News Analysis India

Tag: Trinamool

  • Mamata has severe injuries to her ankle, right shoulder, neck, confirms doctor

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Preliminary medical tests conducted on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee late on Wednesday night detected severe bone injuries in her left ankle and foot, and injuries in right shoulder, forearm and neck, a senior doctor of the state-run SSKM hospital said.

    Doctors at the hospital decided to closely monitor Banerjee, who has been complaining of chest pain and breathlessness since the alleged attack at Nandigram in Purba Medinipore district earlier in the evening, for the next 48 hours, he said.

    The Trinamool Congress chief has slight fever and has been shifted to aspecial ward at the hospital’s VVIP Woodburn Block soon after the MRI at the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, he added.

    “We will keep her under observation for the next 48 hours. There will be more tests needed to be done, and after evaluating her condition we will decide on our next course of treatment,” a doctor, part of the team treating Banerjee, told PTI.

    Doctors conducted x-ray on the chief minister as soon as she was taken there from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district on Wednesday night.

    She is undergoing treatment at the 12.5 special cabin of Woodburn Block of the SSKM hospital.

    The state government has constituted a team of five senior doctors to treat Banerjee.

    The team consists of one cardiologist, an endocrinologist, a general surgery doctor, an orthopedist and a medicine doctor.

    ALSO READ | ‘Attack’ on Mamata: Theatrics for public sympathy, says Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

    Banerjee sustained injuries on her left leg and waist as she fell on the ground after she was allegedly pushed by unknown miscreants while campaigning for assembly elections in Nandigram.

    Earlier, Banerjee had filed her nomination to contest the ensuing assembly elections from Nandigram seat.

    Meanwhile, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar visited Mamata and sought a report from the administration on the incident.

    Dhankhar spoke to Banerjee over the phone shortly after the incident and later visited her at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, where she was admitted.

    A highly-placed source told PTI that the governor was in the chief minister’s cabin for around half an hour and she briefed Dhankhar about the incident.

    Senior Trinamool Congress leaders Abhishek Banerjee, Firhad Hakim and Derek O’Brien were outside the cabin during the one-on-one discussion, the source said.

    “Sought an update from Director, Security and Chief Secretary in matter. Health Secretary and Director of Hospital urged to take all caution,” Dhankhar tweeted.

    Banerjee has alleged that no local police personnel were near her when four-five men deliberately pushed her causing the injury.

    ALSO READ | Delhi CM Kejriwal condemns ‘attack’ on Mamata, says those responsible must be arrested

    In the tweet, the governor said that he had spoken to her at 6.40 pm soon after the incident was reported, while she was still at Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district.

    Dhankhar, who has been at loggerheads with the West Bengal government over several issues, was greeted with “go back” slogans by Trinamool Congress supporters when he entered the hospital.

    He faced a similar situation when he left the hospital after more than half an hour, by which time the number of TMC supporters had multiplied at the premises.

    Banerjee submitted her nomination papers for Nandigram earlier in the day.

  • Trinamool or BJP? As battle for ‘Poriborton’ heats up in Bengal, pollsters divided over outcome

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:   As the Bengal electoral battle heats up, pollsters are divided on whether the state will bring back ‘Didi’ or will see a saffron surge this time.

    Various pre-poll surveys have predicted different outcomes.

    While ABP-C-Voter and Times Now-C-Voter surveys have given edge to the ruling TMC, Hyderabad-based research agency People’s Pulse has predicted ‘comfortable’ win for the BJP. 

    The TMC is likely to retain power for the third consecutive term but with a slightly reduced majority, said the opinion polls conducted by Times Now and ABP in partnership with C-Voter.

    The Times Now survey projected 146-162 seats for Mamata’s party in the 294-member Assembly, down from the 211 seats it had won in 2016.

    People’s Pulse, on the other hand, said in its report ‘Mood for Poriborton: West Bengal’ that BJP is going to win quite comfortably, its organisational weaknesses notwithstanding. 

