Bengal industrialists in race to praise Mamata

August 21st, 2009 KOLKATA - Singur, Nandigram seemed pass, as leading industrialists from West Bengal vied with one another Friday in showering encomiums on Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee for initiating various development activities after taking over the crucial portfolio. From RPG Enterprises vice-chairman Sanjiv Goenka to Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) eastern region president C.K.Dhanuka, almost the entire who's who of West Bengal's industry were present during a candid open session with Banerjee.

August 21st, 2009 KOLKATA - In a bid to shed her anti-industry image ahead of yhe West Bengal Assembly elections two years from now, Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee met industry captains Friday and invited them to partner the railways in commercial ventures. Singur, Nandigram seemed pass, as leading industrialists of the state vied with one another in showering praises on the railways minister for initiating various development activities after taking over the crucial portfolio.

July 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - After its land acquisition for industry went wrong twice, and with adverse consequences for it, the West Bengal government Thursday said henceforth the industrialists will have to directly purchase land from farmers. The government will no more acquire land for industries, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta told the state assembly.

May 17th, 2009 KOLKATA - A day after her alliance's spectacular showing in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had an unexpected visitor Sunday - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's sister Preetam Kaur. Preetam Kaur and her husband called on Banerjee at her spartan Kalighat residence in south Kolkata and congratulated her on the victory of the Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance over the ruling Left Front in West Bengal.

May 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the verdict in the 2009 general elections in West Bengal was a vote against the continuance of Left rule. Thanking the people of Bengal for their support and for coming out and voting "despite atrocities by the CPI(M)", she said the people had shown support for change in the state.

May 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - Rejoicing at her victory in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Saturday said despite so many brutal killings and the Left's efforts to stop people from voting, 'we have won'. 'This victory is that of the people despite the attempts of the CPI-M, the party that killed our political workers,' Banerjee told reporters here.

April 25th, 2009 KOLKATA - Describing her as a 'lady of the people' and 'genuine grassroots person', Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Saturday lavished praise on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and said he would like to meet her. Recalling his fond memories of Banerjee when he was small, Rahul Gandhi said: 'I met her when I was small.

April 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Wednesday filed her nomination papers from the Kolkata-South constituency in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections. Mamata was accompanied by senior Trinamool leaders Partha Chattopadhyay, Kalyan Banerjee, Sovan Deb Chattapadhyay and nearly 300-odd supporters.

April 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It was an unusual sight. Residents of South Kolkata were startled to find hundreds of Mamata Banerjees walking in a procession, canvassing for votes for the Trinamool Congress chief.

April 12th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will share the campaign platform with Congress president Sonia Gandhi April 27 at a rally in West Bengal's Jangipur, from where External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha. This was decided at a late Saturday meeting between Mukherjee and Mamata at the former's south Kolkata residence.

March 28th, 2009 KOLKATA - To consolidate her political strength before the Lok Sabha elections, chief of West Bengal's principal opposition party, Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee Saturday left for northern West Bengal to address two party conferences in the foothills of the Himalayan region. 'I am going to north Bengal where I will address workers' two conferences at Dinhata in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar in Jalpaiguri district,' Banerjee told reporters here at her south Kolkata residence.

March 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A group of Trinamool Congress workers came all the way from Nadia district in West Bengal and held a demonstration before the spartan single-storey residence of party chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, asking for poll nominations. This prompted a top party leader to say: 'Just because 'didi' (Banerjee) is so approachable and lives in a shabby house, you had the guts to come here.

March 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday fielded a woman candidate against Mamata Banerjee for the Lok Sabha's Kolkata South seat after Trinamool Congress snapped ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to team up with the Congress in West Bengal. BJP sources here said the party's state Mahila Morcha (women's wing) president Jyotsna Banerjee has been nominated for the prestigious constituency.

January 16th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Three days after he hogged the limelight with the country's top industrialists calling him prime minister material, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said he was not in the race for the top post and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s senior leader L.K. Advani was the only candidate.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Terming 'Vibrant Gujarat' a 'myth', the Congress party Wednesday asked captains of industry to desist from praising Chief Minister Narendra Modi. 'Vibrant Gujarat is a myth, it is a creation of Modi and the (ruling) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).