Ayisha Potty hits back at CPI(M) ‘class traitor’ charge after joining Cong

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14 (IANS) Three-time legislator Ayisha Potty has strongly countered the CPI(M)’s criticism branding her a “class traitor” following her decision to join the Congress, questioning what she called the party’s selective use of labels.

It was on Tuesday that Potty was officially given membership of the Congress party.

She asked whether the same term was applied to leaders such as P. Sarin and Shobhana George, who had earlier moved from the Congress to the CPI(M).

Responding to allegations of betrayal, Potty accused Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal of failing to complete even the development projects she had initiated during her tenure.

She said several of the programmes she conceptualised were either stalled or left unfinished, despite her repeatedly raising the issue with the minister.

“When someone works sincerely and completes responsibilities entrusted by the party on three occasions, and is later told there is no space left, how else should that be described?” she asked.

Incidentally Potty is a three time legislator from Kottarakara starting from 2006 and in 2021 she was not given a renomination and in her place Balagopal was given the seat and he went on to become the Finance Minister.

She also stated that she was deliberately excluded from programmes she herself had launched, and that this marginalisation was now being described as ideological betrayal.

Potty said the CPI(M) should allow individuals the freedom to express grievances openly within the party.

The CPI(M), however, rejected her claims and accused her of being driven by political ambition.

Party General Secretary M.A. Baby said Potty had been given ample opportunities, pointing out that she had served as an MLA three times and as District Panchayat President.

“The claim that she was sidelined has no basis,” he said, adding that her decision to leave the party did not command respect.

He also stated that her exit would not have any significant impact on Kottarakkara or the broader electoral outcome in Kollam district.

Meanwhile, the Congress has moved swiftly to project Potty as a key asset in Kottarakkara.

Party leaders believe her popularity among women and various community organisations, combined with the Congress’ traditional vote base, could tilt the balance in a constituency the UDF has not won in nearly two decades.

–IANS

sg/rad

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Op Devil Hunt failed to arrest escaped criminals, recover arms, raising poll concerns: Bangladesh media

New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) Operation ‘Devil Hunt’ in Bangladesh has become one of the most sweeping security crackdowns in recent years, with thousands arrested across Dhaka and other districts, yet failing to address the crux of rising violence before the February 12 election, according to reports.

While authorities claim the operation is vital to restoring law and order ahead of national elections, ordinary citizens and rights groups have voiced deep concerns about continued killings, unrecovered weapons, and escaped convicts still at large.

“Despite the launch of Operation Devil Hunt, continued killings and law enforcement’s failure to arrest escaped criminals and recover looted weapons are raising serious concerns ahead of the national election,” observed Bangladesh’s ‘The Daily Star’ newspaper on Friday.

“Moreover, eight political killings have taken place since the declaration of the election schedule on December 11, including that of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson and July uprising frontliner Sharif Osman Bin Hadi,” said the report.

After a break, the operation was relaunched soon after Hadi was shot on December 12 during an election campaign in Dhaka.

The second phase, beginning December 13, 2025, has continued into 2026 with intensified raids. The first phase began on February 8, 2025, under the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.

The exercise was aimed at curbing rising crime, recovering looted arms, and apprehending escaped convicts following the July-August 2024 student-led uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime.

Over 1,300 arrests were made in the first days alone, add Bangladesh media. Soon after the exercise was launched last year, reports claimed that among people arrested under the operation were mostly members of the Awami League and its associate organisations.

“Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 98 people across the capital in the last 24 hours as part of ‘Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2’, targeting crime-prone areas under different police stations,” reported the Daily Sun on January 3.

“Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested a man and recovered a firearm, hand bombs, and marijuana during an operation under Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2 in Bhola district,” said the online portal of BSS news agency late last month.

Bhola district in the Barisal division of Bangladesh, about 117 km south of Dhaka, includes the largest island in the country with the same name.

Meanwhile, ‘The Daily Star’ claimed on Friday, quoting data from Police Headquarters, that over a thousand firearms looted during the July 2024 uprising, including 28 stolen from Narsingdi jail, are still unaccounted for.

Police figures also show 3,785 murder cases being filed across the country last year, including cases related to killings during the uprising.

“Furthermore, the whereabouts of around 710 inmates who escaped from various prisons during the uprising remain unknown,” it added.

At least four murders have taken place in the capital, Dhaka, alone so far within the nine days this year.

