Archives for March 2021

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “spreading lies and canards” against the TMC government, and said voters, this time, would witness ‘Didi versus BJP’ fight in all 294 constituencies of the poll-bound state.

Taking a dig at Modi over inclusion of his picture in COVID-19 vaccination certificates, she said the “day wasn’t far when the country will be named after him”.

Asserting that she will return to power for the third consecutive time in Bengal, the feisty TMC boss said, “The fight is between me and the BJP in all 294 seats.”

“They (BJP leaders) will come to Bengal only during elections and spread canards and lies. He is lecturing us on women’s safety. What is the situation of women in BJP-ruled states? What is the situation in Modi’s favourite Gujarat?

“The prime minister has named a stadium after him. He has put his photographs on COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

A day will come when the country will be named after him,” Banerjee, who led a rally here on the occasion of International Women’s Day, stated.

Rebutting the PM’s claim that women do not feel safe in Bengal, she said, “Had that been the case, they wouldn’t have been able to move around freely at night.”

Hitting out at the PM, Banerjee also said that Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should shift focus on BJP- ruled states, including ‘model state’ Gujarat, “where, media reports suggest, four rapes and two killings have been recorded every day over the past two years.”

The TMC rally, which commenced in College Square area in central Kolkata, concluded near Dorina crossing, five kilometres away.

Senior party leaders Chandrima Bhattacharyaa and Mala Roy joined the march.

Among others, actresses and now TMC candidates June Maliya, Saayoni Ghosh and Sayantika Banerjee were also seen taking part in the rally.

Bengaluru: The Congress on Monday staged a walkout in the Karnataka Assembly during the tabling of budget for 2021-22 by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, prompting a strong reaction from the CM who claimed the country never had a history of opposition boycotting the budget.

The congress members had walked out of the House, claiming that the government in the state had no moral right to continue in power.

“Do we have any instance of opposition staging a walkout either in the Centre or the state during the presentation of the budget?” Yediyurappa asked, while speaking to reporters after the budget presentation.

“What morality are they (Congress) talking about? I will explain what morality they were referring to during the debate on the budget,” he said.

Yediyurappa said the opposition getting away by giving lame excuses means that they are incapable to face the situation.

“Dear Siddaramaiah, your stay in the opposition forever is guaranteed. Don’t call me Yediyurappa, if I don’t make Siddaramaiah sit in the opposition by winning 130 to 135 seats. This I am giving in writing, an angry Yediyurappa said.

When asked about Siddaramaiah demanding resignation of ministers, Yediyurappa claimed the Congress leader has developed some mental issues recently as he did not know what to speak.

New Delhi: A court here on Monday convicted Ariz Khan, allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, for the murder of Delhi police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and other offences in connection with the 2008 Batla House encounter.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav said the evidence produced by the prosecution duly proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge said that it was duly proved that Ariz Khan and his associates caused murder of police official and fired gunshot on the police official.

The court will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on March 15.

Inspector Sharma of the Special Cell of Delhi was killed during the 2008 Batla House encounter in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi.

A trial court in July 2013 had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the case.

His appeal against the trial court’s verdict has been pending in the high court.

Ariz Khan had fled from the spot and was declared proclaimed offender.

He was arrested on February14, 2018 and faced the trial.

 The Trinamool Congress on Monday lost five more sitting MLAs and the control of the Malda Zilla Parishad to the BJP as defections continued to rock West Bengal’s ruling party ahead of the assembly polls.

Four-time MLAs Sonali Guha, a close associate of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee for decades, and 80-year-old Rabindranath Bhattacharya, a prominent face of the Singur movement, joined the saffron party after they were denied the poll ticket.

Another four-time legislator, 85-year-old Jatu Lahiri, and former footballer Dipendu Biswas, a first-time MLA, also switched sides after their names did not feature in the TMC’s candidate list released on March 5.

They were handed over party flags by BJP state president Dilip Ghosh in presence of other leaders such as Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy.

One more TMC MLA, Sital Sardar. also joined the saffron party later.

Hours after being replaced due to “ill health”, Sarala Murmu, the TMC candidate of the Habibpur constituency in Malda district, too switched sides. There was speculation earlier that she might join the BJP as she did not get the seat she had desired.

The party replaced her with Pradeep Baskey in the morning.

A number of sitting TMC MLAs, including ministers, have joined the saffron camp in recent months.

