National News
Trinamool’s national ambitions come unstuck after drubbing in Goa, Tripura
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Soon after assuming charge as the Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary following the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee said that henceforth his party will target expansion in those states where it will have the chance to form the government or be an extremely strong opposition.
He added that henceforth the party’s focus will not be on just getting a couple of MLAs in a couple of states outside West Bengal.
Since then, Abhishek Banerjee has tried to achieve this thrice — the assembly elections in Goa, municipal elections in Tripura and the latest in the by-polls in Tripura. In the Goa assembly elections the Trinamool Congress was unable to open its account. In the Tripura civic elections, it failed to emerge as the major opposition party. In the Tripura by-polls the Trinamool Congress candidates finished in the fourth position in all the four assembly constituencies with their deposits forfeited. In two constituencies the votes secured by the party candidates did not cross the 1,000-mark.
In this backdrop two questions arise. The first is how far the Trinamool Congress will be able to expand its base outside West Bengal in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls? The second is how far Mamata Banerjee can become a key player in deciding matters in the ruling or opposition coalition, depending on the results, after 2024?
According to Trinamool Congress spokesman Kunal Ghosh, the latest by-poll results in Tripura cannot be taken as an indicator for the future considering that the party contested without much groundwork. Secondly, according to him, the Lok Sabha polls are always different from the assembly or civic polls, with bigger national issues.
“Since our chief minister Mamata Banerjee has already established herself as the face of a relentless movement against the Union government’s anti-people policies, no anti-BJP force would be able to undermine her in 2024,” he said.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari has said that it would be better for Mamata Banerjee to concentrate on saving her chief minister’s chair rather than trying to be a key player in the ruling coalition after the 2024 polls.
“The game has begun with Maharashtra. We will reach West Bengal via Rajasthan and Jharkhand in 2023,” he said.
Political observers feel that there is a remote chance that Mamata Banerjee or the Trinamool Congress would be able to get established as key national players be it in the ruling coalition or in the opposition front.
According to political observer Rajagopal Dhar Chakraborty, Abhishek Banerjee’s announcement that his party will target expansion in those states where they will have a chance to emerge as the ruling party or an extremely strong opposition, was an over ambitious one.
“Trinamool Congress earlier managed to get MLAs in Tripura and later in Meghalaya. However, none of these MLAs were elected as Trinamool Congress candidates. They were just turncoat MLAs from the Congress or other regional parties, who at the first opportunity deserted the Trinamool.
“But when it came to contesting in states outside West Bengal, the results for the Trinamool have been pathetic. That is because the Trinamool Congress contested those elections without prolonged groundwork just depending on vote strategist Prashant Kishor and his organization I-PAC. No vote strategist can do wonders for any political party in any state unless that party has a sufficient and strong organizational network of its own in that state,” he said.
Secondly, he added, considering the Trinamool Congress’s pathetic performance in states outside West Bengal, it is unlikely that regional parties there will allow space to the Trinamool in any seat sharing agreement, however close their official relationship with Mamata Banerjee might be.
Political analyst Santanu Sanyal feels that before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Trinamool Congress will be so busy in its own turf of West Bengal that it will hardly have any opportunity to concentrate on other states.
“The Trinamool Congress leadership including the chief minister knows quite well that their importance in national politics, be it be as a part of the ruling coalition or the opposition front, will depend on how well the party can perform in West Bengal. So, in my opinion, in the 2024 polls the Trinamool Congress’ concentration will be solely on West Bengal and not on other states,” he said.
National News
J&K Heading For ‘Historic’ Assembly Elections Under National Flag & Constitution: Amit Shah
![J&K Heading For 'Historic' Assembly Elections Under National Flag & Constitution: Amit Shah](https://mumbaipress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Untitled-1-27.jpg)
Jammu, Sep 7: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday assured restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after the assembly polls, which he said are the first under the national flag and the Constitution following the abrogation of Article 370 by the Modi government.
He accused the Congress-National Conference alliance of making attempts to revive the “old system”.
