There is no question of any further division of Bengal: Mukherjee

October 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday made it clear at a press conference at the WBPCC headquarters here that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral part of India and that the assembly elections held there under the Indian Constitution on Tuesday proved it beyond doubt. He also rejected China's objection to the Prime Minister, Dr.

July 18th, 2009 KOLKATA - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Saturday said the West Bengal government should make efforts to restore peace and normalcy in violence-affected Mongolkote region of Burdwan district. "Many of our party workers have fled Mongolkote and they are now staying outside.

June 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday defended his decision to despatch the Central forces to Lalgarh in West Bengal, signifying Centre's commitment to provide security personnel to any state government which requests for them. "If any state government requests for paramilitary or other Central forces to tackle difficult law and order situations by following constitutional norms, the Central government will send them," said Pranab Mukherjee.

May 29th, 2009 KOLKATA - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee held a 45-minute meeting here Friday night but they did not speak to the media. The duo met at the NSC Bose International Airport, where Mukherjee flew in after a day's visit to his Lok Sabha constituency of Jangipur in Murshidabad district.

May 28th, 2009 KOLKATA - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Thursday refused to accept felicitation from Congress workers in view of the devastation triggered by cyclone Aila in large parts of West Bengal early this week. "This is not the time to accept any felicitation as many people are badly affected by the cyclone Aila in a number of West Bengal districts.

May 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - After the Congress-Trinamool alliance's body blow to West Bengal's ruling Left in the hustings, Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday said that Trinamool Congress supreme Mamata Banerjee could be the next chief minister of the state. In an interview to NDTV news channel, Mukherjee, the West Bengal state Congress president, said it was possible that Banerjee would emerge as the next head of the state after the electoral rout of the Left after three decades.

May 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - External Affairs Minister and Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee was Saturday re-elected from Jangipur in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. Mukherjee won by a margin of 128,149 votes over his nearest rival, Mriganka Bhattacharya of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

May 11th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Left will join a secular, non-BJP, non-Congress government at the centre if its based on the right economic and foreign policies, has the interests of the poor, the working class and wherein, the Left can play a meaningful role, according to West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. He pointed out that the Party Congress had taken this decision following the 'historic blunder' when Jyoti Basu was not allowed to become the Prime Minister because the Left decided against joining the then government.

May 7th, 2009 JANGIPUR - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Thursday that the voter turnout was very high - around 70 percent - in his largely rural West Bengal constituency that the senior Congress leader is hoping to retain. Mukherjee told reporters: 'The exact polling percentage is not yet available and officials do not know yet...

April 22nd, 2009 HOWRAH - Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Tuesday called up Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee and clarified that he had not left the United Progressive Alliance, Mukherjee said at an election meeting here. Lalu's telephone call to the external affairs minister came hours after the two engaged in verbal fisticuffs while addressing election meetings.

April 20th, 2009 KOLKATA - In a move to could indicate future Trinamool Congress alliance with Congress, party chief Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress have shared a platform for the first time. Addressing an election rally Dinajpur region of West Bengal, both the leaders harshly criticized ruling left parties.

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.

April 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has rejected BJP claims that the United Progressive Alliance is falling apart. On Sunday, Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi that all the constituents of the alliance except PMK are still with the UPA.

March 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee hopes of popular mandate in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha. After meeting with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee here on Saturday, Mukherjee asserted that the people of West Bengal would give their support to the alliance in the parliamentary elections.

February 5th, 2009 KOLKATA - State Tourism Minister Manabendra Mukherjee Friday alleged that the central government is promoting and marketing many tourist destinations but neglecting West Bengal. 'The central government is always promoting and marketing Delhi, Agra and Goa as tourist destinations.