Constitute top panel to manage Puri temple
While Mamata Banerjee's opponents have called it a cultural centre—and not a temple—built to garner political capital ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, it has led to outrage in Odisha, home to the Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri, one of the country's four dhams. A top servitor of the Odisha temple triggered the controversy when he told a Bengali TV channel that the idols for the Digha temple were made with surplus neem wood from the Puri shrine.
His claim, which he later refuted under growing criticism, snowballed into a political storm, prompting the Mohan Charan Majhi government to order an inquiry. The probe eventually revealed that neem wood from the Puri temple was not used, but the participation of the senior servitor in the consecration rituals at Digha raised questions. Two servitor bodies had cautioned its members against taking part in the rituals of the Digha temple on the grounds of dilution of tradition.
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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Martyr's Day Rally today: ‘Bengali pride' to be centrepiece of Mamata's poll pitch
As the political situation in West Bengal simmers, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee will address the Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day) rally in Kolkata on Monday, setting the tone for the high-voltage campaign for the Assembly election that is less than a year away. From the stage in the heart of Kolkata, Banerjee is expected to take on the BJP on the issue of 'Bengali ashmita (pride)' and detention of Bengali-speaking migrants in various states. In recent weeks, a political storm has been brewing in Bengal, with the CM alleging that Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states are being subjected to linguistic profiling in the name of national security and detained. The BJP has countered this, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying at a public meeting in Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district last Friday that the TMC is 'actively helping infiltrators' and hindering the state's development through corruption and violence. The PM insisted that 'Bengali pride' was 'supreme' for his party. 'Wherever there is a BJP government, Bengalis are respected,' he said. From the stage in Dharmatala, Banerjee is expected to respond to this specifically and the PM's other comments broadly, and present a roadmap to the Assembly election battle next year. TMC leaders believe the gist of her speech at the biggest event on the party's annual calendar will be raising the pitch on the detention of Bengali-speaking migrants to paint the party as one at odds with the interests of Bengalis. This is a strategy that helped the TMC post a commanding win in the 2021 Assembly polls. Like last year, the CM is also expected to send a message to her party workers and leaders on the importance of maintaining a clean image and working transparently. In 2024, both the TMC chief and her nephew and de facto second-in-command, Abhishek Banerjee, had urged party workers to be 'more polite and humble' and not do anything wrong. 'We will not tolerate any injustice,' the CM had said in a signal to party strongmen. With questions being raised about the law-and-order situation in the state following the rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar Medical College last year, communal violence in Murshidabad in April, and an alleged rape at a law college in Kolkata last month, the TMC government is under pressure, and there will be intense scrutiny in the lead-up to the election. 'Mamata Banerjee has raised her voice against the humiliation meted out to Bengali-speaking migrant workers in some BJP-ruled states. It is obvious that in the next election, 'Bangali ashmita (pride)' will be the prime electoral agenda, along with the Centre's stepmotherly attitude towards Bengal. Also, Didi will call for maintaining communal harmony in the state. Above all, she and Abhishek will set the tone for the Assembly election campaign,' said a senior TMC leader who did not wish to be named. 'The CM may also raise the issue of corruption allegations and other serious accusations against party leaders. She has not publicly spoken about the alleged rape at the law college and may again send out a signal to the party rank-and-file that such things won't be tolerated,' said another TMC leader. The Leader of the Opposition in the state, Suvendu Adhikari, meanwhile, will lead a protest march to Uttar Kanya, the branch of the secretariat in Siliguri in north Bengal, on Monday. For years, the July 21 rally has been the TMC's launchpad for its annual political agenda. It is held to commemorate the police firing on Youth Congress workers on July 21, 1993, in which 13 people were killed. The Youth Congress, then led by Banerjee, had organised the march to protest against alleged vote rigging by the then Left Front government and to demand that photo voter IDs be made mandatory to ensure fair voting. From the following year, the Congress began to mark July 21 as 'Shaheed Diwas'. When Banerjee left the party along with a large section of the state Congress to launch the TMC in 1998, the new party carried on the tradition. After the 2011 Assembly election win, Banerjee held her victory rally at the Brigade Parade Ground on July 21. It was the only time she held the rally at a place other than Dharmatala, the usual site of the public meeting. Opp trying to thwart our rally: Mamata Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that the Opposition parties were trying to thwart the Martyrs' Day rally of the TMC, describing it as the battle for democracy against authoritarianism. Banerjee, who inspected arrangements at the venue of the meeting at Esplanade in the heart of the city, however, did not name any opposition party. 