Mamata announces she will fight Bengal polls from Nandigram, home turf of Suvendu

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News

NANDIGRAM, 18 JAN: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today announced that she would contest from Nandigram, a home turf of her former right hand man Suvendu Adhikari, who crossed over to the BJP last month,  in the upcoming assembly polls.

She expressed her desire and emotion to contest the assembly polls from Nandigram seat amidst the presence of thousands of Nandigram residents at a mass rally held here today.

Addressing the rally, Miss Banerjee said, “I want to request Subrata Bakshi (TMC general secretary), it is my wish, I will not neglect Bhabanipur, I will give potential candidate (for Bhabanipur), but I want my name in Nandigram too. Due to my love for Nandigram, I could not control my emotions”.

Bakshi, who was on the podium, swiftly accepted the request.

Miss Banerjee further said, “Nandigram is my lucky place. I started my election campaign from here during 2016 assembly polls and TMC won the polls. So, today, I am announcing my election campaign from here for 2021 assembly polls. I believe, we will win all the seats and we will win the polls.”

She said, “I won’t be able to give much time here (Nandigram) during polls, because I will have to fight from 294 assembly seats. You (Nandigram residents) will have to take responsibility to win the seat. After election, I will give much time and will meet your all demands”.

Later in her speech, she indicated that she may contest from two constituencies and said, “Bhabanipur is my big sister, Nandigram is my younger sister…I will fight from both if possible. In case I am unable to contest from Bhabanipur, someone potential candidate would contest”.

Nandigram was the scene of massive public protest against forcible land acquisition by the then Left Front fovernment for creation of a special economic zone.

The protracted and often bloody protests added to Miss Banerjee and her party’s political heft and catapulted the TMC to power in 2011, marking the end of the Left Front rule of 34 years.

Adhikari is considered the face of the movement in Nandigram.

After switching over to the BJP, Adhikari has often accused Miss Banerjee of having forgotten the people of the area who helped her gain power in the state.

Without taking Suvendu’s name, Miss Banerjee said she would never allow “a handful of people” to sell out Bengal to the BJP.

“Those who have left the party have my best wishes. Let them become president and vice president of the country. But don’t you dare to sell out Bengal to the BJP. As long as I am alive, I won’t allow them to sell out my state to the BJP,” she said.

The CM went on to take a dig at Adhikari, saying it was “good some people have left (TMC)”.

“Some are moving from here to there. They will be fought by our local leaders, don't worry, these guys were not there when the Trinamul Congress was formed. It is good some people have left,” Miss Banerjee said.

“There are three kinds of leaders—‘lobhi’ (greedy), ‘bhogi’ (hedonist) and the ‘tyagi’ (the one who renounces). The bhogis and lobhis might quit the party, but the tyagis never will. This party is like a mother to us and the tyagis will never ever quit the party,” she said adding that there are some who have loads of money, so to save that money; they have gone to the BJP.

She also alleged that BJP leaders from Delhi threatened them.

Miss Banerjee asserted the TMC will win a third straight term in office and the BJP will be decimated.

Miss Banerjee also hit out at the BJP, accusing it of luring her party men by promising to turn their black money into white. “Washing Powder Bhajapa (BJP) : TMC me kaala, BJP ka washing machine me shaada (black in Trinamul, white in BJP washing machine),” she remarked.

Miss Banerjee recalled the struggles she waged in Nandigram and Singur over forcible land acquisition by the Left Front government, and asserted the BJP was committing the same mistake by trying to undermine the farmers’ protest at Delhi’s borders.

“No one should undermine the farmers’ struggle. The BJP is trying to undermine it and will face the same consequences like the Left did because of Nandigram and Singur,” she said, and reaffirmed her opposition to the three farms laws.

“The CPI-M tried to snatch away the land of the farmers. The BJP is trying to snatch away the crops of the farmers,” she said.

Miss Banerjee said, “Nandigram showed the way, today farmers in Punjab are agitating (against the farm laws). We are with the farmers...BJP must withdraw the three farm laws.”

Meanwhile, TMC leaders in Nandigram who were seen jubilant after Miss Banerjee’s announcement said that this announcement will galvanise party workers in East and West Midnapore districts and adjoining areas who were feeling rudderless after Suvendu Adhikari quit the party.

DM, Nadia fails to convince Mamata in video conference, cancels previous 7-day lockdown order, Rescheduled lockdown will come into force for two days - 13 and 14 August

DM, Nadia fails to convince Mamata in video conference, cancels previous 7-day lockdown order

Rescheduled lockdown will come into force for two days - 13 and 14 August

Political observers in the district, however, said that some senior IAS officials have lobbied against Mr Goel before the chief minister who finally disagreed with him. This apart, a rival lobby against Mahua Moitra also played a pivotal role to go the CM against the decision taken by the Nadia district administration regarding lockdown.  

