News Analysis India

Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • Cyclone Yaas: West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to attend Modi-Mamata meeting to review damages

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will attend a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to review the devastation caused by cyclone Yaas, officials said.

    The meeting is scheduled to be held at Kalaikunda in Paschim Medinipur district on Friday afternoon after Modi undertakes an aerial survey of the affected areas, they said. Dhankhar will receive the prime minister at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station, the officials said.

    WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will receive PM Narendra Modi at Kalaikunda Air Force Station on May 28.PM will visit areas affected #CycloneYass in WB to assess damage to life & material.Governor Dhankhar will attend PM Review Meet with the State Government @MamataOfficial.
    — Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) May 27, 2021

    “WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will receive PM Narendra Modi at Kalaikunda Air Force Station on May 28. PM will visit areas affected #CycloneYass in WB to assess damage to life & material. Governor Dhankhar will attend PM Review Meet with the State Government,” the governor tweeted.

    Banerjee is also scheduled to conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas during the day. The chief minister has put West Bengal’s losses due to cyclone Yaas at Rs 15,000 crore. Announcing a relief package of Rs 1,000 crore, she said her government will run a ‘Duare Tran’ (relief at doorsteps) programme for the affected people.

    She has also ordered an inquiry by the Finance Department into the collapse of several embankments, bridges and roads that were constructed after super cyclone Amphan hit the state in May last year.

  • Class 12 board exams to be held in late July, Class 10 tests in mid-August: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal will hold the Class 12 board examinations in the last week of July, while the tests for Class 10 will take place in mid-August, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday.

    The dates will be announced later by the respective boards, she said.

    “We have decided to hold the secondary (Madhyamik) and higher secondary (Uccho Madhyamik) examinations…adhering to all COVID-19 safety protocols,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat.

    Both the board examinations will be held at home centres and only for compulsory subjects, she said, adding, a detailed announcement will be made by Education Minister Bratya Basu.

    “Examinations will be held in their own schools. Students will feel at home and not have to travel in buses and public vehicles amid this pandemic,” the CM said.

    She also said that timing of the examinations will be halved with more options for students while answering the tests.

    “Question papers had already been set…In that case, a three-hour test will now be reduced to 1.5 hours and students will be given the option to answer five questions out of 10. This will help the boards and the examinees amid this tough situation,” Banerjee said.

    Over 12 lakh students are scheduled to sit for the Madhyamik Examinations, having seven compulsory subjects.

    It will take seven days to complete the Class 10 exams, she said.

    Over 8.5 lakh students are likely to appear for the higher secondary examinations with 15 compulsory subjects.

    “Please take necessary measures in case adjustments are required. But, I do not want any extra pressure on the students,” the chief minister said.

    Banerjee said the decision to conduct the Class 12 examinations first was taken in view of students typically sitting for various entrance tests for higher studies.

  • Governor appreciates Mamata for cyclone Yaas combat, TMC leader says it’s ‘eye-wash’

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: After an intense war of words between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and CM Mamata Banerjee over the issue of post-poll violence, the former  appreciated the state government’s “exemplary commitment in synergy” in combatting cyclone Yaas.

    On his Twitter handle, Dhankhar also uploaded photographs showing how the central agencies such as Air Force and NDRF swung into action to save people in distress in the cyclone-hit areas.

    “Appreciate exemplary commitment in synergy @MamataOfficial in relief #CycloneYaas. Relief and rehabilitation needs to be transparent, accountable with direct benefit transfer to deserved,” Dhankhar tweeted.

    The two constitutional functionaries of the state were locked in a verbal spat since the election results were announced. The face-off between Dhankhar and Mamata did not even spare the swearing-in ceremony of the CM as Dhankhar raised the issue of ‘unprecedented’ post-poll violence and Mamata, in a reply, said trouble broke out in the areas where the BJP won.

    ALSO READ | Will hold review meeting on cyclone devastation with PM Modi, says Mamata

    A day before the cyclone was scheduled to make a landfall in Odisha, the Governor went to the Alipore Meteorological Office to assess the impact of the calamity. While coming out, he did not miss the opportunity to criticise the state government for post-poll violence while interacting with journalists.

    From the Met office, he went straight to the secretariat and visited the control room, from where the CM supervised the state government’s preparedness.

