Page 52 - Mamata Banerjee

Mamata to visit Sagar Island to review preparations for Gangasagar Mela

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be visiting the Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district on Wednesday to review the preparations for the Gangasagar Mela, officials said. Lakhs of people gather at Sagar Island from across the country to take a holy dip at the confluence of the sacred Ganga and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'. While 15.5 lakh pilgrims visited Gangasagar Mela last year amid the threat of the coronavirus, the figure could reach as high as 60-70 lakh between January 8 and 16 when the fair would be held this time, an official said. During her two-day visit to the island, Banerjee will be meeting senior officers to review the preparations made for the congregation, the official said. "She will also be inaugurating three new helipads at the island," he said. Before leaving for Kolkata on Thursday, around 120 km away, she will be offering prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram. Banerjee is also expected to visit the Bharat Sevashram Sangh

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BJP's ideology is to be self-centred, TMC abides by Constitution: Mamata

Mamata hit out at BJP and said that its ideology is to be "self-centred " while her party Trinamool Congress abides by the Constitution

National anthem case: Prosecutor says no sanction needed to against Mamata

The prosecution claimed on Tuesday that no sanction was needed to pursue a criminal case against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly disrespecting the national anthem as the incident had taken place during a 'political' visit and not an official one. A special court for cases against MPs and MLAs here was hearing a review petition filed by Banerjee against a summons issued against her by a local magistrate's court in connection with the case. Mumbai BJP functionary Vivekanand Gupta filed a complaint before a magistrate's court last year alleging that Banerjee did not stand up when the national anthem was being played at an event during her visit to Mumbai in December 2021. A First Information Report be registered against her under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, he demanded. The Trinamool Congress leader filed a review petition before the special court against the summons issued by the magistrate, arguing that the mandatory sanction to prosecu

Won't bother bereaved PM Modi with state's dues now: West Bengal CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she will not bother Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the state's financial dues in his moment of personal grief as he lost his mother last week. Banerjee on several occasions has written to Modi requesting him to clear the MGNREGA dues of the state government. "I have already written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about this on previous occasions. It's time for his mourning; I won't say anything more now," Banerjee told a press conference here. The Prime Minister's mother, Heeraben Modi, died at a hospital in Ahmedabad on Friday. While speaking at the inaugural function for several railway projects in West Bengal on that day, which the PM attended virtually, Banerjee condoled the passing away of his mother. The Trinamool Congress supremo had also taken to Twitter to offer her condolences to PM Modi.

Mamata launches party outreach programme, lashes out at opponents

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at both her opponents in the state BJP and the CPI(M) led Left Front - claiming the ideological opposites, 'Ram-Baam' (BJP-Left), had allied covertly. Launching her party's new outreach programme titled Didir Suraksha Kavach (Didi's Protective Shield)', Banerjee said, Even if one weed attacks our paddy, the whole crop could be ruined, while cautioning her workers to root out corruption ahead of Panchayat polls to be held in the next few months. Around 3.5 lakh Trinamool Congress workers will reach out to the around 10 crore people of the state to check if they are benefitted from government projects, she said. Banerjee said a proper vigilance system at the party level will be put in place to weed out rotten elements. Her party functionaries have been facing a series of corruption charges and two prominent leaders have been arrested in the year gone by. "A proper vigilance system will be put in place to

Sloganeering angers Mamata, refuses to sit on dais at Railway function

Sloganeering at Howrah Station on Friday snowballed into a major controversy as a visibly annoyed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to get up on the dais from where the Vande Bharat express to New Jalpaiguri was flagged off. Banerjee seemed upset by the loud sloganeering of 'Jai Shri Ram' by BJP workers present at the railway station. Attempts by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Governor C V Ananda Bose to pacify her did not bear fruit, as the chief minister chose to sit on a chair below the dais along with the audience. Banerjee greeted the PM who appeared through a video conferencing link with a short speech from her seat and condoled the death of his mother Hiraben earlier in the day by stating, Your mother is our mother too. The Vande Bharat Express connecting Howrah and New Jalpaiguri, the gateway to the northeast, as well as several development projects, was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. However, the chants stirred up

