Latest news with #BJP-governed
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
India-Pak engagement only on battlefield: Abhishek
Kolkata: Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said India shouldn't engage with Pakistan in any form, including sports, hours before he was leaving for Delhi to attend the monsoon session of Parliament. "India must not engage with Pakistan in any sphere. The only engagement we should have with Pakistan is on the battlefield, and the only prize worth winning is Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)," the Diamond Harbour MP said in a social media post. His comments come a day after the Asia Cup 2025 schedule was announced in which India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group. The rival nations are set to play each other on Sept 14. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Banerjee said calls to keep politics out of sport must stop, adding that attempts to allow sporting ties with a nation allegedly involved in proxy wars wasn't diplomacy but "a bloody betrayal". "Let justice, not entertainment be our goal. If there is to be a match with Pakistan, let it be fought at the LoC and let PoK be the only trophy we seek," Banerjee said in his post where he also referenced the recent Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives. "Anything less is an insult to our martyrs and injustice and betrayal to the victims of Pahalgam. Period!" he added. Later, while speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport, Banerjee said Trinamool MPs will continue to speak in Bengali in Parliament and accused BJP-governed states, such as Rajasthan, Gujarat and UP, of engaging in systematic violence and discrimination against Bengalis. Asked for his views on illegal immigration, Banerjee said managing borders falls under the jurisdiction of the Union ministry of home affairs, BSF and CRPF. He demanded the resignation of the Union home minister and chiefs of the BSF and IB for what he called "repeated security failures". On the upcoming assembly polls in Bengal, Banerjee said if BJP continues on its current political path, the verdict in the polls will be even more decisive than in 2021 and 2024. "Those torturing the people of Bengal, remember — the lesson in 2026 will be even more severe," he said.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Two nuns held in Chhattisgarh over 'conversion bid, trafficking'
RAIPUR: Three people, including two nuns, were arrested from Durg station in BJP-governed Chhattisgarh on charges of trafficking three tribal girls, all under 23, from Maoist-affected Narayanpur and attempting their religious conversion under the guise of giving them nursing jobs in Agra. The arrests on July 25 followed a complaint from a Bajrang Dal worker, sparking a political storm with Congress alleging that minorities were being targeted under the BJP-led administration. But CM Vishnu Deo Sai justified the action, claiming this was a case of "human trafficking under the guise of religious conversion". Those arrested were identified as Sister Preeti Mary (45) and Sister Vandana Francis (50), both from a Kerala denomination, and Sukaman Mandavi (19) from Narayanpur. A GRP official claimed the tribal women were brought to Durg station by Mandavi without intimation to gram panchayat officials in their Narayanpur village and written consent from their parents. The three accused were produced before a local court and sent to jail on judicial remand. The tribal women were sent to Sakhi Centre, a govt shelter. Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi alleged that arrests pointed to "BJP-RSS mob rule". "Two Catholic nuns jailed in Chhattisgarh after being targeted for their faith. This isn't justice. It reflects a dangerous pattern, systematic persecution of minorities. We demand their immediate release," he said on X.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bengali migrant workers identifying Rohingya, claims Samik
Kolkata: With Trinamool upping the ante against BJP-governed states for harassing Bengali migrant workers, Bengal BJP claimed on Monday that migrant workers from the state were identifying Rohingya who had taken shelter there. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "No locals have informed police about Rohingya in other states. It is Bengali migrant workers in those states who have helped police to identify Rohingya. Their livelihoods are at stake due to Rohingya infiltration," Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said. Earlier in the day, BJP West Bengal posted on X: "We sincerely thank Bengalis living in other states and abroad, because without their help it would never have been possible for the local administration to apprehend Bangladeshis and Rohingya." "Whether it is Haryana, New Delhi or Maharashtra, police are getting information about Rohingya from Bengali migrant workers. Minority workers from North 24 Parganas have helped cops to identify illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Minority workers from Bagnan have helped police in Maharashtra," Bhattacharya said. Commenting on BSF's role in preventing infiltration, he added: "India has a porous border with Bangladesh. Infiltration cannot be stopped if there is no combined operation of Centre and state police and if there is no political consensus on the issue." Meanwhile, Bengal BJP netas on Monday pointed out that a systematic revision of the electoral rolls, expected sometime next month, would be able to cleanse the voters' list in the state. "The chief minister of Bengal will not be able to manipulate the voters' list the way she wants to and conduct polls in 2026. She will soon see what happens to Rohingya, fake voters and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh," Bhattacharya said. "People have seen what happened during the panchayat polls. They actually want NRC in Bengal now," he added.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Centre waging language war against people of Bengal: CM Mamata Banerjee