Analysts in Bangladesh have warned that rising violence could suppress voter turnout, undermining democratic participation. Many also reportedly feel the operation is reactive rather than preventive, with killings continuing despite mass arrests.

Operation Devil Hunt reflects Bangladesh’s struggle to balance security imperatives with citizen trust, while critics claim it is politically motivated.

While authorities highlight arrests and seizures, ordinary people remain haunted by unresolved violence, unrecovered arms, and political killings.

As elections approach, the operation’s success will be judged not only by numbers but by whether it can restore genuine safety and confidence among the public.

–IANS

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With age, her wisdom has deteriorated: Seer mocks Mamata Banerjee over ‘mrityu Kumbh’ remark

New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) Tantrapeethadhishwar Aniket Shastri Maharaj of Trimbakeshwar on Wednesday condemned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s controversial statement referring to the Maha Kumbh as the “Mrityu Kumbh” (Death Kumbh) and demanded a public apology to Hindus.

“Mamata Banerjee, the CM of West Bengal, made an extremely wrong statement about the Maha Kumbh. ‘She called it Mrityu Kumbh’. We sympathise with the leader as her wisdom has deteriorated with age,” said Shastri Maharaj.

He further criticised the Bengal CM for making such a statement and hurting the religious sentiments of millions of Hindus, especially when the Maha Kumbh is regarded as one of the holiest events in Hinduism.

Shastri Maharaj also pointed out the ongoing issues in West Bengal, stating, “In West Bengal, Hindus are being murdered, doctors are being raped, and strikes are happening, yet Mamata Banerjee remains silent on these matters. But when it comes to the Maha Kumbh, where the faith of Hindus is involved, she makes such derogatory statements.”

“Mamata Banerjee should apologise to all Hindus for her remarks. If she does not, there will be serious consequences. A treason case should be filed against her for such statements, and she should be sent to jail,” the seer said.

CM Banerjee’s statement came amid her criticism of the Uttar Pradesh government’s “lack of proper planning and inadequate arrangements”.

“This is ‘Mrityu Kumbh’. I respect Maha Kumbh, and I respect the holy Ganga Maa. But there is no planning. How many people have been recovered? There are food and lodging arrangements for the VIPs, and systems are available to get camps (tents) for as high as Rs 1 lakh. There are no arrangements for the poor, and a stampede-like situation arose in Kumbh Mela,” Banerjee said.

Her comments have sparked a major backlash, with religious leaders and political figures calling for a public apology.

–IANS

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Bengal school job case: Sujay Bhadra got Rs 75 crore from middleman, CBI informs court

Kolkata, April 29 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Tuesday, informed a special court in Kolkata that one of the prime accused in the West Bengal school job case, Sujay Krishna Bhadra, received Rs 75 crore from one particular middleman, Arun Hazra.

The money received by Bhadra, according to the CBI counsel, was collected by Hazra from “tainted” candidates who paid to secure school jobs.

Hazra, who is named as an accused in the charge sheet, appeared at the special court in the afternoon. The judge enquired about the actual charges against him.

Thereafter, the CBI counsel briefed the court on the amount of money that Hazra collected as a middleman from “tainted” candidates and handed over the money, amounting to Rs 75 crore, to Bhadra.

The CBI counsel also presented a summary of Hazra’s modus operandi to the court.

As per the CBI, Hazra, as a middleman, used to operate a chain of sub-agents. Their main task was to identify candidates willing to pay money for school jobs and, accordingly, collect the money from these candidates. Hazra collected amounts for the recruitment in all categories of teaching staff, namely primary, secondary, and higher secondary.

While the recruitment for primary teachers is done by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE), the same is done for secondary and higher secondary teachers by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

Last month, CBI collected the handwriting specimens of Hazra to match them with the texts in some diaries, recovered by the investigating officials, which contain some details of the payments made by Hazra to Bhadra.

Similarly, handwriting specimens of six of Hazra’s sub-agents were also collected.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court’s division bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had upheld an earlier order by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court cancelling 25,753 teaching (secondary and higher secondary) and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools.

The Supreme Court also accepted the observation of the Calcutta High Court that the entire panel had to be cancelled because of the failure of the state government and the commission to segregate the “genuine” candidates from the “tainted” ones.

Meanwhile, a detailed hearing in the case on irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers in different state-run schools will resume at the Calcutta High Court’s new bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobrata Kumar Mitra from May 7. The fate of around 32,000 primary teachers is at stake in the case

–IANS

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