    The ruling party, however, said the governor’s appreciation came at a time when the CM left no one unturned to ensure people’s safety in the cyclone-hit areas. “His tweet is a mere eye-wash. He found no fault in the state government’s preparedness. No opposition party raised a single serious allegation accusing the CM of not playing active role to save the people in need. Actually, the Governor had no option left other than praising the CM,” said a senior Trinamool Congress leader.          

    BJP’s Bengal chapter, hours after Dhankhar’s tweet, raised allegation that illegal fisheries in the coastal areas triggered the damage to the clay dams. “Mashrooming growth of illegal fisheries in Sunderbans and East Midnapore’s coastal region led to the destruction of the clay dams which flooded hundreds of villages,” said BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh.

  • Will hold review meeting on cyclone devastation with PM Modi, says Mamata

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday that she would be holding a review meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the cyclone-led devastation, during his visit to the state.

    Banerjee said that the meeting will be held at Kalaikunda in Paschim Medinipur district on Friday.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming here after conducting a survey of cyclone-affected areas in Odisha. He will reach Kalaikunda via Digha, and take his flight to Delhi from there. The PM will hold a review meeting with me at Kalaikunda,” Banerjee told reporters at the secretariat.

    The Bengal CM, along with Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, is scheduled to undertake an aerial survey of the cyclone-hit areas in Purba Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas on Friday.

    Modi reviewed the impact of Cyclone Yaas at a meeting on Thursday during which he asked the central and states agencies to ensure that normal life is restored in the affected areas at the earliest.

    The prime minister chaired the meeting during which officials made a detailed presentation on various aspects of preparedness, assessment of damage and related matters, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

    According to another PMO statement, Modi will visit Odisha and West Bengal on Friday and will chair review meetings in the two states to assess the impact of the cyclone.

    He will also undertake an aerial survey of the affected areas in the two states, it said.

    Cyclone Yaas pounded parts of India’s eastern coast on Wednesday, killing at least four people and forcing more than 21 lakh people to be evacuated to safe shelters in West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

    At the meeting held on Thursday, it was informed that about 106 teams of National Disaster Response Force were deployed with 46 teams each in West Bengal and Odisha that rescued more than 1,000 people and removed more than 2,500 trees and poles that had fallen and obstructed roads, the PMO said.

    Defence forces, namely the Army and the Coast Guard, also rescued marooned people, while the Navy and Air Force were on the alert, it said.

    “Reviewed the situation arising due to Cyclone Yaas.

    Discussed the preparedness, relief and rehabilitation efforts as well as other aspects,” Modi tweeted after the meeting.

    The PMO said though the states are engaged in assessment of the damage caused in the aftermath of the cyclone, from the preliminary reports available, it is seen that due to accurate forecasting, effectively communicating to the people in the affected areas and evacuation in a timely manner by states and central agencies, there was minimal loss of human life.

    At the same time, damage caused due to inundation are being assessed, it added.

    According to the statement, power and telecom services have been restored in most of the affected areas.

    During the meeting, the prime minister noted the effective and proactive role played by the central and states agencies in responding to challenges posed by the cyclone and advised the agencies to ensure that normal life is restored in the affected areas at the earliest and relief is appropriately disbursed to people affected by the cyclone, the PMO said.

    Principal secretary to the prime minister, the cabinet secretary, home secretary, secretary Power, telecom secretary and DG of India Meteorological Department and other officials participated in the meeting, it said.

  • Bengal extends Covid-19 restrictions till June 15, to hold exams from July end

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday extended the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions till June 15, saying that the curbs have helped ease the pandemic situation a little.

    The West Bengal government had announced the existing restrictions for 15 days from May 16 following a huge surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

    The announcement for extension of the curbs came three days before they were scheduled to come to an end.

    “The Covid-19 restrictions in the state will continue till June 15. This is not a lockdown or a curfew. We will strictly follow the restrictions.”

    “It’s a relief to see that the ongoing restrictions have helped in easing the situation a little,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’.

    She allowed the jute industry to work with 40 per cent workforce in place of the existing 30 per cent.

    “We will see that the state’s economy is not disturbed,” Banerjee said.

    Essential services will continue operating following protocols, the chief minister said.

    The state will also hold the Class 12 board examinations in the last week of July, while the tests for Class 10 will take place in mid-August, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday.

    The dates will be announced later by the respective boards, she said.

    “We have decided to hold the secondary (Madhyamik) and higher secondary (Uccho Madhyamik) examinations. Adhering to all COVID-19 safety protocols,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat.