    The report predicted an edge for the BJP on nearly 160 seats, primarily on account of the  undercurrent of anti-incumbency sentiments running across the state of which the saffron party will be the default beneficiary.

    However, the surveys by the TV news channels predicted that the BJP, which had bagged just three seats in the last Assembly elections, will be the prime challenger to the TMC.

    As per the Times Now opinion poll, the saffron party is expected to grow in terms of the number of seats and vote percentage with a seat share between 99 and115.

    On the contrary, during the survey by People’s Pulse, the field narratives revealed an intense desire for change.

    “Therefore, issues like leadership, candidate profile, organisational presence or weaknesses don’t appear to reverse the dynamics that we witnessed until December 2020,” the report states.

    The report pointed out that as far as leadership factor is concerned, the relatively better image of the CM is eclipsed by the poor image of her party leaders. 

    “Her image won’t neutralise the bitterness that majority on the ground nurture on account of systematic battering by her regime. People’s everyday experience far outweighs the managerial effort by marketing agencies to manage politics…Bengal is witnessing the wind of change for sure,” the report concluded.

  • A day after PM’s Kolkata visit, Trinamool faces fresh spate of defections as it loses Malda Zilla Parishad

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Barely 72 hours after the Trinamool Congress announced the full list of candidates fielded in the upcoming Assembly elections, one of the contestants, in a bizarre move, joined the BJP on Monday along with the ruling party’s four other incumbent MLAs, who were denied tickets.

    The defection took place at the party’s Hastings election office in south Kolkata.

    Sarala Murmu was in the list announced by TMC supremo on Friday last week and was selected for the Habibpur Assembly constituency, reserved for a scheduled tribe candidate, in north Bengal’s Malda district.

    Sensing her defeat, Sarala decided to jump ship and join the BJP, sources in the TMC said.

    “Most of the TMC functionaries in the constituency where I was fielded have already joined the BJP. In the TMC, I was given a post but no work to do,” said Sarala.

    Noticing Sarala’s suspicious move on Sunday night, the TMC issued a statement announcing Pradip Baskey as the party’s new candidate and cited her health condition as the reason.

    “We anticipated Sarala’s move because she did not want to contest from Habibpur as she thought BJP’s victory is sure there. She wanted to contest from another seat which is Old Malda but the party refused,” said a TMC leader.

    Among others, four time MLA from Satgachia and once Mamata’s trusted colleague Sonali Guha, Singur’s octogenarian legislator Rabindranath Bhattacharya, Shibpur MLA Jatu Lahiri and footballer-turned lawmaker from Basirhat (Dakshin) Dipendu Biswas also joined the saffron camp.

    A number of ruling party’s functionaries from Malda zilla parishad and South Dum Dum municipality, too, shifted sides and came under the umbrella of the BJP.

    Bengali actress Tanushree Chakraborty also joined the BJP on Monday. 

    Bhattacharya and Lahiri were denied tickets as the party decided not to field octogenarian candidates in the upcoming poll and both of them come under the bracket of the age restriction.

    Trinamool also lost control of Malda zilla parishad.

    This was TMC’s second largest single-day exodus after political heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari along with 35 TMC leaders, including five MLAs and an MP, switched over to BJP December last year.

    The BJP took control of the 38-member Malda Zilla Parishad after its 23 members changed sides during the day.

    With Bhattacharya joining the saffron camp, TMC has lost both its prominent faces of the Singur and Nandigram anti-land acquisition movement to the saffron camp.

    The movement had catapulted TMC to power ending 34 years of Left Front rule in the state.

    Suvendu Adhikari will now take on Banerjee, his former mentor at Nandigram.

    BJP state president Dilip Ghosh handed the party flags to them during the day in the presence of Adhikari and the party’s national vice-president Mukul Roy.

    “The TMC is no longer a party of the masses. It has become a family-run party. Honest people have no place in the TMC,” Bhattacharya said.

    Guha, who had broken down immediately after getting news of her omission from the list of candidates of TMC released on Friday, said her former party had tried to speak to her.

