
TPCC leader Jayaprakash flays Union Min Kishan Reddy for ‘politicising' Hyderabad fire mishap
Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, he reminded Kishan that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi chose not to politicise the Gujarat bridge collapse incident which claimed the lives of over 140 people, even though PM Narendra Modi hails from Gujarat, and the BJP is in power there. He advised Kishan to adopt a service-oriented approach in politics.
He also sought to remind Kishan that at least two youths were killed during the latter's Bharat Mata Yatra held at Tank Bund while arrangements were being made for bursting firecrackers.
On Kishan's reported criticism of CM Revanth Reddy not visiting the fire accident site, the Congress leader explained that the CM did not want to hinder rescue operations.

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Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Will fight for language, says Mamata, slams SIR
Kolkata: CM Mamata Banerjee landed a double blow on the BJP-led Centre on the eve of Independence Day, reiterating that the special intensive revision (SIR) of poll rolls was nothing but an "NRC exercise specifically targeting Bengal" and that no one could snatch the "freedom of speaking in one's language". "How many people in Bengal have passports? How many can provide birth certificates of their parents?" she asked, alleging that those who are tasked to grant citizenship were now planning to take it away. On the language issue, Banerjee stressed that she would "fight against it, as long as I live". The twin attacks by the CM came shortly after the Supreme Court's order on SIR. "They (EC) have removed Aadhaar, PAN (from the list of documents for SIR). How many people have passports? They even asked for date of birth of the parents. Those born in 2002, how will they get their parents' certificate? Did they have institutional delivery? How many hospitals were there? Those who came from Bangladesh, how will they show certificates? They are planning to implement NRC. We are not concerned about double-engine states. They are targeting opposition states and Bengal is a special target." You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in Kolkata Referring to the SC order, Banerjee said, "The Supreme Court has stated that Aadhaar must be upheld. The SC has also granted more time for the Bengal case. Our MP filed the first case. We joined as a state, and some NGOs have joined too. I fail to understand why there will suddenly be an SIR. The last SIR here was in 2002. It started in 2002 and ended two years later." The CM said Bengal was being targeted as it offered true independence to its citizens. "Those who came from Bangladesh with just clothes on them, where are their documents? Those who are falsely promising citizenship today will not actually grant it… SIR is an attempt to take away citizenship," she said. She also brought up the issue of the Kolkata dad-son duo, in Noida being turned away by a hotel there for speaking in Bengali, using it as an example of how those speaking in Bengali were being persecuted. "We have also suffered from Partition. If someone is a foreigner, action must be taken against them . However, such actions should not be done arbitrarily," Banerjee said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bilashi recalls how villagers defied British in 1930 to write a page in freedom writers' diary
Kolhapur: Three months after Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March against the salt laws 95 years ago, the inspired villagers of Bilashi now in Sangli district, broke forest laws in an act of civil disobedience. They refused to pay for grazing rights, entered the reserved forest and cut grass for fodder. Their defiance on July 18, 1930, rattled the British Raj so much that 500 policemen were sent to crush the satyagraha, which lasted 51 days. The Bilashi Satyagraha, also known as Jungle Satyagraha and Zenda Satyagraha, will mark its 100th year in 2030. Congress workers Vishnu Patil, Baburao Charankar, Bapusaheb Deshmukh, and Ganpatrao Patil led the movement after Gandhi declared that those who could not join the Dandi March could resist by taking on unjust colonial laws. After entering the forest and cutting the grass for fodder, the villagers felled a 34-foot teak tree, made a pillar and placed the tricolour with a charka in the middle atop it. They brought it to the Mahadev temple with the large crowd shouting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Mahatma Gandhi Zindabad, Vande Mataram, and Kusaichya Navane Changbhala' (Praise be to Kusai, a local deity). Babasaheb Parit, who has researched the Bilashi Satyagraha, said, "Inspector Bankatsingh was deployed to quell the movement. He had 70-80 policemen with him. The villagers stopped cooperating with them, denying food and shelter to the policemen and their horses. That year, villagers celebrated festivals in the temple to protect the flag they had hoisted." By this time, several neighbouring villages joined Bilashi's movement and the stories of their heroism and the humiliation faced by the British police carried far. Parit said on Sept 6, 1930, more troops on horses armed with firearms and batons arrived and after entering the village, they lathicharged the men, women and children. "Hundreds were injured. The women brought the flag down and hid it among their clothes. The wet soil turned a deep red. Two teenagers, Dhondi Santu Kumbhar and Shankar Bhau Chambar, who threw stones at the troops were killed by the policemen on horses and their bodies were buried in an undisclosed location, which we located several years ago," Parit added. Anandrao Patil, the 58-year-old son of freedom fighter Ganpatrao Patil, said, "My father was a police patil and a member of a local board. He resigned in protest after the atrocities in Bilashi. This led to mass resignation by other police patils. The first war of independence in 1857 was quelled but resistance from Bilashi made people realise once again that they could fight the British for independence." Bilashi's sarpanch Sujata Deshmane said, "Our village has around 5,000 people and 40 freedom fighters. Patriotism runs deep here. On Aug 9, which is 'Kranti Divas', we participate in a morning march, and place wreaths at the Kranti Stambh to pay tribute to the heroes. The day also marks the birth and death anniversary of freedom fighter Ganpatrao Patil. On Independence and Republic Days, our entire village gathers at the gram panchayat office for flag hoisting and celebrates with sweets. " The villagers want a national memorial built in Bilashi and its connection to the freedom movement included in textbooks. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Crossing a line: on drive against undocumented immigrants
Police in several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled States are trying to identify undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants by their language: Bengali. This approach has led to some comical errors, such as the Delhi police listing 'Bangladeshi' as a language — a massive leap in linguistics. However, in most cases, this has become a tragic and farcical exercise. Several documented instances have shown Indian citizens being pushed across the border into Bangladesh. This has caused significant hardship for the families involved and embarrassment to the government. Some individuals have been repatriated to their families in West Bengal after intervention by the State government or courts. This 'pushback' of suspected Bangladeshis is a part of a larger effort to bypass the due process of law, which is often lengthy and rigorous. The rounding up of Bengali speakers has sparked a debate in West Bengal, where the ruling party, the Trinamool Congress, has called it an 'attack on Bengali identity' and launched a language movement. The targeting of Bengali migrants has immediate consequences for their livelihoods. Fearing detention and forced relocation to Bangladesh — a country to which they may have no connection — many migrant workers from West Bengal have left their jobs. In one particular case, Delhi police detained Bengali speakers who had been granted Indian citizenship under a well-known land exchange treaty with Bangladesh signed by the Narendra Modi government. Bengali is India's second-largest language by number of speakers. The State of West Bengal is both a source and a destination for migrant workers. The divisions being created over language and identity could easily escalate into conflict and violence. Even for the BJP, this exercise makes little political sense and may be counterproductive ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal. The migrant workers from West Bengal who are being harassed in other States do not belong to a single community. BJP leaders in West Bengal are already facing criticism over the issue and are setting up camps to assist citizens with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in various constituencies across the State. The issue of Bangladeshi citizens entering and working in India is not new. For decades, people from the neighbouring country have entered India for political and social reasons, including better economic opportunities. The boundaries of India are a creation of colonialism and a violent history of political conflicts. While sovereign borders must be protected, the central government must ensure that law enforcement does not become counterproductive and lead to the harassment of its citizens.