Tag: media

Centre’s interference in judiciary dangerous for democracy: Mamata Banerjee

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Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today expressed her anguish on the recent developments about the Supreme Court.

Reacting to the comments by four senior Hon’ble Judges of the Supreme Court about the affairs of the Court, the Chief Minister said it made her sad as a citizen.

She maintained that judiciary and media are the pillars of democracy and that interference by the Centre in the workings of judiciary is dangerous for democracy.

Her tweets:

We are deeply anguished with the developments today about the Supreme Court.

What we are getting from the statement of the four senior Hon’ble Judges of Supreme Court about the affairs of the Court makes us really sad as citizens.

Judiciary and Media are the pillars of democracy. Extreme interference of Central Government with Judiciary is dangerous for democracy.

 

 

বিচারবিভাগে কেন্দ্রের হস্তক্ষেপ গণতন্ত্রের পক্ষে বিপজ্জনক: মুখ্যমন্ত্রী

 

সুপ্রিম কোর্টের কার্যকলাপ সম্বন্ধে আজ চার চারজন প্রবীণ বিচারপতির সাংবাদিক বৈঠকের প্রেক্ষিতে উদ্বেগ প্রকাশ করলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়। তিনি বলেন দেশের নাগরিক হিসেবে আজ খুবই দুঃখিত তিনি।

মুখ্যমন্ত্রী আরও বলেন, বিচারবিভাগ ও সংবাদমাধ্যম গণতন্ত্রের স্তম্ভ এবং কেন্দ্রের হস্তক্ষেপ গণতন্ত্রের পক্ষে বিপজ্জনক।

মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর টুইটার পোস্ট:

সুপ্রিম কোর্ট সম্বন্ধে চারজন প্রবীণ বিচারপতির মন্তব্য খুবই উদ্বেগজনক। দেশের নাগরিক হিসেবে আজ খুবই দুঃখিত আমরা।

বিচারবিভাগ ও সংবাদমাধ্যম গণতন্ত্রের স্তম্ভ। বিচারবিভাগ কেন্দ্রের হস্তক্ষেপ গণতন্ত্রের পক্ষে বিপজ্জনক।

 

Delhi’s So-Called National Media and Its Irrelevant Obsessions

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Indian politics has changed, but the national media hasn’t quite realised it. Actually, it would be a travesty to call a bunch of Delhi-based channels and newspapers – some of which sell barely a few thousand copies – the ‘national media’. They are the Delhi media and yet they have given themselves national status. Regional-language papers and channels, whether in Bengali or Gujarati, Tamil or Hindi, may sell millions more and be watched by millions more but they will never be considered ‘national’. Like the ‘regional parties,’ they are forever consigned to second-rate status in the Delhi media caste system.

The Rajya Sabha has 233 elected members, of which around fifty per cent belong to the BJP and the Congress. Fifty per cent% of the House is made up of the non-BJP non-Congress parties, many who often act in concert. For example, anti-Dalit atrocities in Gujarat and elsewhere were raised by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Trinamool and other parties. I recall the attempt to make Aadhaar compulsory for claiming government benefits and availing public services – an imposition that is contrary to earlier commitments by the government and the advice of the courts -was protested against by the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Trinamool Congress (AITC).

Issues of public importance are taken up by the opposition when Parliament is in session. Often these subjects are first raised by comparatively smaller parties not always by the Congress, who have by far the most number of opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha. The media, almost by reflex action, reports it, however, as a Congress versus BJP battle. Generally speaking, regional parties – fifty per cent of the Rajya Sabha as I said – are given scant coverage. The one exception among the smaller parties is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Good for them. I suspect they get more than a fair share of media coverage because they are based in the capital. If AAP were a Bengaluru based party phenomenon or a Mumbai-based party, it would have received the same neglect. For Delhi’s media supremacists, there is no India beyond the capital, or at best Gurgaon and Noida.

This may sound like a churlish complaint. It is not, and Trinamool is certainly not pleading for column inches and prime-time space. The fact is that this is a snapshot of inadequate knowledge and awareness of political and social issues and the churning in the country by a media permanently stationed in Central Hall. I got a taste of this during the 2016 West Bengal election, when Delhi-based journalists were making wild predictions without setting foot in the state and without speaking to anybody other than BJP and Congress and occasionally CPI(M) fat cats who were and are Delhi fixtures.

