BJP leader and Netaji's nephew Chandra Kumar Bose wants Muslims included in CAA
Kolkata, Jan 20: An "atmosphere of fear" is being created by both the ruling and opposition parties over the new citizenship law, West Bengal BJP vice president Chandra Bose said on Monday, and urged the Centre to grant citizenship even to Muslims under the amended citizenship act.
He also said the government should issue a written clarification on the issue.
"An atmosphere of fear is being created on the issue of citizenship. This applies to both the ruling party and the opposition parties.
"Just because it (the law) has been passed by Parliament, it can't be used to bulldoze people by ignoring the protests. The same applies to opposition parties which are deliberately misleading the masses," He told PTI.
Bose, a grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have categorically noted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is not based on religion.
However, statements made by some other leaders are creating confusion.
"In order to deal with this, I think that this clause should be included (in the new law) that the CAA is not based on religion....and Muslims should also be included in it," he said.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act aims to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who entered India on or before December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, having fled religious persecution in their countries.
"Now what will happen to the Muslims who had come to this country before that date? There is a confusion. The Centre must take steps to remove that confusion," Bose said.
A few state BJP leaders PTI approached declined to comment on Bose's statements.
Bose had pitched for the inclusion of Muslims in the CAA earlier also.
"If CAA, 2019 is not related to any religion why are we stating Hindu, Sikh, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis and Jains only! Why not include Muslims as well? Let's be transparent," he had tweeted last month.
"Don't equate India or compare it with any other nation - as it's a nation Open to all religions and communities," he had said in another tweet.
West Bengal has been witnessing relentless protests over the CAA, a pan-India NRC and updation of the National Population Register, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leading the charge against the government on these livewire issues.
The protests, though initially very violent, have acquired a somewhat milder tone but are continuing. Scuffles have been reported from several campuses including the prestigious Jadavpur University and Visva Bharati.
Today @BJP4India under the leadership of @narendramodi ji is an inclusive party embracing all religions & communities. My humble request is to include all religions & communities under the ambit of #CAA . Jai Hind! @PMOIndia
— Chandra Kumar Bose (@Chandrabosebjp) December 30, 2019
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
