Cong appoints Subhankar Sarkar as president of its West Bengal unit
New Delhi/ Kolkata (PTI): The Congress on Saturday appointed Subhankar Sarkar as the president of its West Bengal unit, replacing veteran leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Sarkar has been relieved from his current position as AICC Secretary.
"The state Congress will function as the party workers in Bengal want," Sarkar said after the party's central leadership announced his appointment.
He also said the people's wishes would be the most important factor in choosing the future path for the Congress in the state.
In a statement, the party said its president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed Sarkar as the chief of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect.
The party appreciated the contributions of outgoing PCC president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Sarkar was the All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary looking after the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Chowdhury, who had lost the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to TMC candidate Yusuf Pathan from his home turf Baharampur after five consecutive terms, had resigned as the president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee after the Parliamentary polls and the process of appointing a new chief of the state unit was underway.
The Congress leadership had taken feedback from state leaders on maintaining the balance in ties with the Trinamool Congress at the national and state levels, as well as on the choice of the next chief of the grand old party's West Bengal unit.
The Congress' state leadership, especially Chowdhury, has been at variance with the coordination and support seen between the Congress and the TMC at the central level.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Ukrainian president welcomes Russian overtures, but says ceasefire must come before peace talks
Kyiv, May 11 (AP): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia's offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start.
Zelenskyy, writing on X, called Russian President Vladimir Putin's counter-offer to start talks without a ceasefire a “positive sign”, and said “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time".
He added, however, that "the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire”.
Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared 3-day pause expired.
Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine's Air Force said on Sunday. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures.
The Ukrainian president appeared to insist on his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional ceasefire on Monday. “There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire — full, lasting, and reliable — starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” Zelenskyy said.
Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected that ceasefire offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions”. He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations.
Putin's counteroffer came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin's proposal “very serious” and said it “confirms a real intention for find a peaceful solution”.
“The goals of the talks are clear: to eliminate the root causes of the conflict. And also to ensure the interests of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said.
It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war. The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 11, 2025
There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single…