Doesn’t India deserve better? Doesn’t the media industry, now so rich and well-endowed, aspire to higher standards? Isn’t there a credibility gap? Does the media have interest in understanding how policy is shaped and legislation is negotiated in Parliament? Can this be done without engaging with and understanding what I term the ‘middle bloc’ – the state parties that occupy the largest space in the Upper House, between the BJP and the Congress?

The media is overwhelmed by the same one dozen personalities and politicians from the two big parties that it interacts with everyday. The ‘special briefings’ too come from the same folks. What is even more dangerous is that some glam television anchors are becoming self-obsessed. Do you recall the bizarre sight of an anchor on News Channel A interviewing an anchor from News Channel B about the conduct and views of an anchor from News Channel C? I was aghast.

This is delusional. Who the hell is interested, in this country of a billion people, if a couple of senior journalists have a personality clash or even an argument on principles? It can form the subject of a panel discussion at the India International Centre or Press Club, but how is it prime-time news? The messenger cannot become the message. The media cannot be interviewing each other and reporting on each other. That is what we did when we produced college magazines.

I know much has been said in the past about ‘nationalist’ and ‘anti-national’ media. This is a tiresome debate. Much more important than this squabble about ‘nationalist’ and ‘anti-national’ is the question of what the Delhi-based media considers ‘national’ and what it considers ‘regional’. We very easily give these titles and names to media outlets, to politicians and to economic, social and political grievances and concerns. So a short-lived Delhi-Gurgaon flood, which causes only traffic jams, is a ‘national story’. And a week-long flood in West Bengal or Assam, which displaces thousands and kills fifty, is a small-time ‘regional’ story. I rest my case.

Mamata Banerjee slams Centre: Worse than Emergency

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Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday stepped up the ante against the BJP-led Centre, slamming it for unleashing a political vendetta that was “worse than Emergency”.

The CM, who had earlier in a social media post called the 1-day ban on NDTV India “shocking“ and smacking of “Emergency-like attitude“, alleged that the Narendra Modi-government was practically running a presidential form of government that was bent on curtailing democratic rights.

“I am appealing to all political parties. I have to tell all my friends to come together and sit together. Let us fight to gether. If anybody comes, it is up to them,“ she told reporters at Nabanna, the state secretariat. “Nobody should question our patriotism. We all love our country . No one is anti-Indian,“ she added.

“Today somebody is in power, tomorrow someone else will be in power. But they are setting a wrong precedent.If this method is followed, the country will suffer,“ she said.

“Rahul Gandhi was detained. He had gone to meet the family of a deceased jawan. The Delhi CM was detained. We believe in democracy , we respect federalism. But that is under attack,“ she said.

The Centre, she accused, wants to control the media and even the state governments. “The Prime Minister bypasses an elected CM and interacts with the state chief secretary . Is this federalism? If we don’t (fall in line) they will put (central) agencies on your back,“ she said, adding: “ A government needs to act as per its legal mandate. It can’t be fanning communal and sectarian divide.“

On the one-day gag order on a media channel, she said, “Media will do its duty . Even here so many media are critical of me.If they err, you have legal provisions. Let the highest authority decide.”

 

দেশের অবস্থা জরুরির চেয়েও ভয়ংকরঃ মুখ্যমন্ত্রী

শুক্রবার মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় কেন্দ্রের রাজনৈতিক প্রতিহিংসার সমালোচনা করে বলেন, দেশের অবস্থা এখন জরুরী অবস্থার চেয়েও ভয়ংকর।

এনডিটিভি-র হিন্দি সংবাদ চ্যানেল সম্প্রচারে মোদি সরকারের নিষেধাজ্ঞা জারি করার ঘটনায় তীব্র প্রতিক্রিয়া জানিয়ে বলেন যে এই ঘটনা ‘জরুরি অবস্থার চেয়েও ভয়ংকর’। নরেন্দ্র মোদির সরকার কার্যত মানুষের গণতান্ত্রিক অধিকারকে খর্ব করার চেষ্টা করছে”।

