TMC clips wings of Adhikari brothers

speculations are rife that transport minister could defect to the BJP

Biswabrata Goswmi

Hummingbird News     

MIDNAPORE, 22 AUG: With Trinamul Congress having recently clipped the wings of state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari and his brother Dibyendu Adhikari, an MP from Tamluk, at a party meeting at Trinamul Bhawan, speculations are rife that Suvendu could defect to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

At a time when Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is repeatedly warning of taking action against corrupt party leaders, the party has ‘surprisingly’ clipped the wings of Adhikari brothers.

The party has recently removed the state transport minister and the prime architect of Nandigram movement, Suvendu Adhikari from the official responsibility of the party’s State Government Employees’ Federation.

In a meeting held in the Trinamul Bhawan on Wednesday night, the party has dissolved the 41-member

committee and removed Adhikari from the chief mentor post. The meeting was attended by Partha Chattapadhyay and Subroto Boxi, a party source said. Apart from Adhikari, three other leaders who were conveners of the committee were also removed before dissolving the committee. Instead of them, the party has given responsibility to Dibyendu Ray to look after the organization, the party source said.

On the other hand, the party has also removed Dibyendu Adhikari, an elder brother of Suvendu and MP from Tamluk from the president post of the party affiliated Haldia Refinery Township Maintenance Workers’ Union. 

On 19 August, a general meeting of the party’s workers’ union was held. It is alleged that most of the workers voted against Dibyendu and they preferred to induct the former chairman of Haldia municipality Debaprasad Mondol as a working president of their orgainisation.

As per the decision of the majority workers, the party deputed Mondol as a working president of the organization, a party source said.

The decision comes at a time when the state BJP unit is eyeing many Trinamul Congress leaders to switch sides. Talks are being held at different levels by senior leaders of the party, with involvement of even central leaders.

The buzz in the political circles is that the list of possible ‘defectors’ includes Trinamul Congress strongman Suvendu Adhikary. A Trinamul Congress MLA from Moyna, Sangram Dolai has recently added fuel in the speculation speaking up over transport minister Suvendu Adhikari “not getting his due” in the party.     

Mamata Banerjee announces major rejig in TMC ahead of 2021 Bengal polls, includes ex-Maoist in the state committee

Mamata Banerjee announces major rejig in TMC ahead of 2021 Bengal polls, includes ex-Maoist in the state committee

  

                   

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News

KRISHNAGAR, 23 JULY: Ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls, West Bengal chief minister and Trinamul Congress suprimo Mamata Banerjee, today, made a major rejig in her party’s organizational posts.

With this announcement all the incumbent district units stands dissolved with immediate effect. Also, all other ad-hoc appointments done at district level and below stands absolved with immediate effect.

The newly appointed district office bearers shall form district, block and other relevant committees for their respective districts in consultation with the state coordination committee and share the same with the convener of the state coordination committee within seven days for approval of the chairperson of the party.

Spiralling protests over Amphan relief fund irregularities had already plagued the state’s incumbent formation with many senior-level leaders in the districts getting embroiled in the controversy. Be it distribution of food grains and tarpaulin in cyclone-ravaged pockets of Sunderbans or inclusion of ghost names in the list of beneficiaries – Trinamul Congress’ name cropped up almost everywhere.

To troubleshoot the party’s image in run up to the next year’s elections, Miss Banerjee made a number of changes in the Trinamul Congress from its core committee members to district presidents.

Announcing a major rejig, the West Bengal CM gave more priorities to younger and new faces in the party’s forefront that are relatively clean as far as their political image is concerned. She announced a new state committee with 21 members in it and a seven-member steering committee of the state coordination committee that included names of Abhishek Banerjee, Subhendu Adhikari, Partha Chatterjee, Subrata Bakshi (convenor), Firhad Hakim, Kalyan Banerjee and Shanta Chetri.

Besides this, the presidents of several districts including Howrah, Coochbehar, Purulia, Nadia, Jhargram and South Dinajpur were also removed.

New and younger faces such as Laxmi Ratan Shukla in Howrah, Mahua Moitra in Nadia, Dulal Murmu in Jhargram, Gurupad Tudu in Purulia and Shyamal Santra in Bankura have been given charge of the districts.

Interestingly, former People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) leader from Maoist-hit Lalgarh Chatradhar Mahato was included in the Trinamul state committee along with Churamoni Mahato and Sukumar Hnasda. Mahato was a prominent ultra-Left leader who gained prominence following the Salboni blast in November 2008. In 2020 he joined Trinamul Congress after being released from jail recently.

