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Tag: Trinamool Congress

  • Bengal polls 2021: PM Modi condoles death in CISF firing, blames Trinamool Congress for violence

    By PTI
    SILIGURI (WEST BENGAL): Condoling the death of four people in firing by central forces in Cooch Behar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday requested the Election Commission to take stern action against those responsible for the incident and blamed the ruling TMC for perpetrating violence during the polls.

    He also accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of instigating people against the central forces. “What happened in Cooch Behar is unfortunate and sad. I extend my condolences to the bereaved families and urge the Election Commission to take stern action against those responsible for the incident. Mamata Didi and her TMC goons have become jittery because of ground swell of support for BJP,” Modi told an election rally here in North Bengal.

    ALSO READ| EC orders adjournment of polls at polling station no 126 at Sitalkuchi

    Four persons were killed when CISF personnel opened fire allegedly after coming under attack from locals, who “attempted to snatch their rifles” in Cooch Behar district. A senior district police officer said that the incident took place in Sitalkuchi area when voting was underway.

    “Didi, this violence, the tactic of instigating people to attack the security forces, the tactic of obstructing the polling process will not protect you. You have to go out of power. Didi is asking people to attack and gherao security forces who are here to protect the rights of the people of the state,” he said.

    Attacking Banerjee over the culture of violence and “tolabaji” (extortion), Modi said people of Bengal had made up their mind to defeat the TMC. “Didi, you don’t preside over the destiny of the people of Bengal, they are not your ‘jagir’ (fiefdom),” he said.

    ALSO READ| Trinamool Congress seeks explanation from EC over death of  four in firing

    He said that North Bengal was critical to national security which has been undermined due to appeasement politics of Banerjee.

    Reaching out to the numerically strong Dalit Rajbongshi and Matua communities, Modi said the TMC insults them, and claimed a party leader was shown in a video likening the scheduled caste people to beggars.

  • Prashant Kishor audio chat leak: Poll strategist claims BJP will not cross 100 seats in West Bengal

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Reacting to his leaked ‘Club House room’ audio chat, Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Saturday reiterated that BJP will not cross 100 seats in West Bengal Assembly elections while adding that the BJP should show courage by sharing the full chat instead of selective part.

    “I am glad BJP is taking my chat more seriously than the words of their own leaders! They should show courage and share the full chat instead of getting excited with the selective use of parts of it. I have said this before and repeating again – BJP will not CROSS 100 in West Bengal,” tweeted Kishor.

    An audio chat of ‘Club House room’ involving Prashant Kishor and a few journalists was leaked on social media. “There is no anti-incumbency against Modi. Modi has become a cult in the country. Modi is popular in Bengal. The Hindi speaking people is the core support base of BJP in Bengal. Modi is very popular here. Modi and Mamata are equally popular in Bengal,” Kishore said in that conversation.

    “When we made a survey and asked people whose government will be formed in Bengal. The outcomes predominantly come in favour of the BJP. The majority says BJP’s government will be formed. There are sufficient workers of BJP on the ground. If we leave one or two districts, everywhere there are strong cadets of BJP,” added Kishor.

    “Suvendu is not a factor. Hindus, schedule caste, Dalit and Hindi speaking population are the key factors. Around 50-55 per cent of Hindus are voting for BJP. There are around one crore Hindi speaking population in West Bengal. Matuas will predominantly vote for the BJP. When we made a survey and asked people whose government will be formed in Bengal. The outcomes predominantly come in favour of the BJP. In-ground there are workers of BJP,” explained Kishor.

    He further said the parties like Congress, Left and TMC has been practising appeasement politics in West Bengal. “For the last 20 years, there has been a blatant effort to appease the minority. The entire political ecosystem in Bengal be it Left, Congress or Didi have been to grab the Muslim votes. There is some element that BJP is exploiting. And that element is coming from the blatant misuse of minority politics,” he stated.

    The election strategist was roped in by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC for the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021.

    The election strategist was roped in by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC for the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 and had indicated in the past that he will quit the space if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) performs any better in the state than his prediction.

    As a political strategist, Kishor worked with many parties to win the elections. He helped Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar to win the Assembly polls in 2015. Following this, Kumar appointed Kishor as the vice president of JDU.

    However, Kishor was expelled from JDU in January 2020 over his disagreement with the party on the issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Recently he has been appointed as the Principal Advisor by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls in the state.

    Last year, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin had announced his party’s collaboration with Prashant Kishor’s poll strategy group Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) for the 2021 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.

    Voting for 44 constituencies in West Bengal’s fourth phase Assembly elections began at 7 am on Saturday amid tight security. This phase of the elections will witness an intense battle between 373 candidates in 44 constituencies of the state across five districts – Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly.