নবান্নে সাংবাদিকদের তিনি বলেন, “আমি সব রাজনৈতিক দলের কাছে আবেদন করছি আসুন আমরা সকলে লড়াই করব।তিনি আরও বলেন, আমাদের দেশপ্রেম নিয়ে কারো প্রশ্ন করা উচিত নয়. আমরা সবাই আমাদের দেশকে ভালোবাসি। আমরা কেউ ভারত বিরোধী নই”।

“আজ একজন ক্ষমতায় আছে, কাল অন্য কেউ ক্ষমতায় আসবে। কিন্তু ওরা ভুল পথ অনুসরণ করছে। এই পদ্ধতি অনুসরণ করে চললে দেশের ক্ষতি হবে”, বলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী।

রাহুল গান্ধী ও অরবিন্দ কেজরিঅয়ালকে আটক করার ঘটনার তীব্র নিন্দা করে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী বলেন, “রাহুল গান্ধী ওই জওয়ানের পরিবারের সঙ্গে দেখা করতে গিয়েছিলেন বলে তাঁকে আটক করা হয়েছিল। এমনকি দিল্লীর মুখ্যমন্ত্রীকেও আটক করা হয়েছিল। আমরা গণতন্ত্রে বিশ্বাসী, আমরা ফেডেরালিজমকে সম্মান করি, কিন্তু এই কাজ রাজনৈতিক শিষ্টাচার বিরোধী”।

কেন্দ্র এখন মিডিয়ার পাশাপাশি রাজ্য সরকারকেও কন্ট্রোল করতে চাইছে বলেও এদিন অভিযোগ করেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী।

তিনি বলেন, “মিডিয়া তার কাজ করবে। নির্বাচনের সময় অনেক মিডিয়া আমাদের বিরোধিতা করেছে। আমরা কোন প্রতিহিংসামূলক পদক্ষেপ নিইনি। দরকার হলে আইনি পদ্ধতি আছে তা অনুসরণ করতে হবে কিন্তু এভাবে কারো মত প্রকাশের অধিকার খর্ব করা যায় না। এটা সংবিধান স্বীকৃত ব্যবস্থা। একে মান্যতা দিতেই হবে”।

 

 

Narada: Trinamool to dig out which political opponents plotted this vendetta, also starts internal probe

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Statement by Partha Chatterjee, Secretary General of  West Bengal Trinamool Congress:

On Narada tapes

The EC has not yet reacted to the Narada sting operation. The manner in which a section of the media is indulging in a smear campaign, without verifying the authenticity of the tapes, only shows that they are trying to help the Opposition who have no mass support. The same media is running the tapes and then saying ‘they cannot verify the authenticity of the tapes.’ The timing of release of the tapes shows this is nothing but political vendetta by our opponents.

The party will conduct an internal inquiry and also probe the role of some senior leaders of the Congress, the CPI(M) and the BJP, who might have been involved with the sting operation. If anyone is found guilty, appropriate action will be taken against them.

Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, a surge of development has been unleashed in Bengal. Through these stings, our political opponents are trying to divert the attention of the people and influence the outcome of the elections. Without verifying the tapes how can they conduct discussions every evening? We strongly condemn such acts.

We have also received several sting tapes against Opposition leaders. But Trinamool does not believe in the politics of vendetta. We will not use them just to sail through the election season.

Flyover tragedy: CPI(M) General Secretary of CPI(M) must answer

The All India General Secretary of CPI(M) must clarify about his associations with the company that was constructing the flyover near Ganesh Talkies. Is it true that that company got the contract for this project because of those connections? Who are the associates of this company? Who manipulated the contract in favour of the accused company? We demand an answer.

On violence unleashed by CPI(M)-Congress

The manner in which Md Salim and Surjyakanta Mishra threatened to unleash violence in Bengal, the death of our party worker Jaydeb Jana in Sabang is a result of those threats. CPI(M) and Congress have jointly killed him in cold blood.

We have been informed by the district leadership that Manas Bhunia, who was once seen running away from CPI(M) cadres with his dhoti in hand, and who sought protection from Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, is involved in this political murder. We demand the arrest of Manas Bhunia.

