The scene of one of the bloodiest and most traumatic movements against land acquisition by a government for industrialisation, Nandigram of today stands polarised along communal lines.
Tag: Suvendu Adhikari
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Mamata should contest from Nandigram alone: Suvendu Adhikari’s challenge to TMC chief
By PTI
KOLKATA: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday dared West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contest the upcoming assembly polls only from Nandigram, the seat held by him before he switched over to the BJP.Adhikari, during a rally at Khejuri in Purba Midnapore, said it’s not fair on the part of the Trinamool Congress supremo to contest from two seats.
Banerjee sprang a surprise on Monday when she declared that she will contest the assembly elections from Nandigram.
“If possible, I will contest from both Bhawanipore and Nandigram. Nandigram is my elder sister and Bhawanipore is my younger sister. I will give a strong candidate from Bhawanipore also, in case I don’t fight from that seat,” she had said.
Adhikari said the TMC is like a private limited company run by two people, referring to Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek.
“Didi, you have to contest from only one seat, Nandigram. You cannot fight from two seats, that is not going to happen,” he asserted.
Nandigram was the scene of massive public protest against “forcible” land acquisition by the erstwhile Left Front government for the creation of a special economic zone.
During another public meeting on Monday, Adhikari had said he will defeat Banerjee her by a margin of “at least 50,000 votes” if fielded from Nandigram.
Adhikari also alleged that many BJP workers were attacked by the TMC earlier in the day.
“There have been attacks at five places. The police was busy ensuring a smooth passage for the CM’s convoy for her rally at Purulia in the afternoon,” he claimed.
The political heavyweight from Bengal also said while Banerjee specialises in telling lies, her nephew is an “extortionist”.
“Her (Mamata’s) days are numbered as the chief minister. She should be ready with a letterhead that reads former CM,” Adhikari said.
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BJP workers on way to Suvendu’s rally in Khejuri attacked
By PTI
KHEJURIA: BJP workers on the way to attend party leader Suvendu Adhikari’s rally in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district were attacked with crude bombs and stones on Tuesday, police said.The incident happened around 2. 15 pm when the BJP workers were heading towards Heria to attend the rally, they said.
Several BJP workers were injured as crude bombs and stones were hurled, besides a few vehicles were also vandalised, following which roads were blocked by them in protest, a police officer said.
BJP alleged that TMC workers were behind the incident, a charge denied by the ruling party.
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident yet as a large number of policemen are busy at the rally venue for ensuring security, the officer said.
“The incident happened around 2. 15 pm as some unidentified people attacked the BJP workers who were going to attend a rally. Some of them were injured. We are looking into the matter and the situation is under control,” he added.
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Bengal polls: Mamata to challenge BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari on his home turf Nandigram
By Express News Service
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced that she would contest from Nandigram, from where her former aide Suvendu Adhikari, who joined the BJP last month, was elected in 2016.She asked the party’s president Subrata Bakshi to ensure her candidature from the minority-dominated Assembly segment. “Nandigram is my lucky place. I will contest from here,” she said while addressing the rally in Nandigram.
Bengal CM’s announcement is said to be a political move to challenge Adhikari family members, who claim to be the kingmakers in the district with 16 Assembly seats. Suvendu Adhikari’s father Sishir and brother Dibyendu are TMC MPs from Contai and Tamluk Lok Sabha constituencies respectively.
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“The BJP has assigned Suvendu Adhikari to secure victory in all 35 seats in East Midnapore, West Midnapore, and Jhargram districts. Bengal CM’s announcement to contest from Suvendu’s constituency is a pressure tactic. If she contests from Nandigram, Suvendu’s political activities will be confined to East Midnapore district to ensure her defeat and save the other 15 seats in the district from the influence of the CM’s candidature,” said a senior TMC leader.
Mamata Banerjee also said she would also contest in her own Bhowanipore constituency in south Kolkata. She also requested the electorates of Bhowanipore to bear with her decision. “Nandigram is my elder sister and Bhowanipur is my younger sister. I will fight from both, is possible. In case, I am unable to contest from Bhowanipore, don’t feel sad. I will give a good candidate for you,” she said.
Referring to the exit of Suvendu Adhikari and other TMC functionaries, the TMC chief accused the BJP of receiving looters in its fold. “They looted public money. BJP leaders are saying if you are with the TMC, you will be in jail. If you join BJP, it is a washing machine and you will come out clean,” she said.
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Suvendu Adhikari is one of the accused in the Narada sting operation case being probed by the CBI.
Replying to Mamata’s surprising announcement to contest from his constituency, Suvendu, too, accepted the challenge. “If I can’t defeat her by half-lakh votes, I will quit politics,” he said.
