Latest news with #SuvenduAdhikari
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari expresses concern over situation of Matuas and Sanatanis in Bangladesh
Suvendu Adhikari voiced concerns to the Bangladesh High Commission regarding alleged attacks on Matuas and Sanatanis in Bangladesh, emphasizing their ties to Indian residents. He also urged the Election Commission to hold separate West Bengal Assembly elections in 2026, citing a 'terror' environment allegedly created by the Trinamool Congress, further criticizing rising electricity tariffs and water meter installations. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari , on Friday expressed concerns over Matuas and Sanatanis in Bangladesh, who are allegedly attacked and with other MLAs, reached Bangladesh High Commission , to express his concern and informed the Bangladesh High Commissioner about the also said that he has met Bangladesh High Commission, voicing about the torture on the Matua and other Sanatani Vaishnavites in several villages in Bengladesh.'I am not concerned about the internal issues and situation of Bangladesh. I care about the Matua community and the Sanatanis who are tortured there. Many of them are relatives of people who are in India. We have genuine concern about them,' Adhikari were a major vote bank for Left Front, then Trinamool and now BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised in Matua headquarter Thakurnagar that CAA will be community, with more than one crore voters in the state, is spread over Nadia, Coochebehar, North and South 24 Parganas districts bordering Adhikari also urged the Election Commission to conduct West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 separately and not to club it with other states, alleging about the existence environment of 'terror" created by the ruling Trinamool said that miscreants had attacked several BJP workers and supporters while they were heading towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Alipurduar on Thursday. Incidentally,Trinamool goons allegedly vandalised 34 vehicles and injured 22 BJP workers stopping them from reaching the PM's rally, Adhikari claimed. Several buses were vandalized and front glasses broken."The language used by Trinamool leaders against the Prime Minister is unacceptable and undemocratic. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to conduct free and fair elections in West Bengal," Adhikari said. He requested the EC not to club the state's polls with Assam, Bihar or Bengal is scheduled to go to the polls in 2026. In the last 2021 assembly polls, though BJP had set a target of more than 200 seats, the saffron party got 77 criticized the state government over rising electricity tariffs and water meters installed at various locations.
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Fake voters': BJP asks Election Commission to remove dist admin from electoral process
Ahead of next year's Assembly elections in West Bengal, the BJP on Monday asked the Election Commission to immediately remove the district administration and civic volunteers from the electoral process, alleging that they have been involved in enrolling fake voters, including Bangladesh nationals, in the electoral rolls in exchange for money. Addressing mediapersons here, Leader of Opposition in Assembly and Nandigram MLA, Suvendu Adhikari, also demanded a CBI probe into the matter. Adhikari, who led a delegation of 40 BJP leaders to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office in Kolkata, alleged that Rohingyas were being added to the voter list in Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district for a bribe of Rs 10,000 per name. 'This is not an isolated incident in one district. Similar activities are being carried out across several districts. The administration acting under the instructions of the TMC leadership is being used to include fake names in the voter rolls,' the BJP MLA alleged. In a letter to the CEO, Adhikari wrote: 'An FIR was registered on May 18 at Kakdwip Assembly constituency… after malpractices of the inclusion of Bangladeshi foreigners in the voter list in connivance with the officers and staff of the state government was found.' 'We demand a CBI investigation into the Kakdwip fake voter case. The state police and administration are completely compromised,' he said. Calling the issue a matter of national concern, Adhikari urged the Election Commission to act independently and ensure free and fair elections. 'Unlike the previous two occasions in 2016 and 2021, I will not allow the Trinamool Congress to win through manipulation and fake voters this time,' he said. Adhikari also cited the recent clashes in Murshidabad to allege that police and the state administration did not respond to the calls of help of the victims. Citing a report by a Calcutta High Court-appointed committee, Adhikari alleged that police personnel in Dhulian and Samserganj remained unresponsive to distress calls from Hindu residents during the violence. 'If this is the conduct of the state police, how can they be trusted to conduct elections? That's why we are demanding that state police not be used during the election process,' he said. 'Keeping in view of the situation where the state machinery played the role of aggressor and persecutor, how can we expect the free and fair election by this state administration. The civic police are agents of the ruling party without any accountability and ethics as they are appointed by the ruling party without any exam or recruitment process,' the BJP leader alleged. Adhikari further alleged that the state government was preparing to transfer police officers in a manner that would benefit the ruling party ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, and urged the Election Commission to monitor the process closely. Reacting to Adhikari's allegations, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed them as 'baseless and politically motivated'. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, 'These are completely unfounded claims. If Rohingyas have managed to sneak into West Bengal, who is responsible for guarding the international border? It is the Border Security Force (BSF), which functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.' He questioned why the BJP, instead of holding the central government accountable, was blaming the state government. 'BSF is the first line of defence at the border. If there has been a failure, it is their lapse. The BJP should first question the MHA and their own central agencies before levelling allegations against us,' Ghosh added. —With PTI Inputs
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bar district administration, civic volunteers from Bengal poll process: BJP