Mamata asks health officials to form panel, keep tab on Covid situation

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed concern over the surge in COVID-19 cases in China and advised health officials to form a committee of experts to keep an eye on the emerging situation. Banerjee, during a meeting at the state secretariat, enquired why one of the reporters was wearing masks, which has become a rarity in Bengal, and cabinet minister Arup Biswas subsequently informed her that cases were on the rise in China. "Is there a new variant of coronavirus in China? But they (Chinese) have not imposed anything (restriction). I will ask the health department to keep a tab on the situation," the CM said. Turning to Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, she said, "Set up a team of experts to monitor the situation. The health secretary will be leading the team. Genome sequencing should continue." Earlier in the day, state health officials said that Bengal is ready to tackle fresh spurt in COVID-19 infections. Sample examination is being done regularly in the

Mission Meghalaya: Mamata, Abhishek Banerjee on 3-day tour from today

It is learnt that West Bengal minister, Manas Ranjan Bhunia, will be accompanying the two

Mamata did not get to speak at G20 virtual meet chaired by PM: Official

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday did not get a chance to speak at the virtual meeting of governors, chief ministers and lieutenant governors chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for discussion on various aspects of India's G20 presidency, a senior official here said. Banerjee, who had readied documents detailing Bengal's preparations for the G20 summit, "could not utter a single word" at the virtual meeting, the official, who also attended it, stated. "The CM was not given a chance to speak at the meeting. She had with her a set of documents on the state government's preparation for the G20 programmes, which are to be held in West Bengal," the official told PTI. Modi, during the meeting, emphasised the importance of teamwork and sought the cooperation of states and Union Territories in organising G-20 events, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement. The PM had on December 6 held an all-party meeting on G-20 in New Delhi. Banerjee, who is also the TM

Mamata to chalk out party strategy for winter session of Parliament

Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will meet party MPs here on Wednesday to decide the party strategy for the winter session of Parliament. Banerjee is likely to direct party leaders to raise pro-people issues on the floor of the House, party sources said. The meeting is expected to be held at 3 pm at the residence of senior party MP Saugata Roy Banerjee was part of the G20 meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and then visited Ajmer Sharif on Tuesday along with nephew and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The winter session of Parliament commenced Wednesday. The session will have 17 sittings over 23 days before it concludes on December 29.

Bengal govt extends social outreach programme 'Duare Sarkar' till Dec 31

The West Bengal government on Friday extended the 'Duare Sarkar' programme, social outreach camps about its various projects, till the end of this year, an official release said. It had earlier announced extension of the programme till December 5. "The state government had notified (on September 28), the schedule and details of the 5th edition of the Duare Sarkar and Paray Samadhan campaign with outreach camps at the habitation levels to be held from November 1 to 30. The same was extended till December 5, 2022 on November 28," the notification said. "Now, after due consideration... the state government is pleased to extend the outreach camps under 'Duare Sarkar' further up to December 31st," it said. The first edition of the campaign started on December 1, 2020.

Suvendu Adhikari dares CM Mamata to stop CAA implementation in West Bengal

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday dared Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to stop implementation of the CAA in the state. During a meeting in North 24 Parganas district's Thakurnagar, an area dominated by the Matuas whose roots are in Bangladesh, Adhikari said the "CAA Act does not suggest that the citizenship of anyone will be taken away if one is a bonafide resident with legal documents". "We have talked about the CAA several times. The Citizenship Amendment Act will be rolled out in the state. If you have guts, stop it from being enforced," the Nandigram MLA said in an apparent reference to the chief minister. The CAA facilitates the grant of citizenship to migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. But as the rules under the Act have not been framed by the government yet, no one so far could be granted citizenship under it. "Matua community members will als

