News Analysis India

Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • TMC to maintain equidistance from BJP and Cong, eyes forming group of regional parties

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Following the below-expectation performance of the Trinamool Congress in the Northeast, the party is changing its political strategy by preparing to maintain equidistance from the BJP and the Congress and seeking to form a group of regional outfits opposed to both camps.

    In Tripura, the TMC bagged less than the votes polled by NOTA, while in Meghalaya, the party’s tally came down to five from 11.

    The Mamata Banerjee-led party also suffered a major upset in West Bengal’s Sagardighi, a minority-dominated assembly constituency which was previously held by the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

    “Our strategy nationally will be maintaining equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress. We want other opposition parties who want to fight the BJP but are opposed to the Congress to come together and work as a united opposition front. We are already in talks with parties such as BRS (erstwhile TRS), AAP and others. This strategy will be reflected in the next Parliament session,” Leader of the TMC parliamentary party in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay told PTI.

    Banerjee had also recently announced that the party would go it alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

    The decision also came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as well as CPI(M) leaders accused the TMC of helping the BJP by dividing opposition votes.

    Veteran TMC leader and MP Sougata Roy said that as the Lok Sabha elections are still a year away, the situation will further evolve in the days to come.

    “Let’s see how things shape up, as four major states will go to polls this year. The political situation will further evolve by the end of this year,” Roy said.

    Assembly elections will be held in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka this year.

    Referring to the recent letter written by leaders of nine opposition parties – minus the Congress, Left parties, JD(U), DMK and JD(S) – to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “blatant misuse” of central agencies, Roy told PTI that it is “just the beginning.”

    Attacking the grand old party for its “big brother attitude”, TMC chief spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, “The Congress is yet to come to terms with the changing reality of Indian politics. It has miserably failed in the last nine years in fighting the BJP. So we will try to align with strong forces in their respective states,” he said.

    The TMC had also abstained from voting in the Vice-Presidential polls last year.

    Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury however dubbed the TMC’s effort to bring together opposition parties minus the Congress as an “attempt to help the BJP,”

    “You don’t need to be a political pundit to understand the role some opposition parties like the TMC are playing to help the BJP. The TMC is now isolated nationally as it stands unmasked as a stooge of the BJP,” he said.

    CPI (M) state secretary Mohammed Salim claimed the TMC lacks credibility in the fight against the BJP.

    Assistant Professor of Political Science Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, Maidul Islam said the idea of bringing together regional parties is an idea which was once mulled by Communist patriarch Jyoti Basu in the name of the Third Front in the eighties and nineties and later pushed by Banerjee in with the name of Federal Front in 2014.

    Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty said any attempt to forge an opposition unity sans the Congress is destined to fail. “If you go by numbers, you cannot have any opposition front minus the Congress if you are serious about fighting the BJP. If you try to forge any such front, it will only help the BJP,” he said.

    KOLKATA: Following the below-expectation performance of the Trinamool Congress in the Northeast, the party is changing its political strategy by preparing to maintain equidistance from the BJP and the Congress and seeking to form a group of regional outfits opposed to both camps.

    In Tripura, the TMC bagged less than the votes polled by NOTA, while in Meghalaya, the party’s tally came down to five from 11.

    The Mamata Banerjee-led party also suffered a major upset in West Bengal’s Sagardighi, a minority-dominated assembly constituency which was previously held by the Mamata Banerjee-led party.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “Our strategy nationally will be maintaining equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress. We want other opposition parties who want to fight the BJP but are opposed to the Congress to come together and work as a united opposition front. We are already in talks with parties such as BRS (erstwhile TRS), AAP and others. This strategy will be reflected in the next Parliament session,” Leader of the TMC parliamentary party in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay told PTI.

    Banerjee had also recently announced that the party would go it alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

    The decision also came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as well as CPI(M) leaders accused the TMC of helping the BJP by dividing opposition votes.

    Veteran TMC leader and MP Sougata Roy said that as the Lok Sabha elections are still a year away, the situation will further evolve in the days to come.

    “Let’s see how things shape up, as four major states will go to polls this year. The political situation will further evolve by the end of this year,” Roy said.

    Assembly elections will be held in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka this year.

