BJP MLAs 'purify' Ambedkar statue at assembly with 'Gangajal' after TMC protest led by Mamata
Kolkata (PTI): BJP MLAs on Friday washed the statue of BR Ambedkar on the West Bengal assembly premises with 'Gangajal' to "purify" it after TMC legislators led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee staged a demonstration there, demanding central funds for the state.
Over 30 BJP legislators, including leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, took turns in pouring water from the Ganga on the statue, and the spot where the TMC MLAs demonstrated over two days.
"The MLAs of a party that is looting the state and murdering democracy tainted the holy statue of Ambedkar with their presence. They have already been rejected by the people of the state, and are clinging to power with the help of the police," said Adhikari.
Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay said he would ask the House's marshalls to seek Adhikari's response about such an activity.
"I would like to know why such an activity was undertaken. We will ask everyone not to use the assembly premises for demonstration without the consent of the speaker's office," he said.
The assembly campus witnessed a shouting match over the last two days with TMC and BJP MLAs holding demonstrations, often calling each other "chor" or thief.
TMC's deputy chief whip in the assembly Tapas Roy said that by washing the statue of Ambedkar, BJP atoned its sins "of atrocities committed on Dalits".
He said that his party took permission from the speaker for the two-day agitation.
Meanwhile, the ruling TMC also announced that it will hold protests on Saturday against alleged atrocities against the weaker sections of society under the "saffron ecosystem".
"Did the BJP ever show respect to Dalits? A BJP leader even made disparaging comments against a popular tribal leader such as Birbaha Hansda. Now, they are raising the outrageous claim that BR Ambedkar's statue was sullied by the presence of our legislators, who include women, tribals and OBCs. This is an insult to them," state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said.
Reacting to the charges, BJP chief whip Manoj Tigga told PTI that people know how TMC looks down upon tribals.
"This was evident from the offensive comments made by a TMC leader against the country's first tribal president, Droupadi Murmu. Also, crimes against women and deaths of Dalits are on the rise in West Bengal," he claimed.
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Karnataka Muslim Convention to be held in Bengaluru on May 16
Muslim organisations to release report on Congress govt’s three-year performance
Bengaluru: Major Muslim organisations and federations in Karnataka have decided to organise a large public convention titled ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16. During the convention, a comprehensive report reviewing the three-year performance of the Congress government under the theme “What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?” will be released.
According to a statement issued on Friday, no politicians will be invited to the convention. The report will be submitted to the government and all MLAs after the event.
The convention is being held at a time when the Congress government is nearing the completion of three years in office on May 20. Muslim organisations have expressed dissatisfaction, alleging that despite extending strong support to the Congress in bringing it to power, the community is being neglected.
The Convention is being organised at time when there are concerns over inadequate political representation for Muslims, alleged neglect of community demands, and the suspension of senior Muslim leaders who had worked for the party for decades.
The organisers said the convention aims to raise questions on what the Congress government has delivered so far and what further steps are expected from the government.
The decision to hold the convention was taken during a meeting held on May 6 at A J International Hotel in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru. Representatives of major Muslim organisations, associations, ulema bodies, federations, and members of the ad hoc committee of Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota attended the meeting.
More than 75 representatives and delegates, including senior ulemas, jamaat leaders, lawyers, retired officials, journalists and members of the KRMO ad hoc committee, participated in the discussions.
Members of the KRMO ad hoc committee’s report preparation team and experts from different sectors presented a detailed report on the Congress government’s three-year performance. The report examined promises made to Muslims on ten major issues, the extent to which they were fulfilled, pending promises, alleged discrimination in representation, and the demands now being placed before the government.
The report covered issues such as the hijab ban, reservation cancellation, hate speech and hate crimes, budget allocation, political representation, waqf matters, the anti-cow slaughter law, anti-conversion law, scholarships and educational grants.
Participants offered suggestions and recommendations on various points, and necessary corrections to the report were accepted after detailed discussions.
The meeting also reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the manner in which the Congress government has treated the Muslim community. Participants are said to have opined that if the government and the Congress party continue in the same manner, the community should keep its political options open.
It was later decided that the report would be officially released at the large public convention on May 16 under the title “Karnataka Muslim Convention – What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?”
The organisers appealed to people from all districts of the state to participate in large numbers and send a strong message to the government and the Congress party through the convention.
They also decided that all organisations, jamaats and associations should work towards ensuring participation from every district in Karnataka.
The statement reiterated that no politicians would be invited to the May 16 convention and that the report on the Congress government’s three-year performance would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs after the event.
