TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee. File. | Mr. m. in response to a summons in a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary school teachers.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee. File. | Mr. Banerjee arrived at the ED’s CGO Complex office at 11 a.m. in response to a summons in a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary school teachers. He left the office at night.“I was questioned for over eight hours yesterday [on Sunday] and for 11 hours today [Monday]. This is a 2023 case and I have appeared before the agency 10-12 times. I won’t say whether there is a political pressure or not. The less said of the BJP, the better. On the one side, they break our party and indulge in post-poll violence. Even if you slit my throat, I won’t cower down... I will appear before the agency if they summon me even in the future,” Mr. Banerjee said, while leaving the ED office.Officials said Mr. Banerjee was questioned over the alleged money trail in the scam. “He was asked questions regarding some financial documents, digital records, and statements of other accused to trace the alleged proceeds of crime. Investigators sought details about who handled the funds, how they were moved across accounts and entities, and whether these transactions were layered to conceal their origin,” said an officer on the request of anonymity.The ED questioning came a day after Mr. Banerjee was quizzed by the West Bengal CID in connection with the alleged forgery of Trinamool Congress MLAs’ signatures on documents related to the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly.He is also scheduled to appear before the CID again on Tuesday in connection with the same case. Meanwhile, a court in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district issued an arrest warrant on Monday against Sumit Roy, a close aide of Mr. Banerjee, in connection with an alleged land scam case.Mr. Roy, meanwhile, approached the Calcutta High Court seeking anticipatory bail. His counsel mentioned the matter before the Bench of Justice Joy Sengupta, and the plea is likely to come up for hearing later this week.Trinamool Congress MLA and former Minister Rathin Ghosh also appeared before the ED on Monday in connection with the alleged municipal recruitment scam. Former Minister Sujit Bose was arrested in the same case on May 11. Published - June 15, 2026 11:33 am IST
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (June 14, 2026) lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the U.S.' statements after three Indian sailors were killed in American attacks, saying "our compromised PM" listens like an "obedient servant" and complies with the "orders".Mr. Gandhi also said that "a compromised PM" will not defend the nation's honour because he is beholden to those who insult the country.His remarks come a day after the U.S. said it conveyed to India that any violation of its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveyed this to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who spoke with him on Friday (June 12, 2026) to lodge a strong protest against the death of Indian nationals in U.S. attacks on ships off the coast of Oman.In a post in Hindi on X, Mr. Gandhi said, "Just days after three Indian sailors were killed in American attacks there is neither regret nor apology. On the contrary, the U.S. continues to issue orders.""Read their words: 'Obey U.S. military orders immediately.' No violation 'will be tolerated'," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said."A sovereign nation would never tolerate such language. But our compromised PM? Silent. He listens like an obedient servant and complies with the orders," Mr. Gandhi said."A compromised PM will not defend the nation's honor because he is beholden to those who insult the country," he said.In another post in Hindi, Mr. Gandhi referred to the death of an Indian national due to medical complications aboard a vessel currently docked at the Duqm Port in Oman."Under a compromised PM, being an Indian means facing a wretched plight. Foreign powers kill our citizens. Our government meekly obeys orders like an obedient servant and our citizens are left to rot," he said."Bring this Indian home. Now," Mr. Gandhi said, tagging a post quoting the Indian captain of MT Celestial as saying that the body of his second officer is decomposing.The Indian national died due to medical complications aboard a vessel currently docked at the Duqm Port in Oman, according to the Indian embassy in Muscat.In a post on X on Saturday (June 13, 2026), the Indian mission identified the deceased as Nishanth Uirthanathan, who was on board MT Celestial when he passed away."Indian national Mr. Nishanth Uirthanathan passed away due to medical complications," it said, adding his mortal remains are currently on the vessel at the Duqm Port.The embassy said it has been in continuous contact with the ship management company and is coordinating with all concerned stakeholders."Necessary arrangements are being made for the early repatriation of the mortal remains to India," the embassy said, as it conveyed its condolences to the bereaved family.According to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, Secretary of State Rubio, in his call with Jaishankar, stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from U.S. forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait.Mr. Rubio underscored that violations of the U.S. blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated, Pigott said in Washington.The U.S. has imposed a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz since April 13, preventing transit of ships to and from the ports of the Islamic Republic as part of its efforts to restrict Tehran from profiting from oil trade.Three vessels with Indian crew came under attack off the Oman coast this week. One of them resulted in the death of three Indian seafarers on Wednesday (June 10, 2026).Mr. Jaishankar then called Mr. Rubio to protest their death in a U.S. military strike on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman.Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified, Mr. Jaishankar had said in a post on X after he spoke with Mr. Rubio.Earlier on Friday (June 12, 2026), India summoned U.S. Charge d'Affaires Jason Meeks in New Delhi and told him that the Ame
