Page 29 - Tmc

Cash-for-query case: LS panel asks Mahua Moitra to appear on Nov 2

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on Saturday asked Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra to appear before it on November 2 instead of October 31 in the cash-for-query case, but asserted no further extension would be granted. Moitra had on Friday wrote to the Ethics Committee, which is probing the allegations against her, expressing her inability to appear before it on October 31, saying she will be available only after November 5. In its response, the LS Lok Sabha Ethics Committee extended the date of appearance by three days, asking her to depose before it on November 2. The committee, however, said it will not entertain any request for further extension. The panel is probing BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's allegations that Moitra accepted bribes and favours for asking questions in Lok Sabha at the behest of businessman Hiranandani. On Thursday, Dubey, and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai gave "oral evidence" to the panel against the Trinamool Congress MP. Moitra has said she should be given "a f

Jyotipriyo Mallick: From Mamata loyalist to "scam-tainted" minister

Jyotipriyo Mallick, a senior TMC leader, saw his four-decade-long political journey take a severe hit as the Enforcement Directorate arrested him on Friday in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam in the state. Sixty-five-year-old Mallick presently holds the portfolios of Forest Affairs and Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy in the Mamata Banerjee government. He was the West Bengal Food Supplies Minister from 2011 to 2021, a period during which the alleged irregularities in ration distribution reportedly took place. Mallick stepped into politics as a leader of the Congress students' wing Chatra Parishad - in the early eighties during his college years, inspired by then-firebrand mass leaders Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and Mamata Banerjee. Born into a middle-class family in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district in 1958, he delved into politics while pursuing a career in law. Recognizing his organizational skills, a local

ED arrests Bengal minister Jyotipriyo Mallick in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested West Bengal minister Jyotipriyo Mallick in a money laundering case linked to an alleged multi-core ration distribution scam in the state, official sources said on Friday. The minister was apprehended under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the early hours of Friday following over 17-18 hours of questioning, they said. He will be produced before a local court where the ED will seek his custody."I am a victim of a great conspiracy," the TMC minister said after being arrested by ED in connection with the alleged ration distribution scam. Earlier on Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threatened to file a police complaint if anything happens to Mallick during the questioning as he was unwell and had several medical ailments. The central agency had launched searches at Mallick's premises on Thursday. It also searched his ancestral house on Amherst Street in central Kolkata. The alleged scam pertains to reported ...

ED raids several places including TMC minister Jyotipriyo Mallick's house

Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials began an early Thursday morning search at the residence of West Bengal minister Jyotipriyo Mallick in connection with an ongoing probe into the alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam, an officer said. The ED slueths raided two flats belonging to Mallick, who is currently the state Forest minister, at Kolkata's Salt Lake area, supported by a team of central forces, he added. Search operations were also on at eight other flats including the residences of Mallick's former personal assistant while he was the Food minister, he said. "The minister was not there during the raid. He came later and his phone has been taken away. There are eight officers inside. We are also conducting searches at his former personal assistant's residence in Dum Dum and a few other places," the ED officer told PTI. The central probe agency has already arrested one person who allegedly has close links to the ruling Trinamool Congress as well as Mallick, the officer

Bribe for query charge: BJP MP Dubey sharpens attack on Mahua Moitra

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday sharpened his attack on the TMC's Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra and posed a volley of questions over the "bribe for query" allegations against her, saying it was a matter of Parliament's dignity and India's security. In a post on X, he asked Moitra to clarify if her NIC mail was opened in Dubai or not and who bore the expenses of her foreign trips. "The question is not about Adani, degree or theft, but about your corruption by misleading the country," the BJP MP said in his post on the microblogging site without naming Moitra. The question is about the dignity of Parliament, the security of India and the proprietary, corruption and criminality of the said MP, he wrote on X, with hashtags "degree wali desh beche (the one who has degree sells the country)" and "chand paise ke le jamir beche (sells conscience for few bucks)". "The answer has to be given whether NIC mail was opened in Dubai or not? Whether questions were asked in exchange for money o