The CPI(M) and the Congress are trying to bring back the dark days of violence and terror but we will not allow them to succeed in their devious mission. We have witnessed bloodshed and violence in Singur, Netai, Nandigram and in many other places. They even attempted to assassinate Mamata Banerjee. But we did not give in. Even now we will not bow down to their tactics.

The people of Bengal have reposed their trust on Mamata Banerjee and we will fulfil our commitments to the people.

 

তৃণমূলের মহাসচিব পার্থ চট্টোপাধ্যায়ের বিবৃতি 

স্টিং অপারেশন

আমরা নারদা কাণ্ড নিয়ে নির্বাচনের কমিশনের কোন নড়াচরা দেখছি না। সংবাদপত্রের একাংশ যেভাবে নারদা কাণ্ড নিয়ে যেভাবে নোংরামি করছে তার প্রেক্ষাপটে এই কথা জানাতে চাই যে এই নারদা কাণ্ডের এপিসোড শুধুমাত্র নির্বাচনী বৈতরণিতে জনভীতহীন বিরোধীদের হাত কে শক্ত করার জন্য। যখন আমাদের দলের নাম ঘোষণা হয়ে গেছে, আমরা দল হিসেবে ব্যস্ত, ঠিক তখনই এই ধরণের একটি কাণ্ড নিয়ে বাজার গরম করার প্রবণতা দেখা দিচ্ছে।

স্টিং অপারেশনের সত্যতা যাচাই না করেই দেখানো হচ্ছে। আমরা যেহেতু নির্বাচনে ব্যস্ত ছিলাম, আছি, আর ৫ই মে অবধি থাকব, তাই আমরা ঠিক করেছি দল হিসেবে আমরা দলের অভ্যন্তরীণ তদন্ত করব। কেউ যদি দোষী হয়ে থাকে তাহলে দল পদক্ষেপ গ্রহণ করবে।

এক পক্ষ টাকা নিয়েছে। আরও তিন পক্ষ আছে। এটাও আমাদের অভ্যন্তরীণ তদন্তে থাকবে। অনেকের নাম এর মধ্যে এসে পড়েছে – অন্যান্য দলের কিছু নেতারাও এর সঙ্গে জড়িত ছিলেন কিনা আমরা আমাদের দলীয় তদন্তে দেখব।

স্টিং অপারেশনের নাম করে মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের উন্নয়ন কর্মসূচিকে এই জাতীয় নারদ কাণ্ড দিয়ে বিভ্রান্ত করার চেষ্টা চলছে। সত্যতা যাচাই না করে প্রতিদিন সন্ধ্যায় নির্বাচনকে প্রভাবিত করার এই চেষ্টার বিরুদ্ধে আমরা প্রতিবাদ জানাই।

আমাদের কাছেও অনেকে বিরোধী নেতা নেত্রীদের বিরুদ্ধে স্টিং অপারেশনের সিডি পাঠিয়েছেন। আমাদের নেত্রী মনে করেন রাজনীতিতে রাজনৈতিক ভাবে মোকাবিলা করা উচিত। আমরা এ ধরণের নোংরা খেলা খেলব না।

উড়ালপুল

সিপিএমের সর্বভারতীয় সম্পাদক খোলসা করে বলুন,গনেশ টকিজের সামনে যে উড়ালপুল ভেঙ্গে পড়ল সেই নির্মাণকারী সংস্থার সঙ্গে তার যোগাযোগ ছিল কিনা এবং সেই যোগাযোগ থাকার ফলেই তাদের বরাত দেওয়া হয়েছিল কিনা। নির্মাণকারী সংস্থা কাদের দোসর? কাদের অঙ্গুলিলেহনে এই বরাত তাদের ভাগ্যে জুটেছিল?