Sources in the party said that giving importance to Mahato at the state level can turn out to be Mamata’s political masterstroke ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls. Mahato who was convicted under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in 2015, will help Mamata to control the dreaded western region of Bengal known as Junglemahal – an imaginary belt now comprising four districts of Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and West Midnapore.

Trinamul Congress suspends 25 panchayat workers and leaders in Nandigram-I block for nepotism and corruption in distribution of Amphan fund

Trinamul Congress suspends 25 panchayat workers and leaders in Nandigram-I block for nepotism and corruption in distribution of Amphan fund

Meghnath Pal, party’s block sabhapati of Nandigram-I block said, “The party has suspended 24 workers and leaders who have been found guilty in several corruption cases including the distribution of financial compensation to the tune of Rs 20000 to the people affected in cyclone Amphan. The party had warned them and asked them to return the fund. But, these men did not respond to the show cause notices. So, the party has decided to suspend them from the party.”

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News

MIDNAPORE, 7 JULY: The Trinamul Congress, today, suspended 25 of its panchayat workers and leaders in Nandigram-I block of East Midnapore over allegations of nepotism and corruption in distribution of financial compensation to the people affected by super cyclone Amphan hit the state on 20 May.

Earlier on Sunday, the party had issued show cause notices to around 200 such workers and leaders over the aforesaid allegations. Around 85 of those Trinamul workers who received show-cause notice from the party have returned the compensation of Rs 20000 that the government transferred to their bank accounts for repairing homes.

While announcing the party’s decision after conducting a core-committee meeting held today, Meghnath Pal, party’s block sabhapati of Nandigram-I block said, “The party has suspended 24 workers and leaders who have been found guilty in several corruption cases including the distribution of financial compensation to the tune of Rs 20000 to the people affected in cyclone Amphan. The party had warned them and asked them to return the fund. But, these men did not respond to the show cause notices. So, the party has decided to suspend them from the party.”

“Other workers against whom show cause notices served have immediately responded and most of them have already returned the money. A few of them will return within two days”, Pal told The Statesman.

The state government had released a relief package of Rs 6,800 crore. A part of this amount is being spent as compensation for those whose houses were damaged by cyclone Amphan. But there have been complaints that thousands of people whose houses were not damaged also got the money.

“TMC will conduct a survey in all 25 community blocks in the district and take action against errant workers,” said Sisir Adhikari, a veteran TMC MP and the party’s East Midnapore unit president.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said on Monday that the state government is rectifying the lapses which might have occurred in its efforts to pay the compensation to the victims quickly.

“A few lapses might have taken place while we fast- tracked the compensation payment process on an emergency basis. We are rectifying the anomalies. Every affected family will receive the monetary relief,” she had said.

Criticising the TMC’s move against its own workers, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, “Why is the ruling party reluctant to lodge FIRs against the corrupt TMC leaders? If they know the culprits, why are they delaying in taking serious action against them?”

Courtesy: Images from iNET.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee compares Nirmala Sitharaman to Kal Nagini

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee compares Nirmala Sitharaman to Kal Nagini

Kalyan Banerjee said, "The way people die due to bite of 'Kal Nagini', the same way, people are dying due to Nirmala Sitharaman. She has destroyed the economy. She should be ashamed and resign from her post. She is the worst Finance Minister."

   

                      

Biswabrata Goswami            Hummingbird News

BANKURA, 5 JULY:  Trinamul Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee raised a fresh controversy after he compared Nirmala Sitharaman to 'a snake' like Kal Nagini and labeled her as the 'most useless finance minister of the country'. Banerjee made the remarks at Bankura on Saturday, following which the BJP has hit back.

Kalyan Banerjee said, "The way people die due to bite of 'Kal Nagini', the same way, people are dying due to Nirmala Sitharaman. She has destroyed the economy. She should be ashamed and resign from her post. She is the worst Finance Minister."

The BJP reacted strongly to his comments, with state party president Dilip Ghosh claiming West Bengal chief minister and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee has lost grip over her party leaders.

"Corruption has spread in the TMC from top to bottom; they have become puzzled by internal feud and many of them are making senseless comments to divert the attention from the situation prevailing in the ruling party.

"We don''t give much importance to such comments.... they are uttering such nonsense out of frustration," he said.

Banerjee went further to attack BJP MP Dilip Ghosh and said, "We are not afraid of Dilip Ghosh. Let him tell BJP leaders that we are not sitting at home wearing bangles, we are strong and we will meet in the field. If you want to fight physically, we won't step back. We will give you appropriate answers to all the dirty politics you are playing."

"I will silence Dilip Ghosh and I want to see how brave he is. A person like Dilip Ghosh, who needs 18 security guards, should not wear men's clothes, they should wear saree instead. Even people who wear saree are stronger than him," Kalyan said.