    Among the 44 constituencies, nine are in Howrah, 10 in Hooghly, 11 in South 24 Parganas, five in Alipurduar and nine in Cooch Behar. A total of 1,15,81,022 voters will participate in this phase, out of which 2,63,016 are first-time voters.

    The fifth phase of the Assembly elections will commence on April 17. Counting of votes will take place on May 2.

  • West Bengal poll firing: Trinamool Congress seeks explanation from EC over death of four

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal on Saturday sought explanation from the Election Commission over the death of four persons, who were shot allegedly by central forces at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district during the fourth phase of assembly elections.

    ALSO READ| TMC asks EC to act against BJP ‘goons’ creating ‘ruckus’ in Cooch Behar

    “We are sad to say with deep concern that firing by central forces has left four dead and four injured at Mathabhanga. We also want to say that the central forces are committing crimes and crossing all limits. The EC should come out with an explanation,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen said.

    Central Forces opened fire twice. In Block 1 of Mathabhanga (Cooch Behar) 1 was killed & 3 injured, in Sitalkuchi block, 3 were killed & 1 injured. Central Forces are doing injustice to people & they’ve crossed limits. When CM called them out, EC issued her notices: Dola Sen, TMC pic.twitter.com/pHcR1Ymx0f
    — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2021

    Sen said when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had pointed to the excesses of the central forces, she was twice issued a showcause notice. “Now, the people of the state want to showcause the EC about how this unfortunate event unfolded,” she said.

    CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF PHASE-IV OF BENGAL POLLS

    The TMC leader said the BJP is playing mind games and resorting to pressure tactics. “Mamata Banerjee has already won the Nandigram seat by a huge margin. BJP is merely selling a dream to its party workers,” Sen said.

    She also shared clippings of purported videos, one of which showed central forces vandalising TMC camps at night.

  • Sporadic violence reported in third phase of West Bengal Assembly elections

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Sporadic incidents of violence were reported on Tuesday in some areas where voting is underway in the third phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, even as the overall situation by and large remained peaceful with 34.71 per cent turnout recorded till 11 am, officials said.

    They said that voting is underway with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols in 16 seats in South 24 Parganas district (part II), seven in Howrah (part I) and eight in Hooghly (part I). “Voter turnout of 34.71 per cent was recorded till 11 am in 31 seats,” an EC official said.

    Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee alleged “blatant misuse” of central forces to “influence voters”. “The blatant misuse of Central forces continues unabated. Despite us repeatedly raising this issue, @ECISVEEP continues to be a mute spectator while men in uniform are being misused at several places to openly intimidate TMC voters & influence many to vote in favour of one party,” she tweeted.

    She shared a screengrab of a scuffle between BJP and TMC supporters in Goghat constituency. TMC turncoat and BJP candidate from Diamond Harbour seat, Dipak Haldar alleged that his former party is not allowing voters to come to polling stations. “TMC men are not allowing BJP supporters to come out and vote freely, and unfortunately, the central forces are mute spectators,” he said.

    The ruling party in the state has dubbed the allegations as “baseless”.

    In Dhanekhali seat, state minister Asima Patra accused the central forces of high-handedness and alleged that voters were being stopped from coming to the polling stations by the BJP “goons”, an allegation dismissed by the saffron party.

    In Khanakul, TMC candidate Najmul Karim was allegedly assaulted by the BJP activists and slogans were raised against him. Later, central forces rescued him from the area. In Arambagh, Sujata Mondal Khan accused the BJP of threatening the TMC supporters, an allegation denied by the saffron party.

    Police said that a BJP supporter’s family member was allegedly killed in Hooghly district, hours before the commencement of polling in the area. Madhabi Adak succumbed to her injuries sustained while protecting her son from a few men who barged into their house, they said.

    Adak’s family accused that the TMC was behind the incident, a charge denied by the ruling party. Four EVMs and an equal number of VVPATs were found in the house of a TMC leader in Uluberia Uttar assembly seat in Howrah district, following which a poll official was suspended.

    Long queues were seen outside polling stations, where voting will continue till 6.30 pm. Over 78.5 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 205 candidates, including BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta, state minister Ashima Patra and CPI(M) leader Kanti Ganguly.

    The Election Commission has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in all the constituencies, declaring them as ‘sensitive’.

  • West Bengal polls: EVMs and VVPATs found at Trinamool Congress leader’s home, official suspended

    By PTI
    ULUBERIA (WEST BENGAL): Four EVMs and a similar number of VVPATs were found at the house of a Trinamool Congress leader in West Bengal’s Howrah district, following which a poll official was suspended, a senior officer said on Tuesday.

