Tag: TMCs

Will resign if proven I dialled Shah over TMC’s national status: Mamata

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Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said she will resign if it is proven that she dialled Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the Trinamool Congress lost the national party status.
Banerjee, who was speaking to reporters at West Bengal’s state secretariat, said that her party’s name will remain the All India Trinamool Congress.
“I will resign if it is proven that I called up Amit Shah over TMC’s national party status,” she said, rejecting Bengal’s leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s claim that she had made the call.

Adhikari on Tuesday claimed that Banerjee had dialled Shah after the Election Commission revoked TMC’s national party status to request him to repeal the decision.
Banerjee asked will the BJP leader resign if his claims are proven wrong.
She said the media will get defamation notices if they do not cross-check before running what BJP leaders are claiming.
The TMC supremo said, “It was the norm to review the national party status of all parties after 10 years. That would mean the next review should have been in 2026 But they did it in 2019.”
“My party’s name will remain the ‘All India Trinamool Congress’. If the BJP has any problem, they can approach the Election Commission and we will approach the common people,” she thundered.

The ECI withdrew the national party status of the TMC, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) last week.
Reacting to Adhikari’s assertion, TMC on Tuesday also said there is not even an iota of truth in it.
“Suvendu Adhikari is a habitual liar. We have seen how he has earlier brazenly lied about several political developments. Having a national party status or not is notional, it does not impact the growth of the TMC,” party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh had said.
Banerjee said she has asked for the resignation of Shah who asserted that if the BJP wins 35 plus seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee government will not survive beyond 2025.
” I demand the resignation of Shah for misusing his constitutional post and breaking the federal structure of our country, through attempts to topple a democratically-elected government,” she said.
Taking on the BJP, Banerjee claimed that it will not be able to get more than 200 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“Will they use ED, CBI, BSF, CRPF and other such agencies to manipulate elections? We don’t even know what is going on with the Electronic Voting Machines,” she said.
The TMC chief described the BJP as the “biggest corrupt party” and said that “instead of questioning others, they should first respond to the Vyapam Scam.
“Whenever elections approach, BJP leaders bring the same old narrative of CAA-NRC, Pulwama and other fake and false stories. These are old tactics,” she said.
She also alleged that BJP has the money to spread fake news and urged people not to trust them.
The chief minister said that the state administration will look into the missing complaint filed by veteran politician Mukul Roy’s son Subhrangshu about his father.
Roy, who his family says is suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease, surfaced dramatically in Delhi after the missing person complaint was filed, and claimed that he is a “BJP MP and MLA” and wants to meet Amit Shah.
“Mukul Roy is BJP’s MLA, it’s his affair if he wants to go to Delhi,” Banerjee said.
Roy had won the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections on a BJP ticket after defecting from TMC, but had later crossed back to the party he helped found complaining of ill-treatment at the hands of the saffron party’s leadership.
To a query on the non-BJP parties uniting for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Banerjee said they will “come together” before the polls.
“We believe that silence is golden, hence we are all quiet now. But before the polls, we will come together like a tornado,” she said.
On the CBI collecting partially burnt documents from an open field in Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, Banerjee questioned the authenticity of the documents and whether the entire matter was planted or not.
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#resign #proven #dialled #Shah #TMCs #national #status #Mamata
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 19, 2023
TMC’s Abhishek warns party activists against violence during rural polls

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Kolkata: Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday warned party activists against resorting to strong-arm tactics during the upcoming panchayat elections in West Bengal and said there should not be a repeat of the 2018 rural polls, during which widespread violence was reported, a party leader said.
Banerjee, who held a two-hour organisational meeting with the TMC’s district units on Monday via video-conferencing, said the party will not tolerate infighting during the panchayat polls and asked everyone to unitedly fight against the opposition.
“Abhishek Banerjee has said infighting will not be tolerated. The party has to put up a united fight in the panchayat polls. He has also warned against violence as such incidents tarnish the party’s image,” a TMC leader privy to the proceedings of the meeting said.

