Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • ‘Nitish now in front row of Opposition camp along with Mamata’: Shatrughan Sinha

    By PTI

    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stands in the “front row” of the opposition camp along with Mamata Banerjee and others to end the “Modi raj” in the country in the 2024 general election, former BJP leader and now Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha said on Wednesday.

    Sinha said the JD(U) leader has given the BJP a taste of its own medicine after it dislodged governments of opposition parties in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

    On who among Kumar and Banerjee could emerge as the opposition face against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next Lok Sabha poll, the actor-politician told PTI that the people of the country and leaders of the opposition parties would decide it at an “appropriate” time.

    Sinha, who had served as a cabinet minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, has become a Lok Sabha member from Asansol in West Bengal recently from Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC).

    Popularly called “Bihari Babu”, the actor-politician bid goodbye to the BJP after being denied a ticket from his native Patna Sahib seat in the 2019 general election.

    Before parting ways with the saffron party, Sinha had on several occasions targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah using the barb “one man party and two men army” against them.

    After leaving the BJP, Sinha had unsuccessfully contested from the Patna Sahib constituency on a Congress ticket in 2019.

    After lying low in the Congress, he switched over to Trinamool Congress and Banerjee chose him for the by-election in the Asansol Lok Sabha seat vacated by Babul Supriyo.

    “Better late than never, Nitish Kumar has given the BJP a taste of its own medicine that it administered in Madhya Pradesh and now in Maharashtra using its money power,” Sinha alleged.

    He was in his native place Patna on the day Kumar took oath as chief minister of Bihar for the eighth time along with deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.

    “Due to his bold decision, Kumar today stands in the front row in the opposition camp along with Banerjee and others to lead the downfall of ‘Modi raj’ in the next Parliamentary election,” he said.

    Opposition parties have claimed the JD(U) breaking ranks with the BJP and joining hands with the RJD, Congress and others is an indication of the change in Indian politics, asserting that their vision to fight the saffron party and its “politics of intimidation” has gained momentum.

    Kumar, who has dumped the BJP for the second time after severing ties in 2013 and reconciling in 2017, is being talked about in the political circles as a probable opposition face against Modi in 2024 but many still view the JD(U) leader with suspicion citing his numerous ‘U-turns’.

    Also several other opposition leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have hinted at prime ministerial ambitions.

    “The people of the country and the leaders of the opposition parties would decide who would be the face against Modi in the 2024 general election,” Sinha, who had earlier served as Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib twice and also as Rajya Sabha MP on two occasions from the saffron party, said.

    The newly elected TMC MP from Asansol praised Banerjee and reiterated she would be a “game changer” in the next general election.

    Talking about BJP forming its governments in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra after defection in Congress and Shiv Sena respectively, Sinha said, “They (the BJP) had been indulging in the toppling game using money power”.

    “After khela (game) in West Bengal, the BJP has been cut to size following khela in Bihar,” he said using the famous punchline of the TMC during the West Bengal assembly polls in 2021.

    Sinha had served in the Vajpayee cabinet along with both Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee and had on several occasions highlighted his cordial relationship with both of them.

    The septuagenarian Parliamentarian had praised West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for fighting the BJP and defeating it comprehensively in the assembly polls in the eastern state in 2021.

    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stands in the “front row” of the opposition camp along with Mamata Banerjee and others to end the “Modi raj” in the country in the 2024 general election, former BJP leader and now Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha said on Wednesday.

    Sinha said the JD(U) leader has given the BJP a taste of its own medicine after it dislodged governments of opposition parties in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

    On who among Kumar and Banerjee could emerge as the opposition face against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next Lok Sabha poll, the actor-politician told PTI that the people of the country and leaders of the opposition parties would decide it at an “appropriate” time.

    Sinha, who had served as a cabinet minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, has become a Lok Sabha member from Asansol in West Bengal recently from Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC).

    Popularly called “Bihari Babu”, the actor-politician bid goodbye to the BJP after being denied a ticket from his native Patna Sahib seat in the 2019 general election.

    Before parting ways with the saffron party, Sinha had on several occasions targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah using the barb “one man party and two men army” against them.

    After leaving the BJP, Sinha had unsuccessfully contested from the Patna Sahib constituency on a Congress ticket in 2019.

    After lying low in the Congress, he switched over to Trinamool Congress and Banerjee chose him for the by-election in the Asansol Lok Sabha seat vacated by Babul Supriyo.

    “Better late than never, Nitish Kumar has given the BJP a taste of its own medicine that it administered in Madhya Pradesh and now in Maharashtra using its money power,” Sinha alleged.

    He was in his native place Patna on the day Kumar took oath as chief minister of Bihar for the eighth time along with deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.

    “Due to his bold decision, Kumar today stands in the front row in the opposition camp along with Banerjee and others to lead the downfall of ‘Modi raj’ in the next Parliamentary election,” he said.

