Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • Some people conspiring against Bengal, trying to defame us: Mamata

    Amid the arrests of senior party leaders in graft cases, the TMC supremo said those who have committed mistakes should be given a chance to rectify these.

  • Bengal: Onset of winter sees political temperature soaring between TMC, BJP

    By PTI

    KOLKATA:  As the cold weather approaches, the political temperature seems to be rising in Bengal amid claims and counterclaims by the opposition BJP and the ruling TMC over the stability of the Mamata Banerjee-led government.

    The month of December has assumed significance in Bengal’s political landscape over the past few months with several BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, stating on occasions that the TMC would cease to exist when the year draws to a close, an assertion that was initially rebuffed by the ruling camp.

    However, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressing concern over recent arms seizures in the state and voicing apprehension that attempts were being made to stir unrest in north Bengal, BJP’s dire warnings are now being taken seriously by some, sources in the party said.

    Demand for a separate union territory had been gaining ground in north Bengal, with several BJP leaders and local outfits asserting since last month that it was only a “matter of time.” The BJP leadership, however, has distanced itself from the remark.

    TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that it was evident from the BJP leaders’ statements that they were hatching a conspiracy to destabilize the state government.

    “The BJP had been seeking revenge one way or the other after its defeat in the last assembly polls. It is evident from their statements that they are hatching a conspiracy to destabilize the state government and create disturbances through various means. If any untoward incident happens in December, the BJP will be responsible for it,” Ghosh said.

    Echoing him, veteran TMC leader Sougata Roy said the BJP is “desperate to capture power” in West Bengal by hook or by crook.

    “The BJP is trying to create a December phobia to boost the morale of party workers. We have seen in Maharashtra and other states that the party can stoop to any level to seize power. They are fanning separatism and creating a financial blockade by stopping fund flow to the state,” Roy told PTI.READ | Some people conspiring against Bengal, trying to defame us: Mamata

    Adhikari had said in August that the TMC government will “cease to exist” by December, and assembly elections will be held in the state along with the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

    Top BJP leaders, including state president Sukanta Majumdar, too had said that “unprecedented” political developments will occur in December. BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh, when approached, claimed that the state government is administratively and financially on a sticky wicket.

    “The way senior TMC leaders and ministers were arrested, one after another, in the last few months, shows that the entire government and the party are involved in corruption. You never know who is next. The law and order situation, too, has worsened. So we feel that the survival of the TMC government is at stake,” Ghosh stated.

    BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya feels that the state is on the verge of economic collapse.

    “The TMC is facing political instability, and the economic situation in the state is awful. The TMC leaders are at each other’s throats. The survival of this government is at stake,” he told PTI.

    CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that both the TMC and the BJP were making attempts to “create a binary to divert attention from real issues”.

    Political analysts and economists, however, feel the situation is better than what was projected by the BJP.

    “The economic situation of any state is gauged by its debt ratio and GSDP, and those figures are not alarming. After the implementation of GST, tax collection has also improved. But at the same time, populist and welfare schemes are putting pressure on the state exchequer,” economist Ajitav Rai Chaudhuri told PTI.

    Veteran political scientist Amal Mukhopadhyay claimed that “a narrative created around a month is something unprecedented in the history of Bengal politics”.

    “Never before have we seen so much hype being created around a month. I feel it’s a hoax to keep the political cauldron boiling. At present, politics in Bengal is just about mudslinging, communal polarisation and creating a narrative to stay afloat,” Mukhopadhyay, former principal of Presidency College, added.ALSO READ | MGNREGA: West Bengal’s employment drive without Centre’s fund falls flat

    KOLKATA:  As the cold weather approaches, the political temperature seems to be rising in Bengal amid claims and counterclaims by the opposition BJP and the ruling TMC over the stability of the Mamata Banerjee-led government.

    The month of December has assumed significance in Bengal’s political landscape over the past few months with several BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, stating on occasions that the TMC would cease to exist when the year draws to a close, an assertion that was initially rebuffed by the ruling camp.

