “Laxmi can resign, it does not matter.

    He is a good boy.

    It’s okay that he left to rejoin cricket.

    In his letter he has not written of resigning from the ministry but has expressed his wish to retire from all forms of politics and concentrate on sports and give more time to it,” Banerjee told reporters at the secretariat.

    The chief minister said that in the resignation letter Shukla, who represents Howrah (Uttar), has written that he will continue as an MLA till the end of the present term of the Assembly.

    “He (Shukla) has asked to be relieved from all other responsibilities.

    So I have recomended the governor to accept his resignation.

    I wish him to good luck and there is no misunderstanding between us,” she added.

    Shukla in his letter has also resigned as the in-charge of Howrah Trinamool Congress.

    There were no comments from Shukla on his resingation.

    Repeated phone calls to him went unanswered.

    PTI SCH KK KK 01051729 NNNN

  • Second blow to Mamata cabinet as sports minister steps down

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: In another blow to Mamata Banerjee’s ministry ahead of the Assembly polls, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, the sports minister stepped down from the cabinet and resigned from the post of TMC’s Howrah district president. However, he is yet to resign as an MLA.

    Shukla’s resignation came within a month after Mamata’s former close aide Suvendu Adhikari stepped down from the cabinet and resigned from the party before he joined the BJP.  

    The Bengal CM accepted Shukla’s resignation. “He is a nice boy. There is no scope to spread political rumors over this issue. He told me that he wanted to concentrate on sports activities and this is why he stepped down from the cabinet He said he would continue as the MLA,” she said.

    TMC’s Howrah town chairman Arup Roy said Shukla’s move before the polls would affect the party’s district organisation.

    With Shukla’s resignation, the political circles of Bengal are busy guessing the former cricketer’s next move.  The BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, “The split in the TMC has already started. They are losing their own people by attacking us.”

    Reacting to the second blow to Mamata’s cabinet, Left Front leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “The chief minister should understand this time that her colleagues are no longer relying on her.”

    Meanwhile, Union Minister Babul Supriyo welcomed Shukla’s decision and asked if he wants to join the BJP.

    It is learnt that Shukla, who had joined the TMC in 2016, had recently withdrawn himself from the party programmes.