    Opposition parties have claimed the JD(U) breaking ranks with the BJP and joining hands with the RJD, Congress and others is an indication of the change in Indian politics, asserting that their vision to fight the saffron party and its “politics of intimidation” has gained momentum.

    Kumar, who has dumped the BJP for the second time after severing ties in 2013 and reconciling in 2017, is being talked about in the political circles as a probable opposition face against Modi in 2024 but many still view the JD(U) leader with suspicion citing his numerous ‘U-turns’.

    Also several other opposition leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have hinted at prime ministerial ambitions.

    “The people of the country and the leaders of the opposition parties would decide who would be the face against Modi in the 2024 general election,” Sinha, who had earlier served as Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib twice and also as Rajya Sabha MP on two occasions from the saffron party, said.

    The newly elected TMC MP from Asansol praised Banerjee and reiterated she would be a “game changer” in the next general election.

    Talking about BJP forming its governments in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra after defection in Congress and Shiv Sena respectively, Sinha said, “They (the BJP) had been indulging in the toppling game using money power”.

    “After khela (game) in West Bengal, the BJP has been cut to size following khela in Bihar,” he said using the famous punchline of the TMC during the West Bengal assembly polls in 2021.

    Sinha had served in the Vajpayee cabinet along with both Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee and had on several occasions highlighted his cordial relationship with both of them.

    The septuagenarian Parliamentarian had praised West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for fighting the BJP and defeating it comprehensively in the assembly polls in the eastern state in 2021.

  • Mamata Banerjee meets PM Modi, seeks urgent release of Bengal’s dues

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a four-day Delhi visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and placed a list of Rs 100968 crore claiming that the money the Centre owes to the state government in GST arrears and other segments related to the central government schemes, sources in the Trinamool Congress said.

    In the 45-minute meeting, the CM also raised the issue of using the central agencies which are summoning Trinamool Congress functionaries.

    Taking a jibe at Mamata-Modi meeting, the CPI(M) and Congress described it as a part of her “setting” plan to settle an under the table deal with the BJP.

    Mamata’s Delhi visit and meeting with Modi is said to be politically significant in the backdrop of the arrest of Partha Chatterjee, former commerce and industries minister in Bengal cabinet who was third-in-command in the TMC, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in alleged school recruitment scam during the politician’s tenure as education minister.

    “In the meeting, the CM mentioned about Rs 90,000 crore which is the state government’s GST share and lying due with the Centre. She said unless the state gets its share, it will be difficult to clear the dues of the state government employees,” said a senior TMC leader.

    The leader said Mamata also demanded Rs 5,561 crore which the Centre owes to Bengal government as labourer payment under 100-day job scheme. “She also mentioned about Rs 9,329 crore which the state is yet to get from the central government under the housing scheme for the poor people,” he added.

    The state government decided to hold release of funds under 100-day job scheme since December last year citing anomalies found by the Centre’s monitoring teams which visited Bengal on two occasions. The Centre is also yet to release the labour budget for Bengal in 2022-23 fiscal.       

    On several occasion, Mamata raised the issue of economic blockade which the Centre is carrying out by not clearing the fund meant for 100-day job scheme and the state’s GST arrears. She had written a number letters to to the Prime Minister requesting him to clear the dues.

    CPI(M)’s central committee member Sujan Chakrabarty described the meeting a mere eye-wash. “It is clear that she flew to Delhi to settle a deal with the BJP to protect her corrupt party leaders from the central agencies. The ED already interrogated her nephew Abhishek Banerjee on two occasions in connection with a money laundering case linked to coal smuggling being probed by the CBI,” he said.

    Congress state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury echoed Chakrabarty saying after Chatterjee’s arrest, Bengal CM landed in Delhi to protect her own men who are facing corruption charges.

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a four-day Delhi visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and placed a list of Rs 100968 crore claiming that the money the Centre owes to the state government in GST arrears and other segments related to the central government schemes, sources in the Trinamool Congress said.

    In the 45-minute meeting, the CM also raised the issue of using the central agencies which are summoning Trinamool Congress functionaries.

    Taking a jibe at Mamata-Modi meeting, the CPI(M) and Congress described it as a part of her “setting” plan to settle an under the table deal with the BJP.

    Mamata’s Delhi visit and meeting with Modi is said to be politically significant in the backdrop of the arrest of Partha Chatterjee, former commerce and industries minister in Bengal cabinet who was third-in-command in the TMC, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in alleged school recruitment scam during the politician’s tenure as education minister.

    “In the meeting, the CM mentioned about Rs 90,000 crore which is the state government’s GST share and lying due with the Centre. She said unless the state gets its share, it will be difficult to clear the dues of the state government employees,” said a senior TMC leader.

    The leader said Mamata also demanded Rs 5,561 crore which the Centre owes to Bengal government as labourer payment under 100-day job scheme. “She also mentioned about Rs 9,329 crore which the state is yet to get from the central government under the housing scheme for the poor people,” he added.

