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The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
CPI(M)'s Md Salim says SIR Electoral Roll revision will target marginalised people and strip democratic rights
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) West Bengal State Secretary, Md Salim, accused on Thursday (July 17, 2025) that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Electoral Roll revision is a strategic method to remove all marginalised people from the voter lists and strip them of their democratic rights. 'We have to accept that India is a multilingual country, the union government's tactic of one nation, one election, one language cannot work here. This attack on Bengalis across the country is an attack on the diversity, democracy, and unity of our country,' Mr Salim said. He also added that tagging all Bengali-speaking people as Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis is a way to 'other' a certain class of people and attack them. He alleged that Bharatiya Janta Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh supported organisations are putting various labels on Bengalis and pushing them out of BJP-ruled states, and sometimes outside India into Bangladesh, and in some cases, they are being tagged in the category of doubtful voters. 'We have a lot of partition refugees, these displaced Bengalis were given a place to stay in Andaman, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh during the partition crisis. How can they abuse the same people for speaking Bengali and call them Bangladeshis?' Mr Salim said while addressing a press conference in Kolkata. He also said that at some point, it will affect all communities, and not just Bengalis. He accused that once the Matua community was given cards to prove their identity, now the same government is attacking them in various BJP-ruled States. Mr Salim said that the measure to revise the electoral voter list through the SIR is a measure to remove the marginalised people from the voter lists and take away their voting rights. 'Under SIR, everyone will have to prove their citizenship. Back in the day, in any democratic State, the government needed to prove a person's citizenship; now the onus is solely on the people,' Mr Salim said while responding to a question by The Hindu. He added that the magnitude at which the central government is planning to implement the SIR electoral roll revision will affect everyone. 'If it burns my house today, soon it will burn all other houses,' Mr Salim concluded. War of words West Bengal and its politicians have been engaging in a political war of words over the past few weeks after several cases of Bengali-speaking migrant workers being targeted in States like Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Chhatisgarh came to light. On Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit the streets in Kolkata to protest against the attack on Bengali migrants in various BJP-ruled States. The Trinamool Congress chairperson warned of dire consequences if targeting of Bengali migrants did not stop. 'The poor who go to work outside. They will be made to work and then sent to jail if they speak in Bengali. Why? What is your [BJP] right? Is West Bengal not in India? Why so much hatred against Bengalis,' Ms. Banerjee said. The TMC leadership is raising the issue of attack on 'Bengali identity' along with the attack on migrants. The issue of Bengali identity and pride had helped the party tide over the BJP in the 2021 Assembly polls. On the day, the TMC leader held a march to protest against the attack on migrants, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari met the State's Chief Electoral Officer demanding a thorough revision of the voter list in West Bengal in the same way that it is being implemented in Bihar.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Sporadic clashes disrupt normalcy in Bengal during strike
1 2 Kolkata: Sporadic clashes between protesters and police disrupted normalcy in parts of Bengal on Wednesday as 10 central trade unions and their allies observed Bharat Bandh . Police arrested 383 bandh supporters across Bengal, including 41 from Kolkata. A clash took place between bandh supporters and police at Ganguly Bagan in Kolkata in the morning, when CPM and SFI members set a tyre on fire. The fire spread to a police guardrail, causing panic among commuters, including schoolchildren. Nineteen protesters, including SFI general secretary Srijan Bhattacharya, were arrested on the spot. At Jadavpur railway station, protesters tried to stall train movement on platform 1. There was also a scuffle between police and protesters at College Street. "The situation was under control and necessary precautions were taken to prevent any escalation," said a top officer at Lalbazar. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Bandh supporters tried to disrupt rail movement at Belgharia and Barrackpore on the Sealdah main line. Police had to resort to lathicharges to disperse protesters in Domjur and Howrah. In Asansol, a procession of Left Front cadres got into a scuffle with INTTUC supporters, who also held a rally. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Providers are furious: Internet access without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo The protesters lay down on the road to stop traffic. One of them was injured when the wheel of a tractor went over him. Meanwhile, attendance at Nabanna was normal. "All central trade unions, federations, and farmers' organisations have lodged their protest against the Centre's anti-worker policies and labour codes. Unemployment is raging, and farmers are unable to get a proper price for their produce. In Bengal, state govt was even more agile in opposing the bandh. Our workers were beaten up. The police force, which looks the other way when women are raped or riots take place, was active in stopping our workers protesting against anti-people laws," said CPM state secretary Md Salim.
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bengal CPIM seeks to float ‘alternative schools', tuition centres, health camps ahead of 2026 Assembly polls
In its first letter of the year to its ranks, the CPIM has called for the formation of grassroots-level 'alternative' schools, tuition centres, and health camps to reach out to the people of West Bengal. Named 'Mission 360', the party's directive was made with determination to make significant gains in the upcoming 2026 Assembly polls. However, some leaders feels the party is also placing emphasis on rebuilding its credibility through these initiatives. In its first organisational message of 2025, called the 'party chithi', the West Bengal CPIM stated, 'The struggle to present alternatives is very relevant in the present time.' The party has instructed its cadre to establish at least two fully functional teaching centres in every district of the state. The message noted that party-affiliated teachers, professors and older students in higher education can be involved in the initiative. Similarly, the party has directed that health centres be set up in every area committee, where medical advice and medicines can be provided at reasonable prices. These centres can involve local doctors, nurses, medical representatives, Red Volunteers, student and youth front workers, and various other organisations. The party chithi further instructed every district committee to launch such initiatives and submit reports by August this year. Beyond these social initiatives, the CPIM's message stressed that the 2026 assembly election is a crucial 'political struggle' and must not be neglected. The party has mandated the formation of permanent organisational structures and members at every booth. It instructed that committees be formed at every booth across the state by June 30. The memo also read, 'Individual campaigns on social media should be stopped. Party members expressing personal opinions – especially when they contradict party decisions – must refrain from doing so. Social media must not be used for inner-party struggles.' A senior CPIM leader said, 'The party has not only lost vote shares but also its support base across the state. This decline happened because we lost social credibility. Regaining that credibility will automatically bring votes.' He added, 'In the past, we gained workers and activists through various movements, but we failed to integrate them into the party structure. After the RG Kar movement, many from the broader society joined us, and we must now involve them in future movements to strengthen the party.' CPIM state secretary and politburo member Md Salim said, 'We are not challenging the public health or education systems. However, it is true that both sectors in our state have serious gaps. Because of these gaps, the working class is suffering – they go to other states or spend large amounts of money on healthcare and education. We want to bridge that gap and help the poorer sections of society.' He added, 'Our Red Volunteers did commendable work during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are engaging them and similar forces in these alternative health and education systems. (The project is) named Mission 360 because it is a project through which the party will intervene in all sectors of society to help the people.' Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