The NDA government will not allow the revival of terrorism, “autonomy”, and injustice with any community including Gujjars, Pahari, Bakerwals and Dalits who were granted reservation by the BJP dispensation, he said.
Shah is in Jammu on a two-day visit to boost the BJP’s election campaign for the three-phase assembly elections, beginning September 18.
He released the party’s manifesto on his first day of visit on Friday and also chaired two crucial meetings with senior leaders to discuss the campaign strategy.
“The coming elections in J-K are historic because after Independence, the polls are happening the first time under our national flag and Constitution, unlike in the past practice of two flags and two constitutions. We have only one prime minister from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and he is Modi,” the home minister told a BJP workers’ rally here on Saturday.
Taking a dig at the National Conference-Congress alliance, Shah alleged they are trying to push Jammu and Kashmir into the fire of terrorism once again when the government has brought down terror incidents in the union territory by 70 percent.
“The National Conference and the Congress will never be able to form a government in J-K, be confident about it,” Shah told the party workers, encouraging them to ensure the success of the BJP candidates to form the next government.
National News
Chandrababu Naidu Narrowly Escapes As Speeding Train Passes Inches Away From Him During Flood Inspection In Vijayawada
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had a narrow escape while inspecting flood-affected areas in Vijayawada. On September 3, Naidu was on a small bridge evaluating the damage caused by recent floods when a speeding passenger train passed dangerously close to him.
Naidu, along with his security personnel and officials, was standing near the railing on a narrow platform when the train whizzed by. A video of the incident has gone viral, showing the Chief Minister and his team standing just inches away from the fast-moving train. Passengers aboard the train were seen waving at Naidu as it sped past. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident.
Situation worsens due to heavy rains
Meanwhile, the flood situation in Andhra Pradesh has worsened due to heavy rains, claiming the lives of at least 32 people.
Vijayawada and surrounding areas have been particularly hard-hit, with thousands displaced from low-lying regions.
The NTR district, which encompasses Vijayawada, has suffered the most, with 24 fatalities. Other severely affected areas include Guntur, with seven deaths, and Palnadu, with one reported death.
More than 40,000 people have been moved to relief camps across the state as water levels continue to rise. Farmers, too, have borne the brunt of the flooding, with over 2.35 lakh farmers reporting significant crop damage due to the unrelenting rains.
In response to the crisis, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has donated Rs 5 crore for flood relief. His contribution is aimed at supporting recovery efforts across the state, with 400 panchayats set to receive Rs 1 lakh each.
“I will make sure these funds are directly deposited into the panchayats’ accounts, ensuring they are used for immediate flood recovery,” said Kalyan in a statement.
The Andhra Pradesh government continues to monitor the situation closely, working to provide relief and assistance to affected areas as rains persist across the region.
National News
PM Modi To Not Address UNGA Debate This Time, Jaishankar To Represent India
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be addressing United Nations General Assembly debate scheduled to take place later this year and India’s Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar will be representing India instead on September 28. PM Modi will be travelling to New York though, to attend a major community event at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island. The event is slated to take place on September 22. PM Modi will also be attending United Nations’ ‘Summit of the Future’ on September 22-23. This summit is focused on global co-operation for challenges that await humanity.
The general debate of the 79th UNGA session is scheduled to be held between September 24 and September 30. The summit will see major world leaders addressing the world. US President Joe Biden will address the assembly as well. This will be his last address to the UNGA as president of the United States as a new president will be elected in the presidential elections slated to take place in November this year. The contest will be between Republican Party nominee Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris.
Modi’s last address to the UNGA came in September 2021. He visited UN headquarters in June 2022.
The community event in Long Island has seen registration from over 24,000 Indian-Americans. PM Modi held his first such event at Madison Square Garden in 2014. This upcoming event marks the 10-year anniversary of the event.
That registrations for PM Modi’s event came through 590 community organisations in the US. There was a huge response from the tri-state area.
PM Modi’s community outreach events in the US have in past, drawn huge crowds. Last such event was ‘Howdy Modi’ which was held in Houston in 2019. The event had witnessed enthusiastic participation from Indian-Americans.
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