    The state government decided to hold release of funds under 100-day job scheme since December last year citing anomalies found by the Centre’s monitoring teams which visited Bengal on two occasions. The Centre is also yet to release the labour budget for Bengal in 2022-23 fiscal.       

    On several occasion, Mamata raised the issue of economic blockade which the Centre is carrying out by not clearing the fund meant for 100-day job scheme and the state’s GST arrears. She had written a number letters to to the Prime Minister requesting him to clear the dues.

    CPI(M)’s central committee member Sujan Chakrabarty described the meeting a mere eye-wash. “It is clear that she flew to Delhi to settle a deal with the BJP to protect her corrupt party leaders from the central agencies. The ED already interrogated her nephew Abhishek Banerjee on two occasions in connection with a money laundering case linked to coal smuggling being probed by the CBI,” he said.

    Congress state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury echoed Chakrabarty saying after Chatterjee’s arrest, Bengal CM landed in Delhi to protect her own men who are facing corruption charges.

  • Babul Supriyo: From singer to BJP’s poster boy to Mamata’s minister

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Babul Supriyo, who was on Wednesday sworn in as a minister in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet, has had a roller-coaster ride, from being a popular playback singer to BJP’s poster boy in West Bengal to joining the TMC government.

    Supriyo started off as a city banker who rose to be a BJP minister at the Centre after a chance meeting with yoga guru Ramdev, but suddenly found himself out in the cold after losing an assembly election from Tollygunge last year by a huge margin of 50,000 votes.

    However, Supriyo bounced back to win the prestigious Ballygunge constituency in April for his new party – the Trinamool Congress – which he joined in September 2021 in a surprise move.

    Born in West Bengal’s Uttarpara as Supriya Baral in 1970, he changed his name to Babul Supriyo while trying his luck as a Bollywood singer after quitting his banking job.

    After a successful stint as a Hindi playback singer, Supriyo entered politics in 2014, getting a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections for the BJP from West Bengal on Ramdev’s recommendation.

    He surprised everyone by defeating TMC’s Dola Sen from the industrial town of Asansol and was made the Union Minister of State for Urban Development.

    Two years later, he was shifted to the Ministry for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises during a reshuffle in July 2016.

    In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Supriyo’s winning streak continued when he defeated TMC’s Moon Moon Sen by a huge margin of 1.97 lakh votes.

    This time the Bollywood singer was named the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

    Supriyo was again pitted in April 2021, as the BJP candidate for Tollygunge Assembly constituency, which has as its centerpiece the movie studio known as Tollywood, against three-time TMC MLA Aroop Biswas.

    The two-time BJP MP had then promised he would end Biswas’s “dictatorship” in Tollywood.

    However, this time round his streak of luck seemed to have run out.

    Supriyo lost by over 50,000 votes.

    Things also started going sour in his relationship with BJP’s top leadership and he was eventually dropped from the Union Cabinet.

    The perturbed 50-year-old singer, whose instinctive first reaction was that he would “quit” politics after being dropped from the ministry, ultimately joined the TMC after party supremo Mamata Banerjee and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee extended an offer to him.

    ““It was with great disillusionment that I had announced that I would quit politics. A great opportunity has been extended by Didi (Mamata Banerjee) and Abhishek Banerjee and I am happy to accept that. I was expecting something more after seven years as a Union Minister of State. Then differences started growing with the party,”” Supriyo had said after joining the TMC last year.

    Though his victory in Ballygunge earlier this year was marred by a campaign of “no vote for Supriyo” undertaken by some groups in the constituency, Supriyo, true to his roller coaster style won the seat by over 20,000 votes against his CPI(M) rival Saira Shah Halim, who emerged in the second position.

    Interestingly, his former party’s Keya Ghosh came a distant third.

    KOLKATA: Babul Supriyo, who was on Wednesday sworn in as a minister in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet, has had a roller-coaster ride, from being a popular playback singer to BJP’s poster boy in West Bengal to joining the TMC government.

    Supriyo started off as a city banker who rose to be a BJP minister at the Centre after a chance meeting with yoga guru Ramdev, but suddenly found himself out in the cold after losing an assembly election from Tollygunge last year by a huge margin of 50,000 votes.

    However, Supriyo bounced back to win the prestigious Ballygunge constituency in April for his new party – the Trinamool Congress – which he joined in September 2021 in a surprise move.

    Born in West Bengal’s Uttarpara as Supriya Baral in 1970, he changed his name to Babul Supriyo while trying his luck as a Bollywood singer after quitting his banking job.

    After a successful stint as a Hindi playback singer, Supriyo entered politics in 2014, getting a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections for the BJP from West Bengal on Ramdev’s recommendation.

    He surprised everyone by defeating TMC’s Dola Sen from the industrial town of Asansol and was made the Union Minister of State for Urban Development.

