Mamata trying to run govt the way she ''mishandled'' Rlys: CPI-M
PTI | 06:07 PM,Jul 22,2011Kolkata, Jul 22 (PTI) The CPI-M today alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was trying to run the West Bengal government in the "same manner she mishandled" the Railway Ministry."It is quite evident from her running the state that everything is in a mess because she is following the same methods she used to mishandle the Railway ministry," senior CPI-M leader Suryakanta Mishra, who is the Leader of the Opposition, told a press conference here."The wastage of funds during her tenure as Railway minister is well known and she had to borrow central funds to meet the deficit," he claimed."Now the chief minister is crying hoarse about empty coffers and blaming the previous Left Front government for the funds crunch," he said.Referring to Banerjee yesterday stating that that she met Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee six to eight times and requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a financial package, he said, "When she exhausted the funds for the Railways as minister she moved the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry in the same way." He questioned why the state government was delaying in placing a full-fledged budget and remained content with only a vote-on-account."We understand that the government is only two months old but we expect that it will place a full-fledged budget when the assembly meets on August 10." PTI
On her first visit to the rebel-affected districts in the western part of the state after assuming office, Banerjee had announced a package, including recruiting 10,000 local tribal youths in the police force for fighting the Maoists.
"The chief minister has to address the basic question of 'respect' of the tribals and the 'rights' of the tribals regarding land and jungle. Otherwise the problem won't be solved," Samir Kumar Das, a political analyst, told IANS.
Junglemahal, coined by the then British rulers to denote forested parts of five western districts - West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura with small parts of Burdwan and Birbhum - is now broadly used to denote the Maoist-hit areas under 28 police stations of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.
Large parts of Junglemahal are developmentally backward due to infertile soil, uneven rough terrain and less rainfall. Large sections of the people are tribals and marginal workers comprising 35.7 percent of the population.
Banerjee's economic package categorises all tribal families of the Junglemahal as below poverty line ( BPL )) so that everybody gets food.
According to political analyst Ranabir Samaddar, Banerjee's promise of a special rehabilitation package for the Maoists if they shun violence would not bear fruit as setting pre-conditions for peace talks reflects a "lack of seriousness" on the part of the government.
Banerjee's proposal for recruiting 10,000 local tribal youths in the police force for fighting the Maoists has drawn the ire of the state's main opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
"What does she mean by recruiting local youths? Does she want to start Salwa Judum in West Bengal and ignite infighting between the tribals?" CPI-M central committee member Mohammed Salim told IANS.
Salwa Judum was a militia for countering Maoist violence in the state of Chhattisgarh which was later declared illegal by the Supreme Court.
"Nobody can bring back peace in a disturbed area by recruiting local youths in the police force," Samaddar said.
Junglemahal has been disturbed since 2001 as the Maoists slowly set up base and indulged in killing police officers and then ruling CPI-M leaders.
Experts feel the Maoists mainly chose the area as it was in sync with their stated policy of using the "Jungle" as the core of the war strategy.
The deep Maoist presence was highlighted when in November 2008 a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee .
Banerjee's somersault on the issue of withdrawal of the joint security forces from Junglemahal drew criticism from the pro-People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) civil rights body - ' Bandi Mukti Committee . - which has for long been demanding the removal of the forces.
"We demand immediate removal of joint forces from the area. She is saying the police personnel are friends. How can the police be friends when they've perpetrated so much atrocities?" said Choton Das, general secretary of the Bandi Mukti Committee.
Banerjee had earlier extended her support to the PCAPA movement and repeatedly demanded the withdrawal of the joint forces from the area.
Writer Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay welcomed Banerjee's sops for Junglemahal but termed her flip-flop on the issue of Maoist violence as 'political duplicity' as she had constantly denied any existence of Maoists during her tenure as opposition leader.
"It is a very good step. It should have been done earlier. But now she is talking of Maoist violence which reflects her political duplicity," said Mukhopadhyay.
However, actor Kaushik Sen was prepared to wait.
"At least she is sending positive vibes. It is good. We have to wait and see whether these promises are implemented or not," Sen said.
The Congress on the other hand hailed Banerjee's package.
"The measures will have a sobering effect on the politically charged atmosphere of Junglemahal," Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra said.
