Kolkata: At least seven people were killed in an inferno in a multi-storeyed New Koilaghat building here on Strand Road which houses the zonal offices of Eastern and South Eastern Railways on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

Out of them, four were firefighters, one assistant sub-inspector posted at the Hare Street police station and one RPF personnel, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Basu said.

The seventh victim is yet to be identified, he said.

The fire is now under control and the cooling process is on, he said.

Banerjee, who rushed to the spot in the city’s central business district, announced the state government will pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those killed in the blaze and government job to a kin of each victim.

The fire broke out in the 13th floor of the sprawling building at around 6.10 pm. It also has a computerised ticket booking centre on its ground floor.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday told youth wing leaders that had Jyotiraditya Scindia remained in the party he would have certainly become chief minister but was now a “backbencher” in the BJP, according to sources.

He said he had told Scindia so, but “he chose a different path” by joining the BJP, where he can never be the chief minister.

Gandhi while addressing the executive committee meeting of the Indian Youth Congress said that even if Scindia returns to the party fold, “he cannot be the chief minister now”.

The former Congress chief exhorted youth leaders to adopt patience and be able to digest power. He said the party is observing the contribution of all of them, sources said.

“I told Scindia that he will 100 per cent become the chief minister one day. But he chose a different path. Had he not left the party, he would have been CM. He is today a backbencher in the BJP and can never become chief minister there,” a source quoted him as telling the gathering.

Scindia had left the party along with some legislators loyal to him to join the BJP. This led to the fall of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh early last year.

However, IYC president B V Srinivas denied that Gandhi made any reference to Scindia and claimed it was “not correct”.

He said Gandhi told the youth that “anyone who wanted to join or quit the party was free to do so”, as he urged them to continue their fight against the RSS-BJP ideology and not fear anyone.

Sources, however, said he told the youth leaders that the coming days belonged to them and they should remain loyal to the party and continue their fight against the BJP/RSS and work hard for the party which was “observing” them and their contribution.

He said politics was a long process and one who worked sincerely for the party and remained loyal would get rewarded.

“I will continue to fight these forces. I do not fear from anyone, Gandhi said at the closed-door gathering,” the source said.

All state presidents and Indian Youth Congress national office-bearers attended the executive meeting.

The Youth Congress leaders made a presentation at the meeting on the work they proposed to do in the next year.

Gandhi told them to continue with their programme of protests on issues of price rise and unemployment and farmers’ issues and to take to the streets against the government.

Bengaluru: The Opposition leader Siddaramaiah on Monday dubbed the budget tabled by Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in the assembly as ‘hollow’ and one which does not supplement development.

“This is not a budget that supplements development. It has no vision or target. Its a hollow budget,” opposition leader Siddaramaiah told reporters.

He said budgets presented so far in the state had allocated funds department wise, but it had been done away with this time and divided into six sectors.

“Dividing the budget into sectors will not help understand how much is to be spent department wise,” the former chief minister said, adding, that there were no adequate statistics in the budget and it lacked transparency.

Earlier in the day, the Congress had staged a walkout ahead of the tabling of budget, alleging that the BJP government was ‘carrying a bundle of sins’ and has no moral right to continue in power.

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “spreading lies and canards” against the TMC government, and said voters, this time, would witness ‘Didi versus BJP’ fight in all 294 constituencies of the poll-bound state.

Taking a dig at Modi over inclusion of his picture in COVID-19 vaccination certificates, she said the “day wasn’t far when the country will be named after him”.

Asserting that she will return to power for the third consecutive time in Bengal, the feisty TMC boss said, “The fight is between me and the BJP in all 294 seats.”

“They (BJP leaders) will come to Bengal only during elections and spread canards and lies. He is lecturing us on women’s safety. What is the situation of women in BJP-ruled states? What is the situation in Modi’s favourite Gujarat?