    Two years later, he was shifted to the Ministry for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises during a reshuffle in July 2016.

    In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Supriyo’s winning streak continued when he defeated TMC’s Moon Moon Sen by a huge margin of 1.97 lakh votes.

    This time the Bollywood singer was named the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

    Supriyo was again pitted in April 2021, as the BJP candidate for Tollygunge Assembly constituency, which has as its centerpiece the movie studio known as Tollywood, against three-time TMC MLA Aroop Biswas.

    The two-time BJP MP had then promised he would end Biswas’s “dictatorship” in Tollywood.

    However, this time round his streak of luck seemed to have run out.

    Supriyo lost by over 50,000 votes.

    Things also started going sour in his relationship with BJP’s top leadership and he was eventually dropped from the Union Cabinet.

    The perturbed 50-year-old singer, whose instinctive first reaction was that he would “quit” politics after being dropped from the ministry, ultimately joined the TMC after party supremo Mamata Banerjee and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee extended an offer to him.

    ““It was with great disillusionment that I had announced that I would quit politics. A great opportunity has been extended by Didi (Mamata Banerjee) and Abhishek Banerjee and I am happy to accept that. I was expecting something more after seven years as a Union Minister of State. Then differences started growing with the party,”” Supriyo had said after joining the TMC last year.

    Though his victory in Ballygunge earlier this year was marred by a campaign of “no vote for Supriyo” undertaken by some groups in the constituency, Supriyo, true to his roller coaster style won the seat by over 20,000 votes against his CPI(M) rival Saira Shah Halim, who emerged in the second position.

    Interestingly, his former party’s Keya Ghosh came a distant third.

  • Cabinet reshuffle on cards, 4-5 new faces likely to get inducted: Mamata 

    After Partha Chatterjee was relieved of his ministerial duties, following his recent arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, portfolios held by him were taken over by the TMC boss.

  • ‘Anyone proven guilty must be punished, but media trials unacceptable’: Mamata on SSC scam

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Days after senior West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the school recruitment scam, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the media for allegedly launching a “malicious campaign” against her party.

    Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said that anyone proven guilty by the court must be punished, but probe “agencies must not be used to malign political parties”.

    “”When you run a big institution, there can be mistakes. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose once said that people have the right to make blunders. If anyone has committed any mistake, and it is proven legally, he or she must be punished. “But I am against any malicious media campaign. The media is playing the role of kangaroo (court). A senior judge also said that recently,” she said.

    Addressing a programme of private firm Titagarh Wagons at Uttarpara in Hooghly district, Banerjee lashed out at a section of the media for allegedly trying to act like courts and pronounce judgments even before a person is legally proven guilty.

    “The Chief Justice of India recently pointed out that the media is playing the role of kangaroo courts.

    They don’t want any development to happen in Bengal and only want to defame our state,” she said.

    Banerjee was referring to recent comments by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana that agenda-driven debates and kangaroo courts being run by the media are detrimental to the health of democracy.

    Without elaborating, the TMC supremo claimed that she knows those journalists who have taken “undue benefits”.

    About ED raids carried out on July 22 at the houses of around a dozen people, including Chatterjee and another minister, in connection with its investigation into the school jobs scam, Banerjee wondered what prompted the central agency to do it just a day after the TMC’s mega rally in Kolkata.

    She said, “”They (BJP) were afraid after seeing the turnout (in the rally). They (ED) came in the dead of night and the wee hours. Did they find everything in one day?” Banerjee said she does not have any problem with investigative agencies doing their job. But I will not tolerate ruining the perception of any political party in the name of an investigation, especially by those who have looted the country. This is not a good sign for our country,” she said.

    The TMC leader said she is against central agencies being used by the BJP to malign opposition parties.

    Banerjee claimed that the BJP will not return to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

    “If I were not confident, I would not have said this. But what is the calculation, where will the seats come from, and how will they come? I don’t know. (However), even astrologers are predicting the BJP’s downfall,” she said.

    Banerjee said the level of “intolerance and cruelty” against the opposition has surpassed that of the British era.

    In an apparent reference to the suspension of 19 opposition members from Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, she said, “These days, if you protest against something, you get suspended. If people raise their voices, they are either suspended or slapped with court cases.”

    She also claimed that businessmen and opposition leaders were also being “threatened by agencies at the behest of the ruling BJP” at the Centre.

    The chief minister also cautioned the saffron camp that if it tries to dislodge the West Bengal government “as it did in Maharashtra”, the party would get a befitting reply.

    After dislodging the government in Maharashtra, the BJP has been trying to carry out similar operations in Jharkhand and other states, including West Bengal.

    “Let me remind them that this is the land of the Royal Bengal Tiger; if they try to interfere, a befitting reply will follow. I warn them not to think about Bengal,” the TMC boss added.

    KOLKATA: Days after senior West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the school recruitment scam, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the media for allegedly launching a “malicious campaign” against her party.

    Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said that anyone proven guilty by the court must be punished, but probe “agencies must not be used to malign political parties”.

    “”When you run a big institution, there can be mistakes. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose once said that people have the right to make blunders. If anyone has committed any mistake, and it is proven legally, he or she must be punished. “But I am against any malicious media campaign. The media is playing the role of kangaroo (court). A senior judge also said that recently,” she said.

    Addressing a programme of private firm Titagarh Wagons at Uttarpara in Hooghly district, Banerjee lashed out at a section of the media for allegedly trying to act like courts and pronounce judgments even before a person is legally proven guilty.

    “The Chief Justice of India recently pointed out that the media is playing the role of kangaroo courts.

    They don’t want any development to happen in Bengal and only want to defame our state,” she said.

    Banerjee was referring to recent comments by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana that agenda-driven debates and kangaroo courts being run by the media are detrimental to the health of democracy.

    Without elaborating, the TMC supremo claimed that she knows those journalists who have taken “undue benefits”.

    About ED raids carried out on July 22 at the houses of around a dozen people, including Chatterjee and another minister, in connection with its investigation into the school jobs scam, Banerjee wondered what prompted the central agency to do it just a day after the TMC’s mega rally in Kolkata.

    She said, “”They (BJP) were afraid after seeing the turnout (in the rally). They (ED) came in the dead of night and the wee hours. Did they find everything in one day?” Banerjee said she does not have any problem with investigative agencies doing their job. But I will not tolerate ruining the perception of any political party in the name of an investigation, especially by those who have looted the country. This is not a good sign for our country,” she said.

    The TMC leader said she is against central agencies being used by the BJP to malign opposition parties.

    Banerjee claimed that the BJP will not return to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

    “If I were not confident, I would not have said this. But what is the calculation, where will the seats come from, and how will they come? I don’t know. (However), even astrologers are predicting the BJP’s downfall,” she said.

    Banerjee said the level of “intolerance and cruelty” against the opposition has surpassed that of the British era.

    In an apparent reference to the suspension of 19 opposition members from Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, she said, “These days, if you protest against something, you get suspended. If people raise their voices, they are either suspended or slapped with court cases.”

    She also claimed that businessmen and opposition leaders were also being “threatened by agencies at the behest of the ruling BJP” at the Centre.

    The chief minister also cautioned the saffron camp that if it tries to dislodge the West Bengal government “as it did in Maharashtra”, the party would get a befitting reply.

    After dislodging the government in Maharashtra, the BJP has been trying to carry out similar operations in Jharkhand and other states, including West Bengal.

    “Let me remind them that this is the land of the Royal Bengal Tiger; if they try to interfere, a befitting reply will follow. I warn them not to think about Bengal,” the TMC boss added.

  • SSC scam: Why is arrested minister being retained in Mamata Cabinet, asks BJP’s Suvendu

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday questioned why Partha Chatterjee is being retained as a minister by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee despite his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged school jobs scam.

    Adhikari met Governor La Ganesan at the Raj Bhavan here, seeking that Chatterjee, who holds the industry, commerce and parliamentary affairs portfolios, be removed as minister.

    “She (the chief minister) has not taken any step against him despite so much information and proof,” Adhikari told reporters after the meeting.

    Adhikari, a former minister in the Mamata Banerjee government before joining the BJP in 2020, alleged that it is “her strategy to show that she is good and others are not”.

    The chief minister had said during a programme on Monday that anyone found guilty in court would face action from the party.

    Chatterjee and his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee were arrested on July 23 by the ED, which is probing the money trail involved in the alleged teacher recruitment irregularities at government-sponsored and-aided schools.

    Crores of rupees in cash along with other valuable items were allegedly recovered from the residence of Mukherjee.

    PTI could not independently verify the information.

    Chatterjee was the education minister when the school jobs scam occurred.

    Both have been remanded to the custody of the central agency by a special ED court till August 3.

    KOLKATA: Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday questioned why Partha Chatterjee is being retained as a minister by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee despite his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged school jobs scam.

    Adhikari met Governor La Ganesan at the Raj Bhavan here, seeking that Chatterjee, who holds the industry, commerce and parliamentary affairs portfolios, be removed as minister.

    “She (the chief minister) has not taken any step against him despite so much information and proof,” Adhikari told reporters after the meeting.

    Adhikari, a former minister in the Mamata Banerjee government before joining the BJP in 2020, alleged that it is “her strategy to show that she is good and others are not”.

    The chief minister had said during a programme on Monday that anyone found guilty in court would face action from the party.

    Chatterjee and his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee were arrested on July 23 by the ED, which is probing the money trail involved in the alleged teacher recruitment irregularities at government-sponsored and-aided schools.

    Crores of rupees in cash along with other valuable items were allegedly recovered from the residence of Mukherjee.

    PTI could not independently verify the information.

    Chatterjee was the education minister when the school jobs scam occurred.

