Page 9 - Tmc

TMC slams Oppn after HC stays relief scheme for sacked non-teaching staff

The TMC on Friday reiterated its respect for the judiciary but strongly criticised opposition parties for allegedly "denying humanitarian relief" to thousands of non-teaching staff who lost their jobs after the Supreme Court quashed the 2016 recruitment process, calling the move by the opposition parties inhumane. The remarks came immediately after the Calcutta High Court restrained the West Bengal government from implementing a scheme that sought to provide monetary support to sacked Group C and D staff until September 26 or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Justice Amrita Sinha passed the interim order on petitions challenging the state's proposal to pay Rs 25,000 to each affected Group C employee and Rs 20,000 to each Group D staff member. The court had reserved its verdict on June 9. The state government has been asked to file its affidavit in opposition within four weeks, and the petitioners have been given a further two weeks to respond. Responding to the court's .

Khidderpore market fire 'act of sabotage': BJP's Suvendu Adhikari

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday claimed the devastating fire that gutted several shops at Khidderpore market here was an act of sabotage. Adhikari also said he and other BJP MLAs will raise the issue in the assembly during the ongoing monsoon session. "People have lost their trust in the chief minister, and that is why a large posse of police personnel had to be deployed during her visit here," he said, addressing the affected shop owners at Khidderpore market. The early morning fire on Monday ripped through parts of the congested Khidderpore market in southwest Kolkata, gutting hundreds of shops and triggering panic among local traders. No casualties were reported. The senior BJP leader also wondered what the state government's monetary compensation of Rs 1 lakh would do for shop owners who lost everything in the blaze. Adhikari said he supported the demand of those affected to not be shifted to any other place as a temporary ...

Abhishek Banerjee slams govt for lack of accountability on Pahalgam attack

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on Monday accused the Centre of lacking accountability over the Pahalgam terror attack and raised five questions on border security, foreign policy, alleged intelligence failure, and its "inability" to take the nation into confidence. In a long post on X, Banerjee claimed, "It has been over 55 days since the Pahalgam terror attack. It is deeply concerning that in a democracy, neither the mainstream media, members of the opposition, nor the judiciary has stepped forward to raise these five critical questions before the Government of India." He said, "However, as a citizen committed to the nation's well-being and as a public representative entrusted with accountability, I raise these five questions before the Government of India." The TMC leader first questioned how four heavily armed terrorists managed to infiltrate the Indian borders and carry out an attack that left 26 civilians dead. Calling it a "massive breach in national security", Banerjee asked who .

Bangladesh protester found on Bengal voter list, BJP-TMC trade blows

A man seen in Bangladesh's 2024 protests is now on Bengal's voter list, sparking BJP-TMC clashes over infiltration, fake documents, and electoral fraud

Visit Bengal to see real democracy under Mamata: Sukanta Majumdar to Rahul

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that the Maharashtra Assembly election held in November 2024 was "rigged", and claimed that the same will be repeated in Bihar Assembly polls due later this year

Mahua Moitra confirms her marriage with ex-BJD MP Pinaki Misra in Germany

TMC MP from Krishnanagar Mahua Moitra is said to have married former MP Pinaki Misra in a quiet ceremony in Germany on June 3, though no official statement has been issued

Amit Shah vs TMC: Political showdown heats up ahead of 2026 assembly polls | West Bengal

Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah targeted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during his two-day visit.

Legal procedures followed while arresting female influencer: Kolkata Police

Kolkata Police have dismissed criticisms that they have "unlawfully" arrested a 22-year-old female Instagram influencer for allegedly uploading a video with communal comments, and claimed that all legal procedures were followed. They defended the arrest of influencer Sharmistha Panoli saying that the case was "duly investigated and adhering to legal procedures". "Kolkata Police acted lawfully according to the procedure established by law. The accused was not arrested for expressing patriotism or for personal belief; legal actions were taken for sharing offensive content which promotes hatred among the communities," Kolkata Police posted on Facebook on Sunday. "The case was duly investigated and adhering to legal procedures, several attempts were made to serve notice u/s 35 of BNSS to the accused but every time she was found absconding," the Kolkata Police stated. "Consequently a warrant of arrest was issued by the competent court, following which she was apprehended lawfully from .