TMC Crisis Live: Abhishek Banerjee meets Rahul Gandhi, rebel ex-TMC MP meets Himanta Sarma India Today Mamata and Sonia hold talks on strategy, discuss alliance for future polls The Hindu Abhishek Banerjee meets Rahul Gandhi in Delhi amid Trinamool crisis The Indian Express Mamata Banerjee holds 50-minute talk with Sonia Gandhi amid INDIA bloc unity push Telegraph India Mamata meets Sonia amid rebellion in Trinamool ThePrint
About 90 tonnes of raw chicken waste allegedly being transported illegally from Hyderabad to parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for use as fish feed was seized during a joint operation by the Hyderabad City Police Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Monday, June 8.The operation, carried out early on Monday, targeted godowns in Amberpet, Kulsumpura, Attapur and Rajendranagar. During simultaneous raids, officials seized seven transport vehicles that were allegedly being used to move poultry waste without the required permissions.According to investigators, the operators were collecting chicken waste from various poultry and meat shops across Hyderabad and transporting it illegally instead of sending it to the designated rendering facility at Chengicherla.Police said the waste was being transported without valid licences to locations including Bhimavaram, Eluru, Bheemadolu and Undi in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, as well as Mall in Nalgonda district, where it was allegedly intended for use as feed in commercial fish ponds and tanks.Cases have been registered at the respective police stations against those involved, and further legal action is being initiated.The seized chicken waste was subsequently disposed of by GHMC veterinary officials in accordance with prescribed procedures.The operation was conducted under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Task Force, Hyderabad. H-FAST officers and GHMC veterinary doctors participated in the raids.Issuing a public advisory, Hyderabad Police cautioned fish farmers and the public against the use of raw poultry waste as fish feed, stating that the practice is prohibited and poses serious public health risks.Officials said improper handling and use of decomposing poultry waste could introduce biological contaminants into the food chain and urged citizens and meat shop owners to report any illegal storage, transport or dumping of poultry waste to the authorities. Published - June 08, 2026 08:53 pm IST
Dr. Rahul Devraj has been appointed as the Director of the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, for a term of three years. Photo: Special Arrangement Dr. Rahul Devraj has been appointed as the Director of the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, for a term of three years. Dr. Devraj succeeds Dr. Nagari Bheerappa, who was appointed Director of the premier tertiary care institute in June 2023.The appointment was made through a Government Order (G.O.) issued by Health Secretary Christina Z. Chongthu.A senior urologist, Dr. Devraj currently serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Urology at NIMS. He is among the institute’s senior faculty members and has been associated with its clinical, academic and administrative activities for several years. Published - June 07, 2026 03:32 pm IST
Children revel the first monsoon showers in Hyderabad on Saturday (June 06, 2026) | What began as a bright and sunny day quickly turned overcast after 3 p.m., with dark clouds gathering over the city before heavy showers lashed several localities. While Hyderabad has experienced cloudy skies and intermittent drizzle over the past week, Saturday’s downpour marked the first significant spell of rain ahead of the monsoon season.The rainfall was reported in several areas, including Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Mehdipatnam, Serilingampally, Miyapur, Rajendranagar, Attapur and parts of the Old City. The showers led to waterlogging at multiple locations and slowed vehicular movement during the evening hours.Traffic congestion in parts of HyderabadTraffic congestion was reported near the Shaikpet flyover, on the P.V. Narasimha Rao Expressway towards Aramghar, and in areas such as Nanal Nagar and Tolichowki, where rainwater accumulated on roads.Traffic police personnel from Hyderabad, Rachakonda and Malkajgiri commissionerates were deployed at major junctions to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Disaster Response Force (DRF) personnel from Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) were seen clearing waterlogging in many areas.According to data from Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS), as of 5 p.m., Shaikpet recorded the highest rainfall of 34 mm followed by 20.5 mm in Golconda, 17 mm in Barkas, 15.8 mm in Langar Houz, 15.3 mm in Mehdipatnam, 15 mm in Rajendranagar, 14.5 mm in Gachibowli, 13.3 mm in Chandrayangutta, 12.5 mm in Attapur, 11.5 mm in Hafeezpet, 10.8 mm in Banjara Hills and 10.3 mm in Hayathnagar. Published - June 06, 2026 05:55 pm IST