    However, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressing concern over recent arms seizures in the state and voicing apprehension that attempts were being made to stir unrest in north Bengal, BJP’s dire warnings are now being taken seriously by some, sources in the party said.

    Demand for a separate union territory had been gaining ground in north Bengal, with several BJP leaders and local outfits asserting since last month that it was only a “matter of time.” The BJP leadership, however, has distanced itself from the remark.

    TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that it was evident from the BJP leaders’ statements that they were hatching a conspiracy to destabilize the state government.

    “The BJP had been seeking revenge one way or the other after its defeat in the last assembly polls. It is evident from their statements that they are hatching a conspiracy to destabilize the state government and create disturbances through various means. If any untoward incident happens in December, the BJP will be responsible for it,” Ghosh said.

    Echoing him, veteran TMC leader Sougata Roy said the BJP is “desperate to capture power” in West Bengal by hook or by crook.

    “The BJP is trying to create a December phobia to boost the morale of party workers. We have seen in Maharashtra and other states that the party can stoop to any level to seize power. They are fanning separatism and creating a financial blockade by stopping fund flow to the state,” Roy told PTI.READ | Some people conspiring against Bengal, trying to defame us: Mamata

    Adhikari had said in August that the TMC government will “cease to exist” by December, and assembly elections will be held in the state along with the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

    Top BJP leaders, including state president Sukanta Majumdar, too had said that “unprecedented” political developments will occur in December. BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh, when approached, claimed that the state government is administratively and financially on a sticky wicket.

    “The way senior TMC leaders and ministers were arrested, one after another, in the last few months, shows that the entire government and the party are involved in corruption. You never know who is next. The law and order situation, too, has worsened. So we feel that the survival of the TMC government is at stake,” Ghosh stated.

    BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya feels that the state is on the verge of economic collapse.

    “The TMC is facing political instability, and the economic situation in the state is awful. The TMC leaders are at each other’s throats. The survival of this government is at stake,” he told PTI.

    CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that both the TMC and the BJP were making attempts to “create a binary to divert attention from real issues”.

    Political analysts and economists, however, feel the situation is better than what was projected by the BJP.

    “The economic situation of any state is gauged by its debt ratio and GSDP, and those figures are not alarming. After the implementation of GST, tax collection has also improved. But at the same time, populist and welfare schemes are putting pressure on the state exchequer,” economist Ajitav Rai Chaudhuri told PTI.

    Veteran political scientist Amal Mukhopadhyay claimed that “a narrative created around a month is something unprecedented in the history of Bengal politics”.

    “Never before have we seen so much hype being created around a month. I feel it’s a hoax to keep the political cauldron boiling. At present, politics in Bengal is just about mudslinging, communal polarisation and creating a narrative to stay afloat,” Mukhopadhyay, former principal of Presidency College, added.ALSO READ | MGNREGA: West Bengal’s employment drive without Centre’s fund falls flat

  • Won’t allow BJP to implement CAA, says Mamata; it will be done: Union minister

    By PTI

    KOLKATA/ JALPAIGURI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the Centre for the possible implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, claiming that the BJP was raking the issue ahead of the Gujarat assembly election.

    Hours later, Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik asserted that the CAA will be gradually implemented across the country.

    The Centre had on Monday decided to grant Indian citizenship to minorities mostly from Pakistan, who have migrated to India, and are currently living in two districts of Gujarat, under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and not the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA).

    “Stop all these politics. They (BJP) are doing it because there are elections in Gujarat. We will not let them implement it. To us, all are citizens (of India). We are against this,” Banerjee told reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for Chennai.

    She has travelled to the southern Indian city to attend a family gathering of West Bengal Governor La Ganesan.

    “I would say that elections are not that important, politics are not that important, people’s lives are more important,” she added.

    Union minister Pramanik, after landing at Bagdogra airport in the northern part of West Bengal, told reporters that the legislation will be implemented across the country.