    Referring to the recent letter written by leaders of nine opposition parties – minus the Congress, Left parties, JD(U), DMK and JD(S) – to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “blatant misuse” of central agencies, Roy told PTI that it is “just the beginning.”

    Attacking the grand old party for its “big brother attitude”, TMC chief spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, “The Congress is yet to come to terms with the changing reality of Indian politics. It has miserably failed in the last nine years in fighting the BJP. So we will try to align with strong forces in their respective states,” he said.

    The TMC had also abstained from voting in the Vice-Presidential polls last year.

    Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury however dubbed the TMC’s effort to bring together opposition parties minus the Congress as an “attempt to help the BJP,”

    “You don’t need to be a political pundit to understand the role some opposition parties like the TMC are playing to help the BJP. The TMC is now isolated nationally as it stands unmasked as a stooge of the BJP,” he said.

    CPI (M) state secretary Mohammed Salim claimed the TMC lacks credibility in the fight against the BJP.

    Assistant Professor of Political Science Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, Maidul Islam said the idea of bringing together regional parties is an idea which was once mulled by Communist patriarch Jyoti Basu in the name of the Third Front in the eighties and nineties and later pushed by Banerjee in with the name of Federal Front in 2014.

    Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty said any attempt to forge an opposition unity sans the Congress is destined to fail. “If you go by numbers, you cannot have any opposition front minus the Congress if you are serious about fighting the BJP. If you try to forge any such front, it will only help the BJP,” he said.

  • BJP’s North Bengal MLA Suman Kanjilal joins TMC

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: In a jolt to BJP’s north Bengal stronghold, an MLA from Alipurduar of the saffron camp on Sunday defected to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

    Suman Kanjilal, a BJP MLA from the north Bengal constituency, joined the Trinamool Congress in presence of Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary and nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.  

    With the defection of Kanjilal, BJP’s strength in the Assembly has come down to 69 from 77 as five other MLAs had joined the ruling TMC earlier. Two MPs, who had contested in the 2021 Assembly elections and won, decided to function as representatives in the lower house of the Parliament.

    “As an MLA, I want to work for the common people. I discussed it with the chief minister. I decided to join the TMC to work better for the people. I wanted to perform more when I was a BJP MLA using the schemes of the Union government. But I could not because many projects were stalled by the BJP-led Centre,’’ said Kanjilal.

    Kanjilal’s change in political allegiance is said to be significant ahead of the panchayat elections in the state.

    Though the TMC had secured a sweeping victory by bagging 214 seats out of 292 in the 2021 Assembly polls, the party failed to leave a footprint in the Alipurduar district as the BJP secured victory in all five seats.

    “The people who voted for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2021 Assembly polls are disappointed. They realised there is no alternative political force other than the TMC which can offer good governance,” said a senior TMC leader, adding that there were more surprises waiting for the BJP in North Bengal.

    In the 2019 general elections, the BJP bagged 18 seats out of 42 in Bengal of which seven were from north Bengal.

    Previously, two other BJP MLAs from north Bengal – Krishna Kalyani of Raiganj and Soumen Roy of Kaliaganj joined the TMC at different times.

    Three other saffron party legislators from the southern part of the state, including former Union minister Mukul Roy, also switched sides.

    Lok Sabha MP and former West Bengal BJP vice-president Arjun Singh had also joined the TMC.

    KOLKATA: In a jolt to BJP’s north Bengal stronghold, an MLA from Alipurduar of the saffron camp on Sunday defected to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

    Suman Kanjilal, a BJP MLA from the north Bengal constituency, joined the Trinamool Congress in presence of Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary and nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.  

    With the defection of Kanjilal, BJP’s strength in the Assembly has come down to 69 from 77 as five other MLAs had joined the ruling TMC earlier. Two MPs, who had contested in the 2021 Assembly elections and won, decided to function as representatives in the lower house of the Parliament.

    “As an MLA, I want to work for the common people. I discussed it with the chief minister. I decided to join the TMC to work better for the people. I wanted to perform more when I was a BJP MLA using the schemes of the Union government. But I could not because many projects were stalled by the BJP-led Centre,’’ said Kanjilal.

