Mamata announces Rs 5 lakh compensation for families of those killed during anti-CAA protests
Kolkata, Dec 26: The Trinamool Congress will give a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of two persons killed in Karnataka's Mangaluru during protests against the amended Citizenship Act.
The state president of the TMC's trade union wing Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC), Dola Sen said cheques of Rs 5 lakh each will be handed over to the kin of the deceased during a proposed visit by a TMC delegation to Mangaluru.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a rally here on Thursday, said the TMC delegation would soon visit Karnataka to meet the families of those killed in alleged police firing and hand over the ex-gratia amount to them.
Referring to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's remark about putting on hold compensation to families of the two persons, the TMC supremo said the BJP did not keep its promises.
Yediyurappa had told reporters on Wednesday that the state government would not give "a single rupee" to families of the deceased if an investigation found that they were involved in violent protests against the Act on December 19.
Reacting to the TMC's move, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh accused the ruling party in the state of "playing politics over dead bodies".
"When more than 11 persons were killed in Darjeeling during the 2017 Gorkhaland statehood agitation, did representatives of the TMC government visit the victims or give them any compensation? No. The TMC is only busy doing politics over dead bodies and wants to fuel unrest," Ghosh said.
Banerjee, who has been at the forefront of protests against the NRC and the new citizenship law, asserted that peaceful protests will continue till CAA is repealed.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
BJP using women's quota bill as front to pass Delimitation Bill that will break India: Mamata
Cooch Behar (WB) (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law in Parliament as a front for the Delimitation Bill that would "break the country into pieces".
The TMC will fight this Central government's move at every step, she asserted at her party's poll rally here.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to tweak the women's quota law, along with the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, to implement the proposed amended women's quota law, in the Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
According to the Constitution amendment bill, Lok Sabha seats will be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats will also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Opposing the Centre's move, Banerjee alleged that "the BJP brought the Delimitation Bill while keeping the women's reservation bill at the front".
"The BJP is trying to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to nearly 850 through the Delimitation Bill. It will break the country into pieces," the TMC supremo said.
She also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not speaking the truth about the development of north Bengal at a BJP rally last week.
"The prime minister said nothing was done for the development of north Bengal. But we spent Rs 1.72 lakh crore on the development of the region," Banerjee said and asked Modi to cross-check data before making such remarks.
