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Hindustan Times
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Himanta Biswa Sarma accuses Mamata of spreading ‘fear' over NRC ahead of Bengal polls
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has strongly reacted to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's reported remarks on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), alleging that she is attempting to instill "fear" among Bengali communities ahead of upcoming State Assembly elections. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Mamata Banerjee of using NRC to create fear among Bengalis for votes, saying she raised the issue only with elections nearing.(PTI) Speaking at press conference in Guwahati, Sarma dismissed her concerns as unwarranted, saying, "Who has asked her to obey the NRC? She is speaking unnecessarily. She is suddenly saying that she will not obey the NRC. Where is the NRC? Nobody has ordered any NRC." CM Sarma said, "This is her tactic to create fear among Bengalis and get their vote. She did not talk about NRC for the last 5 years. Only when the Election is coming, she has started talking about all these things." His reaction comes following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the double-engine government of trying to take away the citizenship of people in the state. While addressing the public in Jhargram, "I am thinking, are we really independent? I hope our citizenship will not be snatched. Please don't deprive us" The Chief Minister alleged that the 'double engine government' is trying to push citizens into detention by falsely branding them as Rohingyas and attempting to push them back into Bangladesh. On Wednesday CM Banerjee said, "If genuine voters are removed from the voter list, then I will protest in the entire world. Malpua (BJP leader Amit Malviya) is demanding my arrest. Even if you come to arrest me or shoot me, I will keep protesting against the insult of the Bengali language." "There is an NRC conspiracy behind the ongoing SIR activity. In Assam, nearly seven lakh people have been removed from the voter list, which includes Hindu Bengalis. Notices are being sent in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar and Indian residents are being sent to Bangladesh. Not a single name should be excluded from the voter's list. Our two officers received notice from ECI regarding their suspension. There is no need to fear. Eight to nine months are left for the polls, but the BJP has started to suspend people from now itself. ECI is acting as the agent of the BJP," she said.
Indian Express
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Kolkata man found dead, family says he ended life fearing NRC deportation
The family of a 63-year-old man who was found dead in his Kolkata residence Sunday alleged that he died by suicide since he was living in fear of being deported to Bangladesh under the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), police said. A suicide note purportedly written by the victim, Dilip Kumar Saha, an Indian citizen, was found from the spot, police said. Saha, who reportedly moved to Kolkata from Nawabganj in Dhaka in 1972, was found hanging in his room in the Anandapally West area of Regent Park. Police said Saha's wife Arati Saha, and another relative broke into the room after he did not respond to their repeated calls. He was declared dead on arrival at a hospital. Arati claimed that her husband was under mental stress as he feared being sent to a detention camp and eventually deported to Bangladesh even as he possessed valid voter ID and other documents. Saha worked as a non-teaching staffer at a private school in Dhakuria in south Kolkata. The matter is under investigation, police said. Meanwhile, local TMC MLA and Power Minister Arup Biswas, who visited the family, said, 'This is what the fear of being thrown out of the country could do to a man. What they (Centre) have started in the name of the SIR shows their anti-people attitude, and the result is in front of you.' Later in the day, the TMC held a press meet, with party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh holding the BJP-led Centre responsible for Saha's death. Ghosh accused the Centre of creating 'an atmosphere of terror' that is causing 'valid Indians' to fear for their lives, especially those who may struggle to produce their parents' documents. Education Minister Bratya Basu also condemned the incident, calling the BJP's 'insulting and harassing' notices to Hindu Bengalis regarding the NRC. 'The way in which the BJP has been sending NRC notices to Hindu Bengalis, is to insult and harass them. Not being able to tolerate this, Dilip Kumar Saha has ended his life. His wife, Aarti has said this. Migrant workers are being called infiltrators. In Pune, a man who fought in the Kargil war was called the same,' Basu said. -with PTI inputs
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Didi slams Himanta over mother tongue ‘persecution threat'
Kolkata: Persecution for speaking in one's mother tongue was both "discriminatory and unconstitutional", CM Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday, stressing that she stood by the "people of Assam who are fighting for dignity of their language, identity and democratic rights". Banerjee, referring to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma 's recent comment that "writing Bengali as mother tongue will help quantify foreigners", posted on X: "The second most spoken language in the country, Bangla, is also the second most spoken language of Assam. To threaten citizens who want to coexist peacefully respecting all languages and religions with persecution for upholding their own mother tongue is discriminatory and unconstitutional." This "divisive agenda of BJP in Assam has crossed all limits and people of Assam will fight back", Banerjee said. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The Bengal CM's statement comes a day after PM Narendra Modi told a Durgapur rally that "for BJP, Bengali 'asmita' is at the highest pedestal". "People of Bengal get respect wherever there is BJP. We will not allow a conspiracy against Bengal's 'asmita'. It is Modi's guarantee," he said. Banerjee's strongly worded statements looked like a throwback to her 2018 comments on Assam when Hindu Bengalis were being incarcerated under NRC. Back then, Trinamool had protested strongly against it both in Bengal and in Parliament. Recalling the days of the "Bongal kheda" (throw out Bengalis) campaign in Assam in the 1960s, '70s and '80s — which led to a massive migration of Bengalis from the state to Bengal — the CM had said: "It has made a comeback. Bengalis are being driven out of Assam. It will have an impact on Bengal because our state shares a border with it. We can't be mere onlookers. I warn BJP not to play with fire. We will not spare them if people come under attack." Sarma, debunking TMC claims, argued earlier this