'Are names that important?' Mamata as BJP MLAs skip assembly event

Inaugurating the annex building of the West Bengal assembly on Friday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would have been happier if MLAs of the opposition BJP would have attended the function. Banerjee wanted to know from Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay, who was seated near her, if he had extended an invitation to the opposition MLAs. The speaker replied in the affirmative but said the invite did not mention individual names. To this, Banerjee remarked, "Is mentioning of names that important?" "In the House, the speaker is important. If the speaker sends a letter, that is important. Anyways, I don't have any role in this matter, it is up to them," she added. None of the BJP MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, were present at the function, which was attended by TMC MLAs, including chief whip Nirmal Ghosh, and TMC MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, among others. Earlier in the day, Banerjee held a "courtesy meeting" with Adhikari at her office in the assembly. The meetin

Bengal CM Mamata meets BJP's Suvendu over tea at her Assembly chamber

In a first since last year's state elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday held a "courtesy meeting" with Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari at her chamber in the state Assembly, raising eyebrows in political circles. Later, during a discussion on 'Constitution Day' in the House, the CM said that she had at one point adored him like a brother. Adhikari and Banerjee had been at loggerheads since the end of 2020 when he switched over to the BJP from the TMC and defeated the TMC supremo in Nandigram in the Assembly polls. The meeting came close on the heels of Adhikari complaining that his name was not included in the invitation letter for the 'Constitution Day' programme in the Assembly. The BJP leader had also said that he would "boycott" the programme. The Nandigram MLA was seen entering Banerjee's chamber accompanied by BJP leaders Manoj Tigga and Agnimitra Paul, shortly after the assembly session broke for recess in the afternoon. "I called Suvend

Ensure your name on voter list to avoid detention under garb of NRC: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asked people of the state to ensure that their names are on the electoral roll to avoid getting sent to detention camps under the garb of enforcing NRC. She was addressing a programme organised by the state government to distribute land pattas' (documents) to marginalised families from all districts. Ensure your name is there on the voter list, or else, you will be sent to detention camps in the name of NRC. It's a shame, shame and shame, Banerjee said. Referring to incidents of "forcible takeover of land by the railway and airport authorities", Banerjee said, No eviction will be allowed in Bengal without proper compensation and rehabilitation. At the public function, she asked people to start protests if your land is forcibly taken and the state will be with you. She accused the Centre of not releasing funds for 100-day work. Without naming the BJP, she said the central government is running on the party's instruction. Ba

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury seeks Guv intervention against WB govt power misuse

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Wednesday wrote a letter to the West Bengal Governor seeking his intervention with regard to the misuse of power by the administration

Mamata Banerjee voices anguish over violence on Meghalaya-Assam border

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed anguish over the violence at a disputed Assam-Meghalaya border location that killed six people a day before and prayed for peace there. Six people, including a forest guard, were killed in the violence in the early hours of Tuesday after a truck allegedly laden with illegally felled timber was intercepted by forest personnel from Assam. "I am gravely anguished by the tragic instance of firing at Mukroh, Meghalaya, that claimed lives of 6 people. I express my heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this conflict. I earnestly pray that peace and calm prevails for the greater good," Banerjee said on Twitter. Notably, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the incident showed the 'ineptitude' of the Meghalaya government. Expressing shock over the incident, the TMC MP tweeted, "I am shocked and deeply saddened by the extremely unfortunate firing .

Former bureaucrat Dr CV Ananda Bose takes oath as West Bengal Governor

Former bureaucrat Dr CV Ananda Bose took oath as the Governor of West Bengal in Kolkata

CV Ananda Bose to take oath as new governor of West Bengal on Wednesday

CV Ananda Bose will take oath as the new governor of West Bengal on Wednesday, an official said. Bose, who was named the new governor on November 17, will take oath at the Raj Bhavan, he said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other dignitaries, including assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay and Leader of Opposition Suvendhu Adhikary, will be present at the programme, the official said on Tuesday. The governor is administered the oath by the chief justice of the high court. Bose, a retired Kerala cadre IAS officer of the 1977 batch, will replace La Ganesan as the governor. He served as an administrator of the National Museum in Kolkata before superannuating in 2011.