Page 13 - Tmc

Govt should strongly condemn killing of ex-Army officer in Gaza: Gokhale

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Wednesday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, urging that the government strongly condemn the killing of a former Indian Army officer in Gaza. Col Waibhav Anil Kale, 46, who took premature retirement from the Indian Army in 2022, had joined one of the UN agencies three weeks ago. He was killed in war-torn Rafah in Gaza on Monday morning, becoming the "first international casualty" for the world body since the Israel-Hamas conflict started last year. "It is shocking that a retired Indian Army colonel was killed by Israel in Gaza and the shameless Modi Govt hasn't uttered a single word," Gokhale said in a post on X, where he shared the letter written to the External Affairs Minister. Gokhale said the former Army officer was travelling in a clearly-marked UN vehicle when he was killed. "It is clear from reports that Col. Kale was killed when his convoy was attacked in a strike by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). There is ...

TMC files complaint against NCW chief for conspiring Sandeshkhali incidents

The Trinamool Congress on Sunday lodged a complaint with the EC against National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma, accusing her of being "one of the major conspirators" of incidents in Sandeshkhali where allegations of sexual abuse against leaders of the ruling party in West Bengal have been made. In a letter to the Election Commission, the TMC said it was filing a complaint against Sharma and a BJP leader for "commission of serious offences of forgery, cheating, fraud, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy upon innocent women of Sandeshkhali and the entire electorate in general". "This is to draw your urgent attention to a deeply distressing turn of events, wherein, BJP leaders along with member(s) of the NCW have criminally conspired against the entire electorate and hence, warrants your immediate intervention," the party said in the letter to EC. The TMC also said, "An interview of a woman from Sandeshkhali was shared on X platform on May 10 which reveals tha

TMC threatening women in Sandeshkhali to protect culprits, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed the "vote bank" politics of the Trinamool Congress and alleged that the party's goons are threatening the tormented women of Sandeshkhali, where allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders have surfaced, to protect the culprits. While addressing an election rally at Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district, Modi alleged that under the TMC rule, Hindus have turned into second-class citizens in the state and asserted that as long as Modi is there, no one can repeal the CAA law. All of us have seen what the TMC has done with the sisters and mothers of Sandeshkhali. The TMC goons are now threatening the women in Sandeshkhali as the name of the main culprit is Shajahan Sheikh. TMC is doing everything to protect the culprits of Sandeshkhali, he said. His remarks come in the backdrop of multiple purported videos surfacing on social media, which claimed that a local BJP party leader made several women of Sandeshkhali sign on blank papers .

PM lying about Sandeshkhali, but mum on allegation against Guv: Mamata

Claiming that PM Narendra Modi was continuing to "peddle lies" about Sandeshkhali, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday questioned why he was maintaining a stoic silence on the allegations of molestation against Governor CV Ananda Bose and not asking him to resign. Addressing an election rally in North 24 Parganas' Amdanga, which is a part of the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, Banerjee said the PM should be ashamed that "BJP's conspiracy" about Sandeshkhali has become public. "The PM is still peddling lies about Sandeshkhali. He should be ashamed as the BJP's conspiracy has now become public," Banerjee said, apparently referring to a purported video in which a local BJP leader was heard saying that over 70 women had received Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh who is accused of sexual assault and land grab. In an earlier clip, a man resembling BJP's Sandeshkhali mandal president Gangadhar Kayal was heard saying that t

New video claims 70 women in Sandeshkhali received money to protest

In a purported video that surfaced from Sandeshkhali, a local BJP leader was heard saying that over 70 women had received Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against local TMC satrap Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides who were accused of sexual assault and land grab. In the video, lasting over 45 minutes, a man resembling Sandeshkhali mandal president Gangadhar Kayal told this to the questioner. It was Kayal who had earlier said in another purported clip, the first in a series in the past week, that the rape allegations were staged. PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the videos. In the latest tape that surfaced on Saturday night, Kayal was heard saying that 70 women got Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against Sheikh who was arrested and later suspended by the police. "We will need Rs 2.5 lakh in cash for 50 booths where 30 per cent of protesters would be women. We have to keep the SC, ST and OBC people here in good humour by paying them satisfactorily.

