Democracy under attack, govt misusing central agencies says Cong leader from Haryana
Sirsa (PTI): Senior Congress leader from Haryana and Member of Parliament Kumari Selja on Sunday alleged that democracy was under attack across the country, accusing the BJP-led Centre of misusing central agencies, particularly in states where it is not in power.
After meeting Congress workers and hearing public grievances in the Dabwali area of Sirsa district, Selja told the media that the use of central agencies increases whenever elections approach.
She cited West Bengal as an example and alleged that attempts were being made to influence the democratic process ahead of elections.
Selja also accused the BJP government of weakening the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and taking away the rights of the poor.
She said the Congress government had enacted MGNREGA during the UPA regime to provide 100 days of guaranteed employment to rural households, with the Centre bearing the full financial responsibility.
She alleged that the present government had diluted the scheme by curtailing the powers of panchayats and states and by shifting a 40 per cent financial burden onto states, making it less effective when rural employment opportunities are limited.
Selja said the Congress has always stood with the poor and marginalised sections and will continue to fight to protect their rights.
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Bengal polls: RG Kar victim's mother files nomination as BJP candidate from Panihati
Kolkata (PTI): Ratna Debnath, mother of the raped-murdered RG Kar hospital doctor and the BJP candidate from Panihati, filed her nomination papers on Thursday.
She was accompanied by senior BJP leader and former Union minister Smriti Irani and district party leaders.
Speaking to reporters after filing her nomination, she said her sole aim is to oust the TMC regime in West Bengal, which, she alleged, would ensure women's safety in the state and prevent a recurrence of incidents like the RG Kar case.
Nearly a year and a half after the brutal killing of her 26-year-old daughter inside a locked seminar room of the state-run hospital in August 2024, Debnath agreed to contest the polls on a BJP ticket from her hometown Panihati after being approached by the party "to bring to light the truth behind the crime".
She is pitted against TMC's Tirthankar Ghosh and CPI(M)'s Kalatan Dasgupta.