    “The CAA is for the deprived and oppressed Hindus and others. It will be implemented not only in Gujarat but also gradually all over India,” he said.

    Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP on Tuesday claimed that the process of CAA implementation has started in the country and the state will not be left out of it.

    BJP MLA Ashim Sarkar, however, on Tuesday sang a different tune wondering what was the need for Citizenship Act in 2019 if citizenship was granted under the 1955 Act.

    The Narendra Modi government wants to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians — who had come to India till December 31, 2014.

    The CAA was passed by the Parliament in 2019 but the law is yet to be implemented as rules under it have not been framed.

    The promise of implementing the controversial CAA had been a major poll plank of the BJP in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

    The saffron party’s leaders consider it a plausible factor that led to the rise of the BJP in West Bengal. The panchayat election is due in the state in 2023.

    KOLKATA/ JALPAIGURI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the Centre for the possible implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, claiming that the BJP was raking the issue ahead of the Gujarat assembly election.

    Hours later, Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik asserted that the CAA will be gradually implemented across the country.

    The Centre had on Monday decided to grant Indian citizenship to minorities mostly from Pakistan, who have migrated to India, and are currently living in two districts of Gujarat, under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and not the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA).

    “Stop all these politics. They (BJP) are doing it because there are elections in Gujarat. We will not let them implement it. To us, all are citizens (of India). We are against this,” Banerjee told reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for Chennai.

    She has travelled to the southern Indian city to attend a family gathering of West Bengal Governor La Ganesan.

    “I would say that elections are not that important, politics are not that important, people’s lives are more important,” she added.

    Union minister Pramanik, after landing at Bagdogra airport in the northern part of West Bengal, told reporters that the legislation will be implemented across the country.

    “The CAA is for the deprived and oppressed Hindus and others. It will be implemented not only in Gujarat but also gradually all over India,” he said.

    Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP on Tuesday claimed that the process of CAA implementation has started in the country and the state will not be left out of it.

    BJP MLA Ashim Sarkar, however, on Tuesday sang a different tune wondering what was the need for Citizenship Act in 2019 if citizenship was granted under the 1955 Act.

    The Narendra Modi government wants to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians — who had come to India till December 31, 2014.

    The CAA was passed by the Parliament in 2019 but the law is yet to be implemented as rules under it have not been framed.

    The promise of implementing the controversial CAA had been a major poll plank of the BJP in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

    The saffron party’s leaders consider it a plausible factor that led to the rise of the BJP in West Bengal. The panchayat election is due in the state in 2023.

  • Cash-strapped West Bengal passes bill in House to hike borrowing capacity

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  Burdened with Rs 70,000 crore debt, the West Bengal government on Wednesday passed a bill in the Assembly to enhance its borrowing capacity. The move to amend the West Bengal Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2010, was initiated in the wake of the Centre pausing the release of funds under the MGNREGA scheme. Mamata Banerjee-led government is now desperate to keep the flow of funds in the beneficiaries’ accounts unaffected before the panchayat elections next year.

    Earlier, the Union finance ministry had decided to fix the net borrowing ceiling for the state at 3.5 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for 2022-23, and an additional borrowing capacity of 0.5 per cent of the GSDP. 

    “The state is going through acute fund crunch. In recent meetings, the CM has asked bureaucrats to find out ways to generate inflow. The government has no way out other than borrowing more money to keep the welfare schemes alive,” said a bureaucrat.

    The Union government had earlier directed the state to recover the money which was allegedly pilfered by the panchayat and zila parishad functionaries, and the state had initiated moves to follow the directive.Revealing the poor picture of the cash-strapped and industry-starved state, recent statistics released by the Central Industry and Business Ministry show that from January to July, investments worth Rs 1.17 lakh crore came into India, of which West Bengal got only Rs 1,663 crore. The state’s revenue mostly comes from stamps and registration fees, state goods and service tax, sales tax on petrol and state excise.

