News Analysis India

Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • The significance of Nandigram in West Bengal polls

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The assembly constituency of Nandigram, which will witness a high-octane, high profile battle between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former ministerial colleague and now BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, will go to the polls in the second phase of the ongoing West Bengal assembly elections on April 1.

    Adhikari had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in December last year and is raring to give a tough fight to the Trinamool Congress chief.

    Nandigram is touted to be the deciding constituency in the Bengal polls. BJP’s chances of winning the state assembly elections would increase manifold if they can somehow manage to win Nandigram.

    ALSO READ: Constituencies to look out for in 2nd phase of polling in Bengal

    In the 2016 by-election for the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat, which includes Nandigram, BJP got about 196,000 votes. However, BJP inflicted a shock to the TMC when it won 18 Lok Sabha seats with a vote share of more than 40 percent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

    And it is the performance in the 2019 general assembly elections that has made the BJP a serious contender for power in the state. While the party did very well in the hills — north Bengal, and the Jangalmahal region — it failed to cross a critical threshold in the south Bengal region. South Bengal is the most populous region of the state and accounts for 167 out of the 294 assembly constituencies. Unless the BJP makes significant advances in south Bengal, it would be very difficult for the BJP to beat TMC.

    ALSO READ: Nandigram torn between Dada and Didi

    Violence took place in Nandigram in 2007 in the aftermath of a failed project by the communist government of West Bengal to acquire land for a special economic zone. The policy led to an emergency in the region, and 14 people lost their lives in a police shooting.

    Mamata and her party noted the issue and raised the slogan “Ma Mati Manush” (Mother, Motherland and People) which was used in their election campaigns. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) later exonerated the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya government of responsibility for the shootings.

    Mamata later claimed that the violence was indeed planned by the Adhikaris, who were members of TMC back then, to dethrone the communist government.

    ALSO READ: To salute movement, I chose Nandigram over Singur, says Mamata Banerjee

    Fourteen years after a bloody farmland agitation in Nandigram changed the political landscape in West Bengal, battle lines have been redrawn in Nandigram — a place that shook the foundations of the mighty 34-year-old Left Front regime in the state and propelled TMC to power in 2011.

    Adhikari has claimed that BJP will defeat Mamata — who is for the first time contesting from Nandigram — by a margin of over 50,000 votes, something which will be known only once the counting takes place on May 2.  

  • To salute movement, I chose Nandigram over Singur, says Mamata Banerjee

    By ANI
    NANDIGRAM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader on Tuesday said that she chose to contest from the Nandigram Assembly constituency over Singur to salute the Nandigram movement.

    “I could have contested from any other constituency but I have chosen Nandigram to pay my respect to the mothers & sisters of this place. To salute the Nandigram movement, I chose Nandigram over Singur,” she said.

    “Remember, if I have entered Nandigram once, I will not leave. Nandigram is my place, I will stay here,” she further said.

    Earlier in the day, she led a road rally in Bhagabeda of Nandigram.

    ALSO READ: Nandigram torn between Dada and Didi

    “Bury Bharatiya Janata Party politically and bowl them out from Nandigram and West Bengal,” she said in Sona Chura, Nandigram.

    She also reminded the voters and TMC cadre to maintain their calm during voting in the State Assembly polls.

    “During election cast your votes peacefully. Keep in mind, ‘cool cool Trinamool, thanda thanda cool cool, vote pabe joda phool’. Keep your mind cool for 48 hours,” she said.

    Polling in the Nandigram constituency will take place in the second phase of the Assembly elections on April 1.

    Meanwhile, the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout on Saturday, which covered 30 seats from Purulia, Jhargram, Bankura, Purba and Paschim Medinipur. 

  • ‘…Lost her mental balance’: Dharmendra Pradhan slams Mamata over ‘UP and Bihar goons’ remark

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her “UP and Bihar goons” remark, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said she has lost her mental balance.

    “Mamata Ji has lost her mental balance. She is highly disappointed by the negative response in Nandigram. Speaking about Uttar Pradesh instead of condoling her (elderly mother of a BJP worker) death is like running away from responsibilities. She is scared of defeat,” Pradhan said.

    On Monday, speaking about the incident in which she suffered injuries and fractured her leg in Nandigram on March 10, she had said: “They attacked me. No one from Nandigram attacked me but you (BJP) brought goons from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. We want a free and fair election. If they come, women should beat them up with utensils.”

    “Those who cannot love culture, cannot do politics here. Nandigram witnessing hooliganism. We did a meeting in Birulia. The TMC office was destroyed. He (Suvendu Adhikari) is doing whatever he wants. I can play games too. I too will respond like a lion. I am a Royal Bengal tiger,” she had added.

