Sahebaan Community Forum’s Eid Milan held in Padubidri, focus on unity, community growth
Udupi: The Sahebaan Community Forum (SCF) of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts came together on Sunday to celebrate Eid Milan at Premier Greens in Padubidri. The event turned out to be a day of togetherness, celebration and strong messages about unity, leadership, and helping each other grow as a community.
The programme began at 8 am with fun games and quiz competitions that kept the participants engaged. Soon after, the formal inauguration was held with the presence of key guests and respected members of the community.
The event began on a spiritual note with Qirath recited by Inaya Ayesha Mubeen. This was followed by the welcome address by Afroz Assadi, who thanked everyone for turning up in large numbers and said that the forum was created to bring people together and to remind everyone that community progress depends on participation and shared efforts.
Iqbal Manna, Secretary of SCF, gave a brief introduction about the forum. He said that the forum was not formed just to host events, but to build a strong platform that connects families, supports students, encourages youth, and gives people a space where they can come together to talk, share, and grow. “We want this forum to be a place where every Sahebaan feels seen, heard and supported,” he said.
The chief guest, Siraj Ahmed, Chairman and Managing Director of In-Land Builders, praised the efforts of the organisers and especially appreciated the leadership of Afroz Assadi. “Our community has always had talent and potential, but we have lacked strong leadership. Afroz has shown what it means to take responsibility and lead from the front. If more people take that step, our community will be in a much better place,” he said. He also stressed that personal opinions should not come in the way of unity. “It’s time we leave behind small differences and think about the bigger picture. Only when we are united, we can move forward,” he added. He assured his full support for future activities of the forum.
Nasir Syed, Founder and CMD of Creative House Scaffolding, Dubai, expressed happiness over the growth of the community. “It feels good to see so many people come forward. We have people in different professions and different walks of life. If we all join hands, I’m sure our community will continue to grow. We must also make sure more families and individuals from both Dakshina Kannada and Udupi take part in these gatherings,” he said.
Matheen Ahmed Chilmi, MD of Petrosolutions FZE, Sharjah, focused on the importance of supporting those who are struggling. “A community is only strong when even its weakest members feel supported. We should not treat this forum just as a place to celebrate. It should also be a place where people can share their problems, get guidance, and find support. Let us be there for each other in both good and bad times,” he said. He also assured his complete support to the forum and encouraged others to come forward in whatever way they can.
The event was conducted by Aliya Khan and Riffath Gurkar, who served as the comperes for the day. Several students were also recognized and honored for their academic performances during the last academic year.
Following the inauguration, the rest of the day was filled with games and entertainment programmes for both children and adults. The activities were set to continue till 4:30 pm.
The Management Committee of Sahebaan Community Forum was introduced during the today's Eid Milan function.
President : Afroze Assadi
Vice President : Juned
Secretary : M. Iqbal Manna
Treasurer : Rafiq Assadi
Committee members :-
Dr. Ruksar Anjum
Dr. Firdos, Principal
Ashfaq Ahmed, C. A
Kabir Ali, Architect
Mohammed Ifthikar Adil, Coffee Estate
.
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BJP's downfall has begun, its govt at Centre in minority: Mamata
Howrah/Baruipur (WB) (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday hit out at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the saffron party's "downfall" began after the Centre failed to secure passage of a Constitution amendment bill to implement women's reservation in legislatures from 2029.
Addressing back-to-back rallies at Uluberia in Howrah and Baruipur in South 24 Parganas, the TMC supremo said Friday's events in Parliament had shown that the BJP was no longer a party with a majority of its own and was surviving in office only with the support of two allies.
"Yesterday proved they are no longer a majority government. It is a minority government. They are somehow running it with the support of two parties," she said, in an apparent reference to the BJP's dependence on allies in the NDA.
In a major setback to the Centre, a Constitution amendment bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated on Friday, with the ruling dispensation asserting that the struggle to give the rights to women will continue.
While 298 members voted in support of the bill in the Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
Banerjee questioned why the women's reservation was tied to the delimitation exercise.
"Why link it with delimitation? Is this an attempt to hide fish with greens?" she asked, invoking the Bengali phrase 'shak diye mach dhaka' to claim that the "Centre was trying to conceal its real intentions".
Ahead of the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, Banerjee sought to turn the BJP's parliamentary setback into a larger political narrative, portraying it as the "beginning of the BJP's decline nationally".
"Modi sahib's downfall began in Delhi yesterday. In the Lok Sabha, you have been defeated; now you will have to be defeated on the ground. Bengal will show the way," she told cheering supporters at Uluberia.
In typical Mamata style, she mixed political attacks with personal anecdotes and old grievances.
Recalling her long association with the demand for women's reservation, Banerjee said she had been fighting for the cause since 1998, long before the BJP made it an issue.
"This is not a women's bill. I have fought for women's reservation since 1998. They are using the media to spread lies," she said.
The TMC supremo accused the Centre of linking the women's quota with delimitation in order to conceal what she described as a larger political design.
Banerjee alleged that the proposed delimitation exercise was aimed at redrawing political boundaries and weakening states like West Bengal.
"It was a plan to divide the country, divide Bengal and divide every state. The game was to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats. We sent our 21 MPs to Parliament because the issue was important. We will not allow Bengal to be divided," she said.
The chief minister said the BJP did not need to lecture her party on women's empowerment, asserting that the TMC had already ensured greater representation for women than most parties in the country.
She said women constituted around 37 per cent of the party's elected Lok Sabha MPs and 46 per cent of its Rajya Sabha members.
"We have given 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayats and municipalities. Show me another party that has done this," she said.
The reference was meant to reinforce one of the Trinamool Congress' strongest political claims -- that it has built a durable support base among women voters through welfare schemes and representation.
As she moved from Uluberia to Baruipur, Banerjee sharpened her attack further and sought to bring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar into the campaign.
"Did you see what happened to Nitish Kumar? They used him during the elections and then pushed him aside," she said.
Kumar resigned as Bihar chief minister on Tuesday, making way for the first-ever BJP-led government in the state.
Banerjee also cautioned people against filling up forms under a proposed scheme promising cash assistance by the BJP.
"Now, they (BJP leaders) are saying they will give Rs 3,000. Do not fill up those forms by mistake. They are taking your name and address. Then they will take away all the money from your account. They are all frauds," she alleged.
Banerjee also accused the BJP of planning to "misuse" the central agencies and security forces during the assembly elections.
"IAS and IPS officers have their dignity. We will foil every plan to capture Bengal using the central forces. Yesterday, Modi's downfall began in Delhi. The election defeat in Bengal will be the second fall," she said.
Her remarks drew loud applause from party workers, as the TMC has been projecting the 2026 West Bengal election not merely as a state contest but as the next big political battle after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Banerjee also used the rallies to revive her familiar attack on the BJP over what she calls its "double standards" on religion and food.
"You are looting the country and destroying it. When you go to Saudi Arabia and hug leaders there, you do not talk about Hindu-Muslim. So much beef is exported. But in Bengal, you want to stop people from eating fish and meat," she said.
VIDEO | West Bengal polls: “BJP's downfall has begun”, says CM Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) on NDA failing to pass bill to give women quota from 2029.#AssemblyPollsWithPTI #WestBengalPollsWithPTI
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 18, 2026
(Source: Third Party)
(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/dTdOcEKfW5