    “But I was no longer interested. I had given more than a hundred per cent to TMC. Didi (Banerjee) and others know that very well. I will now devote myself equally to the BJP in whichever way they use me,” she said.

    Murmu, who is known to be a Adhikari loyalist, hit out at TMC saying it does not have an atmosphere to work for the masses.

    Actor Tanusree Chakraborty also joined the BJP.

    Reacting to Monday’s exodus, senior TMC leader Sougata Roy said it showed that the defecting TMC leaders do not have any moral values and are only hungry for posts.

    “It’s a good riddance. Just because these leaders were not given tickets, they quit TMC,” Roy said.

    An elated BJP said the “beginning of the end of TMC has already begun” and the party will disintegrate soon.

    “It is only a matter of time before TMC disintegrates. Those who want to fight against TMC should join us,” Ghosh said.

    He, however, said it is not necessary that those who have joined BJP will be given tickets for the coming assembly polls.

    Since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when the BJP bagged 18 seats, just four less than the ruling TMC and emerged as its main challenger in Bengal, 24 MLAs of the Trinamool Congress, two TMC MP, three belonging to the Congress and the CPI(M) each and one from CPI has crossed over to the saffron camp.

    However, except for the former state cabinet ministers – Suvendu Adhikari, Rajib Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi none of them resigned as MLAs or MP.

    Election for 294-seat Bengal Assembly is poised to be a stiff contest between the TMC and the BJP.

    The election will be held in eight phases, beginning with polling for 30 seats on March 27.

    Votes will be counted on May 2.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • ‘Poribortan will happen in Delhi instead of Bengal’: Mamata hits back at PM as she protests LPG price hike

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  Hitting back at the BJP over its allegation of “syndicate raj” in West Bengal under the TMC rule, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah are part of a “syndicate”.

    “Modi and Shah are the only syndicate in India. Look at the increase in fuel prices. Covid pandemic happened but the PM  was nowhere to be found. You get free rice but you spent on expensive gas to cook it,” said Banerjee while organising a protest march against the steep hike in the price of LPG cylinders at Siliguri. Mamata was accompanied by her Cabinet colleague Chandrima Bhttacharya and MPs Mimi Chakrabarty and Nusrat Jahan.

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leads a protest rally againstthe hike in fuel and LPG prices, in Siliguri on Sunday | PTI

    ALSO READ | Bengal polls: Actor Mithun Chakraborty joins BJP ahead of PM Modi’s Brigade rally

    Launching a fresh tirade against Modi, Banerjee alleged that the PM was peddling lies to mislead the electorates in the poll-bound state. “He (Modi) has made many false promises over the years and the people of Bengal no longer trust him. Why the PM has not deposited  `15 lakh to the bank accounts of every citizen as promised by him before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. You have made many empty promises and people will not accept your false words every day. You have made the LPG cylinders inaccessible to common people,” she lashed out.

    Asking people to raise their voice against the “riot- mongering BJP,” Banerjee said, “People of Bengal, who had been living in peace casting aside barriers of community and language, would come under grave threat if the saffron party comes to power.” The protest march is said to be TMC’s effort to woo women homemakers. “Since the homemakers take care of kitchens, the price hike of LPG has directly affected them. To portray herself as a voice of the homemakers, she took three women party colleagues with her in the event,’’ said a TMC leader.

  • ‘Vote for BJP fearlessly, vote against bad governance’: PM attacks Mamata at Brigade rally

    By Online Desk
    KOLKATA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday launched a blistering attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of “betraying and insulting” the people of the state who trusted she will bring about a change after the Left rule.

    He also accused her of nepotism by choosing to play the limited role of “bua” (aunt) to her “bhatija” (nephew) instead of becoming “Didi” (elder sister) to the people.

    Addressing a massive BJP rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds, his first in West Bengal after the announcement of assembly polls, Modi hit out at his detractors who accuse him of favouring a handful of his businessmen friends.