    Kanjilal’s change in political allegiance is said to be significant ahead of the panchayat elections in the state.

    Though the TMC had secured a sweeping victory by bagging 214 seats out of 292 in the 2021 Assembly polls, the party failed to leave a footprint in the Alipurduar district as the BJP secured victory in all five seats.

    “The people who voted for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2021 Assembly polls are disappointed. They realised there is no alternative political force other than the TMC which can offer good governance,” said a senior TMC leader, adding that there were more surprises waiting for the BJP in North Bengal.

    In the 2019 general elections, the BJP bagged 18 seats out of 42 in Bengal of which seven were from north Bengal.

    Previously, two other BJP MLAs from north Bengal – Krishna Kalyani of Raiganj and Soumen Roy of Kaliaganj joined the TMC at different times.

    Three other saffron party legislators from the southern part of the state, including former Union minister Mukul Roy, also switched sides.

    Lok Sabha MP and former West Bengal BJP vice-president Arjun Singh had also joined the TMC.

  • Mamata launches TMC’s new outreach drive ahead of Panchayat polls in Bengal

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee launched her party’s latest outreach programme titled ‘Didir Suraksha Kavach’ (sister’s protective shield) ahead of the Panchayat polls slated to be held later this year.

    Around 3.5 lakh Trinamool Congress workers and 350 party leaders comprising of MPs and MLAs will act as ‘Didir Dyut’ (sister’s messenger) and carry out the programme’s objective of reaching out to 10 crore people across the state. The party’s lawmakers and other leaders have been asked to spend 10 days in villages to identify the ground-level problems and find out whether the state government’s flagship projects are reaching them.

    The new initiative follows two similar outreach drives from the past —’Didi Ke Bolo’ (tell your sister) and ‘Duare Sarkar’ (government at your doorstep) and comes amid a series of corruption charges levelled against TMC functionaries.

    “Didir Suraksha Kavach is another shape of Duare Sarkar. The state government is doing its own job. But as the ruling political party, we cannot skip responsibilities. Because more than 85 gram panchayats are dominated by our party. The government’s doorstep initiative sorted many issues. The new outreach drive will focus on other issues which the government is yet to address,’’ said chief minister Mamata Banerjee while addressing a workers’ meet in south Kolkata’s Nazrul Mancha.

    The drive will continue for two months covering both the rural and semi-urban pockets of the state. The initiative is said to be an initiative mainly aimed at the rural polls at a time when the ruling TMC is facing large-scale complaints of corruption in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), while the CPI(M), continues its resurgence as the second political outfit in the state.

    Asked whether the new outreach drive is aimed at the panchayat polls, Mamata said the Duare Sarkar drive was initiated after the 2021 Assembly elections. “It is our part of a continuous effort for the development of the state. Elections have nothing to with it.”

    Replying to her frequent allegation against the BJP over “destroying” the federal structure of the country, the Bengal CM said, “My ideology is clear. We want unity in diversity. The federal structure of the country must be strengthened.”

    Meanwhile, Mamata’s nephew and TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, “The party will start the new initiative from January 11 and continue it for the next 60 days. Our party leaders will spend 10 days at villages, and our 3.5 lakh party workers reach out to the people in remote pockets to verify whether the state government’s welfare projects are reaching them.”

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee launched her party’s latest outreach programme titled ‘Didir Suraksha Kavach’ (sister’s protective shield) ahead of the Panchayat polls slated to be held later this year.

    Around 3.5 lakh Trinamool Congress workers and 350 party leaders comprising of MPs and MLAs will act as ‘Didir Dyut’ (sister’s messenger) and carry out the programme’s objective of reaching out to 10 crore people across the state. The party’s lawmakers and other leaders have been asked to spend 10 days in villages to identify the ground-level problems and find out whether the state government’s flagship projects are reaching them.

    The new initiative follows two similar outreach drives from the past —’Didi Ke Bolo’ (tell your sister) and ‘Duare Sarkar’ (government at your doorstep) and comes amid a series of corruption charges levelled against TMC functionaries.

