
News18 Daily Digest, July 21: Parliament Heat Odisha Horror

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News18
17 minutes ago
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Garbage Dumped Everywhere, Domestic Workers Fleeing: What Is Happening In Gurugram?
Banerjee urged everyone not to panic as specific districts are being selected now, emphasising that it is their duty to protect citizens. She warned that if BJP believes it can delete voters' names and win elections as it did in Delhi and Maharashtra, it is making a 'significant mistake." 'Speaking Bengal is being treated as a crime. I don't think speaking any other language is a crime. If we don't object to other languages, why are you torturing people who speak our language? The nation will collapse if this continues," she said. Earlier last week, Banerjee had led a protest march from Kolkata's College Street to Esplanade against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states and threatened a 'second Bhasha Andolan" (language movement). No Clarity The Haryana government or Gurugram Police are yet to issue clarity on what the verification process is about and how many people have been detained. Meanwhile, with no clarity on the issue, fear is driving workers away from Gurugram as they are scared of consequences. 'We don't know why this is happening. Yesterday, some policemen came to our house too asking for our IDs and also checked our phones. While they left when we showed them our Aadhaar and phones, some of our neighbours were detained on not being able to produce valid ID proofs," said one of the domestic workers, working in a Sector 70 society, adding that they could not figure why some people were being detained and others were let off.


News18
28 minutes ago
- News18
Govt biggest beneficiary when Parliament doesnt function: Derek OBrien
Agency: PTI New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) The government is the biggest beneficiary when Parliament does not function, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said on Wednesday. In a post on X, the TMC's Rajya Sabha floor leader said two days of the Monsoon session have been 'washed out" and blamed the Union government for it. 'Two days of Parliament were washed out by the Union government. When Parliament doesn't function, who benefits? Government in power," O'Brien said. 'Government accountable to Parliament; Parliament accountable to people. When Parliament is dysfunctional, the government is accountable to no one." He also shared an article from his blog post, in which he said the Monsoon Session had a total time schedule of 190 hours, around 70 per cent of which had been issued by the government. O'Brien said about half the questions for Question Hour and half the number of notices for Zero Hour are filed by Opposition MPs, which adds up to 31 hours for members of the Opposition to raise questions and matters of public importance. The senior TMC leader said the Union government gets 135 hours out of the total 190 for government business and other issues, which he said is around 70 per cent of the total time. 'There is a legitimate need to cut down on the hours available to the government. Allot some more time to the Opposition," he suggested. 'Four hours must be reserved each week, in each House, to allow discussions on matters of urgent public importance. Additionally, two hours should also be reserved for a Calling Attention motion," the TMC leader said. This would mean about 117 hours for government business and 49 hours for the Opposition, a much fairer system, he added. PTI AO NSD NSD view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 11:00 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.


News18
43 minutes ago
- News18
Tagore Statue, Bangladesh Hindus & More: TMC Tries To Corner BJP With Tough Questions In Parliament
It appears that many Parliamentary questions listed by TMC MPs in both houses are aligning with the party's aggressive 'Bengali Asmita' campaign against the BJP. Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a protest march from Kolkata's College Street to Esplanade against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states and threatened with a 'second Bhasha Andolan" (language movement), it appears that many Parliamentary questions listed by TMC MPs in both houses are aligning with the party's aggressive 'Bengali Asmita' campaign against the BJP. On Thursday, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee will put forth a question for the Ministry of Culture that may pose a challenge for the Bengal BJP. Banerjee will inquire whether there is indeed no statue of Rabindranath Tagore at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial. If the answer is affirmative, he will seek the reasons for its absence and question whether there are any plans to install Tagore's statue at the memorial soon. For those unfamiliar, Tagore returned his Knighthood in 1919 to protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which deeply moved him. Estimates of the dead vary from 379 to 1,500 or more. Every Bengali learns about Tagore's revulsion from a young age. The TMC, aiming to harness the 'Bangaliyana' sentiment, hopes for a straightforward answer devoid of political bias, which could sway voter sentiment in the state against the BJP. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reported 23 Hindu deaths in Bangladesh between early August 2024 and early 2025, linked to violence, along with 152 temple attacks. Between November 26, 2024, and January 25, 2025, there were 76 reported anti-Hindu incidents. Any careless response could have significant political repercussions, and the TMC is waiting patiently for such a slip. Ghose will also ask whether the Ministry is maintaining records on the number of individuals from the Hindu community who have been victims of attacks in Bangladesh. Furthermore, she will inquire if S Jaishankar's External Affairs Ministry has taken up the matter with the Government of Bangladesh and whether any official fact-finding team has been sent or is planned to be sent to the neighboring nation currently facing civil disturbances. As TMC has intensified its attack on BJP, the BJP has also sharpened its counter by accusing TMC of helping 'Bangladeshis" obtain Indian documents. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, in the Upper House, TMC's Parliamentary Leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien listed unstarred questions to the Minister of Home Affairs. He asked for details of funds requested by states and disbursed under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the rehabilitation of disaster-displaced people over the last five years, year-wise and disaster-wise. This question is significant because just a week ago, Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of denying flood relief funds to West Bengal. She alleged that while Assam receives aid, West Bengal struggles with floods caused by water release from DVC reservoirs – a charge the DVC denied. O'Brien also inquired whether the Government plans to consult states for introducing any national framework aimed at the long-term rehabilitation of internally displaced people due to disasters, seeking details if such plans exist or reasons for their absence if they do not. This aligns with TMC's broader Bengali pride campaign. This monsoon session, TMC MPs have posed some tricky parliamentary questions. The ultimate outcome depends on the responses provided, determining whether TMC or BJP will have the last laugh. 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.