    The remaining seven phases for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held on different dates with the final round of voting scheduled on April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 2.

  • Suvendu Vs Mamata face-off in Nandigram: Constituencies to look out for in 2nd phase of polling in Bengal

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: As the second phase of polling for the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections on April 1 is nearing, a high-stakes battle will be witnessed in Nandigram, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will face off against her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari.

    Voting would take place in 30 Assembly constituencies in the second phase from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura and Purba Medinipur.

    Out of the 171 candidates contesting in 30 seats in phase-II polls of West Bengal, 152 candidates are men while only 19 are women. It means only 11 per cent of the candidates are female.

    Of all the constituencies in the second phase, Nandigram is of the highest importance, as it will not only witness a high-profile contest between Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari, the constituency is a key player in the victory of the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) in the 2011 Assembly elections.

    Suvendu Adhikari played a key role in the TMC’s 2007 anti-land acquisition protest in Nandigram as the ground-level strategist, propelling Mamata Banerjee’s party to hand over a humiliating defeat to the Left government that ruled the state for 34 years.

    However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inflicted a shock to the ruling government when it clinched victory in 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, with a vote share of over 40 per cent. This performance made BJP a serious contender for power in the state.

    Between Suvendu Adhikari and Mamata Banerjee, Communist Party of India’s (Marxist) candidate Minakshi Mukherjee is also contesting for the Nandigram seat.

    Meanwhile, another important district in the fray for the second phase is South 24 Parganas. The district contains 31 Assembly constituencies in total and is known as a TMC stronghold. TMC managed to win 29 of 31 seats in the South 24 Parganas.

    While BJP managed to make a dent in the North 24 Parganas in the 2019 elections, it failed to taste victory in South 24 Parganas. Mamata Banerjee nephew Abhishek Banerjee won the seat from Diamond Harbour for the second time in 2016 by a margin of over 3 lakh votes.

    One of the most important factors in the South 24 Parganas is the Muslim population, which both parties will seek to draw in their favour, who have majorly supported TMC so far. The district is also infamous for intense violence ahead of polls.

    Once considered as the bastion of the Left Front, people in the tribal-dominated districts of Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur voted for the TMC in the last two Assembly elections. However, the BJP clinched victories in these two districts in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

    Apart from Purba Medinipur, their home turf, the Adhikari clan is reported to have organisational control over 20 to 30 seats of adjoining districts of Bankura and Paschim Medinipur, almost all of which will go into polls in the first two phases.

    In Paschim Medinipur, Haldia, bordered by the Haldi river, is a key location for petrochemical businesses and is becoming an important industrial destination in Eastern India. In 2016, CPI(M) candidate Tapashi Mondal defeated TMC’s Madhurima Mondal.

    In the Purba Medinipur, Tamluk is also one of the key constituencies to look out for, which has its own distinct ethnic mix, stemming from successive migrations and invasions from both the west, east and especially from northern India, according to its website.

    BJP’s main candidate Suvendu Adhikari and his family holds considerable power in Tamluk, as his brother Dibyendu Adhikari, who also followed Suvendu Adhikari to BJP, had managed to hold on to the seat for TMC in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    Meanwhile, the Debra constituency will witness a head-to-head contest between two super cops on April 1. While BJP has fielded former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh, TMC has put forward Humayun Kabir, also an ex-IPS officer.

    Many popular faces from the entertainment industry are emerging in the second phase of polls, with actors Soham Chakraborty and Sayantika Banerjee contesting from Chandipur and Bankura respectively from TMC and actor Hiranmoy Chattopadhyay from BJP contesting for the seat in Kharagpur Sadar in Paschim Medinipur.

    Meanwhile, the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout on Saturday, which covered 30 seats from Purulia, Jhargram, Bankura, Purba and Paschim Medinipur.  

  • ‘Police from BJP-ruled states terrorising voters in Nandigram’: Mamata Banerjee in rally

    By PTI
    NANDIGRAM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged police forces from BJP- ruled states have been brought in to “terrorise” voters in Nandigram assembly seat where she is locked in a keen contest with confidante-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the saffron party.

    Before leading a colourful road show from Bhangabera, Banerjee told a public meeting in Sonachura that police personnel from Madhya Pradesh have been deployed to “terrorise” voters in villages and tilt the balance in favour of the BJP.

    She, however, said she was confident of a massive win from the seat and also about leading her party to a third straight term in power.

    In a veiled threat to Adhikari, she said, “They (police forces from outside) will be here only for a few days. Take no mistake, we will be back and give the betrayers a befitting reply.”

    ​ALSO READ | Bitter war of words between West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Adhikaris in Nandigram

    She said the Election Commission is being apprised of the alleged acts of impropriety by police personnel from outside.

