Kolkata, 6 May : Amid heightened security that includes helicopter surveillance, over 74 lakh voters will head to the polling booths Saturday as West Bengal's assembly elections enter their fifth and penultimate phase.Voting will be held in 38 constituencies spread over four districts - three of them Maoist hit. Two helicopters have already started aerial surveillance in the forest areas and remote corners of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts, parts of which will go to the hustings Saturday.
Polling to decide the fate of 193 candidates will be held in 12 seats in West Midnapore, five in Purulia, nine in Bankura, apart from another 12 in Burdwan in this phase covering 9,425 booths.
'We have made special security arrangements well in advance for the 10 May last phase, when polling will be held in the 14 Maoist-affected constituencies,' said state Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Kumar Gupta.
Around 550-600 companies of central paramilitary forces are being deployed for Saturday's polling.
Among the heavy-weights in the fray are state Health Minister Surjya Kanta Mishra and state Congress president Manas Bhuniya...... READ FULL STORY @ www.westbengalelections2011.com
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Special prayer held in Kolkata for al-Qaeda chief Bin Laden
Kolkata, 6 May : The Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan mosque here, Maulana Nurur Rehman Barkati and his followers today held a special Friday prayer for the ''peace of the soul'' of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden."The special prayer was held as Laden was not given a proper burial and his bullet-riddled body was thrown into the sea in total disrespect of Islam. It was held for the peace of his soul," All-India Minority Forum president and a well known Trinamool Congress leader Idris Ali, who took part in the prayer, said.
There were placards at the prayer meet reading ''Disrespect to Holy Quran is intolerable'', he said.
A large number of policemen were deployed around the mosque at Dharamtollah in central Kolkata. န Photos : Reuters
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Chief Minister aleges political nexus between Maoists -TMC
To defeat Trinamool, means defeating the Maoists : Buddha
Kolkata, 6 May : Alleging that there is a political nexus between the Maoists and the opposition Trinamool Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday said the two factions are working closely to derail the ruling Left Front Government.Addressing a news conference in Kolkata, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee asserted that defeating the TMC in the polls would mean defeating the Maoists.
"They are contesting among themselves no doubt, but they are in close coordination, political and organisational coordination among themselves. Maoists, the so-called people's 'janasadharan' (public) committee and Trinamool, they are moving together," said Chief Minister.
"They are in close cooperation and coordination. That is the problem. Therefore, I told you, to defeat Trinamool, means defeating the Maoists," he added.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also reflected on the growing Maoist insurgency, stressing that the government was tackling the problem both in terms of administration and development.
"It is not a simple problem, it is a complicated problem. I told you, it is not only a law and order problem, but we have to tackle these Maoists administratively. At the same time, it is a problem of underdevelopment. That aspect we are seriously taking care of," he said. န File Photo
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Purulia Arms Drop : CBI team to visit Denmark next week
UNI, New Delhi, 6 May : A CBI team is likely to visit Denmark next week to seek extradition of Kim Davy, the prime accused in the 1995 Purulia arms drop case in West Bengal, the sources from the probe agency said today.The development has come a few days after Niels Christien Nielsen alias Kim Davy, in an interview to Times Now TV news channel, accused that "some one" from the then Central government "plotted" the operation to destabilise the West Bengal government by arming locals in the state. "The team, comprising a CBI officer and a lawyer, will visit Denmark next week," the CBI sources said. They added that most probably a CBI officer from agency's Kolkata Branch will be part of the team.
Davy had also claimed that India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) planned the operation with the help of British intelligence agency MI5. A lower court in Denmark had ordered the extradition of Davy to India following which he approached the higher court in that country, challenging the lower court order. "Denmark government is quite convinced by India on his extradition. Infact Denmark government was against Davy in the court," the CBI sources added. They said Davy was trying to complicate the whole issue and wants to further delay his extradition to India. "Davy is playing politics. He is claiming that he will not be treated properly in India and he should not be extradited," the sources stated.
The Denmark government wanted India to ensure that Davy would not be given death sentence if he is extradited, which was agreed to. CBI has said it has "clinching evidence" against Davy and there was no evidence linking Indian politician and or any agency in the case.
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CPI(M) learnt lessons from Netai incident : CM Buddhadeb
Kolkata, 6 May : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Friday said the CPI(M) has learnt lessons from the Netai incident and added that this kind of incident should not have happened.
Nine people, including four women, were killed and 28 others were injured in clashes in January triggered by assailants allegedly backed by the ruling CPI(M) in Netai near Lalgarh in West Midnapore district. "We have learnt some lessons from the Netai incident. This kind of incident should not have happened," said Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is also a CPI(M) politburo member...... READ FULL STORY @ www.westbengalelections2011.com
Kolkata, 6 May : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Friday said the CPI(M) has learnt lessons from the Netai incident and added that this kind of incident should not have happened.
