News Analysis India

Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • Defer implementation of new criminal laws: Jairam Ramesh

    Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday demanded that the enforcement of the three criminal laws, which are to come into force from July 1, be deferred, saying the Bills were “bulldozed” through Parliament. In a post on X, Ramesh said the implementation of the Bills be deferred to enable a thorough review and re-examination by a reconstituted Standing Committee on Home Affairs as they were passed at a time when 146 MPs had been suspended.

    “On Dec 25 2023, the President of India had given her assent to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023,the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. The three far-reaching Bills had been bulldozed through Parliament without proper debate and discussion, and at a time when 146 MPs had been suspended from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha,” Ramesh said.

    “Earlier the Bills had been bulldozed through the Standing Committee on Home Affairs without detailed interactions with stakeholders across the country and completely ignoring the written and very detailed dissent notes of a number of MPs belonging to different political parties, including the Indian National Congress, who were members of the Standing Committee,” he said. Ramesh said the three new laws are to come into effect from July 1, 2024, and the Congress is of the firm opinion that the date should be deferred to enable a thorough review and re-examination of the laws by the reconstituted Standing Committee on Home Affairs.

    He said the panel should have more extensive and meaningful consultations with various legal experts and organisations “who have serious concerns on the three laws as they stand”, after which it should be scrutinised by the 18th Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as well.

    On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding deferment of the implementation of the three criminal laws, saying they were “hurriedly passed”. Similar demands have been made by the DMK as well.

  • ‘Will Wait And Watch…’: Mamata Banerjee Signals INDIA Alliance May Stake Claim To Form Govt In Future |

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that just because the opposition INDIA bloc hasn’t claimed the right to form the government yet, it doesn’t mean it won’t try again tomorrow. The Trinamool Congress Chief said that her party will “wait and watch” and that she would be pleased to see the “weak and unstable” BJP-led NDA government overthrown.

    Banerjee led her party to a resounding victory in West Bengal, securing 29 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while the main opposition BJP was reduced to 12 seats and the Congress to one, ensuring the TMC’s continued dominance in the state.

    “The country needs change; it desires change. This mandate was for a change. We’re waiting and monitoring the situation. This mandate was against Narendra Modi, so he should not be appointed prime minister this time. After meeting with newly elected TMC MPs, Banerjee told reporters that someone else should have been allowed to take over.

    “The BJP is forming the government in an undemocratic and illegal manner. Although the INDIA bloc has not yet staked a claim to form the government, that does not mean it will not do so tomorrow. “Let us wait for a while,” she said. The TMC supremo has announced that the party will not attend the new government’s swearing-in ceremony.

    “I would be happy to see that this unstable and weak government at the centre is out of power,” Banerjee stated. She stated that TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will seek the repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

  • West Bengal Election Results 2024: Mamata magic wipes out Modi wave in Bengal – The Economic Times Video

    West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress put up a spectacular show, sweeping the Lok Sabha polls in the state to emerge as the fourth-largest party in the new Lok Sabha. So, what worked for TMC and what went amiss for the BJP juggernaut? We find out

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  • Mamata Banerjee Not To Attend INDIA Bloc meet On June 1, Cites Polling, Post-Cyclone Relief Work |

    New Delhi/ Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she will not attend the meeting of the INDIA bloc on June 1 due to the last phase of Lok Sabha polls and ongoing relief work after cyclone ‘Remal’ hit the state’s coastal regions.

    According to sources, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has convened a meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders in the afternoon of June 1, coinciding with the last round of polling.

    Addressing an election rally in Kolkata, Banerjee mentioned her inability to attend the INDIA bloc meeting due to the scheduled elections in the state on that day.

    “The INDIA bloc meeting has been fixed on June 1. But I have already said I can’t go on June 1 as there is an election in our state on that day. So far I know there are elections in Punjab, UP and Bihar. Voting will continue till 6 pm, and at times it extends beyond that (6 pm),” she said.

    Banerjee highlighted the dual challenges of post-cyclone relief work and ongoing elections, emphasising her priority towards relief efforts.

    “How can I leave everything behind and go? My priority is relief work. Even if I am holding a meeting here, my heart goes out to those people (affected by the cyclone),” she said at the Kolkata rally.

    Cyclone Remal, with wind speed reaching 135 kmph, claimed four lives in West Bengal and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and property in the state’s coastal areas as it tore through West Bengal and Bangladesh, officials reported on Monday.