Salwa Judum is unconstitutional, says SC
"This case represents a yawning gap between the promise of principled exercise of power in a constitutional democracy and the reality of the situation in Chhattisgarh, where the state of Chhattisgarh, claims that it has a constitutional sanction to perpetrate, indefinitely, a regime of gross violation of human rights in a manner, and by adopting the same modes, as done by Maoist/Naxalite extremists," said a bench comprising Justice B Sudershan Reddy and Justice SS Nijjar in its order on Tuesday.
The court criticised the governments for supporting and funding of SPOs under various titles like 'Koya Commandos' and Salwa Judum, an armed civilian vigilante group, whose numbers have gone up from 3,000 to 6,500 within a year. It also took strong exception to the alleged use of SPOs and members of Salwa Judum in the attack on Swami Agnivesh in March this year and ordered a CBI inquiry into the incident, dissatisfied with the probe by the Chhattisgarh Government.
Giving statistics about SPOs killed and injured during the anti-Naxal operations, the bench said: "It is also equally clear to us that in this policy, of using local youth, jointly devised by the Union and the states facing Maoist insurgency, as implemented in the State of Chhattisgarh, the young tribals have literally become canon fodder in the killing fields of Dantewada and other districts of Chhattisgarh."
While holding that the mandate of SPOs under the state law was to help people in situations arising out of natural or man-made disasters, and to assist other agencies in relief measures, the court said, "in the case of SPOs in Chhattisgarh, represent an extreme form of transgression of constitutional boundaries". The bench, which criticised both the state government and the Centre for compromising with educational qualification and training programme for the SPOs, said that all appropriate measures must be taken to prevent the operation of all such groups, including Salwa Judum and Koya Commandos.
The court directed the Chhattisgarh Government to immediately cease and desist from using SPOs in any manner aimed at controlling, countering, mitigating or eliminating Maoist/Naxalite activities in the state. Further, the bench directed the Centre "to cease and desist, forthwith, from using any of its funds in supporting, directly or indirectly the recruitment of SPOs for the purposes of engaging in any form of counterinsurgency activities against Maoist/Naxalite groups".
On Agnivesh attack, the court said: "We order the CBI to immediately take over the investigation of, and taking appropriate legal actions against all individuals responsible for the incidents of violence alleged to have occurred in March 2011, in the three villages, Morpalli, Tadmetla and Timmapuram, all located in the Dantewada District or its neighboring areas." It asked the CBI to submit its status report on the preliminary investigation within six weeks. The bench, which was critical of providing the young SPOs with firearms, directed the Chhattisgarh government to disarm them forthwith by recalling all firearms issued to SPOs. "The word firearm as used shall include any and all forms of guns, rifles, launchers etc. of whatever calibre," the bench said.
CM Mamata shows her strength at TMC's rally
Click to play videoKolkata: The biggest annual show of the Trinamool Congress was held on Thursday with the expected pomp and promises as supporters braved the torrential rain to reach Kolkata's Brigade Parade ground to listen to their leader Mamata Banerjee speak for the first time as the West Bengal Chief Minister.
It was a double celebration with the annual martyrs' day and the party's election victory.
Everyone from actors, the intelligentsia to the relatives of those killed in political violence were present. Ironically, it also included Manish Gupta, who is now a member of Mamata's Cabinet. He was the state home secretary when the police brutally cracked down on Youth Congress and in whose memory the day is observed.
Mamata Banerjee's transition from being a leader of the Opposition to becoming the head of the state's administration was apparent in this year's meeting. But the one common factor with previous years was her constant effort to raise the political morale of her supporters gathered.
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"Our 'Maa Mati and Manush' (Mother, land and people) government has fulfilled most of its promises it had made during the Assembly election campaign. We had said that our new government will reclaim the Singur land, we have done it," said Banerjee.
"Right now a case is on. I've already prepared the details of who will get which piece of land," Banerjee said, referring to the ongoing legal battle between the Tata Motors and her government on the Singur land.
"We had said we will solve the problem of the hills within two months. We have done it. I had promised that I would reach out to the people of Junglemahal. I have kept my promise," Banerjee said at the Trinamool Congress' 'Shahid Divas' (Martyrs' Day), which is observed every year to mark the death of 13 Congress activists in police firing on this day in 1993 during a Writers' Buildings (state secretariat) blockade agitation.
The Brigade Parade Ground meeting was also declared as the party's victory rally for having ended the Left Front's 34-year rule.