week that the recent drives were only against "illegal Bangladeshi Muslims" which, he claimed, threatened Assam's demography. But Trinamool questioned this logic. TMC spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya argued: "You claim your govt only targets 'illegal Bangladeshi Muslims'. But in the final NRC list, out of the 19.6 lakh people excluded, 12 lakh were Bengali Hindus. Was their faith the problem too? Or was it their language? You say your crusade isn't against Bengalis. Then how do you explain the fact that all but four of the 30 people who died in Assam's detention centres were Bengali-speaking?" TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev, who heads the party in Assam, said: "As always, BJP's last trick in the bag in a state where it is losing ground is division among the peace-loving people of Assam. Double-engine sarkar has given us a state neck deep in debt, corruption, failed NRC, failed CAA, no resolution to solve infiltration, no respect for laws or human rights, only oppression, fear and communalism. United, we have to reject this regressive politics. "
News18
17-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Samik Bhattacharya's First Task: Discipline Bengal BJP Before PM Modi's Rally On July 18
Sources say the BJP leadership in Delhi was unhappy with Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's controversial statement asking Hindu Bengalis not to visit 'Muslim majority' J&K Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Bengal's Durgapur on July 18, state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya has received his first task—get the Bengal unit disciplined. Bhattacharya was asked to keep the flock, including its senior leadership, in check recently when he made his first visit to Delhi after becoming the West Bengal BJP president. Sources say the BJP leadership in Delhi was unhappy with Bengal BJP leader and LoP Suvendu Adhikari's controversial statement asking Hindu Bengalis not to visit 'Muslim majority" Jammu & Kashmir. Referring to the recent Pahalgam attack, Adhikari had said: 'Don't go to the places where Muslims are in majority. If you want to go to Kashmir, go to Jammu… They (terrorists) killed people asking about their religion." TMC lost no time to hit back, claiming Adhikari 'shamelessly echoed the terrorists' agenda". While Adhikari made it clear it was his personal opinion, the BJP leadership is clearly not convinced. In Delhi, Bhattacharya met BJP's Bengal in-charge Sunil Bansal and General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh and is believed to have been asked to get the state unit disciplined. No out-of-turn gaffes or unwanted controversies should be allowed ahead of PM Modi's rally in Durgapur, which he is visiting after six years. The BJP is also in discomfiture in Bengal due to its former state president Dilip Ghosh, whose growing proximity with chief minister Mamata Banerjee has irked the cadres. Last week, Ghosh too came to Delhi and visited the BJP headquarters to meet Deputy General Secretary (Organisation) Shiv Prakash. However, after the meeting, Ghosh said something that may not go down well with the BJP—that there is no pending case of corruption against Mamata Banerjee. Earlier, Ghosh went to the inauguration of the 'Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra' (cultural centre) at Digha, an event largely skipped by the state BJP leadership. PM Modi's last rally in West Bengal was on May 29, 2025, in Alipurduar. Last time, he raised the issue of TMC government's alleged corruption, which he claimed 'destroyed families". 'TMC regime not ready to accept its mistakes in school jobs scam. It is blaming courts, judicial system," he said. The rally comes days before the Trinamool Congress' annual Martyrs' Day programme on July 21, indicating a strategic move by the BJP to counter TMC's influence in the state. view comments First Published: July 16, 2025, 11:17 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tripura party seeks answers on Motha MLA's ‘violent past' from Shah
Agartala: Amra Bangali, a regional political party, has called upon Union home minister to address pressing concerns regarding TIPRA Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma accused of committing genocide during his tenure as the chief of the banned armed outfit All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Amra Bangali state secretary Gouranga Rudrapal has raised serious allegations against Debbarma, claiming that he has not formally renounced his past affiliations before contesting the 2023 assembly elections under the banner of royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman's party, TIPRA Motha. Rudrapal says police records show Debbarma has not surrendered, with multiple cases still pending against him, including accusations of murdering over a hundred Bengalis during the 1990s. The party has also taken a firm stance against TIPRA Motha's demand to repatriate individuals who arrived in Tripura post-March 25, 1971, from Bangladesh. They are urging the govt to reopen investigations into the alleged genocides by ATTF and NLFT during the 1980s and 1990s. Rudrapal did not hold back in his criticism of Debbarma, accusing him of inciting communal tensions with hate speech against Hindu Bengalis. "It is alarming that someone with such a violent past can now hold a position of power as an MLA," he stated, demanding clarity on how an insurgent could transition into a lawmaker. Amra Bangali is also pushing for a judicial reinvestigation into the June 1980 riots and other violent incidents targeting Bengalis over the past three decades. They argue that justice has been denied to the victims of ethnic violence due to political negligence. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The 1980 riots led to the massacre of hundreds of innocent Bengalis. Even after four decades, no proper investigation or justice has been delivered. Similarly, several acts of mass violence, property lootings, and targeted killings of Bengalis have taken place in the last 45 years, often by extremist groups. The victims were either forgotten or silenced," Rudrapal lamented. He called for the establishment of a judicial commission, led by a sitting HC judge, to thoroughly investigate these incidents and ensure proper compensation and rehabilitation for the victims' families. Rudrapal further emphasized the historical roots of Bengalis in the region, contrasting them with the migration of tribal communities from present-day Myanmar around the 5th century BC. "Bengalis are the real sons of the soil but today, they are being labelled as outsiders in their land," he said. Reacting to the allegations, Debbarma said, "History tells who are infiltrators. I just referred to the notification of MHA regarding identification of illegal migrants. In regard to the allegation of my past, I can only say there were 17 cases against me but none of them were proved in court."
