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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Bengaluru: A new health report has revealed that over 75% of Karnataka's population screened in 2024 is either obese or overweight, highlighting an alarming rise in lifestyle-related health issues.
According to the Health of the Nation 2025 report by Apollo Hospitals, as cited by The New Indian Express on Tuesday, 56% of those screened were diagnosed as obese, while another 21% were classified as overweight.
The report underscores a growing public health crisis, driven by sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition, and undiagnosed chronic conditions that often do not show visible symptoms. The annual report, which examined health data from over 2.5 million preventive screenings conducted across the Apollo ecosystem in India, reveals that symptom-based healthcare is increasingly insufficient to address these hidden health risks.
In Karnataka, the report found that 28% of the individuals screened were hypertensive, with half of them classified as pre-hypertensive. Diabetes was found in 20% of the population, with an additional 25% falling into the pre-diabetic category. These figures reflect the rising metabolic stress among asymptomatic individuals, many of whom are unaware of their conditions.
Additionally, the report noted that 84% of the screened individuals in the state had low vitamin D levels, which can negatively impact bone health and immunity. Furthermore, 64% exhibited reduced flexibility, affecting musculoskeletal wellness.
Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals, emphasised the need for India to shift towards a preventive health culture. "Early screening, personalised interventions, and health education should become integral to our homes, schools, and workplaces," TNIE quoted him as saying.
The report also highlighted several other health threats, including fatty liver disease, post-menopause health risks, and childhood obesity. Of the 2.5 million people screened nationally, 65% had fatty liver with 85% of those cases being non-alcoholic. Heart disease signs were present in 46% of asymptomatic individuals, while post-menopausal women saw a sharp increase in both obesity (from 76% to 86%) and diabetes (from 14% to 40%).
Childhood obesity is also becoming a significant concern, with the report revealing that 28% of college students were either overweight or obese, and 19% showed signs of prehypertension.
Mental health issues, often under-reported, emerged as another area of concern, with 7% of women and 5% of men screened nationwide showing symptoms of clinical depression, particularly among the middle-aged population.
