Page 24 - Mamata Banerjee

Railways totally parentless, Centre only keen on increasing fares: Mamata

Alleging that the railways have become "totally parentless", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that it was only keen on increasing fares and not improving passenger amenities. Banerjee was speaking to the press at the Kolkata airport on the way to Siliguri to take stock of the situation following the train accident near Rangapani in which several people were killed. "The railways have become totally parentless. Though the ministry is there, the old glory is missing. Only beautification is being done, but they do not care about passenger amenities. They are only keen on hiking fares," she claimed. "You will only see them talk big. They also do not take care of the railway officers, technical, safety, and security personnel. I am with the railway employees and officers," she added. She criticised the Railway Ministry, alleging that it was not implementing the anti-collision system properly, which could reduce the impact of such accidents. "The number of tr

BJP declares name of candidates for by-polls to 4 Assembly seats in Bengal

The BJP on Monday announced the name of Kalyan Chaubey and three new faces for the four assembly seats in West Bengal where by-polls are slated to be held on July 10. The ruling Trinamool Congress has already announced its candidates for the by-polls a few days back. The BJP has fielded Kalyan Chaubey from Maniktala constituency in Kolkata, Manas Kumar Ghosh from Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, Manoj Kumar Biswas from Ranaghat Dakshin (SC) in Nadia district and Binay Kumar Biswas from Bagda (SC) seat. Both Manoj Kumar Biswas and Binay Kumar Biswas belong to the Matua community which has a significant chunk of voters in Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagda, both seats reserved for SCs. Chaubey had been defeated by TMC leader Sadhan Pandey in the 2021 assembly polls but the seat fell vacant after Pandey's death. The TMC has announced Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj, Mukut Mani Adhikari from Ranaghat-Dakshin, Supti Pandey from Maniktala and Madhuparna Thakur from Bagdah as their ...

Mamata to visit train accident site in New Jalpaiguri, review relief ops

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will on Monday visit the train accident site in New Jalpaiguri to take stock of relief operations, an official said. At least 15 passengers died and 60 others were injured, after three rear coaches of the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express derailed on Monday morning as a goods train collided with it in West Bengal's Darjeeling district. "The chief minister is going to visit the accident spot in New Jalpaiguri to take stock of the relief operations," the official told PTI. The three rear compartments derailed under the impact of the collision from behind by the locomotive of the goods train near Rangapani station, about 30 km from North Bengal's New Jalpaiguri station, railway officials said.

BJP forms committee of 4 MPs to analyse post-poll violence in Bengal

BJP president J P Nadda on Saturday formed a four-member committee to look into the alleged political violence in West Bengal, as the party accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of remaining a mute spectator. The committee includes Biplab Kumar Deb, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Brij Lal and Kavita Patidar, all BJP MPs, with Deb as its convener. A party statement said, "Mamata Banerjee remains a mute spectator, while criminals of her party, attack and intimidate opposition workers and voters with impunity. Even the Calcutta High Court has taken note of these excesses and extended deployment of CAPF till June 21 and has listed the matter for hearing on June 18." The BJP said the Lok Sabha elections were held across the country and no instance of political violence was reported from anywhere except West Bengal. "It continues to be in the vice grip of post-poll violence, the kind we saw post 2021 assembly elections," the BJP alleged.

LS poll results: BJP's arrogance, pride crushed, says TMC's Abhishek

Hailing the Lok Sabha elections as that of "protest, resistance and revenge", senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee said the poll results have "crushed BJP's arrogance and pride into dust". He also accused the saffron party of "abusing central agencies, corrupting the judiciary, gagging the media and manipulating the Election Commission to cling to power". In a Facebook post late on Friday night after meeting party workers and common people in his Diamond Harbour constituency, from where he was re-elected by a record margin of over 7 lakh votes, the TMC national general secretary said that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be etched in golden letters in history as 'jonogoner gorjon' (people's roar). "The 'jonogoner gorjon' (people's roar) will be etched in golden letters in the history. This Lok Sabha election was one of 'protibaad, protirodh and protishodh' (protest, resistance and revenge). BJP's arrogance, pride, and backbone have been crushed into dust," he said. Altho