    “The dream of ‘sonar bangla’ will be fulfilled. Today, I have come here today to assure you of Bengal’s development, to increase investment here, to protect Bengal’s culture and to bring change,” he said during the Brigade rally at Kolkata.

    “The next 25 years are very important for the development of Bengal. The development here in the next 5 years will lay the foundation for State’s development in the next 25 years,” he added further.

    “In this Assembly elections, there are TMC, Left and Congress, and their anti-Bengal attitude on a side. On the other side, there are people of Bengal. Bengal wants ‘shanti’, ‘sonar Bangla’, ‘pragatisheel Bangla’. This Brigade Parade Ground has been witness to many great leaders and also witnessed those who have disrupted West Bengal’s progress. People of Bengal never left their hopes for change,” he said.

    #WATCH | You are well aware of the condition of ‘Maa, Manush, Maati’. Mothers are being attacked on streets and in their houses. Recently, the cruelty unleashed on an 80-year-old mother has shown their cruel face to the entire country: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/OHEXCTlt3L
    — ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2021

    “You know it very well how the democratic system has been destroyed here. BJP will strengthen this system. We will bring the change to re-establish public belief in govt systems, in the police, and the administration,” he said while attacking the Mamata Banerjee-led state government over the state’s deterioting law and order.

    “I have come here to make you believe that we’ll work hard for farmers, businessmen and the development of sisters and daughters. We will live every moment to fulfill your dreams,” he added further.

    ALSO READ | Always felt at home in Bengal: Gambhir ahead of joining BJP campaign in poll-bound state

    “They made promises to work for ‘Maa, maati, manush’. But you tell me, has TMC been able to bring change in the lives of common people here in the last 10 years? The people of Bengal had chosen you as ‘Didi’ but then why did you remain the aunt of a nephew? The people of Bengal are asking only this one question from you,” Modi said while lashing out at Mamata.

    #WATCH | Your (Mamata Banerjee’s) scooty took a turn towards Nandigram instead of going to Bhawanipore. Didi, I wish everyone well and don’t want anyone hurt. But what can I do if the scooty is destined to fall in Nandigram?: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/OycJdytWNk
    — ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2021

    “You have betrayed and insulted the people of Bengal who trusted that you will be the harbinger of change after the end of the Left rule. You smashed to smithereens (chaknachoor) their hopes and dreams,” he said, excoriating the TMC supremo.

    He alleged Banerjee promoted nepotism while neglecting the people who fondly called her ‘Didi’.

    “Bengal chose you in role of ‘Didi’ but you preferred being ‘bua’ to your ‘bhatija’,” he said.

    “Some days back, when you rode a scooty, everyone was praying that you are not hurt. It is good that you didn’t fall, otherwise, you would have made enemy the state where the scooty was manufactured. Your scooty took a turn towards Nandigram instead of going to Bhawanipore. Didi, I wish everyone well and don’t want anyone hurt. But what can I do if the scooty is destined to fall in Nandigram?,” he said.

    The BJP has been accusing Banerjee of trying to install her nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek as the next chief minister.

    Hitting back at rival leaders like former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Banerjee, who often accuse him of favouring his industrialist friends, Modi said given his humble background he valued friendship.

    “All 130 crore people of India are my friends, I work for them. I gave 90 lakh gas connections to my friends of Bengal. I have special affinity with tea, and the tea garden workers of Bengal are my friends for whom I have implemented a social security scheme,” he said.

    “TMC ka khela khatam, vikas shuru…vote for BJP fearlessly, vote against bad governance. These people are experienced people and play a lot! They have done innumerable corruption and looted the people of Bengal. They have even looted the relief money sent for Amphan,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Kolkata drug seizure case: BJP leader Rakesh Singh’s aide arrested

    “I have known Didi since ages. She is not the same person who raised her voice against the Left. She speaks someone else’s language now and is being controlled,” Modi said while attacking the Bengal CM.

    “Tolabaazi, syndicate, commission cut! You have done so many scams that a ‘Corruption Olympics’ game can be organized. You have played with the hard-earned money of the people and their lives,” he said.