    He said that the incident happened in Tulsiberia village in the Uluberia Uttar assembly segment. Villagers spotted a vehicle with an Election Commission sticker outside the house of the TMC leader in the early hours, after which they started protesting, he added.

    CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF BENGAL AND ASSAM POLLS

    Then, it was found that the officer of sector 17 Tapan Sarkar was visiting the TMC leader’s house with the EVMs, the official said. He said that the EVMs and VVPATs were seized and the officer suspended. “The four machines are not being used in today’s polling. We have sought a report from the District Election Officer,” he added.

    The sector officer claimed that he reached the area very late and found the polling booth closed, following that he decided to spend the night at his relative’s residence, unable to find any “safe place” to stay. A huge team of central forces had to be deployed in the area as the locals protested, alleging malpractices.

    Even the Block Development Officer (BDO) was gheraoed when he had reached the spot to pacify the crowd. BJP candidate Chiran Bera alleged that the incident was part of TMC’s plan to rig the election, a charge denied by the ruling party.

    BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, “This is an old habit of the TMC. It takes time to get over the old habits. They have been caught red-handed and it shows what they are up to.” Polling was underway in the area in the third phase of elections.

  • West Bengal polls: BJP worker’s mother killed by TMC goons in Goghat, alleges Tathagata Roy

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Former Governor of Tripura and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tathagata Roy on Tuesday claimed that a BJP worker’s mother was killed allegedly by “TMC goons” in Goghat in Hooghly district of the poll-bound West Bengal.

    “In Goghat in Hooghly district of West Bengal, Piru Adak, a BJP worker was attacked by Trinamool goons. When his mother Madhavi tried to save him the goons attacked and killed her,” tweeted Roy. The polling for the Goghat constituency is being held on Tuesday in the third phase of the West Bengal assembly polls.

    In Goghat,Distt Hooghly,West Bengal Piru Adak,a BJP worker was attacked by Trinamool goons. When his mother Madhavi tried to save him the goons attacked and killed her.
    — Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) April 6, 2021

    A total of 31 Assembly constituencies in districts including eight in Hooghly, seven in Howrah and 16 in South 24 Parganas are going to polls in phase-III. There are 205 candidates in the fray in this round of polling. However, when it comes to women representation, there are only 13 women candidates contesting in this phase, merely six per cent.

    Meanwhile, polling has now begun at booth number 129 of AC 200 in Arambag, Hooghly on Tuesday. Voters are been standing in the queue while maintaining the COVID protocols.

    Polling for the first two phases of the West Bengal elections were held on March 27 and April 1 respectively. The fourth phase of polling will take place on April 10. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

  • PM Modi insulting women of Bengal by mockingly addressing Mamata Banerjee: TMC

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘’Didi-O-Didi’’ remark while attacking West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has become Trinamool Congress’s political tool to woo the women voters in the state who form 49 per cent of the total 7.2 crore electorates. The TMC on Sunday alleged the remark not only humiliated Mamata but also insulted Bengal’s women.

    While attacking the Bengal CM on the issue of the ruling party’s alleged corruption and barring the Centre schemes, Modi preferred to use his latest remark in all the rallies that he addressed in Bengal in the recent past. Aiming to gain the support of women electorates, Modi used the newly coined remark (a Bengali-styled call to draw attention) to highlight how Mamata deprived Bengal’s homemakers of the Centre’s drinking water project.

    ‘‘The way the Prime Minister used the remark is nothing other than a taunt. It is an insult to our chief minister, who is the only woman administrative head of a state across the country. He (Modi) also insulted Bengal’s woman by this remark. The way he utters the remark, sometimes lowering voice abnormally, doesn’t fit the Bengali style of seeking the attention of elder sisters,’’ said TMC minister Shashi Panja.

    A section of BJP leaders admitted that Modi’s Didi-O-Didi remark has not gone down well in the state. ‘‘The Prime Minister has good oratory skills and it catches the attention of the masses. The BJP, on most occasions, gets benefits from Modi’s speech. But his latest use of Didi-O-Didi for Mamata Banerjee has not gone well in the state’s women electorates,’’ said a leader of the saffron camp’s Bengal chapter.

    Sources in the TMC said it asked the party’s IT cell to circulate Modi’s latest remark portraying it as an insult to Bengal’s women.

    Eyeing the support of the women in Bengal, Mamata took several initiatives before the elections and floated a new slogan Bangla Nijer Meyeke Chay (Bengal wants its own daughter) to sharpen her attack on the BJP by branding her arch-rival as a party of outsiders. The slogan was aimed to portray Mamata as the chief ministerial candidate for the third-term in Bengal.

