Chandan Mitra, 4 Bengal Congress lawmakers join Trinamool
Kolkata, July 21 : Former BJP leader and two-time Rajya Sabha member Chandan Mitra and four Congress lawmakers in West Bengal on Saturday joined Trinamool Congress at its Martyrs' Day rally here.
Mitra, Editor and Managing Director of The Pioneer newspaper, quit the Bharatiya Janata Party earlier this week.
Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee announced Mitra's switch to the Trinamool from the dais of the hugely attended rally in central Kolkata.
Mitra was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha in August 2003. He was elected for another term in the Upper House as a BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh in June 2010.
He unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on the BJP ticket from Hooghly constituency in West Bengal.
There were reports of Mitra being sidelined in the BJP over the past few years after Narendra Modi and Amit Shah took control of the party.
Besides Mitra, four state Congress legislators - Samar Mukherjee, Abu Taher, Sabina Yasmin and Akhruzzman -- joined the Trinamool. They are among a growing band of Congressmen who have crossed over to the Trinamool Congress but abide by the parent party's whip in the state assembly to avoid attacting the anti-defection law.
Former CPI-M MP Moinul Hassan, who was recently expelled after he publicly dissociated from it, also joined the Trinamool at the rally.
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Waqf board claims ownership of 53 historic monuments in Karnataka
Hubballi: The Karnataka Waqf Board has claimed ownership of 53 historical monuments across the state, including notable sites like Gol Gumbaz, Ibrahim Rauza, and Bara Kaman in Vijayapura. In 2005, the Waqf Board declared 43 of these sites in Vijayapura, once the capital of the Adil Shahi dynasty, as Waqf properties. However, these sites have since faced encroachments and unauthorised modifications.
According to records obtained through an RTI, the Waqf Board designated these 43 sites as Waqf properties using Record of Rights (ROR) documents, though the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is the recognised custodian of these protected sites. “While ASI is the holder of the land/monument, the encumbrance is the Waqf authority. This has been done without consulting ASI,” says the RTI response from the Union government.
This declaration was made by Mohammad Mohsin, who held dual roles as Vijayapura’s Deputy Commissioner and Waqf Board Chairman at the time.
“I don’t remember how many monuments were declared as Waqf properties. But whatever I have done is according to the government gazette notification issued by the Revenue Department and authentic documentary evidence produced by the parties,” said Mohsin.
Many of these monuments, designated as nationally significant heritage sites since 1914, are officially under ASI’s care as per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958). ASI asserts that "once an ASI property, it is always an ASI property," meaning their ownership is non-transferable. However, sources report that several of these sites have been defaced, unscientifically renovated, or altered with elements like air conditioners, fluorescent lighting, and even commercial and residential structures, impacting their historical integrity and tourism appeal.
“Monuments are the living examples of our history. Monuments can be renovated/conserved in the prescribed manner only by ASI. However, the 43 monuments in Vijayapura are being defaced and are being repaired with plaster and cement. Fans, air conditioners, fluorescent lights and toilets are being added to the monuments. Shopkeepers have taken over certain properties. This is adversely impacting the flow of tourists to these monuments,” said an officer who did not wish to be named.
Since 2007, the Ministry of Culture has repeatedly requested the state authorities to clear encroachments on these sites. Despite a joint survey in 2012, ASI officials report that neither the Waqf Board nor the Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner’s office has provided adequate documentation to substantiate Waqf’s ownership claim. ASI officials, under directives to avoid commenting on the issue publicly, maintain that their ownership under the AMASR Act remains unchangeable.