সবং- কাণ্ড

যেভাবে মহম্মদ সেলিম, সূর্য মিশ্র-রা বদলার রাজনীতির হুঙ্কার দিয়েছেন, ইতিমধ্যেই বাংলাকে রক্তাক্ত করবার হুমকি দিয়েছেন, তারই ফল হিসেবে,কংগ্রেস-সিপিএম-এর যৌথ হুঙ্কারে আমাদের এক প্রিয় কর্মীকে সবং-এ নৃশংসভাবে খুন করা হয়েছে।

আমরা জেলাস্তর থেকে যা জেনেছি, এই ঘটনার পিছনে বুদ্ধবাবুর মানসপুত্র, যাকে ধুতি খুলে দৌড়তে দেখা গিয়েছিল, যিনি বুদ্ধবাবুর শরণাপন্ন হয়েছিলেন, তার নাম জড়িয়ে পড়েছে। মানাস ভুইঁয়া-কে কেন গ্রেপ্তার করা হবে না? আমরা এই দাবি জানাচ্ছি।

সিপিএম-কংগ্রেস, যারা খুনের রাজনীতি আবার শুরু করার চেষ্টা করছিলেন, যারা হুঙ্কার দিলেন, তাদের মদতেই জয়দেব জানা-কে প্রাণ দিতে হলো।

আমরা মানস ভুইঁয়ার গ্রেপ্তারের দাবি জানাই।  আমি নিজে সবং যাচ্ছি। জয়দেবের পরিবারের পাশে থাকব।

খুনের রাজনীতি ফিরিয়ে আনার যে চেষ্টা সিপিএম-কংগ্রেস করছে, তা আমরা প্রতিহত করব। ৩৪ বছরে নেতাই হয়েছে, সিঙ্গুর হয়েছে, নন্দীগ্রাম হয়েছে। মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়-কে খুনের চেষ্টা হয়েছে। আমরা মাথানত করিনি। খুনের কাছে মাথানত নয়।  মমতার উপর ভরসা করে বাংলার মানুষ রায় দিয়েছে। মানুষ সিপিএম-কংগ্রেস-কে সমর্থন করবে না।

 

Janatar Darbar with Mamata Banerjee

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee today took live questions from people on different issues and answered them during Janatar Darbar, running simultaneously on a private Bengal news channel and Twitter.

Questions poured in on Twitter and Facebook for the West Bengal Chief Minister, some of which she answered during the programme.

The Chief Minister’s twitter handle @Mamataofficial was the second most popular twitter handle in India during the day.

 

Here are some excerpts of Didi’s Janatar Darbar:

Q1 by Jagdish Chandra, ETV: Are you confident of coming back to power?

I do not want to make any comments as of now. People are the judge in a democracy. Decision rests with them. Trinamool Congress has done a lot of good work in the last four years. We have served the people.


Q2: How was your experience of running a government for the last four years?

I love the term. I remember writing a book in the ’90s as the voice of people. My life is one of struggle. I have always fought for the rights of people. My struggle still continues. We are combating the financial problems. We have a huge debt burden, yet we are serving the people.

We work 42 hours a day. We are committed to work for the people. People will judge our performance. We brought about financial reforms. We have ushered in economic growth. From the UN to World Bank are honouring Bengal.

We had a shortage of manpower. We had to face many elections because of which we lost a lot of time. We had a shortage of manpower. We had to face many elections because of which we lost a lot of time.


Q3 by Sudipto Mandal from Howrah regarding remuneration for data-entry operators at gram panchayat level.

We want to help the needy people. But our hands are tied because of the debt incurred by the Left. A lion’s share of the revenue earnings is gone in paying salaries and as debt installments. I believe in ensuring roti, kapda, makaan.


Q4 by Dr Shibajipratim Basu, Professor: You are one of the major pillars of national politics. You know the imp of Opposition. Why do you think Opp in Bengal is in a disarray?

This requires a longer debate. We were also in Opposition. Being in Opposition doesn’t mean opposing for the sake of it. Being in Opposition does not entail you will only engage in smear campaign and slander. We believe in constructive criticism. I extended all help to Jyoti Basu during 1992 riots.

People’s movements cannot be led by giving speeches in TV studios. A leader must lead from the front, at grassroots. People are the Mandir, Masjid, Gurdwara in a democracy. During the 1992 riots I was on the streets. The only other person helping out the affected was Mother Teresa. I even went to Writers’ to meet the then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and offered my help.

As long as Opposition does not let go of its negative attitude, it will be in disarray.

 

Q5: Bharat Rai from Darjeeling: We are facing cute water crisis in the Hills. What initiatives are you taking?

There was violence in the Hills for a long time. Now the Hills are smiling. We have started development there. We have started several water pipeline projects for the Hills in collaboration with GTA. We love the Hills. We will extend all help to the local administration for all-round development.