    ALSO READ | Is he god or superhuman: Mamata takes swipe at PM Modi for predicting BJP victory in assembly polls

    She launched a new health insurance scheme, Swastha Sathi, which was issued to the women member of a family. In the manifesto, Mamata announced monthly financial grant of Rs 500 and Rs 1,00 for the women belong to SC/ST community and financially backward class.

    ‘‘All these moves were to woo the women electorates. Even during her election campaign, she (Mamata) offers pranam to the feet of the women electorates as s symbol of gratitude when she describes her difficulty to address rallies with broken foot. When she is respecting the women of the state, Modi is insulting her with his Didi-O-Didi remark. We are going to miss this opportunity to strengthen our attempt to bring the women voters in our fold,’’ said a TMC leader.

  • Bengal polls: TMC replaces candidate for Matigara-Naxalbari Assembly constituency

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress on Sunday announced that it replaced its candidate for Matigara-Naxalbari Assembly constituency for the ongoing election in West Bengal.

    The ruling TMC announced the name of Rajen Sundas as its candidate for the constituency in Darjeeling district.

    “All India Trinamool Congress would like to inform replacement of the candidate for Darjeeling District’s Matigara-Naxalbari Assembly Constituency (No. 25) following the name of Rajen Sundas,” read an official statement today.

    Meanwhile, Assembly elections to the 294-member state Assembly is underway in the state.

    The polls were scheduled to be held in eight phases that started on March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.  

  • West Bengal polls: TMC delegation to meet Chief Electoral Officer to raise ‘serious concerns’

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: A delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) will meet the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) at 12 noon on Saturday to raise ‘some serious concerns’, as polling for the first phase of state assembly elections is underway.

    Taking to Twitter, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) on how the voting percentage reduced drastically to half within five minutes.

    “What is happening @ECISVEEP?! Could you explain how voting percentage drastically reduced to half within a gap of just 5 minutes?! Shocking! @CEOWestBengal, please look into this urgently!” AITC tweeted.

    Meanwhile, the voter turnout for the first phase for polling in West Bengal stood at 15.30 per cent as of 10:19 am on Saturday.

    CLICK HERE FOR ASSAM, WEST BENGAL POLL UPDATES 

    Hours before the first phase of polling began today, the Purba Medinipur district witnessed violence as bombing and firing took place in the Satsatmal village at the Argoal gram panchayat in Bhagabanpur Assembly constituency, injuring two security personnel.

    BJP candidate from Paschim Medinipur Samit Das also accused the TMC of creating a disturbance in the rural areas of the district.

    In the first phase of West Bengal elections, 30 seats covering all assembly constituencies from the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur, and Paschim Medinipur are going for polls.

    The first phase of polling will decide the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women. The polling will conclude at 6:30 pm.

    The state is witnessing a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the fray. 

  • West Bengal elections 2021: Game on as PM Narendra Modi, CM Mamata Banerjee trade blows

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  The war of words between Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee is getting more intense. The PM on Saturday accused the West Bengal CM of making false promises. Mamata hit back, calling the BJP a party of extortionists which sells national property.

    Referring to TMC’s recently announced election manifesto, Modi said that Mamata has released a list of promises after looting Bengal for 10 years. In the same breath, he charged that the TMC supremo has taken away 10 years from the lives of the state’s youths.

    Addressing a rally in Kharagpur, the erstwhile constituency of BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh, Modi said: “Now you are making 10 promises in your manifesto. People of Bengal trusted you and gave you 10 years, but you turned out to be a traitor.”

    On a Retaliatory note, Mamata, while addressing rallies in East Midnapore district, said: “Modi has ruined the economy. It has sold the railways, BSNL and insurance agencies. Is it a political party? In BJP-ruled states, Dalit women are set ablaze. Even in the party, women workers are not safe. It is a party of the biggest of extortionists.”

    Modi did not forget to mention the ‘nephew’ bit, saying that Mamata is more concerned about Abhishek Banerjee. “India is moving towards a single window system for the ease of doing business. In Bengal, there is only a single window which is the bhaipo (nephew),” he said.

    Castigating Mamata for opposing the Centre’s education policy, Modi said: “The new education policy allows youth to pursue higher education in regional languages. Didi has emerged as a wall between young students and their dreams. TMC is running extortion rackets and playing a game of appeasement politics. If anyone protests in Bengal, Didi puts him in jail. After wresting power, BJP will establish rule of law in Bengal.”

    Urging voters to exercise their right without fear, Modi asked police and administrative officials to follow the Constitution.