News Analysis India

Tag: Trinamool Congress

  • WBSSC scam: More relatives of TMC leaders figure in list of terminated staff

    By IANS

    KOLKATA: Names of close relatives of a number of Trinamool Congress leaders including ministers in West Bengal government have surfaced in the list published by West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) of the 842 non-teaching staff whose services have been terminated following an order of a single-judge bench of Calcutta High Court.

    First on Saturday morning, the names of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s niece Bristy Mukherjee and minister Srikanta Mahata’s brother Khokan Mahata figured in the list. But as time passed since then similar associations with the state’s ruling party surfaced in the list of terminated staff.

    The 141st name in the list is that of Binota Mondal posted at Nandannagar Adarsha Uccha Balika Vidyalaya in North 24 Pagans district, who is the daughter of Usha Rani Mondal, the Trinamool Congress MLA from Minakhan assembly constituency in the same district.

    ALSO READ | SSC row: CBI says Partha Chatterjee mastermind of school jobs scam

    The 37th name in the list is that of Amit Saha posted at Hatuganj Girls High School under Magrahat in South 24 Parganas district. He is the Trinamool Congress councillor from Ward number 13 of Diamond Harbour Municipality and also the party’s town president in Diamond Harbour.

    The 687th name in the list is that of Sudip Halder posted at Mouraltala Sitala Balika Vidyalaya. He is the son of Joydeb Halder, Trinamool Congress legislator from Mandirtala assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district.

    The 218th name in the list is that of Dolon Biswas posted at Barasat Vivekananda Adarsha Vidyapith in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. She is the former Trinamool Congress councillor from Barasat Municipality in the same district.

    On Saturday after the names of chief minister’s nice and minister Srikanta Mahata’s brother figured in the list of terminated candidates, BJP’s national vice-president and party’s Lok Sabha member, Dilip Ghosh said that as time will pass more such names having relations with ruling party heavyweights might surface.

    On Sunday, he said that the list proves how the ruling party has monopolised the recruitment process by adopting ultimate corrupt practices.

    KOLKATA: Names of close relatives of a number of Trinamool Congress leaders including ministers in West Bengal government have surfaced in the list published by West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) of the 842 non-teaching staff whose services have been terminated following an order of a single-judge bench of Calcutta High Court.

    First on Saturday morning, the names of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s niece Bristy Mukherjee and minister Srikanta Mahata’s brother Khokan Mahata figured in the list. But as time passed since then similar associations with the state’s ruling party surfaced in the list of terminated staff.

    The 141st name in the list is that of Binota Mondal posted at Nandannagar Adarsha Uccha Balika Vidyalaya in North 24 Pagans district, who is the daughter of Usha Rani Mondal, the Trinamool Congress MLA from Minakhan assembly constituency in the same district.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    ALSO READ | SSC row: CBI says Partha Chatterjee mastermind of school jobs scam

    The 37th name in the list is that of Amit Saha posted at Hatuganj Girls High School under Magrahat in South 24 Parganas district. He is the Trinamool Congress councillor from Ward number 13 of Diamond Harbour Municipality and also the party’s town president in Diamond Harbour.

    The 687th name in the list is that of Sudip Halder posted at Mouraltala Sitala Balika Vidyalaya. He is the son of Joydeb Halder, Trinamool Congress legislator from Mandirtala assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district.

    The 218th name in the list is that of Dolon Biswas posted at Barasat Vivekananda Adarsha Vidyapith in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. She is the former Trinamool Congress councillor from Barasat Municipality in the same district.

    On Saturday after the names of chief minister’s nice and minister Srikanta Mahata’s brother figured in the list of terminated candidates, BJP’s national vice-president and party’s Lok Sabha member, Dilip Ghosh said that as time will pass more such names having relations with ruling party heavyweights might surface.

    On Sunday, he said that the list proves how the ruling party has monopolised the recruitment process by adopting ultimate corrupt practices.