“The prime minister has named a stadium after him. He has put his photographs on COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

A day will come when the country will be named after him,” Banerjee, who led a rally here on the occasion of International Women’s Day, stated.

Rebutting the PM’s claim that women do not feel safe in Bengal, she said, “Had that been the case, they wouldn’t have been able to move around freely at night.”

Hitting out at the PM, Banerjee also said that Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should shift focus on BJP- ruled states, including ‘model state’ Gujarat, “where, media reports suggest, four rapes and two killings have been recorded every day over the past two years.”

The TMC rally, which commenced in College Square area in central Kolkata, concluded near Dorina crossing, five kilometres away.

Senior party leaders Chandrima Bhattacharyaa and Mala Roy joined the march.

Among others, actresses and now TMC candidates June Maliya, Saayoni Ghosh and Sayantika Banerjee were also seen taking part in the rally.

Bengaluru: The Congress on Monday staged a walkout in the Karnataka Assembly during the tabling of budget for 2021-22 by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, prompting a strong reaction from the CM who claimed the country never had a history of opposition boycotting the budget.

The congress members had walked out of the House, claiming that the government in the state had no moral right to continue in power.

“Do we have any instance of opposition staging a walkout either in the Centre or the state during the presentation of the budget?” Yediyurappa asked, while speaking to reporters after the budget presentation.

“What morality are they (Congress) talking about? I will explain what morality they were referring to during the debate on the budget,” he said.

Yediyurappa said the opposition getting away by giving lame excuses means that they are incapable to face the situation.

“Dear Siddaramaiah, your stay in the opposition forever is guaranteed. Don’t call me Yediyurappa, if I don’t make Siddaramaiah sit in the opposition by winning 130 to 135 seats. This I am giving in writing, an angry Yediyurappa said.

When asked about Siddaramaiah demanding resignation of ministers, Yediyurappa claimed the Congress leader has developed some mental issues recently as he did not know what to speak.

New Delhi: A court here on Monday convicted Ariz Khan, allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, for the murder of Delhi police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and other offences in connection with the 2008 Batla House encounter.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav said the evidence produced by the prosecution duly proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge said that it was duly proved that Ariz Khan and his associates caused murder of police official and fired gunshot on the police official.

The court will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on March 15.

Inspector Sharma of the Special Cell of Delhi was killed during the 2008 Batla House encounter in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi.

A trial court in July 2013 had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the case.

His appeal against the trial court’s verdict has been pending in the high court.

Ariz Khan had fled from the spot and was declared proclaimed offender.

He was arrested on February14, 2018 and faced the trial.

 The Trinamool Congress on Monday lost five more sitting MLAs and the control of the Malda Zilla Parishad to the BJP as defections continued to rock West Bengal’s ruling party ahead of the assembly polls.

Four-time MLAs Sonali Guha, a close associate of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee for decades, and 80-year-old Rabindranath Bhattacharya, a prominent face of the Singur movement, joined the saffron party after they were denied the poll ticket.

Another four-time legislator, 85-year-old Jatu Lahiri, and former footballer Dipendu Biswas, a first-time MLA, also switched sides after their names did not feature in the TMC’s candidate list released on March 5.

They were handed over party flags by BJP state president Dilip Ghosh in presence of other leaders such as Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy.

One more TMC MLA, Sital Sardar. also joined the saffron party later.

Hours after being replaced due to “ill health”, Sarala Murmu, the TMC candidate of the Habibpur constituency in Malda district, too switched sides. There was speculation earlier that she might join the BJP as she did not get the seat she had desired.

The party replaced her with Pradeep Baskey in the morning.

A number of sitting TMC MLAs, including ministers, have joined the saffron camp in recent months.

The BJP also took control of the 38-member Malda Zilla Parishad after its 22 members changed sides.

Bengali actress Tanusree Chakraborty also joined the BJP.

Assembly elections in the state will be held in eight phases between March 27 and April 29. Votes will be counted on May 2.