    “You’ve pushed Bengal towards separation instead of development, and thus the lotus is blooming. You’ve divided people on religious lines, and thus the lotus is blooming,” the PM added.

    Modi has often spoken about how he used to sell tea at a railway station and on trains as a small boy.

    He also attacked Banerjee for triggering the insider- outsider debate.

    “When those believing in Marx and Lenin and a party like the TMC, an offshoot of the Congress, are parties of insiders, how the BJP, for whose foundation Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the source of inspiration, can be a party of outsiders,” he said.

    The prime minister said he was committed to bringing about “asol parivartan” (real change) in West Bengal where all sections of people progress but nobody is appeased, and infiltration is stopped.

    “Be it North Bengal or South Bengal, ordinary people or refugees. All will progress but nobody will be appeased. Infiltration will be stopped completely,” he asserted, reaffirming his commitment to the Mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas’.

    Accusing the TMC government of destroying the democratic system, he alleged ‘loktantra’ (democracy) was replaced with ‘lootantra’ (systematic plunder) in the 10 years of its rule.

    “Lotus is about to bloom in Bengal because of the ‘kichad’ (muck) created by you, Didi,” he said.

    (With ANI and PTI Inputs)

  • ‘Modi has time to address rally in Bengal, but can’t meet protesting farmers’: Pawar lashes out at PM

    Express News Service
    RANCHI: Making a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar said that the former has time to visit foreign Countries and address rallies in West Bengal, but has no time to visit farmers at the Delhi borders who have been protesting for the last 100 days. 

    Addressing the State level workers conference in Ranchi on Sunday, Pawar also alleged that the BJP is spreading “communal poison” in the country.

    “The farmers have been protesting on Delhi borders for the last 100 days, but the Prime Minister, who has time to visit foreign Countries, address rally in West Bengal, has no time for the farmers who have been protesting merely 20 kilometers from his official residence,” said Pawar.

    Later, talking to the media persons, the NCP Chief also hinted on supporting Mamata Banerjee in the upcomming Bengal polls.

    “Though, we used to contest on some of the seats in West Bengal, but the way BJP is targeting Mamta Banerjee, we are mulling on supporting her in the upcomming Assembly elections. Party workers have opined that the centre is misusing its power to defeat Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and hence it is high time that she may be lent support,” said Pawar. 

    They are mulling not to field their candidates in Bengal and support her in the upcomming elections, he added.

    Pawar further added that ‘communal poison’ is being spread in most of the states and prices of which are being paid by the poor and people of minority communities.

    Taking a dig at BJP, Pawar said that the centre is taking help from AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi to win elections.

    “The ruling party at the centre, in order to divide votes, always takes help of others and Asaduddin Owaisi is one of them,” said Pawar.

    The NCP chief alleged that the Central government is using central agencies to suppress the voices of Opposition in non-BJP ruled States.

    “The way the Prime Minister, Home Minister and other top leaders of BJP have launched a campaign against the governments of West Bengal and other non-BJP ruled states by misusing the central agencies like CBI and ED, it is a serious issue and all of us must think about it,” said Pawar.

    The NCP Chief said that his party will expand its base in Jharkhand in the coming days.

  • Will Hemant Soren ditch Congress to campaign for Mamata? JMM to decide soon

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been requested by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to campaign for her in the West Bengal Assembly elections and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha will take a decision on this soon keeping in mind the objective of giving a pushback to the BJP’s poll prospects, a senior JMM leader said on Sunday.

    The development assumes significance as the JMM is an alliance government with the Congress in Jharkhand and the Sonia Gandhi-led party has tied up with the Left and the Indian Secular Front in West Bengal against the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

    After the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party and the Shiv Sena, Banerjee had said last week that the TMC has received support from the JMM and the Nationalist Congress Party for the assembly polls.

    In West Bengal, communication keeps happening with Mamata Banerjee as being in neighbouring states, issues are regularly discussed, a senior JMM leader said on condition of anonymity.