The rout in the West Bengal Assembly election has thrown the Trinamool Congress (TMC) into a tailspin. TMC rebel Ritabrata Banerjee has been formally recognised as Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Legislative Assembly after claiming the support of 58 of the 80 MLAs of the party. Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s national general secretary and nephew of Mamata Banerjee, had written to the Speaker naming veteran Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as LoP. Ritabrata Banerjee challenged that decision, with some encouragement and support from the ruling BJP. The TMC had earlier expelled Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, both TMC MLAs, accusing them of anti-party activities after they complained to the Speaker that their signatures on Abhishek Banerjee’s letter had been forged. Assembly officials found discrepancies between signatures on the submitted documents and those recorded during the oath-taking of newly elected MLAs, and the government has ordered a CID investigation. Ritabrata Banerjee framed his elevation as LoP as a “collective fight against individualism”, pointedly declaring that the resistance was directed at Abhishek Banerjee and pledging loyalty to Mamata Banerjee — at least for public consumption. TMC functionaries are quitting the party in large numbers, even as its workers and leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee, continue to face physical violence.Having been in power for three consecutive terms, the TMC’s collapse has long been in the making, thanks to corruption, authoritarian governance, suppression of dissent, and violence against women. While all this had steadily eroded public confidence in both the administration and the party, the expanding role of Abhishek Banerjee alienated a generation of senior leaders who had built the party from the ground up. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari — the BJP’s first in the State — was once among Mamata Banerjee’s most trusted lieutenants. He resented the rise of the nephew, and was also vulnerable to pressure from central agencies that were investigating serious corruption cases against him. The TMC had no qualms about using state resources, local administrations, and police machinery for its power, but it could not withstand the BJP which is willing to stretch the rules of the game even further. In the TMC versus TMC fight, there will be protracted legal tussles over the status of the two groups that claim to be the legitimate TMC. This episode also highlights West Bengal’s decades-long toxic political culture, marked by violence and opportunism. The new LoP was earlier a Marxist leader who defected to the TMC. The BJP has openly stated that several newly elected TMC MLAs wanted to join the party. They seem, instead, to have captured the TMC in the Assembly — a rather curious case of political consensus. Published - June 06, 2026 12:20 am IST
BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya. File | Claiming that the Modi government was facing an “institutional revolt”, at the Congress’s National Adivasi Professional Conclave, Mr. Gandhi had said an unprecedented “economic tsunami” was set to hit India as the BJP government had removed protections against international shocks, and its control over institutions had collapsed.BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya retorted sharply through a post on X. “Every few months, he [Mr. Gandhi] unveils a new conspiracy theory. First, democracy was over. Then institutions were captured. Then election rigging. Now we are told that an Emergency is coming and an economic tsunami is around the corner. At some point, one has to ask: is Rahul Gandhi interested in facts, or is he simply manufacturing fear and chaos because he cannot explain his party’s repeated electoral failures?,” he said.“According to Rahul Gandhi, the Chief Election Commissioner, intelligence chiefs, judges, institutions, and practically everyone in the system have been secretly working for him for the last three years, constantly feeding him information. Yet, despite having this extraordinary network, his party keeps losing elections and shrinking politically. Not a single allegation of election rigging has been proven in court. Not one,” said Mr. Malviya.Stating that Mr. Gandhi’s claim about impending “economic tsunami” was nothing but a “classic fear-mongering”, he said: “If India’s shock absorbers had truly been removed, why is the economy continuing to show resilience despite elevated crude prices, conflict in West Asia, supply chain disruptions, global financial tightening and persistent geopolitical uncertainty?”‘Stronger reserves’He said although India was facing an external shock, it was not defenceless as the shock absorbers had been built over the last decade. The country was facing global headwinds with “stronger reserves, lower inflation, better infrastructure spending, stronger domestic demand, record FDI inflows, substantial food buffers and targeted support for MSMEs [Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises] and industry,” said Mr. Malviya.Listing the indicators of India’s resilient economy, he cited the latest data on e-way bill generation, Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, and electricity consumption.“Urban auto sales rose 11.8% in April, while rural auto sales grew an even stronger 13.8%. Retail inflation remained contained at 3.48% in April — below the RBI’s 4% target. Rice and wheat buffer stocks stood at 817.53 lakh tonnes at the end of April, providing a strong food security cushion. Gross FDI inflows touched a historic high of $94.5 billion in FY26,” he said.“Forex reserves remain comfortable...Strong services exports continue to support external stability and narrow the trade deficit,” he said. The BJP leader said when global crude prices surged, excise duty cuts on petrol and diesel cushioned consumers and supply-side interventions and export restrictions were used whenever necessary.Quoting the figures from the Congress-led UPA period, he said: “That was the real removal of shock absorbers...The Modi government strengthened India before, during and after repeated shocks, COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, crude spikes, global rate hikes, supply-chain disruptions and now instability in West Asia.”Despite facing multiple black swan events, India had remained the world’s fastest-growing major economy, moved from the “Fragile Five” to the top five economies, Mr. Malviya said. Published - June 04, 2026 10:10 pm IST
