Mamata resigns from Lok Sabha
IANS, Kolkata/New Delhi, October 08, 2011: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday resigned as Lok Sabha member, days after winning the Bhowanipore assembly by-polls to make her maiden entry into the state legislature. "She has sent her resignation letter through me. I have handed it over to Lok Sabha Speaker (Meira
Kumar) today (Saturday)," Trinamool Congress general secretary and union minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy told media persons in New Delhi.
The Trinamool Congress, the second largest constituent of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, will now have 18 Lok Sabha members.
Asked about Meira Kumar's response, Roy said: "She told me she was both happy and sad. She was sad because she would lose a colourful member. At the same time she was happy because Mamata has taken over the charge of a problematic state like West Bengal".
Banerjee, who had won the Kolkata South lok Sabha seat in 2009, won the Bhowanipore seat Sep 28 with a huge margin of 54,213 votes over the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) nominee Nandini Mukherjee.
Banerjee had not contested the April-may assembly polls, saying she wanted to campaign across the state to end the 34-year rule of the Left Front.
Banerjee won her first Lok Sabha election in 1984 by suprising CPI-M veteran Somnath Chatterjee in the Jadavpore constituency.
Five years later, she lost to CPI-M's Malini Bhattacharya from the same seat, but returned to the lower house of parliament in 1991 from Kolkata South by defeating sitting CPI-M member Biplab Dasgupta.
Since then, the voters of Kolkata South have always voted for Banerjee.
Mom in Cong crowd falls to police bullet
(Relatives console Sneha, 9, and Raima, 7, the daughters of Rajeswari Mullick, who was killed in police firing in Nadia on Saturday-Photo,TT)
Local Congress and Trinamul leaders rejected this version, saying the firing was on Congress supporters and not “anti-socials”.
(Relatives console Sneha, 9, and Raima, 7, the daughters of Rajeswari Mullick, who was killed in police firing in Nadia on Saturday-Photo,TT)TT, Bogula (Nadia), Oct. 8: A young housewife and Mahila Congress member was killed in police firing here late last night, prompting the Congress to complain to Mamata Banerjee against police “highhandedness” and demand a CBI probe.
Rajeshwari Mullick, 28, is the first casualty in police firing since Mamata became chief minister, her death further straining Congress-Trinamul ties. The Congress, which had earlier written to Mamata against Trinamul attacks, has called a 12-hour bandh in Hanskhali block and threatened “a bigger movement” if the guilty cops are not punished.
The police termed the firing accidental. “Anti-socials clashed with the police and tried to snatch rifles. This led to an accidental firing,” director-general of police (DGP) Naparajit Mukherjee said. “Three cops have been suspended pending inquiry.”
Local Congress and Trinamul leaders rejected this version, saying the firing was on Congress supporters and not “anti-socials”.Rajeshwari, a mother of two girls aged nine and seven, was the wife of farmer and local Youth Congress leader Rathin Mullick. A Trinamul leader said Mamata did not want the incident to hurt ties with the Congress and would take “firm action” if the cops were found guilty.
Trouble started when the police stopped the car of Congress Nadia secretary Bimal Biswas at 11.15pm on the Bogula-Krishnagar road, where traffic had been prohibited because of immersion, about 80km from Calcutta.
Biswas was not in the car. The Congress says drunken policemen beat up the driver. Biswas soon led party supporters in blocking the road. When the police tried to lift the blockade, a mob threw stones, damaging a police jeep and injuring seven cops.
Nadia police chief S.R. Mishra said the crowd tried to snatch some policemen’s rifles, causing one to go off “accidentally”. Rajeshwari, who was among the protesters, was hit.
State Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya blamed “irresponsible and trigger-happy policemen who fired indiscriminately on Congress workers”.
Sub-inspector Probir Bhattacharjee, named as the shooter by a local Congress leader, has been suspended along with assistant sub-inspector J. Thakur and constable R. Singh. The government has asked the DGP and the district magistrate to start separate probes. “Firing or lathi-charges by the police at the slightest pretext will not be tolerated,” the DGP said.
Centre scurry on Telangana - Diwali decision in Congress sights
SANJAY K. JHA,TT, New Delhi, Oct. 8: The Centre appears to have gone into overdrive to settle the Telangana issue after the Andhra Pradesh governor met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today and pressed for prompt action to stop the situation from spiralling out of control.
Congress sources said indications were the leadership was making up its mind to form a separate state, nearly two years after the Centre’s midnight announcement on initiating the process of Telangana statehood had triggered a political mutiny in the rest of Andhra.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, whom the sources said the Prime Minister trusts more than chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, told Singh the time to dither was over.
Reddy, too, was in Delhi for meetings. Both leaders held separate meetings with Pranab Mukherjee, the party’s main political interlocutor, P. Chidambaram and several other senior ministers.
After meeting Mukherjee, the chief minister said he had got the impression the leadership would “soon come out with some solution for the benefit of the state”.