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

    By PTI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Union Minister’s convoy attacked with stones in West Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik on Saturday alleged that supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress attacked his car at Dinhata in West Bengal’s Coochbehar district.

    The TMC supporters allegedly pelted stones at the car carrying the minister.

    The front windshield of the car also cracked.

    Black flags were also shown to the minister.

    Pramanik said, “the police are acting as mere spectators and shielding the perpetrators of violence.

    People of the state are witnessing what is being done by TMC supporters in the state”.

    Pramanik alleged that TMC was sheltering miscreants.

    BJP West Bengal spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said “if a central minister’s car is attacked in this manner, then think about the security of the common people in the state”.

    Bhattacharya said the Governor should initiate steps for the imposition of Article 355 in the state.

    Trinamool Congress leader Jaiprakash Majumdar, while reacting to this, said BJP leaders like Dilip Ghosh and Suvendu Adhikari are instigating the saffron party workers to disrupt peace in West Bengal.

    “These leaders should be brought to task first”, he stated.

    KOLKATA: Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik on Saturday alleged that supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress attacked his car at Dinhata in West Bengal’s Coochbehar district.

    The TMC supporters allegedly pelted stones at the car carrying the minister.

    The front windshield of the car also cracked.

    Black flags were also shown to the minister.

    Pramanik said, “the police are acting as mere spectators and shielding the perpetrators of violence.

    People of the state are witnessing what is being done by TMC supporters in the state”.

    Pramanik alleged that TMC was sheltering miscreants.

    BJP West Bengal spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said “if a central minister’s car is attacked in this manner, then think about the security of the common people in the state”.

    Bhattacharya said the Governor should initiate steps for the imposition of Article 355 in the state.

    Trinamool Congress leader Jaiprakash Majumdar, while reacting to this, said BJP leaders like Dilip Ghosh and Suvendu Adhikari are instigating the saffron party workers to disrupt peace in West Bengal.

    “These leaders should be brought to task first”, he stated.

  • BJP’s North Bengal MLA Suman Kanjilal joins TMC

    By Express News Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Express News Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Letter to draw Vatican notice over Christians’ ‘persecution’

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI:  Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale wrote a letter to the Embassy of the Holy See of the Vatican urging it to take note of the Assam church “survey order” which amounts to “state-sponsored persecution of Christians”. 

    In the letter, Gokhale wrote, “Through this representation, we wish to apprise you of this extremely serious issue in the state of Assam with an appeal to notify His Holiness Pontifex Maximus as well as The Holy See regarding this state-sponsored persecution of Christians and to take up this issue in the relevant diplomatic forums with the Govt of India as you may deem fit.”

    The TMC spokesperson was referring to the order by the “Assam Police” seeking information on the number of churches along with details of people involved in religious conversion. Earlier, several TMC leaders, including its Meghalaya Vice President George Lyngdoh, slammed the Assam government for the “divisive move”. 

    GUWAHATI:  Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale wrote a letter to the Embassy of the Holy See of the Vatican urging it to take note of the Assam church “survey order” which amounts to “state-sponsored persecution of Christians”. 

    In the letter, Gokhale wrote, “Through this representation, we wish to apprise you of this extremely serious issue in the state of Assam with an appeal to notify His Holiness Pontifex Maximus as well as The Holy See regarding this state-sponsored persecution of Christians and to take up this issue in the relevant diplomatic forums with the Govt of India as you may deem fit.”

    The TMC spokesperson was referring to the order by the “Assam Police” seeking information on the number of churches along with details of people involved in religious conversion. Earlier, several TMC leaders, including its Meghalaya Vice President George Lyngdoh, slammed the Assam government for the “divisive move”. 

  • TMC’s Saket Gokhale arrested again, accused of misuse of crowdfunded money

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale was arrested by Gujarat police from Delhi late Thursday evening in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowdfunding, said a senior official here.

    Gokhale was arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch and was being brought here for further legal process, said the senior police official, adding that they would arrive by Friday afternoon.He was first arrested by the Cyber Crime Branch on December 6 for allegedly spreading fake news regarding the cost incurred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Morbi town following a bridge collapse tragedy.

