Mahua Moitra’s attack on Amit Shah over infiltration sparks row; BJP files police complaint
Kolkata (PTI): TMC MP Mahua Moitra has triggered a fresh political controversy with her remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of failing to check infiltration from Bangladesh and allegedly stating his "head should be cut off and put on the table."
The BJP, which was quick to hit back, slammed Moitra for her "distasteful and hate remarks" and wondered whether it was TMC's official stand.
Speaking to reporters in West Bengal's Nadia district on the sidelines of an event on Thursday, Moitra alleged that the Union government was shirking its responsibilities on border security.
PTI, however, couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the video.
"They are repeatedly talking about infiltrators; but the border of India is protected by five forces, and that is directly the Home Ministry's responsibility," she said.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address, she remarked, "Standing at Red Fort, the PM himself said infiltrators are causing demographic changes. But even as he was saying this, his Home Minister was standing in the front row, smiling and clapping."
She then launched a personal attack on Shah, alleging, "If we don't have anyone to protect our borders, if people from another country are entering every day, if our citizens complain that infiltrators are eyeing our mothers and sisters and snatching our lands, then the first thing you should do is cut Amit Shah's head and put it on your table."
The Krishnanagar MP also said, "When the home ministry and home minister cannot protect the nation's borders, and the PM himself says infiltrators are troubling our people, then who is at fault? Is it our fault? Or yours?"
Moitra also questioned why infiltration continues despite the presence of the Border Security Force along the frontier.
Her comments have triggered a furore, with the BJP filing a complaint in Krishnanagar's Kotwali police station.
Local resident Sandeep Majumdar lodged the complaint, party sources said.
Though Moitra was yet to respond to the complaint, BJP leaders described her comments as "deeply objectionable" and "an insult to democratic discourse."
"The distasteful and objectionable remarks only reflect the mindset of the person and the TMC. We would like to know, is this official line of the TMC, if not they must tender an apology and initiate action against Moitra," BJP leader Rahul Sinha said.
The TMC is yet to react to her remarks.
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Dense fog disrupts operations at Delhi airport; 228 flights cancelled, 5 diverted
New Delhi (PTI): Dense fog disrupted flight operations at Delhi Airport on Monday, with various airlines cancelling 228 flights and diverting five to nearby airports due to low visibility, an official said.
However, except for Air India, which had in an X post in the morning announced the cancellation of some 40 flights, no other airlines, including crisis-hit IndiGo, shared the numbers of their cancelled or delayed flights.
"As many as 228 flights -- 131 departures and 97 arrivals-- have been cancelled due to low visibility, so far," the airport official said.
In addition to this, five flights have been diverted so far, he said.
Earlier, the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), in a statement, said, "Our on-ground officials are working closely with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across Terminals.
"Low visibility (below minima), due to dense fog, has severely impacted operations at Delhi and other airports across northern India, which is unfortunately beyond our control," IndiGo said in a statement.
As operations are adjusted to prevailing weather conditions, some flights may experience delays, while a few others may be proactively cancelled during the day to prioritise safety and minimise extended waiting at the airport, the airline said in a statement.
IndiGo, however, did not say how many of its flights were cancelled or delayed.
The airline said its teams are "closely monitoring" the situation and coordinating with Delhi airport.
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IndiGo also said it issued advisories to its customers and "proactively" informing them, to minimise inconvenience.
“Poor visibility due to dense fog in Delhi this morning has impacted flight operations for all airlines. We are closely monitoring conditions and will resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so,” Air India said in a post on X in the morning.
It also said that some flights have been cancelled In the interest of safety, and to avoid prolonged uncertainty for the guests, while listing out some 40 arrivals and departures that it had cancelled for the day.
Delhi airport is the country's busiest, handling around 1,300 flight movements daily.