    “Didir Suraksha Kavach is another shape of Duare Sarkar. The state government is doing its own job. But as the ruling political party, we cannot skip responsibilities. Because more than 85 gram panchayats are dominated by our party. The government’s doorstep initiative sorted many issues. The new outreach drive will focus on other issues which the government is yet to address,’’ said chief minister Mamata Banerjee while addressing a workers’ meet in south Kolkata’s Nazrul Mancha.

    The drive will continue for two months covering both the rural and semi-urban pockets of the state. The initiative is said to be an initiative mainly aimed at the rural polls at a time when the ruling TMC is facing large-scale complaints of corruption in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), while the CPI(M), continues its resurgence as the second political outfit in the state.

    Asked whether the new outreach drive is aimed at the panchayat polls, Mamata said the Duare Sarkar drive was initiated after the 2021 Assembly elections. “It is our part of a continuous effort for the development of the state. Elections have nothing to with it.”

    Replying to her frequent allegation against the BJP over “destroying” the federal structure of the country, the Bengal CM said, “My ideology is clear. We want unity in diversity. The federal structure of the country must be strengthened.”

    Meanwhile, Mamata’s nephew and TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, “The party will start the new initiative from January 11 and continue it for the next 60 days. Our party leaders will spend 10 days at villages, and our 3.5 lakh party workers reach out to the people in remote pockets to verify whether the state government’s welfare projects are reaching them.”

  • Irked by ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan, Mamata refuses to share dais during Vande Bharat Express inauguration

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: Irked by the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan at the virtual inauguration event of West Bengal’s first Vande Bharat Express by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to share the stage at Howrah station.

    Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was present at the event, was seen trying to control the BJP supporters and requested them to refrain from shouting slogans. He pleaded with Mamata and requested her to come on the dais which she refused.

    Governor CV Ananda Bose was seen interacting with Mamata. The Bengal CM even refused to deliver a speech. But, however, following repeated requests from the governor, Mamata delivered a brief speech expressing her condolences over the death of Modi’s mother.

    A political slugfest erupted over the issue of the slogan. Firhad Hakim, a minister in Mamata’s cabinet, said the BJP supporters deliberately shouted the slogan to irritate the chief minister. ‘’Jai Shri Ram should be said in a temple or house with a pure mind. But the BJP supporters are using this slogan to irritate our chief minister. Had we wanted we could have stopped them immediately. But we believe in political courtesy,’’ he said.

    This is not the first time Mamata expressed her discontent over raising the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan. In 2021, on the occasion of celebrating the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, where Modi and other Union ministers were present, BJP supporters raised the slogan as soon as Mamata appeared on the stage. Expressing her displeasure, Mamata said the government programme should follow certain decorum. ‘’It is unexpected to insult any invited person at such an event. So, in protest, I refuse to say anything here. Jai Hind. Jai Bangla,’’ she said in her brief address.

    ALSO READ | PM Modi virtually flags off Howrah-NJP Vande Bharat express

    The event took a political turn as soon as the BJP supporters shouted the slogan and in retaliation, TMC supporters shouted Trinamool Congress zindabad (long live TMC).

    Throughout the programme, Mamata sat on a chair adjacent to the dais. ‘’I express my condolences over the demise of Heeraben Modi, the mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sir, I would like to request you to show your love for your mother through your act,’’ she said in her brief speech.

    BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said the slogan was raised when the Prime Minister appeared online to inaugurate the express train. ‘’The slogan was not raised to irritate the chief minister. No one should find politics in it,’’ she said.

    KOLKATA: Irked by the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan at the virtual inauguration event of West Bengal’s first Vande Bharat Express by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to share the stage at Howrah station.

    Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was present at the event, was seen trying to control the BJP supporters and requested them to refrain from shouting slogans. He pleaded with Mamata and requested her to come on the dais which she refused.

    Governor CV Ananda Bose was seen interacting with Mamata. The Bengal CM even refused to deliver a speech. But, however, following repeated requests from the governor, Mamata delivered a brief speech expressing her condolences over the death of Modi’s mother.

    A political slugfest erupted over the issue of the slogan. Firhad Hakim, a minister in Mamata’s cabinet, said the BJP supporters deliberately shouted the slogan to irritate the chief minister. ‘’Jai Shri Ram should be said in a temple or house with a pure mind. But the BJP supporters are using this slogan to irritate our chief minister. Had we wanted we could have stopped them immediately. But we believe in political courtesy,’’ he said.