TMC national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee. | The court has granted him permission. The matter may be heard later this week.The legal team representing TMC has appealed the court challenging the case. Mr. Banerjee’s counsel reportedly argued that the senior TMC leader had no connection to the case and sought protection from any coercive action against him. A vacation Bench of Justice Apurba Sinha Ray of the Calcutta High Court has allowed the matter to be heard on Friday (June 5), sources said.Two TMC MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee (Uluberia Purba) and Sandipan Saha (Entally), had filed an official complaint with the West Bengal Assembly Speaker, stating that Mr. Banerjee had forged multiple signatures in a letter declaring the party choice for the Leader of Opposition as Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay. The letter, submitted by Abhishek Banerjee on May 20, to announce the party’s decisions on the LoP and Chief Whip posts for the Assembly, carried the signatures of approximately 70 MLAs approving the choice. However, nearly 12 names in these were highlighted in bold. Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha alleged that these signatures were forged, and claimed that many MLAs like them were not involved in the LoP selection process. Minutes after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that the two TMC MLAs complaints led to the FIR and summons against Mr. Banerjee, the two MLAs were expelled from TMC. The CID team had summoned the TMC’s second-in-command and asked him to appear in Bhawani Bhawan (WB Police headquarters) on June 1. However, he did not appear before the CID officials and asked for a 15-day extension citing health issues. CID officials had also visited his residence. This controversy has also triggered a major rift in the Trinamool Congress with rumours of split in the party. Reports suggest around 50 MLAs had a meeting with expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and may together deflect from the party. However, Ritabrata Banerjee has no confirmed the speculations. Senior Bharatiya Janta Party leader Tapas Roy, on the other hand, has claimed that TMC is looking at a massive split in the party and can end up in a situation like the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Published - June 03, 2026 02:26 pm IST
TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh speaks to the media, in Kolkata, West Bengal, on May 31, 2026. | .TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh attributed the absence of MLAs to the "sudden and emergent ground situation" in the wake of Saturday's (May 30, 2026) attack on TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and the subsequent alleged assault on party MP Kalyan Banerjee on Sunday (May 31, 2026)."The meeting was pre-scheduled. However, in the aftermath of the attacks on our leaders, our MLAs are organising protest programmes at the ground level, following which severe police action has been unleashed on our workers. The absentee MLAs, who are stuck with managing the ground situation, assisting our workers who have been arrested, had informed the legislative party of the developments and requested if the meeting could be temporarily postponed," Mr. Ghosh told reporters outside former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence, where the meeting was scheduled to take place.Mr. Ghosh said that in the wake of that "legitimate request" from legislators, the Trinamool legislative party decided to call off the meeting "for the time being". Some 20 MLAs had arrived at the venue of the meeting, which was scheduled to start at 3 p.m."We will hold this meeting at a later date, the details of which will be duly communicated to our MLAs. All our legislators have communicated that they are firmly standing with the party during these difficult times," Mr. Ghosh said.Party sources said that despite the scant presence of leaders, Ms. Banerjee held informal talks with those present at the meeting.Mr. Ghosh, however, communicated twin decisions taken by the party to heighten protests against the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government over the next 48 hours."We have asked our leaders to organise protest rallies at block levels in rural areas and at the municipal wards in the state's urban pockets on Monday, June 1. The rallies will decry the attacks on our leaders Abhishek Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee and all our workers who are victims of BJP's post-poll terror," Mr. Ghosh said.The TMC's Beleghata MLA also announced the party's day-long sit-in in central Kolkata, which will be led by Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (June 2, 2026)."The one-day symbolic sit-in protest will be held at the Rani Rashmoni Road protest site in Esplanade against the ongoing post-poll violence and the inhumane hawker eviction that are being carried out by means of bulldozers across the state," he said.The subsequent political programmes of our party will be announced from the dharna platform on June 2, he added. Published - May 31, 2026 07:56 pm IST
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