'When someone announces a rally towards state secretariat Nabanna, do we have any issue? When you (opposition) hold rallies without police permission, we don't stand in your way,' the TMC chief told reporters at the venue. The TMC believes in democratic rights of everyone to take out rallies to voice their protests, she said, adding that the July 21 event is a battle for democracy against authoritarianism. 'But you become jittery when people turn out in TMC's rally on July 21 in large numbers to save the rights of Maa Mati Manush (mother, land and people),' she said. Banerjee said, 'You called parallel rallies. Well, go ahead, but people are with us.' She was alluding to the rallies of the BJP called on the same day in Siliguri and Paschim Bardhaman. 'Those opposed to the 21st July rally should learn from Trinamool,' she said. The CM's statement came two days after the Calcutta High Court put some restrictions on when processions will be allowed in the city to avoid traffic congestion and help commuters. -with PTI inputs
India Today
3 hours ago
- India Today
Adhir Ranjan seeks PM's intervention in harassment of Bengali migrant workers
Former Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising serious concerns about the alleged harassment and detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Maharashtra and Odisha. He said the workers are facing "harassment, humiliation, physical torture, and uncalled-for detention" based solely on their language and a letter sent on Sunday, the former Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha urged PM Modi to intervene immediately and ensure the safety and dignity of these workers, many of whom are daily wage earners from West alleged that the migrant workers are being targeted simply for speaking Bengali, which is reportedly being mistaken for Bangladeshi. "It is with immense anguish and a great deal of concern that I am seeking your kind intervention that a large number of Bengali migrant workers are being subjected to," he Congress leader added that the issue is deeply disturbing as these workers are Indian citizens, contributing significantly to the local economies of the states where they work."What is deeply saddening is the fact that migrants who belong to the poor and down-trodden section of society and are bonafide Indian citizens are being harassed under the pretext of the fact that their physical appearance and accent of language spoken are similar to the people of Bangladesh," Chowdhury the situation "inhumane," he said that targeting a linguistic group on such grounds must not be allowed to continue. Chowdhury urged the Prime Minister to direct the Union Labour and Home ministries to take immediate steps to protect these workers."The Union Government under your Leadership is bestowed with the responsibility of protecting the lives and livelihood of the country's citizens," he wrote."I eagerly look forward to your kind intervention, as the Head of the Government, in protecting the lives of its Bengali-speaking citizens, who belong to the poorer section of Indian society and are interstate migrant workers," the letter read on July 13, Chowdhury had also written to President Droupadi Murmu, drawing her attention to the same on Friday, members of a Trinamool Congress-affiliated workers' union staged a protest march in Siliguri against the National Register of Citizens (NRC), condemning the reported harassment and pushback of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from BJP-ruled states.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Like CPM, BJP bars people from voting: Mamata
Kolkata: Like in the past, now did not let anyone vote, CM on Sunday, on the eve of the Martyrs' Day rally. While Banerjee did not explicitly refer to EC's special intensive revision in Bihar, she criticised "torture" of Bengali-speakers in BJP-governed states. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Addressing Trinamool netas and workers at Esplanade, Banerjee said: "The democracy that you see in Bengal today did not exist earlier. In Kolkata, all buildings were shut during CPM's tenure so that people were unable to vote. We held a massive protest. CPM did not have the power to stop us, so they opened fire. Thirteen people died, and over 200 were injured." The CM added: "The demand was simple — no ID card, no vote. Based on the report of an observer who was sent here, this 'no ID, no vote' rule was implemented, and people got back their right to vote. We struggled a lot for that." "In 'double-engine' states, BJP does not allow people to vote. As for CPM, we have already exposed and defeated them. Yet, they are still making big speeches on social media," she said. On Bengali-speaking migrants in other states being labelled 'Bangladeshi', the CM said: "They torture people from Bengal just for speaking in Bengali. We respect people of all states." Questioning opposition to the July 21 rally, Banerjee said: "For 33 years, we have been holding this programme here because many people sacrificed their lives at this very place. We organise this one event here each year. Even that bothers some people. What happens to their concerns when they hold Nabanna Abhiyan without police permission?" Large posters of the CM were put up across roads leading to Victoria House, and gates constructed on the way to Esplanade. Cameras fixed below the dais captured footage of supporters arriving. Trinamool netas from districts started dropping in by the afternoon. Banerjee came to the venue around 6pm, and the crowd started shouting "Didi, Didi". She waved as 'Joy Bangla' slogans filled the air and shook hands with a few supporters. The 100-metre stretch on Central Avenue from Dorina crossing to Chandni Chowk metro station was dotted with FAM4TMC members dressed in yellow T-shirts and caps carrying posters and flags demanding a PM from Bengal. They raised the slogan 'Bolchhe Banglar Janata, Pradhanmantri Mamata' while streaming live on social media.