    This is not the first time Mamata expressed her discontent over raising the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan. In 2021, on the occasion of celebrating the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, where Modi and other Union ministers were present, BJP supporters raised the slogan as soon as Mamata appeared on the stage. Expressing her displeasure, Mamata said the government programme should follow certain decorum. ‘’It is unexpected to insult any invited person at such an event. So, in protest, I refuse to say anything here. Jai Hind. Jai Bangla,’’ she said in her brief address.

    ALSO READ | PM Modi virtually flags off Howrah-NJP Vande Bharat express

    The event took a political turn as soon as the BJP supporters shouted the slogan and in retaliation, TMC supporters shouted Trinamool Congress zindabad (long live TMC).

    Throughout the programme, Mamata sat on a chair adjacent to the dais. ‘’I express my condolences over the demise of Heeraben Modi, the mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sir, I would like to request you to show your love for your mother through your act,’’ she said in her brief speech.

    BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said the slogan was raised when the Prime Minister appeared online to inaugurate the express train. ‘’The slogan was not raised to irritate the chief minister. No one should find politics in it,’’ she said.

  • Amit Shah meets Mamata one-to-one, land issues discussed

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: Union Home minister Amit Shah met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee one-to-one on the sidelines of Eastern Zonal Council meeting on Saturday where issues like land for Border Security Force (BSF) outposts and railway projects and Bengal government’s dues from the Centre were discussed. The meeting between the two political heavyweights continued for 20 minutes before Shah left for Kolkata airport.

    In the Eastern Zonal Council meeting convened by Shah at Nbanna, the state secretariat, West Bengal CM, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and representatives from Odisha were present. Fencing along the India-Bangladesh border, cross-border smuggling and timely completion of the freight corridor were the agendas discussed in the meeting.

    The one-to-one meeting between Shah and Mamata said to be politically significant at a time when the Bengal government and the Centre were at loggerheads on several occasions over several issues ranging from alleged highhandedness of central agencies against Trinamool Congress leaders and better coordination between the state police and the BSF

    Suvendu Adhikari, BJP leader and the Leader of the Opposition, who came to the airport to see off Shah, said, ‘’I asked Shahji about his meeting the with CM. He told me that lands required for setting up of 72 BSF outposts along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border and better communication between the state police force and the BSF were discussed with her. The Union minister also said that he explained why the India-Bangladesh border is very important for national security.’’

    Adhikari said Shah called him for a meeting along with BJP’s state president in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss ‘’important issues’’.

    Sources at Nabanna said that mort important issue that Shah highlighted in the Council meeting was the fencing of the border between Bengal and Bangladesh. “Of the 2,216 km of the border, 1,638 km is already covered with wired fencing. The Centre is stressing on erecting barbed fencing along another 150 km at the earliest. The rest of the frontier cannot be fenced as the border runs through rivers or has technical problems like the existence of villages within 150 meters from the boundary.”

    The issue of cattle smuggling was also discussed in the council meeting.

    The ruling TMC is facing embarrassment on the issue of cattle smuggling to Bangladesh as the BJP never misses an opportunity to use it as a political tool, and the arrest of TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal by the CBI further pushed Mamata’s party on back foot.

    The council meeting continued for 1 hour 40 minutes from 11 am. After the meet, Mamata requested Shah to visit her chamber on the 14th floor of the state secretariat.

    KOLKATA: Union Home minister Amit Shah met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee one-to-one on the sidelines of Eastern Zonal Council meeting on Saturday where issues like land for Border Security Force (BSF) outposts and railway projects and Bengal government’s dues from the Centre were discussed. The meeting between the two political heavyweights continued for 20 minutes before Shah left for Kolkata airport.

    In the Eastern Zonal Council meeting convened by Shah at Nbanna, the state secretariat, West Bengal CM, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and representatives from Odisha were present. Fencing along the India-Bangladesh border, cross-border smuggling and timely completion of the freight corridor were the agendas discussed in the meeting.

