Latest news with #Bengali
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Samik, Suvendu seek Bihar-like SIR, say Bengali culture under attack in state
1 2 Kolkata/Siliguri: Bengal BJP, which held rallies in north Bengal and Kharagpur on the same day Trinamool organised its marquee Martyrs' Day event, alleged that Bengal's culture was under attack in the state. It also said that the electoral rolls in the state should be scrutinised and revised on the lines of Bihar to weed out fake and illegitimate voters. At its march to Uttar Kanya — the secretariat branch in north Bengal — BJP chanted slogans protesting attacks on women. Addressing the rally, state leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari said: "We need SIR in Bengal. We will not allow Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims on the electoral list. Trinamool failed to get votes in north Bengal. In south Bengal, it resorted to false voting." Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya alleged that Trinamool had attacked the legacies of Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. "It attacked 'Vande Mataram' and now its netas are talking of Bengali pride. When (former Delhi CM) Madan Lal Khurana wanted to make 'Vande Mataram' mandatory at schools, (TMC MP) Saugata Roy opposed that. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo It is the same song that inspired thousands of freedom fighters," Bhattacharya said. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata He also claimed Rohingya were being sheltered in a number of districts in Bengal. "Those who attacked Hindus in Bangladesh have entered Bengal now. We will cleanse the electoral rolls... names of illegal voters will be struck off," he said. Bhattacharya also criticised CM Mamata Banerjee for her 'Ram, Baam, Shyam' comment — a veiled attack at an alleged understanding between CPM, BJP and Congress — at the July 21 rally. "She doesn't know how many of her party workers and supporters are approaching us. We have said earlier too that it is time to keep aside political differences and fight to dislodge Trinamool. I am even appealing to those who choose NOTA.. . It is time to be decisive about the future of Bengal," he said.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Will stick to '14 cutoff to identify illegal migrants, says Tripura CM
1 2 Agartala: In a decisive move to clarify its stance on the contentious issue of illegal migration, Tripura chief minister Manik Saha reaffirmed on Monday that the state govt will adhere to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), which designates Dec 31, 2014, as the cut-off date for granting Indian citizenship. This announcement comes amid mounting pressure from the ruling BJP's coalition partner, Tipra Motha, led by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman. The party has been urging both central and state govts to recognise individuals who entered India post-1971, in line with the Indira-Mujib Accord, as illegal immigrants. Tipra Motha has been actively campaigning for a comprehensive revision of the electoral roll to identify foreign nationals who settled in Tripura after 1971. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has invited the party for a meeting on Wednesday to discuss these demands. Additionally, Tipra Motha has established district-level committees to identify illegal migrants using fraudulent documents. However, Saha emphasised that BJP's approach to infiltration diverges significantly from Tipra Motha's, particularly concerning the citizenship cut-off year. He reiterated that, according to central govt guidelines, only those who fled religious persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh and entered India by Dec 31, 2014, are eligible for citizenship under the CAA. Those arriving after this date will be classified as illegal migrants. To address the issue, the state govt has formed a Special Task Force (STF) to identify illegal infiltrators. District magistrates and police officials have been directed to enhance surveillance and take swift action when necessary. Saha said collaboration with security and border forces has led to a reduction in illegal entries into Tripura in recent months. The illegal immigration debate has intensified following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent comments at a rally in Durgapur, West Bengal. In response, BJP-led states, including Tripura, have bolstered their anti-infiltration strategies. In West Tripura district, a 15-member task force, led by the SP, has been deployed to identify Bangladeshis living illegally. The govt is reportedly developing a separate mechanism to manage those identified as illegal immigrants, though the use of detention centers, like those in Assam, remains uncertain. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has accused BJP of labelling Bengali migrant workers as Bangladeshis and deporting them, sparking an outcry and a renewed assertion of Bengali identity by Trinamool Congress.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
We will make BJP chant ‘Joy Bangla' after 2026: Abhishek Banerjee at Trinamool Martyr's Day rally
Kolkata Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee gave a call from the party's annual Shahid Dibas (Martyr's Day) celebration on July 21 and said that he will force the Bharatiya Janta Party to chant 'Joy Bangla' after the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections. Speaking to a massive crowd at the heart of Kolkata, party second-in-command, Mr Banerjee said that the BJP will not cross 50 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections. Setting the election strategy and narrative tone of the party for the upcoming elections, the TMC leader said that if BJP is trying to put Bengali people speaking people in detention camps, they will go a step further and democratically put BJP in a detention camp by making them lose the elections. 'BJP used to say Jay Shri Ram earlier but now they are saying Joy Maa Kali, Joy Maa Durga. Mark my words today—in just 10 months, I will make them say Joy Bangla after 2026 elections,' Mr Banerjee said. He also added that in the 2021 elections they had said 'Khela hobe' (Game on) but for the 2026 elections they are saying 'Poddo phool upre fela hobe' [Will rip out the lotus flower – referring to the BJP party symbol]. Putting emphasis on his party's inclusive ideology, Mr Banerjee said, 'We don't do politics of religion or hatred. We maintain our religion at home, but in politics we have only one religion—humanity, to serve the people.' He accused that the Assam's BJP-led Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has labelled Bengali-speaking people as Bangladeshis, however, the BJP government has not taken any action against his 'discriminatory comments'. 'Chant Joy Bangla so loudly that the echoes of the slogans reach up to Delhi,' Mr Banerjee said as supporters at the Martyr's Day rally cheered on. Mr Banerjee also accused that the Union Government is using the State machinery under its power to strip the voters and opposition of their basic rights. 'On one hand, BJP uses ED to suppress the Opposition leaders and on the other, they use EC to snatch away the voting rights of the people. There are two Es — Election Commission and Enforcement Directorate. They are using these two Es to put Opposition leaders behind bars and take away the voting rights of Opposition voters and normal voters of the country,' Mr Banerjee said.
NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Artisans' Faces Blackened Over "Objectionable" Ganesh Idol Design In Indore
Indore: A controversy erupted in Indore's Khajrana locality on Sunday evening after Bajrang Dal activists stormed into a local sculptor's workshop, accusing Bengali artists of crafting Lord Ganesh idols in an "objectionable and modern" style that allegedly hurt religious sentiments. The outrage was sparked by a Lord Ganesh idol, which was seen holding a woman in his arms, a depiction the right-wing group deemed disrespectful. Furious over the design, the activists blackened the faces of the artisans identified as Chandranath Pal, Ratanlal Pal, and Raju Pal and marched them to the Khajrana police station. Despite the dramatic display, this isn't the first time such allegations have surfaced. Bajrang Dal members claimed that the same group of artisans had earlier made goddess idols wearing burqas, an accusation that, however, was found baseless during a police probe last year. Police have since registered a case under charges related to inciting religious sentiments and have begun scrutinising the paperwork and police verification status of over 50 workers employed in idol-making in the area. Authorities also confirmed that many of these artisans had not undergone the mandatory police verification process. The confrontation escalated when Bajrang Dal workers clashed with Assistant Sub-Inspector Surendra Singh at the police station, leading to the intervention of the station in-charge. Bajrang Dal's Indore convenor, Lucky Raghuvanshi, lodged a formal complaint against the artisans. Facing the fury and mounting pressure, the Bengali artisans reportedly folded their hands and publicly apologised for unintentionally hurting sentiments. Additional DCP Amarendra Singh confirmed that an FIR has been registered and "preventive measures" are being taken. "Restrictive action, including bond-over proceedings, is underway. Meetings with idol-makers are also being held to ensure no further violations occur," Singh said.
Deccan Herald
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Mamata sets stage for 'Bangaliyana vs Hindutva', asks TMC workers to launch stir against BJP's linguistic terror
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of unleashing 'linguistic terrorism' on Bengalis across the country and called for a movement to protect the language and cultural identity of the state against such onslaughts by the saffron party. With the assembly elections in West Bengal less than a year away, Mamata not only blew the poll bugle with a no-holds-barred offensive against the BJP but also set the TMC's strategy to counter the saffron party's aggressive Hindutva with an assertive Bangaliyana. As she addressed a mammoth congregation of the TMC workers at the party's annual Martyrs' Day event in Kolkata to pay homage to the 13 people killed in police firing on July 21, 1993, while demanding fair polls, the TMC supremo also warned the BJP against using the Election Commission to manipulate the electoral rolls..'Being born Bengali has become crime in BJP states': CM Mamata Banerjee amid migrant party's general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, said that he and other parliamentarians of the TMC would now speak only in Bengali in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. 'We will not kowtow before any attempt by the BJP to erase Bengali.' 'We must win more seats in the 2026 assembly polls (in West Bengal) and then march to Delhi to oust the BJP from power at the Centre,' the TMC supremo said, coining the 'Jabda Habe, Stabdha Habe' (we will trounce them, silence them) as her party's new war cry for the 2026 assembly polls, moving on from the 'khela habe (game is on)'. The TMC over the past few weeks stepped up its attacks on the governments of the BJP-ruled states for the detention of migrant workers from West Bengal by police and, in some cases, even deportation to Bangladesh, often allegedly disregarding their claim of being genuine citizens of India. Mamata, the chief minister of West Bengal since 2011, on Monday accused the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat and Delhi of harassing migrant workers from her state only because they spoke in their mother language to witness 'artificial fight' between Modi and Mamata as polls nearing: Adhir.'The BJP wants to erase our identity, language, culture and pride. But I promise you, till the time we oust them from the Centre, our fight will continue,' she said. 'In 2019, they vandalised the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. They saw the results of that audacious act of insulting Bengali icons (in the 2021 assembly polls). Now, they have issued notifications to delete Bengali names from voter lists. In BJP-ruled states, Bengalis are being harassed and put in detention camps,' alleged the TMC supremo. 'If needed, there will be a second Bhasha Andolan (language movement) against the BJP's terrorism on the Bengali language... From July 27, a movement will start in Bengal to protest the attack on Bengalis, Bengali language and 'Bhasha Santras' (linguistic terrorism) of the BJP,' she said, adding: 'This language movement will continue till the end of the assembly polls.' The first 'Bhasha Andolan' had taken place in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1952 to protest the imposition of Urdu and sidelining of Bengali in the eastern part of Pakistan. A police crackdown had resulted in the death of at least 29 protesting students on February 21, 1952. The United Nations later declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day..'BJP is watching': Suvendu cautions police officers 'siding' with TMC.'(West) Bengal is home to nearly 1.5 crore migrants from other states. We welcome people from all over India. But look at what the BJP is doing to Bengalis (in the states ruled by it),' said Mamata. She called upon the TMC workers to be very cautious to resist attempts by the BJP and the EC to erase names of legitimate voters of West Bengal from the electoral rolls of the state and instead enroll people from other BJP-ruled states. 'The BJP and the EC are conspiring against (West) Bengal. They want to do in Bengal what they did in Bihar through SIR (Special Intensive Revision). In Bihar, they have deleted the names of 40 lakh voters. If they try it here, we will gherao them. We will never allow it,' she said.
