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Kolkata, Feb 21 (IANS) Most of the hearings on Friday at Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Biswasjit Basu were conducted entirely in Bengali as a mark of respect to the International Mother Language Day.

In fact, Justice Basu, while hearing another case on Thursday, expressed his desire to conduct hearings on Friday at his bench in Bengal as far as possible.

Accordingly, most of the arguments in the cases that came up for hearing on Friday were held in Bengali, with exceptions to those cases where knowledge of Bengali was a barrier.

In fact, the counsels appearing for different parties during the hearing on Friday at Justice Basu’s bench extended maximum cooperation on this count, and they too tried to place their arguments and submissions for the day in Bengali to the best possible extent.

Earlier, the current BJP Lok Sabha member from Tamluk constituency in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, while he was a judge of the Calcutta High Court, also expressed his desire to conduct hearings in Bengali at his bench on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day.

On Friday, the successful implementation of this was witnessed at Court Number 19 of Calcutta High Court, which is the bench of Justice Basu.

The root of International Mother Language Day is in neighbouring Bangladesh. On February 21, 1952, the Bengali-speaking population in the-then East Pakistan started their movement in support of the development of the Bengali language.

On November 17, 1999, UNESCO for the first time, announced February 21 as the International Mother Language Day.

Later, in 2002, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a UN resolution on the matter.

The main motto of celebrating the day is to promote awareness of linguistic, cultural diversity and multilingualism. Besides West Bengal, the day is also celebrated in certain other states with sizable Bengali-speaking populations, like Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand as well as the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

–IANS

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Jaipur, May 29 (IANS) A workshop titled “Vidhansabha: Kal, Aaj, and Kal” was organised in Udaipur under the aegis of Vardhman Mahaveer Open University, Kota, focusing on the evolution and future of legislative processes in India.

Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde, speaking as the chief guest at the event, emphasised the strength of India’s parliamentary democracy, rooted in its rich cultural and traditional values.

“While there has been a noticeable decline in decorum in recent times, our deeply embedded traditions continue to safeguard the dignity and future of our democratic system,” he said.

The workshop was chaired by Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani, with former Speakers Kailash Meghwal, Shantilal Chaplot, and C.P. Joshi attending as special guests.

In his address, Vasudev Devnani highlighted the advancements in transparency and digital governance in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

“Our Assembly is leading in the country. With proceedings broadcast live on YouTube, over 8 crore citizens have direct access to the legislative process,” he said.

He added that the Rajasthan Assembly is moving towards a paperless system, with over 70 per cent of MLAs already using iPads for legislative work.

Full implementation is expected in upcoming sessions. However, he also expressed concern over the declining standard of debate and increasing partisanship.

“Earlier, mutual respect prevailed between the ruling and opposition parties. Now, political polarisation and the pursuit of publicity have led to disruptions. Even the media tends to focus on negativity instead of highlighting constructive debates,” he noted.

Devnani stressed the need for systematic training of MLAs post-election, focusing on parliamentary decorum and conduct.

He compared the role of the Speaker to that of a mother — strict when necessary but inherently nurturing and inclusive. Governor Bagde remarked on the shift from issue-based debates to personal attacks in the Assembly.

“Earlier, diverse ideologies coexisted with mutual respect. Today, bitterness often overshadows dialogue. Yet, Rajasthan stands out due to its cultured and disciplined public, and their values reflect in their representatives,” he said.

Kailash Meghwal noted that while change is inevitable, the decline in serious legislative discussions is concerning. “Use of the Assembly library has reduced, and lawmaking is often treated as a formality,” he observed.

Shantilal Chaplot drew attention to India’s ancient democratic ethos, citing the times of Lord Ram, Rishabhdev, and Mahavir Swami as examples of democratic governance.

He emphasised the Legislature’s dual role in law-making and executive oversight. Dr. C.P. Joshi, beginning his address with the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, underlined that the essence of parliamentary democracy lies in its foundational values: justice, equality, secularism, and socialism.

The workshop witnessed the participation of several intellectuals and public representatives, including Udaipur City MLA Tarachand Jain, Rural MLA Phool Singh Meena, and Vardhman Mahaveer Open University Vice-Chancellor Kailash Sodani.

–IANS

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Jammu, May 8 (IANS) Former Jammu & Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) S.P. Vaid said that terrorist attacks mastermind Masood Azhar should not die an easy death.

“We don’t want him dead just yet,” Vaid told IANS in an exclusive interview. “He should live to feel the pain and consequences of the terror he unleashed across India.”

The remark came in the wake of Azhar’s own statement, in which he said it would have been better had he died in the Indian airstrikes that killed several of his family members.

Vaid responded sharply, saying, “Let him suffer. He should live long enough to understand the pain he has caused to thousands of Indian families.”

Masood Azhar, the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), is one of India’s most wanted terrorists, responsible for several high-profile terror attacks, including the 2019 Pulwama bombing that killed 40 CRPF personnel.

The recent Operation Sindoor, executed by the Indian armed forces, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including facilities linked to JeM.

Vaid, who has decades of experience tackling insurgency and cross-border terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir, stated that eliminating terror camps was a strong message, but not a permanent solution.

“This is a long fight. Until the Pakistani Army and ISI are directly weakened, terrorism won’t go away. These strikes may create fear, but to truly end the threat, we have to dismantle the system that breeds and protects terrorists like Masood Azhar,” he said.

He also noted that Pakistan is now trying to portray the operation as an attack on civilians. “Pakistan never admits its casualties and builds a narrative of victimhood to shield itself from international pressure. But we know what we targeted, terror bases.”

Refuting the narrative that the strike was religiously charged, Vaid said: “This was not about religion. It was about justice. Terrorism has no faith. Masood Azhar’s ideology is one of hate and destruction, and he deserves to live with the consequences of his actions.”

With India’s message loud and clear, Vaid believes more such actions may be necessary in the future unless structural changes are made within Pakistan’s security and intelligence establishments.

–IANS

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