"I have plans to create ten lakh jobs in the state in the next two years so that the job-seeking youth don't have to go out of the state," said Banerjee while addressing the mammoth gathering.
"During the 34-year rule of the Left Front, They indulged in politics of 'us' and 'them'. But we won't ever do that. We will take everybody along with us to create a new Bengal," said Banerjee.
During the Left Front rule, an oft repeated allegation of the Trinamool-led opposition was that the government always indulged in dividing the people and delivering the goods based on political affiliation.
Then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had used the words "us" and "them" to denote those supporting the government line and those opposed to it in East Midnapore district's Nandigram, where the opposition launched an agitation against an SEZ. It was widely criticised. Mamata Banerjee also laid down disciplinary rules and regulations for party workers across the state.
"You have to be disciplined. You have to show that Trinamool is a disciplined party. Always stand by the side of the common man. Never treat a common man in distress badly even if he is from CPI-M party," said Banerjee.
She urged the Trinamool workers not to indulge in financial irregularities, saying that people were keeping a watch on them. "You should set examples. The CPI-M will try to instigate you, but remain quiet and calm. I can tolerate everything. I just can't stand indiscipline," said Banerjee.
Banerjee also appealed her party workers to join hands in cleaning up the state run - hospitals, which are currently in bad shape. "If you see your nearby hospital is dirty, join hands with other party supporters to clean it up," she said.
The Trinamool Congress-led alliance rode to power in the April-May election, ousting the longest serving Communist-led government in multiparty democracy. The Left Front, with the Communist Party of India -Marxist (CPI-M) as pivot, had come to power in 1977.
Feel and love the change: Mamata
Hitherto a mere vision party supporters had been urged to dream of and aspire to, the word Paribartan seemed to have acquired life when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed a massive gathering at the Brigade Parade Grounds here on Thursday.
She called upon of the Trinamool Congress supporters, who had braved incessant rains to assemble at the slushy grounds, to "see, feel, love and win over" the change brought about by the Assembly election.
Ms. Banerjee asked them to maintain peace, harmony and discipline in a "show of respect to the change that could be attained following the sacrifice of the lives of hundreds of party workers over the years."
The rally was called to mark the killing of 13 Youth Congress activists in police firing 18 years ago as well as to celebrate the Trinamool's electoral victory.
"The swift manner in which the work of the new government is progressing, we can prove to everyone what paribartan actually means. See it, feel it, love it and win it over. Show the world that maa [mother], mati [soil] and manush [people] are the biggest strengths of democracy," said Ms. Banerjee amidst loud cheering.
It was drizzling when Ms. Banerjee began her speech; when the rains stopped, she slipped into a lighter note and called it as another sign of the "change" she had ushered in.
"See the rains have stopped. Even the rain Gods have got the cue of change. While it started raining after I started my address during last year's event, this time it has stopped raining after I started speaking."
"Abide by law"
Ms. Banerjee sent across a stern message to her party workers and supporters to abide by the law and maintain peace. "We will not tolerate any indiscipline in the party or any wrong done to anyone. Remember that I receive information about any and every wrongdoing and that action will be taken immediately in such cases. I can tolerate everything except indiscipline," she said.
Asking her party supporters to take a pledge to abstain from violence, confrontation with the Opposition parties and corruption, Ms. Banerjee said that the Trinamool-led government intended to restore democracy in a State that allegedly suffered from "dalatantra" (autocracy) during the Left Front's 34-year-old regime.
Don't stall development, Mamata tells opponents
Asks her political opponents "to go to sleep for 10 years" and allow her to work
Launching a scathing attack on the Left Front here on Tuesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned it against stalling the process of development in West Bengal, and asked her political opponents "to go to sleep for 10 years" and allow her to work.
Speaking at an official function a day after the signing of the tripartite agreement that paved the way for the setting up of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration for the Darjeeling hills, which was punctuated by a shutdown here in protest, Ms. Banerjee hinted that the Left parties had "attacked her from behind."
"In the 34 years that you were in power, we have created obstacles in only two places — Singur and Nandigram — that too when land from poor farmers was being taken away by force."
Inaugurating a slew of projects for north Bengal, including an airport in Cooch Behar and announcing the setting up of a mini Secretariat in north Bengal — which Ms. Banerjee promised to personally visit every three months — as well as several projects of the Railways, she asked the people to not pay any attention to "those who take money to call a bandh and then disappear."