    On December 1, Gokhale had shared a news clipping about information purportedly obtained through the Right to Information claiming that Modi’s visit to Morbi after the bridge collapse cost Rs 30 crore.

    Soon after he received bail from a court here, the TMC leader was again arrested on December 8 by the Morbi police for the same offence registered there. He was granted bail the next day.

    AHMEDABAD: Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale was arrested by Gujarat police from Delhi late Thursday evening in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowdfunding, said a senior official here.

    Gokhale was arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch and was being brought here for further legal process, said the senior police official, adding that they would arrive by Friday afternoon.He was first arrested by the Cyber Crime Branch on December 6 for allegedly spreading fake news regarding the cost incurred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Morbi town following a bridge collapse tragedy.

    On December 1, Gokhale had shared a news clipping about information purportedly obtained through the Right to Information claiming that Modi’s visit to Morbi after the bridge collapse cost Rs 30 crore.

    Soon after he received bail from a court here, the TMC leader was again arrested on December 8 by the Morbi police for the same offence registered there. He was granted bail the next day.

  • Rural polls: BJP MPs asked to cash in on anti-TMC sentiment

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  Considering next year’s panchayat elections a litmus test to gauge the organisation’s grassroot level strength, the BJP MPs in West Bengal on Monday have been asked to launch campaigns aiming to consolidate anti-Trinamool Congress electorates.

    In a meeting held in Kolkata, the saffron camp’s national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh asked the MPs to visit the rural pockets of their constituencies from January. The party members have been told to use the resentment among rural people over the issue of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat functionaries’ corruption as a tool to bring the anti-ruling party votes in the favour of the party.

    The ruling TMC is currently facing discontent in rural areas as names of thousands of ineligible TMC functionaries and their relatives were found in the list of the Centre’s housing scheme for the poor. “Besides, there are other government schemes in which the satraps of the ruling party were involved in corruption. We need to showcase the corruption issue in intensified way before the rural polls,’’ said a BJP leader.

    A month after the 2021 Lok Sabha results in 2019, in which the BJP made deep inroads in the state, CM Mamata Banerjee in a meeting had warned the party leaders that those involved in taking ‘cut money’ from government schemes and other corrupt practices would be put behind bars. Mamata’s warning had triggered large-scale protests across the state.

    KOLKATA:  Considering next year’s panchayat elections a litmus test to gauge the organisation’s grassroot level strength, the BJP MPs in West Bengal on Monday have been asked to launch campaigns aiming to consolidate anti-Trinamool Congress electorates.

    In a meeting held in Kolkata, the saffron camp’s national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh asked the MPs to visit the rural pockets of their constituencies from January. The party members have been told to use the resentment among rural people over the issue of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat functionaries’ corruption as a tool to bring the anti-ruling party votes in the favour of the party.

    The ruling TMC is currently facing discontent in rural areas as names of thousands of ineligible TMC functionaries and their relatives were found in the list of the Centre’s housing scheme for the poor. “Besides, there are other government schemes in which the satraps of the ruling party were involved in corruption. We need to showcase the corruption issue in intensified way before the rural polls,’’ said a BJP leader.

    A month after the 2021 Lok Sabha results in 2019, in which the BJP made deep inroads in the state, CM Mamata Banerjee in a meeting had warned the party leaders that those involved in taking ‘cut money’ from government schemes and other corrupt practices would be put behind bars. Mamata’s warning had triggered large-scale protests across the state.

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

    By Express News Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • None can do any harm to TMC, says jailed ex-minister Partha Chatterjee

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Suspended TMC leader Partha Chatterjee, who is in jail for his alleged involvement in a school recruitment scam, claimed on Monday that none can do any harm to the Mamata Banerjee-led party, indicating that he was still trying to curry favour with its leadership.