TMC's attempts to keep me out of Bengal will fail: BJP leader Malviya

A day after saying he would file a criminal defamation case against Kolkata-based lawyer Santanu Sinha for allegedly making 'slanderous' comments against him, BJP leader Amit Malviya on Thursday asserted that these are attempts by the TMC to keep him out of West Bengal, which will not succeed. Malviya, who is BJP's Bengal co-in-charge and the party's IT cell chief, challenged Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to address concerns about Sandeshkhali through proper channels rather than resorting to smear campaigns. "Mamata Banerjee must find other legitimate means to wipe the taint of #Sandeshkhali instead of using fringe elements to fling muck on me. Such attempts to keep me out of Bengal won't work. I ain't leaving till @BJP4Bengal ensures justice for the women of Sandeshkhali and ousts the TMC from power," he posted on X. Malviya, also the convener of the BJP IT cell, added, "For the uninitiated, the BJP and even the Left had branded Hindu Samhati as Trinamool's Hindutva

CM Mamata announces Rs 293 crore aid to 210,000 farmers for crop loss

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said her government has started releasing a total of Rs 293 crore directly to the bank accounts of 2.1 lakh farmers in the state, who suffered crop losses due to adverse weather conditions during the current Rabi season. She also said the aid was in addition to the Rs 2,900 crore assistance to 1.05 crore farmers and tenants in the state, who were enrolled in the 'Krishak Bandhu (Natun)' scheme. "I am happy to announce that (apart from providing Rs 2,900 cr assistance to 1 crore 5 lakh farmers and bargadars across the state under the Krishak Bandhu Natun Scheme), we are also releasing today onwards a sum of Rs 293 crore directly to the bank accounts of our 2.10 lakh farmers who suffered crop losses due to adverse weather conditions during current Rabi season," Banerjee wrote on X. The Bengal CM said the assistance of Rs 2,900 crore to farmers was under the state's crop insurance scheme 'Bangla Shasya Bima (BSB)'. "This is done

TMC MPs to meet agitating farmers in Haryana, to convey Didi's message

A five-member delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs will visit Haryana on Monday to meet farmers who have been demonstrating to press for their demands that include a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops. "Will convey Didi's (TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's) message to them that we are with you and the NDA govt led by Modi at the Centre must meet the demands," the party said in a statement. The five-member team comprising TMC national spokesperson Derek O'Brien, Mohammed Nadimul Haque, Dola Sen, Sagarika Ghose and Saket Gokhale is likely to meet the agitating peasants near Khanauri on the border of Haryana and Punjab. Security forces had stopped the farmers at Khanauri from marching to Delhi as part of their agitation on February 13.

INDIA not staking claim to form govt today, it might tomorrow: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the opposition INDIA bloc may not have staked claim to form the government today, but that does not mean it will not do it tomorrow. Banerjee, also the TMC supremo, said her party will be in a wait and watch mode and she would be happy if the weak and unstable BJP-led NDA government is shunted out of power. The country needs change; the country wants change. This mandate was for change. We are waiting and keeping a watch on the situation. This mandate was against Narendra Modi, so he should not become the prime minister this time. Someone else should have been allowed to take over, Banerjee told reporters after a meeting of newly-elected TMC MPs. The Trinamool Congress supremo said the party will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government. The BJP is forming the government undemocratically and illegally. Today INDIA bloc may not have staked a claim to form the government, but that doesn't mean tomorrow

Mamata discusses party's Lok Sabha strategy with newly elected TMC MPs

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday held a meeting of senior TMC leaders and newly elected MPs on Saturday to discuss the party's strategy in the Lok Sabha. The meeting started at around 4:30 PM and is still on. At the onset of the meeting, Banerjee congratulated the victorious candidates, especially the new ones such as Yusuf Pathan, Rachana Banerjee, Mitali Bag, Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia. The TMC maintained its dominance in the state as Banerjee led her party to a resounding victory by bagging 29 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, whereas the principal opposition BJP was down to 12 and the Congress to one seat. Apart from Lok Sabha MPs, Rajya Sabha MPs and district presidents are attending the meeting. "During the meeting, the role and strategy of the party in the Lok Sabha will be discussed. The party might also decide on who will be the leader of the TMC party in Lok Sabha," a party leader said earlier in the day. In the last Lok Sabha, 75-year-ol

