Congress won't be able to win alone, federal front necessary: Mamata
Kolkata, April 24: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said Congress alone won't be able to win the 2019 General Elections and urged it to be more flexible in seat sharing with the regional parties so as to confront the BJP in one-on one fights.
Claiming that the idea of a federal front can work if the opposition parties unite on a common minimum agenda, she said the election results would be in their favour if the Front can pit the BJP in one-on-one contests in 80 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats.
"In the current situation, the Congress won't be able to do anything on their own. So it would be better if all the states can come together and form a federal front. All regional parties have their own ideology and compulsion towards their states. The parties can come together through a common minimum agenda," Banerjee said during an interview in News18 Bangla channel.
"Even if we can fight the BJP on a one is to one basis in at least 80 percent of the seats, the result would be very much in our favour," she claimed.
Citing the examples of parties like DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and Telegu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh, the Trinamool Congress supremo said it would be prudent to let the most powerful regional party contest the elections against BJP while others can provide outside support.
"It is not that only Congress is present all over the country. Andhrea has Telegu Desam, Maharastra has Shiv Sena, West Bengal has Trinamool Congress. It is not necessary that Congress has to fight the election everywhere in the country. Why would they contest everywhere? They have their limitations also..." Banerjee said.
"If some parties decide to give outside support to the federal front or be a part of it they can do so," she added.
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Bombay HC to form high-powered committee on Mumbai air pollution
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday said it would form a high-powered committee to oversee the compliance of measures to tackle air pollution in the Mumbai region, noting that the efforts taken so far by state and civic authorities are insufficient.
It was not criticizing anyone but wanted to ensure that "people should live in pure air," said a division bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar.
The HC had in October 2023 taken suo motu cognizance of the rising pollution in the metropolis "which was ranging between good, satisfactory, moderate poor, very poor and severe", the bench noted.
Directions were issued by the court on November 6, 2023, and suggestions were made for short-term, mid-term and long-term measures.
Since then, the HC has made observations expressing dissatisfaction about the steps taken by the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai civic bodies, the judges said.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) is simply "sailing on its affidavits," but the steps purportedly taken by it were not sufficient, the court stated.
Air pollution in Mumbai has not decreased, in fact it was reported to be very severe in December, said the judges.
"We have apprised ourselves of the previous orders, and find that compliances so far made by (municipal) corporations and MPCB are not sufficient and satisfactory," the court said.
The authorities might have taken serious steps but their results were not visible, it added.
The court expressed inability to examine all the affidavits filed by the municipal corporations and MPCB and reports submitted by an expert committee (formed in 2023), citing the "rising number of dockets and limited hours and time."
After hearing all the parties at length, the high court decided to form a high-powered committee led by a former Supreme Court judge to monitor the compliance of measures to tackle air pollution in Mumbai and the surrounding areas.
The committee should meet on a daily basis, the court said, adding that its members should be provided necessary facilities.
The bench also referred to a suggestion that the citizens affected by pollution should be compensated.
The lawyer for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation said there are existing statutory bodies to look into this aspect.
"Maybe there are statutory bodies formed in Maharashtra, but then we have not come across any suggestion or action taken by such a body in the present proceedings..." the court said, adding that it was inclined to give "some powers" to the committee.
The court is expected to finalize the names of the committee members in its written order.