Q6: You have been conducting administrative review meetings all over the State…

We are the only State, who conduct such meetings at grassroots. From CM to BDO, everyone is present. We have conducted 97 such meetings. 100th meeting will take place at Bardhaman very soon. It is much easier to check the progress of different projects when you review them at grassroots. Earlier people had to come to Kolkata. Now the Secretariat travels to the districts to listen to the people.


Q7: Supriya, Kolkata: You promised to make Kolkata into London. What initiatives have you taken?

There has been a lot of change in Kolkata. We have undertaken several beautification projects. We started the Kolkata Eye project. It is stuck in Green Bench now. We believe in “Ease of Doing Business”. We have started single window clearance, e-tenders etc.

London is a theme. Kolkata is a congested, old -but gold -city. It is unplanned city. Kolkata is among the top global cities. We are transforming eBusiness.  Out 285, criterias, we have already fulfilled 200.


Q8: Sarthak Roy Chowdhury, Professor: If you were to choose a different CM of Bengal, who you’d choose?

I am no one to decide the CM. People have the right to do so. I leave the decision to them.


Q9 by Anindya Sinha from Baharampur: Is there any plan to start health insurance for primary teachers?

This is a good suggestion. I will discuss this with my Finance Minister. Our government started 731 days of child care leave for female govt employees.

 

Q10: You have studied in Bengal medium school yourself. But their condition is in shambles now.

There are good teachers in Bengali medium schools also. All mediums of education are good. There are talented students in Bengali medium schools. They are showing good results in exams.


Q11 by Raj Chakraborty, film director: My friends who stay abroad, when they come to Bengal, feel very happy now. However, when we are travelling on highways, there are inadequate rest rooms or toilets.

I also travel on the roads frequently and I can sympathise with Raj. We are working on setting up 200 Patha Sathi (motels) across State Highways. 100 of them are complete. Tollywood is my favourite. I love the cultural world. I hope Tollywood will be compared to Hollywood one day.


Q12 by Amit Datta, IT Sector: Places which have universities can be developed as IT hubs. Any plans?

Skill and talent in Bengal is immense. We are a talent bank. We will inaugurate IIIT at Kalyani. Another industrial park will come up at Panagarh. We are also developing IT Parks, Smart Cities. Every block will get an ITI and every sub-division will get polytechnics. We have a tie up with Raymonds for skill development. We will train 12 lakh people in next 2 years.


Q13 by June Malia, Actor: Didi you are an icon. Many people consider you a role model. Didi what do you do when you are depressed?

When depressed, I like to listen to music or adda with kids. Best way to beat depression is to hit the road.


Q14 by Gautam Sarkar, Footballer: Didi you have immense interest in sports. You have helped a lot of talent. In childhood, which was your favourite sport/game?

We organise Jangalamhal/Sunderbans Cup where nearly 30000 youths participate. We have Himal-Terai Cup also. I used to play danguli, kabaddi, kho kho when I was a child. I also tried my hand at cricket.


Q15 by Ila Ma, Nadia (folk artist): Thank you Didi for ensuring minimum monthly wage for folk artists. Do you have plans for any research centre dedicated to Lalon Fakir?

After coming to power we registered over 35000 folk artists. We honour our culture. If there is any initiative in future for a collaboration with Bangladesh for cultural ties, we will be happy.


Q16: In the last few months, police has been cracking down on anti-social elements heavily.

Bengal is an imp State. Law will take its own course. I do not see political colours will implementing. I am against syndicate raj. I do not support them. Some people blame Trinamool even if there is a dispute between neighbours.

A section of people are trying to incite violence and create chaos. I do not support extortion. Rate of crime in Bengal is much less than other States as per government data. Festivals like Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Eid, Christmas are celebrated in Bengal without any untoward incident.

We have recruited 55000 police force. We created 5 new police commissionerates, 77 new PS, 30 women’s PS. We have set up 19 human rights courts. We are running 88 fast-track courts (45 of them are for women).

Charge sheet for Salboni rape case submitted in 3 days. In Barasat, it was submitted in 8 days. Those who vandalise public property must be made to pay for the damages.


