Page 44 - Mamata Banerjee

Bengal min's vehicle vandalised as Kurmi protest targets Abhishek's convoy

West Bengal minister Birbaha Hansda's vehicle was vandalised in Paschim Medinipur district on Friday as members of the Kurmi community allegedly hurled stones at senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee's convoy, in which she was travelling, officials said. The incident happened in Salboni where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to attend a party programme on Saturday. Abhishek, a Z-plus protectee, led a roadshow in Jhargram's Binpur and Gopiballavpur as part of his Trinamooley Nabojowar (new wave in Trinamool) campaign. Following the rally, he was travelling through Salboni when members of the Kurmi community, who are protesting demanding ST status, gathered on both sides of the road, a party leader said. As his car moved ahead, they allegedly started throwing stones at the convoy. "The vehicle of Hansda, which was in the convoy, was damaged in the attack," the leader said. A huge police contingent was rushed to the spot to control the situation, officials said. It could not

Political spin to Parliament building inauguration as Oppn plans boycott

Nineteen parties, including Congress, Left and TMC say inauguration "undignified", insults the high office of the President; BJD, TDP, YSR Congress, and Bahujan Samaj party to attend

19 Opposition parties to boycott inauguration of new Parliament building

PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28 following an invitation by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla

Mamata assures Kejriwal of full support over Centre's services bill

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured her counterpart in Delhi and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal of full support of the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha

Services row: Kejriwal to meet Mamata, Pawar, Uddhav to seek support

Locked in a bitter tussle with the Centre over the control of administrative services, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal will meet the chiefs of the TMC, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP this week seeking their support. Kejriwal on Sunday said he would meet his West Bengal counterpart and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Tuesday. And, according to AAP sources, he will meet former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Wednesday and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on May 25. Earlier in the day, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav met Kejriwal at his residence here and assured their "complete support" to him on the issue. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, JD(U) leader Kumar assured that he would urge other opposition parties also to come in support of Kejriwal in the matter. The Centre promulgated an ordinance on Friday to create a National Capital Ci

Oppn questions over Rs 2,000 note issue, Mamata calls it 'Tughlaqi drama'

Opposition leaders on Saturday attacked the government over the withdrawal of Rs 2000 currency notes from circulation with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee describing it as "Tughlaqi demonetisation drama" and Congress wondering if this was the second "notebandi" exercise. The BJP rejected this was any sort of demonetisation and instead reminded the Congress that even during the rule of Manmohan Singh, old currency notes were taken off circulation. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday made the surprise announcement but gave the public time till September 30 to either deposit Rs 2000 notes in accounts or exchange them at banks. It said it had asked banks to stop issuing Rs 2000 notes with immediate effect. Banerjee said this move would "hit common people hard once again". In a tweet, she said, "Another whimsical and Tughlaqi demonetisation drama of Rs 2,000 notes will hit the common people hard once again by subjecting them to massive harassment. These imperious measu

Agency-raj makes our task challenging: Mamata as CBI questions nephew

On a day when her nephew has been called in for questioning by the CBI, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted that the centre's "agency-raj" has made her task of running the state challenging. She ostensibly took to the social media site, on the occasion of the anniversary of her party being sworn in to power in the state for the first time in 2011, replacing a Left Front government. "The agency-raj of an authoritarian government at the centre makes our task challenging, but millions (all) over the country are with us in our march," Banerjee said on Twitter. She said on this day in 2011, "we were sworn in to replace a 34-year-old monster regime and usher in 'Ma, Mati, Manush' (Mother, Earth and People) government in West Bengal". An hour before she tweeted, TMC leader and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee appeared before CBI at its Kolkata office at Nizam Palace, as part of the agency's probe into the school jobs scam. He has since remained ensconced there. Earlier in the

Mamata-Amit Malviya wage Twitter war over phasing out of Rs 2,000 notes

In a tweet, Banerjee said: "So it wasn't Rs 2,000 dhamaka but a billion dollar dhoka to a billion Indians", to which Malviya said "All the money, it seems, was collected in Rs 2,000 notes"

Cong will definitely fight Bengal elections: Chowdhury on Mamata's remark

Mamata had said that her party will support Congress where it is strong but "it should not fight against her in Bengal"

Mamata to participate in May 27 NITI Aayog meeting to put state issues

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would participate in the Niti Aayog meeting scheduled in New Delhi on May 27, and highlight the issues the state has been facing. Banerjee also claimed that the erstwhile Planning Commission gave states a platform to speak and resolve issues, but now the Centre "decides the agenda" to discuss at Niti Aayog meetings. I will participate (in the meeting). There is no other platform to highlight the issues of the state even if I am allowed to speak only at the end," she said. "They will maybe let me speak after sunset and after everyone. Still, I will go. I have been escalating several matters related to West Bengal, and I will highlight those, the CM said.