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From jilted ex to bribery claims: What is Mahua Moitra's cash-for-query row

Jai Anant Dehadrai had provided alleged evidence to BJP leader Nishikant Dubey of Mahua Moitra accepting cash to ask questions in the Parliament

Mahua Moitra questions Hiranandani's affidavit, alleges PMO's involvement

TMC MP Mahua Moitra has raised questions over the credibility of Hiranandani Group CEO Darshan Hiranandani's affidavit, alleging that it was "drafted by the PMO" and he was forced to sign it after being "threatened" with "total shut down" of his family's businesses. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) held a "proverbial gun" to Darshan and his father's heads and gave them 20 minutes to sign this "letter", Mahua claimed in a statement issued late on Thursday night. Her statement came shortly after Hiranandani, who allegedly paid Moitra to raise questions in Parliament about the Adani Group, claimed in the signed affidavit that the TMC leader targeted billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose impeccable reputation gave the opposition no opportunity to attack him. He alleged that she provided him with her Parliament login and password to ask questions targeting Adani after the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation booked capacity at

LS Speaker refers complaint against TMC MP Mahua Moitra to ethics panel

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has referred BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's "bribe-for-query" complaint against Trinamool Congress member Mahua Moitra to the Ethics Committee of the lower House. Dubey has accused Moitra of taking "bribes" from a businessman to ask questions in Parliament and urged Birla to constitute an "inquiry committee" to look into the charges against her. Moitra has hit back, saying she "welcomes any move against her after the Lok Sabha Speaker is finished dealing with pending charges against him (Dubey)". The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha is chaired by BJP member Vinod Kumar Sonkar. On Sunday, Dubey wrote to Birla under the subject "Re-emergence of nasty 'Cash for Query' in Parliament, Direct involvement of Smt. Mahua Moitra, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for serious 'Breach of Privilege', 'Contempt of the House' and a 'Criminal Offence' under Section 120-A of IPC". Citing a letter he has received from an advocate, Dubey said the lawyer has shared "irrefutable"

TMC MP Mahua Moitra files defamation suit against BJP's Nishikant Dubey

The defamation suit filed before the Delhi High Court also named advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai and several media organisations

Groups working overtime to harm our name: Adani Group on Dubey-Moitra spat

In its statement the Adani Group said these charges reveal an arrangement to hurt the groups reputation

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BJP threatens mega rally against corruption in MGNREGA in WB, TMC counters

BJP on Friday threatened to hold a massive rally in the city after Durga Puja against the alleged corruption in the utilisation of MGNREGA funds in rural Bengal. It provoked a sharp retort from the ruling TMC, which accused the saffron camp of diverting attention from legitimate demands for the release of overdue state funds. The state BJP indicated that the date and time of the proposed protest rally will be announced soon. West Bengal BJP president, Sukanta Majumdar said that the party will mobilise the underprivileged rural communities deprived of benefits of various central schemes due to the alleged corruption by local TMC leaders. "There are thousands of cases of corruption by local TMC leaders which have deprived the people of rural Bengal of the benefits of various central schemes, including housing under PM Awas Yojna and access to toilets under the Swachh Bharat scheme," he said. Majumdar's assertions followed TMC's protest in New Delhi and the five-day sit-in outside

Jobs scam: ED grills Banerjee's wife for over 7 hrs, raids different places

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) Wednesday interrogated Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira for over seven hours in connection with its ongoing probe into the alleged irregularities in the cash-for-jobs scam, an officer said. The grilling began at around 11 am at the ED's office at the Central Government Office Complex in Salt Lake area and is on after 6 pm. Rujira entered the ED's office a little before 11 am as a large posse of team of policemen stood on guard outside it since morning. "We are questioning her on the basis of our findings in the jobs scam. We are asking her about the specific roles of the directors of two companies involved in the alleged scam. She held an important position in both the companies at one point of time. She is being interrogated about that too," the ED official told PTI. The probe body conducted search operations in several rice mills, besides a few shops in at least four places in West Bengal's Nadia district in ...

