Time to focus on ailing economy, not religious issues: Mamata Banarjee
Kolkata, Dec 5: In a blistering attack on the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said "politics of divide and rule" would do no good to the country, which is currently staring at an economic slowdown.
Speaking at a programme here, the TMC supremo asserted that it was time to address economic woes in the country, instead of harping on "Hindu-Muslim" issues.
"There is uncertainty everywhere. Unemployment and poverty have reached sky-high levels. At a time like this, I don't know if harping on Hindu-Muslim issues will yield any positive result," she said, without elaborating on the matter.
Talking about the steep onion prices, Banerjee said the Centre had no control over the soaring rates.
"Onion prices have shot through the roof across the country. It has touched Rs 150 per kilo. The Centre has no control over the rising prices," she stated on the sidelines of ABP-Infocom meet here.
Banerjee also alleged that the Centre was planning to sell off railways, in the wake of reports that the Union government might outsource commercial and onboard services of a few trains.
"They (central government) are trying to sell the railways. When I was the railway minister, I was asked why passenger fares were not being increased. I work for common people... Revenue can also be raised from commercial usage (freight)," she said.
The CM urged people to work for peace and prosperity.
"Nobody knows what will happen to the banks tomorrow.
I am also sceptical about the insurance sector. This never happened before
"Let us work together. Let us be united, work for peace and integrity. Dwelling on religious matters will not bring the desired outcome," she insisted.
The TMC boss also claimed that industrialists in the country feel intimidated by central agencies - the CBI, the IT department and the ED.
"We have no desire to interfere with the matters of the industry, the way the BJP government is doing Many of them (industrialists) have left Indian shores as they are scared. Rahul Bajaj had the guts to speak out. But I feel he has been put under scanner since then," she said.
Veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj recently said that India Inc was afraid of criticising the Centre's policies. He found support in Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw who said the government treated India Inc as "pariahs" and doesn't want to hear any criticism of the economy.
Slamming West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over alleged delay in clearance of bills, she said there was a "parallel administration running in the state".
"I am sorry to say this... The House got adjourned as bills were not signed. We are fighting, and we will fight this out," she added.
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Muslim organisations seek restoration of 2B reservation, place 10 demands before govt
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Rajya Muslim Sanghatanegala Okkoota has placed 10 major demands before the state government at the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’, including the restoration of reservation for Muslims under Category 2B of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and the repeal or amendment of the anti-cow slaughter law and the withdrawal of the anti-conversion law.
Presenting the demands in his keynote address at the convention organised by the federation at Town Hall in Bengaluru on Saturday, social activist Muhammad Yaseen Malpe said the Congress government had promised to withdraw the order issued by the previous BJP government banning hijab for Muslim girl students. He said the restriction remained in force until the date of the convention was announced and thanked the government for withdrawing it.
On reservation, Yaseen Malpe said the Congress government has not restored the reservation for Muslims under Category 2B, which was abolished by the previous BJP government in 2023, despite being in power for three years. He said that although the Supreme Court of India had stayed the order abolishing the reservation, no legislative steps have been taken to restore it, and urged the government to do so at the earliest.
Referring to the anti-conversion law, he said the state cabinet had decided on June 15, 2023 to repeal the legislation introduced by the BJP government. However, he noted that no Bill to withdraw the law has yet been introduced in the Legislative Assembly. He said the law, which he described as intended to harass minorities and curtail religious freedom, continues to remain in force and demanded that it be withdrawn immediately.
On the anti-cow slaughter law, he said the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020 had become a “death warrant” for farmers, labourers, meat traders and cattle transporters and alleged that it was enacted with the sole intention of targeting Muslims. He demanded that the law be repealed or amended without delay.
Yaseen Malpe said the Congress had promised in its election manifesto to allocate Rs 10,000 crore annually for minority welfare. However, he pointed out that only around Rs 4,762 crore has been earmarked in the 2026-27 Budget, which he said was less than half of the promised amount. He urged the government to fully implement the commitment in the coming years.
On waqf properties, he alleged that large-scale encroachment, illegal transfers, undervalued leases and weak administration continue to affect waqf assets. He said the government had not done satisfactory work in recovering, developing and ensuring accountability in respect of waqf properties. He also expressed dissatisfaction that the state government had not clearly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 and called for a concrete plan to protect waqf properties.
Regarding the caste survey, he said neither the caste census report of the Kantharaj Commission nor the report of the survey conducted under the leadership of Madhusudhan R. Naik has been tabled in the legislature. He said this had stalled important reforms relating to reservation and welfare and alleged that the government had caused great injustice and disappointment to backward classes, Dalits, minorities and other weaker sections.
On hate speech, hate crimes and hate campaigns, he said incidents targeting Muslims, including mob violence, moral policing and economic boycotts, continue to occur. He said repeated offenders were not facing effective legal action and urged the government to take necessary steps.
On political representation, Yaseen Malpe said Muslims remain underrepresented in the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, corporations and boards, universities, commissions and local bodies. He noted that Muslims constitute around 13 per cent of Karnataka’s population, but only 19 of the Congress party’s 136 MLAs are Muslims. He also said that since this government came to power, only one Muslim had been given an opportunity in the selection to 15 seats in the Legislative Council.
He further stated that not a single Muslim heads any of the state’s major government medical institutions and demanded representation for Muslims in legislative bodies and key government institutions in proportion to their population.
On education, he said the government had undertaken some positive measures for Muslim students and expressed gratitude for them. However, he said substantial work remains to be done in staff recruitment, staff deployment, curriculum coverage, proper disbursal of scholarships and hostel capacity. He also pointed out that the condition of Maulana Azad Schools is highly concerning in several places.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, he demanded that the Karnataka Legislative Assembly pass a resolution opposing the exercise, which he said had adversely affected minorities in Bihar and West Bengal. He urged the government to ensure that SIR is not implemented in Karnataka and that no voter is deprived of the right to vote.
