Assam TMC president Ripun Bora quits party
Guwahati, Sep 1: Assam Trinamool Congress president Ripun Bora on Sunday resigned from the party, claiming that the people of the northeastern state consider it as a "regional party" of West Bengal and are "not willing to accept" it as their own.
In a letter to All India Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Bora, a former Rajya Sabha member, said he had offered many suggestions to party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to make TMC acceptable in Assam, but those were "not implemented".
"Assam TMC has great potential, but several recurring issues have hindered our progress, including the perception of TMC as a regional party of West Bengal. To counter this perception, we made several suggestions," Bora said in his resignation letter.
Bora claimed that he had suggested the need for an Assamese leader at the national level of TMC, declaring the residence of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika at Tollygunge in Kolkata as a heritage site and converting the Madhupur Satra in Cooch Behar to a cultural hub.
"Despite my repeated attempts over the past year and a half to secure an appointment with you and our chief Mamata Didi to address these concerns, I have been unsuccessful," said Bora, former Assam minister and state Congress president.
Bora said that he has served as the state president of Assam TMC for over two years and during this period, he interacted extensively with people across the state.
"Unfortunately, the issues mentioned above have led many people in Assam to continue viewing TMC as a regional party of West Bengal. The people of Assam are not willing to accept a party that they perceive as being from another state.
"In light of these challenges and the lack of an adequate resolution, I feel compelled to make a difficult decision and have decided to disassociate myself from TMC," said Bora, who had switched over to the TMC from Congress in April 2022.
He expressed gratitude to Mamata Banerjee for allowing him to lead Assam TMC and lauded her for the "uncompromising fight against fascist and communal forces".
"My decision to resign is not borne out of grievances but rather due to circumstances beyond my control. I will continue to fight against communal and fascist forces on a personal level. Please consider this letter as my formal resignation from the party membership," he said.
Bora claimed that under his leadership, the party had launched a massive membership drive, establishing a strong presence across 31 of Assam's 35 districts within six months.
"We expanded TMC's reach to the block and panchayat levels and formed key cells and departments such as SC, OBC, human rights and minority to strengthen the party's influence.
"Our efforts and a series of agitational programmes against the BJP received a phenomenal response; however, they did not translate into success in the Lok Sabha elections. I have already shared an analysis of this outcome with you," Bora told Banerjee in the letter.
Later in the day, Assam Trinamool Youth Congress president Mehboob Ali also resigned from the party.
"Due to my personal reasons, I resign from the post of president of the youth wing of Assam TMC as well as from the party," he said.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