    Both the board examinations will be held at home centres and only for compulsory subjects, she added.

  • ‘One crore people affected, three lakh houses destroyed due to Yaas’: Mamata on cyclone damage in Bengal

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: At least one crore people were affected and three lakh houses damaged in West Bengal due to the rough weather conditions arising out of cyclone ‘Yaas’, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday.

    One person died “accidentally” when he had gone out fishing, she said.

    Cautioning people that high tide in seas, caused by the storm surge, would persist, Banerjee claimed that Bengal happens to be the “most-affected state”.

    Cyclone ‘Yaas’ made its landfall on Wednesday morning near Dhamra port in Odisha, at 130-140 kmph, gusting to 155 kmph, according to Doppler radar data.

    WATCH | Cyclone Yaas unleashes fury on Odisha-West Bengal coasts, over one crore people affected:

    The chief minister further said that as many as 15,04,506 people have been evacuated from the vulnerable areas in the state and moved to safer places.

    “I will soon be undertaking an aerial survey of the affected areas in Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts,” Banerjee said.

    As of now, the government has a preliminary idea of the damage caused, from the reports provided by the district magistrates and other senior officials, the CM said.

    “We will be conducting field surveys to get a final estimate. It will take us at least 72 hours to get a clearer idea,” she added.

    ALSO WATCH : Cyclone Yaas makes landfall in Odisha; rough sea and heavy winds in West Bengal too

  • Mamata unhappy with Centre’s cyclone aid, says Bengal facing repeated discrimination

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday pointed out that the Centre, despite promising all forms of assistance to combat Cyclone Yaas, has agreed to provide an advance of only Rs 400 crore, while smaller states such as Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are being given Rs 600 each.

    Banerjee, following a meeting of Home Minister Amit Shah with chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Bengal and the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said her state, which is more densely populated, was facing “repeated discrimination”.

    “We had a meeting with Amit Shah-ji this morning. The Centre is providing more than Rs 600-crore each to Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and only Rs 400 crore-something to Bengal to fight Cyclone Yaas. This is money being paid in advance, something the states are supposed to get. This isn’t extra.”

    “At the meeting, I sought to know why Bengal, despite being a bigger state than Odisha and Andhra Pradesh — both in terms of population density and number of districts — is getting less? Why are we being deprived repeatedly?” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat.

    She said that Shah had promised to extend full cooperation, but when it came to announcing advance funds for the states, Bengal got less.

    “Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are my sister states. I do not have any problem with what the Centre is offering to them. That said, can you compare UP with Pondicherry? It depends on the population density, history, geography and the boundaries,” she said.

    The CM further said that Shah, on hearing her argument, stated that “scientific views are taken into consideration” before arriving at such decisions.

    “The home minister told me that the matter will be discussed later. He also said that it depends on scientific view. I did not reply to that because I have knowledge about political science, but not much on this subject,” she said, in an apparent dig at Shah.

    Continuing her tirade against the Centre, the TMC supremo claimed that the BJP-led Union government, in the past, failed to provide her administration with any assistance after Cyclone Bulbul hit the state in 2019, and in the aftermath of the Cyclone Amphan-led devastation.

    She clarified that funds of Rs 1,000-crore provided by the Centre last year, following the ravages caused by Cyclone Amphan, was something it owed to the state, and not an additional assistance.

    Banerjee also maintained that her government was battling the COVID-19 pandemic on its own.

    Noting that the state government would conduct a survey after Cyclone Yaas strikes the state, she said, “A report would be sent (to the Centre) following the assessment. We do not know if we would be receiving any help, but the report would be submitted.”

    A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into cyclonic storm ‘Yaas’ and is likely to cross the Odisha-Bengal coasts on May 26 after turning into a very severe cyclonic storm, the MeT department has said.

  • TMC turncoats make beeline to re-join party after BJP’s loss in Bengal polls

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: In less than a month the BJP received a blow in the recent West Bengal assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress turncoats, who were inducted in the party ahead of the high-octane state poll, seemed to have been making a beeline to return to their old political platform. 

    In the past 24 hours, a former TMC MLA and a party leader, who was even among the list of TMC’s candidates but defected to the BJP, wrote to the ruling party’s supremo Mamata Banerjee and other functionaries seeking apology for their “wrong decision” of shifting sides.

