All posts tagged: loyalist

Mamata Banerjee’s loyalist Anubrata Mandal joins Ritabrata-led rebel faction, named Birbhum district president

Mamata Banerjee’s loyalist Anubrata Mandal joins Ritabrata-led rebel faction, named Birbhum district president

Published by Parlour News

West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Ritabrata Banerjee on Saturday announced the appointment of district presidents for his faction, naming former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mandal as the president of Birbhum district. Anubrata Mandal was once considered a close aide of former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (X/ @AnubrataAITC) Mandal, once considered a close aide of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a Birbhum strongman, formally joined the rebel camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee, dealing a fresh setback to the TMC. Addressing the press conference here, Ritabrata said, “We have appointed the Presidents of various districts. Prasun Banerjee has been made the President of Malda district, Debashis Kumar of South Kolkata district, Sandipan Saha of North Kolkata district, Anubrata Mandal of the Birbhum district.” Speculation over Mandal’s switch had been circulating for some time, but it was confirmed after Ritabrata Banerjee announced the new district leadership, naming him as the faction’s Birbhum district chief. Earlier, Ritabrata announced the constitution of a new leadership structure for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) …

‘Didi, this wasn’t needed’: Mamata Banerjee loyalist Chandrima Bhattacharya breaks silence on quitting TMC posts

‘Didi, this wasn’t needed’: Mamata Banerjee loyalist Chandrima Bhattacharya breaks silence on quitting TMC posts

Published by Parlour News

Mamata Banerjee loyalist Chandrima Bhattacharya cited being blamed by the former West Bengal chief minister for rebel MLA factions’ takeover of party’s office in Kolkata — Trinamool Bhavan — as the reason for her resignation from all posts on Saturday. File: TMC founder Mamata Banerjee addresses a sit-in protest against the alleged attacks on party leaders and workers, including Chandrima Bhattacharya (R) (PTI/File) Chandrima Bhattacharya resigned from all TMC posts on Saturday, a day after rebel TMC legislators, headed by Ritabrata Banerjee, on Friday occupied the party’s multi-storey rented office in Kolkata off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, saying they represented the “original TMC.” In her resignation letter, Bhattacharya addressed Mamata Banerjee as the former chief minister and not as the TMC chairperson, HT earlier reported. On June 3, the rebel TMC legislators recognised by the state assembly speaker as the principal opposition party in the House formed their new national working committee and elected Arup Roy as their chairperson, a post held by party founder Banerjee. Roy was a minister in the TMC government. After …

S.P. Velumani | From loyalist to rebel

S.P. Velumani | From loyalist to rebel

Published by Parlour News

Illustration: Sreejith R. Kumar In India’s electoral politics, it is not uncommon for trusted lieutenants to turn against their mentors. A case in point is 57-year-old S.P. Velumani, Tamil Nadu’s former Local Administration Minister in the AIADMK government, who is now leading colleagues against the party’s general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. In the formative years of Mr. Velumani’s career, the goodwill he reportedly enjoyed from V.K. Sasikala, the confidante of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, and Ravanan, a relative of Ms. Sasikala who oversaw party affairs in the western region, helped him secure a political breakthrough. When Jayalalithaa returned as Chief Minister in May 2011, he was inducted into the Cabinet. Also read | A history of rebellions within the AIADMK Mr. Velumani’s exit from the Cabinet in January 2012 almost coincided with the arrest of Ravanan by the Coimbatore Rural Police in connection with a criminal case. He was reinducted into Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet in May 2014, and entrusted with key portfolios, including Local Administration and Rural Development, positions he held for …

US Ambassador Sergio Gor: A Trump Loyalist Entrusted With Restructuring India-America Ties | World News

US Ambassador Sergio Gor: A Trump Loyalist Entrusted With Restructuring India-America Ties | World News

Published by Webster

Last Updated:January 12, 2026, 12:54 IST US ambassador Sergio Gor: “I come to this remarkable nation with profound respect and a clear mission: to take the partnership between our two nations to the next level.” US ambassador Sergio Gor said there were incredible opportunities ahead for the two nations. (PTI) US ambassador Sergio Gor, known to be a key member of President Donald Trump’s inner circle, who is in New Delhi, on Monday said that America was determined to get a trade deal with India. “As the world adopts new technology, it is essential that India and the United States work hand in hand from the very start of this initiative…You and I have an incredible once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine diplomacy. What it can accomplish could be the most consequential global partnership of this century…,” he said. “No partner is more essential than India. In the months and years ahead, it is my goal as ambassador to pursue a very ambitious agenda. We will do this as true strategic partners, each bringing …

Kash Patel, A Trump Loyalist, Confirmed As FBI Director

Kash Patel, A Trump Loyalist, Confirmed As FBI Director

Published by Webster

Washington: The Republican-controlled US Senate on Thursday confirmed Kash Patel, a staunch loyalist of President Donald Trump, to be director of the FBI, the country’s top law enforcement agency. Patel, 44, whose nomination sparked fierce but ultimately futile opposition from Democrats, was approved by a 51-49 vote. The vote was split along party lines with the exception of two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted not to confirm Patel to head the 38,000-strong Federal Bureau of Investigation. Patel drew fire from Democrats for his promotion of conspiracy theories, his defense of pro-Trump rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and his vow to root out members of a supposed “deep state” plotting to oppose the Republican president. The Senate has approved all of Trump’s cabinet picks so far, underscoring his iron grip on the Republican Party. Among them is Tulsi Gabbard, confirmed as the nation’s spy chief despite past support for adversarial nations including Russia and Syria, and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be …

