The post I PAC Calls ED Raids Unsettling, Says Work Will Continue Despite Political Storm in Bengal appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>In a statement, I PAC said the previous day had been difficult and unfortunate for a professional organisation like theirs. The firm said the developments raised serious concerns but added that it had fully cooperated with the investigating agency and would continue to do so in accordance with the law and due process.
The consultancy stressed that it has always followed high standards of professional integrity and accountability. It said that despite what happened during the raids, its team remained committed to continuing its work in an unfazed and unperturbed manner, guided by the same principles that have defined the organisation since its inception.
I PAC also highlighted that it has worked purely in a professional advisory role with several political parties across ideologies and regions over the years. These include the BJP, Congress, AAP, TMC, JD U and Shiv Sena. The firm clarified that it does not contest elections or hold political office and that its role is limited to transparent political consulting, independent of ideological differences.
The issue sparked intense political reactions in West Bengal on Thursday after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made an unannounced visit to the central Kolkata residence of I PAC director Pratik Jain and later went to the firm’s office in Salt Lake, where the ED was conducting searches in connection with the coal pilferage case. The chief minister alleged that the central agency was attempting to seize sensitive Trinamool Congress data related to the upcoming elections.
Mamata Banerjee was seen leaving Jain’s residence carrying a green folder and electronic devices, accusing ED officials of overstepping their authority. Later, at the I PAC office, security personnel were observed loading files into the chief minister’s vehicle, further intensifying the controversy.
The Enforcement Directorate subsequently approached the Calcutta High Court, alleging that key incriminating documents had been seized and removed from the agency’s custody with the help of state police. The agency claimed the documents were taken during the search operations.
The Trinamool Congress has also moved the high court, alleging that the ED seized sensitive and confidential political data meant for use in the upcoming assembly elections. The party described the action as arbitrary and mala fide and has sought directions to restrain what it called the misuse and dissemination of documents collected during the raids.
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]]>The post Messi Event Chaos in Kolkata Draws Fire from Both TMC and BJP appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>read also: Messi’s Kolkata Visit Ends in Chaos as Fans Breach Security at Salt Lake Stadium
The disorder erupted inside the stadium as disappointed fans, many of whom had paid large sums for tickets, protested what they described as mismanagement and lack of planning. The situation escalated when spectators realised that crowding around Messi by organisers and their associates had blocked the gallery view.
Demanding action against those responsible, Trinamool Congress spokesperson and state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said the organisers’ ‘overzealous’ attempts to surround Messi and take selfies prevented genuine spectators from seeing the star, triggering widespread anger. He questioned why no strict action had been initiated despite the scale of the disruption.
Ghosh said the chaos forced Messi to leave the stadium early and also prevented West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from attending the event and welcoming him on behalf of the state. Calling the incident a major disappointment for sports lovers, he contrasted it with Messi’s earlier visit in 2011, which he recalled as being efficiently organised and widely praised.
The Bharatiya Janata Party echoed the criticism but, placed the blame squarely on the state government. BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya alleged that the situation was created by ‘fraudsters driven by greed’ who prioritised profit and publicity over proper arrangements for fans.
Bhattacharya further accused Trinamool Congress leaders of backing organisers focused on self-promotion, which, he claimed, deprived ticket-buying spectators of a clear view of the football icon. He said the episode had damaged West Bengal’s reputation.
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar also condemned the Trinamool Congress and the state administration, holding them responsible for the mismanagement and chaos at the high-profile event.
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]]>The post Deaths of Two Booth Level Officers Raise Concerns Over Workload During Electoral Roll Revision appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>West Bengal recorded its fourth booth level officer death, since the revision began on November 4, prompting a Trinamool Congress delegation to meet the full bench of the Election Commission in Delhi and accuse the poll body chief of carrying moral responsibility for the deaths.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also attacked the ongoing revision process, calling it a large scale conspiracy against citizens that he claimed could create a situation more oppressive than the colonial period.
The special intensive revision is currently underway in twelve states and Union territories.
In Gujarat’s Mehsana district, Dinesh Raval, a 50 year old teacher, at a government primary school in Sudasana village, passed away from a heart attack at his home between Thursday night and Friday morning according to Sadasana police sub inspector Udaysinh Zala.
Opposition leaders and teachers’ unions linked his death to heavy workload and inadequate support for booth level officers, though police denied any connection between his duties and the incident
Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi stated that booth level officers are under intense pressure to complete assigned tasks within strict deadlines, while Gujarat State Primary Teacher Association president Digvijaysinh Jadeja said he had heard from other teachers that Raval had been experiencing stress due to his BLO responsibilities.
In West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, Zakir Hossain, a teacher in a state run primary school deployed as a booth level officer, collapsed on Thursday after reporting severe chest pain and was taken to a local hospital where he died later that night according to his family.
Relatives said Hossain had been struggling to balance his booth level duties with regular teaching, and claimed that his school did not relieve him from classroom responsibilities despite multiple requests, forcing him to juggle both roles.
Leaders of the Trinamool Congress, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have accused the Election Commission of assigning an unreasonable and poorly planned workload to booth level officers.
The Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the allegations and argued that any stress faced by booth level officers stemmed from pressure exerted by the ruling Trinamool Congress rather than the Election Commission.
