Tripura CM Biplab Deb calls off ‘people’s mandate’ event after BJP leadership steps in
This report was first published in Scroll.in and has been posted here without any alterations or editing. To read the original report, CLICK HERE
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Wednesday called off a public meeting in which he had sought the people’s mandate on whether he should continue to remain on the top post of the state, The Indian Express reported. The decision came after the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership stepped in to manage the crisis.
“There is no threat to his leadership in the state and he [Biplab Deb] will continue to serve the people of Tripura as chief minister,” BJP central observer Vinod Sonkar told the newspaper. “Let the organisation handle the issues in the party.”
Sonkar had spoken to party chief JP Nadda after Deb said he was ready to quit if people wanted the same, according to PTI. Nadda then told Deb not to carry on with the meeting.
Unidentified party members also told The Indian Express that the BJP leadership has asked the chief minister to focus on governance matters and that it will handle the internal crisis in the state unit of the party.
The party members told the newspaper that Deb was running the government without consulting other leaders. They, however, ruled out that any change in leadership in the state.
They said that the party leadership agreed with some matters raised by the MLAs against Deb but did not wish to change the leadership as discontent legislators in other states would demand the same. The BJP members said that the leadership was “annoyed” with Deb’s announcement seeking public mandate, adding that the move has affected the party structure in the state.
“Whether I go or continue is up to you... deliver your mandate,” Deb had said at a press conference in Agartala on Tuesday. “I will be at Stable Ground [Vivekananda maidan] on Sunday at 2 pm and your word will be communicated to the high command.”
The chief minister’s announcement had come following sloganeering against him. Some party supporters had raised slogans of “Biplab hatao, BJP Bachao [Remove Biplab, save BJP]” during Sonkar’s visit on Sunday.
The slogans showed a growing dissidence against the chief minister among a large group of party workers in the state. Discontent has been brewing in the party after senior party leader Sudip Roy Barman was removed as the minister of health in June 2019.
Rebel MLAs had met Sonkar to apprise him about the political and organisational situation in the state. These MLAs had earlier also met Nadda in New Delhi and later Himanta Biswa Sharma, the convenor of North-East Democratic Alliance, to reprise the demand to change the leadership in the state.
Courtesy: Scroll.in
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NCW chief condemns rape-murder of 4-year-old girl in Pune, calls for swift action
New Delhi (PTI): National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has condemned the alleged rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Maharashtra's Pune, calling it "deeply distressing" and a "blot on humanity".
The girl was allegedly raped and killed by a 65-year-old labourer, who has a criminal record, in Bhor tehsil of Pune on Friday. The accused allegedly lured the child to a cattle enclosure on the pretext of giving her food. After raping her, he killed her by hitting her with a stone, according to police.
The accused has been arrested.
In a post on X on Saturday, Rahatkar said the incident in the Nasrapur area in Pune was heartbreaking and has shaken society.
"The brutal torture and murder of a four-year-old innocent girl in Nasrapur (Bhor, Pune) is deeply painful, heartbreaking, and shocking. It is a blot on humanity," she said.
She said Pune Rural police has arrested the accused and noted that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar have assured strict action in the case.
Rahatkar said the NCW has taken cognisance of the matter and written to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), requesting the body to ensure necessary and prompt action.
It has also been recommended that the case be pursued under stringent provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and be closely monitored from the filing of the chargesheet to proceedings in a fast-track special court to ensure time-bound justice, she added.
Ensuring justice for the victim and stringent punishment for the accused is a collective responsibility, the NCW chairperson underlined.
In a post on X, the NCW said it has taken suo motu cognisance of the extremely "heinous" incident.
"This heinous crime causes profound pain and outrage, and it highlights serious concerns regarding the safety of young girls," it said.
Strongly condemning this grave "inhuman act", the NCW said such crimes constitute a serious violation of children's rights and raise questions about society's security system.
