Congress demands imposition of Article 355 in West Bengal over law and order situation
Kolkata, Mar 27: West Bengal PCC president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday demanded imposition of Article 355 in the state alleging collapse of law and order under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's rule.
Chowdhury was leading a padayatra' from Kadamtala in Howrah to Esplanade area in the heart of the city demanding an impartial and fair investigation into the mysterious death of student leader Anis Khan in February.
"One after another incident is taking place in West Bengal. Student leader Anis Khan was pushed down from the third floor of his house and a state-managed probe is taking place shielding the real conspirators.
Then this barbaric incident at Rampurhat in Birbhum district where eight people, including women and children, were burnt to death. Our councillor in Jhalda Municipality Tapan Kandu was killed from point-blank range but there has not been any proper investigation. All these incidents point towards the virtual collapse of law and order in the state and the complicity of ruling TMC," the Baharampur MP claimed.
Under these circumstances, the grand old party was in favour of promulgation of Article 355 in West Bengal where the ruling party Trinamool Congress and 'Police Mantri' (the Minister looking after law and order) Mamata Banerjee have miserably failed to control the situation , Chowdhury, also Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, told reporters.
Article 355 of the Constitution deals with an emergency provision by which the Centre can intervene and protect a state against external aggression or internal disturbance.
Chowdhury also took a dig at the BJP for the silence of its central leadership regarding the issue of imposition of Article 355" in West Bengal and hinted at a secret understanding between the governments at the state and the Centre.
To another question, the MP said the issue of the hike in fuel price several times after the assembly election in five states will be raised in Parliament.
The Congress leader had written to President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday urging him to invoke Article 355 in West Bengal to ensure that the state government functions in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
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Paper leak mafia thriving under BJP's double-engine governments: Bhagwant Mann
Shimla (PTI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday slammed the Centre over the alleged NEET paper leak and said that such incidents are surfacing in regions governed by the BJP's 'double-engine' and 'triple-engine' governments.
He said the leak and cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance test (NEET) 2026 examination is a major failure on the part of the Union government.
"This is not the first time that a paper leak has happened. Such incidents have surfaced in 2017, 2021, 2024, and now even in 2026 and every time, a CBI inquiry is initiated, arrests are made, yet after a short while, the accused are released on bail," he said.
Mann, who arrived at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium to boost the morale of the Punjab Kings team ahead of their upcoming IPL match, told the media that lakhs of students toil day and night, harbouring dreams of transforming their families' fortunes, but when exams are cancelled due to paper leaks, these students are left heartbroken.
The NEET 2026 paper held on May 3 was cancelled on May 12 after reports of a paper leak in Rajasthan.
He said that the paper leak mafia is predominantly surfacing in regions governed by the BJP's 'double-engine' and 'triple-engine' governments. "Paper leaked, dreams shattered, the country's administrative system is unable to conduct even a single examination properly", he added.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mann said that while Modi imposes various restrictions on the public, he himself continues to embark on foreign tours.
He asserted that the public deserves to know the country's true economic situation.
"The prime minister must disclose the current status of the country's oil reserves, the extent of our gold reserves, and fundamentally why restrictions are being imposed on every single commodity", he said.
No other nation has imposed such restrictions and the ongoing war is being used as a pretext, even though the country's economy is already in a precarious state, Mann added.
Regarding the ongoing campaign against drugs in Punjab, Mann said that the state government is continuously taking action against drug traffickers and asserted that a large number of traffickers are being sent to jail and that Punjab will soon move towards becoming drug-free.
Speaking about the upcoming IPL match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians to be held in Dharamshala, Mann said that he also holds the portfolio of Punjab's sports minister and has arrived in Dharamshala to cheer the team.