Q17 by Razdan Ali from West Midnapore: There is no boys’ hostel in Midnapore. Is there any plan to build one?

We have increased Budget for Minority Dept 5 fold. We are setting up hostels and Bhavans in every district.

 

Q18: Amitabha Roy, Entrepreneur: Bengal has a negative perception outside. You are trying a lot to undo it.

The negative perception of Bengal is partly due to the media. They do not show the good side of the State. Section of media has negative approach. They may have problem with me, but do not blame the State.

We organised Biswa Bangla Sammelan. We have set up a core committee with industrialists. My captains of industries give continuous suggestion to Industry Dept. I am visiting London soon. Rs 91000 Cr out of Rs 2.34 Cr investment at Biswa Bangla Sammelan is already under processing.

We have land map and land bank. We have formulated new policy for IT, Industry, MSME. Our revenue earning increased from Rs 21000 Cr to Rs 44000 Cr in 4 years. We are focussing on e-governance. Growth in our State Plan Expenditure is 300%. Growth in agriculture 547%. Growth in physical infrastructure is 300% and that of capital expenditure is 600%.

We have focused on social infrastructure development also. Kanyashree is benefiting lakhs of girls. Heavy industry is also coming to Bengal. SAIL is expanding. IISCO has been rejuvenated.

There are three hydel power projects in north Bengal.


Q19 by Anindita Roychowdhury, Psychiatrist: Any plans for the development of infrastructure at mental health institutes?

We are running Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan although the Centre has stopped allocating funds. We are giving importance to mental health. We must carry out our responsibilities with due diligence. We have formed a committee under Dr Ashokendu Sen for the development of various mental homes.


Q20 by Shovan Sundar (poet): Recitation artists must also get prominence along with musicians at cultural events.

This is a good suggestion. I will surely work on this issue.


Q21 by Joydeb Mishra, Professor: You have given lot of power to BDOs. This has borne fruit. State is progressing. Do you have plans to diversify these initiatives?

We have Administrative Calendar which sets deadline for every project. Review meets are held regularly. We are a collectively family – officials and public representatives work together for people. I have development 3-tier administrative system: BDO-DM-CM.

I am proud to say 22 lakh girls have registered under Kanyashree scheme. It received UN recognition. Our sanitation programme got international acclaim.

We are No. 1 in India. We are No. 1 in 100 Days’ Work, Skill Development as well as e-services. UNESCO is showcasing artisans from Bengal at a programme in Paris. FAO has recognised the Mati Tirtha initiative of Bengal. Jangalmahal is a model of India. We are No. 1 in MSME also.

Forty one multi super speciality hospitals are being set up in Bengal. Bengal is a role model in healthcare. We have increased beds at hospitals by 24000. Seats at medical colleges have been increased from 1400 to 2900 in just 4 years. There were only 6 SNCUs. We have set up 46 SNCUs. There were no SNSUs earlier. We set up 286 such units. We have set up 17 medical hubs and 7 health districts.

We have set up 99 fair price medicine shops and 58 Fair price diagnostic centers. Beds are free at govt hospitals. We’ve set up 58 fair price diagnostic centres where people can services like dialysis at discounted rate.


Q22 by Sandhya Suchoria: You gave focus to IT in your Manifesto. What steps are you taking to address brain drain?

This is the age of competition. We must conserve the ‘Brain Bank’ in Bengal. We must expand the IT industry. We are identifying areas where we can set up IT parks. We will give incentives to those who come to Bengal.

 

Q23 by Rupanjan Mukherjee, Social Worker: Is there any plan to set up any integrated sports complex at Talah Park. Is there any plan to develop infrastructure along canals in north Kolkata?

KMC, as far as I know, is working on a plan to rejuvenate the canals. We will conduct a study to assess if any sports complex in Talah Park is possible.


Q24: A section of Left Front wants to fight elections with Congress. Any comments?

It is their prerogative. I have nothing to say. Some communists misused communism that led to their fall.People have rejected the CPM.


Q25: Who will be your principal Opposition in 2016 elections?

How can I say that now? Let us see whether there are alliances.


Q26: Many ministers of BJP Govt at Centre are being questioned about propriety. Any comments?

