Congress sets up five committees for Telangana unit

Kolkata, April 14 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is making a mistake by increasingly empowering a personality like the state municipal affairs & urban development minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, since the latter could challenge her leadership, BJP’s Information Technology Cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal Amit Malviya said on Monday.

“If Mamata Banerjee continues her silence, she risks empowering a figure whose ideological ambitions could ultimately challenge her leadership and catalyze a deeper push toward the Islamization of Bengal,” Malviya said in a statement that he posted on the wall of his official X handle.

Malviya had also explained why he had made this observation and referred to a recent statement made by Hakim that “everything is alright in West Bengal”, while reacting to the recent unrest in Murshidabad district where protests over the newly promulgated Waqf (Amendment) Act turned violent since last week.

“This is the same man who referred to a part of Kolkata as ‘mini Pakistan’ and has previously made provocative statements promoting religious conversion to Islam. He has openly supported initiatives like Dawat-E-Islam and labelled non-Muslims as ‘unfortunate’. He has even envisioned an India governed entirely by Islamic law and jurisprudence,” observed Malviya in his statement.

According to him, it is a matter of “travesty” that Hakim is occupying the post of Kolkata Mayor, a chair which had been graced in the past by iconic Indians like Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das and Subhash Chandra Bose, among others.

“His ascent is symbolic of the erosion of the refined ‘bhadralok’ sensibilities that Kolkata was once renowned for,” Malviya added.

Malviya also said that it was a matter of shock for him that Hakim had indirectly “justified and expressed satisfaction” over the displacement of Hindus from Murshidabad.

“Bengali Hindus are being reduced to refugees in their own homeland like Kashmiri Pandits, who had to flee from Kashmir to escape religious persecution and seek refuge in Jammu and the rest of India,” he said.

–IANS

src/pgh

Srinagar, May 5 (IANS) Former J&K Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti visited Pahalgam on Monday to meet the people and tourists following the April 22 terror attack, and urged the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to extend financial support to Poniwalas ahead of the Amarnath Yatra.

“Keeping in view the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, Home Minister Amit Shah should extend financial support to the Poniwalas, who play a crucial role in facilitating the pilgrimage. The Centre should also waive off the interest on loans taken by hoteliers, taxi operators, and other tourism-dependent workers for the current financial year,” she said.

The former Chief Minister said that their livelihoods have already suffered due to instability and the current crackdown, and they must not be made to pay the price.

“These sectors form the backbone of Pahalgam’s economy and have been reeling under immense stress due to repeated disruptions. The government should act with fairness and compassion, not fear and suspicion, given how Kashmiris have come out unanimously against the Pahalgam terror attack,” she said.

Mehbooba Mufti said that the collective punishment of innocent civilians is not how a democratic society responds to tragedy.

“Accountability and security are important, but we must also uphold the dignity of innocent civilians. Even more disturbing are reports that some civilians who voluntarily presented themselves for questioning to assist the investigation were labelled as OGWs and returned to their families in body bags,” she said.

The former Chief Minister further pointed out that these were poor men with no political or militant affiliations, simply trying to cooperate in good faith.

“While a full and transparent probe must be initiated in these matters without delay, the government should extend immediate financial assistance to their devastated families, who are struggling to survive in extreme poverty,” she said.

She said that the April 22 gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam, which left the entire region in mourning, is condemnable and deserves the strongest punishment for those involved.

“The people of Kashmir unanimously came out against this gruesome attack and unequivocally condemned it. However, the manner in which our local civilians across Kashmir and especially from Pahalgam – shawl vendors, Poniwalas, tea sellers and others simply trying to earn a livelihood are being rounded up for questioning or detained is deeply disturbing,” she added.

The former Chief Minister added that the people are being rounded up by security agencies and kept in custody for hours and sometimes the entire day without food, and then asked to return again for further questioning, without any indication of wrongdoing.

She stressed that this kind of blanket criminalisation of locals not only alienates the people but also sows seeds of resentment and mistrust.

–IANS

zi/dan

Chandigarh, March 20 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Thursday, lashed out at the Bhagwant Mann-led government, accusing it of deceiving farmers by detaining their leaders after the third round of talks with the Centre failed to yield results.

Expressing his outrage, Bajwa said, “Farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher were invited to Chandigarh for talks by the Mann government, but what we feared has happened.”

“I have been saying for a long time that AAP and BJP are two sides of the same coin. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government have made cheating their identity. They lured the farmer leaders into talks and then got them detained by the Punjab Police at the Chandigarh border. I strongly condemn this action on behalf of the Congress party.”

“Punjabis are not known for betrayal, but this government has set a new precedent. I had been warning farmer leaders that Bhagwant Mann has been working under the BJP’s instructions. I even said that he would become Punjab’s Eknath Shinde, and today, it has been proven,” the LoP said.

“Whether it is farmers, labourers, businessmen, youth, ex-servicemen, or soldiers — whenever people raise their demands, Bhagwant Mann betrays them,” he said.

Bajwa accused the Punjab Chief Minister of siding with the Centre, stating, “Bhagwant Mann has become an agent of the BJP-led government.”

The farmer leaders were detained after their meeting with the Centre, which failed to reach a conclusive resolution. They then moved towards the Shambhu border for further protests. However, as they proceeded, their convoy was intercepted by the Punjab Police in Mohali, where they were taken into custody.

Following this, the Punjab Police launched an operation to clear out protest sites at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points, where farmers have been demonstrating against farm laws and other issues. By 9:30 p.m., both sites were completely vacated.

Adding to the tension, internet services were shut down at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, while bulldozers were deployed to remove concrete barricades set up during the protests.

–IANS

sd/