The CPI(M) central leadership’s decision to launch a nationwide movement for the protection of the land of the farmers and demand the repeal of the Land Acquisition Act 1894 have come as a shot in the arm of the arch rivals, Trinamul Congress. “Prakash Karat and his comrades have now realised what our leader Mamata Banerjee said four years ago in Singur: The state government should not acquire any land without the consent of its owner,” Trinamul Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee

Putting all speculation to rest, railway minister Mamata Banerjee made it clear on Wednesday that she has no intention of resigning following a spurt in train accidents during her tenure.

After sharing the dais at a function hosted by the railways and Kolkata Port Trust, Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and railway minister Mamata Banerjee together went to meet West Bengal governor M.K. Narayanan on Friday. This is the first time the two leaders visited Raj Bhavan together. They were closeted with Mr Narayanan for nearly an hour, after which Mr Mukherjee stayed on at Raj Bhavan.

Leaving the pre-civic polls acrimony behind, Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and railway minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday not only shared stage at a high-profile programme of the Railways and Kolkata Port Trust but they also jointly met governor M.K. Narayanan. This is the first time that the two leaders visited the Raj Bhavan together. They were closeted with Mr Narayanan for nearly an hour. Mr Mukherjee spent some more time at the Raj Bhavan after Ms Banerjee left.

There is absolutely no chance of a turnaround in the Left Front’s fortunes and it should prepare itself to occupy the Opposition benches after the next Assembly elections. This prophecy of doom was made not by Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, but by a Left Front partner, West Bengal Socialist Party chief Kirnamoy Nanda. His

Buoyed by her party’s victory in the civic polls, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday renewed her demand for early Assembly elections. “These results are a clear vote of no trust against the Left Front which has lost its moral right to rule the state,” she said, adding that it should step down and seek fresh mandate

Was it a bomb blast which led to the derailment of the Gyaneshwari Express? Or were the 13 coaches of the ill-fated train derailed following the removal of fish plates and the cutting of a portion of railway tracks?

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung entered Darjeeling and even addressed a small rally but not before his convoy was briefly stopped by an angry mob in Ghum, nearly 10 kilometres from Darjeeling. Mr Gurung was accompanied by party general secretary Roshan Giri and an army of supporters who travelled in a convoy of nearly 50 vehicles from his hometown Kalimpong to Darjeeling.

The hills on Friday were once again on the boil following the brutal assassination of Gorkha leader and Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League president Madan Tamang. He was killed, allegedly by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) supporters, in Darjeeling. The murder has resulted in enormous tension in all three sub-divisions — Darjeeling,

West Bengal’s Left-Front government on Friday squarely blamed the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha for the murder of Gorkha leader and Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League president Madan Tamang.