    KOLKATA:  Burdened with Rs 70,000 crore debt, the West Bengal government on Wednesday passed a bill in the Assembly to enhance its borrowing capacity. The move to amend the West Bengal Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2010, was initiated in the wake of the Centre pausing the release of funds under the MGNREGA scheme. Mamata Banerjee-led government is now desperate to keep the flow of funds in the beneficiaries’ accounts unaffected before the panchayat elections next year.

    Earlier, the Union finance ministry had decided to fix the net borrowing ceiling for the state at 3.5 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for 2022-23, and an additional borrowing capacity of 0.5 per cent of the GSDP. 

    “The state is going through acute fund crunch. In recent meetings, the CM has asked bureaucrats to find out ways to generate inflow. The government has no way out other than borrowing more money to keep the welfare schemes alive,” said a bureaucrat.

    The Union government had earlier directed the state to recover the money which was allegedly pilfered by the panchayat and zila parishad functionaries, and the state had initiated moves to follow the directive.
    Revealing the poor picture of the cash-strapped and industry-starved state, recent statistics released by the Central Industry and Business Ministry show that from January to July, investments worth Rs 1.17 lakh crore came into India, of which West Bengal got only Rs 1,663 crore. The state’s revenue mostly comes from stamps and registration fees, state goods and service tax, sales tax on petrol and state excise.

  • Dharmendra Pradhan writes to Mamata over land allocation for JNV in South 24 Parganas-I, Malda

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday seeking her intervention to ensure the state allocates land for permanent campuses of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in South 24 Parganas-I and Malda.

    Pradhan noted the land allotment issue for the two JNVs remains unresolved since 2007-08 and 2016 respectively.

    With the state administration last year withdrawing the temporary site on which the JNV South 24 Parganas-I was functioning since 2007-08, the students had to be shifted to nearby JNVs and new admissions were put on hold, he said.

    JNV-Malda which was sanctioned in November 2016 is still non-functional for want of suitable land for the construction of a permanent campus and temporary accommodation.

    Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are government-run Class 6-12 chain of residential schools. They admit students based on an entrance examination.

    “The prerequisites for the opening of a JNV are the provision of about 30 acres of suitable land, free of cost, along with adequate temporary rent-free accommodation, sufficient enough to accommodate approximately 240 students, to be provided by the concerned State Government to run the Vidyalaya for a period of 3 to 4 years,” Pradhan said in the letter.

    “JNV, South 24 Parganas was sanctioned in the year 2007 and made functional during the academic year 2007-08 from a temporary site provided by the district administration,” Pradhan said, adding the administration had assured to transfer land in favour of NVS for construction of the permanent building.

    “However, the transfer of the offered land is still awaited and the temporary site has also been withdrawn during February 2021.

    As a result, the students studying in the JNV, South 24 Paraganas-I had to be shifted to the nearby JNVs and further admissions to the Vidyalaya have also been put on hold,” he said.

    The minister requested the West Bengal CM to look into the matter personally and issue necessary instructions to the officers concerned to expedite the identification and transfer of suitable land and temporary accommodation.

    “So that these vidyalayas can be made functional at the earliest in the larger interest of the education of the rural children of these two districts,” the minister said.

    NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday seeking her intervention to ensure the state allocates land for permanent campuses of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in South 24 Parganas-I and Malda.

    Pradhan noted the land allotment issue for the two JNVs remains unresolved since 2007-08 and 2016 respectively.

    With the state administration last year withdrawing the temporary site on which the JNV South 24 Parganas-I was functioning since 2007-08, the students had to be shifted to nearby JNVs and new admissions were put on hold, he said.

    JNV-Malda which was sanctioned in November 2016 is still non-functional for want of suitable land for the construction of a permanent campus and temporary accommodation.

    Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are government-run Class 6-12 chain of residential schools. They admit students based on an entrance examination.

    “The prerequisites for the opening of a JNV are the provision of about 30 acres of suitable land, free of cost, along with adequate temporary rent-free accommodation, sufficient enough to accommodate approximately 240 students, to be provided by the concerned State Government to run the Vidyalaya for a period of 3 to 4 years,” Pradhan said in the letter.