Nine people, including four women, were killed and 28 others were injured in clashes in January triggered by assailants allegedly backed by the ruling CPI(M) in Netai near Lalgarh in West Midnapore district. "We have learnt some lessons from the Netai incident. This kind of incident should not have happened," said Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is also a CPI(M) politburo member...... READ FULL STORY @ www.westbengalelections2011.com
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Bangladesh and India launch joint Tagore birth celebrations
Dhaka, 6 May : Bangladesh and India Friday launched joint celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the globally revered poet whose poems they have adopted as their respective national anthems.Specially here for the launch, Indian Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari pointed out that the South Asian neighbours had separately celebrated Tagore's birth centenary half a century back, but "this time we are celebrating the poet's 150th birth anniversary jointly". In 1961, what is now Bangladesh was East Pakistan.
"I am delighted to be here today to represent the government of India," Ansari said at the grand opening in the presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Amidst thunderous applause, Ansari received a replica of the 'Padma Boat' used by Tagore, Star Online, the website of The Daily Star, reported.
Hasina utilized the occasion to call for concerted efforts to build a poverty-free South Asia "being imbued with the spirit of democracy and secularism".
"As I always say, the main enemy for the people of South Asia is poverty... we need to make concerted efforts to tackle hunger and poverty in the region," she said, declaring open three-day celebrations in Dhaka.
The Indian part is scheduled for New Delhi Saturday, to be opened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in the presence of Bangladesh's Planning Minister A.K. Khandaker, a former air force chief and hero of the 1971 liberation movement.
Bangladesh and India are observing the sesquicentennial birth anniversary of the Nobel laureate as per a decision taken by the two prime ministers in January last year.
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Theatre fest in New Delhi to mark Tagore birth anniversary
PTI, New Delhi, 6 May : A festival of classic Rabindranath Tagore plays like 'Dakghar', dance performances and an evening of typical Bengali 'adda' will be among events held by various city-based groups to mark the poet's 150th birth anniversary.The Circle Theatre Company will celebrate the occasion with 'Tribute to Tagore', a theatre festival, from 6 to 8 May at 'Muktadhara' auditorium in central Delhi.
"The festival on different works of Tagore will comprise offerings by six organisations of Delhi besides a special performance by Natadha of Howrah, West Bengal, on 13 May," Circle Theatre coordinator Abhijit Bose said.
A week-long exhibition on Tagore's theatre will be orgnaised from 6 to 8 May while a Bengali 'adda' (interaction) session is slated to be held on 8 May to mark the birth anniversary of the Nobel laureate.
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Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad goes into session on 22 May
Dhaka, 6 May : The ninth Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad goes into its ninth session at 4:00pm(BDST) on 22 May.
President Zillur Rahman has convened the year’s second session of the parliament on the day, a JS secretariat release said on Thursday. Parliament sources said the session will be short-lived and it is likely to discuss and debate on various contentious issues regarding the on-going constitution amendment process in light of Supreme Court’s verdict on fifth and seventh amendment.
The last session of parliament concluded on 28 March.
Dhaka, 6 May : The ninth Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad goes into its ninth session at 4:00pm(BDST) on 22 May.
President Zillur Rahman has convened the year’s second session of the parliament on the day, a JS secretariat release said on Thursday. Parliament sources said the session will be short-lived and it is likely to discuss and debate on various contentious issues regarding the on-going constitution amendment process in light of Supreme Court’s verdict on fifth and seventh amendment.
The last session of parliament concluded on 28 March.
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President to honour Tripura Police, first for Eastern India
IANS, Agartala, 6 May : Tripura, which has earned kudos in India for stamping out three decades of terrorism, will get another feather in its cap later this month when its police force, which traces its history to 686 years back, will be conferred the President's Colours in recognition of the distinguished service it has rendered.
"After India's independence (in 1947), the Tripura Police will be the first police force in eastern India to be conferred the President's Colours," state police chief K. Saleem Ali told IANS.According to Ali, the police forces of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have been accorded this distinction in the past. "President Pratibha Patil is expected to come to Tripura to confer the Colours at a function to be held later this month. The date for the function has not yet been finalised," said Ali, a 1978 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.
"After the president's ceremonial conferring of the Colours, every member of the Tripura Police unit would be given a badge containing an impression of the Colours," he added. He said that the Tripura Police's most elite unit, the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), has earned kudos from the prime minister of India and many state governments, besides various central paramilitary forces, for successfully flushing out terrorism.
The TSR has also successfully discharged election-related duties in many states, including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal, besides the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last October.
The Tripura Police recently launched "Prayaas," a multi-pronged community policing scheme to reach out to the people, root out crime against women and to completely flush out terrorism. According to an official document, Tripura's police force, one of India's oldest, was constituted during princely rule in 1325. န File Photos : AFP
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