News Analysis India

Tag: West Bengal

  • Post-Poll Violence: No Reservation If Central Forces’ Stay In Bengal Extended, Home Ministry To HC |

    The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday informed the Calcutta High Court that it has no reservation if the deployment of central forces in West Bengal is extended if the situation demands in the light of allegations of post-poll violence in the state.

    The court directed the Centre and the West Bengal government to assess the situation following the charges of post-poll violence as made by petitioners and disclose all relevant facts relating to these on the next date of hearing on June 21.

    During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Asok Chakrabarti, representing the Union Home Ministry, submitted before the court that it has no reservations about extending deployment of central forces in the state if the situation demands.

    The counsel for Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, one of the petitioners in two PILs, submitted that a report by the West Bengal government states that till June 12, a total of 107 FIRs have been lodged and that 18 of these are not related to post-poll violence, claiming that thus it admits that post-poll violence was indeed occurring in the state.

    The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal concluded on June 1 and results were declared on June 4.

    A division bench presided by Justice Harish Tandon directed that the matter be listed for hearing again on June 21, till which date the central forces have already been directed by the court to stay put in Bengal.

    It was alleged by Adhikari and lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal in their separate PILs that people belonging to a particular political party were being subjected to atrocities following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha election process.

    The division bench, also comprising Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, said that its main concern is the safety and security of the citizens as serious allegations have been made by the petitioners in the PILs.

    Appearing for the state, Advocate General Kishore Dutta said that the state government was doing its job in maintaining law and order.

    Petitioner-lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal claimed that she has a list of 250 people who were ousted from their homes for their political beliefs and were staying in a dharamshala in Kolkata.

    She sought to submit a supplementary affidavit in this regard before the court on the next date of hearing.

  • Bengal BJP MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma criticises state leadership

    After BJP’s loss in West Bengal, another MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma has publicly criticised the state leadership, pointing out the party’s weak organisational framework and how opinions of MLAs were not even heard. The BJP got only 12 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, down from 18 in 2019.

    Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has claimed that three BJP MPs were already in touch with them in the post-election scenario.Sharma, MLA from Kurseong, said, “There were more than 15 virtual meetings. But, we were not even allowed to speak in those meetings.”

  • West Bengal Election Results 2024: Mamata magic wipes out Modi wave in Bengal – The Economic Times Video

    West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress put up a spectacular show, sweeping the Lok Sabha polls in the state to emerge as the fourth-largest party in the new Lok Sabha. So, what worked for TMC and what went amiss for the BJP juggernaut? We find out

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  • Calcutta HC order slap in face of those indulged in vote bank politics: Chhattisgarh CM

    Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday hailed the Calcutta High Court’s decision to scrap the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal, calling it a slap in the face of those indulged in appeasement politics through “religion-based” quota. The HC on Wednesday struck down the OBC (Other Backward Class) status of several classes in Bengal, finding such reservations under a 2012 Act to vacancies in services and posts in the state illegal. It observed that the inclusion of 77 classes of Muslims in the list of backward categories was to “treat them as vote bank”.

    West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has asserted that she will not accept the order and hinted that her government could challenge it in the Supreme Court.

    Asked about Banerjee’s statement, Sai told reporters here, “We welcome the decision of Calcutta High Court over religion-based reservation. It is a slap in the face of those who practise vote bank and appeasement politics by giving religion-based reservation.” Later, Sai claimed in a statement that Congress and the opposition INDIA bloc have been conspiring to “murder the Constitution”. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States”We all know that religion-based reservation has no place in the Constitution. On Wednesday, the Honourable Calcutta High Court scrapped all the religion-based OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010. This is a big decision for the OBC, tribals and all backward communities in the country,” he said. The judgment shows how Mamata Banerjee’s government was taking ahead the “policy of appeasement in an unconstitutional manner”, he said. “INDI alliance has been continuously robbing the rights of tribals and backward classes and wants to snatch their rights and hand them over to Muslims, just because of its vote bank politics. It is highly condemnable,” Sai said. Neither BJP nor backward, tribals and Dalits will tolerate the politics of appeasement of Congress and its alliance, he said. “What is even more serious is that the West Bengal CM has said that she will not accept this decision and will not implement it. It is very unfortunate”, he added.

  • West Bengal: Ahead of Phase 3 Lok Sabha polling, security raised in Murshidabad; angry Malda villagers refuse to cast vote – The Economic Times Video

    Murshidabad (WB): Security tightened in West Bengal’s Murshidabad on May 06 ahead of the third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. Police personnel checked every vehicle. Voting in Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency will take place on May 07 in the third phase of elections. Meanwhile, people in Birnagar village near Malda have decided to boycott the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. People alleged that the Government has not done any development work in the Birnagar village. Villagers are bearing the brunt of heavy floods and they are finding it difficult to meet their livelihood. Due to heavy rain and overflowing of the river, many lost their lives or were forced to relocate. Now, villagers said that they are not left with any other option but to boycott voting in Lok Sabha Elections. Villagers alleged that they have been living in distress for many years as leaders make only false promises.