The BJP also took control of the 38-member Malda Zilla Parishad after its 22 members changed sides.

Bengali actress Tanusree Chakraborty also joined the BJP.

Assembly elections in the state will be held in eight phases between March 27 and April 29. Votes will be counted on May 2.

New Delhi: Thousands of women farmers held protest marches and delivered speeches at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur protest sites at Delhi’s borders on International Women’s Day.

Noting that women contribute significantly to the country’s farming sector, the organisers have laid out elaborate plans to let women farmers manage the stage, arrange food and security and share tales of their struggles on the occasion.

“The stage is being managed by women, the speakers are all women and the issues that are being discussed are of both farming and women farmers more specifically,” farmer leader Kavitha Kuruganti told PTI on Monday.

“The discourse of the debate is focusing on women farmers. The debate is also on the contribution of women in this movement,” said Kuruganti, who is also a member of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha.

She added that the participation of women has increased significantly with the arrival of “thousands of women”.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at the Delhi border points for over 100 days, demanding the repeal of farm laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for their crops.

International Women’s Day is celebrated across the world on March 8 and it is a day when women are recognised for their achievements, according to the United Nations.

This year’s theme — ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world’ — celebrates the tremendous efforts by women in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the pandemic, and highlights the gaps that remain, the UN Women stated.

Ballia (UP): A teacher here has alleged that he was removed from an RSS-run school after he refused to donate Rs 1,000 for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, a charge denied by the institution.

Yashwant Pratap Singh, who worked as an acharya (teacher) at Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Jagdishpur localilty, also claimed that the school has withheld his eight months’ salary.

Singh said he was given a receipt book for the collection of funds for the temple. He deposited around Rs 80,000 collected for it, he said.

Singh claimed that he was pressured to donate Rs 1,000 for the temple when the district pracharak of the Rasthriya Swyamsewak Sangh (RSS), Satyendra, came to the school.

When he refused, the school authorities “misbehaved” and removed him from the school, Singh alleged, adding that he has given a written complaint in this regard at the district magistrate’s office.

Singh said he will approach a court if justice is not done to him.

Meanwhile, school principal Dhirendra said all employees were given receipt books for the collection of funds as per their capacity.

“Singh also took three receipt books willingly but later did not deposit them. He himself resigned,” he said, denying the allegations.

RSS district pracharak Satyendra too said no one is being pressured for the collection of funds. He accused Singh of indiscipline and not having interest in teaching.

Mangaluru: Locals near Montepadav in the Konaje Police Station’s jurisdiction reportedly caught an individual associated with a Hindutva organization for his alleged involvement in a theft of two-wheeler, temple’s donation box, and other robberies in the area, and handed him to the Konaje police on Sunday night. 

The accused who is a resident from Montepadav has been identified as Tharanath alias Mohan, the police revealed.

On Saturday, the accused had allegedly stolen a two-wheeler parked inside the compound of a home in Montepadav and fled. After the homeowners checked the CCTV footage and discussed with various people to ascertain the identity of the thief, they were able to determine that the accused was Tharanath. When they went to the accused’s house on Sunday night, he reportedly tried to flee but was caught by the locals, who later handed him to the Konaje Police.

Theft of Temple’s Donation Box, Burglary of Other Homes 

The police have revealed that the accused Tharanath has been involved in various cases of burglary including the theft of gold ornament from homes, robbery of Bags of Areca nut, theft of petrol from his friend’s vehicles, and also the theft of money from inside the donation box of a local temple. 

As of late, Tharanath has attempted to rob a poor household in the Gangaramajalu vicinity but had to allegedly flee after the homeowners woke to the noise of his scooter, and in doing so he had left his scooter behind.  Fearing a police crackdown, Tharanath had visited the station in the aftermath of the incident, where the Konaje police warned him with a citation and sent him away.

The accused Tharanath was a convener of the Viranjeneyanagar’s Bajarang Dal faction and was involved with the Montepadav Sharadanagar’s Vishwa Hindu Parishad, it is learned. Apart from that, he was also an active participant in the various programs organized by Hindutva organizations that took place in the vicinity. 

He was allegedly kept away from the organization after he was caught stealing, it is learned. After laying low for two months in the aftermath of the incident, Tharanath once again began his thieving activities and was apprehended in the case of the recent two-wheeler robbery which occurred on Saturday, for which the locals handed him over to the Konaje police. 

A case has been registered at the Konaje Police station in this regard, and an investigation is underway.