Oppn unity on SIR, 'harassment' of Bengali-speaking people in Odisha, Assam may be raised in INDIA Bloc meet
The meeting will be attended virtually by the Trinamool Congress General Secretary and the party's Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, as decided by the party leadership at the last moment.
'The harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states after being branded as illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators is the most burning issue of the country currently.
"While the Trinamool Congress is the only party in the country which is spearheading the movement on this issue, our Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, had already stressed the importance of a united stand of all Opposition parties on this issue.
"Our General Secretary is expected to convey that message to the INDIA Bloc allies in the meeting this evening,' said a senior Trinamool Congress member who refused to be named.
Although initially, the Trinamool Congress decided to skip the INDIA Bloc meeting because of the preoccupation of the party leaders with the preparations for the party's annual Martyrs' Day rally on July 21, at the last moment, it was decided that Abhishek Banerjee would attend the meeting virtually.
Another important issue the party's General Secretary will raise in the INDIA Bloc meeting would be the Special Intensive Review by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which has already started and is expected to start in West Bengal next month, the Trinamool Congress leader said.
'Our Chief Minister has already made the party's stand clear that this Special Intensive Review is a ploy to indirectly implement NRC in West Bengal. Our General Secretary is expected to elaborate the party's stand on this issue at the INDIA Bloc meeting this evening,' he added.
The meeting of the INDIA Bloc this evening, which is happening after a gap of quite some time, is expected to discuss coordination on the floor of the Parliament on various issues during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of the House.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore wants special monitoring team in TTAADC to identify illegal immigrants
Two days after a Tipra Motha delegation met officials of the Election Commission (EC) in New Delhi and demanded a Bihar-style Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tripura, the supremo of the tribal party, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, Friday said he has asked the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) to form a special monitoring committee to identify illegal immigrants staying in the jurisdiction of the tribal council. The Tipra Motha has been in power in the TTAADC since 2021, having won 18 of the 28 seats in the Council. Pradyot Kishore wrote on X, 'I have requested the TTAADC to constitute a monitoring committee across all party lines to detect illegal immigrants who are illegally entering the TTAADC areas at the earliest. We should take this matter as many illegal people from Assam are being evicted and may enter neighbouring states. This committee should work not as political entities but as the protector of our rights.' I have requested the TTAADC to constitute a monitoring committee across all party lines to detect illegal immigrants who are illegally entering the TTAADC areas at the earliest . We should take this matter as many illegal people from Assam are being evicted and may enter… — Pradyot_Tripura (@PradyotManikya) July 25, 2025 A week ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government formed Special Task Forces in each district to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha said the task forces have been asked to identify illegal immigrants who came to India after December 2014. However, sources within ally Tipra Motha said they will most likely push for 1971 to be accepted as the cut-off year, as per the Indira-Mujib Pact. Meanwhile, the Tipra Motha delegation that met with EC officials also met BJP chief J P Nadda on Thursday. It has been learnt that the delegation discussed the 'pressing need to implement the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll in Tripura' and expedite the implementation of the 2024 tripartite Tiprasa Accord, which promised to find an amicable solution to problems faced by tribals in Tripura.
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
West Bengal conducts first-ever booth level officers' training amid speculations of special intensive revision
Kolkata: For the first time, Booth Level Officers' (BLO) training is being conducted across five divisions in West Bengal by West Bengal-Chief Electoral Office (WB-CEO), from July 24-28, raising murmurs about Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bengal, after Bihar. 'The BLO training from July 24th to 28th covering five divisions, Malda, Purba Bardhaman, Kolkata, West Midnapore and Jalpaiguri, is taking place for the first time,' WB-CEO Manoj Agarwal told ET. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Cybersecurity Data Analytics Degree Technology Leadership Artificial Intelligence CXO Management Design Thinking healthcare MCA Data Science others PGDM Operations Management Digital Marketing Project Management Finance Healthcare Data Science Others MBA Public Policy Product Management Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months MIT xPRO CERT-MIT xPRO PGC in Cybersecurity Starts on undefined Get Details 'The whole state will be covered through this training. BLO training is happening for the first time,' Agarwal said. " ECI's India International Institute of Democracy & Election Management (IIIDEM) has decided to conduct training and from every Constituency- three BLOs have gone to Delhi and did such training. The ECI has given instruction for BLO training,' sources informed. In four phases, around 250 BLOs have already been trained in Delhi. The BLO training in Bengal has started from July 24 in Malda division and will continue till July 28. In Purba Bardhaman (July 25), Kolkata (July 26), West Midnapore(July 27) and Jalpaiguri (July 20) divisions, people in the know told ET. The BLO training for Kolkata will be held tomorrow. Seven BLOs from each Constituency will participate in the training and altogether 2500 BLOs will be covered through this training programme. There are many first timers who will be participating in the training. Asked if SIR will be conducted in Bengal, he said, 'When ECI decides and notifies, then only SIR will be conducted.' Meanwhile, a special awareness campaign was organized at LightHouse for the Blind, a West Bengal government sponsored school, for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), as part of the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program, under the jurisdiction of the Rashbehari Assembly Constituency on Tuesday. The program was conducted by the Office of the Electoral Registration Officer, 160-Rashbehari, under the guidance of the District Election Officer-Kolkata South. The event witnessed participation from visually impaired students of various age groups, including a significant number of youth aged 17+ and 18+, many of whom attended a voter awareness program for the first time.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Centre: Import duty on apples 50%, no proposal received for hike in tariff
Shimla: As apple growers from Himachal and other apple-growing states have been clamouring for a hike in the import duty of the fruit for the last few years, Union MoS (commerce and industry) Jitin Prasada informed the Rajya Sabha Friday that the ministry has not received any such proposal to date. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The import duty on apples is 50% in India," he told the House in response to a question from Himachal MP Harsh Mahajan (BJP) during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament. Himachal contributes nearly 25% to the country's annual apple production, amounting to about 6.5 lakh metric tonnes, which is valued at approximately Rs 5,000 crore. Himachal BJP spokesperson Chetan Singh Bragta had claimed on July 4 that the Centre had hiked the minimum import price of apples from Rs 50 to Rs 80 per kg. Bragta had said the revised price came into effect following an approval from Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. However, Prasada informed the Rajya Sabha that to protect the interests of apple farmers, there is a minimum import price (MIP) of Rs 50 per kg for the import of apples in India. The Union minister said in the US, the import duty on apples is 0% for normal trade relations (NTR) countries, which includes India. "In addition to the above, the apples coming from Iran, Turkey, and the US have a landed cost above the minimum import price of Rs 50/kg. The import price of apples from Turkey is Rs 66.16/kg, Iran is Rs 51.62/kg, and that from the US is Rs 82.99/kg during 2024-25 FY," Prasada said. The Union minister added that the govt has implemented a nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) policy with effect from April 1, 2010, for phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers. Under the policy, a fixed amount of subsidy, decided on an annual or bi-annual basis, is provided on notified P&K fertilisers depending on their nutrient content. Under the NBS scheme, the maximum retail price (MRP) is fixed by fertiliser companies as per market dynamics at a reasonable level, which is monitored by the central govt, he added.