    Both have been remanded to the custody of the central agency by a special ED court till August 3.

  • Anyone proven guilty must be punished, but media trials are unacceptable: Mamata

    Banerjee also asserted that anyone was proven guilty by the court must be punished but probe “agencies must not be used to malign political parties”.

  • SSC scam: BJP is wrong if it thinks it can break my party using agencies, says CM Mamata

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: If anyone is found guilty of wrongdoing, he must be punished, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday, days after her cabinet colleague Partha Chatterjee was arrested in the SSC scam by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

    Addressing an award function of the state government here, Banerjee slammed the opposition for a “malicious campaign” launched against her, asserting that she does not support corruption.

    “We have full faith in the judiciary. There has to be a time frame within which the truth and the court’s verdict must be out. If anyone is proven guilty, then he or she must be punished. The party, too, will take action. But, I condemn the malicious campaign against me,” she said.

    Referring to the video shared by the BJP, in which she was seen interacting with Arpita Mukherjee from whose house Rs 22 crore in cash was found, the chief minister said the Trinamool Congress has no links with her.

    “The party has no relation with that lady, neither do I know her. I attend several programmes, if someone gets clicked with me, is it my fault?” she said.

    Hitting out at the BJP, Banerjee said that if the party thinks that it can break the Trinamool Congress by using central probe agencies then it is wrong.

    “It has to be seen whether it (the investigation) is a trap to malign my party and me. I neither support corruption nor allow it to breed,” she said.

    Chatterjee, the West Bengal Industry and Commerce Minister, was arrested by the ED on Saturday in connection with its investigation into the irregularities in the recruitment drives by the School Service Commission (SSC), which allegedly happened when he was the state’s education minister.

    Mukherjee, claimed to be his close aide, was also arrested by the agency after a huge amount of cash was found at her south Kolkata apartment.

    KOLKATA: If anyone is found guilty of wrongdoing, he must be punished, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday, days after her cabinet colleague Partha Chatterjee was arrested in the SSC scam by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

    Addressing an award function of the state government here, Banerjee slammed the opposition for a “malicious campaign” launched against her, asserting that she does not support corruption.

    “We have full faith in the judiciary. There has to be a time frame within which the truth and the court’s verdict must be out. If anyone is proven guilty, then he or she must be punished. The party, too, will take action. But, I condemn the malicious campaign against me,” she said.

    Referring to the video shared by the BJP, in which she was seen interacting with Arpita Mukherjee from whose house Rs 22 crore in cash was found, the chief minister said the Trinamool Congress has no links with her.

    “The party has no relation with that lady, neither do I know her. I attend several programmes, if someone gets clicked with me, is it my fault?” she said.

    Hitting out at the BJP, Banerjee said that if the party thinks that it can break the Trinamool Congress by using central probe agencies then it is wrong.

    “It has to be seen whether it (the investigation) is a trap to malign my party and me. I neither support corruption nor allow it to breed,” she said.

    Chatterjee, the West Bengal Industry and Commerce Minister, was arrested by the ED on Saturday in connection with its investigation into the irregularities in the recruitment drives by the School Service Commission (SSC), which allegedly happened when he was the state’s education minister.

    Mukherjee, claimed to be his close aide, was also arrested by the agency after a huge amount of cash was found at her south Kolkata apartment.

  • Will write to Mamata on Bengal school jobs scam: Pradhan

    “Charges of wrong merit lists and other recruitment anomalies have been raised by the job aspirants. This is unbecoming in Bengal, the land of worshippers of Goddess Saraswati,” he said.

  • Enough time for Mamata Banerjee to change mind, says vice presidential candidate Margaret Alva

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Opposition’s vice presidential candidate Margaret Alva Saturday described the prevailing situation in the non-BJP camp as a “family quarrel”, but asserted they are clear they don’t want a one-party rule and were working to “sink the differences” and unite for the 2024 challenge.

    The 80-year-old Alva, who faces an uphill task in the August 6 vice presidential poll, also said the Opposition was clear in its intention that the Constitution has to be defended and democratic institutions protected.

    In an interview to PTI, the former governor said, “The tragedy of today’s democratic system is that the mandate of people does not prevail and muscle and money power, and threats change the composition of the elected framework.”

    On frequent disruptions seen in Parliament, the multi-term parliamentarian said these interruptions were happening because the Chair was “unable to work out compromises” and consider the Opposition’s viewpoint.

    “How can a democracy function with the government slogan seemingly being ‘my way or no way’.”

    Alva has been fielded by the Opposition for the vice presidential poll contest against the ruling NDA’s Jagdeep Dhankhar, but the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has announced it will abstain from the election.

    READ HERE | From cross-voting to abstaining from voting, chinks in Opposition unity exposed

    Alva admitted she was “aghast at the announcement” the TMC would abstain.

    “Mamata has been leading the entire movement to unite the opposition,” Alva said.

