Kolkata, July 31 (IANS) After the recent decision of West Bengal government to increase the donation amount for clubs organising community Durga Puja in the state by Rs 15,000 to Rs 85,000 this year has been challenged at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday.

A public interest litigation has been filed by one individual Sourav Dutta at the division bench headed by the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam.

Besides, increasing the annual donation to Rs 85,000 from the previous amount of Rs 70,000, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on July 23 directed the two power distribution utilities, namely West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) and CESC Limited, to increase the concession on power supply to the community Puja committees from 66 per cent to 75 per cent this year.

In his PIL, the petition has questioned the source of funds that will be shelved out for this donation purpose.

In his petition, Dutta has made a plea that there should be a proper audit by an independent agency on how the donations paid to the clubs during the last few years have been utilised by the club authorities concerned.

In the petition, the petitioner has questioned the justification of increasing the donation amount to the clubs year after year when the state government was unable to pay the enhanced dearness allowance to the its employees or other essential expenditure.

The Chief Minister has already announced that in 2025, the donation amount to each such club will be increased to Rs 1,00,000.

As per initial estimates, the total outflow of the dole package will be to the tune of Rs 500 crore, including Rs 365 crore as donations to 43,000 puja committees, of which around 3,000 are in Kolkata while the remaining were spread across the state.

Economic analysts feel that such enhancement in annual donations to the community puja committees is a wasteful expenditure, saying the state government should instead concentrate more on asset-creating capital expenditures, besides reducing avoidable revenue expenditures.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) Virtually kickstarting the campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday challenged Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying “Either you will survive or I”, triggering protest from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Speaking at a pre-election preparatory meeting of party workers and leaders from Mumbai, Thackeray said, “We endured everything but stood firm and taught the BJP a lesson in the Lok Sabha elections.”

“Our party was broken, we were targeted by central probe agencies, money power was used against us, and they even wanted to throw us in jail… But we survived everything and emerged victorious,” Thackeray said amid thunderous applause.

The former Chief Minister recalled how ex-Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had informed him that Fadnavis was ‘conspiring’ to dump both Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray in jail.

Adopting a ‘do or die’ attitude, Thackeray warned Fadnavis that “if you act straight we shall be straight, but if you play crooked, we shall do likewise”, adding that “now, either you will stay or I will”.

He also reminded the gathering how the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) unitedly won 4 out of 6 LS seats in Mumbai, adding that the opposition’s performance made the top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, squirm.

“Listening to PM Modi’s speeches has become painful now… After our Lok Sabha performance, even PM Modi broke out in a sweat,” Thackeray said.

On BJP’s charges of getting only minority votes in the Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray narrated an incident where a large number of Muslims were present and he asked them if they had reservations about him being a Hindu or his idea of Hindutva, and they unanimously said ‘no’.

Referring to the BJP as a “party of crooks”, Thackeray claimed that in the recent past, he met many national Opposition leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, who paid compliments to him by saying: “Uddhavji, you have shown a direction to the country”.

“I was never elected as a municipal corporator, I directly became the CM… I did everything possible. This (Assembly elections) is the last challenge for you. They broke the party. Sena is not a rusty sword, but a sharp weapon, and we must fight to save Mumbai and the state. They must be given a befitting reply,” Thackeray said.

Claiming that those who split and left the party now want to return to the party fold, Thackeray reiterated that those who want to leave can go, but “we will continue the political fight with our Shiv Sainiks as our name has put fear in them”.

Thackeray also said that the dispute over the (original) Shiv Sena name and poll symbol — which were allotted to the group led by CM Eknath Shinde — has created confusion among the people, “but the Supreme Court verdict will come in our favour”.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including state President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Ashish Shelar, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Pravin Darekar, Ashish Shelar, and others, lashed out at Thackeray, accusing him of “sowing communal divisions among the people”, and saying “you will have to take 100 births before finishing Fadnavis’ politics”.

Bawankule said Thackeray has forgotten how he got his MPs elected in Narendra Modi’s name, but when he was the CM, he backstabbed the BJP and even hatched a conspiracy to put Fadnavis in jail, “but with people’s blessings, he could not succeed”.

The state BJP chief said Pakistani flags were seen in Thackeray’s meetings in Nashik and Mumbai, but now he’s talking about finishing Fadnavis.

He also accused Thackeray of provoking such elements and polarising different castes and religions that have lived harmoniously here.

Mungantiwar said the late Balasaheb Thackeray would never have gone with the Congress, but Uddhav Thackeray did and abandoned Hindutva for power.

Slamming Thackeray for making ‘personal threats’ to the Deputy CM, Darekar said his comments were manifestations of failure and helplessness, but “in the Assembly elections, PM Modi is not required as Shinde-Fadnavis are sufficient for you”.

Shelar said, “We accept your challenge. The BJP will ensure that the masses show SS (UBT) its place in the upcoming elections.”

SS (UBT) leaders like Chandrakant Khaire, Kishori Pednekar, Kishore Tiwari, and others hailed Thackeray for his bold and no-holds-barred speech, as they took potshots at the BJP saying “don’t forget, he is the scion of Balasaheb Thackeray”.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

–IANS

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Patna July 31 (IANS): JD (U) MLA from Benipur Assembly constituency, Vinay Kumar Chaudhary, staged a ‘dharna’ against the Bihar government on Wednesday due to a severe potable water crisis in Bihar’s Darbhanga district.

