Tipra Motha youth wing stages protest near Bangladesh Assistant High Commission
Agartala (PTI): Tipra Motha Party's youth wing on Friday staged a demonstration near the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission here to protest "anti-India campaign" and remarks made by a leader of the neighbouring country about the Northeast.
Security has been beefed up near the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in the wake of the protest staged by the Youth Tripra Federation (YTF).
"We want to remind anti-India forces in Bangladesh that it was India that liberated Bangladesh from the oppression of Pakistan Army... It took only 13 days to turn East Pakistan into a sovereign country," YTF president Suraj Debbarma told reporters.
The agitators also raised slogans against the present regime in Bangladesh.
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Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, in an X post, said, "The only political party in Northeast to publicly protest outside the Bangladesh (Assistant) High Commission after statements were made against our Northeast is Tipra Motha and YTF. Wake up political rivals our real fight should be against the new mini Pakistan (Bangladesh), not each other."
During a rally in protest against the attack on prominent July Uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who later succumbed to gunshot wounds, National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah had threatened to split the seven sisters of the Northeast from India and provide shelter to separatist leaders of the region.
West Tripura Superintendent of Police (SP) Namit Pathak said that Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and CRPF personnel have been deployed to provide security to Bangladesh Assistant High Commission.
"Adequate security arrangements have been made to handle the situation," he said.
The protest brought back memories of last year, when hundreds of agitators had barged into the assistant high commission and the Centre had to tender an apology for the security breach.
Tension gripped Bangladesh on Friday after the death of Hadi triggered protests and violence in various parts of the country.
Hadi, a candidate in the scheduled February 12 general elections, died while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital after fighting for his life for six days. He was shot in the head last week by masked gunmen as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka's Bijoynagar area.
Protesters on Thursday took to the streets and attacked offices of newspapers and vandalised 32 Dhanmandi, the home of Bangladesh's founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Protesters also hurled bricks and stones at the residence of the Indian Assistant High Commissioner in Chattogram, at 1.30 am, but failed to cause any damage.
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Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance announcement for civic polls likely next week
Mumbai (PTI): The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are likely to announce next week their alliance for the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, with seat-sharing for all the civic bodies, except Mumbai, almost complete, leaders of both the parties said.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15, and the counting of votes will take place the next day.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS will forge an alliance for the polls in municipal corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune and Nashik, among others.
The Sena (UBT) is headed by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, while his once-estranged cousin Raj is the president of the MNS.
"Talks for all civic bodies, except Mumbai, are complete. The sticking point is about the seats that we are demanding in Marathi-dominated areas. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is not still not agreeing to it which has delayed the seat-sharing. But the talks have to be over soon since the date of filing nominations starts next week (December 23 to December 30)," an MNS leader said.
Talking to reporters, MNS leader and former MLA Nitin Sardesai said, "It is appropriate to say that the talks are in final stages but it is difficult to say when it will be officially announced. I can only say that all sides are putting efforts to complete the talks and they are working towards it."
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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab met Raj Thackeray to discuss seat-sharing.
A Sena (UBT) leader said talks are in final stages and there is no hurdle in the seat-sharing agreement.
"The two brothers are expected to officially announce the alliance between the two parties on Monday in a public event or through a press conference that will set the tone for the civic body polls," he said.
Raj Thackeray quit the undivided Shiv Sena blaming Uddhav for his exit in 2005 and floated the MNS in 2006. They had been political rivals since then.
However, after the drubbing of their parties in the Maharashtra assembly polls in 2024 - the Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, while MNS drew a blank - both leaders decided to put behind their political acrimony and find a common ground for survival.
Over the past few months, the two cousins shared the stage or were spotted at public forums together multiple times for various reasons.
The cousins publicly ended their two-decade-long estrangement in July, where they addressed a joint rally. At the event, Uddhav said they have come together to stay together.
