National News
Hindi issue yet another attempt to divert attention from real problems, say WB leaders
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent statement on Hindi at the meeting of Parliament’s Official Language Committee has taken the form of a full-blown political controversy.
Anti-BJP political leaders from West Bengal have described this Hindi language imposition attempt as not just an attempt to divide the Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi speaking people, but also a clandestine bid by the Union government to divert attention from burning issues like price rise etc.
IANS talked to a number of political leaders from West Bengal having affiliation to different political parties. Leaders of non-BJP parties like the Trinamool Congress, the CPI(M) and the Congress, who are always at loggerheads over different state-related issues, surprisingly talked on the same lines in slamming the Union home minister’s proposals.
Mainly two points came out from the arguments of the non-BJP leaders from West Bengal. The first point is a question from them about which particular form of the Hindi dialect does the Union home minister want to push as an alternative to English since Hindi dialects vary from state-to-state and often one single state has more than one Hindi dialect.
The second point that the non-BJP leaders raise is about raking up the Hindi issue to divert attention from burning issues like inflation, price rise and rising unemployment in the country.
The first person that IANS spoke to on this issue was the newly-elected Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal, Sushmita Dev.
The daughter of late heavyweight Congress leader and former Union minister, Santosh Mohan Dev, Sushmita had gone through varied linguistic cultures. A Bengali by birth and having pursued her academic and political careers mainly in Assam and the party in Tripura, she is now the Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal.
“This is somewhat an absurd proposition. This Hindi imposition attempt will bring an automatic divide between people speaking different regional languages. I am sure that the Union home minister’s attempt to project Hindi as an alternative to English will ultimately boil down to projecting Hindi as the official language as an alternative to other Indian regional languages. Every person is proud of speaking his or her own mother tongue. There is no harm if any individual learns Hindi voluntarily.
“But forcing Hindi in a linguistically diversified country like India is absurd. Secondly, the Union home minister should confirm which particular dialect of Hindi does he want to push as an alternative to English, since there are so many dialects of Hindi. Our party’s stand is very clear on this issue ad that is we will resit this Hindi-imposition at any cost,” she said.
Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said that this Hindi- imposition attempt is to fulfil the long standing agenda of the BJP and the RSS of “One nation-one language-one religion,” or “Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan,” This attempt will create tension in the country since there are bound to be protests from non-Hindi speaking people. This is totally unconstitutional and rather an attempt to divert attention from burning issues like inflation and rising unemployment throughout the country. The Trinamool Congress will resist it at any cost, he said.
Almost echoing Deb and Roy, All-India Congress Committee (AICC) member from West Bengal, Subhankar Sarkar, said that Amit Shah is projecting juggled statistics to mislead the people on this issue.
“He is claiming that almost 70 per cent of the Union cabinet communiques are made in Hindi. But that cannot be a valid reason for this Hindi-position attempt. As per the latest statistics, 47 per cent of the country’s population speaks in different dialects of Hindi, while the remaining 53 per cent speak in other Indian languages.
“So why impose a language spoken by 47 per cent of the population on the remaining 53 per cent. Secondly, the Union home minister should come clear on which dialect of Hindi he wants to promote as the official language as an alternative to English.
“Actually, these are nothing but tactics to divert attention from burning issues like price rise and unemployment. The current Union government is playing this attention-diversion tactics every time burning issues erupt. The latest example is the Union government’s promotion of the movie, ‘The Kashmir Files’,” Sarkar told IANS.
The opinion expressed to IANS by the CPI(M) central committee member and former leader of the Left Parties in the West Bengal assembly Sujan Chakraborty was no different.
“This is a long standing agenda of the BJP and the RSS that the current Union government is trying to rake up. But this will be against the spirit of ‘Unity in diversity’. This is bound to create a rift between the Hindi-speaking and non Hindi-speaking population of the country. This is yet another attempt to divert attention from issues bothering the common people every day,” Chakraborty said.
Understanding that this was a sensitive issue concerning Bengal’s sentiment with Bengali as its language, BJP spokesman in West Bengal Shamik Bhattacharya was extremely cautious about giving his reaction.
“It has become a habit of the Congress, the CPI(M) and the Trinamool Congress to oppose and politicise every proposal and initiative of the Union government. The Union home minister has just mooted a proposal based on some realities. I request the opposition leaders to be aware of the country’s realities before politicizing any issue,” he said.
