Page 26 - Tmc

'TMC not to hold meet with Cong alliance panel for seat-sharing in Bengal'

The Trinamool Congress will not send its representatives for any meeting with the Congress' national alliance committee on seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections as it has already conveyed its position to the grand old party, TMC sources said on Thursday. The Congress panel has been holding seat-sharing talks with Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners from different states. TMC sources said the Congress contacted party leaders for such a meeting and has been conveyed that they are not keen on sending any representative for talks. They said the Trinamool Congress has offered two seats to the Congress -- the ones it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. West Bengal has 42 parliamentary constituencies. The Congress has said the offer is too low and difficult to accept. Any change in the offer can only be made by Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, they said. The TMC is also looking at fighting from one seat in Meghal

Do not agree with 'One Nation, One Election': CM Mamata to Kovind-led panel

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to the high-level committee on "One Nation, One Election" expressing her disagreement with the concept of simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and assemblies, and said it would be against the basic structure of India's constitutional arrangements. In a letter to the panel secretary, Banerjee said that in 1952, the first general elections were simultaneously conducted for the central and state levels. "There was such simultaneity for some years. But the coevality has since been ruptured...," she said. "I regret that I cannot agree with the concept of 'One Nation, One Election', as framed by you. We disagree with your formulation and proposal," she wrote. She said there are basic conceptual difficulties in agreeing with the committee, and the concept is not clear. The West Bengal chief minister questioned the meaning of 'One Nation' in the context, and said, "While I understand the meaning of one nation in a ...

Calcutta High Court dismisses PIL petition after attack on ED officers

The HC concluded that the ED had the technical expertise and power to protect its officers and was not 'helpless'

Amid seat-sharing dispute, Mamata asserts TMC to stay with INDIA bloc

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asserted that it will remain part of the INDIA bloc in the fight against the BJP, days after fissures appeared in the alliance over seat-sharing disagreement between her party and the Congress in West Bengal. Banerjee conveyed her stance during a closed-door organisational meeting of the TMC's West Midnapore district unit. "Our party supremo clearly stated that the TMC would remain in the INDIA bloc in the fight against the BJP. Although critical of the CPI(M), she did not utter a single word against the Congress," said a senior TMC official present in the meeting, who did not wish to be named. The CPI(M), Congress and the TMC collectively constitute the 28-party strong INDIA bloc. However, in West Bengal, the CPI(M) and Congress have allied against the TMC and BJP. Banerjee's statement follows TMC's Lok Sabha Party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay's recent remark that the party has an "open heart" for the Congress regarding seat-sharing in West ..

ED chief to meet team members in Kolkata today over Sandeshkhali attack

Enforcement Directorate chief Rahul Navin is scheduled to hold a meeting with its officers here on Tuesday over the attack on an ED team during a raid in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district last week. The ED unit in the state has already submitted a report to its headquarters about the incident in which three officers were injured and several of their vehicles vandalised, as hundreds of supporters of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh attacked them on January 5 when the team went to conduct the raid. "The head of the ED will chair a meeting regarding the attack. Discussions will also be held on the progress of others investigations, an officer of the probe agency told PTI. Navin, the ED director, arrived in Kolkata on Monday night. The attack took place when the ED team went to Sheikh's house in Sandeshkhali for a raid in connection with alleged irregularities in the state's ration system. The ED has already lodged a complaint at the Nazat police station in connection with the assaul

DoE issues show cause notice to Moitra for not vacating govt bungalow

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

Police complaint against Amit Malviya for social media post on Bengal CM

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

Stop 'hide & seek' in arresting ED attack accused: Ananda Bose to WB police

"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

Cong begins seat-sharing talks with INDIA bloc partners for Lok Sabha polls

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

Situation in Bengal is worse than Manipur, says BJP MP Dilip Ghosh

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 ...

ED assault case: WB Guv demands TMC leader's arrest, probe terrorist links

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

'Open heart' for Cong, but ready to go solo in Bengal if needed: TMC

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

TMC leader Shankar Adhya arrested by ED in alleged ration scam case

Former Bongaon Municipality Chairman Shankar Adhya was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday midnight in connection with an alleged ration scam case

ED team attacked in Bengal, BJP demands NIA probe; Governor summons DGP

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

ED team searching TMC convenor's premises attacked by 800-1,000 people

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 .

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, who mimicked Jagdeep Dhankhar, now lauds vice-prez

'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 assaulted by TMC leader's loyalists during raid in Bengal

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

Approach Directorate of Estates for government accomodation: HC to Moitra

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 discord persists in TMC amid calls for unity ahead of LS polls

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

TMC eyes pivotal role in 2024, BJP hopes to make comeback after dismal 2023

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