Kolkata, July 31 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday issued notices to three Trinamool Congress leaders, whose residences and offices were raided by the central agency in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution case in West Bengal.

All three have been asked to be present for questioning at ED’s office in the Central Government Office (CGO) Complex on the northern outskirts of Kolkata by Friday.

The two of them who have been summoned are Trinamool Congress’ block president at Deganga in North 24 Parganas district Anisur Rahaman a.k.a. Bidesh and his brother and party associate Alif Nur a.k.a. Mukul.

On Tuesday, a team of ED officials accompanied by Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel conducted marathon raid and search operations at the office PG High Tech Rice Mill at Berachampa under Deganga community development block in North 24 Parganas district, an entity owned by Bidesh and Mukul.

The two brothers, as revealed through investigation, are also the cousins of businessman Bakibur Rahman, the first to be arrested by the ED officials in the case.

The third person to whom ED has issued notice for interrogation is businessman Abdul Barik Biswas, who is alleged to have close links with Trinamool Congress through his brother and sister-in-law, who are former and existing Trinamool Congress zilla parishad members from North 24 Parganas district respectively.

On Tuesday, the ED official conducted a massive raid and search operation at the three residences of Biswas at Rajarhat, Basirhat and Barasat, all in North 24 Parganas, in connection with the case.

The ED officials also seized Rs 290 lakh from Biswas’ Rajarhat residence.

Biswas has past criminal records and he was arrested and jailed for alleged association with gold smuggling.

After being released on bail he started multiple businesses like rice mill, cola trading, brick kiln and transport.

–IANS

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Chennai, July 31 (IANS) The AIADMK General Secretary and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami has hit out at the ruling DMK government’s decision to increase the building plan permit charges.

The AIADMK leader has demanded the restoration of the old permit charges across the state and added that the people of the state were suffering from the spike in charges.

In a statement on Wednesday, Palaniswami said that for building a house of 1,000 square feet in Chennai, the charges of Rs 46,000 had been hiked to Rs 1 lakh.

He added that in Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruppur, the charges have been increased from Rs 42,000 to Rs 88,000, and in Tiruchi, Salem and Tambaram from Rs 30,000 to Rs 84,000.

He said that in other urban municipal bodies and village panchayats, the charges were revised even further.

AMMK leader, T.T.V. Dhinakaran, has lashed out against the purpose of holding a round of the Indian Racing Festival Chennai from August 30 till September 1.

Dhinakaran has asked why the State Sports and Youth Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was keen on holding the event and what benefit the racing festival would have for the people.

–IANS

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Bengaluru, July 31 (IANS) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday expressed strong resentment over the BJP’s decision to include former MLA from Hassan, Preetham Gowda in its foot march to Mysuru.

Union Minister Kumaraswamy lashed out saying how was it possible for him to share the dais with Preetham Gowda who had distributed pen drives in connection with the sex video scandal involving Prajwal Revanna.

Union Minister Kumaraswamy’s nephew Prajwal Revanna is the main accused in the sex videos case and he is presently in jail.

Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Union Minister Kumaraswamy, expressing strong outrage over the call to include Preetham Gowda in the BJP’s foot march to Mysuru, questioned, “Is it possible to share a platform with someone who has poisoned former PM HD Deve Gowda’s (his father) family?

“Are you inviting someone like Preetham Gowda, who is intent on destroying Deve Gowda’s family, to the meeting which I am attending?

“Don’t you know who distributed the pen drives? Election alliances are one thing; politics is another.”

“The core committee, chaired by GT Deve Gowda, decided in Bengaluru on Tuesday that JD(S) should not participate in the foot march. BJP leaders have decided to go ahead with the march and are preparing for it,” he stated.

Kumaraswamy expressed dissatisfaction, stating, “Why should we support it if we are not taken into confidence? Our party has strength from Bengaluru to Mysuru. How can they decide not to take us into consideration?”

He expressed disappointment, saying, “I am saddened by this matter. Why should we support the foot march? Who is this Preetam Gowda? We know who distributed pen drives on the streets of Hassan. This person has poisoned Deve Gowda’s family. How can we share a platform with such a person?”

Preetham Gowda, a young gun from the party had won the Hassan seat for the BJP for the first time since 1999 breaking the dominance of the Deve Gowda family in 2018.

The JD(S) had earlier won the seat for three terms successively. In 2023, the JD(S) candidate Swaroop Prakash had won with a thin margin of 7,854 votes.

–IANS

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Kolkata, July 31 (IANS) Calcutta High Court on Wednesday issued notices to all parties concerned acting on an election petition filed by Rekha Patra, the BJP candidate from Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal in the last Lok Sabha elections,

On Wednesday, the single-judge bench of Justice Krishna Rao, besides issuing the order to serve notices to all parties concerned directed the preservation of all election-related documents including EVMs, postal ballots and CCTV footage among others.

The next date of hearing in the matter has been scheduled for September 4.

Patra was the first among the two BJP candidates to file an election petition at the Calcutta High Court on June 25 accusing the winning Trinamool Congress candidate Haji Nurul Islam of suppressing information to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and thus adopting an “immoral” stance while contesting the election.

In her petition, she also alleged election malpractices on the polling days. Haji Nurul Islam being the main party in the election petition by Patra, his name is among the parties to whom notices will be served as per the order of the Calcutta High Court.

The BJP candidate from Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency in West Midnapore district Hiran Chatterjee too filed an election petition at Calcutta High Court alleging massive rigging and election malpractices on the polling day.

Chatterjee is currently an elected BJP legislator from the Kharagpur (Sadar) assembly constituency also in the West Midnapore district.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, July 31 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday announced that Mucherla on the outskirts of Hyderabad will be developed as a future city.

He told the state Assembly that after Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Cyberabad, Mucherla in Ranga Reddy district will be the fourth city. “This fourth city will be our future city,” he said while intervening during a debate on the Appropriation Bill.

Announcing plans to connect Rajiv Gandhi International Airport with the proposed city, he said Mucherla would be the go-to destination for global investors.

He said the future city would be the hub for healthcare, jobs, skills and sports including international cricketing events.

The Chief Minister said Skill University was also coming up at Mucherla to impart job skills to the youth.

He said the future city would also have a health tourism hub with speciality hospitals to cater to the healthcare needs of not just people of the state but also hundreds of patients coming from the Middle East and other countries.

The Chief Minister made the announcement when Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA and former minister K. T. Rama Rao requested the government to review its decision to scrap the pharma city proposed at Mucherla by the previous BRS government.

Revanth Reddy remarked that the present government would develop a city at Mucherla. “You had planned Pharma City but we will develop pharma villages and ensure that there is no problem of pollution,” he said.

Taking exceptions to remarks made by Rama Rao, the Chief Minister said he was using the time given to him to mislead the house.

The BRS leader is implanting deceptive thoughts in people’s minds in the guise of suggestions. KTR has his own experiences in the 10-year rule and people also have their own, he said.

“People gave the mandate to us after people had bitter experiences. Those who ruled for 10 years are criticising the government which has not yet completed even 10 months,” he said.

The Chief Minister also wanted to know why the previous government did not give permission for MMTS connectivity to the airport which could have provided a good facility for the general public.

Revanth Reddy revealed that the Central government has proposed MMTS rail connective to the airport Shamshabad.

“Since there is MMTS connectivity to Humnabad, an expansion of 2.5 km would have connected it to the airport but the then BRS government refused to give land for the same,” he said.

The Chief Minister alleged that the BRS government instead proposed Metro Rail from HITEC City to the airport to benefit some people.

–IANS

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