Tag: West Bengal

Manish Sisodia Smriti Irani

Mamata Gave Clean Chit To Stone Pelters: Irani’s Attack On WB CM

By LokMarg

Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday launched an attack at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the violence during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah and accused her of giving clean chit to those who pelted stones during the procession.

“Stone pelting happened during Ram Navami’s procession in Howrah. Instead of delivering justice Mamata Bandopadhyay (Banerjee) gave a clean chit to stone pelters who took the law into their hands and attacked the Shobha Yatra of Ram Navami,” Irani alleged.
“The question is how long will Mamata keep attacking the Hindu community…” she added.

Irani further stated, “This is not the first event that happened during the term of Mamata. Earlier in 2022, on Lakshmi Puja, when Dalits were performing puja they were attacked. At that time also she was quiet.”

Earlier on Thursday, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalized public and private properties and set vehicles on fire.

Following the violence in Howrah during Ram Navami celebrations, the West Bengal government on Friday handed over the probe to Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A special team led by Inspector General of Police, CID Sunil Choudhury has initiated the investigation.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also earlier spoke to West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and took stock of the situation in Howrah where violence broke out.

Shah also called West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and enquired about the law and order situation in the state.

West Bengal BJP chief on Friday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into violence in Howrah during Ram Navami celebrations.

Following the violence in West Bengal’s Howrah during Ram Navami celebrations, the Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday filed a PIL in Calcutta High Court seeking an NIA probe into the matter and immediate deployment of Central Forces in the violence-affected areas. (ANI)

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Flag March In Howrah After Ram Navami Violence

Police Hold Flag March In Howrah After Ram Navami Violence

By LokMarg

West Bengal Police on Thursday conducted a flag march in Howrah where violence broke out during a Ram Navami procession.

During the procession, the rioters vandalized public and private properties and set vehicles on fire.
Police personnel are on the spot, and the reason behind the violence is yet to be ascertained.

However, responding to the incident, State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party hires goons from outside the State to orchestrate communal riots.

“They have been hiring goons from outside the state to orchestrate communal riots. Nobody has stopped their processions but they do not have the right to march with swords and bulldozers. How did they get the audacity to do this in Howrah?” CM Mamata said.

Further information is awaited. (ANI)

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Setback For Mamata Predicted in Exit Polls

Can Sit On Dharna Near PM House: Mamata

By LokMarg

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who on Wednesday sat on a dharna against the central government over alleged blocking of state money, said she would sit on a dharna near the Prime Minister’s residence in the national capital, if necessary.

She said the two-day dharna was staged to protest against the BJP-led central government’s alleged discriminatory attitude towards West Bengal. Mamata said she was sitting on dharna in her capacity as the TMC chief and not as the chief minister.
“I am working for people. I am fighting for the people whose money has been stopped for 100 days’ work. I am sitting for the rights of common people whose money has been blocked by the Centre. If required, Mamata can even sit on dharma near the PM’s house. I have the courage,” the Trinamool supremo said.

“You have blocked the money by invoking a so-called Section 27. But remember, people will vote you out with section 420 in 2024. You will not come to power,” she said.

Under BJP’s rule, she said the Opposition is harassed by the central agencies.

“A babu is saying that I will send CBI and ED to your house if you speak against me,” claimed the West Bengal Chief Minister.

Attacking the BJP further, Mamata said, “There were some good people in BJP. I used to respect Atal ji a lot. But nowadays the kind of material is there…A tubewell would not be made. You are taking money in the name of GST. I will ask all the opposition parties if there is no one who is tortured. They already have started calling women from home. I say why do you spare the small child. See in which level they have gone down…From Akhilesh, Uddhav, Arvind, Lalu and KCR all are thieves and only you are sadhu.”

She said all opposition parties should fight the BJP unitedly.

The Trinamool chief said the BJP’s “double engine government” has now become “Bhajpa washing machine”.

“The so-called double-engine government has failed. BJP has turned into a washing machine. Those who do not know how to respect women, are now giving lectures about the Constitution,” she said.

“One of the BJP’s goons was saying that they would come out armed on the streets during the Ram Navami procession. We would not stop any Ram Navami procession. But remember, Ramzan is going on…The law will take its own course if you try to incite violence in Muslim-dominated areas. There is every right to carry out processions and public meetings. But no one has the right to instigate riots,” the West Bengal CM added.

Mamata alleged further that the Centre has not released funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) project and other schemes for the state.

The protest was held ahead of the panchayat elections in the state. (ANI)

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J'khand Polls

Sagardighi Bypoll: Cong’s Biswas Leading TMC’s Debashish

By LokMarg

Counting votes for the Sagardighi Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district started on Thursday, with the Congress’ Byron Biswas over the ruling TMC’s Debashish Banerjee by a margin of 515 votes.

The counting votes will decide the electoral fates of three Sagardighi candidates — Congress’s Byron Biswas, BJP’s Dilip Saha and the Trinamool Congress’s Debashish Banerjee.
The bypoll for the Assembly seat was held on Monday.

