What's In A Name? BJP-Trinamool Spar Over Renaming Sealdah Railway Station
The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) are locked in a political battle to appropriate Bengali icons to keep their mass appeal in West Bengal intact ahead of elections next year. At the heart of this fresh tussle is the renaming of Kolkata's Sealdah Station, the busiest railway station after Howrah Station for passengers.
Union Minister of State Dr Sukanta Majumdar, while flagging off the first air-conditioned local train in the city, suggested the state government write to the Centre and rename Sealdah Station as Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Railway Station, after the founding member of the BJP who was born in Kolkata.
"We urge the state government to request the Centre to rename Sealdah Station as Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Terminus and then we will push for it," he told reporters on Sunday.
In response, the Trinamool Congress questioned the BJP and instead suggested the Railway station be renamed after social reformer Swami Vivekananda. Speaking to the media, Trinamool state General Secretary Kunal Ghosh said, "the Kolkata port is already named after Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. Why name another establishment after him? Instead, it should be renamed after Swami Vivekananda."
Kunal Ghosh claimed, after Swami Vivekananda had returned from Chicago, delivering his historic speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions he had arrived at Sealdah station where he got an astounding welcome.
In the past few weeks, the Trinamool has accused the BJP for insulting Bengalis and Bengali language over migrant workers being allegedly targeted in BJP-ruled states and later a Delhi Police communique calling Bangla as "Bangladeshi Language" also drew flak from political parties and citizens of the state.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Ministers allotted night shifts as UP Assembly begins 24-hour session on ‘2047 vision'
The 24-hour marathon session of both Houses of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature to debate a 'Vision Document 2047' began at around 11.30 am on Wednesday amid protests by the Opposition, which first demanded the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government's reply on the fulfillment of promises made in the BJP's 'Sankalpa Patras', or manifestos, ahead of the 2017 and 2022 Assembly polls. Some members of the Opposition also demanded a longer Monsoon Session, which is being held across four days and began on Monday, rather than a 24-hour-long session that goes through the night. However, the BJP government has put in place a detailed plan to ensure the continuous presence of MLAs, MLCs and ministers by dividing them into groups and assigning each a three-hour slot over the course of the session. Sources in the government said while all legislators are expected to attend the session till 6 pm, several ministers have been assigned slots for the late night hours to ensure attendance and continuity through the session. Starting 6 pm on Wednesday in the Legislative Assembly, four ministers – Sugarcane Development and Sugar Industry Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, MSMEs and Textiles Minister Rakesh Sachin, Minister of State (MoS) for Excise and Prohibition Nitin Agarwal, and MoS for Rural Development Vijay Laxmi Gautam – have been assigned the three-hour slot till 9 pm. The next group of ministers, expected to be present from 9 pm to 12 am, include Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyaya, MoS for Skill Development Kapil Dev Agarwal, MoS for Food and Civil Supplies Satish Chandra Sharma. Then on Thursday, four ministers will attend from 12 am to 3 am – Science and Technology Minister Anil Kumar, MoS for Transport Dayashankar Singh, MoS for Food Security and Drug Administration Dayashankar Mishra and MoS for Public Works Department Brajesh Singh. From 3 am to 6 am, which would be considered the most difficult slot, a group of eight ministers has been assigned so in the case of any absences there are enough ministers to represent the government. These ministers include Labour Minister Anil Rajbhar, MoS for Sports Girish Chandra Yadav, MoS for Agriculture Baldev Singh Olakh, MoS for Jal Shakti Dinesh Khatik, MoS for SC/ST Welfare Sanjeev Gond, Jal Shakti Minister Ramkesh Nishad, MoS for Labour Manohar Lal, and MoS for Forest and Environment K P Malik. Then, from 6 am to 9 am, five ministers have been assigned – Tourism and Culture Minister Jayveer Singh, Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta, MoS for Basic Education Sandeep Singh, MoS for Stamp and Registration Department Ravindra Jaiswal and MoS for Energy Somendra Tomar. From 9 am to 11 am, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Fisheries Minister Sanjay Nishad, MoS for Secondary Education Gulab Devi and MoS for Higher Education Rajni Tiwari will be present. Similarly, groups of three ministers each have also been given three-hour time slots in the Legislative Council from 6 pm on August 13 to 11 am on August 14. While 28 ministers have been assigned slots in the Assembly, 18 ministers will be in attendance in the Legislative Council. In the Assembly, there will be 10 Cabinet ministers and 18 MoS, including those with independent charges. Only two of these ministers – Sanjay Nishad of the NISHAD Party and Anil Kumar of the RLD – belong to non-BJP parties. The ministers have been asked to present the '2047 vision' for their respective departments during the session, which UP Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna said was the first of its kind in any state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to make India a developed nation by 2027. In response to the Opposition's demand for the government's reply on how many of its poll promises were fulfilled, Khanna said that voters brought the BJP-led government back to power with a majority in 2022 based on the 2017 and 2022 manifestos.
Hans India
17 minutes ago
- Hans India
Meat ban row: Independence Day is for unity, not politics, says BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma
Bhopal: Even though the Madhya Pradesh government has not issued any notification on banning meat sales during the upcoming Independence Day and Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, several civic bodies across the country have ordered such restrictions -- a move welcomed by ruling BJP leaders. BJP MLA from Bhopal's Huzur constituency, Rameshwar Sharma, said decisions by civic bodies in places such as Hyderabad and Kalyan in Maharashtra should be appreciated rather than turned into a political controversy. 'August 15 is a day to showcase India's unity, not to indulge in politics. What is wrong if meat sales are suspended for two or three days?' Sharma told IANS on Wednesday. Reacting to AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi's criticism -- in which he called the ban 'callous and unconstitutional' -- Sharma accused him of trying to stir unrest. 'Owaisi is among those leaders who mislead the Muslim community for political gain. Besides being a politician, he is also a senior advocate. He should understand the significance of Independence Day,' Sharma said. The meat ban orders have triggered a political storm, with leaders from across the spectrum calling it an infringement on personal food choices at a time when the nation is celebrating its freedom. In Hyderabad, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has directed that slaughterhouses and meat shops remain closed on August 15 and 16 -- Independence Day and Janmashtami. A similar order in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar drew objections from Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. 'It is wrong to impose such a ban. In big cities, people from different communities live together. If it's an emotional issue, people may accept a one-day ban. But enforcing it on days like Maharashtra Day, Independence Day, and Republic Day is unreasonable,' Pawar said. The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane has also issued a closure order. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray hit out at the move, saying the municipal commissioner should be suspended. 'What we eat on Independence Day is our right and our freedom. They cannot dictate our meals. In our home, even during Navratri, our prasad includes prawns and fish because that is our tradition -- this is our Hindutva. Why enter people's homes? The corporation should focus on fixing potholes,' Thackeray said.
India.com
17 minutes ago
- India.com
SIR in West Bengal: বাংলায় SIR জল্পনায় সিলমোহর, রাজ্যকে চিঠি জাতীয় নির্বাচন কমিশনের
Videos SIR in West Bengal: বাংলায় SIR জল্পনায় সিলমোহর, রাজ্যকে চিঠি জাতীয় নির্বাচন কমিশনের | Zee 24 Ghanta SIR Speculation Sealed in Bengali Letter Sent to State by Election Commission SIR Speculation Sealed in Bengali Letter Sent to State by Election Commission | Updated: Aug 13, 2025, 05:00 PM IST Advertisement SIR Speculation Sealed in Bengali Letter Sent to State by Election Commission