TMC MP Saket Gokhale agrees to apologise in Lakshmi Puri defamation case

The Delhi High Court has put the payment of ₹50 lakh in damages that Gokhale has to pay on hold for now

PM Modi to address rally in Bengal's Alipurduar today, launch gas project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal on Thursday to lay the foundation stone for a gas distribution project and address a rally in Alipurduar. This will be his first trip to the state after the success of 'Operation Sindoor' earlier this month and a year ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. During the visit, Modi will lay the foundation stone for an Rs 1,010-crore City Gas Distribution (CGD) project in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts and later address a public rally in Alipurduar, BJP leaders said. State BJP president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar told PTI that both the government events and the rally would be held in adjoining areas of the north Bengal districts. "The prime minister will first attend the government programme and then address the public meeting. In the evening, he will leave for Patna," Majumdar said. The visit comes amid heightened political activity in Bengal, with the BJP seeking to regroup ahead of the 2026 polls, and the ruling ...

Indian all-party teams brief world on India's firm new anti-terror stance

All-party parliamentary delegations Monday briefed leaders of South Korea, Kuwait, Qatar, DR Congo and Slovenia on India's renewed doctrine of responding firmly to any act of terrorism and sought their support in bringing to justice the perpetrators, financiers and supporters of terrorism. A nine-member delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, 1st Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun and Sung Il-jong, Chairperson of the National Defence Committee of the National Assembly, in Seoul and conveyed India's national resolve on zero-tolerance policy in combatting terrorism. The delegation "sought RoK's support in holding organisers, perpetrators, financiers and supporters of terrorism to account and bringing them to justice," the Embassy of India in Seoul said in a post on X. In Kuwait City, the delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, called on Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sherida A S Al-Maousharji

Delegation in Japan underscored India's resolve to fight terror: TMC MP

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is representing the TMC in the all-party delegations sent to different parts of the world post-Operation Sindoor, said the team's outreach in Japan was meaningful as it conveyed the message of India's courage and clarity in the fight against terror. Seven multi-party delegations will travel to 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on India's response to terror, especially in view of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Our global outreach in Japan concluded with a meaningful engagement at the Indian Embassy. United in purpose, we drew attention to the grievous Pahalgam terror attack and highlighted India's calibrated response - One that decisively dismantled terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir without compromising civilian safety, Banerjee said in a post on X on Saturday night. India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and ...

TMC delegation visits Rajouri, slams Centre for 'neglecting' border areas

A five-member TMC delegation that visited the cross-border shelling-hit Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday slammed the government for neglecting the families living in border areas. The delegation members said they were returning with "broken hearts" after witnessing the human tragedy caused by Pakistani shelling and expressed solidarity with the people. The region witnessed heightened artillery shelling about two weeks ago following the rise in tensions with Pakistan after India carried out precision strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam attack. A wave of artillery shelling, and missiles and drone strikes by Pakistan in the Jammu region killed 27 people and injured more than 70 between May 8 and 10 after India launched Operation Sindoor to target terror infrastructure in the neighbouring country and PoK in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack. The TMC delegation -- comprising MPs Derek ...

Murshidabad violence: HC panel blames police, names TMC leader in report | West Bengal | Calcutta HC

A Calcutta High Court panel has indicted a local TMC leader and slammed police inaction during the April violence in Murshidabad. This report exposes the scale of destruction, political complicity, an

Not opting out of Centre's diplomatic mission, clarifies WB CM Mamata

Reaffirming her party's support for the Union government on matters of external affairs, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday said her party was not boycotting the Centre's multi-party diplomatic mission aimed at countering Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and would send its representatives once a formal request is received from the Centre. She stressed that the Centre should not decide which party sends whom as part of the delegation. "We were not contacted about this. Nowadays, they only inform the parliamentary party, not the main outfit. The parliamentary party cannot take policy decisions," the West Bengal Chief Minister said at Kolkata airport before leaving for north Bengal on a three-day official trip. "No request to send a representative's name for the outreach programme came to us. If it had, then of course we could have considered it. We are totally in favour of the country on matters of external affairs. Naming representatives for diplomatic multi-party delegations to count