The bye-election to the Sagardighi Assembly seat was necessitated following the death of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Subrata Saha in December 2022.

While the BJP is counting its electoral hopes in the constituency on Dilip Saha, the Left Front has put its weight behind the Congress nominee, Bayron Biswas.

Apart from Sagardighi, counting of votes are also underway for Assembly segments in four other states. (ANI)

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Dead Lizard, Rat Found At Mid-Day Meal In Malda, West Bengal | Lokmarg

Dead Lizard, Rat Found At Mid-Day Meal In Malda, West Bengal

By LokMarg

Locals created a ruckus after a rat and a lizard were found in a mid-day meal in a school in Malda.

“The case of dead lizard and rat found in mid-day meal has come to our notice. Strict action is taken against those who are responsible for it,” said Malda District Magistrate Nitin Singhania.
A local said that the quality of the mid-deal meal is terrible and the students have been complaining about it for quite some time.

“The quality of the mid-day meal provided in the school is terrible. Students have been complaining about it for a long time. Today we have caught them red-handed,” said Afsar, a local.

Earlier on January 6, the West Bengal government decided to serve chicken and seasonal fruits in mid-day meals for four months starting January and allotted Rs 371 crore for introducing the same.

According to an official notification, chicken and seasonal fruits will be served weekly once for four months for additional nutrition under PM POSHAN.

Notably, in the new scheme, an amount of Rs 20 will be spent per week on providing additional nutrition to every student, and the process will continue for 16 weeks.

Currently, students are provided with rice, pulses, vegetables, soybean and eggs in schools as part of mid-day meals.

The additional items will be served from January 23 to April 23 in every block on different days of the week. (ANI)

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BJP’s Ideology Is Self-Centered: Mamata

By LokMarg

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the BJP’s ideology is to be “self-centered” while her party Trinamool Congress abides by the Constitution.

Addressing a convention of Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in Kolkata, Banerjee said, “CPI (M) and BJP belong to the same team…BJP’s ideology is to be self-centered…Our compulsion is to obey the Constitution. But today history, geography, and politics are being forgotten; education and culture are being changed,”
The TMC supremo spoke on Trinamool Congress’ vision as it completed 25 years on January 1, and said “the party aims at a united India with a strengthened federal structure”.

On Sunday, she took to Twitter on the occasion of the 25th foundation day of the Trinamool Congress and congratulated everyone for believing in the power of Maa, Maati, and Manush (mother, soil, and people).

She also recalled the party’s struggle through the years and the role played by the party workers in empowering people, fighting injustice, and inspiring hope among the masses.

“This day, 25 years ago, TMC came into existence. I recall our struggles through the years & the role we have played in empowering people, fighting injustice, and inspiring hope. I heartily congratulate everyone for believing in the power of MAA, MAATI, MANUSH,” tweeted Mamata.

Trinamool Congress was created over Mamata’s difference from the Congress. She left Congress and formed TMC on January 1, 1998. TMC which emerged as a regional party was elevated to a national Party in 2016.

The party ended the 34-year left regime in West Bengal in 2011 and has been in power since then, winning three consecutive assembly elections.

Currently, it is the third largest party in the parliament after BJP and the Congress with 23 members in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha. (ANI)

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MoS Nityanand's Security

MoS Nityanand’s Security Upgraded To ‘Z’ Category

By LokMarg

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has upgraded the security of Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai to ‘Z’ category for all India level, sources said on Tuesday.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be providing round-the-clock security cover to the minister at his residence as well as during his travel to other states across the country.
Earlier, the CRPF used to provide Rai ‘Z’ category security during his stay and travel in West Bengal. Rai was provided a ‘Z’ category CRPF security cover during the West Bengal polls in 2021 when he was given charge of central observer for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal.

Besides West Bengal, Rai was being given state protection in other states so far.

The security of the MoS was upgraded following a recent Intelligence Bureau report and threat assessment.

The armed squad has taken over the task after the MHA directed the CRPF VIP security wing to ensure protection for the 57-year-old politician.

The armed personnel, about eight to ten working in shifts, will escort Rai whenever he moves across the country. (ANI)

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Mamata Refuses To Go On Stage Amid Sloganeering | Lokmarg

Mamata Refuses To Go On Stage Amid Sloganeering

By LokMarg

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was visibly irked on Friday after people at Howrah Railway station here, raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans upon her arrival at an event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the nation’s seventh Vande Bharat Express.

An annoyed West Bengal CM sat beside the dais along with other government officials here as chants of “Jai Shri Ram” continued.

People in West Bengal welcomed their first Vande Bharat express on Friday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the semi-high-speed train that will run between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri.

The nation’s seventh Vande Bharat express train between Howrah-New Jalpaiguri (NJP) has been flagged off through video conferencing by the Prime Minister minutes after the last rite of his mother Heeraben Modi, who passed away this morning.

Modi took part in the flag-off from Gujarat as the train left Howrah station in Bengal.

The train will cover a distance of around 550km and will take a little more than seven and a half hours to reach its destination, with only three stoppages from Howrah to NJP. The Shatabdi also runs between the two terminals.