    The TMC had withdrawn from the INDIA bloc in West Bengal in January but affirmed its commitment to remain part of the opposition alliance at the national level.

    During the election campaigns in the last two months, Banerjee had expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would win the Lok Sabha elections and affirmed her involvement in the anti-BJP alliance at the national level.

    Sources in the TMC revealed that voting will be conducted on nine seats, including two seats in Kolkata, in West Bengal on June 1, which are crucial for the party.

    Apart from the Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar, other constituencies in the state that will go to polls on that day include Jadavpur, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur and Diamond Harbour.

    TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other top leaders will exercise their franchise on the day, and, therefore, they will be unable to attend the meeting, a source said, adding that the party has attended all meetings of the opposition bloc so far.

    The source added that the TMC has conveyed this to the organisers.

    The first meeting of the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was held in Patna on June 23 last year, followed by meetings in Bengaluru on July 17-18, 2023, and in Mumbai between August 31 and September 1, where the opposition parties adopted resolutions to contest the Lok Sabha elections unitedly.

    The fourth meeting of the opposition bloc was held in Delhi on December 19.

    The next gathering of opposition leaders took place in Delhi on March 31, where top leaders shared the stage at the “Save Democracy” rally held against the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. A similar ‘Ulgulan’ rally was held in Ranchi on April 21.

    The TMC has been part of all these meetings and rallies.

    At the March 31 rally in Delhi, TMC’s parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, announced that the party would remain part of the INDIA bloc.

    The TMC, which is in power in West Bengal, does not have any seat-sharing deal with the Congress or any other INDIA bloc partner in its home state. But its candidate Laliteshpati Tripathi in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi has been supported by ally Samajwadi Party.

    Twenty-eight opposition parties came together to form the INDIA bloc. However, some parties such as Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) later switched over to the NDA.

  • Calcutta HC order slap in face of those indulged in vote bank politics: Chhattisgarh CM

    Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday hailed the Calcutta High Court’s decision to scrap the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal, calling it a slap in the face of those indulged in appeasement politics through “religion-based” quota. The HC on Wednesday struck down the OBC (Other Backward Class) status of several classes in Bengal, finding such reservations under a 2012 Act to vacancies in services and posts in the state illegal. It observed that the inclusion of 77 classes of Muslims in the list of backward categories was to “treat them as vote bank”.

    West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has asserted that she will not accept the order and hinted that her government could challenge it in the Supreme Court.

    Asked about Banerjee’s statement, Sai told reporters here, “We welcome the decision of Calcutta High Court over religion-based reservation. It is a slap in the face of those who practise vote bank and appeasement politics by giving religion-based reservation.” Later, Sai claimed in a statement that Congress and the opposition INDIA bloc have been conspiring to “murder the Constitution”. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States”We all know that religion-based reservation has no place in the Constitution. On Wednesday, the Honourable Calcutta High Court scrapped all the religion-based OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010. This is a big decision for the OBC, tribals and all backward communities in the country,” he said. The judgment shows how Mamata Banerjee’s government was taking ahead the “policy of appeasement in an unconstitutional manner”, he said. “INDI alliance has been continuously robbing the rights of tribals and backward classes and wants to snatch their rights and hand them over to Muslims, just because of its vote bank politics. It is highly condemnable,” Sai said. Neither BJP nor backward, tribals and Dalits will tolerate the politics of appeasement of Congress and its alliance, he said. “What is even more serious is that the West Bengal CM has said that she will not accept this decision and will not implement it. It is very unfortunate”, he added.

  • PM Modi Rebuts Mamata’s Comment On Ramakrishna Mission Monks As ‘Vote Bank’ Politics |

    New Delhi: Prime Minister and BJP senior leader Narendra Modi condemned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remarks against the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha monks. While addressing the rally in West Bengal’s Purulia on Sunday, Modi said that TMC has crossed all the limits by stooping so low that it is “spreading canards against ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha”

    Reacting to Banjerjee’s remark, PM Modi said that threats were being issued against these socio-religious organisations just to appease their vote bank.

    “The TMC, which has intimidated and threatened the people of Bengal during elections, has crossed all limits this time. Today, in the country and the world, ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangh are known for service and morality, but the chief minister of Bengal is openly threatening them from an open platform…They are threatening them just to appease their vote bank” he said.

