Former TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra was issued a notice on Monday by the Directorate of Estates (DoE) for not vacating her government bungalow, a source in the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said. The Trinamool Congress leader, who was expelled from Lok Sabha on December 8 last year, was earlier asked to vacate the house by January 7 after her allotment was cancelled. The DoE has now asked her to submit her reply to the notice within three days. "A show cause notice has been issued to Mahua Moitra, seeking her reply within three days as to why she has still not vacated her government accommodation," the source said. On January 4, the Delhi High Court asked the TMC leader to approach the DoE with a request for allowing her to continue to occupy the government accommodation allotted to her. Justice Subramoniun Prasad, while dealing with the TMC leader's challenge to an official intimation asking her to vacate the government bungalow by January 7 on account of cancellation
Senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya has filed a police complaint against BJP leader Amit Malviya for allegedly making defamatory remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Bhattacharya's complaint was in response to Malviya's post on X where he claimed that absconding TMC leader Sahajahan Sheikh, the main accused in the assault case on Enforcement Directorate sleuths, has managed to escape the clutches of law enforcement agencies because of "patronage of Mamata Banerjee." "Shahjahan, who claimed to be a don of Sandeshkhali, is absconding. This would not have been possible without the patronage of Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Home Minister of West Bengal," read a portion of Malviya's post on X. "We have filed a complaint and urged the police to take immediate action against Malviya for his defamatory remarks against the chief minister," Bhattacharya, also a state minister, told reporters on Sunday. Meanwhile, the West Bengal BJP criticised the TMC for tryin
"Officers should stop hunting with the hound and running with the hare. Do not sow the wind and reap the whirlwind," the Governor warned the police
After extensive internal consultations, the Congress has begun seat-sharing talks in some states with like-minded parties of the INDIA bloc for Lok Sabha elections. Sources said senior leaders of the party have been told to reach out to other leaders of the alliance and talks with some parties have begun. Formal negotiations for seat-sharing with Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab and Delhi will begin on Monday, the sources added. The Congress' five-member committee on seat-sharing - which has Mukul Wasnik as convener and senior leaders Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel among members - has already held internal consultations with state Congress chiefs and handed over its findings to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. The seat-sharing talks with other parties come after the 28-party opposition grouping decided to unitedly take on the BJP in upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The INDIA bloc has agreed to have a single opposition candidate in Lok Sabha election seats against the BJP in a bid to defeat
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Sunday lashed out at the deteriorating law and order situation in West Bengal and said that the condition of the state is "worse than Manipur."BJP MP Dilip Ghosh said, "The situation in Bengal is worse than Manipur. People voted for this government in the state. People will punish it for what it is doing. Central Government is doing its job of making suggestions and offering help for the upkeep of law & order. We can see that the situation in Bengal and at the Bangladesh border is not good for the security of the country, we had been saying this."This comes after attacks on the ED team in Sandeshkhali village of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal on Friday morning, January 5, when it tried to raid the residence of block-level leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in connection with an alleged ration scam case.Meanwhile, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the attack proves that there is no law and order in the ...
Expressing concern that TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, the prime accused in the case of assault on ED officials, may have "crossed the border", West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has instructed authorities to arrest him immediately and investigate his alleged connections with terrorists. His remarks that Sheikh has links with terrorists drew sharp criticism from the ruling TMC on Sunday. The statement issued by Raj Bhavan late Saturday night highlighted that the governor, upon receiving a complaint in the Peace Room, instructed the police chief to promptly arrest the culprit. "On receipt of a complaint in the Peace Room of Raj Bhavan that Shahjahan Sheikh is supported by some political leaders with the connivance of some police officers, Hon'ble Governor instructed the Police chief to arrest the culprit forthwith and report compliance," the statement said. The governor emphasised on the need to ascertain Sheikh's whereabouts and take appropriate action. The complaint alleging that
The Trinamool Congress on Saturday said it has an "open heart" for the Congress regarding seat-sharing in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections, but it was also prepared to go solo if the talks fail. Speaking to PTI, TMC's leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay said what local Congress leaders are thinking about the sharing of seats is immaterial as the final decision will be taken by the top brass of the two parties. "Our leader Mamata Banerjee has already said that we have an open heart for the Congress. Now, what they will do is up to them. Whether there will be an in West Bengal will be decided by Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee. What local Congress leaders think is immaterial," he said. The comment comes two days after state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party won't beg for seats from the TMC. Another senior TMC leader, who refused to be named as he is not authorised to speak on the issue, said the party was open to having an alliance in West Bengal but
Former Bongaon Municipality Chairman Shankar Adhya was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday midnight in connection with an alleged ration scam case
The ED sleuths were on their way to raid the homes of some local TMC leaders in connection with the alleged ration distribution scam when they came under attack, reports say
An Enforcement Directorate team was attacked by 800-1000 people armed with lathis, stones and bricks while they were on a search operation at the premises of Trinamool Congress (TMC) North 24 Parganas Convenor Sahajahan Sheikh."ED was conducting searches on the three premises of Sahajahan Sheikh, Convenor of TMC, North 24 Parganas in case of PDS scam of West Bengal. During the searches. On one of the premises, ED team with CRPF personnels was attacked by 800-1000 people with an intention to cause death as these people were carrying weapons such as Lathis, stones & bricks," the probe agency said in a post on 'X'.The ED also said that in the attack, three of their officials were grievously injured who were admitted to the hospital. The violent mob also robbed the belongings of the ED officials like their mobile phones, laptop, cash and wallets, the probe agency said."In this incident, 3 ED officials have been grievously injured. Injured ED officials are being admitted to hospital .