The meetings came on a day the Telangana Joint Action Committee announced it would not call off a nearly four-week-old general strike, stressing it would continue to protest till “we realise our goal”.
Sources in Delhi said Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi told Mukherjee to hold talks with all stakeholders and submit a report within two days. Mukherjee, who also met other senior leaders from Andhra, said tonight: “The consultations will end on Monday.” Singh and Sonia are expected to meet on Monday evening to discuss the report.
Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy, a Congress leader from Telangana, is assisting Mukherjee in the consultations.
Sources in the Andhra Congress said a decision could come before Diwali. However, Mukherjee said he could not give a “time frame” for a decision, PTI reported.
Congress sources said the coming week would be crucial and an all-party meet might be called to discuss the issue.
The Andhra leaders, who also met A.K. Antony, Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel, said they were happy with the fast-paced developments. Some of them hinted that the senior leaders, including Mukherjee, appeared more considerate and their opposition to the division of the state had been considerably diluted.
One of the main points of disagreement is the status of Hyderabad, one of the 10 Telangana districts. Those against a bifurcation say Hyderabad’s exit from Andhra would spell doom for the state. Sources said the status of Hyderabad was being worked out.
That the Congress leadership has summoned actor-politician Chiranjeevi to Delhi is also being viewed as a sign that the negotiations have entered the final stage. Leaders from coastal Andhra, Pallam Raju and D. Purandeshwari, were consulted too and told to be patient.
The governor, who met home minister Chidambaram before calling on Singh, advised the Prime Minister against any move to clamp President’s rule.
Some leaders said such a proposal was never on the table. “There is no question of President’s rule for the moment,” said Azad, who is in charge of Congress affairs in Andhra.
Telangana stir may turn violent, warn leaders
ENS, HYDERABAD, Oct 8: Several Telangana political leaders predict that the Sakala Janula Samme will turn into a revolution if the Centre continues to delay creation of a separate Telangana state. Exuding confidence that Telangana state will be a reality and even God cannot thwart it, they, however, see the utmost need for political unity to achieve their objective.
BJP senior leader and former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya organised Alai-Balai programme at Jala Vihar here on Friday.
It was attended by leaders of the Congress, BJP, TDP, YSRC and CPI-ML (ND). Telangana Praja Front (TPF) president Gadar and Telangana United Forum (TUF) leaders and representatives of a crosssection of Telangana society also attended the programme.
Home minister Sabita Indra Reddy, who was the chief guest, shouted the ‘Jai Telangana’ slogan for the first time and declared her commitment to the Telangana cause.
“If I decide to quit the cabinet, no one can stop me,’’ she thundered.
She said she was member of a national party which was in power at the Centre and in the state, and had constraints on taking on-thespot decisions.
“My participation in this programme shows my commitment to Telangana statehood.” She recalled her husband P Indra Reddy’s service to the Telangana cause and said people were also well aware of her contribution to the Telangana movement.
She wished Keshava Rao and other leaders success in their efforts on Telangana.
The home minister said she had ordered an inquiry into the alleged attack on TNGO leader Swami Goud and a report was awaited for taking action.
She said she directed police personnel not to cause human loss while dealing with the Telangana agitators.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao said Telangana people did not attach much importance to the comments made by Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and said even God could not stop formation of T state.
He said they had clarified to the prime minister that there would be political death to all Telangana Congress leaders if Telangana was not made a state.
He also called for political unity to achieve the objective.
Freedom fighter Konda Laxman Bapuji warned that if the Centre dilly-dallied further the present movement would take a violent turn and might to lead to a situation like India-Pakistan partition.
But such a situation was not good for Telugu people, he said.
Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman M Kodandaram echoed Bapuji’s warning and said indirectly that any delay might lead to a violent movement.
BJP state president G Kishan Reddy said that all the political parties should be held responsible for the present situation.
Congress MPs V Hanumanta Rao, Y Madhu Goud Yashiki and G Vivekananda, Telangana Telugu Desam Forum convener E Dayakar Rao, Congress leader and former minister Jupally Krishna Rao, educationist and MLC Chukka Ramaiah, retired judge Subashan Reddy, former governors R Satyanarayana Reddy and V Rama Rao also attended.
Batukamma, Kolatam, Pothuraju and other Telangana cultural events were held during the day-long programme.
Rasamai Balkishan, Goreti Venkanna, Madhu Priya several other singers sang special Telangana songs on Telangana movement.
Centre scurry on Telangana - Diwali decision in Congress sights
SANJAY K. JHA,TT, New Delhi, Oct. 8: The Centre appears to have gone into overdrive to settle the Telangana issue after the Andhra Pradesh governor met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today and pressed for prompt action to stop the situation from spiralling out of control.
