Petition seeks Madan Mitra’s removal from WB Cabinet
Kolkata: A petition was on Friday filed in the Calcutta High Court seeking removal of Madan Mitra from the post of state Transport Minister as he is in jail in the Saradha chit fund case. Lawyer Subhrojit Bahaduri filed the PIL claiming that a person who is in jail cannot hold the position of a minister as it is “unconstitutional”. He cannot also perform his duties as a minister from behind the bars, the petitioner said. Stating that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not yet removed Mitra from her cabinet, the petitioner prayed for the court’s intervention to direct the state government to remove Mitra. The minister was arrested on December 12 by the CBI and is under judicial custody. (PTI)
Two sisters set themselves ablaze in UP; one dead
Bijnor: Two sisters set themselves ablaze after two youths allegedly refused to marry them, leading to death of one and seriously injuring the other, police said on Friday. The two sisters, aged 21 and 19 years, poured kerosene and set themselves on fire after locking their room on Thursday at village Alampur Gaonri in Afzalgarh area, police said. One sister had died by the time people rushed to rescue them. The other was rushed to the hospital where her condition was stated to be serious, they said. Police said the sisters were allegedly in a relationship with youths, Faisal and Nauman of neighbouring village Bhagi Jot, and had eloped with them about 10 days ago. When they four later returned to the village the elders of the community asked the youths to marry the girls to settle the issue but Thursday afternoon the youths and their family members reached village and turned down the proposal questioning their character, police said. Stung by the allegations the sisters set themselves, they said. SHO Afzalgarh Desh Pal Singh said efforts are on to nab the two youths who have been accused of abetment of suicide and added the matter was being probed further. (PTI)
Serious erosion in party’s support base: CPI-M leader
Kottayam: Striking a self-critical note, CPI(M) politburo member M A Baby on Friday said there has been a serious erosion in the party’s support base as reflected in the Lok Sabha polls last year and it was essential to introspect the reasons for this and take corrective steps. CPI(M) could have performed better in Kerala and it is facing the biggest challenge in West Bengal, he said in his opening address at a party meeting at Ettumannur near here. “There is serious erosion in the party’s support base. The party had received its severest drubbing in history in the last Lok Sabha polls. The party should attempt a self- critical analysis to ascertain the reasons for that,” he said. Baby said there was no point in boasting about the LDF in Kerala having doubled its tally by winning eight seats this time from four in 2004 Parliament polls as it could have performed much better given the circumstances in the state. Significantly, the most glaring loss suffered by the CPI(M) in Kerala was the defeat of Baby himself in his home turf Kollam at the hands of RSP’s N K Premachandran. The state unit of the RSP had left the LDF and joined the Congress-led UDF on the eve of the polls. (PTI)
Jayalalithaa names replacement candidate for bypolls
Chennai: Tiruchirappalli Joint District Secretary S Valarmathi was on Friday declared as the candidate for Srirangam constituency previously held by AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa who was disqualified following conviction in a graft case, for the Februray 13 by-elections. Jayalalithaa in a statement here announced the candidature of Valarmathi. The prestigious constituency, home to famous Lord Sri Ranganthar temple is set for a multi-cornered contest with DMK re-nominating N Anand who was defeated by Jayalalithaa in 2011 and BJP making it clear that it will also contest the by-election. The bypoll necessitated following Jayalalithaa’s conviction in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case and her subsequent disqualification will be seen as a report card for the four-year-old AIADMK government and an exercise of self-assessment for DMK and BJP ahead of assembly elections scheduled early next year. While DMK has just completed its organisational polls and all set to face elections under its 90-year-old President M Karunanidhi, BJP wants to continue with its Modi wave, although the coalition led by the party could win only two of the 39 seats in last year’s Lok Sabha elections with AIADMK sweeping the rest of the seats. (PTI)