TMC to file complaint with EC against NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma

The Trinamool Congress on Friday said it will file a formal complaint with the Election Commission against National Commission for Women's chairperson Rekha Sharma over allegations of atrocities on women in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali. NCW had recommended to President Droupadi Murmu that President's rule be imposed in West Bengal over alleged violence and atrocities on women in Sandeshkhali. "TMC will go to the Election Commission against Rekha Sharma, who is the chairperson of National Commission for Women," West Bengal minister and TMC spokesperson Shashi Panja said. Some videos on Sandeshkhali went viral which were shared by TMC. PTI did not verify the authenticity of the videos shared by TMC. Panja said that the TMC has already filed complaints against BJP and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari before the EC over such allegations.

Sandeshkhali woman revokes rape case against TMC men, alleges BJP coercion

The woman said that she was misled by a local BJP Mahila Morcha functionary and other party members, who initially sought her signature under the guise of enrolling her for PMAY

LS polls: TMC to approach EC over Sandeshkhali 'sting operation' video

The TMC will lodge a complaint with the EC against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari and others, claiming that a saffron party leader has "confessed" on camera that the rape accusations in the Sandeshkhali incident were concocted, sources said on Thursday. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will submit a letter to the Election Commission (EC)later in the day, they said. Party sources said their complaint is based on a purported video in which a man claiming to be Gangadhar Kayal -- BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali -- was heard saying that Adhikari, the leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly, was "behind the whole conspiracy". In the "sting operation" video done by a news platform which was later shared by the TMC on X, Kayal is heard saying sexual harassment complaints were filed at the behest of Adhikari. West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, meanwhile, alleged that the "sting operation" was "fake", and suspected that it was made using artificial intelligence (AI).

LS polls: TMC, BJP tread cautiously in Jhargram amid identity politics

The tumultuous days of Maoist violence may now be a thing of the past for residents of Jhargram constituency in western West Bengal but the tribal-dominated seat sits on a powder keg of identity politics which has a direct bearing on the elections. A long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe status by the minority Kurmis, a traditional tiller community listed as OBCs in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha, had led to sporadic violence in the recent past and has vertically divided the inhabitants of region with the majority Adivasis, enlisted STs, firmly opposing it. Both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have chosen to tread cautiously over this "extremely sensitive" issue which, some voices from the ground feel, has the "potential to explode at the slightest provocation". While the ruling party in the state has declared in its poll manifesto that it would "actively work with the Centre" to award the desired status to the Kurmi-Mahato community, the saffron party has officially remain

21% candidates contesting Phase 4 LS polls have criminal cases against them

Lok Sabha elections 2024: A report by ADR and National Election Watch reveals that 360 out of 1,710 Phase 4 Lok Sabha candidates face criminal cases, with 16% facing serious criminal charges

LS polls: TMC's win against BJP in Arambagh likely to be close call

Development, or the alleged lack of it, and recurrent floods in every monsoon are the key issues of the erstwhile red bastion Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal's Hooghly district, an SC-reserved political hotspot of the state in terms of law and order volatility. The TMC may have won the 2014 and 2019 editions of parliamentary polls in Arambagh, but the party's steady decline in vote share over the last two editions coupled with BJP trumping Trinamool in four of Arambagh's six assembly seats in Hooghly in the 2021 state polls are signs of an upcoming battle which Mamata Banerjee's party may find tougher to tide past than what appears on paper. That's perhaps why Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose Arambagh to kick start his poll campaigns in Bengal and addressed one of the poll season's first public meetings on March 1 from where he slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for "betraying the people of the state". The state's ruling dispensation has replaced its two-time MP

TMC knew about school jobs scam before 2021 assembly polls: Kunal Ghosh

After his removal from the post of the TMC's West Bengal general secretary, Kunal Ghosh claimed that the party was aware of the school recruitment scam even before the 2021 assembly polls. The damaging statement from Ghosh, considered close to TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, came amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, as the SSC scam has escalated into a significant issue in the polls. Ghosh was removed from the post hours after he shared a stage with a BJP Lok Sabha candidate and praised him on Wednesday. "The party was well aware of the fact that large-scale corruption and extortion in lieu of jobs was taking place in the school education department. The party was aware of it even before the 2021 assembly polls," he said in an interview with Bengali news channel ABP Ananda. Ghosh, who has been seeking more prominence for next-generation leaders and has been at loggerheads with the old guards in the TMC, said it was due to this "information about large-scale ...