  • Day After Attack On NIA Team, Probe Officials Booked For Molestation By Bengal Police |

    New Delhi: Day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team investigated the 2022 blast in West Bengal’s East Medinipur, the district police lodged charges of molestation against them. East Midnapore police filed a FIR against the NIA officers on Saturday night, citing sections 354 (molestation) and 441 (trespassing) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Bhupatinagar police station.  

    The complaint was lodged by family members of the arrested accused and TMC worker Manabroto Jana. As per reports, the police received a complaint alleging that NIA officials molested women by forcibly entering their homes late at night. While on Saturday, the NIA lodged a formal complaint regarding the attack at the Bhupatinagar police station. As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident. 

    The NIA team faced an assault in Bhupatinagar on Saturday after the apprehension of two TMC workers linked to the explosion on December 3, 2022, which resulted in the deaths of three individuals. Two NIA personnel sustained minor injuries when their vehicle was reportedly targeted following the interrogation of Balai Maiti and Manobrata Jana, identified as key conspirators. 

    A verbal clash ensued among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the CPI(M), and the Trinamool Congress following the Bhupatinagar incident, with Opposition figures highlighting parallels with the January 5 Sandeshkhali incident in North 24 Parganas.  

    Attacking a Central agency means attacking the Indian Constitution. Charging NIA officials with molestation for carrying out their duties shows breakdown of all constitutional institutions. This is a direct war against the Indian Constitution, remarked BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya. 

    Chakraborty was reacting to comments by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, delivered during an election rally in Balurghat. Banerjee asserted that the attack was instigated by the NIA, not by the women… NIA officials intruding into homes late at night, what more can be anticipated? Women defending their dignity is a natural response. In 2022, there was an explosion in Bhupatinagar, and now the NIA has been sent… to create fear. The BJP’s objective is to detain all our booth presidents, added Banerjee. 

  • NIA Team Probing Medinipur Blast Case Stopped By Protesters In West Bengal, Car Vandalised |

    Kolkata: In a distressing repetition of past events, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) encountered stiff resistance in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, while conducting investigations related to a blast case on Saturday. The latest incident is reminiscent of a similar attack on the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) team in Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas where the officers were besieged and allegedly assaulted during a raid linked to an alleged food scam.

    According to sources within the NIA, the team dispatched to Purba Medinipur faced hostility during their probe into the blast case. Reports indicate that the vehicle transporting the NIA officers was targeted and vandalized amidst efforts to apprehend a suspect connected to the ongoing investigation.

    A video footage circulating on social media purportedly depicts residents gathering around the NIA vehicle, attempting to obstruct the apprehension of the suspect. The situation escalated as villagers resorted to pelting the vehicle with stones, further escalating tensions.

     

    #WATCH | West Bengal: NIA officers had to face protesters in Sandeshkhali while they were carrying out an investigation in connection with the Bhupatinagar, East Medinipur blast case. People allegedly tried to stop the NIA team from taking the accused persons along with them.… pic.twitter.com/UVoAO6uuPQ
    — ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024

     

    Sandeshkhali, situated within the Sundarbans, has become a focal point of political discourse following allegations of sexual abuse and land encroachment against suspended TMC politician Shajahan Sheikh and his associates. The recent remarks by the Calcutta High Court condemning the events in Sandeshkhali also underscored the gravity of the situation.

    Earlier this year, Shahjahan Sheikh, the suspended TMC leader, triggered a political storm when an ED team conducting a raid at his residence in connection with a ration scam was met with mob violence. This incident came as a grim reminder of the escalating tensions and recurring confrontations in the region.

  • PM Modi Reaches Out To Lok Sabha Candidates In Bengal, Kerala; Know Why It’s Important For BJP |

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reached out to BJP candidates of two crucial states – Kerala and Bengal. While the BJP is looking to open its account in Kerala Lok Sabha polls, the party is trying hard to boost its seat count in TMC-ruled West Bengal. The BJP is fighting tooth and nail against the popularity of the TMC led by Mamata Banerjee while in God’s own country Kerala, the saffron party is yet to taste victory in the Lok Sabha polls. Thus, PM Modi’s attempt to speak to the women candidates from both the states is an attempt to boost the morale of the party cadre. 

