News Analysis India

Tag: Tripura

  • Kamla Beniwal: Congress veteran and former Gujarat governor Kamla Beniwal dies, condolences pour in

    Veteran Congress leader and former governor of Gujarat Kamla Beniwal died at a private hospital in Jaipur on Wednesday. She was 97.

    Beniwal was admitted to the hospital after a brief illness. One of her family members said the funeral will be held on Thursday.

    Apart from Gujarat, she also served as governor of Tripura and Mizoram. A seven-time MLA, Beniwal also remained the deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, apart from holding other positions in the state government and the Congress party. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and other leaders condoled the demise of Beniwal. Mishra expressed grief on the demise of Beniwal and prayed for peace to the departed soul. In a post on X, the chief minister wrote, “The news of the demise of Dr Kamla Beniwal, former governor of Gujarat and former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, is extremely sad. My condolences are with the bereaved family.” Speaker of Rajasthan assembly Vasudev Devnani said recalled Beniwal was a “good administrator and public representative”.

    Devnani, in a statement said, the Congress leader participated in India’s Independence struggle and had a “long experience in the field of politics”.

    “Dr Kamla was elected as MLA seven times. She was also the chairperson and member of various committees of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly,” he added.

    Former chief minister Gehlot said he was deeply shocked by the news of the demise of Beniwal.

    “Her personality was multi-faceted and she did exemplary work in every field, apart from politics,” he said.

    Gehlot said that Beniwal was a senior colleague in his cabinet in his first term as the state’s chief minister and he got to learn a lot from her during the period.

    “She was an efficient administrator, dynamic speaker and a strong leader. Her commitment and loyalty towards the Congress ideology is an example,” he said.

    Gehlot added that as the governor of Gujarat, Beniwal further enhanced the dignity of that post by protecting constitutional values.

  • CPI-M’s Jitendra Chaudhury recognised as Leader of Opposition in Tripura

    CPI-M legislature party leader Jitendra Chaudhury on Wednesday recognised as Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Tripura Assembly.

    The post of LoP has been lying vacant after incumbent, Tipra Motha Party (TMP) MLA Animesh Debbarma quit before becoming minister in Chief Minister Manik Saha-led BJP government on March 7.

    Speaker Biswabandhu Sen invited Chaudhury on Wednesday and discussed the LoP-related issues and then recognised him for the post. Chaudhury, a former minister and former Lok Sabha member, said that inside and outside the assembly he would highlight the issues and interest of the common people.

    “Actually as per the result of the last year’s assembly polls in terms of vote percentage we got the second position (24.62 per cent votes) but TMP was recognised as the opposition party as they got 13 seats (20 per cent votes) and CPI-M secured 11 seats,” Chaudhury told the media.

    Animesh Debbarma and fellow TMP MLA Brishaketu Debbarma became ministers after the tribal based party, led by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, decided to join the BJP-led coalition government after signing a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government in New Delhi on March 2 on their demands to resolve the tribals’ socio-economic issues through constitutional provision. In the February 16, 2023 Assembly polls, the TMP won 13 seats and became the second-largest party after the ruling BJP, which won 32 seats while its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) secured one seat. The CPI-M, which contested the polls in a seat-sharing adjustment with the Congress, managed 11 seats and the Congress bagged three.

    However, CPI-M MLA from Boxanagar Assembly seat Samsul Haque died on July 19 last year following a cardiac attack and, in the September 5, 2023, by-elections, the BJP wrested the seat for the first time.

    With the victory in the by polls, the BJP’s tally increased to 33 in the 60-member assembly while CPI-M’s strength went down to 10.