TMC's Bandyopadhyay declines govt outreach role citing health issues

Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay on Saturday said he will not be able to join the government's diplomatic outreach delegations being sent to different countries after Operation Sindoor due to health reasons. The government has announced it will send seven all-party delegations to key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, later this month to convey India's message of zero tolerance against terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Bandyopadhyay told PTI that he received a call from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and the External Affairs Ministry, and was asked to go to the US but he informed them that he would not be able to go due to health reasons. A statement issued by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry said, "The all-party delegations will project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country's stro

Court grants bail to Derek O'Brien, TMC leaders in 2024 ECI protest case

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to 10 TMC leaders, including Derek O'Brien, Sagarika Ghose and Saket Gokhale, in a case registered against them for their protest in April last year in front of the Election Commission of India despite a prohibitory order being in place. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal also granted relief to TMC leaders Santanu Sen, Dola Sen, Nadimul Haque, Vivek Gupta, Arpita Ghosh, Abir Ranjan Biswas and Sudip Raha, on an application moved by their lawyer. While nine TMC leaders were physically present before the court, Vivek Gupta appeared through video conferencing. The court has granted bail to five of the leaders, who are sitting MPs, on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each. The rest were granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 along with a surety of like amount. While granting bail, the judge noted that the chargesheet was filed without the arrest of the accused persons. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on May ...

98% ED cases against politicians target Oppn leaders, claims TMC's Gokhale

Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale on Saturday said 98 per cent of the cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate against politicians were against opposition leaders. "The remaining two per cent are those who went and joined the BJP's 'washing machine,'" he said. Gokhale referred to Thursday's statement of ED Director Rahul Navin, to claim that the surge in cases post-2014 was at the behest of Narendra Modi, who came to power the same year. Speaking at an event on ED Day, Navin said the anti-money laundering law had been "largely ineffective" before 2014 and there has been a significant step-up in enforcement activity since then. In a post on X, Gokhale said, "Yesterday, the head of central agency ED admitted that there's been a surge of cases filed after Modi Government came to power in 2014." "In the last 11 years, a total of 5,297 cases were filed by ED. How many were taken to court for trial? Only 47," he said. The TMC Rajya Sabha MP said the conviction rate in ED cases

Pahalgam attack deepens Bengal's identity rift, sparks fresh polarisation

The return of four coffins from Kashmir to Bengal three deceased of the Pahalgam terror attack and one soldier killed in Udhampur has not only stirred grief, but also ignited a volatile mix of religion, politics and emotion deepening polarisation and marking a turning point in the state's identity politics. With the 2026 assembly elections less than a year away, the killings have swiftly taken on a political charge, threatening to become the emotional nucleus around which competing narratives and electoral strategies will revolve. The brutal killing of tourists Bitan Adhikari, Samir Guha and Manish Ranjan Mishra in Kashmir, allegedly after being asked to reveal their religion, has sent shockwaves through the state. The chilling nature of these targeted killings has thrust the politics of religious identity into the spotlight, with the faith of the victims now becoming a potent political tool. As parties scramble to frame the narrative through religion, nationalism and victimhood

NCW visits riot-hit Murshidabad; TMC calls panel BJP's political wing

A delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by its chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, on Saturday met riot-hit people in West Bengal's Murshidabad district and assured them that the Centre would take necessary steps to ensure their safety. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), however, questioned the NCW's neutrality, accusing it of functioning as a "political wing of the BJP." During the visit, affected women shared their harrowing experiences from the recent communal violence, which claimed three lives. They demanded the establishment of permanent BSF camps in select areas and called for an NIA probe into the clashes. Rahatkar said, "I am dumbfounded by the agony these women are having to suffer. What they went through during the violence is beyond imagination." The NCW chief assured the victims that there was "no cause for worry" as the Centre is with you. "We have come here to see your plight. Please don't worry. The country and the commission are with you. Don't th