    The one-to-one meeting between Shah and Mamata said to be politically significant at a time when the Bengal government and the Centre were at loggerheads on several occasions over several issues ranging from alleged highhandedness of central agencies against Trinamool Congress leaders and better coordination between the state police and the BSF

    Suvendu Adhikari, BJP leader and the Leader of the Opposition, who came to the airport to see off Shah, said, ‘’I asked Shahji about his meeting the with CM. He told me that lands required for setting up of 72 BSF outposts along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border and better communication between the state police force and the BSF were discussed with her. The Union minister also said that he explained why the India-Bangladesh border is very important for national security.’’

    Adhikari said Shah called him for a meeting along with BJP’s state president in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss ‘’important issues’’.

    Sources at Nabanna said that mort important issue that Shah highlighted in the Council meeting was the fencing of the border between Bengal and Bangladesh. “Of the 2,216 km of the border, 1,638 km is already covered with wired fencing. The Centre is stressing on erecting barbed fencing along another 150 km at the earliest. The rest of the frontier cannot be fenced as the border runs through rivers or has technical problems like the existence of villages within 150 meters from the boundary.”

    The issue of cattle smuggling was also discussed in the council meeting.

    The ruling TMC is facing embarrassment on the issue of cattle smuggling to Bangladesh as the BJP never misses an opportunity to use it as a political tool, and the arrest of TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal by the CBI further pushed Mamata’s party on back foot.

    The council meeting continued for 1 hour 40 minutes from 11 am. After the meet, Mamata requested Shah to visit her chamber on the 14th floor of the state secretariat.

  • Illegal infiltration, transborder smuggling among issues discussed at EZC meet 

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Illegal infiltration, transborder smuggling and other issues related to the India-Bangladesh boundary were discussed at the 25th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at the West Bengal secretariat near here, a senior official said.

    Talks on transportation facilities and water-sharing among the states were also held at the 25th EZC meeting, which was attended by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her counterpart from Jharkhand Hemant Soren, Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and Odisha minister Pradeep Amat, the official said.

    Shah, who is the chairman of the council, was accompanied by five home ministry officials at the meeting that began around 11 am and lasted for a little over two hours.

    Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik skipped Saturday’s session.

    Shah later met the Bengal CM at her chamber on the 14th floor of the secretariat, the official said.

    The Union minister is likely to leave for Shillong from here, the official added.

    KOLKATA: Illegal infiltration, transborder smuggling and other issues related to the India-Bangladesh boundary were discussed at the 25th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at the West Bengal secretariat near here, a senior official said.

    Talks on transportation facilities and water-sharing among the states were also held at the 25th EZC meeting, which was attended by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her counterpart from Jharkhand Hemant Soren, Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and Odisha minister Pradeep Amat, the official said.

    Shah, who is the chairman of the council, was accompanied by five home ministry officials at the meeting that began around 11 am and lasted for a little over two hours.

    Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik skipped Saturday’s session.

    Shah later met the Bengal CM at her chamber on the 14th floor of the secretariat, the official said.

    The Union minister is likely to leave for Shillong from here, the official added.

  • Amitabh Bachchan’s comments at KIFF inauguration indirect submission of misrule in Bengal: BJP

    By Express News Service

    Hindi actor Amitabh Bachchan’s remarks on questions being raised on “civil liberties” and “freedom of expression” during the inauguration function of the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) on Thursday, is being described as “clandestine admission of the misrule and trampling of democratic rights in West Bengal”, by the BJP.

    Complimenting the actor for showing courage and expressing his opinions on the issue while sharing the stage with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP leaders came in support of the actor. “Even now, I am sure my colleagues on stage would agree that questions are being raised on civil liberties and freedom of expression,” Bachchan had said.BL Santhosh, BJP’s national general secretary, tweeted, “He hit the nail on the head of @MamataOfficial on his side. Thank you @SrBachchan for standing for victims of political violence in West Bengal.”BJP’s IT cell chief and the special observer for the party in West Bengal, Amit Malviya also wrote on Twitter, “Amitabh Bachchan’s words couldn’t have been more prophetic since they were spoken in Kolkata, with Mamata Banerjee on the dais. It is like holding a mirror to the tyrant, under whose watch India witnessed the bloodiest post-poll violence. She has tarnished the image of Bengal…”It is to be noted that Amitabh’s references to “civil liberties” and “freedom of expression” came at a time when the actor is known to dodge political issues in public platforms. Before his speech, Shah Rukh Khan, who had also attended the event, said how social media was often driven by a narrowness of views that enclose collective narrative and makes it more divisive and destructive.

