'Kaan Khol Ke Sun Lo...': Mamata Threatens EC, BJP Over Bengali Harassment, Voter Roll ‘Conspiracy'
Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Delegations of Congress, LDF head to Chhattisgarh to champion cause of arrested Keralite nuns
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) dispatched distinct top-level political delegations to Chhattisgarh to parley with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for the early release of the two Keralite nuns arrested on 'questionable charges' of forced conversion, human trafficking and kidnapping at the Durg Railway station last Friday. The controversial arrests, which prompted bipartisan protests in Kerala, occurred after Bajrang Dal workers mobbed sisters Preeta Mary and Vandana Francis of the order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) at the station, accusing them of spiriting away three women, including a tribal community member, to Agra for conversion. Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas told The Hindu that Brinda Karat, party's Polit Bureau member and one of the founders of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), would lead the LDF delegation. Kerala Congress chairperson Jose K. Mani, MP, K. Radhakrishnan, MP, A.A. Rahim, MP, and P.P. Suneer, MP, will accompany her. Mr. Brittas said the delegation would reach Chhattisgarh later in the day. Mr. Brittas said he had written to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Vishnu Deo Sai, seeking his intervention to secure the early release of the nuns arrested on 'false charges of conversion and human trafficking.' He termed the nuns 'victims of a Sangh Parivar-prosecuted hate campaign against minorities in BJP-ruled States in north India.' On Monday, the CPI(M) moved a notice in Rajya Sabha for an adjournment debate on the 'illegal arrests'. UDF delegation Meanwhile, Kerala's Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan told reporters in Kozhikode that Congress legislators Roji M. John and Saji Joseph would join the UDF's delegation to Chhattisgarh. RSP leader N.K. Premachandran, MP, Benny Behanan, MP and Francis George would lead the UDF deputation. Mr. Satheesan said the arrests on 'false charges was the latest in a series of attacks against minorities, chiefly Christians.' He said nuns and priests were fearful of wearing their habits and conducting prayers in BJP-ruled States in north India. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal termed the arrests 'an infringement on the Constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion.: Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a UDF leadership meeting, he said the 'victimisation' of nuns and missionaries involved in social work, education, public health, and charity did not portend well for the country's secular society and its minorities. Meanwhile, BJP State general secretary Anoop Antony, who is in Chhattisgarh as part of the party's delegation from Kerala, told reporters that he had met with the Chhattisgarh Home Minister and efforts were under way to secure the early release of the nuns and ensure an 'unbiased' investigation.
The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Panneerselvam shifts stance, condemns BJP over Samagra Shiksha funds controversy
In a shift from his usual position towards the Union government, the ADMK Workers' Rights Retrieval Committee coordinator and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) condemned the BJP-led Centre for not releasing funds to the State under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for 2024-25. 'Citing this [the non-acceptance of the State government to the Union government's conditions] as the reason for not providing the funds will not only affect the education of students, but also teachers. This action of the Central government is against the Right to Education Act and federalism,' Mr. Panneerselvam said in a statement, adding that the non-acceptance was a matter between the two governments. The ADMK Workers' Rights Retrieval Committee leader urged the Centre to release around ₹2,151.59 crore to the State under the scheme. From ally to 'uncertain' partner Ever since Mr. Panneerselvam rebelled against the AIADMK's former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala in February 2017, he had been known as a staunch ally of the BJP. When he and the present general secretary of the party Edappadi K. Palaniswami came together six months later, he had publicly credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the reunion. In 2019, when Mr. Modi filed his nomination papers in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Panneerselvam was among those who were there to greet him. Five years later, the former Chief Minister, who held the portfolio of Finance in the State government for about 10 years, contested as an Independent in the Ramaathapuram Lok Sabha seat unsuccessfully as part of the BJP-led alliance. But the AIADMK had faced the election only with the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and SDPI. After the Dravidian major revived its alliance with the national party in April this year, Mr. Panneerselvam's position became uncertain in view of a 'hands-off' approach of the BJP towards him, as Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah made it clear that 'we will not interfere in the internal affairs of the AIADMK,' when asked about the former Chief Minister's space in the alliance. The former Chief Minister had sought an audience with the Prime Minister during his latest trip to Tamil Nadu but no meeting took place between the two leaders, even though Mr. Palaniswami, along with his colleagues, met Mr. Modi at the Tiruchi airport on Saturday (July 26) night. On Mr. Panneerselvam's further course of action, Panruti S. Ramachandran, former Minister who has been an advisor to the former Chief Minister's camp, told The Hindu on Tuesday afternoon that 'when there is no place for him in the alliance, there is no point in continuing there.' Would the BJP not approach Mr. Panneerselvam again and take him back into its fold? 'There is no possibility, because Mr. Palaniswami is there in the alliance,' replied Mr. Ramachandran, adding that 'there is no way out for him [the Committee coordinator] than finding his own way.'
Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
BJD MPs protest in Parliament over ‘rising' crimes against women, children in Odisha
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs staged a protest at the Gandhi statue in Parliament on Tuesday, decrying the alleged deteriorating law and order situation in BJP-ruled Odisha, particularly the surge in crimes against women and children. Carrying placards that read 'Mahilaon ki cheekh aur sarkar ki khamoshi' (the cries of women and the silence of the government) and 'Odisha BJP ka shaasan, apradhiyo ki shaan' (BJP's rule in Odisha, a pride for criminals), the members demanded immediate central intervention and a judicial inquiry into the recent 'horrific' incidents. Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said, 'Women and children in Odisha today are completely unprotected. The law and order situation is collapsing.' Citing the incident involving a student of FM College in Balasore, who died after self-immolating when her pleas for justice went unheard, Patra said, 'She approached everyone, including the chief minister, but got no justice.' 'And now in Puri, another young girl was doused in petrol by miscreants and is battling for life at AIIMS Delhi,' he told PTI Videos. He accused the BJP-led Odisha government of being a 'complete failure' and calling its stance on the issues 'convenient and full of double standards.' Patra said the BJD demands a judicial inquiry into both incidents and 'strict action against the miscreants.' BJD MP Muzibulla Khan had similar concerns. He said the BJP raised the slogan of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' to come to power, but it is 'failing to protect our daughters'. Subhasish Khuntia, another BJD MP, said crimes against women and students are continuing 'unabated' under the 'double engine government' in Odisha. 'There is no safety for women under the BJP rule,' he said.