    Prime Minister Modi slams TMC for belittling the saints of Bengal and attacking Bharat Sevashram Sangh, Ramakrishna Mission and ISKCON.

    What has Mamata Banerjee reduced Bengal, the land of several Hindu renaissance movement, to. Disappointing. pic.twitter.com/lWM1sMuV1S


    — Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) May 19, 2024

    Earlier, CM Banerjee during his poll rally in Goghat under the Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday claimed that some mocks of the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are working under the BJP leader’s influence. 

    “Some monks of Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are working under the influence of BJP leaders in Delhi. Those who are looking after temples are doing great spiritual jobs, but everyone is not doing so. This is not done. We respect the monks,” she said.

    PM Modi further added that these organisations have millions of followers across the world and they aim to serve the people.

    “The Bengal government has pointed fingers at them. So much courage! Just to please their vote bank?” PM Modi said.

    Meanwhile, Modi accused Banerjee during his Bishnupur rally and said that she was under the pressure of Muslim fundamentalists and attacking the saints and monks of the country.

    “In their desperation, TMC leaders have started hurling abuses at prestigious organisations like ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission, and Bharat Sevashram Sangha. These organisations have brought glory to Bengal, but the CM of the state claims they are ruining Bengal. Under pressure from Muslim fundamentalists, she has publicly insulted our faith,” he added. 

  • Modi is not coming…, will provide outside support to INDIA bloc, says Mamata Banerjee – The Economic Times Video

    North 24 Parganas, Bangaon: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, “… Didi will bring the INDIA alliance to power there (at the Centre), we will help from here (West Bengal). The INDIA alliance will win with all of us (parties). As per the calculations we have till yesterday, they (BJP) will get 190-195 seats and the INDIA alliance will get 315 seats as per the numbers till now. PM Modi is not coming…”

  • Mamata Banerjee`s TMC To Extend Outside Support To `INDIA` Bloc But With This Condition

    West Bengal Congress led by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been at the odds with Banerjee government in the state despite Congress’s top leadership taking a softer stance towards the Bengal government. 

  • ‘Very happy’ Mamata Banerjee welcomes Supreme Court order staying Calcutta High Court verdict on school jobs scam

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order that stayed the Calcutta High Court verdict of cancelling more than 25,000 school jobs, and said she is “very happy and mentally relaxed” after getting justice in the apex court. The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Calcutta High Court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and state-aided schools. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, however, permitted the CBI to continue with its investigation and probe even members of the state cabinet. The top court, however, asked the CBI not to take any precipitate action like arresting a suspect during the investigation. “I am really very happy and mentally relaxed on receipt of justice at the highest Court of the land. Congratulations to the entire teaching fraternity and my humble regards to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” Banerjee said in a post on X. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesSpeaking in a similar vein, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said truth has triumphed. “The Honorable Supreme Court has DEFUSED the BJP’s ‘EXPLOSIVE’ hurled last week to malign Bengal’s image and destabilise WB government. TRUTH HAS TRIUMPHED! We will continue to defy all odds and stand shoulder to shoulder with the people until our last breath,” he wrote on X. Earlier in the day, it termed the alleged scam as a “systemic fraud” and said the state authorities were duty-bound to maintain digitised records pertaining to the appointment of teachers and non-teaching staff. The top court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Calcutta High Court’s April 22 decision that invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff.

    The BJP, however, claimed that corruption in school recruitment in West Bengal has been proven in the court.

    “The TMC is neck-deep in corruption in this scam. They cannot evade their responsibilities,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

    The TMC-led West Bengal government had challenged the Calcutta High Court order, saying it cancelled the appointments “arbitrarily”.

  • West Bengal: Ahead of Phase 3 Lok Sabha polling, security raised in Murshidabad; angry Malda villagers refuse to cast vote – The Economic Times Video

    Murshidabad (WB): Security tightened in West Bengal’s Murshidabad on May 06 ahead of the third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. Police personnel checked every vehicle. Voting in Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency will take place on May 07 in the third phase of elections. Meanwhile, people in Birnagar village near Malda have decided to boycott the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. People alleged that the Government has not done any development work in the Birnagar village. Villagers are bearing the brunt of heavy floods and they are finding it difficult to meet their livelihood. Due to heavy rain and overflowing of the river, many lost their lives or were forced to relocate. Now, villagers said that they are not left with any other option but to boycott voting in Lok Sabha Elections. Villagers alleged that they have been living in distress for many years as leaders make only false promises.