Mamata calls off 3-Day dharna
Kolkata, Feb 5: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday called off her dharna against the CBI attempting to question the city police chief in ponzi scam cases.
Calling off her sit-in on its third day, Banerjee said she was doing so after consulting leaders of major opposition parties and following "a favourable court order".
She had been sitting on the dharna since Sunday night at the Metro channel in Esplanade area, the spot where she had held a 26-day fast against the acquisition of farm land for the Tata Motors small car unit at Singur in 2006.
Opposition leaders like Chandrababu Naidu of TDP, Tejashwi Yadav of RJD and Kanimozhi of DMK had visited her at the dharna spot.
The Supreme Court had earlier in the day directed Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to appear before the CBI and "faithfully" cooperate into the investigation of cases arising out of the Saradha chit fund scam, while it making it clear that he will not be arrested.
To avoid all "unnecessary controversy", the apex court also directed the commissioner of Kolkata police to appear before the investigating agency at a neutral place in Shillong, on such dates as may be fixed by the probe agency.
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.
Women BJP MLAs protest against opposition in UP assembly premises
Lucknow (PTI): Women BJP MLAs held a protest in the Vidhan Bhawan complex before the one-day special session of Uttar Pradesh assembly, slamming the opposition for defeating the passage of a bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Law, in the Lok Sabha.
This followed another demonstration by Samajwadi Party MLAs, who alleged that the BJP was misleading public in the name of women's reservation.
The women BJP legislators assembled in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue in the assembly premises, holding banners inscribed with the slogan "Insult to Matrushakti (women's power), India will not tolerate it". The protesting members entered the main hall of Vidhan Bhawan carrying the banners.
Participating in the protest, the state Minister for Women Welfare and Child Development, Baby Rani Maurya, told reporters that all opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, had opposed the women's reservation, a stance for which they would have to pay a heavy political price.
"On this issue, all of us women stand united. We will ensure that we secure our reservation," she said.
BJP MLA Ketki Singh remarked that their protest represents the collective outrage of millions of women across the state.
Singh asserted that the opposition has betrayed women by creating hurdles in the path of women's reservation. The current demonstration is merely the beginning, and very soon, women from every street, intersection and household will join the protest movement, she said.
Minister Vijaylakshmi Gautam said, "We strongly condemn the despicable act committed by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in an attempt to hold back 'half the population' (women). Their action was directed against the very bill that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced to empower and strengthen Nari Shakti (women's power), and which he strived to pass expeditiously."
Uttar Pradesh assembly is holding a one-day special session on Thursday. During the session, the government is set to move a censure motion against the opposition parties over their failure to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, in the Lok Sabha.
