Page 54 - Mamata Banerjee

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),

Durga puja celebrations should not be inconvenience to anyone: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said Durga Puja committees in the state must take measures to ensure that pedestrian and vehicular traffic movement are regulated well without anyone having to encounter much hassle. Inaugurating Sribhumi Sporting club puja in Lake Town area, along VIP road, the CM told her ministerial colleague Sujit Bose that she won't hesitate to act if the crowd-puller pandal inconveniences common people be it revelers or airport-borne public. "Puja committees must ensure that vehicular and pedestrian movements do not face too many obstructions or hassles," the CM said. Last year, curtains had to be drawn on Sribhumi puja on the day of Astami, as the place went choc-a-bloc for days with revelers from far and wide turning up to take a look at the Burj Khalifa-themed Durga puja marquee. "I will be monitoring the situation from home. Hence, my action will be prompt and swift. Being the minister, I am sure you will certainly see to it that ...

Mamata ready to bury differences with Cong to form anti-BJP front: Pawar

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee is ready to bury her differences with the Congress in the national interests, and come together to form an alliance of opposition parties ahead of the 2024 general elections. Speaking to reporters here, Pawar also said he and some leaders from other states, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdulla were not averse to join hands with the Congress to form a front against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the next polls. Replying to a query about the TMC supremo's alleged differences with the Congress after it independently contested elections in West Bengal, Pawar said, "Mamata Bannerjee had personally said that her party is ready to come together in the national interests and work with Congress to put up a proper challenge before the ruling BJP." According to the former Union minister, Banerjee has also said

ED cases against opposition candidates up four-fold under NDA government

Out of the total 121 cases against politicians under Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe currently, 115 or 95 per cent are against Opposition leaders

Dhankhar expresses gratitude to Mamata for abstaining in VP election

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has expressed his gratitude to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her move to abstain from voting in the vice presidential election in August this year.The Vice President said that while he was the Governor of West Bengal, he did not utter a single word against Mamata's dignity "irrespective of whatever she said", adding that he did everything "in open and in writing".Dhankhar was addressing the felicitation programme in the Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday."I told her (Mamata) that I am no more the Governor of your state. Keep your hand on your heart and think if I have anything which is against the Constitution. Have I ever uttered a single word against her dignity, irrespective of whatever she said? Whatever I did was in the open and in writing. Still, through this House, I thank her for her move for the first time," he said.Notably, during his tenure as the Governor of West Bengal, Dhankhar and Mamata were believed to have clashed on ...

Mamata's decision to postpone north Bengal visit attracts opposition jibes

During her two-day visit, the CM was supposed to attend three programmes at Uttarkanya which is considered as the mini-secretariat in north Bengal, Bagdogra and Bagha Jatin Park at Siliguri

Oppn leaders under CBI scrutiny rise to 95% under NDA from 60% under UPA

Under the NDA government, since 2014, the number of political leaders facing investigation has gone up to 124 and 118 of them are Opposition leaders