The two-day general strike in the plains had been called by the Bangla O Banglabhasha Bachao Committee, which claims that the tripartite agreement is only a step towards granting a separate State of Gorkhaland.
West Bengal won't be divided: Mamata
Says Darjeeling is not outside West Bengal, but the heart of West Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted here on Monday that the State would not be divided even as the leadership of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) maintained that the tripartite agreement for the setting up of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was not a compromise on its demand for a separate State.
"There is nothing to fear. Bengal is not being divided," said Ms. Banerjee at a ceremony where a memorandum of agreement for the new body was signed. She was addressing her political detractors, who have raised apprehensions that the setting up of the GTA was a step away from granting statehood to the region.
GJM president Bimal Gurung made no mention about the future of the statehood demand in his speech. But, talking to journalists later, he said the setting up of the GTA should have happened earlier, although he was happy that it had worked out now.
Asked about the demand for a separate State, he said: "That remains to be done….We'll do it; it will happen if it has to. We have to take this [the GTA] forward and get the work done."
However, Ms. Banerjee did not mince words while emphasising that statehood cannot be granted to the region. "Darjeeling is not outside West Bengal. Darjeeling is the heart of West Bengal," she said. "Darjeeling and Siliguri are like two sisters. The hills are my sisters and the plains are also my sisters."
Ms. Banerjee said the nomenclature of the GTA, particularly the inclusion of the word "Gorkhaland" was being unnecessarily politicised by some, particularly the Left Front.
"Some people are objecting to the word Gorkhaland…..To them I'll say that it was the previous government [the Left Front government] that had agreed to the word Gorkhaland after a tripartite meeting on August 17 last year. Only the words "Regional Authority" had been replaced [from the name proposed then]."
She also sought to clarify her stand on the GJM's demand for inclusion of the Gorkha-dominated areas in the Terai and Dooars within the territorial jurisdiction of the GTA.
| Mamata's populist sops to cost Rs 400 cr a month |
| Namrata Acharya & Ishita Ayan Dutt / Kolkata July 22, 2011, 0:32 IST |
A slew of populist measures announced by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the past two months are likely to make the state exchequer poorer by Rs 400 crore a month.
More than a dozen schemes have been announced since the new government took over, with Naxal-dominated Jangalmahal finding a special place. The expense of small but voluminous schemes announced by Banerjee so far, excluding the more recent ones announced for Darjeeling, would cost Rs 400 crore every month, said a government official.
When contacted, C M Bachhawat, the finance secretary, refused to comment, but said: "Whatever proposal the Cabinet passes should come to the finance department for clearance."
Ironically, state finance minister Amit Mitra had recently said West Bengal's debt would increase to more than Rs 2,00,000 crore this year, with an embargo on payment on bills worth Rs 3,500 crore, due to the financial mess created by the previous government.
"It will be difficult to offer the unlimited sops, given the financial situation," an official said, adding there was hardly any internal generation of funds. That's probably one reason why West Bengal is yet to give a road map for fiscal consolidation to the central government, which Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has been seeking in lieu of the much promised assistance to the state.
Recently, West Bengal got one of the highest hikes in annual allocation from the Planning Commission at Rs 22,214 crore, 27 per cent more than last year. Government officials, however, said the state was unable to provide a road map for fiscal consolidation due to low resource mobilisation, as it had traditionally been dependent on ways and means advances and overdrafts from the Reserve Bank of India.
Mukherjee has been insisting the state government raise taxes and present an early budget, if it wants the Centre's financial help. The Centre has also insisted the state present a full budget as early as possible to raise tax rates.
THE SOPS
In June, when the United Progressive Alliance government raised the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder price by Rs 50, the state government withdrew a cess of Rs 16 per cylinder, thus reducing the effective price rise to Rs 34.
The state government has also taken a tough stand against demands of fare hike by public transport associations, stonewalling inflationary trends.
Soon after coming to power, Banerjee raised the fund allocation for North Bengal Development Council to Rs 200 crore, from Rs 60 crore, to pacify separatists in the region. This is in addition to the 27 projects listed under the Gorkhaland Territorial Agreement, some of which will be jointly funded with the Centre. In another demonstration of populism, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation decided not to collect water tax from 127 municipalities, against the rules laid down by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
On her recent visit to Bankura, Banerjee declared all tribals living in Jungle Mahal below poverty line families. Earlier, the government had decided to provide rice at Rs 2 a kg to tribals with annual earnings of Rs 42,000 or less in the region. That's not all: 10,000 jobs under the national volunteer force, home guards and police, setting up of 900 schools, international tourist centre and other welfare measures are also part of a special package.