    Banerjee urged the people to be alert against “any bid to incite communal riots” in Nandigram ahead of the polling on April 1.

    “They (the BJP) have plans to kill their own people and pass it off as our handiwork to engineer riots. We have the information. Be on guard,” she said without naming the saffron party.

    “Nandigram stood united in the battle against forcible land acquisition in which people from all communities participated. Be on guard against any bid to fuel tension by keeping any object in places of worship. We are all united. Defeat the riot mongers,” she said.

    #WATCH | During election cast your votes peacefully. Keep in mind, ‘cool cool Trinamool, thanda thanda cool cool, vote pabe joda phool’. Keep your mind cool for 48 hours: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in in Sona Chura, Nandigram. pic.twitter.com/jfFa3ZIrgP
    — ANI (@ANI) March 30, 2021

    The TMC supremo led the 3-km road show that meandered through the narrow alleys of Nandigram, as crowds shouted “Jai Hind, Jai Bangla, Mamata Banerjee Zindabad” and denounced “Mir Jafars (betrayers)”.

  • Amit Shah should focus on UP, Bengal doesn’t tolerate violence against women: Mamata Banerjee

    By ANI
    NANDIGRAM: After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following the death of an 85-year-old mother of a BJP worker on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the state does not tolerate violence against women, adding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah should focus on Uttar Pradesh rather than West Bengal.

    “I do not know what happened, I condemn all deaths and I do not support any death. In Bengal, we do not support such deaths. We do not tolerate attacks on our mothers and daughters. Amit Shah tweets and says, ‘Bengal ka kya haal hai’. What is the condition in UP? What is the condition in Hathras?” said Mamata while speaking at a public meeting in Nandigram.

    She also said why the BJP engages in hooliganism as they know they are facing a defeat in the ongoing assembly elections.

    “They (elections) happen on people’s vote, an individual decides whom to vote for or not, then why the need for hooliganism? Who does hooliganism? Who does not have any hopes to win? They have lost before they can win, they have lost the match before it began, these people need to do ‘gundaraj’,” she remarked.

    Mamata also said that the petrol pumps belong to the BJP and several illegal things are happening there.

    Speaking on her former ministerial colleague-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari, she said: “It is my fault. I never thought that the person to whom I gave the transport, irrigation, environment ministries, made his father the chairman of development in Digha, made his brother the municipality chairman of Kanthi. After doing so much, he garnered so much money, that the BJP asked him to either join their party or face death.”

    She also warned that the Adhikaris will remain ‘na ghar ka na ghat ka’ after the elections.

    She also said that when the first movement happened in Nandigram, the ‘baap-beta’ duo could not be seen for the first 10-12 days. They only came after things were under control.

    Mamata earlier held a ‘padayatra’ (roadshow) on a wheelchair, marking the first roadshow here after she was injured in an alleged attack earlier this month.

    Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest in the second phase of the state assembly elections to be held on April 1 with the Chief Minister taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year.

    Meanwhile, the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout on Saturday.

    In the first phase, 30 seats covering all assembly constituencies from the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur went to the polls to decide on the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women.

  • ‘Why was Amit Shah mum during Hathras rape case’: Mamata on death of elderly woman in Bengal

    By PTI
    NANDIGRAM: Amid the furore over the death of an 82-year-old “mother of a BJP worker” in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said she does not support violence against women and is not aware of the real reason behind the death and wondered why Union Home Minister Amit Shah remains silent when women are “tortured to death” in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.

    The BJP claimed that the elderly woman, a party worker’s mother, succumbed to her injuries sustained during an attack by Trinamool Congress supporters in Nimta area of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district last month.

    “I don’t know how the sister has died. We don’t support violence against women. We have never supported violence against my sisters and mothers. “But the BJP is now politicising the issue. Amit Shah is tweeting and saying Bengal Ka Kya Haal hain. Why does he remain mum when women are attacked and brutalised in Hathras in Uttar Pradesh?” Banerjee said while addressing a rally in Nandigram.

    Highlighting that Model Code of Conduct is in place, law and order is now under the jurisdiction of the ECI, Banerjee said, “Three Trinamool Congress workers have been killed in the last few days.

    ” The Union Home Minister tweeted in the morning, “Anguished over the demise of Bengals daughter Shova Majumdar ji, who was brutally beaten by TMC goons.

    “The pain & wounds of her family will haunt Mamata didi for long. Bengal will fight for a violence-free tomorrow, Bengal will fight for a safer state for our sisters & mothers”.

  • Mamata Vs Suvendu: Ahead of high-stake Nandigram battle, Bengal CM holds roadshow

    By ANI
    NANDIGRAM: Ahead of the second phase of West Bengal assembly polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a ‘padayatra’ (roadshow) in Nandigram on a wheelchair, marking the first roadshow here after she was injured in an alleged attack earlier this month.

    Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest in the second phase of the state assembly elections to be held on April 1 with the Chief Minister taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year.

    Thousands of people gathered around the Chief Minister waving party flags as Mamata held the rally from Khudiram Mod to Thakur Chowk in Nandigram Block-2, which would be followed by a public meeting in Jansabha Boyal II.

    Another public meeting will take place at 2 pm then at 3:30 pm in the Amdabad High School Ground.

    Suvendu Adhikari had earlier said that BJP will defeat Banerjee by over 50,000 votes from Nandigram.

    Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will take on Mamata in a massive roadshow in Nandigram on Tuesday to bat for Adhikari. Bollywood star Mithun Chakraborty is also expected to conduct a roadshow for the BJP in Nandigram ahead of polling.

    Earlier this month, during a two-day visit in Nandigram, Mamata alleged that she was pushed by a few unidentified people during her election campaign.

    Banerjee sustained “severe bony injuries” on her left foot and ankle as well as bruises and injuries on her shoulder, forearm and neck, according to the report of her initial medical examination.

    The Election Commission later said that the injury caused to the CM in Nandigram was not a result of an “attack” and suspended IPS officer Vivek Sahay, acting director of security for the West Bengal Chief Minister, with immediate effect.

    Meanwhile, the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout on Saturday.

    In the first phase, 30 seats covering all assembly constituencies from the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur went to the polls to decide on the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women.

  • Bengal polls: Mamata intensifies efforts to win over Nandigram voters before campaigning ends

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee intensified efforts to woo voters before campaigning for the second phase of the assembly poll ends in Nandigram on Tuesday evening.

    Her campaign in the high-stakes constituency will begin at 11 am on Monday with an 8-kilometre roadshow from Khudiram More to Thakurchowk in Nandigram Block 2, followed by a public meeting in Jansabha Boyal II. Another one will take at 2 pm then at 3:30 pm in the Amdabad High School Ground.

    Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest of the state assembly elections with the Chief Minister taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year.

    Adhikari had earlier said that BJP will defeat Banerjee by over 50,000 votes from Nandigram.

    The BJP will also be bringing in big names to counter the TMC’s top leader. Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will take on Mamata in a massive roadshow in Nandigram on Tuesday to bat for Adhikari.

    Bollywood star Mithun Chakraborty is also expected to conduct a roadshow in Nandigram ahead of polling.

    PM Narendra Modi had addressed a public rally for Suvendu Adhikari earlier. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath too had come to campaign in the constituency.

    With rallies of Mamata planned for each day till the campaign ends, the Adhikari clan too has focussed its energy on ensuring that polling agents remain alert and that panna pramukhs bring out the voters on April 1.

    The Adhikaris have been working on a strategy to not let the last leg of campaigning sway the voters towards her.

    Sources in the BJP stated that the focus would remain on bringing voters to the polling stations while the candidates would be intensifying campaigning.

    “It’s all about that one day when polling happens. It is all that matters. So, if the Chief Minister campaigns and we do too, voters have largely made up their minds,” said a senior BJP leader.

    Adhikari, a former TMC leader, joined the BJP ahead of Assembly polls. Adhikari is a sitting MLA from Nandigram, a seat where Mamata Banerjee has decided to contest this time instead of Bhawanipur.

    Meanwhile, the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout on Saturday.

    In the first phase, 30 seats covering all assembly constituencies from the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur went to polls to decide on the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women.

    Now the remaining seven phases for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly polls will be held on different dates with the final round of voting scheduled on April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 2.

  • Mamata accuses Modi of speaking at Matua temple with an eye on Bengal polls

    By Express News Service
    KHARAGPUR:  West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged PM Narendra Modi’s speech at the Matua temple at Orakandi in Bangladesh was with an eye on Bengal polls.

    The TMC supremo also alleged that Modi violated the model code of conduct through his speech at the temple, holy to the Matua community spread over India and Bangladesh. However, Modi in his speech at the temple had not made any election promises.

    Addressing a public meeting in Kharagpur, Banerjee recalled the scrapping Bangladeshi actor Firdaus’s visa during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections “as he took part in a rally here” and wondered why Modi’s visa should not be dealt with similarly.

    “Modi is delivering a speech at a temple in Bangladesh with an eye on elections in West Bengal. This is a total violation of the election code of conduct, we are taking up the issue with Election Commission,” she said.

    The Matua community in West Bengal is estimated to be 30 million strong. Pointing out that the BJP often accused her of bringing in Bangladeshi “infiltrators”, she wondered why Modi “now goes to Bangladesh to do marketing (sic)” for votes.