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

    Hindi actor Amitabh Bachchan’s remarks on questions being raised on “civil liberties” and “freedom of expression” during the inauguration function of the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) on Thursday, is being described as “clandestine admission of the misrule and trampling of democratic rights in West Bengal”, by the BJP.

    Complimenting the actor for showing courage and expressing his opinions on the issue while sharing the stage with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP leaders came in support of the actor. “Even now, I am sure my colleagues on stage would agree that questions are being raised on civil liberties and freedom of expression,” Bachchan had said.
    BL Santhosh, BJP’s national general secretary, tweeted, “He hit the nail on the head of @MamataOfficial on his side. Thank you @SrBachchan for standing for victims of political violence in West Bengal.”
    BJP’s IT cell chief and the special observer for the party in West Bengal, Amit Malviya also wrote on Twitter, “Amitabh Bachchan’s words couldn’t have been more prophetic since they were spoken in Kolkata, with Mamata Banerjee on the dais. It is like holding a mirror to the tyrant, under whose watch India witnessed the bloodiest post-poll violence. She has tarnished the image of Bengal…”
    It is to be noted that Amitabh’s references to “civil liberties” and “freedom of expression” came at a time when the actor is known to dodge political issues in public platforms. Before his speech, Shah Rukh Khan, who had also attended the event, said how social media was often driven by a narrowness of views that enclose collective narrative and makes it more divisive and destructive.

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

  • ‘Trinamool not a Bengali party, I work for all of India’: Mamata in poll-bound Meghalaya

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the TMC is not a party of West Bengal or the Bengalis as projected by its critics but of all India.

    On her maiden visit to Shillong in election-bound Meghalaya, Banerjee picked solely the BJP for her attack.

    The BJP, which has two MLAs, is a constituent of the state’s ruling coalition which the National People’s Party (NPP) heads.

    “There is a rumour that the Trinamool Congress is a Bengali party. If it is a Bengali party, why do people sing the national song and the national anthem, which were written by Bankim Chandra (Chatterjee) and Rabindranath (Tagore) respectively?” Banerjee asked.

    She said “Jai Hind” was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s slogan and that Mother Teresa had received the Nobel Peace Prize from Kolkata. She asked if people would say all these personalities belonged only to Bengal and not India. 

    “Why do you divide people on the basis of caste and religion? Let us walk, think and speak together,” Banerjee said. “I am a Bengali too and I am proud of it. I work for all of India. I served in several ministries and am a seven-time former MP. You can’t say I cannot come here because I am a Bengali,” she added.

    Attacking the BJP, she said the party is “jealous” of the TMC. She said the BJP had tried its best and “misused” power in the last West Bengal elections but could not defeat the TMC which won by two/a third majority. 

    She criticised the Meghalaya government on the recent firing incident on the Assam border that left six persons dead. She visited the houses of the five victims from Meghalaya and offered financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each.

    The TMC supremo promised that if TMC is voted to power, it will offer monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 each to one woman of every family in the state.

    Banerjee made several other promises, including solving the border dispute. “You voted for so many parties. Vote for the TMC this time around. Our intention is not to control Meghalaya from Kolkata. You will rule it. We will advise and guide you,” the Bengal CM said.

    Her nephew Abhishek Banerjee said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who heads the NPP, “deposited his spine and everything in Delhi”.

    The TMC general secretary also slammed the state government over the border firing incident. “The victims’ families are shattered. No party stood by them. Not a single perpetrator was taken to task. Nobody was even called for interrogation,” he said.

    The TMC had no base in Meghalaya but in November last year, 12 of the 17 Congress MLAs jumped ship, making the Banerjee-led party the state’s principal opposition dramatically overnight.

    One of the MLAs, Himalaya Shangpliang, ditched the party recently to join the BJP.

    GUWAHATI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the TMC is not a party of West Bengal or the Bengalis as projected by its critics but of all India.

