Page 52 - Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee demands SC-monitored probe into Morbi bridge collapse

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded a Supreme Court monitored judicial probe into the recent bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, that killed over 130 people.

Mamata Banerjee calls on M K Stalin, says development bigger than politics

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on her Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin here on Wednesday and said development is bigger than politics. Stalin said nothing was discussed about politics or polls, apparently hinting at the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said Banerjee's visit was a "courtesy call". He said he has accepted her invite to visit Kolkata as her guest. Following the about 20-minute meeting, the two leaders spoke to reporters. Banerjee is here to attend a family function of West Bengal Governor La Ganesan on November 3. She called on Stalin at his Alwarpet residence here. The West Bengal Chief Minister said, "when two political leaders are together, then we can talk something, what may not be political interest of the people, but there is something for development and other things also. I think development is bigger than political one." To a question, she said she was not inclined to make any comment about any political party.

Mamata Banerjee hints at discussing political issues with M K Stalin today

West Bengal Cheif Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hinted that she may discuss political issues and collaboration with other regional parties at her courtesy call on her Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin, slated for this evening. Describing her call on the DMK strongman as a courtesy, she, however, added, when two politicians meet, some politics are always discussed. She was speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport before leaving for Chennai. The Trinamool Congress supremo said, I trust all the regional parties... they are going to play an important role in the 2024 elections. Banerjee is travelling to Chennai as she has been invited by West Bengal Governor La Ganesan to his elder brother's birthday on November 3. The West Bengal CM may also meet several top politicians of Tamil Nadu, who are expected to be present at Ganesan's family function. Banerjee had, in the past, met several opposition leaders to try to forge unity among them.

Bengal govt to conduct health check-up of all the 2,109 bridges in state

The West Bengal government has planned to carry out a "health check-up" of all 2,109 bridges in the state, after the collapse of a nearly 100-year-old suspension bridge in Gujarat, which left over 130 people dead, a senior official said. State Public Works Department Minister Pulak Roy, during a meeting with senior officials and engineers, instructed them to inspect the condition of the bridges and file reports with necessary observations by November-end, he said on Tuesday. Roy directed the engineers to take immediate measures "if the survey finds problems in any of the bridges", the official stated. At the meeting, a decision was taken to repair at the earliest the Coronation Bridge in Siliguri, and the Birendra Sasmal Setu across Kangsabati, the official said. Necessary work to repair the Santragachi Bridge, too, will commence from November 10, he said. "Two new bridges will be constructed over Kangsabati and Shilabati rivers," the official added. The minister, when contacted,

Mamata likely to discuss LS poll strategy with Stalin on her Chennai visit

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit Chennai on November 2 and is likely to hold a meeting with her Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin to discuss their strategies for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Banerjee will travel to the southern metropolis on Wednesday as she has been invited by West Bengal Governor La Ganesan to his elder brother's birthday on November 3. The CM, who is likely to stay a night in Chennai, may pay a visit to Stalin at his camp office on November 2 soon after reaching there, the official said. The Trinamool Congress supremo may also meet several top politicians of Tamil Nadu who are expected to be present at Ganesan's family function, the official added. Expressing doubt over the outcome of the meeting, opposition party leaders questioned Banerjee's trip to Chennai on taxpayers' money to attend a family programme of a "temporary' governor. La Ganesan had taken up the additional charge of West Bengal on J

CJI Lalit restored public confidence in judicial system: CM Mamata

Mamata Banerjee was all praise for the current Chief Justice of India, U.U. Lalit

Mamata not to attend state home ministers' meeting convened by Centre

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also in charge of the home department, will not attend the two-day meeting of home ministers of states convened by the Centre at Surajkund in Haryana, a senior official has said. The state government will not send Home Secretary B P Gopalika or Director General of Police (DGP) Manoj Malviya but will assign Additional Director General (home guard) Niraj Kumar Singh to attend the 'Chintan Shivir' from Thursday, he said. West Bengal Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, Ram Das Meena, will also attend the meeting, the official. "This is festival time and there are several functions lined up. Bhai Phota (Bhai Dooj) will take place on Thursday and 'Chhat Puja' will take place soon. It will not be possible for the chief minister to leave the state. Our home secretary and DGP will not be participating in the Chintan Shivir for the same reason as that of the chief minister," the official told PTI. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had sent an ..

Cyclone Sitrang: W Bengal CM Banerjee appeals to people to 'stay alert'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appealed to the people to "stay alert" as there is a high chance of rain on Tuesday due to cyclone Sitrang.

Cyclone Sitrang: Mamata urges people to stay indoors in case of storm, rain

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged the people of the state to stay indoors in case there is heavy rainfall and storm as a result of Cyclone Sitrang which is likely to cross the Bangladesh coast later. She also requested the people who were evacuated from the coastal areas to safe shelters to cooperate with the state administration and not return home until the threat of the Cyclone is over. "It (Cyclone Sitrang) will make landfall in Bangladesh around midnight in Barisal. Light rain and wind will continue in West Bengal till October 25. This may also bring storm here," Banerjee told reporters at her Kalighat residence here, where she is organising a Kali Puja. The chief minister is monitoring the Cyclone situation from her residence. Banerjee asked people to celebrate Kali puja and Diwali but remain inside their houses if there is a storm and heavy rainfall. "I will request those who have been evacuated to safe shelters not to return home until the threat i

Crackdown on common man, says Irani on removal of TET protestors in Howrah

Union Minister Smriti Irani slammed West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee after TET job seekers' were forcibly removed from the protest site by the police and termed it a "crackdown" on common people