Bengal BJP, however, described Mamata Banerjee’s announcement to contest from Nandigram as a reflection of her ‘nervousness’. “Mamata Banerjee’s decision to shift seat from Bhowanipore to Nandigram, for the first time in 10 years, indicates her political nervousness,” tweeted Amit Malviya, the BJP’s social media head and in-charge of Bengal.
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West Bengal polls: Mamata Banerjee to challenge BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari on his home turf Nandigram
By PTI
NANDIGRAM: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday declared she will contest the upcoming assembly election from Nandigram, as she took her battle for th state to the home turf of poitical heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, who recently quit the TMC and joined the BJP.That Banerjee chose Nandigram to make the big announcement reflects the TMC supremo’s determination to take the BJP, which has launched a spirited campaign to unseat her after a decade-long stint in power, head on.
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Addressing a rally here, Banerjee said she is not worried about those joining rival parties as they were hardly areound when the TMC was formed. Banerjee said these leaders left the ruling party to protect the money “they have looted” in the last few years.
“I have always started my campaign for the assembly polls from Nandigram. It is a lucky place for me. So this time I feel that I should contest the assembly polls from here. I request our state party president Subrata Bakshi to approve my name from this seat,” Banerjee said.
Bakshi, who was on the podium, swiftly accepted the request. Nandigram was the scene of massive public protest against “forcible” land acquisition by the then Left Front government for creation of a special economic zone.
The protracted and often bloody protests added to Banerjee and her party’s political heft and catapulted the TMC to power in 2011, marking the end of the Left Front rule of 34 years. Adhikari is considered the face face of the movement in Nandigram, some 130 km south-west of Kolkata.
After switching over to ther BJP, Adhikari has often accused Banerjee of having forgotten the people of the area who helped her gain power in the state.
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Banerjee is at present the MLA from Bhawanipore in south Kolkata. “If possible, I will contest from both Bhawanipore and Nandigram. In case I am unable to contest from Bhawanipore, someone else will,” she said.
Banerjee said she would never allow “a handful of people” to sell out Bengal to the BJP. “Those who have left the party have my best wishes. Let them become president and vice president of the country. But don’t you dare to sell out Bengal to the BJP. As long as I am alive, I won’t allow them to sell out my state to the BJP,” she said.
Assembly elections in the state are likely in April-May.
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BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari moves Calcutta High Court seeking police protection
By PTI
KOLKATA: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday, seeking direction to the West Bengal Police for providing him protection in view of alleged aggression and attack on him and his supporters by workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress.He claimed that he has been the subject of spiteful aggression launched by TMC since he left the party and joined the BJP in December.
Adhikari mentioned in his petition that he has been appointed the chairman of Jute Corporation of India, a post equivalent to the rank of a Union cabinet minister.
Stating that he has been made a ‘Z’ category protectee by the central government owing to “severe threat perception”, he said in the petition that this cannot be the reason for the state authorities to remain dormant and indifferent over his security.
Adhikari prayed for an order, directing the authorities in the West Bengal government to immediately ensure full-proof security for him, including security arrangements at the places of his visit for holding public meetings and on his travel routes.
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TMC MP Sisir Adhikari shunted from another post after son Suvendu joined BJP
By PTI
KOLKATA: Nearly a month after West Bengal’s political heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari joined the BJP, his father and TMC Lok Sabha MP Sisir Adhikari was on Wednesday removed as East Midnapore district president, party sources said.Senior TMC minister Soumen Mahapatra, a known detractor of the Adhikari family, replaced Sisir Adhikari, who was made chairman of the core committee of the party’s district unit, a less important post.
The decision came a day after Sisir Adhikari was removed from the post of chairman of Digha-Shankarpur Development Authority (DSDA).
TMC MLA Akhil Giri, also a detractor of the Adhikari family, replaced Sishir Adhikari as the chief of DSDA, which is responsible for the upkeep and development of the beach town in East Midnapore.
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West Bengal’s TMC government appropriating central schemes: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari
By PTI
PURULIA: Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday accused the Mamata Banerjee dispensation of appropriating central projects, and said only three to four people in the state government call the shots, with the rest functioning as rubber stamps.Maintaining that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already said that three crore health workers and 27 crore people above the age of 50 years will be administered the vaccine for free across the country, Adhikari claimed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, despite the announcement, wrote to all COVID warriors and stated that her government would not charge anything for the inoculation.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee said that arrangements were being made to provide COVID-19 vaccines for free to all the people of the state, and not just the COVID-19 warriors. She also clarified that frontline workers would be given priority over others.