TMC's victory run in West Bengal unabated as Mamata defies exit polls

The trends defied most of the exit polls that had put the BJP ahead of the TMC

'INDIA' alliance won, Modi lost; he must resign immediately, says Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately resign "accepting moral defeat" because he campaigned in the Lok Sabha polls claiming that the BJP would win over 400 seats but in reality, it failed to get a majority on its own. Addressing a press conference, Banerjee said she would try to ensure that Modi is out of power from the Centre, and the "INDIA bloc is in". "PM Modi has lost all credibility, he should immediately resign. India has won, Modi has lost. The PM broke many parties and now people have broken his morale. Modi is now falling at the feet of TDP and Nitish (Kumar) to form the government," she said. Even in Varanasi, Modi suffered initial jitters, while the BJP lost in Ayodhya despite building the Ram Temple which shows people have rejected his religion-based politics, Banerjee claimed. She said the saffron party failed to gain the majority on its own. "In a brute show of autocracy, they (BJP) suspended 147 .

'Modi lost credibility, must resign': Mamata on Lok Sabha poll results

'The Lok Sabha election results 2024 have shown that Modi has lost all credibility and he should immediately resign,' said Mamata Banerjee

Bengal results on expected lines, people voted against BJP, says TMC

The TMC on Tuesday hailed the trends that reflected that the party was racing ahead of its rivals in 30 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats. The TMC said the results are a reflection of people's faith in the "pro-people policies" of the Mamata Banerjee government and a decisive mandate against the BJP in the state. The TMC was leading in 31 seats after several rounds of counting, while the BJP was ahead in 10, and Congress in one, according to the Election Commission website at 12:30 PM. The results are a reflection of people's faith in the pro-people policies of the TMC government led by our supremo Mamata Banerjee. The people through this decisive mandate against the BJP have defeated the anti-Bengal forces. The results have also proved that the exit polls were a farce by the pro-BJP media, TMC spokesperson Santanu Sen told PTI. In 2019, the TMC had won 22 seats, whereas the BJP had won 18, and the Congress had bagged two seats. Ecstatic TMC activists started celebrating by dancing to dru

West Bengal elections result 2024: Who is winning and who is trailing?

The TMC is leading in 30 of the 42 constituencies in West Bengal, according to early trends in 2024 Lok Sabha election results

Lok Sabha 2024: Will Mamata's TMC hold the fort in Bengal? Trends say yes

After initial scare where the BJP was racing ahead of the TMC, the Mamata Banerjee-led party surged and is currently leading on 31 seats after vote counting till 11:30 am

Sandeshkhali post-poll violence: Bengal Guv asks Mamata to intervene

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday said he was worried after getting reports about post-poll violence in Sandeshkhali, and asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to intervene immediately and restore peace there. Speaking to PTI, Bose said that he has written to Banerjee asking her to inform him about the action taken against those involved in the incidents of violence in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district. "I am a bit worried about the situation in Sandeshkhali. From the inputs I have received, I have come to know about incidents of attacks on the women of Sandeshkhali within hours after the polling was over yesterday. I have written to the Chief Minister about the steps taken in this regard," Bose said. "If such attacks continue and the inhabitants are tortured, I will open the doors of the Raj Bhavan for them to come and stay here. They will be provided safe shelter here," he added. In less than 24 hours after the election was over, trouble-torn Sandehkhali on .

Lok Sabha 2024: What do exit polls predict about West Bengal battleground?

West Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha constituencies went to polls in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1, amidst incidents of violence that marred the election process

Exit poll 2024: Is BJP ahead of Trinamool Congress in West Bengal? Details

Will the BJP secure more seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, or will the TMC emerge victorious again, as it did in the previous election? Read on to find out what the exit polls predict

Widespread violence in Sandeshkhali in final phase of LS polls in Bengal

Widespread violence between TMC and BJP supporters over alleged electoral malpractices was reported during polling in strife-torn Sandeshkhali region of Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday, resulting in numerous injuries. Police resorted to lathicharge and tear gas shelling to control the situation. In the remaining eight parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal, which went to the polls in the seventh and final phase, sporadic incidents of violence were reported. Although the poll panel claimed that voting has been peaceful so far, it said it has received 1,899 complaints until 2 pm from different political parties alleging EVM malfunctions and agents being stopped from entering booths. Around 58.46 per cent of over 1.63 crore voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm of polling to the nine Lok Sabha seats, an Election Commission official said. Clashes broke out between supporters of the TMC, ISF and the BJP in different pockets of the state as the parties clashed over