ICC poll: Sourav deprived to secure someone else's interests, claims Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday targeted her guns on the BJP-led Central government for allegedly depriving former Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly by not nominating him for the ICC chairman's post, terming it an act of "shameless political vendetta". Banerjee, who said she would have spoken out on the issue even if master batsman Sachin Tendulkar was similarly deprived, alleged that Ganguly was deprived of the chance to fight the election to secure someone else's interests. Why was he not sent to ICC? It is to secure someone's interest (in the cricket board). I had spoken to various BJP leaders, but he was not allowed. He has been deprived.... This is a shameful political vendetta," she told reporters here. Earlier this week, the TMC boss expressed shock over Ganguly's "removal" as BCCI President and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention so that he is allowed to contest the elections for International Cricket Council head. Roger Binny, a 19

Not me, but CPI(M) drove Tata Motors out of Singur: Bengal CM Mamata

On a sunny afternoon just two days before Durga Puja in 2008, then Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata had announced to pull out the ambitious Nano small car project from Singur in West Bengal's

Make Ganguly Bengal's brand ambassador replacing SRK: Suvendu to Mamata

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari advised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to offer the chair of brand ambassador of the state to former cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly

Batting for Sourav, Mamata urges PM for allowing him to contest ICC polls

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she was shocked that former India captain Sourav Ganguly was deprived of a second term as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president. Banerjee, while talking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for a trip to the northern part of the state, also said she would urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene so that Ganguly is allowed to contest the elections for International Cricket Council (ICC) chief. The issue of ICC chairmanship will be up for discussion when the BCCI holds its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday in Mumbai, where Roger Binny, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, will replace Ganguly as the new Board President. Sourav Ganguly is not only the pride of Bengal but also of the entire nation. He has led the cricket team and BCCI with the utmost dedication and responsibility. He has proved himself to be an able administrator and I am shocked by his removal from the BCCI ...

Amit Shah calls 'Chintan Shivir' of all Home Ministers; invites Bengal CM

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has called a Chintan Shivir of Home Ministers of all the states on October 27-28 at Surajkund, Haryana

CM Mamata befooling people: Suvendu Adhikari in a letter to Piyush Goyal

Bhartiya Janta Party MLA from Nandigram, West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday wrote a letter to the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, indicting Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamta Banerjee of "befooling people by renaming the schemes 'already' launched by Central Government".While taking a dig out at Mamta Banerjee's Festive Schemes, Suvendu wrote, "I would like to draw your kind attention towards a specific publicity material published and displayed by the Department of Food & Supplies: West Bengal Government". This poster, a copy of which has duly been annexed herewith. provides information about a 'Festive Scheme' made available to the AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) & SPHH (State Priority Ration Card) Ration Card holders for a limited time period starting from 23rd September 2022 till 30th October 2022.""The message which is being circulated by the Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, the Department of Food & Supplies; West ...

West Bengal govt hands over Letter of Award for Tajpur port to Adani Ports

At the event attended by industrialists and CEOs, Banerjee pointed to the growth in agricultural output and said, "Similarly, we have to take care of industry and investment."

Mamata Banerjee voices happiness over Bengal's Jal Jeevan Mission feat

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed happiness that the state has been selected for its superlative performance in the 'quantity' parameter under the Centre's Jal Jeevan Mission scheme. She said the feat bears testimony to the pro-people approach of her government. I am pleased to announce that West Bengal has been selected for felicitation for exemplary performance in the 'Quantity' parameter under Jal Jeevan Mission, Banerjee said in a Twitter post. Jal Jeevan Mission under Union Jal Shakti Ministry is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections to all households in rural India by 2024. She also thanked the ministry for recognising the state's efforts. This award is a testament to the perseverance and commitment of the officials who prioritised public service. Upholding our pro-people approach, we will continue serving the state with utmost dedication, the chief minister said.

YouTuber arrested for meme on Mamata, search on for 7 more content creators

A 29-year-old YouTuber was arrested from West Bengal's Nadia district on Tuesday for allegedly creating memes on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that were derogatory, police said. Tuhin Mondal, the content creator, was arrested from his house in Bapujinagar in Taherpur police station area by officers of the Kolkata Police's Intelligence Branch, they said. He was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by a 21-year-old man at Taratala police station in south Kolkata a week back, they said. "Mondal, who has no steady income, is believed to have made provocative, derogatory and abusive memes by editing parts of the chief minister's speeches to defame her. The complainant claimed that such acts can incite violence and disrupt peace," an officer of Kolkata Police said. The complaint also names at least seven other content creators, and police said that a search is on to arrest them. A case has been filed under relevant sections of the IPC, they said. In June, Kolkata Police arrested

Mamata asks mayor to rename Kolkata road, park after Pranab Mukherjee

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday directed Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim to rename a road and a park in the city after former president Pranab Mukherjee. Speaking at the inauguration of Chetla Agrani's Durga Puja pandal in south Kolkata, Banerjee remembered Mukherjee. "I will ask Bobby (Firhad Hakim) to name a road, even if small, and a small park in remembrance of Pranab Mukherjee," she said. She also remembered singers Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, Dwijen Mukhopadhyay and Nirmala Mishra, and asked the mayor to rename roads and parks after them. Banerjee said the Durga Puja festival has twin feathers on its crown this year -- Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO and Best Destination for Culture by a global organisation of travel writers. She said that these recognitions will show the path of peace and togetherness to the world. Banerjee said that it would also be the responsibility of community puja organisers to assist the police in crowd management. "As I had told Sujit (Bose),