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News        

KRISHNAGAR, 7 AUG: Within hours after the intervention from chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the Nadia district administration, today, cancelled the earlier week-long lockdown scheduled to begin from 7 August midnight to 14 August midnight in the specific areas across the district and re-announced the lockdown schedule which will be imposed and enforced for two days from 0.01 hrs on 13 August to 11.59 hrs on 14 August.

The district magistrate, Vibhu Goel in his fresh order said that the re-schedule of lockdown dates have been considered after reviewing the several request and appeals from different quarters to relax the previous order.

This apart, “Whereas, after detailed analysis of occurrence of Covid-19 cases during recent past in the context of geographical distribution and frequency and in view of spatial locations of containment zones and considering the population density and floating population, it is felt that larger containment zones are required to be defined”, Mr Goel mentioned in his order.

To contain the sudden surge of infection at few places in the district, the administration and the ruling party MP, Mahua Moitra had felt the need of immediate complete lockdown for at least seven days and accordingly, Mr Goel had announced a 7-day complete lockdown in the extended containment areas from 7 August midnight to 14 August midnight.

The municipalities, which have been taken under purview of lockdown, are Krishnagar, Chakdaha, Gayeshpur, Haringhata, Kalyani, Ranaghat, Shantipur and Coopers Camp Notified Area. This apart, 25 gram-panchayat areas across the district have also been taken under the purview of lockdown.

But, Miss Banerjee today convened a video conference (VC) with the district administration where she clearly instructed that there was no need to announce a complete lockdown for seven days at a stretch.

Sources placed in the district collectorate office said, “During the conference, Mr Goel tried to convince Miss Banerjee saying that the decision for clamping lockdown for seven days was taken after reviewing the versions of the local residents and ruling party leaders. But, Miss Banerjee was not convinced by the logic placed by Mr Goel. Miss Banerjee even asked him to consider the ‘religious events’ before deciding to implement any lockdown”.

Political observers in the district, however, said that some senior IAS officials have lobbied against Mr Goel before the chief minister who finally disagreed with him. This apart, a rival lobby against Mahua Moitra also played a pivotal role to go the CM against the decision taken by the Nadia district administration regarding lockdown.  

Soon after the meeting, Mr Goel cancelled the previous order of lockdown and rescheduled the lockdown dates reducing it from seven days to two days.  

Meanwhile, Nadia reported 53 Covid-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours on Friday.

According to the Nadia district health department bulletin, the total Covid-19 positive cases stand at 1147 till today including 415 active cases and 538 discharged from Covid hospitals.

Though, no death has been reported in the last 24 hours, so the cumulative toll remained at 6.

The health department bulletin also revealed that 688 samples collected for RT-PCR and 412 samples for Rapid Antigen Test in the last 24 hours.

A total of 45294 samples have been collected for RT-PCR till today and the administration have received reports of 43097 samples. Reports of 2197 samples are still pending.

As per bulletin, 28 samples collected for Rapid Antigen Test tested positive out of 412 samples.

“This RAT report reveals only 6.09 % people are infected of novel coronavirus while the 93.91 percent of people are not affected by the dreaded virus,” a senior health official said.

As per the bulletin, 38 patients have been admitted in the isolation centers in the last 24 hours and the cumulative figure stands at 7655 where 7579 patients have already been discharged from the centers. “This means 99 % people have already been recovered which is remarkable compared to the recovery rate in the country,” an official said.

According to the health bulletin, 780 Covid positive patients have been admitted at the facilities till today while 559 patients have been recovered from the disease. Thus the recovery rate is 71.66 % which is far better than the average recovery rate of the state and country, a health official said.

“Effective clinical management of the moderate and severe cases through a well-executed standard of care protocol has ensured high rate of recovery among the Covid patients,” the official said.

The district administration, health officials and the ruling party leaders are not happy with these figures as the district has witnessed a sudden spike of Covid positive cases as well as infection in the last few days where around 400 persons have been infected. A few places including the municipal areas across the district have been detected as the prime areas where a certain level of community transmission could have been started.

The areas where the number of Covid positive cases is high are Chakdah (143), Chakdah municipality (142), Gayeshpur municipality (49), Haringhata municipality (47), Kalyani municipality (93), Krishnagar municipality (42), Krishnagar-I (50), Ranaghat municipality (60), Ranaghat-I (40), Ranaghat-II (62), Tehatta-I (79) and Tehatta-II (44).