Banerjee's announcements also include setting up of 17 industrial clusters, for which the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation would acquire land.
In the education sector, the state has decided to recruit 46,000 primary school teachers. Also, the government will pay provisional pension to school teachers within 30 days of retirement. The government also plans to appoint 650 teachers in the state madrasas and set up super specialty hospitals in four districts.
| Tatas left Singur because of law and order |
| Press Trust of India / Kolkata July 22, 2011, 17:23 IST |
Tata Motors today told the Calcutta High Court that law and order problems at Singur had prompted it to shift its proposed Nano car plant to Gujarat and could not be accused by West Bengal government of abandoning the project.
Tata Motors counsel Samaraditya Pal submitted before Justice Saumitra Pal that the company was forced to leave Singur after having completed a major part of the project for manufacturing Nano cars because of the law and order situation.
Pal said 90% of the plant was completed and several other establishments like office buildings had been constructed at the site.
He claimed the company as such could not be accused of abandoning the project area, which the government has taken over by enacting the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act 2011.
Tata Motors has challenged the Act claiming it was illegal and ultra vires of the Constitution and has prayed that the land be restored to it.
The matter would be taken up for hearing again on Monday.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tatas-left-singur-becauselaworder/142046/on
| Singur project suffered due to political rivalry: Tatas |
| Press Trust of India / July 21, 2011, 20:57 IST |
Tata Motors today claimed before the Calcutta High Court that its Nano project suffered due to rivalry between two political parties in West Bengal and denied that it had abandoned Singur.
Tata Motors counsel Samaraditya Pal, submitted before Justice Saumitra Pal that it was forced to move the plant to Gujarat because of the political situation prevailing in Singur and it was the only decision that the company could take.
Pal submitted that Tata Motors had replied to a query by the West Bengal Infrastructure Development Corporation in September 2010 on whether it would set up some other unit after the Nano plant was shifted.
Tata Motors had then said that it would consider an alternative unit only if peace and tranquility were ensured, but the situation then was not conducive to any such initiative, he stated.
Pal stated that Tata Motors had also said the company could consider moving out of the premises if compensated adequately, but it was not a pre-condition as claimed by the state.
He submitted that such a situation had prevailed in West Bengal since 1967 and several companies had left because of this, making it a difficult place for investment.
Pal will continue his arguments tomorrow.
Tata Motors has challenged the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act 2011 by which the government took back the land allotted to it for the Nano project.
Is Abhishek Banerjee Mamata's political heir?
Dynastic politics entered West Bengal in a major way on Thursday when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched her political heir, her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, while announcing the party's elite and urbane youth wing, the All India Trinamool Yuba.
Twenty-five-year old Abhishek, an MBA and son of Mamata Banerjee's elder brother Amit, will head the new organisation.
Abhishek is head of the party's cyber cell and had started an online campaign for the party before the Assembly elections. The suave and articulate young leader had also participated in various rallies during the Assembly elections.
"The Trinamool Yuba will comprise members of the age group between 21 and 40. It will have branches all over the country. I am sure bright and intelligent people will join the organisation,'' Banerjee said in her speech without naming her nephew.
enior TMC leaders this reporter talked to vouched for the fact that by launching Abhishek, whom Banerjee is very fond of, the Chief Minister is in fact launching the next generation of her party leaders.
"I strongly believe Abhishek is the political heir to Mamata Banerjee,'' a senior party leader who is close to Banerjee told The Indian Express.
Earlier, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had launched his son Abhijit in politics. The former SAIL official got elected from Nalhati constituency in Birbhum in the last Assembly elections.
Party leaders are all praise for the young leader who will go out on district tours very soon. "He is bright, intelligent and has leadership qualities. Above all, he is very much political minded,'' Subrata Mukherjee, a senior leader and Minister for Public Health Engineering, said.
... contd.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/is-abhishek-banerjee-mamatas-political-heir/820695/
Tollywood steals Brigade show
Perhaps the glitz was aimed to cover up the despondency that the Mamata Banerjee government is facing over financial stringency. The chief minister was the only speaker who talked politics and governance and there was despair in her voice that the Centre had not yet opened its purse strings.