If Hindus still at risk after BJP rule, it shouldn't return to power: Azad

TMC candidate and former India cricketer Kirti Azad sought to poke holes in the BJP's Hindu nationalism plank, saying if the saffron party persists in using the "Hindu Khatre mein" (Hindus in danger) narrative despite being in power for ten years, it raises doubts about the party's necessity to return to power. The former BJP MP-turned-TMC nominee from West Bengal's Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat, also said the issue of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was a ploy to communalise the polls since the saffron camp lacks an impressive report card to present before the masses. In an interview with PTI, Azad highlighted India's diversity and argued against the feasibility of implementing UCC in such a varied cultural landscape while stressing that history belies BJP's claims of Hindu insecurity under previous regimes. During the Mughal rule, Hindus were not under threat; they were not in peril during British rule; even under multiple governments post-Independence, Hindus never faced any ...

Congress, TMC critique EC over delay in sharing phase 1, 2 voting data

The Congress, CPI(M) and the TMC on Tuesday criticised the Election Commission over the delay in publishing the final voter turnout figures for the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls. The commission in the evening made public the voter turnout of the first and second phases of polling held on April 19 and April 26. Voting for the general elections is being held in seven phases, the remaining are on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. Counting of votes will be taken up on June 4. "Finally, ECI (Election Commission of India) has put out the final voter turnout figures for the first two phases which are substantially, not marginally as is normal, higher than the initial figures," Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on X. "But why are the absolute numbers of voters in each parliamentary constituency not put out? Percentages are meaningless unless this figure is known," he said. Yechury alleged that apprehensions of manipulation of resul

CBI 'might have brought' seized arms in Sandeshkhali, alleges CM Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said there was "no evidence" of arms seizure in Sandeshkhali, asserting that CBI teams conducted searches without informing the state police. She expressed skepticism regarding the operations, stating that the recovered items "might have been brought by officials of the central agency". Even if a firecracker goes off in Bengal, the NIA, CBI, NSG are coming to investigate. It seems that a war is going on. The state police were not informed. It is not known what was found. There was no evidence. The seized items might have been brought by them (CBI) in a car," Banerjee said here. She was addressing an election rally for TMC's Asansol Lok Sabha candidate Shatrughan Sinha. The CBI on Friday seized arms and ammunition, including a police service revolver and foreign-made firearms, during searches at two premises of an associate of now-suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali, officials said. The searches were conducted

TMC alleges BJP-CBI-NSG conspiracy in Sandeshkhali raid, writes to EC

The Trinamool Congress alleges the Sandeshkhali raid was a bid to smear TMC's image during ongoing polls

Lok Sabha polls Phase 2: BJP's Sukanta Majumdar, TMC clash at polling booth

The BJP state chief was allegedly miffed at his name being absent from the initial list, only to find later that it was there

Lok Sabha polls: Bengal's political landscape witnesses rise of dynasties

Dynastic politics has been a prominent feature of Indian democracy, but its increased presence in Bengal this Lok Sabha election marks a significant departure from the state's tradition of cultivating leaders from grassroots politics. Out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, 13 have candidates from political dynasties. This represents a significant increase compared to previous elections, where political dynasts were limited to just three seats. Traditionally known for its vibrant student politics, Bengal is experiencing a notable shift as influential political families are gaining prominence. "This is a new trend or an evolution of Bengal politics from class-based politics to dynasty politics. Never in the polls have so many candidates come from political families," political scientist at Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Maidul Islam, told PTI. He said in Bengal where politics is dictated by the charisma of mass leaders, party symbols and issues, "it remains to be seen how people acce

LS polls: High turnout in first phase in Bengal raises hope for BJP, TMC

Both ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP hoped that the high turnout of 77 per cent recorded in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in three constituencies in northern West Bengal will be in their favour. While the TMC exuded confidence that despite the BJP "terrorising" its activists, it will win by massive margins, the saffron party said that the "strong arm tactics" of the ruling party in the state failed under watchful eyes of central forces people "ignored intimidation and threats of TMC leaders". Trinamool Congress leader Ritabrata Banerjee said, "A large number of women voted in the three seats of north Bengal. This shows people, particularly women, have not been misled by the false propaganda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi." He alleged that the BJP did not find polling agents in all booths in Alipurduars. BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said "strongarm tactics" of TMC leaders have been countered by ordinary people, including women. "The high voting percenta

Battleground 2024: In Bengal's tea belt, climate and politics boil over

As BJP, TMC fight for dominance, tea gardens hope for a change in the weather and, perhaps, their fortunes