    PM Modi’s Speaks To Kerala BJP Candidate

    Prime Minister Modi talked to Prof TN Sarasu who is the BJP candidate from the Alathur Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. During the conversation, she informed PM Modi that there is a problem with cooperative banks in Kerala which are governed by the CPI(M) leaders. “They loot the money that the poor people deposited in the bank. They are not getting back their money. So, there is a great complaint from the people here…Could you do something against this?” said Sarasu.

    PM Modi then told her, “I am happy that as a candidate, you are taking up the issues of the people. It’s a good thing for any public servant…Yes, I have heard about it. I have some details about it and you are right that a lot of poor people have been affected. Our government will take strict action against everyone involved and we will ensure that the poor get justice…I will take the legal advice and whatever property the ED will attach, if the common man’s money is involved, I will see that every penny should return to the person concerned. We will do that strictly.”

    #LISTEN | The conversation between PM Narendra Modi and Prof TN Sarasu, BJP candidate from Alathur in Kerala.

    She tells the PM, “…”There is a problem in Kerala with cooperative banks which are governed by the CPI(M) leaders. They loot the money that the poor people deposited… pic.twitter.com/AlpeQOkyNs
    — ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2024

    PM Modi’s Conversation With Bengal Candidate

    Prime Minister Modi also spoke to Rekha Patra, BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bengal’s Basirhat and one of the Sandeshkhali victims. The senior BJP leader spoke to Patra about her Lok Sabha campaign preparations. While talking to her, PM Modi called her ‘Shakti Swaroopa’. Shakti is a Hinduism term associated with goddesses like Durga and Kali. Patra narrated the ordeal faced by women of Sandeshkhali. 

    #LISTEN | The conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rekha Patra, a BJP candidate from Basirhat and one of the Sandeshkhali victims.

    She says, “…The situation in Sandeshkhali has been a matter of concern since 2011. If we were allowed to vote freely then this… pic.twitter.com/Y4KB7k1OKE
    — ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2024

    Boosting Cadre’s Morale

    The BJP has been galvanising its grassroots cadre in Kerala and West Bengal besides southern states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana. While the BJP has bettered its presence and vote share in Bengal, in Kerala, the saffron party is yet to open its account in the Lok Sabha. There are at least five seats in Kerala where the BJP has increased its vote shares and the party is now looking to translate it into the winning seats. PM Modi’s conversation with the candidates will send out a message that the person sitting on the highest echelons of the BJP is looking after the party candidates. This will boost the cadre’s morale ahead of the voting for the Lok Sabha polls. 

  • TMC-BJP clash: WB Governor CV Ananda Bose reviews situation in Cooch Behar’s Dinhata – The Economic Times Video

    Cooch Behar (WB), March 21 (ANI): West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose reviewed the situation in Dinhata area of Cooch Behar district on March 20. A clash had erupted between Trinamool Congress and BJP workers in Dinhata on March 19. The police had to resort to lathi charge to control the situation. A sub-divisional police officer was injured in the incident.

  • West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Sustains ‘Major’ Injury, Rushed To Hospital |

    KOLKATA: In an unpleasant development, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sustained a ”major” injury, her party said in a post on X. The Trinamool Congress supremo was immediately taken to the state-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata. Her party, TMC, also shared pictures of Mamata Banerjee in which her forehead can be seen bleeding. 

    ”Our chairperson @MamataOfficial sustained a major injury. Please keep her in your prayers,” West Bengal’s ruling party posted on X. 

     

    Our chairperson @MamataOfficial sustained a major injury.
    Please keep her in your prayers pic.twitter.com/gqLqWm1HwE
    — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 14, 2024

     

    In one of those photos, the Trinamool Congress chief can be seen lying on a hospital bed with a deep cut in the middle of her forehead and blood on her face. The 69-year-old politician slipped and hit her head on a furniture at her Kalighat residence. She suffered major injuries to her forehead after which she was immediately rushed to the state-run SSKM Hospital by her party workers.  

    As the news spread, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal expressed shock and grief over Mamta Banerjee’s injury and wished her a speedy recovery. 

    ”Shocked to see this. Pray for ur speedy recovery Didi. God bless u,” Kejriwal posted on X.

     

    Shocked to see this. Pray for ur speedy recovery Didi. God bless u https://t.co/Cc9fn1cNMO
    — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 14, 2024

     

    Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar also reacted to the news and said, “We wish for the speedy recovery of the West Bengal Chief Minister. We pray to God that she recovers soon and returns to her normal health.” 

     

    #WATCH | Balurghat: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sustained ‘a major injury’, State BJP President Sukanta Majumdar says, “We wish for the speedy recovery of the chief minister…” pic.twitter.com/bTKhgt0Mqr
    — ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2024

     

    Mamata Banerjee had shortly returned from an event in South Kolkata’s Ballygunge and was at her home when the incident occurred.