A ten member TMC delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Derek O Brien met EC officials in Delhi and raised five questions regarding the deaths and the workload, but said they received no direct answers from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Mahua Moitra said the delegation submitted a list of forty individuals whose deaths they claim are linked to the revision process, but the Commission dismissed the list as unverified allegations.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav posted a video on social media urging opposition parties, including NDA allies, to unite and expose what he described as a large scale plan by the BJP, warning that tampering with voter rolls could eventually lead to removal of names from land records, ration cards, caste certificates, social welfare lists, and even bank accounts.
BJP spokesperson Harishchandra Srivastava rejected Yadav’s comments and accused him of attempting to create fear and confusion among citizens.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission announced that Lakshadweep has become the first Union territory to complete full distribution and digitisation of enumeration forms under the special intensive revision.
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]]>The post Leander Paes “Open To Contesting Election”, Says “Let Mamata Didi” Decide appeared first on The Edge Media.
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Mr. Paes told NDTV: “My relationship with Mamata Banerjee goes back many years,” said the 48-year-old, whose mother is from Bengal. “When Mamata didi says something, she delivers… she is a true champion.”
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]]>The post Mamata’s Throne, BJP’s Pick-Me-Up, and EC’s Vindication: A Little Something for Everyone in Bhabanipur appeared first on The Edge Media.
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After the much-discussed embarrassment in Nandigram, ministers, MPs, MLAs, and finally, lakhs of party workers are visibly relieved. The BJP gave it their all, putting up a valiant fight against Mamata.
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]]>The post Abhishek Banerjee says the Congress needs to get out of its ‘armchair politics’ and take to the streets to fight the BJP appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The suggestion comes just days after a young TMC Turk chastised Congress for reportedly failing to mount a meaningful challenge to the saffron movement. Banerjee stated that if Congress is unable to battle the BJP, the TMC will do so and defeat the saffron party.
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]]>The post Tanmay Ghosh joins Trinamool Congress appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>While Ghosh did not give a direct reply on whether he will resign from the assembly to avoid action under anti-defection law, education minister Bratya Basu, who inducted him in the party, said, “Everything will be done according to rules.”
“I invite people’s representatives from all parties to join the TMC and be a part of the mammoth development and social welfare projects taken up by Mamata Banerjee. Her dedication and performance drew me towards the TMC,” Ghosh said.
This is the second defection by an Opposition MLA since the polls earlier this year in which the BJP won 77 seats.
Before Ghosh, Mukul Roy, who was a BJP national vice-president, returned to the TMC on June 11. But the legislator from Krishnanagar North has not resigned from the BJP till now and has been appointed the chairman of the assembly’s public accounts committee.The BJP has sought his disqualification under anti-defection law.
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]]>The post Sushmita Dev, former Congress MP, left the party and joined the Trinamool Congress appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The fact that her Twitter bio now reads “Former Member” of the party was the first indication that she had resigned this morning. Even though her resignation letter to Congress head Sonia Gandhi appeared quickly, the party has officially disputed both her departure and the letter.
Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President, has not received any correspondence from her. Before formally joining the party, Ms. Dev met with key Trinamool leaders, including Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien.
The post Sushmita Dev, former Congress MP, left the party and joined the Trinamool Congress appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The post Sushmita Dev joins Trinamool Congress appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>In her resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the former Assam MP is said to have written that she was beginning a “new chapter in my life of public service”. Dev had sent her resignation letter to Gandhi on Sunday, though senior Congress functionaries refuted the same even as they wished her well.
Dev was currently serving as a national spokesperson of the Congress and chief of the All-India Mahila Congress chief. Dev had offered no reason for her quitting the party.
Welcoming Dev, the Trinamool Congress wrote on Twitter, the former senior Congress functionary was inspired by party supremo Mamata Banerjee.
Riding high on the success of the bitterly fought West Bengal Assembly election, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is looking to expand its footprint beyond the state and has been scouting for talent nationwide, besides making all attempts to its presence felt in states like Tripura and elsewhere.
Activist and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protestor Akhil Gogoi recently said the Bengal ruling camp had approached him to merge his Raijor Dal with TMC and lead the party in Assam.
RTI activist Saket Gokhale, a staunch critic of the Narendra Modi government, also joined the Trinamool Congress last week.
The Bengal CM has also been busy stitching a united opposition alliance as aspires a national role to counter the BJP and it remains to be seen how the likely allies like the Congress accepts some of her latest moves.
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]]>The post Shantanu Sen suspended for the remaining part of the monsoon session of Parliament appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Mr. Sen’s suspension comes a day after he snatched and tore the statement on Pegasus which the Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw was reading.
The motion seeking his suspension was moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. Muralidharan and passed by voice vote.
The Opposition parties protested against the move, saying they were not given an opportunity to respond.
TMC members Derek O’Brien and Sukendu Sekhar Roy wanted the member concerned given an opportunity to speak. Mr. O’Brien said that after the House was adjourned on Thursday, Mr. Sen was roughed up. “We saw boorish behaviour and hooliganism in this House,” he added.
In response, Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said this issue was not brought to his notice.
Congress Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh asked Mr. Naidu to allow for a clarification on the statement made by Mr. Vaishnaw.
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