BJP government has taken over all premier institutions: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata: In an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of DRDO's recent space achievement, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee Sunday said the BJP government has taken over all premier institutions in the country.
On March 27, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island launch complex, paving the way for the country to join an elite space club comprising the US, Russia, China with such specialised capability.
Opposition parties have slammed the prime minister, saying the BJP government was trying to take credit for the DRDO's achievement.
Claiming that the people's liberty was at stake under the BJP's rule, Banerjee said "an atmosphere of fear" was prevailing in the country.
"The BJP government has taken control of all premier institutions in the country. People here live in fear. They do not have the right to speak freely under an autocratic government," the West Bengal chief minister said.
Earlier, too, the chief minister had taken a jibe at Modi, terming his announcement of the DRDO mission as "yet another limitless drama to reap political benefits" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
"India's Mission Programme is world-class for many many years. We are always proud of our scientists, @DRDO_India, other research & space organisations," she had tweeted, adding that "Modi, as usual, likes to take the credit for everything."
Talking to reporters at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport here before leaving for Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to participate in a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) rally, Banerjee said a "dictatorial government" is pulling the strings at the Centre using force and intimidation, "trampling democratic norms".
"Disinvestment has been done in public sector companies. Some workers are not getting salaries. The lives of farmers and labourers are under threat under the current dispensation.
"I feel that everyone will come forward, keeping aside their petty interests to collectively vote against the Modi government," said Banerjee, who has been trying to cobble up an united opposition alliance against the BJP.
The CM said she would extend her support to TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, who pulled out his party of the NDA in March 2018, alleging injustice was being done to Andhra Pradesh by the Narendra Modi government.
"I am going to Visakhapatnam at the invitation of Chandrababu Naidu to extend my solidarity and participate in a public meeting," she said.
Giving details of her itinerary, Banerjee said she will visit Cooch Behar in north Bengal on April 4 and Assam the following day to address rallies.
In Bengal, Banerjee claimed, she would be holding as many rallies as possible over the course of the next two weeks.
"I will address nearly 100 meetings in Bengal," the Trinamool chief said.
Election to 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
