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Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
On birthday, Akhilesh appeals to SP workers: Contribute for Mulayam memorial in Saifai
AS SAMAJWADI Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav marked his 52nd birthday on Tuesday, his appeal to party workers to make 'faith contributions' (funds) for the Samajwadi Party's Netaji memorial as a gift instead of organising celebrations, along with a promise to include names of all donors in a memorial booklet, has brought the upcoming memorial in his native village of Saifai in Etawah into the limelight. Over 223 km from the state capital, the memorial will be built on the lines of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in the United States. At present, over 150 workers are working on the memorial at the Samadhi Sthal of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav with the ground floor of the proposed three-storied building nearing completion and the work on the first floor in progress. 'This year, my humble appeal to all my well-wishers is that on the occasion of my birthday, instead of giving any kind of bouquet, statue, photo, replica of our party symbol bicycle or any other kind of gift, they should officially deposit their contributions in the party office as their 'astha anshdan' (faith contribution) for Samajwadi Smarak under construction for Netaji,' Akhilesh wrote in a post on X. He also promised them to make public a booklet of contributions made for the memorial with their names mentioned. 'To thank you for your commitment to socialist values and your co-operation, the name of every contributor will be published in Samajwadi Smarak Sahyog Pustika,' he promised. Wary of fraud, the SP has, however, cautioned workers that no account has been officially set up for the purpose yet. Asked about Akhilesh's appeal, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and veteran party leader Mata Prasad Pandey said, 'The only idea is to give everyone a sense of contribution to the memorial of Netaji, it would be as small as Rs 11 to anything like Rs 51,000 or Rs 1 lakh. The main purpose is to make everyone feel connected with the memorial of their leader… that is all.' Meanwhile, at the under-construction memorial, a senior party worker, Lakhan Singh Yadav, wearing SP cap and carrying SP flags on his bicycle, has travelled all the way from neighbouring district Kannauj to garland the bust of Mulayam Singh Yadav at his Samadhi sthal. Upon seeing him at the spot, some young SP workers were seen taking selfies with him. Unaware about Akhilesh's appeal, he says that all he wants is the memorial to be completed at the earliest so that he can visit it 'like a temple'. What is Samajwadi Smarak? The memorial is coming up in Saifai, the native village of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav over 18 acres. Its foundation stone was laid by SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav on November 22, 2023, to mark Mulayam's birth anniversary. The design of this memorial is inspired by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, United States, which is built in the memory of former US President Abraham Lincoln. Officials at the site in Saifai informed that construction is being carried out by experts from a Hyderabad-based construction agency and the main building of the memorial would be of three floors of 27 metres height. In this memorial, on the first floor, there will be a 6 metre-long statue of Mulayam Singh Yadav. At present, the work on the basement complex has been completed, while the work on the first floor has started. 'There is a laboratory established on the ground to check the quality of the construction material being used here. The structure would be such that it can stand for at least 100 years,' he informed, adding that there would be a green garden and lawns on both sides of the pathway leading to the memorial and there would also be shops, visitor centre and museum near the entrance.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Chaos erupts in West Bengal Assembly as TMC disrupts BJP speech amid Bill debate
Kolkata: Major chaos erupted inside the West Bengal Assembly during the tabling of the Netaji Subhas University of Sports and Entrepreneurship Bill 2025. Ruling Trinamool Congress ( TMC ) MLAs began shouting and protesting, preventing BJP chief whip Shankar Ghosh from delivering his speech. Amidst the uproar, BJP MLAs walked out of the House after the Bill was tabled. After Education Minister Bratya Basu tabled the Bill, numerous Trinamool legislators continued their protests, even as Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay initially allowed Ghosh to speak. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally Undo Speaker Bandopadhyay later stated, "I had to expunge your and other BJP MLAs' statements made on the floor of the House as you had left while the minister was delivering a reply to your question. This was an act of insult to the minister and the House. However, I want the House to function properly and want you to participate in the debate." Chief Whip Nirmal Ghosh, Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, Minister of State (Independent) Chandrima Bhattacharya, IT Minister Babul Supriyo , and several others from the TMC continued protesting against the conduct of Shankar Ghosh and other BJP leaders for several minutes. The protesting BJP MLAs left the House and demonstrated outside the assembly premises, wearing black masks. Live Events Ghosh told reporters that the voice of the Opposition is being silenced by the ruling party and the Speaker. "It is said that the House belongs to the Opposition. But the House is behaving like Trinamool's party office. There was a deliberate attempt to snatch our rights. The ruling Trinamool doesn't want democracy to function. They did not allow the opposition to speak, and the Speaker did not take any action," Ghosh asserted. He added, "For the first time, the entire ruling party united to stop an MLA from speaking... We had decided not to stay during the minister's speech. Speeches of our two MLAs, including Ashok Lahiri, were expunged by the Speaker yesterday."