    TMC sources said at least 10 turncoats, including three MLAs and one MP, contacted the party and urged them to be allowed to return. The party, however, is yet to give a nod to accept the turncoats.

    Sarala, who had switched camp despite her candidature was announced for Habibpur Assembly constituency in Malda, expressed her desire to return to the TMC on Sunday, a day after Mamata’s former close aide Sonali Guha made a similar request. 

    “I committed a mistake and want Didi (Mamata) to pardon me for that. If she accepts me, I will stay with her and work for the party diligently,” said Sarala.

    Similarly, Amal Acharya, former MLA of Itahar in North Dinajpur, admitted that the decision of joining the saffron camp was a wrong decision.

    “I was hurt after being denied ticket in this Assembly elections. I joined the BJP. But after the people of West Bengal gave their verdict in favour of the TMC, the BJP started playing the politics of vendetta. They engaged CBI to arrest three TMC MLAs, including two ministers. In protest against this, I decided to quit the BJP and return to my old party,” he said.

    Sources in the TMC said most of the turncoats are now feeling that they are nowhere in Bengal’s political arena after the BJP lost the electoral battle.

    “With the TMC emerging victorious with a thumping majority in the recent Assembly elections, now they are trying to regain their foothold on the soil of Bengal’s politics. The turncoats, both who were fielded but failed to win and those who were denied ticket by the BJP, found themselves completely sidelined in the saffron camp,’’ said a senior TMC leader.

    BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh said those who expressed their desire to return to the TMC admitted that their decision of joining the BJP was a wrong decision.

    “It was their mistake, not BJP’s. They joined our party with expectations and when they found it was not fulfilled, they are showing interest to return to their old party,” he said.

    TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said not only these three turncoats but many others, who had defected to the BJP, are showing interest to return and writing our leaders.

    “The party has not taken any stance about these turncoats willing to re-join the TMC,” he said.

  • ‘Mistake to have joined BJP’: After Sonali Guha, now Sarala Murmu wants to rejoin TMC 

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: With the TMC having emerged victorious with a thumping majority in the recently concluded assembly elections, turncoats who had quit the party to join the BJP seem to be making a beeline for re-entry into the Mamata Banerjee camp, the latest being Sarala Murmu.

    Murmu, who had switched camp as she was reportedly unhappy with the ticket that was given to her by the ruling party, has expressed her desire to return to the TMC, a day after Banerjee’s former aide, Sonali Guha, made a similar appeal.

    Claiming that it was a mistake on her part to have joined the BJP, Murmu said that she wants party supremo Mamata Banerjee to pardon her.

    “If she accepts me, I will stay with her and work for the party diligently,” Murmu told reporters at her Malda home. Murmu was nominated from Habibpur seat in Malda, but party sources had then claimed that she was keen on contesting the election from Maldaha constituency.

    “I committed a mistake and want Didi (Banerjee) to pardon me for that,” she said.

    Former TMC MLA Sonali Guha had on Saturday written to Banerjee, apologising to her for leaving the party.

    The four-time MLA from Satgachhia in South 24 Parganas district, in a letter which she also shared on social media, said, “The way a fish cannot stay out of the water, I will not be able to live without you, ‘Didi’.

    I seek your forgiveness and if you don’t forgive me, I won’t be able to live.

    Please allow me to come back, and spend the rest of my life in your affection.

  • TMC turncoat Sonali Guha who joined BJP writes to Mamata, wants to come back

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Former MLA Sonali Guha, who joined the BJP after being denied a ticket by the TMC in the Assembly elections, has decided to quit the saffron camp and wrote an open letter to Mamata Banerjee expressing her interest to return to the fold of the ruling party. She also apologised for her wrong decision to quit the TMC.

    On her Twitter handle, Sonali wrote, “I am writing this with a broken heart that I took the wrong decision of joining another party after being emotional. I could not get accustomed there. The way a fish cannot stay out of water, I will not be able to live without you Didi. I seek your forgiveness and if you don’t forgive me, I won’t be able to live. Please allow me to come back and spend the rest of my life in your affection.”

    Sonali joined the BJP two days after the TMC announced the list of candidates. The four-time MLA, once considered to be the shadow of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, was among the slew of TMC MLAs who switched over to the BJP before the Assembly elections.

    Kunal Ghosh, the spokesperson of the TMC, said, “The party has not yet taken any decision to accept those who had left the party during the tough time that it faced before the elections.”