Govt to challenge HC order cancelling 36,000 primary teachers' jobs: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that her government will challenge the Calcutta High Court order cancelling jobs of around 36,000 primary teachers in state-sponsored and aided schools. She also urged those teachers who lost their jobs and their family members not to be depressed as her government is with them. The CM also alleged that those teachers lost their jobs because of the ongoing agitation of the state government employees demanding a hike in their DA and bringing it at par with the central government staff. "We have been getting appeals from the families of these 36,000 (teachers) who lost their jobs. I feel very bad. We have decided to move the division bench," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat. The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered cancellation of the appointments of 36,000 primary teachers in state-sponsored and aided schools as the due procedure was not followed in the appointment process. "Do not be depressed, remember tha

Mamata offers conditional support to Congress in 2024, state Congress snubs

Chowdhury immediately reacted and said that Trinamool is actually against a united opposition alliance

Karnataka spells 'beginning of the end' for BJP, says Mamata Banerjee

The Karnataka electoral results are the beginning of the end for BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed on Saturday. Banerjee also asserted the moral of the Karnataka assembly poll results is that people want plurality and that no central design to dominate can repress them. Congratulating people in Karnataka for their mandate in favour of change, the TMC supremo said that brute authoritarian and majoritarian politics has been vanquished. She forecast that the safforn party would lose in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, too, where it faces off with the Congress, which steamrolled the BJP in Karnataka in results announced on Saturday. "This is the beginning of the end of the BJP before 2024 Lok Sabha polls. People have voted against the arrogance and intolerance of the BJP. I think the saffron party will also lose the upcoming elections in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Banerjee told newspersons gathered in front of her house, after seeing off actor Salman Khan w

Mamata's 3-yr diploma in medicine proposal may lead to more pvt institutes

"I do not know what will be the fate of the patients in the hands of diploma doctors," a doctor said

Bengal police asked to complete recruitment process within 3 months

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked officials to complete the recruitment process for thousands of vacant posts in the state police force within three months. She said the shortlisted candidates can be provided an initial training of seven days and inducted into the force. There are thousands of vacant posts in the police force. I suggest there should be an initial training of seven days, and the rest of the training can be conducted on field. All the vacant posts should be filled up within three months, she said at a review meeting of 'Utkarsh Bangla' held at the state secretariat here on Thursday. The priority is to ensure that there is enough manpower to handle the law and order situation in the state, the chief minister said.

Mamata proposes 'diploma doctors' for primary healthcare amid shortfall

She asked the health secretary to form a committee to decide on the legal aspects of such diploma courses to train more doctors for primary healthcare units

Vivek Agnihotri sends notice to Mamata over her 'Kashmir Files' comments

The announcement of the ban has attracted scathing criticism from the opposition BJP, which is even planning to challenge it in the court

The Kerala Story: All you need to know about the raging controversy

The Kerala Story box office collection: Since its release, the movie has collected Rs 37.03 crore in India

Precautionary measures taken for Cyclone Mocha, says CM Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday assured people that necessary precautionary measures have been taken and there was no need to panic as Cyclone Mocha might not make landfall in the eastern state. "There is no reason to panic about Cyclone Mocha... it may not make a landfall in West Bengal. But the coastal areas of the state have been asked to remain cautious. Alerts have been issued in Sunderbans and Digha on May 10 and 11 as a precautionary measure," she said. The Alipore Meteorological Department has said that the depression that has formed over the Bay of Bengal will not have much impact on the state. "On May 11, Cyclone Mocha will move towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast. However, keeping in mind the safety of the people of the state, we have set up control rooms at the secretariat as well as in several districts," she said. Banerjee said a meeting was also held to hold a discussion on the preparations for the cyclone. Fishermen have also been asked not to

Bengal bans 'The Kerala Story'; filmmakers say will take legal action

"The Kerala Story" producer Vipul Shah on Monday said they will take legal action against the ban imposed by the West Bengal government on the screening of the film in the state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered an immediate ban on the screening of the controversial movie to avoid "any incident of hatred and violence". "If that's what she has done, then we will again take legal action. Whatever is possible under the provisions of the law, we will fight that," Shah said at a press conference when asked about the ban in West Bengal. The Kerala High Court had refused to stay the release and said the trailer does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole. It noted that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has examined the movie and found it suitable for public exhibition. "The Kerala Story", which depicts the plight of a group of women in Kerala who are forced to convert and join the ISIS, has kicked up a political storm. While many BJP lead