Trinamool workers cheer Mamatas railway budget

September 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The central government has sought the West Bengal government's report after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that her Trinamool Congress party's workers were being targeted in the state, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday.

August 24th, 2009 Indo-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Monday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to withdraw an advertisement issued by the railways, saying it "alluded to the election symbol" of the rival Trinamool Congress. "This advertisement also carries your photograph, I was aghast to see the graphics in the advertisement that are alluding to the election symbol of the Trinamool Congress," senior CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said in a letter to Manmohan Singh.

August 1st, 2009 KOLKATA - Two Trinamool Congress activists received bullet injuries when they were attacked by a group of unknown assailants Saturday in West Bengal's North 24-Parganas district, police said. The incident sparked tension in the area as irate Trinamool Congress workers staged a road blockade before the local police station demanding the immediate arrest of the offenders.

July 4th, 2009 MUMBAI/KOLKATA - Commuters in Mumbai, by and large, have welcomed this year's Railway Budget, which Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee tabled in Parliament on Friday. Most of Mamata's 13.6 million local train commuters described the budget provisions from travel as satisfactory.

July 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - Terming it a "mixed' railway budget, West Bengal's ruling Left Front chairman Biman Bose criticised the privatisation schemes introduced in the new budgetary plans by Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday. "It's a mixed budget and the thrust is on more and more privatisation.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in parliament house Friday morning to present her ministry's budget for this fiscal, promising to address the demands of the average passenger. "My budget will be of the people, by the people and for the people," Banerjee told reporters before leaving for parliament house to present the railway budget in Lok Sabha, the lower house.

May 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Trinamool Congress, the second largest party in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), has got six ministers of state in the new government. Most have been given infrastructure ministry portfolios while party chief Mamata Banerjee is the railways minister.

May 13th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal's ruling Left Front (LF) Wednesday described the final phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state as 'peaceful' and accused the opposition Trinamool Congress of indulging in violence and trying to create tension by spreading rumours. 'The elections went peacefully apart from three-four sporadic incidents,' LF chairman Biman Bose said here.

April 4th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Trinamool Congress Saturday claimed that its chief Mamata Banerjee's convoy was stopped by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activists in West Bengal's Bankura district. The police have denied the party's version of the incident.

March 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - After days of rumblings among the grassroot workers of the Congress and Trinamool Congress about the alliance between the two parties, leaders of both outfits Tuesday called for a united effort to defeat the state's Communist-led Left Front in the Lok Sabha polls. 'I know there is discontent among Congress workers who feel our party has got fewer number of seats than it deserves.

March 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal Transport Minister and senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Subhas Chakraborty has said that 700-odd Trinamool Congress workers have joined the CPI-M in Howrah district's Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency. 'Around 700 Trinamool Congress activists have joined our party (CPI-M) before the Lok Sabha polls, as they were dissatisfied with the Trinamool's ideology,' Chakraborty claimed Saturday while addressing a political gathering.

March 10th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal Congress MLA Deepa Dasmunsi, the wife of union Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Monday claimed that grassroot party workers were unhappy with the seat-sharing deal with the Trinamool Congress. 'From what we've heard so far about the seat-sharing deal with the Trinamool Congress in the state, it seems it will be really tough for us to win in those constituencies.

February 12th, 2009 PATNA - It was like the festivals of Holi and Diwali being celebrated together on the streets of Patna as hundreds of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) workers smeared colour on each other and burst firecrackers to hail the interim Railway Budget presented by party chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in parliament Friday. The RJD chief's supporters, mostly workers and leaders of the party, also took out celebratory marches to the accompaniment of drums, shouted his praise and danced on the streets to popular tunes.

February 12th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Orissa has been neglected in interim railway budget presented by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad in Parliament Friday, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here. 'I am disappointed as Orissa has been neglected,' Patnaik told reporters here, adding that only one new express train was proposed to be introduced in the state in 2009-2010.

February 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Following are the highlights of the interim rail budget for next fiscal presented by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in Lok Sabha Friday: * Railways will create record surplus of Rs.900 billion (Rs.90,000 crore) this fiscal * In past five years, no burden imposed on train passengers * Railways managed 8 percent growth in freight loading * Drop in train accidents, railway safety enhanced