Can't accept if someone says secularism is bad, democracy dangerous: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that she cannot accept if somebody says that secularism is bad or democracy is dangerous.
She claimed that federalism in the country has been "totally bulldozed", alleging that several states were not getting their shares of the GST collected.
"If somebody says that secularism is bad, equality is unthinkable, democracy is dangerous and federal structure is a disaster, we cannot accept it," she said.
The chief minister said that if someone says that the Constitution needs to be changed, then it is to please some ideology or some vision.
Speaking at 'The Telegraph' national debate on 'This house believes India does not need a new Constitution', a video of which she shared on her Facebook page on Saturday, Banerjee questioned whether India is heading towards a presidential form of election.
Banerjee said that the spirit of the Constitution is its preamble.
The chief minister said that the Constitution of the country was drafted very diligently by taking care of democracy, federalism and secularism.
Banerjee said that the fine balance between the fundamental rights and the country's sovereignty should not be damaged.
"If the Constitution will only be run by the agency, for the agency and of the agency, we cannot accept that," she said, adding, "Constitution is of the people, by the people and for the people".
"I don't have any right to speak. If I say strongly, tomorrow the ED (Enforcement Directorate) will come to my house," she said.
Banerjee said in a sarcastic tone that she has worked with several prime ministers from Rajiv Gandhi to Manmohan Singh, but has not seen "such a good prime minister", without taking the name of Narendra Modi.
Stating that the TMC maintains political courtesy, she said that her party respects all political parties and leaders.
Recalling that Dr B R Ambedkar was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, she said that his ideals and vision led the foundation of a strong democracy, ensuring justice, equality, freedom for all citizens.
Banerjee said that the Constitution also did the hard work of awakening unity among the diversity of culture, language, religion and community of the vast country and binds every Indian.
She said that the Constitution has also been amended for the necessity of the country.
"But nowadays, what is going on, I am afraid. It's a horrible thing which is going on. As a human being, a common person, I cannot accept it," she said.
She questioned what was the need for democracy and Constitution if "anyone tells us what to eat, wear or which language to speak in".
"We want to live in peace and everyone has a right to do that," she said.
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Bird flu: Karnataka completes 10-day H5N1 surveillance, containment operation
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has successfully completed a 10-day intensive surveillance and containment operation following the detection of the H5N1 Avian Influenza outbreak here, officials said on Saturday.
The outbreak was reported in the State Poultry Rearing Training Centre in Mathkuru village, Hesaraghatta, on April 14, they said.
The surveillance was conducted by the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the state government in coordination with the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Department, officials said.
According to an official statement, once the outbreak was confirmed, following laboratory reports from the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD-Bhopal), State and District Rapid Response Teams along with Hesaraghatta and Sonnenahalli PHC (Primary Health Centres) teams were immediately deployed.
An infected zone of 0-3 km and a surveillance zone of 3-10 km radius was established. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, culled all the birds and safely disposed of eggs and of contaminated feed, adhering to national and international biosecurity protocols, it said.
The health department said the surveillance zone from the infective focus in the 10 km radius, a total population of 28,172 across 22 villages was surveyed from day 1 to day 10. Multiple rounds of surveillance were conducted and sanitation activities were completed as per protocol.
During the surveillance period, nasopharyngeal samples collected from all quarantined staff on Day 5, sent to NIV-Bengaluru, were found to be negative for H5N1, it said.
On day 10, nasopharyngeal samples were collected and the results are awaited. No human case of H5N1 infection has been detected in the infected or surveillance zones, the health officials said.
"All healthcare facilities in Bengaluru have been instructed to continue ILI/SARI (Influenza-Like Illness/Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) case surveillance, and ensure adequate stocks of PPE, triple-layer medical masks, oseltamivir, viral transport medium, and throat swab kits," it said.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services issued a Sanitization Certificate on April 21, officials said.
"No poultry activity will be undertaken for a period of 90 days as a precautionary measure. During the three months of surveillance, the entire area of the farm will be repeatedly disinfected by fumigation (indoors) or sprays (open place) every 15 days," it further stated.
The public has been advised to avoid handling or consuming meat or eggs from sick or dead poultry and report sightings of sick or dead birds promptly to local veterinary or health authorities.
Ensure poultry meat and eggs are thoroughly cooked before consumption, as proper cooking effectively inactivates the virus, they said.
"The public is advised to follow official health advisories and avoid spreading unverified information," the department added.