Chaudhary expressed concerns that the problem has worsened without any response from his own government’s officials.

“I am miffed with the attitude of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and, therefore, was forced to sit on the ground in the chamber of the Executive Engineer of the department. The officials of the PHED are not cooperating to address the issue in the region,” the MLA said.

The MLA added that the lack of rain in Bihar has exacerbated the water crisis in his own Assembly constituency.

Despite filing repeated complaints, no action has been taken, he said.

Chaudhary discussed the issue with the Executive Engineer of the PHED over the phone and scheduled to fix a meeting.

When the MLA arrived at the office of the Executive Engineer, the latter was absent, prompting Chaudhary to sit on the ground in protest inside his office.

Seeing the MLA’s dharna causing concern among the officials, who hurriedly arrived to address the problem.

“When the Executive Engineer is not listening to the problem, how will he solve it? No employee is ready to listen or meet. I took the appointment and came here to meet him to get the problem fixed but he disappeared. This is shocking behaviour from the officer and hence I sat on a dharna,” Chaudhary said.

Vinay Chaudhary has been representing the Benipur Assembly constituency since a long time, which has been reeling under scarcity of potable water.

The situation has worsened due to the scorching heat and declining water levels, causing hand pumps in the villages to stop working.

As a result, residents are struggling to access drinking water, and women are facing difficulties in cooking food.

–IANS

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Hubballi, July 31 (IANS) Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara lashed out at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday, claiming that no progress has been made in 170 cases pertaining to the state pending before the probe agency.

Answering a question on the BJP’s demand to hand over the MUDA and tribal welfare scam cases to the CBI, Parameshwara stated, “Why should the scams be handed over to the CBI? There are 170 cases pertaining to the state pending with the CBI. Till date no progress has been made in those cases by the CBI.”

“Do we really have to hand over? We don’t have trust in the CBI. The BJP called the CBI as Chor Bachao Sanstha and Congress Bachao Sanstha. Suddenly, the CBI has become close to them,” he charged.

With regard to the Valmiki tribal welfare board scam, the government took cognizance after the suicide of Chandrasekaran and immediately a Special Investigation Team was formed. “We did not see who is involved. Since bank fraud was involved, the CBI is probing. The ED is probing the money trail. Three investigations are going on and the reports are yet to come,” he stated.

“We have taken the resignation of the minister as allegations have surfaced. The ED has taken him into custody. In what way is the CM involved? The CM himself has clarified on the MUDA scam. He is not a signatory to it. Thousands of sites are distributed in the same manner,” he said.

When asked about the caste jibe against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said that everyone has an identity in the country. We are a progressive society, being a parliamentarian a person can’t talk in this fashion. The BJP leaders speak only to get attention, he said.

When asked whether he wishes to become the Chief Minister, he quipped, “I am not in politics to be a sage. Are we sanyasis?” On whether there are any chances of a change of guard in the state, he stated, “there are no such chances. Presently there is the Chief Minister and we are delivering good administration. This phase in politics is common.”

–IANS

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Hyderabad, July 31 (IANS) Certain remarks by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy about two women MLAs of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) sparked a furore in the Assembly with the main opposition party demanding an apology from him.

BRS MLAs P. Sabitha Indra Reddy and V. Sunita Lakshma Reddy and others trooped into the well of the House, demanding that the Chief Minister apologise for his remarks.

Even after the Chief Minister left the House for the airport to receive new Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, the BRS members continued their protest.

They later came out raising slogans against the Chief Minister in the lobbies of the Assembly after the House was adjourned.

The Chief Minister made some remarks after minister Seethakka raised the issue of BRS leaders approaching the Governor to disqualify the BRS MLA who recently joined the Congress party.

She said the memorandum was given by Sabitha Indra Reddy, who had defected from BRS to Congress.

She asked if BRS admitted the Congress MLAs after they resigned from the Assembly.

To this, Sabitha Indra Reddy wanted to know why Revanth Reddy was targeting her.

She recalled as a sister he had invited him to join Congress.

“Why Revanth Reddy has this grudge against me? When he joined the Congress party, I said that he would become the hope of the party and that he would become chief minister. I heartfully blessed him,” said Sabitha Indra Reddy, who had quit Congress to join BRS in 2019 and became a minister in the KCR-led Cabinet.

Responding to Sabitha Indra Reddy’s comments, Revanth Reddy said it was true that she had invited him to the Congress.

“The Congress asked me to contest from Malkajgiri in 2019. She promised that if I contest from Malkajgiri she will support me. As soon as Congress declared me as the candidate from Malkajgiri, she joined BRS. For sake of power, she left Congress, joined BRS and became a minister. Since she betrayed me as a younger brother, I told KTR not to trust her,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also recalled how the Congress encouraged Sabitha Indra Reddy by offering her ticket in the 2004 Assembly elections, followed by ministerial berths.

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao told mediapersons that Revanth Reddy’s remarks are highly deplorable.

He said that Revanth Reddy was unfit to be the chief minister and demanded his apology.

Sabitha Indra Reddy termed the Chief Minister’s remarks insulting to all women in the state.

She became emotional while talking to mediapersons.

The former minister said Revanth Reddy belittled the post of the chief minister with his remarks.

–IANS

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