West Bengal's annual July 21 Martyrs' Day observance has transformed into an unprecedented political contest, with three rival camps - Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, a breakaway TMC faction, and the Congress - holding parallel programmes in central Kolkata, each vying for legacy and organisational strength.
Confusion arose regarding the hospitalisation of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee after he complained of pain following an alleged attack. Despite initial reports suggesting superficial injuries, Banerjee was admitted to the ICU, leading to allegations of political interference in his medical treatment.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed gratitude to several leaders, including Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, for their concern and well wishes after he was hospitalized for cardiac-related ailments. Dhankhar, who resumed chairing the Rajya Sabha on Monday, said he was "greatly touched" by the concern expressed across party lines, which contributed to his speedy recovery.
Twenty-three political parties and an Independent MP have jointly written to Chief Justice Surya Kant regarding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and other election-related issues, a move spearheaded by the INDIA bloc.
Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh, accused of sexual abuse and land grab in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, was on Thursday suspended from the party for six years, TMC leader Derek O'Brien said.
The opposition parties were demanding a division of votes as they had moved a motion to send the Bill to a select committee, which was rejected by voice vote.
Under attack from senior Trinamool Congress lawmaker Kalyan Banerjee amid turmoil within the party, its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday struck a conciliatory note, describing the Serampore MP as an elder who has "brought him up" and therefore had every right to criticise him.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee has formally petitioned Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify 20 rebel MPs, arguing their claimed merger with the lesser-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is invalid under the anti-defection law.
The Supreme Court will hear on Wednesday a plea filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
West Bengal's appointment of Manoj Agarwal, the former Chief Electoral Officer, as the new Chief Secretary has ignited a political firestorm, raising concerns about the fairness and impartiality of the state's electoral processes.
The move has sparked a political row, with the opposition accusing the BJP of promoting a vegetarian agenda.
Raising slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders ended their 24-hour protest at the Mandir Marg police station in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, a day after they were detained while staging a dharna outside the Election Commission's office.
'BJP wanted a compromised Opposition and found a match in this faction of the Trinamool.'
Opposition MPs have submitted notices in both Houses of Parliament seeking a motion for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging partisan conduct and obstruction of electoral fraud investigations.
Modi is scheduled to reply to the debate on Thursday.
The leaders were prodded by the Twitterati to defend the AIB's freedom of expression.
Top leaders of opposition parties including Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC's Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav of Rashtriya Janata Dal and Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, besides Left leaders and those from smaller parties, are likely to attend the meeting at the Constitution Club in the national capital.
"In Bengal, the region of India I come from, we call this humanistic philosophy of 'Ma, Maati and Manush' signifying an equilibrium of the universally caring Mother, the earth, that nurtures us and human beings who must be central to our developmental endeavours," TMC MP Derek O'Brien told delegates while speaking on why poverty eradication should be the focus of UN's operational activities for development.
The party released two videos as 'proof' of BJP workers vandalising the statue.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly attacked by locals during a visit to Sonarpur, West Bengal, to meet families affected by post-poll violence.
By asking Vijay to produce letters of majority support before inviting him to form the government, the governor risks overstepping established Constitutional principles, notes Harishchandra.
A Trinamool Congress delegation on Friday alleged before the Election Commission top brass that around 40 SIR-related deaths had occurred in West Bengal so far, a charge junked by the poll authority.
The eight members -- distributed among the Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party -- were suspended earlier in the day for the remainder of the Monsoon Session over their 'unruly behaviour' during the passage of farm Bills in the Upper House of Parliament.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated the government is open to discussing electoral reforms in the Rajya Sabha, urging the Opposition not to impose a timeline. Opposition parties staged a walkout after demanding an immediate discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The Winter session of Parliament will be held from December 1 to 19, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Saturday, in what the opposition has described as an 'unusually delayed' and truncated session.
This is the fourth such death reported in the state since the exercise began on November 4, sparking a political blame game.
India's Parliament is set to begin its Budget session on Friday, with opposition parties poised to demand a discussion on the alleged mismanagement of the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, where 30 pilgrims died in a stampede. The opposition also accused the government of politicising parliamentary committees and pushing its agenda through its majority. The session will start with President Droupadi Murmu addressing both houses of Parliament. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on Saturday for the eighth consecutive time.
Opposition MPs in India have moved notices in Parliament seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of bias, misconduct, and acting under the influence of the executive.
Advertising industry veteran Sylvester daCunha, the creator of the iconic 'Amul Girl' campaign that started in the 1960s, has died, the Gujarat-based milk cooperative that owns the dairy brand said on Wednesday. "Very sorry to inform about the sad demise of Shri Sylvester daCunha, chairman of daCunha Communications last night (Tuesday) at Mumbai," said Jayen Mehta, managing director of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).
Insisting that the decision to introduce Foreign Direct Investment in retail requires vigorous Parliamentary sanction, the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday accused the government of indulging in 'hoodwinking tactics' to claim that there was need for it.
A meeting of leaders of political parties, called by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari to break the deadlock in the House over coal block allocation issue, remained inconclusive on Thursday.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) team comprises O'Brien, MP and leader of the delegation Sunil Mondal and MP Abir Ranjan Biswas.
"This is the minimum expectation at this time of national tragedy," she said.
Claiming that the police had no role in the death of Student's Federation of India student Sudipta Gupta, Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Derek O'Brien said on Wednesdaa that CCTV footage suggested that it was an accident.
Dhankhar expressed his anguish on the conduct of Opposition members and left the House for a while.
A meeting of the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party has been convened in New Delhi on August six to finalise party's stand on the vice-presidential election slated for August seven.
Trinamool Congress on Saturday removed Mukul Roy, a former confidante of Mamata Banerjee, from the key post of party general secretary.
'This is a humanitarian visit. This is a visit to stand with the grieving families. We hope to reach Tinsukia in about two hours and spend some time with the families'
"For a long time, there was virtually no election in West Bengal, because of the Left Front's 'scientific rigging'. The last assembly elections in West Bengal were the first time such extensive security was deployed," pointed out a senior political analyst. "But the fear of the CPI-M was till pervasive. This time, the fear is gone, and the Election Commission must be lauded for its stellar job."
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that her government might have committed '2 or 3' mistakes in the past two years, but would learn from them in the New Year.
