Kolkata, April 23: The Press Club, Kolkata, on Monday strongly condemned the recurring incidents of assaults on journalists and camera persons during the filing of nominations for the West Bengal Panchayat election.
"Press Club, Kolkata, has repeatedly strongly condemned such incidents and appealed to the police and administration to take proper steps so as to ensure mediapersons could work inA a congenial atmosphere," it said in a statement.
The club said on the extended date of nomination on Monday, journalists were attacked in various areas of the state including Kolkata, Durgapur and Suri.
"This is unfortunate and undesirable, and condemnable".
The club affirmed that the media and the journalists have a specific role in the democratic election process.
"Putting up obstacles in their functioning is unacceptable. We are again appealing to the administration to ensure security of journalists. They should be allowed to work independently. This is democracy," the statement added.
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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.