Congress sources said indications were the leadership was making up its mind to form a separate state, nearly two years after the Centre’s midnight announcement on initiating the process of Telangana statehood had triggered a political mutiny in the rest of Andhra.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, whom the sources said the Prime Minister trusts more than chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, told Singh the time to dither was over.
Reddy, too, was in Delhi for meetings. Both leaders held separate meetings with Pranab Mukherjee, the party’s main political interlocutor, P. Chidambaram and several other senior ministers.
After meeting Mukherjee, the chief minister said he had got the impression the leadership would “soon come out with some solution for the benefit of the state”.
The meetings came on a day the Telangana Joint Action Committee announced it would not call off a nearly four-week-old general strike, stressing it would continue to protest till “we realise our goal”.
Sources in Delhi said Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi told Mukherjee to hold talks with all stakeholders and submit a report within two days. Mukherjee, who also met other senior leaders from Andhra, said tonight: “The consultations will end on Monday.” Singh and Sonia are expected to meet on Monday evening to discuss the report.
Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy, a Congress leader from Telangana, is assisting Mukherjee in the consultations.
Sources in the Andhra Congress said a decision could come before Diwali. However, Mukherjee said he could not give a “time frame” for a decision, PTI reported.
Congress sources said the coming week would be crucial and an all-party meet might be called to discuss the issue.
The Andhra leaders, who also met A.K. Antony, Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel, said they were happy with the fast-paced developments. Some of them hinted that the senior leaders, including Mukherjee, appeared more considerate and their opposition to the division of the state had been considerably diluted.
One of the main points of disagreement is the status of Hyderabad, one of the 10 Telangana districts. Those against a bifurcation say Hyderabad’s exit from Andhra would spell doom for the state. Sources said the status of Hyderabad was being worked out.
That the Congress leadership has summoned actor-politician Chiranjeevi to Delhi is also being viewed as a sign that the negotiations have entered the final stage. Leaders from coastal Andhra, Pallam Raju and D. Purandeshwari, were consulted too and told to be patient.
The governor, who met home minister Chidambaram before calling on Singh, advised the Prime Minister against any move to clamp President’s rule.
Some leaders said such a proposal was never on the table. “There is no question of President’s rule for the moment,” said Azad, who is in charge of Congress affairs in Andhra.
Telangana stir may turn violent, warn leaders
ENS, HYDERABAD, Oct 8: Several Telangana political leaders predict that the Sakala Janula Samme will turn into a revolution if the Centre continues to delay creation of a separate Telangana state. Exuding confidence that Telangana state will be a reality and even God cannot thwart it, they, however, see the utmost need for political unity to achieve their objective.
BJP senior leader and former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya organised Alai-Balai programme at Jala Vihar here on Friday.
It was attended by leaders of the Congress, BJP, TDP, YSRC and CPI-ML (ND). Telangana Praja Front (TPF) president Gadar and Telangana United Forum (TUF) leaders and representatives of a crosssection of Telangana society also attended the programme.
Home minister Sabita Indra Reddy, who was the chief guest, shouted the ‘Jai Telangana’ slogan for the first time and declared her commitment to the Telangana cause.
“If I decide to quit the cabinet, no one can stop me,’’ she thundered.
She said she was member of a national party which was in power at the Centre and in the state, and had constraints on taking on-thespot decisions.
“My participation in this programme shows my commitment to Telangana statehood.” She recalled her husband P Indra Reddy’s service to the Telangana cause and said people were also well aware of her contribution to the Telangana movement.
She wished Keshava Rao and other leaders success in their efforts on Telangana.
The home minister said she had ordered an inquiry into the alleged attack on TNGO leader Swami Goud and a report was awaited for taking action.
She said she directed police personnel not to cause human loss while dealing with the Telangana agitators.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao said Telangana people did not attach much importance to the comments made by Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and said even God could not stop formation of T state.
He said they had clarified to the prime minister that there would be political death to all Telangana Congress leaders if Telangana was not made a state.
He also called for political unity to achieve the objective.
Freedom fighter Konda Laxman Bapuji warned that if the Centre dilly-dallied further the present movement would take a violent turn and might to lead to a situation like India-Pakistan partition.
But such a situation was not good for Telugu people, he said.
Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman M Kodandaram echoed Bapuji’s warning and said indirectly that any delay might lead to a violent movement.
BJP state president G Kishan Reddy said that all the political parties should be held responsible for the present situation.
Congress MPs V Hanumanta Rao, Y Madhu Goud Yashiki and G Vivekananda, Telangana Telugu Desam Forum convener E Dayakar Rao, Congress leader and former minister Jupally Krishna Rao, educationist and MLC Chukka Ramaiah, retired judge Subashan Reddy, former governors R Satyanarayana Reddy and V Rama Rao also attended.
Batukamma, Kolatam, Pothuraju and other Telangana cultural events were held during the day-long programme.
Rasamai Balkishan, Goreti Venkanna, Madhu Priya several other singers sang special Telangana songs on Telangana movement.
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