Alleging that the TMC government was changing names of central projects to claim those to be its own, the former state minister said, “The name of Centre’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan project has been changed to Nirmal Bangla mission.”
Adhikari, during a public meeting here, also contended that natural resources of Purulia, including coal and other minerals, were being looted by organised gangs, with the state government doing nothing about it.
The former MLA, during his speech at an adivasi- dominated district, further said that the ‘Ol Chiki’ language of Santhalis was given recognition in the eighth schedule of the Constitution by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but the TMC government did not provide any book or teaching facility to promote it.
He also claimed that the TMC has ceased to be a political party and functions as a private limited company, with “three or four persons from south Kolkata running the government with 20 of 30 departments in their hands”.
Asserting that the rural areas of the state have long been neglected by the TMC leadership, he said that the “fight is between the villages and a few privileged persons from south Kolkata”. He also said that the district-level service commissions for recruitment of school teachers have been replaced by a centralised system based in Kolkata, thereby reducing job opportunities for youths.
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Suvendu Adhikari’s office in Nandigram vandalised by TMC, alleges BJP
By ANI
EAST MIDNAPORE (West Bengal): Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers have vandalised BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s office (Sahayak Kendra) in Nandigram area on Saturday night, the BJP has alleged.The BJP has demanded the arrest of persons behind the incident.
“We protest against an incident caused by TMC Harmad cadres at Nandigram. We want to say them what they are doing these things by using muscle power. Today’s administration is with you that’s why you are doing so,” BJP leader Kaniska Panda said.
“We told the administration if they won’t take action and won’t arrest accused persons then the administration will be responsible for the incidents which will happen future. I am giving the challenge that our fight against this fight will be continued,” he added.
However, TMC East Midnapore district vice president SK Sufian said that the “old” BJP workers are responsible for the incident.
“They (BJP) always lie and they make habit of lying, they tore TMC flag and Mamata Banerjee’s picture was burnt. Suvendu Adhikari’s Sahayak Kendra vandalised by old BJP workers who were present in the meeting and made allegations against TMC. They should control their own house rather than blaming TMC,” he said.
Adhikari, a former minister in the TMC government was among several leaders who joined BJP last year ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.
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TMC forcibly occupied two Zilla Parishads in 2018 panchayat polls: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari
By PTI
JHARGRAM: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday alleged that his former party, the ruling Trinamool Congress, had forcibly occupied two Zilla Parishads in south Bengal’s Jangal Mahal region during panchayat elections in 2018 which, he claimed, witnessed “vote loot”.Adhikari, who switched sides to the saffron party in December, also accused the TMC leaders of pocketing funds released for various projects of the state and central governments.
Rejecting the charges, senior TMC leader Tapas Roy claimed that those who joined the BJP raise baseless allegations to strengthen position in their new party.
Addressing a BJP meeting at Jhargram, Adhikari said, “You know how the TMC had looted votes in the 2018 panchayat polls here. How they had changed the people’s verdict and true results overnight to occupy the two Zilla Parishads. I am giving my word to people that we won’t allow that to happen again.”
He, however, did not mention any Zilla Parishad.
Jangal Mahal comprises four districts – Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia and Jhargram.
Adhikari asserted that the TMC will be defeated by a huge margin in all four seats in Jangal Mahal belt of the district in the assembly polls due in April-May this year.
“The TMC will be trounced by at least 50,000 votes in each of Nayagram, Gopiballabhpur, Binpur and Jhargram seats in the upcoming assembly elections,” he said at the meeting.
Adhikari claimed that he has always worked to establish democracy in the area.
He described the TMC as “Amphan-er tran chor” (Thief of cyclone Amphan relief funds) and alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government has been changing names of central projects such as PM Awas Yojana and projected them as state schemes.
“However, the affected people, the poor people, are not the beneficiaries. The money is being pocketed by local leaders who are building palatial houses and buying flats in towns and cities,” the former Bengal minister said.
After May, the BJP will make a list of people who illegally received compensation money from the government after cyclone Amphan, he said.
He also alleged irregularities in Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), School Service Commission (SSC) and other recruitment tests organised by the state government and said that after coming to power, the BJP will see to it that such tests are held annually in a fair and transparent manner.
At a meeting in Contai after a road show, Adhikari claimed that once the model code of conduct comes into force before the election, “all miscreants of the TMC will hide. The paramilitary forces will conduct votes and vote looters will face the music.”
Senior TMC leader Tapas Roy denied the accusations.
“It seems there is a competition among those who joined the BJP to make wild claims. People of the state will also not accept unfortunate comments against Mamata Banerjee. This is an insult to women,” Roy added.