Mamata encouraged cine stars, singers and painters to speak and sing. The professional politicians in Trinamool who had been waiting for the opportunity to speak at the Brigade Parade Ground — who could not do it so far because all these years only CPM had the organizational strength to hold a meeting at the vast ground - must have felt a little disappointed though none would admit it.
Speakers like Jogen Chowdhury , Ranjit Mullick, Sandhya Roy, Joy Goswami, Dipankar De, Shuvaprasanna , Samir Aich, Tapas Pal, Chiranjeet and Biswajit eulogized the chief minister and reposed faith in Mamata leading Bengal to a golden era in the coming days and marvelled at the size of the gathering at the meeting. Some of them also sang, mostly Rabindrasangeet, but actor Dev sang a popular number from blockbuster 'Paglu' which was wholly incongruous with the occasion, the observance of 'martyrs' day.'
Singer Nachiketa, however, sang a song - stated to be penned by Mamata herself - pledging people to return their peace and their paddy fields. Mamata, too, was conscious to emphasize on this point. "We have taken lesson from Singur and Nandigram, we will not acquire land forcibly," she announced .
Veteran writer Mahasweta Devi brought the meeting from star-gazing down to the level of "Ma Mati Manush" as she rolled out her wish list to the chief minister : there must not be starvation deaths in villages, below the poverty line people must get their ration cards, everyone should have access to drinking water and opportunity for education must spread in to all remote areas.
Mamata claimed the promises that she had made to fulfil within three months of coming to power had been kept and her government had achieved significant success. But she also warned that the next targets of the government - creation of infrastructure and employment opportunities - would need money to achieve and this was hard to come by. "The coffers are empty. The earlier government has left the state in a huge debt. We don't have money to pay salaries. I have approached the Centre repeatedly for funds. Met the Union finance minister half a dozen times. But no help has been extended so far. I hope something will happen. The Prime Minister has assured," she said.
She listed as her success the Darjeeling accord. "We've reached Jangalmahal," she said. "The government has taken possession of Singur land, I have prepared a list of which plot will be returned to whom. We are only waiting for a court case to end." But projects like setting up rural hospitals could not be taken up for paucity of funds. She asked people to wait for a year for results in these areas.
Mamata gave a message to her political rivals that she wanted cooperation from them, exhorting her party supporters not to attack them and avoid partisanship in rural projects like road construction. She also wanted the co-operation of all parties in a development plan for districts which she would chalk out in a meeting on August 3 where all parties with representation in the assembly would be invited. She also announced all cases and diaries lodged against people involved in mass agitations would be withdrawn.
Martyrs' kin moved by warm welcome
When chief minister Mamata Banerjee noticed a 21-year-old girl sitting on the place reserved for the families of martyrs, she motioned the girl to go near her. Janata Adak first didn't react, then at the prodding of those beside her, she stepped close to Didi, unsure of the events to follow.
Mamata first introduced her to the crowd and then asked her slowly, "What do you want to do?" Janata looked up to Didi and said she wanted to study. She has just given her finalyear graduation examinations from Goaltore college. Didi then asked her whether she would come with her (party), Janata didn't think twice before answering in the affirmative. "It was a big day for me. I never realised she would remember me. I will do whatever she asks me to," said Janata. Janata's mother Dipali Adak was murdered on the fateful day of January 7 this year at Lalgarh's now-infamous Netai village. Accompanied with other kin of those dead, including Tarani Mondal, Srikanta Ghorai and Santanu Ghorai, Janata had come in an all-expense-paid Tata Sumo early this morning.
The families of those killed in Netai were not the only ones who figured in the rally. Manoranjan Malik and his wife Malina, parents of Tapasi Malik, also sat on the dais. Malik admitted he had never attended such a big rally and was tense. Hands folded when Mamata introduced him to the teeming crowd, neither Manoranjan nor Malina forgot for a minute what brought them here.
"My daughter was brutally murdered. The earlier government tried to suppress the truth. With Mamata Banerjee as chief minister, I hope that justice is finally done. Didi has done a lot for us — even ensured that we eke out a decent living. We are indebted to her," Malik said.
The families of the ill-fated Sai Bari massacre , on which the chief minister has already announced a commission, were also on the stage. Sarnalata Josh, who'd witnessed the brutal murder of Moloy Sai and Pronab Sai in 70s, walked up to her on stage and expressed her gratitude for inviting them. Amit Josh, a little child then who was flung on fire but survived , said, "We are indebted to her for inviting us here. The euphoria was unimaginable."