    “She has been my friend for many years and I believe that there is enough time for her to change her mind”, Alva said.

    On Saturday, Alva met Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal to seek his support for her vice presidential bid.

    On dynastic politics, which has been frequently been deprecated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a threat to democracy, Alva said there is nothing wrong in children of politicians coming in.

    “But they have to win elections and the confidence of people and be accepted.”

    Alva, a former Congress general secretary, had questioned the denial of a party ticket to her son in the 2008 Karnataka elections when wards of leaders in other states had been accommodated.

    On her rival Dhankhar’s tenure as West Bengal governor, she said there is a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ a Raj Bhawan occupant needs to respect. “It is unethical and unconstitutional to function as a party representative when holding the constitutional office,” Alva said.

    Downplaying the apparent cracks in the Opposition betrayed by the cross-voting in the presidential poll on July 18, Alva said, “Opposition parties are making efforts to sink their differences and work together before the general elections. I think they feel the need and the urgency of finding a common platform to face the challenge of 2024. There might be ups and downs, differences but the intention is clear, they are concerned and they want to make a point. The Constitution has to be defended and democratic institutions have to be protected. We do not want a one-party rule.”

    The veteran Congress leader, who has spent nearly 50 years in politics, said the differences in the Opposition bloc were “like a family quarrel” which would be resolved.

    “We will sit and sort it out,” she said, adding “She (Mamata) is very much part of us and her basic ideology is that of the Congress. I always consider her one of us. I believe we can sit and sort out any differences that have arisen. She has been fighting the BJP all along. There is no way she can help the BJP win.”

    The Congress veteran, who has served as governor of Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, also favoured consensus on the posts of president and vice president, saying the government should take the initiative and engage various parties and forge a common ground.

    On the status of democracy in the country, she said “it is not the mandate of the people that prevails” these days.

    “In various states, the mandate of the people is ignored and muscle power, money power and threats change the composition of the elected framework,” Alva said, citing the examples of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

    She added, “Today, it is frightening when I look around. It’s a different world altogether. You cannot eat what you want, you cannot wear what you want, you cannot say what you want, you cannot even meet people what you want. What is this time?” She said parliamentary disruptions are unfortunate.

    “The point is why are there disruptions?” she asked.

    “It is because the Chair is unable to work out compromises and work out a way by which the point of view of the opposition and their demands for discussion and debate can be worked into the agenda of the house. You can’t just pass 22 bills in 12 minutes, without debate, without discussion,” the opposition candidate said.

    “How can a democracy function like this? The government’s slogan seems to be either my way or no way. You don’t allow a discussion and you don’t want to hear a point of view which is different from yours. It is the people suffering outside — common people, the voter, the taxpayer”, Alva noted.

    Noting that she has been a governor and a lawyer — her vice presidential poll rival Dhankhar has also served as governor and lawyer — she said, “He (Dhankhar) has been fighting a woman in the state (West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee) and now he is fighting another woman in the election. Something in his stars.”

    Alva said Dhankhar is “being rewarded” for the hard political stance he took as West Bengal governor.

    “I have also been a governor and you are supposed to be non-partisan. You are supposed to help your government function. There is a Lakshman Rekha, which you have to keep in mind once you are in the Raj Bhawan. You can’t sit there and function as the representative of your party. I think it is unethical and unconstitutional.”

    READ HERE | VP polls: TMC’s decision to abstain from voting disappointing, says Alva; not against her: Trinamool

    Speaking about her own journey, Alva said Indira Gandhi was her political mentor.

    “Indira ji handpicked me for Parliament, but my in-laws helped me grow. The numbers in the electoral college are heavily against Alva, but she said in democracy it was important to accept the challenge, notwithstanding the considerations of victory or loss. Because the numbers are stacked against us, should we not fight the election? I think in a democratic system, win or loss, you have to accept the challenge and place your point of view before your MPs who are now the electoral college. We have a different point of view from the government and the need is for those who are on a common platform to accept the challenge,” Alva said.

    The veteran leader also pointed to her struggles saying she has come up the ladder of politics — from block level to being MP, minister and governor — all by the virtue of “hard work, commitment and clean politics”.

    “This is another chapter,” said Alva, who had returned to Bengaluru to settle, but returned when called upon by the Opposition to fight the August 6 election.

    NEW DELHI: The Opposition’s vice presidential candidate Margaret Alva Saturday described the prevailing situation in the non-BJP camp as a “family quarrel”, but asserted they are clear they don’t want a one-party rule and were working to “sink the differences” and unite for the 2024 challenge.

    The 80-year-old Alva, who faces an uphill task in the August 6 vice presidential poll, also said the Opposition was clear in its intention that the Constitution has to be defended and democratic institutions protected.

    In an interview to PTI, the former governor said, “The tragedy of today’s democratic system is that the mandate of people does not prevail and muscle and money power, and threats change the composition of the elected framework.”