    “JNV, South 24 Parganas was sanctioned in the year 2007 and made functional during the academic year 2007-08 from a temporary site provided by the district administration,” Pradhan said, adding the administration had assured to transfer land in favour of NVS for construction of the permanent building.

    “However, the transfer of the offered land is still awaited and the temporary site has also been withdrawn during February 2021.

    As a result, the students studying in the JNV, South 24 Paraganas-I had to be shifted to the nearby JNVs and further admissions to the Vidyalaya have also been put on hold,” he said.

    The minister requested the West Bengal CM to look into the matter personally and issue necessary instructions to the officers concerned to expedite the identification and transfer of suitable land and temporary accommodation.

    “So that these vidyalayas can be made functional at the earliest in the larger interest of the education of the rural children of these two districts,” the minister said.

  • Horrendous that WB govt which ‘banned’ Durga Puja is taking credit for UNESCO honour: MoS Lekhi 

    Earlier this month, Banerjee had led a rally celebrating the inclusion of 'Durga Puja in Kolkata' in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

  • Dhankhar expresses gratitude to Mamata for abstaining in VP election

    By ANI

    JAIPUR: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has expressed his gratitude to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her move to abstain from voting in the vice presidential election in August this year.

    The Vice President said that while he was the Governor of West Bengal, he did not utter a single word against Mamata’s dignity “irrespective of whatever she said”, adding that he did everything “in open and in writing”.

    Dhankhar was addressing the felicitation programme in the Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday.

    “I told her (Mamata) that I am no more the Governor of your state. Keep your hand on your heart and think if I have anything which is against the Constitution. Have I ever uttered a single word against her dignity, irrespective of whatever she said? Whatever I did was in the open and in writing. Still, through this House, I thank her for her move for the first time,” he said.

    Notably, during his tenure as the Governor of West Bengal, Dhankhar and Mamata were believed to have clashed on various occasions.

    Dhankhar also recalled his interaction with former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje on Mamata Banerjee, in which, he joked, had sought “help” from her in the form of a “magic spell”, while he was the Governor.

    “Vasundhara Raje started in the parliamentary area in 1989. I also got this opportunity. Since then my relations with her have been personal. I even sought help from her after becoming the Governor of West Bengal and my Chief Minister is Mamata Banerjee. Please tell me some magic spell,” he said.

    The friendly banter was also seen during the programme after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asked in a lighter vein during his address “what magic did Dhankhar do on a tough lady like Mamata?” that she abstained from voting during the VP election.

    “Your relations were the topic of discussion in the country till the time you were there for three years. What magic did you do that when you became the vice presidential candidate, the same Mamata Banerjee abstained from voting? Please tell us the secret. What magic did you do on a tough lady like Mamata? I am the magician,” Gehlot said.

    He further asked if there was a “bigger magician” in India than him.

    Responding to it, the VP jokingly said, “I remember when the Rajasthan Assembly elections were underway, Rajendra Rathore was the candidate from Churu. I went to his rally. The magic of the magician is okay (pointing towards Gehlot), but even I did magic that he never lost an election till today.”

    “The Chief Minister (Ashok Gehlot) asked what was that magic that Mamata Banerjee took the decision (to abstain from voting in vice presidential elections). I am beyond politics. Why are the political decisions taken, how are they taken and on what basis are they were taken, Ashok Gehlot, Vasundhara Raje and others can throw light on this,” he added.

    Dhankhar, former West Bengal Governor, was elected as the Vice President in August. He defeated the opposition’s Margaret Alva to emerge as the winner.

    The BJP-led NDA candidate won the election comfortably with 528 votes against Alva’s 182. The Vice President is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

    Dhankhar secured 74.36 per cent of the votes. He has the highest winning margin in the last six vice presidential elections held since 1997.

    JAIPUR: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has expressed his gratitude to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her move to abstain from voting in the vice presidential election in August this year.