“He said this year’s panchayat polls will be held in a peaceful atmosphere, not like 2018,” he said.
Referring to the widespread violence during the 2018 rural polls, which was followed by the party’s poor show in Lok Sabha polls next year, Banerjee said that anyone thinking that he can win elections through muscle power is wrong.
“Abhishek Banerjee said that like MLAs and MPs, those seeking to win in panchayat polls have to undergo grind. It won’t be tolerated if someone thinks he will win unopposed and tarnish the party’s image to secure his seat. He said we won fewer seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls due to widespread violence in 2018 rural elections,” the party leader said.
Banerjee said the TMC will comfortably get an overwhelming mandate owing to the development work done in the last 12 years, he said, adding that strict scrutiny will be done while selecting candidates and those with a clean image will be given preference.
The TMC presently controls all the Zilla Parishads and most of the gram panchayats in the state.

Widespread violence, incidents of rigging and clashes with police were reported from various parts of the state during the 2018 rural polls.
The following year, TMC’s tally in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls came down from 34 to 22, and the BJP’s count went up from two to 18 in the state.
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#TMCs #Abhishek #warns #party #activists #violence #rural #polls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 10, 2023
If Rahul is disqualified, why not Modi for hurting women’s sentiment: TMC’s Abhishek

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Kolkata: Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday said if Rahul Gandhi can be disqualified for his comments about a community, then why similar action cannot be taken against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for hurting the sentiment of women by his taunts against Mamata Banerjee.
Addressing a rally at Shahid Minar Grounds here, the Trinamool Congress national general secretary asked the party’s legal cell to file a case against the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, seeking his disqualification from the House for allegedly insulting a woman minister from the tribal community.
Banerjee said he may not support Gandhi’s comment that led to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha following a court order, but he condemns the way it was done.
“Why will the PM not be disqualified for hurting the sentiment of women by mocking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with his ‘Didi O Didi’ taunts during the 2021 assembly polls campaign? We demand that action be taken in that case too,” he said.
The Diamond Harbour MP, who is also the nephew of party supremo Mamata Banerjee, asked his party leaders to file a case against Suvendu Adhikari for hurting the sentiments of the Scheduled Tribe community in the state.
“Why will no action be taken against Adhikari for hurting the sentiment of the ST community for saying that minister Birbaha Hansda’s place was beneath his shoe? Does this not tantamount to insulting the STs? He, too, must be disqualified as an MLA,” he said.
Banerjee referred to a viral video clip in which Adhikari was purportedly heard last year telling a group of people, “(TMC MLA) Debnath Hansda and Birbaha Hansda are kids. Their place is beneath my shoe.”
PTI, however, could not verify the authenticity of the video clip. Birbaha Hansda had filed a police complaint against Adhikari.

Lashing out at the BJP-led Union government for allegedly misusing the central agencies, the TMC leader said efforts are underway to malign the ruling party in West Bengal.
“Today, we are here to protest against the Centre’s step-motherly attitude towards West Bengal. If the dues of the state are not cleared, I will stage a protest in New Delhi and fight for our rights. The Centre owes lakhs of crores of rupees to the state. You can’t scare me with the threat of ED and CBI. You can lodge as many as you want,” he added.
Banerjee has been questioned by the ED in connection with a coal smuggling case.
Referring to several corruption cases that have plagued the TMC government, Banerjee said if it is proved that some wrong has been committed, the law must take its own course.
“But this pick-and-choose politics must stop. If you are a BJP member, you are above the law, but if you are from the TMC, you will be harassed and arrested. The law should not be different for the BJP,” he said.
Banerjee said the TMC did not think twice before taking action against its senior Leader Partha Chatterjee when his alleged involvement in the teacher recruitment scam came out in the open last year.
“Don’t hesitate to call yourself a TMC leader; rather, feel proud about it. Because it is the TMC, which has taken action against its senior Leader Partha Chatterjee within a week,” he said.
Reacting to Banerjee’s accusations, BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh asked the TMC to move court if its any allegations against the saffron camp.
“The allegations against the BJP are baseless. There is nothing wrong in calling a thief by his or her name,” Ghosh said.
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#Rahul #disqualified #Modi #hurting #womens #sentiment #TMCs #Abhishek
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 29, 2023
TMC’s Moitra targets BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for ‘fake MBA’

