Congress activist killed in West Bengal

September 7th, 2009 KOLKATA - A Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activist was killed by suspected Maoist rebels late Sunday night near the troubled Shalboni area of West Bengal's West Midnapore district, an official said Monday. This was the fifth party activist to be murdered since Saturday night.

August 17th, 2009 KOLKATA - A Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activist was shot dead by unidentified men Monday in South 24-Parganas district of West Bengal, police said. "Madar Ali Mollah was shot in his head in broad daylight today (Monday).

August 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - A worker each of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the opposition Congress were killed in a clash Sunday in Burdwan district of West Bengal, police said. The incident took place at Ketugram village of Burdwan district when two groups clashed.

July 28th, 2009 KOLKATA - Suspected Maoist guerrillas Tuesday killed a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activist at Tantidoba in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, police said. State Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) Kundan Lal Tamta told IANS on phone that the Maoist rebels had called a shutdown in Jalpaiguri to observe the death anniversary of Charu Mazumdar -- one of the founding fathers of the movement in India.

July 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - A Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activist was shot dead Wednesday by suspected Maoists in West Bengal's Belpahari region, police said. "Phagu Baskey was working in the fields this (Wednesday) morning near Belpahari area in West Midnapore district when a group of Maoist rebels killed him," police superintendent M.K Verma told IANS.

July 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - The West Bengal Congress Committee has called for a 12hour long statewide bandh on Friday, to protest against the alleged police atrocities on its workers during Thursday's 12 hour long shutdown. Congress called for 12hour long shut down on Thursday to protest against the attack on its MLA s in Mongalkote in Burdwan district on Wednesday.

June 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Friday said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which had alleged "semi-fascist" attacks on its cadres in West Bengal, has been the real perpetrator of unprecedented violence in the state for more than two decades. "If at all violence has been perpetrated in West Bengal, it has been by the left party and the workers of the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have been at the receiving end of the this violence," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters.

June 4th, 2009 KOLKATA - A Trinamool Congress activist was hacked to death and burnt in his house by miscreants in West Bengal's Hooghly district that partymen have blamed on the ruling CPI-M, sparking political tension in the area Thursday. Judhistir Dolui was killed by some local anti-socials who barged into his house and killed him using sharp weapons Wednesday night.

May 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Trinamool Congress Thursday demanded the imposition of president's rule in West Bengal, alleging there was complete breakdown of the constitutional machinery and people had lost confidence in the Left Front government there. 'The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front government has to come to an end in West Bengal.

April 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) faces a tough fight in the Lok Sabha elections but would get a majority of seats in West Bengal, the party's general secretary Prakash Karat said here Tuesday. 'We will have a tough battle in the elections, but we have faced situations in the past when the opposition had virtually come together without an alliance,' Karat told reporters in response to the Congress and Trinamool Congress joining hands in the state.

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 18th, 2009 KOLKATA - Activists of Trinamool Congress and Congress party organised a yagna here for the success of the alliance of these two parties in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha. This was consequent to the finalisation of the tie-up and sharing of seats between the two parties in West Bengal.

March 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Party will contest 14 out of 42 seats of West Bengal, where as its ally the Trinamool Congress (TC) will contest from 28 seats. Announcing the seat sharing agreement, AICC in-charge of West Bengal K Keshav Rao that they have entered into a seat sharing pact with the TC with the objective of ending the over 30 years of misrule of the CPI-M, which has shattered the economy of West Bengal.

March 7th, 2009 KOLKATA - Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) senior leader L.K. Advani Friday said the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have an 'unwritten agreement' in West Bengal and in national politics.

March 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal's main opposition party Trinamool Congress Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the state's voting schedule announced by the Election Commission. The poll panel Monday declared that the Lok Sabha election in northern Bengal will be held April 30.