    The Vice President said that while he was the Governor of West Bengal, he did not utter a single word against Mamata’s dignity “irrespective of whatever she said”, adding that he did everything “in open and in writing”.

    Dhankhar was addressing the felicitation programme in the Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday.

    “I told her (Mamata) that I am no more the Governor of your state. Keep your hand on your heart and think if I have anything which is against the Constitution. Have I ever uttered a single word against her dignity, irrespective of whatever she said? Whatever I did was in the open and in writing. Still, through this House, I thank her for her move for the first time,” he said.

    Notably, during his tenure as the Governor of West Bengal, Dhankhar and Mamata were believed to have clashed on various occasions.

    Dhankhar also recalled his interaction with former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje on Mamata Banerjee, in which, he joked, had sought “help” from her in the form of a “magic spell”, while he was the Governor.

    “Vasundhara Raje started in the parliamentary area in 1989. I also got this opportunity. Since then my relations with her have been personal. I even sought help from her after becoming the Governor of West Bengal and my Chief Minister is Mamata Banerjee. Please tell me some magic spell,” he said.

    The friendly banter was also seen during the programme after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asked in a lighter vein during his address “what magic did Dhankhar do on a tough lady like Mamata?” that she abstained from voting during the VP election.

    “Your relations were the topic of discussion in the country till the time you were there for three years. What magic did you do that when you became the vice presidential candidate, the same Mamata Banerjee abstained from voting? Please tell us the secret. What magic did you do on a tough lady like Mamata? I am the magician,” Gehlot said.

    He further asked if there was a “bigger magician” in India than him.

    Responding to it, the VP jokingly said, “I remember when the Rajasthan Assembly elections were underway, Rajendra Rathore was the candidate from Churu. I went to his rally. The magic of the magician is okay (pointing towards Gehlot), but even I did magic that he never lost an election till today.”

    “The Chief Minister (Ashok Gehlot) asked what was that magic that Mamata Banerjee took the decision (to abstain from voting in vice presidential elections). I am beyond politics. Why are the political decisions taken, how are they taken and on what basis are they were taken, Ashok Gehlot, Vasundhara Raje and others can throw light on this,” he added.

    Dhankhar, former West Bengal Governor, was elected as the Vice President in August. He defeated the opposition’s Margaret Alva to emerge as the winner.

    The BJP-led NDA candidate won the election comfortably with 528 votes against Alva’s 182. The Vice President is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

    Dhankhar secured 74.36 per cent of the votes. He has the highest winning margin in the last six vice presidential elections held since 1997.

  • Mamata playing ‘hide-and-seek’ by giving clean chit to PM Modi on misuse of agencies: Congress 

    Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate asked if Banerjee was giving a clean chit to the prime minister at a time when the entire country was raising questions on the issue of misuse of agencies.

  • ‘Don’t believe PM behind misuse of CBI, ED’: Mamata as resolution against agencies’ ‘excesses’ passed

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she doesn’t believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is behind the alleged excesses of central agencies in the state. She instead blamed a section of the BJP leaders for misusing them to serve their interests, adding that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) now reports to the Union Home Ministry, controlled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    Banerjee, who was speaking on a resolution in the Assembly against the ‘excesses’ of the central probe agencies, urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the agenda of the union government and the interests of his party do not get mixed up.

    The BJP opposed the resolution which was later passed by the Assembly.

    “The present union government is behaving in a dictatorial way. This resolution is not against anyone in particular, but against the biased functioning of the central agencies,” Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said.

    “Businessmen are leaving the country and running away. They are running away because of fear and misuse of ED (Enforcement Directorate) and the CBI. I believe Modi hasn’t done this,” she told the assembly during a debate before the resolution.

    “Many of you don’t know that the CBI doesn’t report to the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) anymore. It reports to the Home Ministry. Some BJP leaders are conspiring and they go to Nizam Palace often,” the Chief Minister added.