    “It was our demand that some regions of West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha should have been made part of Jharkhand as they had been part of the movement for the state, but in 2000 the borders that were created, some areas were left out,” the leader said.

    “As a result, you would see that in West Bengal’s tea gardens, a majority of the people are from Jharkhand. So, we do have an influence there,” the leader said.

    The TMC chief has asked the Jharkhand chief minister to campaign for her, the JMM leader said, adding that party chief Shibu Soren has been informed about the request.

    The leader said a decision will soon be taken on it by the party.

    “But the target is fixed that the BJP has to be given a pushback there and a decision will be taken keeping that in mind,” the leader said.

    The JMM leader also slammed the Centre on various issues such as high fuel prices, farm laws and treatment meted out to farmers.

    The leader also alleged that it seems cooperative federalism is left only on name.

    Significantly, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav had also thrown his party’s weight behind Banerjee and appealed to Biharis domiciled in West Bengal to rally behind the chief minister in the elections.

    RJD is also part of the Jharkhand government headed by Hemant Soren.

    Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in eight phases from March 27 to April 29.

    Votes will be counted on May 2.

  • Omar targets Suvendhu Adhikari over ‘Bengal will become Kashmir’ remarks

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Sunday hit out at BJP leader Suvendhu Adhikari for his remarks that West Bengal will become like Kashmir if the Trinamool Congress came back to power in the state.

    “But according to you BJP wallas Kashmir has become paradise after August 2019 so what’s wrong with West Bengal becoming Kashmir? Anyway, Bengalis love Kashmir & visit us in large numbers so we forgive you your stupid, tasteless comment,” Omar said in a tweet.

    The former J-K chief minister was reacting to Adhikari’s reported statement that West Bengal would become like Kashmir if the TMC returned to power in the assembly elections.

    Adhikari, a former TMC leader, is contesting against his former boss Mamata Banerjee from the Nandigram seat.

  • EC seeks report on Trinamool’s complaint about PM’s photo on COVID-19 vaccination certificate

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has sought a report from the West Bengal chief electoral officer on the Trinamool Congress’ complaint that the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the COVID-19 vaccination certificate violates the model code.

    A functionary said on Thursday that the state CEO has been directed to file a report to verify the veracity of the TMC’s complaint.

    Based on the CEO’s report, the poll panel would decide the future course of action, the functionary explained.

    The ruling TMC in West Bengal had on Tuesday approached the poll panel about the PM’s image on vaccination certificates generated through the Co-Win platform being a violation of the model code of conduct in Bengal and other poll-bound states.

    It had termed the picture a misuse of official machinery by the prime minister.

    The model code came into force on February 26, the day the Election Commission had announced assembly polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

  • Bengal polls: Saffron brigade goes to EC, Trinamool demands removal of state election in-charge

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday approached the Election Commission against municipal administrators in West Bengal, alleging that they continue to function in their roles even after the end of their five-year tenure.

    The party also claimed that the Trinamool Congress-led state government has not held municipal elections fearing loss of face in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

    In a memorandum to the EC, BJP stated that 125 of the 135 municipal bodies in the state completed their tenures in April-May last year. But no polls have been held yet.

    “Apprehending failure in the municipal elections which could have ramifications in the Assembly, TMC influenced the state election commission and got municipal polls postponed,” alleged the memorandum submitted by a BJP delegation consisting of the party’s national general secretary Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and others.

    The TMC, on the other hand, have demanded the removal of deputy election commissioner Sudip Jain, who is in-charge of the state. They accused him of being biased against them.

    TMC spokesperson Sougata Roy said party leader Derek O’ Brien has written to the Election Commission demanding that Jain be removed as he was biased against them t during 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    “During Parliamentary polls, Sudeep Jain had taken several steps which were not only against the norms of the Election Commission but also against those of the federal structure. We don’t have any faith in him. We (TMC) apprehend that this time, too, he will take steps which will either directly or indirectly help the BJP,” Roy said at a press conference.