National News
Delhi Man, 10-Yr-Old Nephew Shot Dead On Diwali Night In Shahdara
Delhi: A 40-year-old man, Akash Sharma, and his teenage nephew, Rishabh Sharma, were tragically shot dead, while Akash’s 10-year-old son, Krish, sustained injuries during a Diwali celebration outside their home in Shahdara in northeast Delhi.
The incident occurred on Thursday around 8 pm when two armed men arrived on a scooter and initially appeared respectful, even touching Akash’s feet. Moments later, they opened fire on Akash, Rishabh and Krish.
CCTV Footage Catches Shocking Scenes Of Firing
CCTV footage of the incident captured exact moments of the firing when the deceased Akash, his son and nephew were engaged in Diwali celebrations outside their house. Two people arrived on a two-wheeler, one got down and started a conversation with them. He then takes out his gun and open fires on Akash. One of the teenagers follows the attackers as they flee from the scene after the firing.
After the shooting, the three were rushed to a hospital where Akash and Rishabh were pronounced dead. Krish, who suffered injuries, is currently undergoing treatment. Shahdara Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Prashant Gautam confirmed that the police received a PCR call around 8:30 pm reporting gunfire in Bihari Colony.
A team was immediately dispatched to the scene, where they found bloodstains and evidence of gunfire. According to DCP Gautam, the preliminary investigation indicated that five rounds were fired at the victims.
Possible Reason Behind Firing
Akash’s wife stated that she recognised the attackers and mentioned that there had been an ongoing land-related conflict between their families. Local police have taken statements from family members to further explore the motive and background of the attack.
Crime
West Bengal: Youth Arrested For Rape Of Deaf & Mute Woman In South 24 Parganas’ Kultali
Kolkata: A youth was arrested on the charges of raping a deaf and mute woman at a deserted building in Kultali in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
Even as the main accused in the case has been arrested, the local people had been agitating claiming that a local Trinamool Congress panchayat chief Prahlad Nashkar allegedly pressurised family members of the victim to settle the matter against Rs 2,00,000.
However, Nashkar has denied the allegations, saying he was the first to reach the spot and inform the family members of the victim about the incident.
Complaint Filed
The victim’s family members filed a complaint on Wednesday evening. Thereafter, the police started an investigation and based on circumstantial evidence, the accused youth was arrested.
He will be presented at a district court in South 24 Parganas on Thursday only and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody, a district police official said.
Part Of Kultali & Jaynagar Turn Into Virtual Battlefields
In the first week of this month, part of Kultali and adjacent Jaynagar turned into virtual battlefields over violent protests by the local people over the rape and murder of a minor girl there.
At that point in time, the main allegation of the local people was against the police and the latter ignored the missing complaint by the parents of the victim. The local people also alleged that had the police been active in tracking the victim minor, the heinous crime could have been averted.
The protesters became violent and attacked the police station. A local police camp was ransacked and set on fire. The police had to resort to massive lathi-charge to dispel the mob then.
National News
Gujarat: PM Modi Pays Tribute To Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel On His 150th Birth Anniversary At Statue Of Unity, Attends Unity Day Parade
Narmada (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat, on Thursday.
After honouring Patel, the Prime Minister administered the Unity Oath and attended the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ parade or the Unity Day Parade at the Parade Ground in Kevadia.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 150th birth anniversary, stating that Patel’s work continues to inspire future generations.
Tweet Of PM Modi
“My salutations to Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary. Protecting the unity and sovereignty of the nation was the top priority of his life. His personality and work will continue to inspire every generation of the country,” PM Modi said on X.
About Ekta Diwas Parade
Ekta Diwas Parade comprises 16 marching contingents from nine states and one UT, four Central Armed Police Forces, NCC and a marching band. Special attractions include a Hell March contingent of the NSG, daredevil show by BSF and CRPF women and men bikers, a show on combination of Indian Martial Arts by BSF, a piped band show by school children and ‘Surya Kiran’ flypast by Indian Air Force.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary is celebrated as National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on October 31. Since 2014, this day has been marked by ‘Run for Unity’ events nationwide, which is participated by people from all walks of life.
Who Was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?
Born on October 31, 1875, in Nadiad, Gujarat, Sardar Patel is credited with uniting all 562 princely states of pre-independent India, helping to establish the Republic of India. He served as the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister from 1947 to 1950. He passed away on December 15, 1950.
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