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TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Friday asked Lok Sabha MP Om Birla if lying on the election affidavit and faking an MBA degree along with getting a ‘dodgy Phd’ are grounds for termination of Lok Sabha membership.
She was targetting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for seeking the termination of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s membership from Lok Sabha while deposing before a parliamentary panel for the former’s remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the discussion on the Adani-Hindenburg row.
“Oh just btw isn’t lying on affidavit & faking an MBA degree from DU’s FMS & then getting a dodgy PhD also grounds for termination of Lok Sabha membership? Privilege committee, are you listening @ombirlakota?” she tweeted.
Oh just btw isn’t lying on affidavit & faking an MBA degree from DU’s FMS & then getting a dodgy PhD also grounds for termination of Lok Sabha membership?
Privilege committee, are you listening @ombirlakota ?
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) March 10, 2023
A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in 2020 in the Jharkhand High Court alleging that BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had submitted a fake degree to the Election Commission of India in his election nomination papers.
The PIL, filed by one Danyaal Danish, sought directions for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a high-level enquiry by the ECI.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday sought termination of Rahul Gandhi’s membership from Lok Sabha while deposing before a parliamentary panel over his privilege notice against the Congress leader.
Following Gandhi’s speech in the first part of the Budget Session, in which he commented on the Hindenburg-Adani issue, Dubey moved the privilege notice against him on February 7.
Presenting his case before Lok Sabha’s privilege committee chaired by BJP MP Sunil Singh, Dubey said despite Gandhi’s remarks expunged by Lok Sabha Speaker, they are still available on his and Congress official YouTube channels.

“Not only one but three types of privilege apply to him, and he is habitual offender and therefore his membership should be terminated,” a source quoting Dubey said.
Dubey also presented documents and reports to substantiate his point that all allegations made by Gandhi are baseless.
He cited expulsion of Subramanian Swamy 1976 from Rajya Sabha to buttress his demand for Gandhi’s termination.
Dubey also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is Lok Sabha member and leader of House and without notice one cannot make allegations against him.

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#TMCs #Moitra #targets #BJP #Nishikant #Dubey #fake #MBA
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 10, 2023
IOC contradicts Adani after TMC’s Mahua Moitra raises stink of corruption in LPG deal

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New Delhi: Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Thursday took to Twitter to clarify on its initial pact for hiring Adani Group’s port at Gangavaram in Andhra Pradesh for LPG imports in addition to existing pacts with nearby ports, saying there is no take-or-pay agreement.
The statement, which came in response to TMC’s Mahua Moitra raising a stink of a scam in hiring of the port facility without a tender, contradicted Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd’s earning call presentation that said “MoU signed with IOCL for a take-or-pay contract at Gangavaram Port for building LPG handling facilities.”
Moitra, reacting to the news based on the statement in the presentation, tweeted, “Brazen theft”.
Tagging Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and CVC on Wednesday evening, Moitra said, “No tender. No CVC norms. Moving business from Vizag Port to Gangavaram. Skimming from coal, skimming from gas, now skimming from ‘chula’ in every household. Shame!”.
IOC in an unusual move on Thursday sent out a series of tweets to clarify its position.
“IOC has just signed a non-binding MoU with APSEZL till now,” it said, adding that it floats no tenders for hiring of facilities at ports to import LPG — a commodity that India is short of production.
“There is no take-or-pay liability or any binding agreement, as of now,” it said.
A take-or-pay contract means that the state-owned firm will have to pay for using the terminal’s full 5 lakh tonnes capacity a year even if it ships less than the committed quantity.

