Kolkata/London (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her governance model does not allow discrimination and she prioritises the welfare of all sections of society.

Addressing a gathering at Kellogg College at the University of Oxford, she stressed the importance of inclusive development and stated that division in society is counterproductive.

"If I die, before my death, I want to see unity. Unity is our strength, and division leads to our fall. This was Swami Vivekananda's belief. Keeping unity is a difficult task, but dividing people takes only a moment. Do you think the world can sustain such divisive ideology?" she questioned.

"When I am in the chair, I cannot divide society. I have to look after the weaker sections and the poor. We have to work hard for them. At the same time, we must work for all religions, castes, and creeds together, move forward with them, and help them," she said.

Banerjee, who heads the Trinamool Congress, was speaking on 'Social Development – Girl, Child and Women Empowerment in West Bengal'.

Pointing to West Bengal's diversity, she said people in the state celebrate all festivals together without discrimination.

"We have about 11 crore people in our state -- almost like a big country. Our beauty lies in the fact that more than 33 percent of our people belong to minority communities, including Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Gorkhas. Around 6 percent are tribals, and 23 percent belong to Scheduled Castes. People of every caste, creed, and religion love each other," she said.

Banerjee underlined the need for a human-centric approach to governance.

"Our mission is to ensure that there is no discrimination among students, women, farmers, and workers. We must consider all people as human beings. Without humanity, this world cannot run, continue, or sustain -- I firmly believe so," she said.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mandi (HP) (PTI): Three people were killed and two others sustained grievous injuries after a speeding car dashed against a stationary truck at Dadour near Nerchowk in Mandi district on Monday late at night, police said on Tuesday.

There were five people in the car when the tragedy struck. Three were declared dead in the hospital while two have been referred to AIIMS Bilaspur.

The deceased were identified as Anil Kumar (28), Rohit Kumar (26) and Subash Kumar (23), all residents of Mandi district, while the injured are Harish and Pankaj.

A case has been registered under relevant sections and investigations are underway, said Superintendent of Police (SP) Mandi Vinod Kumar.

He added that the bodies have been handed over to the family members of the deceased.

In a statement, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the loss of three lives in a road accident. He directed the district administration to ensure best possible treatment for the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.