KOLKATA: CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the BJP-led Centre of unleashing 'a language war and linguistic terrorism' on Bengal and its people. Banerjee used the 45th death anniversary of Bengal's biggest matinee idol, Uttam Kumar , to repeat her call for a 'Bhasha Andolan' and rip apart BJP-governed states where hundreds of Bengali migrant labourers were being detained or pushed into Bangladesh on suspicion of being Bangladeshis. 'A kind of linguistic terrorism has been declared against the Bengali language, the fifth most spoken in the world. Around 30 crore people speak Bengali but Bengali speakers are being sent to jail. I cannot accept this and I believe you cannot either,' she said. 'There should be zero tolerance for people being detained just for speaking Bengali. This issue is not mine alone, it is everyone's. Bengal is everything for us. We must protect this land,' she added. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Banerjee later posted on X about the latest reports of Bengalis being hounded in Haryana's Gurugram . 'Have been receiving reports of detentions of and atrocities on Bengali-speaking people. West Bengal Police is receiving these reports from Haryana Police in the name of requests for identity searches,' she said, adding there were 'increasing reports from other states like Rajasthan of illegal pushbacks' of Indian citizens having 'all proper documents to Bangladesh dir-ectly!!' 'Hapless, poor Bengali workers' were being tortured, she posted, adding she was 'shocked to see these terrible atrocities in double-engine' states. 'What do you want to prove?' she asked BJP . Banerjee, speaking at the Mahanayak Samman award ceremony earlier on Thursday, exhorted the audience to watch 'all kinds of films... but not neglect Bengali cinema' and highlighted the melodious quality of Bengali songs from the golden era. 'There is a sweetness, a richness of language and melody, in Bengali music that will never fade,' she said, commenting on the recent trend of not using Bengali songs in Bengali television serials. 'Where is Bengali in our songs? It is all just loud and flashy music. We already have Bollywood for that. South Indian films, too, are popular. But Tollywood should have more Bengali songs, not just music. I am not asking anyone to disrespect other languages. But that does not mean we lose our own (culture). We are proud of all languages but we cannot achieve anything by forgetting Bengali. Let all languages grow in harmony and unity,' she said, adding that the next edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival would give greater importance to Bengali films. Banerjee recalled watching movies with her mother in the single-screen theatres of Bhowanipore and mentioned that her only regret was not having met Uttam Kumar. 'It has been 45 years but we can never forget him. I believe he is the nation's pride, a symbol of our culture and character. I met Suchitra Sen before her passing. I also knew Supriya-di for a long time. I know Sharmila-di and Tanuja-di too,' she said after conferring the Mahanayak Samman awards to make-up artist Somnath Kundu, production designer Ananda Addhya, actor Gargee Roy Chowdhury and singers Iman Chakraborty and Rupankar Bagchi. Veteran director Goutam Ghose, who turned 75 on Thursday, received the Mahanayak Shreshtha Samman. 'We started this recognition in 2012. Twenty-five people received the Mahanayak Award till 2024. We have honoured 41 personalities from the film industry as Barsha Shera, 147 people have been given the Bishesh Chalachitra Award and 22 have received the Lifetime Achievement Award in cinema,' Banerjee said, lauding actor Prosenjit Chatterjee for creating a new exhibition model where viewing rooms would be arranged for 40–50 people across 100 locations in Bengal. Banerjee then stressed the importance of artistes' and technicians' health. 'We have a health insurance scheme of Rs 5 lakh for 4,800 artistes; around 20,000 people benefit from this scheme if we include their families. The state's Film Workers' Welfare Fund helps needy artistes and technicians,' she said, adding that she would inaugurate the Sangeet Academy soon.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Assembly may hold spl session on ‘targeting' of Bengalis
Kolkata/New Delhi: Bengal assembly is likely to convene a special session on the alleged discrimination against Bengali-speaking migrants in different states. A source said Trinamool Congress MPs on Wednesday submitted notices in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, demanding discussion on the alleged targeting of Bengali-speakers. Notices have also been submitted to take up the issue of the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, which is taking place in Bihar and will be extended to other states. According to sources in the parliamentary office, the special assembly session may run from Aug 8 to Aug 21. In addition to the proposal concerning migrant workers, four important bills may also be presented. Talks are on between the parliamentary and legal departments on this matter. Once drafts of the bills are finalised, speaker Biman Banerjee will officially announce the session. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The steps coincide with Trinamool announcing that CM Mamata Banerjee would hit the streets in Birbhum as part of state-wide protests, which start on on July 27 and will be held every Saturday and Sunday. The CM had announced the plan for the protests at Martyrs' Day rally on July 21. Speaking to reporters, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: "Who gives BJP the right to say that Bengalis are Bangladeshis? Why are they stoking the fire? Britishers may have introduced divide and rule, but it is BJP that is implementing it now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Unsold 2021 Cars Now Almost Free - Prices May Surprise You Unsold Cars | Search Ads Learn More Undo They are dividing society, they are dividing people. In 1947, Britishers were driven out; in 2026, BJP will be driven out of Bengal, and then India." "This is sheer anger and vengeance by BJP for being politically routed in Bengal repeatedly," he added. "If the police in BJP-governed states are not accepting Aadhaar, PAN and even EPIC, then why is the Centre issuing them in the first place? These BJP-run states are demanding proof by seeking birth certificates of parents. Can BJP netas in Bengal, or those in BJP-governed states, provide birth certificates themselves?" Ghosh said.