    On frequent disruptions seen in Parliament, the multi-term parliamentarian said these interruptions were happening because the Chair was “unable to work out compromises” and consider the Opposition’s viewpoint.

    “How can a democracy function with the government slogan seemingly being ‘my way or no way’.”

    Alva has been fielded by the Opposition for the vice presidential poll contest against the ruling NDA’s Jagdeep Dhankhar, but the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has announced it will abstain from the election.

    READ HERE | From cross-voting to abstaining from voting, chinks in Opposition unity exposed

    Alva admitted she was “aghast at the announcement” the TMC would abstain.

    “Mamata has been leading the entire movement to unite the opposition,” Alva said.

    “She has been my friend for many years and I believe that there is enough time for her to change her mind”, Alva said.

    On Saturday, Alva met Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal to seek his support for her vice presidential bid.

    On dynastic politics, which has been frequently been deprecated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a threat to democracy, Alva said there is nothing wrong in children of politicians coming in.

    “But they have to win elections and the confidence of people and be accepted.”

    Alva, a former Congress general secretary, had questioned the denial of a party ticket to her son in the 2008 Karnataka elections when wards of leaders in other states had been accommodated.

    On her rival Dhankhar’s tenure as West Bengal governor, she said there is a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ a Raj Bhawan occupant needs to respect. “It is unethical and unconstitutional to function as a party representative when holding the constitutional office,” Alva said.

    Downplaying the apparent cracks in the Opposition betrayed by the cross-voting in the presidential poll on July 18, Alva said, “Opposition parties are making efforts to sink their differences and work together before the general elections. I think they feel the need and the urgency of finding a common platform to face the challenge of 2024. There might be ups and downs, differences but the intention is clear, they are concerned and they want to make a point. The Constitution has to be defended and democratic institutions have to be protected. We do not want a one-party rule.”

    The veteran Congress leader, who has spent nearly 50 years in politics, said the differences in the Opposition bloc were “like a family quarrel” which would be resolved.

    “We will sit and sort it out,” she said, adding “She (Mamata) is very much part of us and her basic ideology is that of the Congress. I always consider her one of us. I believe we can sit and sort out any differences that have arisen. She has been fighting the BJP all along. There is no way she can help the BJP win.”

    The Congress veteran, who has served as governor of Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, also favoured consensus on the posts of president and vice president, saying the government should take the initiative and engage various parties and forge a common ground.

    On the status of democracy in the country, she said “it is not the mandate of the people that prevails” these days.

    “In various states, the mandate of the people is ignored and muscle power, money power and threats change the composition of the elected framework,” Alva said, citing the examples of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

    She added, “Today, it is frightening when I look around. It’s a different world altogether. You cannot eat what you want, you cannot wear what you want, you cannot say what you want, you cannot even meet people what you want. What is this time?” She said parliamentary disruptions are unfortunate.

    “The point is why are there disruptions?” she asked.

    “It is because the Chair is unable to work out compromises and work out a way by which the point of view of the opposition and their demands for discussion and debate can be worked into the agenda of the house. You can’t just pass 22 bills in 12 minutes, without debate, without discussion,” the opposition candidate said.

    “How can a democracy function like this? The government’s slogan seems to be either my way or no way. You don’t allow a discussion and you don’t want to hear a point of view which is different from yours. It is the people suffering outside — common people, the voter, the taxpayer”, Alva noted.

    Noting that she has been a governor and a lawyer — her vice presidential poll rival Dhankhar has also served as governor and lawyer — she said, “He (Dhankhar) has been fighting a woman in the state (West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee) and now he is fighting another woman in the election. Something in his stars.”

    Alva said Dhankhar is “being rewarded” for the hard political stance he took as West Bengal governor.

    “I have also been a governor and you are supposed to be non-partisan. You are supposed to help your government function. There is a Lakshman Rekha, which you have to keep in mind once you are in the Raj Bhawan. You can’t sit there and function as the representative of your party. I think it is unethical and unconstitutional.”

    READ HERE | VP polls: TMC’s decision to abstain from voting disappointing, says Alva; not against her: Trinamool

    Speaking about her own journey, Alva said Indira Gandhi was her political mentor.

    “Indira ji handpicked me for Parliament, but my in-laws helped me grow. The numbers in the electoral college are heavily against Alva, but she said in democracy it was important to accept the challenge, notwithstanding the considerations of victory or loss. Because the numbers are stacked against us, should we not fight the election? I think in a democratic system, win or loss, you have to accept the challenge and place your point of view before your MPs who are now the electoral college. We have a different point of view from the government and the need is for those who are on a common platform to accept the challenge,” Alva said.

    The veteran leader also pointed to her struggles saying she has come up the ladder of politics — from block level to being MP, minister and governor — all by the virtue of “hard work, commitment and clean politics”.

    “This is another chapter,” said Alva, who had returned to Bengaluru to settle, but returned when called upon by the Opposition to fight the August 6 election.