Elon Musk ‘frustrating’ Trump inner circle after accusing MAGA loyalist of…

Elon Musk ‘frustrating’ Trump inner circle after accusing MAGA loyalist of…

Published by Parlour News

Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s bromance might be hitting a rough patch, and it’s not the kind of turbulence Musk can fix with a SpaceX rocket. After using his influence to push for certain Cabinet picks, including backing Howard Lutnick for Treasury Secretary, Axios reports, the Billionaire donor had a fiery exchange with Boris Epshteyn, a longtime Trump loyalist. The claim reportedly a “huge explosion” in front of Mar-a-Lago guests, came from Musk accusing Epshteyn of having too much sway over the President-elect. FILE – Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and President-elect Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) (AP) Musk-Trump friendship ‘no longer going well’ in MAGA circle The Tesla owner, a staunch Republican supporter since July after a failed assassination attempt on Trump, has invested millions in campaigns and stayed close to the former president since his return to the White House. Trump even jokingly remarked that he “won’t leave.” Meanwhile, the billionaire’s rising influence on …

Donald Trump’s loyalist Indian-origin Kash Patel likely to be next CIA chief

Donald Trump’s loyalist Indian-origin Kash Patel likely to be next CIA chief

Published by Webster

Image Source : AP Former Pentagon Chief of Staff Kash Patel Trump Cabinet: Donald Trump is all set to return to the White House for a second term following a historic victory in the 2024 US presidential election, defeating his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. Following his presidential election victory, Trump will start the process of choosing a cabinet and selecting other high-ranking administration officials in the coming weeks.   Some of the top contenders for key posts are staunch Trump allies Jamie Dimon, Scott Bessent Susie Wiles, John Paulson and Kash Patel among other potential candidates. Indian-origin Trump loyalist Patel’s name is being floated as a choice for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director. A former Republican House staffer who served in various high-ranking staff roles in the defense and intelligence communities during Trump’s first term, Patel has frequently appeared on the campaign trail to rally support for the candidate. Who is Kash Patel? Kashyap Pramod Patel, also known as Kash Patel, was born in New York on February 25, 1980, to Indian immigrant parents from East Africa. …

‘People want Kamal Nath to join BJP because…’: Loyalist drops major hint | Latest News India

Published by Parlour News

New Delhi: Amid speculation on former Madhya Pradesh CM and Congress leader Kamal Nath’s alleged plans to join the BJP, his loyalist Deepak Saxena has hinted that the politician is upset with the party’s leadership. Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath(File photo) “Kamal Nath has been neglected since (2023 Assembly) elections. No one would have thought that Bhupesh Baghel would lose. We lost in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where we didn’t think we would lose. But why is only Kamal Nath being blamed for it,” said Saxena. Discover the thrill of cricket like never before, exclusively on HT. Explore now! “Only he (Kamal Nath) is being blamed…The public want Kamal Nath should go to the BJP so that development works will be done in the Chhindwara… The way he (Kamal Nath) has been removed from his post, there is a group of 11 senior Congress members, we all discussed and decided that if we are neglected like this then it would be better to go to BJP and get the work done. I will also …

With Brij Bhushan’s son elected UP wrestling president and his loyalist back as WFI chief, wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik threaten protest | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

INDIA’S TOP wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik have threatened to restart their protest following the election of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Bhushan Singh as the president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association. The wrestlers, both Olympic medalists, are also unhappy that Sanjay Singh — a close aide of Brij Bhushan, the BJP MP from Kaiserganj — will return as WFI president and run the day-to-day affairs after the United World Wrestling lifted the suspension of the federation on Tuesday. Decision-making powers in the hands of Brij Bhushan loyalists at the state-level and in the WFI saw Sakshi and Bajrang take to social media with a threat to relaunch their protests. Karan was earlier vice-president of UP wrestling. “Just 2-3 days back, Brij Bhushan’s son became the president of the UP wrestling body despite him saying no one from his family will come into wrestling administration. The government had promised that Brij Bhushan or his relatives or associates will not govern the sport,” Bajrang said in …

OPS loyalist Selvaraj quits AIADMK, joins DMK | Latest News India

Published by Webster

Former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLA Kovai Selvaraj, who recently quit the O Panneerselvam (OPS) faction, joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Wednesday. Selvaraj, who joined the party in presence of chief minister MK Stalin said he was dissatisfied with the leadership over charges made in the justice (retired) Arumughasamy commission report on J Jayalalithaa’s death. Selvaraj alleged that former chief minister and AIADMK’s interim general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) ran a ‘tsunami’ government. “EPS–who prostrated and got the post– has no right to pass comments on Stalin who was elected by the people,” he said. Alleging that the AIADMK has become a company, Selvaraj said that the AIADMK cadre should also join chief minister Stalin and safeguard the true Dravidian culture further adding that the DMK leader is correcting the wreck done by the EPS in the state. He also claimed that around 5,000 of his supporters in the AIADMK will soon join the DMK. “I do not wish to be with AIADMK leaders who dress like priests to be …