The Vande Bharat will run six days a week except on Wednesdays. The train will depart at 5.50 am from Howrah and reach NJP at 1.25 pm. From NJP, the train will depart at 3.05 pm and reach Howrah at 10.35 pm.

The Prime Minister was also supposed to virtually lay the foundation stone of the redevelopment project of New Jalpaiguri Railway station which will be the first international train terminal of the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was scheduled to flag off the Vande Bharat Express from Kolkata on Friday, attended the programme via video conferencing, following his mother Heeraben Modi’s demise this morning.

She was admitted to an Ahmedabad hospital on Wednesday after her condition deteriorated.

The Prime Minister informed the nation about her demise early Friday morning. Informing about her demise, the Prime Minister posted a heartfelt tweet: “A glorious century rests at the feet of God… In Maa, I have always felt that trinity, which contains the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless Karmayogi and a life committed to values”

Condolences across Party Lines were offered by politicians across the country across Party Lines on the death of the Prime Minister’s mother. Several Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, offered their condolences to the bereaved Prime Minister and his family. (ANI)

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Your Mother Means Our Mother': Mamata To Modi | Lokmarg

‘Your Mother Means Our Mother’: Mamata To Modi

By LokMarg

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed her condolence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that “your mother means our mother”.

Speaking at the inauguration of various Railway projects in West Bengal, which PM Modi was attending virtually, Banerjee said, “Respected PM, today is a sad day for you personally and it’s a great loss of your personal life. I pray to God, may God give you strength and bless you so that you can love your mother with your action and activities. I convey my gratitude to you because you were supposed to come to West Bengal but because of the sad demise of your mother you couldn’t come but have joined us virtually.”
The Chief Minister also requested PM Modi to cut short the program and to take rest as he had just come from the cremation of his mother.

“I don’t know how to give my condolences and messages to your family members and others because the mother is no substitute for any other. On behalf of the people of West Bengal, I thank you so much for giving us this opportunity. Your mother means our mother also. I remember my mother also. May god give you the strength to continue your work,” she added.

Heeraben Modi, 100, passed away at around 3:30 am today at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Ahmedabad, according to a bulletin from the hospital. She was hospitalised on Wednesday after her health deteriorated.

Prime Minister in Gandhinagar performed the last rites of his mother, Heeraben Modi, who passed away this morning.

PM Modi rushed to the Gujarat capital early morning minutes after tweeting his personal loss at daybreak.

Modi was seen touching his mother’s feet and paying floral tribute as he sat on his knees before Heera Ba, lying in state on the floor of her residence in Raysan.

The PM joined the funeral procession and carried the bier on his shoulder like any other son, walking barefoot with it as he carried the mortal remains to the crematorium for the last rites.

PM Modi consigned the mortal remains of his mother Heeraben Modi to fire along with his brothers.

The Prime Minister informed the nation about her demise early Friday morning. (ANI)

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WB: BJP Protests Outside Assembly Over Extra Teachers’ Recruitment

By LokMarg

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday staged a protest outside the State Assembly over the extra teachers’ recruitment drive passed by the state cabinet.

West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari said that the current cabinet led by Mamata Banerjee should tender their apology.

He said, “It’s a big scam. This cabinet, sworn in under the Constitution, recommended in Calcutta High Court through a cabinet note that non-qualified persons should be accommodated in recruitment. Mamata Banerjee and her cabinet should go behind the bars.”

Adhikari further said that the party had moved a motion for discussion over extra teachers’ allotment, but it was rejected.

BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul too accused the ruling party TMC and said that State Government planned that a non-qualified person who will be sacked, would be appointed to these posts.

“Excess posts were created in Education Department. State Government planned that non-qualified persons who will be sacked, will be appointed to these posts. Education Secretary revealed this before the Court. We demand that the cabinet be arrested as they’re doing corruption,” Agnimitra Paul said.

Notably, in an interim order, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Calcutta High Court order, directing the CBI to start an inquiry into the source of an application in connection with alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers through the West Bengal Central School Service Commission.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli issued a notice to the respondent in the plea.

On November 23, a single judge of the Calcutta High Court held that prima facie, the application filed by the Commission is a ‘benami application’. The Single Judge proceeded to enquire of the counsel as to whether or not he had drafted the application.

Though a request appears to have been made before the high court to withdraw the application, it declined to allow the withdrawal on the ground that it would enquire into “who are pulling the strings from behind such application”.

The proceedings were listed thereafter at 3 pm on the same day.

At 3 pm on the same day, the files were produced before the high court in pursuance of its earlier directions. The single judge directed the CBI to commence an inquiry with regard to the source from which the application originated.

The proceedings were thereafter listed at 10.30 am November 24, on which date the principal secretary to the West Bengal government was directed to appear personally to answer some of the questions that the single judge intended to address since “the filing of such an application is clearly not the brainchild of the Commission”.

The orders of the single judge were challenged before the division bench of Calcutta HC, which dismissed the appeals.

West Bengal then moved the Supreme Court against the order of the Calcutta High Court. (ANI)

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