West Bengal

According to ED sources, Mukherjee also admitted that the cash recovered from her residences was parked there by Chatterjee with the help of one of his close associates unknown to her. It is learnt that whenever Chatterjee visited Mukherjee's residences, the Minister had closed-door meetings with the unknown person which she was not allowed to participate in.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the people of Bengal to never forgive the perpetrators of incidents like Birbhum violence and those who encourage such criminals. Speaking after virtually inaugurating 'Biplobi Bharat Gallery' at Victoria Memorial Hall, the Prime Minister expressed condolences for the victims of violence in Birbhum and expressed hope that the state government will ensure punishment for the perpetrators of such a heinous crime.

While 11 people have been arrested, both police and the ruling Trinamool Congress have denied political motives behind the incident. The state government has formed a special investigation team under ADG, CID, Gyanwant Singh, DIG, Western Range, Sanjay Singh and DIG, CID, Operations, Miraj Khalid to probe the Baguti incident. The events at Baguti in Rampurhat are unprecedented in the recent history of West Bengal, reliving the death of 14 people in Nandigram.

The state's programme will be a curtailed one of 30 minutes duration because of the Covid-19 pandemic situation. According to senior officials of the state home department, Netaji is going to be the central theme in the state's Republic Day function. Tableaux of Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Airforce and Kolkata Police will also be showcased at the Red Road function, which will be graced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"We appreciate the concern of our well-wishers and extend our heartiest greetings for Christmas and the New Year. We would like to clarify that the FCRA registration of the Missionaries of Charity has neither been suspended, nor cancelled. Further, there is no freeze ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs on any of our bank accounts. We have been informed that our FCRA renewal application has not been approved," the organisation said in a statement.

Interacting with the media in a programme, state Education Minister Bratya Basu said: "The Governor does not extend any cooperation and unnecessarily holds back files, thus my department is constrained to consider replacing the Governor with the Chief Minister as the Chancellor of different universities."

On Saturday even All India Trinamool Congress General Secretary and effectively the party's second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee had said, "There will be free and fair polls and the polls will not be rigged. If it is proved that any Trinamool Congress men are involved in any kind of illegal activities, then strict action will be taken within 24 hours and exemplary punishment will be meted out".

CM Mamata Banerjee recently received an invitation to address a gathering in Kathmandu on December 11. Sources in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) confirmed that Banerjee is interested to go to Kathmandu and has informed the organisers of the event, but she needs to get clearance from the Central government. The state government is writing to the Centre to allow her to go to Kathmandu.

At her much-anticipated meeting with Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, Banerjee discussed the strategy for all Opposition parties to take on the BJP unitedly in the next elections. Pawar, who met Banerjee along with his senior party leaders, said that they held a long discussion on various political issues. "We agreed upon the need to strengthen the collective efforts and commitment towards safeguarding democratic values and ensuring the betterment of the people," he said.

The Trinamool Congress supremo also invited the Prime Minister to inaugurate the Bengal Global Business Summit scheduled in April next year. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently extended the jurisdiction of BSF up to 50 km inside the international borders in West Bengal, Punjab and Assam. The West Bengal Assembly had on November 16 passed a resolution against the Centre's decision.