    READ HERE | Bengal first state to pass resolution against ED, CBI and other central agencies in Assembly

    Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said such a “resolution against the CBI and ED” is against the rules and regulations of the Assembly.

    The resolution was passed through division, with 189 voting in favour of it and 69 against.

    Central agencies such as CBI and ED are probing into several cases in the state, in which senior TMC leaders are accused.

    (With online desk inputs)

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she doesn’t believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is behind the alleged excesses of central agencies in the state. She instead blamed a section of the BJP leaders for misusing them to serve their interests, adding that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) now reports to the Union Home Ministry, controlled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    Banerjee, who was speaking on a resolution in the Assembly against the ‘excesses’ of the central probe agencies, urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the agenda of the union government and the interests of his party do not get mixed up.

    The BJP opposed the resolution which was later passed by the Assembly.

    “The present union government is behaving in a dictatorial way. This resolution is not against anyone in particular, but against the biased functioning of the central agencies,” Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said.

    “Businessmen are leaving the country and running away. They are running away because of fear and misuse of ED (Enforcement Directorate) and the CBI. I believe Modi hasn’t done this,” she told the assembly during a debate before the resolution.

    “Many of you don’t know that the CBI doesn’t report to the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) anymore. It reports to the Home Ministry. Some BJP leaders are conspiring and they go to Nizam Palace often,” the Chief Minister added.

    READ HERE | Bengal first state to pass resolution against ED, CBI and other central agencies in Assembly

    Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said such a “resolution against the CBI and ED” is against the rules and regulations of the Assembly.

    The resolution was passed through division, with 189 voting in favour of it and 69 against.

    Central agencies such as CBI and ED are probing into several cases in the state, in which senior TMC leaders are accused.

    (With online desk inputs)

  • BJP brought armed goons in trains from outside for rally, claims Mamata

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP brought in hoodlums armed with bombs in trains from outside the state to foment trouble during its march to the state secretariat Nabanna.

    Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said the police could have opened fire on “violent” BJP protesters during the protest march on Tuesday, but the government exercised “maximum” restraint.

    “Many police personnel were brutally attacked by the participants of that rally. Police could have opened fire, but our administration showed maximum restraint,” she said during an administrative meeting at Nimtouri in Purba Medinipur district.

    Given the same ‘violent’ situation, at least 20 people would have been killed in firing had it been the Left Front regime, during which the police were “trigger-happy”, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, considered the number two in the party, claimed in Kolkata.

    During the rally, BJP supporters fought pitched battles with the police, threw stones at them, torched a vehicle and damaged a kiosk while the cops used batons and water cannons to disperse the protesters. Several persons from both sides were injured in the melee.

    The CM said the protest march inconvenienced commuters and traders, as it was held barely a few weeks ahead of Durga Puja, the state’s biggest festival.

    ALSO READ| ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’: Bengal police use tear gas to disperse BJP activists; several hurt as protest escalates into violence

    “We have nothing against democratic and peaceful protests. But the BJP and its supporters resorted to violence, vandalism and arson. They torched properties and instilled fear among people. We won’t allow this. Arrests are being made, and law will take its own course,” she said.

    Banerjee, also the CM’s nephew, said democratic protesters would not torch a police vehicle or assault a cop who had only a walkie-talkie in his hand.

    He was talking to reporters after visiting Assistant Commissioner of Police Debjit Chatterjee, who was injured during the rally, at SSKM Hospital.

    “Had I been present at the spot where the vandals poured petrol in a police vehicle and set it ablaze, I would have fired at the head of the attackerS. I am speaking only as an ordinary man angry with such rowdyism, not as a member of a force under TMC rule which is sensible, restrained and humane,” Abhishek Banerjee said.

    He requested “a section of the judiciary” to look at the protesters who took the law into their hands and did mayhem.

    In the TMC rule, the police do not open fire indiscriminately as was the norm in the Left Front regime, he claimed.

    ALSO READ| ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’: Suvendu detained in Kolkata, clashes between BJP workers, police across Bengal

    He sought to remind the people that police firing had left 13 people dead during the TMC’s march to Writers Buildings, the then state secretariat, on July 21, 1993, when the CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in the state.

