Mamata Banerjee meets Uddhav Thackeray, says NDA govt may not last long
Mumbai, Jul 12: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was unstable, and may not complete its term.
Banerjee met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence `Matoshree' in the Bandra area here. She would also be meeting NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar during her visit, she said.
"This government may not continue also. This is not a stable government," she said at a press conference with Thackeray.
"Khela has begun, It will go on," Banerjee said when asked to elaborate.
On the Union government's move to observe June 25, when Emergency was imposed in 1975, as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas', Banerjee said times associated with Emergency were being seen most during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The West Bengal CM said no one was consulted when the three laws - Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) that replaced the Indian Penal Code(IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure(CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively, were tabled in Parliament.
It was passed when a large number of MPs were suspended, she said, adding many people are afraid of these new laws.
"We do not support Emergency....(but) charity begins at home," she asserted.
Referring to the defeat of the Shiv Sena candidate from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat by 48 votes, Banerjee said similar victories were achieved in many other constituencies.
On the INDIA alliance in her state, she said the TMC cannot adjust with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) because her party fought the Left Front and came to power.
Banerjee also said it was "absolutely unethical" to take away the name and symbol from the Thackeray faction but added it fought like a tiger. The Shiv Sena split in June 2022 and the party name and 'bow and arrow' symbol was given to the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The WB CM said she would campaign for Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Maharashtra assembly polls likely to be held in October-November.
Both Shiv Sena (UBT) and Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress are part of the Opposition's INDIA grouping.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders, who are known to enjoy a good rapport, after the Lok Sabha elections.
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Karnataka Lokayukta to register case, probe Bowring wall collapse
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B S Patil on Thursday took serious note of the compound wall collapse at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in the city that killed seven people, and announced registration of a case on its own while warning of action against officials found responsible.
The Lokayukta, who visited the site and conducted an inspection, expressed strong displeasure over the incident and questioned the inaction of authorities, even as police and emergency teams had earlier rushed to the spot to rescue victims trapped under the debris following heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
“I will now register a suo motu case. This is not just about this one incident — such incidents must not occur anywhere in the state or the city in the future,” Justice Patil told reporters.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed as rain-battered victims had taken shelter near it, according to police. The victims included people from Kerala who were in the city on a study tour.
Calling for systemic accountability, the Lokayukta said, “Dilapidated buildings and weakened compound walls, especially in areas with public access, must first be identified. They must either be repaired, demolished, or rebuilt.”
He added that responsibility would be fixed on officials of the BBMP and the concerned departments.
Justice Patil said that hearings would be conducted and preventive action initiated, while also probing those responsible for it, how the incident could have been prevented, and why it was not prevented.
A Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) team and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team also inspected the site, while police cordoned off Kovil Street to facilitate the probe.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the government had initiated measures following the rain-related incidents and stressed preparedness.
“Since last night we have initiated measures regarding the rains. When it rains heavily, we must be prepared, and we are working towards that,” he told reporters here.
On the wall collapse, Shivakumar said, “I will not directly blame any officials. It was an old wall, and trees had grown alongside it. Due to that pressure, it collapsed.”
The Deputy CM said instructions had been issued to identify such vulnerable structures and clear areas around them, including relocating street vendors.
Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said a technical assessment had been ordered.
“This is a very serious matter. Innocent people have been affected. We are issuing directions to the engineers to find out why this compound wall collapsed and to assess its structural strength,” he told reporters after inspecting the spot.
The Minister noted that the wall was ‘very old’ and required thorough examination to prevent recurrence.
Speaking to reporters, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Karnataka government to take precautions to ensure that incidents like the collapse of the Bengaluru government hospital compound wall, which caused loss of life, should not repeat.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad said the collapse raised questions about construction and maintenance practices.
“If a wall collapses within 25 years of its construction, it needs to be examined -- whether there was any technical issue, or if anything was altered inside, weakening it. All this can only come out through a technical investigation,” he said.
The Congress MLA also called for wider structural audits across the city, stating that all such structures, whether private or government, must be audited.
He urged citizens to support victims, saying it was a collective responsibility in times of crisis.
