Do not hinder Durga immersion or stop Saraswati Puja, Shah warns Mamata
Kolkata, Aug 11: BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday warned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee not to hinder Durga idol immersion or the Saraswati worship in the state, saying his party activists will "bring down Banerjee's secretariat brick by brick" if such things ever recurred.
He said these festivals will be celebrated with full fervour if BJP formed government in Bengal.
"They (Trinamool Congress) do not allow the immersion of the Durga idols after puja. Saraswati Puja has been stopped in many schools in Bengal. Should that happen? Form a BJP government in Bengal, Durga immersion and Saraswati Puja will take place with full fervour. No one can stop that," Shah said during his rally at Kolkata's Mayo Road.
"Mamata didi, do not dare (to do such things) again. If you dare to do this next time, the BJP activists will bring down your secretariat brick by brick, but the Durga puja will take place at any cost," he said amid cheers from thousands of party activists.
The Durga Puja immersion processions were delayed over the past few years in certain parts of Bengal as Muharram rallies and the two events coincided.
Accusing Banerjee and her party of minority appeasement and vote bank politics, Shah asked the Bengal Chief Minister to tell the people what she was trying to achieve by stopping Saraswati Puja in the state and by settling Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators in the state.
"There is a limit to doing appeasement and vote bank politics... there will be no Saraswati Puja in Bengal... Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators are allowed to settle here. What are you trying to turn Bengal into? Mamata must clarify this to the people," he said.
The BJP leader also accused the Trinamool Congress supremo of stopping a number of television channels from telecasting his speech.
"But I have full faith in our party activists. They will go to every village, every street and every household of Bengal to tell them about Trinamool's activities," he added.
Shah said he would tour all districts in Bengal and start an agitation to throw out the Trinamool Congress.
"Turn the pages of history of democracy. Whenever anybody has tried to throttle the voice of democracy, the voice of protest has amplified to reach the masses. In democracy, no one can throttle anybody's voice," he added.
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K’taka CM, DK Shivakumar meet Jal Shakti minister, seeks approval for water projects
New Delhi, Apr 3 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddarmaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar met Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil on Thursday to seek approval for the Mekedatu and Upper Bhadra projects.
In the meeting, Siddarmaiah informed that Karnataka has the second largest dryland area in the country after Rajasthan. The irrigation projects taken up and being implemented in Karnataka have played a vital role in transforming agricultural landscape.
Siddarmaiah urged the Union minister to intervene in the matter and direct officials concerned to provide necessary clearances and approvals for the projects, according to the letter submitted to the Union minister.
The Mekedatu project, proposed near Kanakapura in Ramanagar district, aims to build 66 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) balancing reservoir. The project faces opposition from Tamil Nadu, a low riparian state, which claims it will obstruct the natural flow of Cauvery River water.
The Upper Bhadra project is designed to support irrigation in drought-prone regions of central Karnataka, covering districts like Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Tumakuru and Davangere. The project's progress is hindered by the lack of funding and the delay in declaring it a 'national project'.
Both projects face significant challenges, including funding issues and inter-state disputes.
Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.