'Had it not rained it would've required 3 Brigades
'
Maiti has been coming to Kolkata every year for the July 21 rally. Brigade, however, was a first.
Maiti, who came with his wife and three-year-old son, led a 100-odd group all the way from Tamluk. On Thursday's rally, he said, "Whatever she said was very important. She doesn't utter a single false word. It was her magnanimity when she urged all not to indulge in the politics of revenge and instead immerse ourselves in development."
Girish Doloi, a Trinamool panchayat member, appears more controlled . A two-time elected member of the Basudebpur gram panchayat in West Midnapore's Ghatal, Doloi says he had come to Brigade to hear Didi outline her strategy to rev up the dismal employment scenario. "When she had visited West Midnapore's Maoist-hit belts, she had announced a host of measures. She didn't add much to it... She is doing her best with a bankrupt state."
Thousands of supporters chose not to tread the grounds but sat right along Casuarina Avenue, munching the occasional peanuts, their faces towards the tricolour-decked podium . Sk Kauser Aliwas one of them. This 50-something Trinamool supporter from Bhangor didn't budge an inch till Mamata finally finished speaking around 3.45pm. He took seat under a tree off the road. "It might start pouring again. Didi should speak first," he said, visibly unimpressed by the song-and-dance programme that preceded it.
Chanchala Maiti's brisk pace wasn't without a reason. The bus which was to ferry her — and 70 others from South 24-Parganas ' Subhasgram — got delayed. She was in a hurry to reach Brigade before Mamata spoke. If possible she also wanted to catch a glimpse of Bollywood heartthrob Dev. "Has he reached?" she asked. "Had it not rained, it would have required three Brigades to accommodate the people who would have come," she said.
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Mamata Banerjee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamata_Banerjee - CachedMamata Banerjee is the 11th and current Chief Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office and is also the ...
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Mamata Banerjee: Latest News, Videos, Photos | Times of India
See Mamata Banerjee Latest News, Photos, Biography, Videos and Wallpapers. Mamata Banerjee profile on Times of India.
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Mamata Banerjee: Latest News, Photos and Videos
connect.in.com/mamta-banerjee/profile-543.html - CachedExplore Profile of Mamata Banerjee at Connect.in.com, see Mamata Banerjee web of connections, news, videos, photos and post your opinions.
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The HinduMamata trying to run govt the way she ''mishandled'' Rlys: CPI-M
IBNLive.com - 1 hour agoPTI | 06:07 PM,Jul 22,2011 Kolkata, Jul 22 (PTI) The CPI-M today alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was trying to run the West Bengal government in ...80 related articles -
Kum. Mamata Banerjee - Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha) - Who's ...
Mamata Banerjee. Constituency from which I am elected, Kolkata Dakshin. State from which I am elected, West Bengal. Political party name, All India ...
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Detailed Profile - Kum. Mamata Banerjee - Members of Parliament ...
Mamata Banerjee. Constituency from which I am elected, Kolkata Dakshin ... -
MAMATA BANERJEE | Facebook
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The making of Mamata Banerjee - Hindustan Times
www.hindustantimes.com/...Mamata-Banerjee/Article1-686251.aspx - Cached17 Apr 2011 – From a rabble rouser to a game changer on whom 90 million people pin their hopes for a new tomorrow, Mamata Banerjee has come a long way.
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Mamata Banerjee - News, photos, topics, and quotes
www.daylife.com/topic/Mamata_Banerjee - CachedThe latest news on Mamata Banerjee, from thousands of sources worldwide. High-quality photos, articles, blog posts, quotes, and more.
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NDTV » Search » mamata banerjee
www.ndtv.com/search?q=mamata+banerjee - CachedLoading. All; News; Photos; Videos. Video Results for mamata banerjee ... News Results for mamata banerjee. More News». Photo Results for mamata banerjee ...
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Mamata Banerjee | Mamata Banerjee News | Mamata Banerjee Photos ...
www.sify.com/topics/Mamata-Banerjee.html - CachedMamata Banerjee News - Get Latest Mamata Banerjee photos, Watch Mamata Banerjee videos, Pics, Images, Pictures, Video Clips, Mamata Banerjee Wallpapers.
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