West Bengal

Kolkata, Dec 28 (PTI) "The doors of the Mother House are open to all," said a nun nonchalantly as she went about doing her work. Money, apparently, doesn't matter in a place where service is not a dogma but a way of life.

At Mother House, the abode of Saint Teresa, it was work as usual on Tuesday as the nuns went about attending to the destitute, the wayward alcoholic, and the leper, with crumbling maggot-filled limbs.

Kolkata, Dec 26 (PTI) Former union minister and Trinamool Congress leader Babul Supriyo, who joined TMC three months back, on Sunday took a swipe at his former party predicting five disgruntled saffron party MLAs who quit the BJP West Bengal's MLA WhatsApp group, may now sever their links with the party.

However, one of the five MLAs Ambica Roy on Sunday expressed his desire to rejoin the WhatsApp group stating he had made a mistake and wished to "remain a loyal soldier of BJP."

Kolkata, Dec 22 (PTI) A day after its debacle in the Kolkata civic poll, the BJP on Wednesday announced the formation of its new office bearers committee in West Bengal, axed several members of its old guard and inducted new leaders to strengthen the party in the state.

The organisational revamp was being awaited since Sukanta Majumdar took over as the party's state president in September but was put on hold for three months in view of the civic poll, sources in BJP said.

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Drawing a distinction between the Trinamool Congress and Prashant Kishor-founded I-PAC, senior leader Derek O'Brien on Wednesday said the party had hired the political consultancy agency for five years and they have certain deliverables to do.

I-PAC is a political collaborator and it is distinct from the party, the TMC floor leader in the Rajya Sabha said.

Kolkata, Dec 20 (PTI) Amit Mitra, West Bengal's former finance minister and current chief advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said he fears India may be heading towards stagflation .

Mitra, an economist by training said, India is already suffering from rising inflation and unemployment simultaneously.

Kolkata, Dec 18 (PTI) The VHP will launch a campaign against religious conversion from December 20 to 31 in the country, its national joint general secretary Surendra Jian sid on Saturday.

Jain, who was speaking to reporters, demanded a law against forced interfaith marriages and for denying benefits due to Dalits and Hindu tribals who convert to other faiths.

He claimed that large-scale conversion had taken place during the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.

Kolkata, Dec 19 (PTI) Three voters were injured, one of whom is in a serious condition, after bombs were lobbed in Sealdah area of Kolkata during the ongoing KMC elections on Sunday, police said.

One of the injured persons has lost his leg, while the other two are also undergoing treatment at the hospital, an officer said.

The incident took place around 11 AM in front of Taki School in ward number 36 during polling, he said, adding that the three persons are voters of the area.

Kolkata, Dec 17 (PTI) The Calcutta High on Friday rejected an appeal by the BJP against a single bench order which directed that the state police - and not central forces - will provide security for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election on December 19.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj directed that the State Election Commission (SEC), with the help of the state authorities, will take all possible measures to boost the confidence of voters.

Kolkata, Dec 15 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asserted that the Trinamool Congress will defeat the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls due in 2024, and claimed that the saffron party would face similar drubbing that it had tasted in the last assembly polls in the state.

While addressing a rally for the December 19 Kolkata Municipal election (KMC) at Phoolbagan area in the city, Banerjee said her sole aim after returning to power for the third consecutive term in the state is to bring industry and generate jobs.

Hyderabad, Dec 14 (PTI): As many as 16 children from West Bengal, who were allegedly trafficked and engaged for labour work at a company near here, were on Tuesday rescued and three persons arrested, police said.

On receipt of credible information that children between the age of 13 to 16 years were detained and exploited for labour work in a packaging material firm in Nacharam, police teams raided the company and rescued 16 minor boys, a release from Rachakonda Police Commissionerate said.