'I am truly overwhelmed that the vice president spoke to me and my wife and invited us for dinner at his place,' TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said on Friday
ED officers were on Friday assaulted and their vehicles were damaged allegedly by supporters of TMC leader Sheikh Sajahan when they tried to raid his residence in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district in connection with their probe into the ration distribution scam. The ED officers are conducting raids at 15 places in the state during the day and Sajahan's house is one of them, an officer said. A large number of TMC loyalists first gheraoed the ED officials and the central forces personnel who accompanied them when they reached Sheikh's residence in Sandeshkhali area in the morning and demonstrated before assaulting them and forcing them to leave the area, the officer said. One of the officers suffered head injuries and had to be taken to a hospital, he said. Sajahan is considered to be a close aide of state minister Jyotipriyo Mallick who was arrested in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam. "This kind of attack is unprecedented. We have sent a report on Sh
The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked expelled Lok Sabha member and TMC leader Mahua Moitra to approach the Directorate of Estates for permission to continue occupation of the government allotted accommodation. Justice Subramoniun Prasad noted that the rules permitted the authorities to permit overstay of a resident for a certain time period in exceptional circumstances. "Move a representation before the Directorate of Estates and there action will be taken in accordance with the law," the judge said. The court allowed Moitra to withdraw the present petition, while observing that the law mandated providing notice to a resident before her eviction from a premises. Needless to say that the government will take steps to evict the petitioner in accordance with law, added the court. In her petition, Moitra urged that the Directorate of Estates' December 11 order be set aside or, in the alternative, she be allowed to retain possession of the accommodation till the results of the 2024 L
Internal strife within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) showed no signs of abating on Wednesday, with senior leaders continuing to trade verbal jabs, even as the party leadership issued a subtle call for setting aside grievances and focusing on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The recent controversy unfolded after West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee had in November advocated the need to give due respect to senior members and rejected the notion that elderly leaders should retire from active politics. Following this, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee's nephew, proposed a retirement age in politics, citing declining work efficiency and productivity with advancing age. The party has since become a battleground for allegations and counter-allegations between senior and young leaders. The tensions reached a new low when five-time TMC MLA Tapas Ray criticised veteran leader and TMC's Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, accusing him
Despite losing national party status, the Trinamool Congress remains a dominant political force in West Bengal, buoyed by a triumphant victory in the violence-marred rural polls and aiming to play a pivotal role in the national opposition alliance INDIA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Conversely, the BJP faced an exodus and electoral setbacks in 2023. The state leadership grappled with maintaining internal cohesion while attempting to capitalise on allegations, including graft charges against the Mamata Banerjee government. The TMC aspires to uphold its political dominance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, actively contributing to forging a formidable opposition in the run up to the parliamentary elections. Simultaneously, the BJP, known for its strict control over dissidents, is placing its hopes on rural areas to stage a turnaround and mobilise its cadre base to maintain unity. The erstwhile mighty CPI(M)-led Left Front, having lost its main opposition status to the saffron camp
On Dec 19, TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee was seen in a video from Parliament mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. A political storm erupted over the mimicry
The Income Tax department has recovered around Rs 70 lakh in cash from the residence of Trinamool Congress MLA Bayron Biswas during a search there in connection with alleged evasion of taxes, a senior official said on Thursday. The search, which started at the legislator's residence at Samserganj in Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Wednesday morning, got over late in the night after around 19 hours, he added. "We have recovered cash amounting to Rs 70 lakh during the raid in Bayron Biswas' residence. There was no clarity on why such a huge amount of money was kept there," the official said. The MLA declined to comment on this matter when PTI contacted him. Biswas won a by-election from the Sagardighi constituency on a Congress ticket but later joined the Trinamool Congress.
The BJP Lok Sabha MP said, First, it was (TMC MLA) Akhil Giri who made an offensive remark against our President and now we have one of their MPs mimicking the mannerisms of our Vice President
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday played down the issue of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's mimicry by her party's MP, saying it was not meant to be disrespectful. In the eye of the storm over the mimicry row, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee also said that he never had any intention to hurt or disrespect Dhankhar. Asked about the mimicry row, Mamata Banerjee said, "We respect everyone. It was not disrespectful. It was just politically, casually... You would not even have known it if Rahul ji had not recorded it." The West Bengal chief minister was in the Parliament complex on Wednesday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi over pending central funds for the state. Kalyan Banerjee said that he did not intend to hurt anyone but did not offer any apology for the mimicry act which has been described by Dhankhar as an insult to the post of vice-president, the farmers and his own community. "Mimicry is not an offence, they (BJP) are trying to change the ma
The Congress on Wednesday said the "entire Modi ecosystem" is now being galvanised on the "so-called mimicry non-issue" while it remains silent on how a BJP MP "facilitated entry of two intruders" into the Lok Sabha and on the suspension of over 140 MPs. The opposition party hit back at the BJP for its criticism of a TMC leader's mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, saying a "desperate attempt" is being made to divert attention from the unprecedented suspension of MPs by raising this issue. The Congress' attack came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Vice President Dhankhar and expressed great pain over the "abject theatrics" of some MPs in Parliament complex, the Vice President's office said. Referring to the mimicry issue, President Droupadi Murmu also said she was dismayed at the manner in which Vice President Dhankhar was "humiliated" in Parliament complex. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The entire Modi ecosystem now being galvani