    “I salute all our police personnel for their tireless efforts in maintaining law & order in our state; Kolkata is the safest city owing to you,” the TMC MP said in a Facebook post later.

    Abhishek Banerjee also took a dig at the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for telling a policewoman not to touch her when “she asked him to accompany her to a police vehicle”.

    BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar described the TMC leader’s comment about firing at protesters as “alarming”. “His words will only embolden the police and cadre giving rise to shootings in future,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Police could have opened fire on violent BJP protesters, but govt exercised restraint: Mamata

    Majumdar claimed the vandalism during Tuesday’s protest march was instigated by TMC men who were among BJP activists to malign the saffron party.

    He said BJP will launch an intense movement after Kali Puja across West Bengal against the “misrule” of the TMC.

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP brought in hoodlums armed with bombs in trains from outside the state to foment trouble during its march to the state secretariat Nabanna.

    Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said the police could have opened fire on “violent” BJP protesters during the protest march on Tuesday, but the government exercised “maximum” restraint.

    “Many police personnel were brutally attacked by the participants of that rally. Police could have opened fire, but our administration showed maximum restraint,” she said during an administrative meeting at Nimtouri in Purba Medinipur district.

    Given the same ‘violent’ situation, at least 20 people would have been killed in firing had it been the Left Front regime, during which the police were “trigger-happy”, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, considered the number two in the party, claimed in Kolkata.

    During the rally, BJP supporters fought pitched battles with the police, threw stones at them, torched a vehicle and damaged a kiosk while the cops used batons and water cannons to disperse the protesters. Several persons from both sides were injured in the melee.

    The CM said the protest march inconvenienced commuters and traders, as it was held barely a few weeks ahead of Durga Puja, the state’s biggest festival.

    ALSO READ| ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’: Bengal police use tear gas to disperse BJP activists; several hurt as protest escalates into violence

    “We have nothing against democratic and peaceful protests. But the BJP and its supporters resorted to violence, vandalism and arson. They torched properties and instilled fear among people. We won’t allow this. Arrests are being made, and law will take its own course,” she said.

    Banerjee, also the CM’s nephew, said democratic protesters would not torch a police vehicle or assault a cop who had only a walkie-talkie in his hand.

    He was talking to reporters after visiting Assistant Commissioner of Police Debjit Chatterjee, who was injured during the rally, at SSKM Hospital.

    “Had I been present at the spot where the vandals poured petrol in a police vehicle and set it ablaze, I would have fired at the head of the attackerS. I am speaking only as an ordinary man angry with such rowdyism, not as a member of a force under TMC rule which is sensible, restrained and humane,” Abhishek Banerjee said.

    He requested “a section of the judiciary” to look at the protesters who took the law into their hands and did mayhem.

    In the TMC rule, the police do not open fire indiscriminately as was the norm in the Left Front regime, he claimed.

    ALSO READ| ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’: Suvendu detained in Kolkata, clashes between BJP workers, police across Bengal

    He sought to remind the people that police firing had left 13 people dead during the TMC’s march to Writers Buildings, the then state secretariat, on July 21, 1993, when the CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in the state.

    “I salute all our police personnel for their tireless efforts in maintaining law & order in our state; Kolkata is the safest city owing to you,” the TMC MP said in a Facebook post later.

    Abhishek Banerjee also took a dig at the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for telling a policewoman not to touch her when “she asked him to accompany her to a police vehicle”.

    BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar described the TMC leader’s comment about firing at protesters as “alarming”. “His words will only embolden the police and cadre giving rise to shootings in future,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Police could have opened fire on violent BJP protesters, but govt exercised restraint: Mamata

    Majumdar claimed the vandalism during Tuesday’s protest march was instigated by TMC men who were among BJP activists to malign the saffron party.

    He said BJP will launch an intense movement after Kali Puja across West Bengal against the “misrule” of the TMC.