If Dolly Chaiwala were from Mangaluru, his stall would’ve been demolished: Actor Raj B Shetty
Mangaluru: Actor and director Raj B Shetty has criticised the BJP-led Mangaluru City Corporation’s ‘Tiger Operation’ targeting street vendors. In an Instagram story, he remarked that if Dolly Chaiwala were a street vendor in Mangaluru, his stall too would’ve been demolished.
The statement came after the City Corporation organised a five-day ‘Mangaluru Street Food Fiesta’ near Lady Hill Circle, a location where stalls were previously demolished for causing traffic congestion and encroachments. The irony of holding such an event while evicting local vendors has drawn sharp criticism.
The festival, running from January 18 to 22, featured Dolly Chaiwala from Mumbai as a special participant, sparking protests from activists. On the event’s opening day, the presence of Dolly Chaiwala triggered debates on social media, with many calling out the administration's double standards.
In his Instagram post, Raj B Shetty stated, “Dolly Chaiwala a street tea seller was celebrated in Mangalore. The same city buldozed street food vendors few months ago. Glad that Dolly is not from Mangalore If he was here we would have buldozed.”
Street vendors and activists have criticised the BJP-led administration for prioritising high-profile events over the welfare of local vendors. BK Imtiyaz, honorary president of the street vendors’ association, accused the City Corporation and MLA Vedavyas Kamath of hypocrisy. "They destroyed livelihoods with bulldozers and then hosted an event in violation of their own rules," he said.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