IOC currently uses state-run Visakhapatnam or Vizag Port, located adjacent to Gangavaram port, to import some 7-8 lakh tonnes of LPG annually.
APSEZL, the ports unit of the Adani Group, had revealed the plan while announcing the company’s third quarter financial results on February 7.
Moitra’s party is among the opposition parties which have been demanding a probe into allegations a US short seller has levelled against the Adani Group.
Hindenburg Research on January 24 accused the Adani Group of accounting fraud and stock manipulation, allegations that the conglomerate has denied as “malicious”, “baseless” and a “calculated attack on India”.
Listed companies of the Adani Group lost over USD 125 billion in market value in the last three weeks. Stocks of most group firms were up on Thursday.
Replying to Moitra’s tweet, IOC said it imports LPG at various ports, including Kandla, Mundra, Pipavav, Dahej (in Gujarat), Mumbai and Mangalore (in Karnataka) on West Coast and Haldia (in West Bengal), Vizag (in Andhra Pradesh) and Ennore (in Tamil Nadu) on the East.
Two more import terminals are coming up at Kochi in Kerala and Paradip in Odisha. “These will be used in due course of time,” IOC said.
“IOC enters into agreements with various ports on a regular basis to enhance capability to supply LPG across India. For hiring of LPG terminals, OMCs evaluate the infrastructure for suitability for catering to the nearest market at a reasonable cost. No separate tender is invited,” it said.
OMCs are Oil Marketing Companies.
“LPG demand in the country is on a constant increase. There are 31.5 cr connections after the Ujjwala Scheme; up from 14 cr earlier. OMCs are constantly on the lookout for new port facilities which make commercial sense in Logistics,” IOC said.
Providing detailing about the terminal hiring pacts on the east coast, the company said currently there are only two terminals near Vizag — one by South Asia LPG (a joint venture of France’s TotalEnergies and HPCL) and East India Petroleum Limited (a private company).
“SALPG charges Rs 1,050 and EIPL charges Rs 900 as charges with lower capacity vessel unloading capability,” IOC said.
“EIPL facility has no captive connectivity to be used on a continuous basis. IOC has just signed a non-binding MoU with APSEZ till now. APSEL has offered a price of Rs 1,050 for LPG import terminaling charges with facility of unloading of bigger vessels of refrigerated LPG directly,” it added.
The Gangavaram port would allow handling of bigger vessels.
“This gives an additional advantage compared to SALPG & EIPL as bigger vessels can be quickly unloaded. Such an arrangement will save freight & demurrage due to extra time for evacuation. There is no take-or-pay liability or any binding agreement, as of now,” IOC said.
While 0.7 million tonnes per annum of LPG is imported at Vizag port now, the new port is for handling 0.3 million tonnes.
“Vizag will continue to be utilised. Availability of multiple terminals will give operational flexibility, increase competition among terminal operators & an opportunity for competitive rates,” it added.
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#IOC #contradicts #Adani #TMCs #Mahua #Moitra #raises #stink #corruption #LPG #deal
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
ED questions Rahul Gandhi’s aide in money laundering case against TMC’s Saket Gokhale

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New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has questioned and recorded the statement of Alankar Sawai, a close aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a money laundering case in which TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale was recently arrested by the agency in Gujarat, officials said.
Sawai was questioned and also confronted with Gokhale in Ahmedabad over three days earlier this week, they said.
A former banker, Sawai is considered to be a close aide of Gandhi, a former Congress president, and is stated to be heading his research team.
The federal probe agency summoned Sawai after it arrested 35-year-old Gokhale on January 25 while he was in the Gujarat Police’s custody in connection with alleged financial irregularities in raising funds through a crowd funding platform.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), while seeking Gokhale’s remand on that day, had informed a Ahmedabad court that when he was asked about Rs 23.54 lakh deposited in his bank account in cash over a year, Gokhale had told the agency that “this amount was given in cash by Alankar Sawai of the India National Congress for social media work and other consultancy”.
On being asked as to why Sawai had paid him in cash, Gokhale stated that only Sawai can answer this question, the ED told the court in its remand paper.
“Further, on being asked regarding any written agreement with Alankar Sawai in respect of social media work he stated that it was only verbal agreement with Alankar Sawai,” the agency said.
The ED alleged that these cash deposits were recieved by Gokhale when he was a member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Sawai is understood to have been questioned about these instances and his statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Official sources said the questioning and confronting of the two has not helped them unearth the fund trail as stated by Gokhale even as Sawai purportedly denied making any cash payments.
The money laundering case against Gokhale stems from a Gujarat Police FIR.
The state police arrested Gokhale from Delhi in December last year in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowd-funding.
The ED had informed the Ahmedabad court that “huge amount of money collected through crowd funding (by Gokhale) has been splurged on speculative share trading, wining and dining and other personal expenses which appear to be extravagant in nature.”
Gokhale, however, had denied that he misused these funds.
The agency may question more people linked in the case.
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#questions #Rahul #Gandhis #aide #money #laundering #case #TMCs #Saket #Gokhale
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 4, 2023