West Bengal

Kolkata, Jan 17 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said the mega opposition rally being hosted by her Trinamool Congress here on January 19 would sound the "death knell" for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls and regional parties would be the deciding factor.

She also claimed that the BJP's seat count in the general election will not cross more than 125.

The number of seats that the state parties will win will be much more than the BJP's, further claimed.

Alipurduar, Jan 16 (PTI) A leopard snatched away a three-year-old girl from her mother's lap after entering their home at a tea garden in West Bengal's Alipurduar district, officials said Wednesday.

Parts of her body were found scattered in the Garganda tea garden in Madarihat area of the district this morning.

The leopard sneaked into the house in the labour line on Tuesday night and grabbed Pranita, who was on her mother's lap, the officials said.

Kolkata, Jan 15 (PTI) Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is a better leader than many others, but it cannot be said at this juncture if she would make a good prime minister, former national security advisor M K Narayanan said Tuesday.

Narayanan, also a former governor of West Bengal, said he had spent a lifetime in intelligence and had seen almost all leaders since Independence and she is "better suited among others as she is a listener at least to some.... She is a difficult person with some remarkable qualities."

Kolkata, Jan 15 (PTI) The West Bengal unit of the BJP on Tuesday said it did not take the Supreme Court verdict, putting on hold the party's proposed "rath yatra" programme in the state, as a setback, adding that it would decide on the future course of action after discussions with the party's central leadership.

Kolkata, Jan 14 (PTI) Asian Cup gold medallist Shakil Ahmed has added one more feather to his cap when he set up a world record in indoor rowing by completing 1,00,000 (one lakh) metres in above-40 years category here Sunday.

A FISA level one coach, Shakil began his record-setting indoor rowing feat in Salt Lake stadium complex at 8 am on Sunday morning and achieved the milestone of covering 1,00,000 metres of simulated distance in 10 hours.

Kolkata, Jan 13; PTU: Gujarat independent MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani said Sunday that the Centre's move to provide 10 per cent quota to upper caste poor is a step towards realizing the RSS-BJP's agenda to remove caste-based reservations from the system.

President Ram Nath Kovind Saturday gave his assent to the constitutional provision to provide 10-per cent reservation in government jobs and education to economically backward section in the general category. The bill was passed by the Parliament on January 9.

Kolkata, Jan 7 (PTI) The Birbhum district police Monday lodged an FIR against BJP Mahila Morcha president Locket Chatterjee and a local leader of the district for their alleged comment to beat up police personnel in the state.

A senior leader of BJP Birbhum district unit Kalosona Mondal Sunday while addressing a "Ganatantra Bachao Rally" (Save Democracy Rally) criticised the police for acting as cadres of TMC in the state and urged party cadres to "beat up" police personnel.

Ilambazar (WB), Jan 3 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he should refrain from teaching the state democracy when his government had "curbed" the democratic rights of the people.

Her comment came in the backdrop of a January 1 Prime Minister's Office tweet, quoting Modi as saying, "What has happened in West Bengal. A political party (the BJP) is being denied a basic democratic right."

Siliguri , December 27; GANASHAKTI:   Over Thirty thousand farmers and agricultural labourers   from 6 North Bengal districts today afternoon  met in a long march cum encroachment programme at Siliguri in North Bengal, with determination and dedication to tear open  the anti farmer policies of the Modi led Union Government and the West Bengal State Government.  Crossing the initial estimate of 10,000 particpants the long march evinced huge interest in North Bengal  and over 30000 peasants joined the March at the call of All India Kisan Sabha- All India Agricultural Workers Union Combine .

Kolkata, Dec 23; GANASHAKTI:  CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechuri on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was resorting to manipulation of statistics to paint a rosy picture of his government's achievements.

Yechuri claimed Modi's announcement that 99 per cent goods will now attract 18 per cent or lower GST as a "post truth", since 97 per cent of merchandise or services already attract 18 per cent or less GST.

"The method adopted by Modi surpasses Goebells," he said, drawing a parallel with Hitler's Propaganda Minister during the Nazi rule in Germany.