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Bill tabled for sports univ, BJP MLAs walk out
Kolkata: BJP MLAs staged a walkout at the state assembly on Friday following a 20-minute argument after higher education minister Bratya Basu tabled the Netaji Subhas University of Sports and Entrepreneurship Bill, 2025. The walkout notwithstanding, a discussion was held, in which it was said the Bill was tabled to set up Netaji Subhas University of Sports and Entrepreneurship in Chinsurah and to give it status of a private university, promoted by Chinsurah Netaji Welfare Trust. Trouble broke out as BJP chief whip Shankar Ghosh rose to speak reportedly on the Bill, Trinamool MLAs, including Babul Supriyo, demanded to know why they should listen to him when BJP MLAs had walked out during a discussion on West Bengal Sales Tax (Settlement of Dispute) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on Thursday. An argument broke out and BJP MLAs walked out. Ghosh later alleged, "Trinamool did not let me speak." Speaker Biman Banerjee said, "It is not desirable that a member will leave. The Opposition tried to speak, but they did not say anything on the Bill... ."
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Kol book fair from Jan 22 to Feb 3 next yr, theme country from LatAm
Kolkata: The 49th International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF) will be held from Jan 22 to Feb 3 next year at the Salt Lake Central Park fairground. The dates were announced on Wednesday by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, the organiser of the book fair. The focal theme country for IKBF 2026 will be from Latin America that has never participated in the city book fair till now. "The focal theme country for next year's Kolkata book fair will be a Latin American country that has never participated so far. Talks are on with a few more countries from Latin America, and the name of the focal theme country will be announced after confirmation," said guild president Tridib Kumar Chatterjee. The Kolkata book fair, which now has the Salt Lake Central Park fairground as its permanent venue, has been drawing record footfall over the last few years. The 48th IKBF that was organised from Jan 28 to Feb 9 this year, had ended on a high note with close to 27 lakh footfall and nearly Rs 25 crore in book sales. As per the schedule, next year's book fair will be inaugurated on Jan 22. It will be able to capitalise on two holidays (Netaji's birthday on Jan 23 and Republic Day on Jan 26) to draw more footfall. Guild officials said that with these two extra holidays, apart from the weekends, they expect the book fair to draw more crowds next year.
India Gazette
01-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Gave us honour": INA veteran SP Narayanasamy praises 'Operation Sindoor'
Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], June 1 (ANI): Indian National Army (INA) veteran SP Narayanasamy on Sunday expressed pride over 'Operation Sindoor', stating that the name of the operation brought honour to those who fought for the nation. 'Yes. And today I am very proud of the war between India and Pakistan. And especially the name, Sindoor, that gives honour for us,' Narayanasamy told ANI, referring to the recent military operation as a continuation of the spirit fostered by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. India, on May 7, launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in response to the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, in which 26 people lost their lives. Without crossing the Line of Control or international boundary, Indian forces struck terrorist infrastructure and eliminated multiple threats. However, beyond tactical brilliance, what stood out was the seamless integration of indigenous hi-tech systems into national defence. Whether in drone warfare, layered air defence, or electronic warfare, Operation Sindoor marked a milestone in India's journey towards technological self-reliance in military operations. Sharing his memories of joining the INA, Narayanasamy recalled, '1943, if I'm not mistaken, March, I think. I was a 10-year-old boy. Earlier, my elder brother and sister joined. They had already been trained in Singapore and went to Burma, so I was very anxious to join.' He said his first attempt to enlist in the INA was turned down, but six months later, he was recruited into the Balak Sena after an invitation from headquarters. 'I was in the third group, 12 boys... we had one and a half years of training'. The training, he said, took place at what is now the PWD building in Singapore. Narayanasamy recalled meeting Netaji twice--first in a bunker while having a meal. 'When we were eating, he came and he sat with us. You know, he also joined us. He called the cook and said something in Hindi, but I didn't understand at that time.' The second encounter was more formal. 'Second time with my father. There's a first meeting in Kuala Lumpur. That is in Selangor Padang. A lot of Japanese high-ranking people were sitting to receive him. First time I'm seeing a foreign... military top brass standing for Netaji.' He spoke of the crowd's emotional response to Netaji's speech. 'When he entered the hall, I mean, Padang, he spoke both in Urdu and English... While he was speaking into the microphone, the ladies had already started in line, donating their jewellery. That helped.' Among the quotes he remembered vividly was, 'You give bread, I'll give you freedom.' Narayanasamy also described how Netaji changed people's mindset during colonial rule. 'We had some sort of feeling that before Netaji's arrival, when we saw a white man, we used to think that they were very great... After Netaji, we didn't care about them.' Urging the youth to draw inspiration from Netaji's legacy, he said, 'You must have a feeling that you are Indian, always. That is the best thing he told everyone.' Narayanasamy highlighted Netaji's lasting impact on the Indian diaspora, noting that he inspired a sense of belonging and pride in their motherland. Emotionally concluding his tribute, Narayanasamy said, 'Until my death, I will still remember the service that I did in the training... Not only are we happy, but Netaji's arrival made us humans with a new feeling... I want to give a feeling to the Indian people from Singapore to Saigon and Burma. I have never seen a leader like him.' (ANI)