    The former Bengal minister, who was arrested on July 23 following recovery of cash, jewellery and property deeds from his alleged close associate, prayed for his bail before a special CBI court, which has reserved its order.

    The CBI is probing the recruitment scam on directions of the Calcutta High Court, and the Enforcement Directorate is looking into the money trail associated with the case.

    As Chatterjee got off a vehicle for his court hearing, he was asked by reporters to comment on Leader of Opposition in Bengal Suvendu Adhikari’s assertion that the days of the TMC are numbered and “major developments involving its leaders are on the cards in December”.

    The suspended leader was quick to reply that “none can do any harm to the TMC; none can damage TMC’s prospects”.

    The ruling party in Bengal had removed Chatterjee from the state cabinet and all party posts, besides suspending him, shortly after he was arrested in July.

    Distancing the party from Chatterjee, TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, when asked about his comment, said the TMC does not need Chatterjee’s certificate and has no relation with him.

    Ghosh, however, asserted there is no threat to the TMC, and BJP leaders are making absurd claims.

    Besides Adhikari, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar claimed on occasions that “the downfall of Mamata Banerjee government will begin from this month (December).”

    The TMC spokesperson, talking to reporters, said, “Leaders like Suvendu Adhikari and Sukanta Majumdar have no relevance, and they are making such claims just to remain in them news.

    People of Bengal are with the TMC and everyone knows that,” he said.

    BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya claimed that Chatterjee, former School Service Commission adviser SP Sinha and others arrested in connection with the case had just “followed instructions of the top leadership”.

    “Partha had always adhered to the programmes of the party.

    Hence it is not surprising that he is still speaking in the same voice as TMC,” Bhattacharya told PTI.

    Chatterjee held the education portfolio between 2014 and 2021 when the irregularities in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state government-sponsored and -aided schools had allegedly taken place.

    He held several portfolios, including Industry and Commerce, during the time of his arrest.

    KOLKATA: Suspended TMC leader Partha Chatterjee, who is in jail for his alleged involvement in a school recruitment scam, claimed on Monday that none can do any harm to the Mamata Banerjee-led party, indicating that he was still trying to curry favour with its leadership.

    The former Bengal minister, who was arrested on July 23 following recovery of cash, jewellery and property deeds from his alleged close associate, prayed for his bail before a special CBI court, which has reserved its order.

    The CBI is probing the recruitment scam on directions of the Calcutta High Court, and the Enforcement Directorate is looking into the money trail associated with the case.

    As Chatterjee got off a vehicle for his court hearing, he was asked by reporters to comment on Leader of Opposition in Bengal Suvendu Adhikari’s assertion that the days of the TMC are numbered and “major developments involving its leaders are on the cards in December”.

    The suspended leader was quick to reply that “none can do any harm to the TMC; none can damage TMC’s prospects”.

    The ruling party in Bengal had removed Chatterjee from the state cabinet and all party posts, besides suspending him, shortly after he was arrested in July.

    Distancing the party from Chatterjee, TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, when asked about his comment, said the TMC does not need Chatterjee’s certificate and has no relation with him.

    Ghosh, however, asserted there is no threat to the TMC, and BJP leaders are making absurd claims.

    Besides Adhikari, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar claimed on occasions that “the downfall of Mamata Banerjee government will begin from this month (December).”

    The TMC spokesperson, talking to reporters, said, “Leaders like Suvendu Adhikari and Sukanta Majumdar have no relevance, and they are making such claims just to remain in them news.

    People of Bengal are with the TMC and everyone knows that,” he said.

    BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya claimed that Chatterjee, former School Service Commission adviser SP Sinha and others arrested in connection with the case had just “followed instructions of the top leadership”.

    “Partha had always adhered to the programmes of the party.

    Hence it is not surprising that he is still speaking in the same voice as TMC,” Bhattacharya told PTI.

    Chatterjee held the education portfolio between 2014 and 2021 when the irregularities in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state government-sponsored and -aided schools had allegedly taken place.

    He held several portfolios, including Industry and Commerce, during the time of his arrest.