    On her maiden visit to Shillong in election-bound Meghalaya, Banerjee picked solely the BJP for her attack.

    The BJP, which has two MLAs, is a constituent of the state’s ruling coalition which the National People’s Party (NPP) heads.

    “There is a rumour that the Trinamool Congress is a Bengali party. If it is a Bengali party, why do people sing the national song and the national anthem, which were written by Bankim Chandra (Chatterjee) and Rabindranath (Tagore) respectively?” Banerjee asked.

    She said “Jai Hind” was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s slogan and that Mother Teresa had received the Nobel Peace Prize from Kolkata. She asked if people would say all these personalities belonged only to Bengal and not India. 

    “Why do you divide people on the basis of caste and religion? Let us walk, think and speak together,” Banerjee said. “I am a Bengali too and I am proud of it. I work for all of India. I served in several ministries and am a seven-time former MP. You can’t say I cannot come here because I am a Bengali,” she added.

    Attacking the BJP, she said the party is “jealous” of the TMC. She said the BJP had tried its best and “misused” power in the last West Bengal elections but could not defeat the TMC which won by two/a third majority. 

    She criticised the Meghalaya government on the recent firing incident on the Assam border that left six persons dead. She visited the houses of the five victims from Meghalaya and offered financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each.

    The TMC supremo promised that if TMC is voted to power, it will offer monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 each to one woman of every family in the state.

    Banerjee made several other promises, including solving the border dispute. “You voted for so many parties. Vote for the TMC this time around. Our intention is not to control Meghalaya from Kolkata. You will rule it. We will advise and guide you,” the Bengal CM said.

    Her nephew Abhishek Banerjee said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who heads the NPP, “deposited his spine and everything in Delhi”.

    The TMC general secretary also slammed the state government over the border firing incident. “The victims’ families are shattered. No party stood by them. Not a single perpetrator was taken to task. Nobody was even called for interrogation,” he said.

    The TMC had no base in Meghalaya but in November last year, 12 of the 17 Congress MLAs jumped ship, making the Banerjee-led party the state’s principal opposition dramatically overnight.

    One of the MLAs, Himalaya Shangpliang, ditched the party recently to join the BJP.

  • Centre ‘forcefully’ pushing through bills; afraid for future of parliamentary democracy: Mamata

    Banerjee also alleged that at least 16 bills which seek to interfere in state matters have been listed for consideration and passage in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.

  • Woman, brother-in-law seriously injured in blast in West Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A woman and her brother-in-law were seriously injured in a blast in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, police said.

    The incident took place in their house in Ramnagar in Pipha gram panchayat area on Wednesday morning, in which Sonia Bibi and Rakibullah Mondal sustained severe injuries, a senior officer of Basirhat Police said.

    Police claimed that it was an LPG cylinder blast but locals alleged that the “ball”, with which the teenager was playing after bringing it from a nearby ground, exploded, indicating at an accidental crude bomb blast.

    “The woman and her brother-in-law were injured in what seems to be a cylinder blast, but we have got a different version from the locals and are probing the matter,” the officer said, adding that the injured are being treated at a nearby hospital.

    Panchayat elections are likely to be held in the state early next year.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of smuggling arms and ammunition and pumping money into West Bengal from neighbouring states to create law and order issues ahead of the rural polls.

    KOLKATA: A woman and her brother-in-law were seriously injured in a blast in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, police said.

    The incident took place in their house in Ramnagar in Pipha gram panchayat area on Wednesday morning, in which Sonia Bibi and Rakibullah Mondal sustained severe injuries, a senior officer of Basirhat Police said.

    Police claimed that it was an LPG cylinder blast but locals alleged that the “ball”, with which the teenager was playing after bringing it from a nearby ground, exploded, indicating at an accidental crude bomb blast.

    “The woman and her brother-in-law were injured in what seems to be a cylinder blast, but we have got a different version from the locals and are probing the matter,” the officer said, adding that the injured are being treated at a nearby hospital.

    Panchayat elections are likely to be held in the state early next year.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of smuggling arms and ammunition and pumping money into West Bengal from neighbouring states to create law and order issues ahead of the rural polls.