Their biriyani, alcohol budgets exceeded: BJP secy after TMC ends sit-in

Tibrewal further attacked Abhishek Banerjee, saying, "Abhishek Banerjee wants to do selective protest, now he is exhausted in just 5 days

TMC ends sit-in as Guv commits to take up MGNREGA dues issue with Centre

The five-day dharna' staged by the TMC outside the Bengal Raj Bhavan ended Monday after Governor CV Amanda Bose met the party's leader Abhishek Banerjee and gave an assurance of fulfilling his solemn responsibility" by addressing the issue of MGNREGA dues to the state. Bose had already met a TMC delegation in Darjeeling on Saturday and followed it up with Monday's meeting at Raj Bhavan where Banerjee was present. The dharna was to press for payment of Bengal's claims for central funds on account of various schemes including MGNREGA and housing for the poor. Banerjee, however, threatened to relaunch the agitation under TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee's leadership on November 1 if a satisfactory response on non-payment of MGNREGA wages to workers was not received. The central government had earlier claimed that there were discrepancies in West Bengal's accounts for the scheme and hence payments had been delayed. According to officials at the Raj Bhavan, a TMC delegation led by Abhishek

TMC dubs Governor's decision to meet party delegation as 'people's victory'

The Trinamool Congress dubbed Governor C V Ananda Bose's decision to meet their party delegation on Monday as a triumph of Bengal's resilience, in the wake of the indefinite sit-in outside Raj Bhavan, which entered its fifth day, demanding clearance of the state dues under MGNREGA by the Centre. The TMC delegation, led by party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, is scheduled to meet the governor on Monday evening. According to sources at Raj Bhavan, Bose, who returned to the city on Sunday, has consented to the meeting with the TMC delegation on Monday at 4 pm. In an official statement, the TMC stated, "In response to our official mail dated October 7, Honourable Governor, West Bengal, CV Ananda Bose has granted an appointment on Monday, October 9 at 4 PM to the AITC delegation to be led by our national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee." The TMC celebrated the development on social media, declaring it a victory and stating that the governor had finally "relented" an

WB Governor gives appointment to protesting TMC leaders to meet today

The TMC party has been on a sit-in protest in front of Raj Bhavan in Kolkata since Thursday

CBI searches senior Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim's residence: Officials

The CBI conducted searches at the residence of senior West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim in Kolkata on Sunday morning in connection with its investigation into the alleged irregularities in recruitments made by the civic bodies in the state, officials said. Hakim, the minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, is also the mayor of Kolkata. He is a senior leader of the TMC and has significant sway in the party's organisation. A team of CBI officers reached Hakim's residence in south Kolkata's Chetla area along with a large contingent of central forces, officials said. "Two CBI officers are questioning him," a senior official told PTI. As the searches began, Hakim's supporters gathered outside his house, and began a protest. On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched multiple locations, including the residence of Food and Supplies Minister Rathin Ghosh, in connection with the case. It is alleged by the central investigating agencies that around 1,500 people wer

TMC's sit-in outside Raj Bhavan enters 3rd day; delegates to meet Guv

The indefinite sit-in demonstration outside Raj Bhavan by TMC activists led by senior leader Abhishek Banerjee entered the third day with protesters asserting their stir will continue till Governor C V Ananda Bose meets them at the protest site even as a team of agitators will call on him in Darjeeling on Saturday. Raj Bhavan sources said Bose has agreed to meet the delegation in Darjeeling's Gubernatorial Mansion at 5.30 pm after receiving an email request from TMC leader Derek O'Brien. The governor's decision to meet the delegation comes in the wake of the TMC sit-in led by Banerjee demanding the release of West Bengal's MGNREGA dues by the Centre and demanding an audience with Bose. Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary, however, said that the stir will continue till Bose meets the agitators at the protest site outside the Raj Bhavan. Banerjee said the TMC's three-member delegation would consist of state Panchayat Minister Pradip Mazumdar and Lok Sabha MPs Kalyan Banerjee