I have ideological differences with BJP. But State Govt and Centre must work together. In 2014 elections, it was the media which highlighted a particular leader of BJP.

The Centre is trying to harm the federal structure. They are unnecessarily interfering in our business. We are not supporting land bill. We support GST because it is in our Manifesto. We do not support communalism.


Q26 by Sushmita Chowdhury, Professor: Thank you Didi for Sidhu Kanhu University.We need a law college and an engineering college  in Purulia.

There were only 30 colleges in Bengal till 2011. We set up 45 new colleges in four years. We will be happy to set up engineering or law college in Purulia in PPP mode.


Q27: What is the future of Singur?

We have a commitment. But the matter is sub-judice. We are waiting for court’s order.


Q28: A lot of cases are pending in courts. Is there a remedy?

Judiciary is pillar of democracy. It is true a lot of cases are pending. We want cases to be disposed quickly.


Q29: The jute industry is facing a crisis. Is there any solution?

Jute industry is under Centre’s jurisdiction. They have stopped procurement of jute bags. We have written to the Centre regarding jute industry. Modernisation of this sector is supreme.

We started the FRBM system. We have paid Rs 76000 Cr as installments for debt by CPM. We are committed to reclaim the glory of Bengal. We have created Biswa Bangla Brand.


Q30: What is your message for 21 July this year?

We observe 21 July to pay homage to the martyrs who lost their lives to establish democracy in Bengal.We have to spread the message of development. We have to stand beside people in this journey.

Our slogan, our motto, our ideal is Maa, Mati, Manush. I coined the term “Maa, Mati, Manush” during Singur movement. Maa (Mother) is universal. Maati (soil) is karmabhoomi, janmabhoomi. Manush (people) are supreme.

I work as a commoner. I am not VIP. I am LIP (Less Important Person). It is better to stay simple. When I became Union Minister for the first time, my mother said, “Stay as you are”. I follow her.


Any last comments…

I love the concept of Janatar Darbar. I would like to conduct these sessions every month.

 

Janatar Darbar with Mamata Banerjee

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Trinamool Congress believes in 360 degrees of communication. From posters, banners, wall-graphiti to digital media, the party uses various means of communication to interact with people.

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee believes in direct contact with the people. She has decentralised governance by conducting nearly hundred administrative review meetings at block level.

For the first time, she is going to take direct questions from the people and answer them simultaneously on television and Twitter. Watch this space as Janata Darbar of Mamata Banerjee unfolds.

Elections are a festival of democracy: Mamata Banerjee

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West Bengal Chief Minister today met the press at Nabanna. She took questions from the media on a range of topics:

On corporation election

Democracy has returned to Bengal after 34 years. The corporation election this year was the most peaceful in recent times. I extended thanks to all after corporation elections. Not just my party.

We do not want anyone to take law into their own hands. We want peaceful polls. I appeal to people to cast their votes freely tomorrow. I love people. It is my duty to work for them. It is my responsibility.

Administration will perform their duties as per law. Elections are a festival of democracy. People are God in democracy. No one has any right to insult people to satisfy their ego.

On smear campaign by media

Some media houses are spinning false stories to mislead people. They are trying to influence them. They must prove their allegations against Trinamool. They are trying to incite and provoke. They are spreading falsehoods.

Some people are using shortcut methods of appearing in media. What history of serving people do they have? One can get temporary publicity through shortcut methods. There will be no long term result out of that.

Results of municipal polls

Whatever the results will be, let us wait till EVMs are opened. Let us not speculate beforehand. I have full faith in people. They have the final say in a democracy.

We hope people will shower us with their blessings based on the work we have done in the last few years. Even in Bongaon and Krishnaganj we increased our margins.

Centre is taking away all our funds. Despite all odds we have performed well for the sake of people.

Problems faced by potato farmers

We have taken several initiatives for the potato farmers. We have written to Centre to waive their loans. Ours is the only government that meets every fortnight with the task force on agriculture to keep a check on prices. When potato prices were touching Rs 60 in other states, we sold them at Rs 14/kg.

Land acquisition

Land is an asset. Enough farmlands have been acquired. We must conserve land for agriculture for food security. We must support our farmers. They also have plans for their families. They have hopes and aspirations.