The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) demanding that the district administration and civic volunteers be kept away from the electoral process. Mr. Adhikari and a delegation of around 20 BJP MLAs visited the CEO's office on Monday (May 26, 2025). Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled in 2026, and the visit to the CEO's office carries a great deal of political significance. Mr. Adhikari said that 'fair elections' are a prerequisite for democracy in West Bengal and urged the CEO to change the existing Standard Operating Procedure relating to elections. Referring to a Calcutta High Court report on the recent violence at Murshidabad, in which the committee said that police did not respond to calls, the LOP said that the same is true for elections during which the police do not take calls. Mr. Adhikari said the entire police set up of the state should be transferred during elections. He also highlighted the suspension of Arun Gorain, assistant system manager of the Kakdwip subdivision in the South 24 Parganas district, for alleged gross misconduct by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and said the incident was a big scam. Influencing officers 'After the malpractice was reported in the media, the State has been trying to hush up the anomaly in preparation of the voter list. It is not a solitary incident, the practice is rampant, with members of the ruling party in West Bengal influencing officers who are entrusted with conducting free and fair elections,' the BJP leader's memorandum said. Also read: Suvendu Adhikari targets WB Government over OBC reservation He also demanded that electoral malpractices should be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) since ECI is a central government agency. Mr. Adhikari also highlighted recent remarks by Trinamool Congress MLA from Kakdwip, Maturam Pakhira, in which he alleged that officials are including names in the voter list for monetary gain. Earlier in February this year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the BJP leadership, with the blessings of the ECI, included fake voters in the electoral rolls. Ms. Banerjee directed her party leaders to conduct door to door surveys of voter lists. The CEO had refuted the allegations. After weeks of frantic activity by the Trinamool leadership, the party has gone slow on door to door surveys of voter lists. Bypolls to five assembly seats in four states, including Kaliganj in West Bengal, will be held on June 19, the Election Commission announced on May 25. Election to the Kaliganj Assembly seat in West Bengal has been necessitated due to the death of sitting assembly member Nasiruddin Ahamed.
India Gazette
25-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Loss for Bengal": Suvendu Adhikari criticises CM Mamata Banerjee for not attending NITI Aayog meeting
ANI 25 May 2025, 16:43 GMT+10 Nandigram (West Bengal) [India], May 25 (ANI): West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not participating in the NITI Aayog meeting stating that it was a loss for Bengal as she lost the opportunity to form a working relation between West Bengal government and the Centre. Adhikari said, 'It was a loss for Bengal. She lost the opportunity to form a working relation between West Bengal government and the centre. Ayushman Bharat, Vishwakarma scheme or any other central government scheme is not implemented in West Bengal. It is an insolvent state now. Bengal is bankrupt. Bengal has loans over Rs 7 lakh crores. Yet, Mamata Banerjee is standing with her ego. She is not giving land for the airport and AIIMS.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 10th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog at Bharat Mandapam here on Saturday. It was attended by Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors representing 24 States and 7 UTs. This year's theme was Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047. The meeting commenced with a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, in which 26 people were killed. Prime Minister mentioned that 'Operation Sindoor should not be treated as a one-off initiative and we must adopt a long-term approach. 'The Prime Minister mentioned that we must modernize our approach to civil preparedness. He said that the recent mock drills have reignited our attention to civil defence states should institutionalize Civil Defence preparedness,' a NITI Aayog release said. 'The CMs and LGs praised Operation Sindoor for its precision and targeted strikes which led to destruction of terror infrastructure. In one voice, they praised PM's leadership and the valour of the Armed Forces. They also praised the efforts towards Aatmanirbharta in the defence sector which have strengthened the defence forces and bolstered confidence in our capabilities,' it added. India launched precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK early on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India also effectively repelled subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. (ANI)
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Suvendu Adhikari targets WB Government over OBC reservation
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday (May 22, 2025) targeted the West Bengal government over the issue of OBC (Other Backward Classes) reservation, citing an order by the Calcutta High Court where the court stated that only those included in category before 2010 will receive the benefit. In May 2024, the Calcutta High Court cancelled all Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates issued in West Bengal since 2010. Mr. Adhikari cited a recent order of Justice Kaushik Chanda of the Calcutta High Court, where he pointed out that the caste of the candidate is included in the OBC list. Introduced by the Backward Class Department of the State prior to 2010, only they shall receive the benefit of OBC reservation. The West Bengal government has approached the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order and the matter is pending before the apex court. 'The State Government getting under the scanner is now a routine affair. Today, the Hon'ble Justice Kausik Chanda has directed immediate implementation of the OBC reservation order passed by the Hon'ble Division Bench. The plea of the State regarding the issue pending before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India has been thwarted stating that the State has failed to obtain any stay on the Hon'ble Division Bench order,' the BJP leader said in a social media post. Since OBC reservation affects lakhs of candidates and students seeking admissions in academic institutions there has been lot of confusion. Legal experts point that since the West Bengal government has not obtained any stay against the Calcutta High Court order, the admissions will be carried out on the basis of the situation prevailing before 2010. While striking down the OBC list of the West Bengal government in 2024, the Calcutta High Court highlighted a complete lack of legislative policy within the 2012 scheme governing the State's authority to classify any class as OBC. The court ordered the State to establish a clear legislative policy before delegating such authority.
