"Anti-Gujarati Mindset:" Suvendu Adhikari over TMC's objection to Ahmedabad's webcasting agency for Kaligang bypolls

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 19 (ANI): BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday accused the Trinamool Congress of displaying an 'anti-Gujarati mindset' over the latter's objection to the selection of an Ahmedabad-based firm for webcasting services in the Kaliganj Assembly by-election.
Referring to a letter by the TMC dated June 18 and addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, Adhikari said that raising concerns solely based on the agency's origin reveals regional bias.
In a post on X, the West Bengal Leader of Opposition emphasised that Gujarat is an integral part of India and firms from any state have the legal right to participate in tenders nationwide.
'This letter from the All India Trinamool Congress, dated June 18, 2025, to the Chief Election Commissioner regarding the selection of a webcasting agency for the 80-Kaligang Assembly Constituency bye-election explicitly reveals an anti-Gujarati mindset. Expressing concern over the selection of an agency from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, for webcasting services and highlighting the agency's Ahmedabad origin, implies a regional bias against Gujarati entities, who can lawfully participate in any Tender process and being from Gujarat does not bar them as Gujarat is very much a part of India,' Adhikari said.
'The firm must have been selected after fulfilling all parameters, but are being targeted in the context of TMC's broader political rivalry with people and entities whom they conveniently label as 'outsiders' when it suits them,' he said.
He alleged further that when it comes to pick and chose between eligible, deserving and efficient Bengali Officers, the same TMC government ignores them and search for 'Outsiders' who would act like puppets.
'Atri Bhattacharya; IAS (1989 batch) is retiring in April 2026, Manoj Pant; IAS (1991 batch) from Uttarakhand, is retiring in June 2025. Why were Atri Bhattacharya and Subrata Gupta, IAS (1990 batch) overlooked and Manoj Pant was made Chief Secretary, despite being junior to two eligible Bengali Officers? Why extension proposal of Manoj Pant has been sent, though even now Atri Bhattacharya can be posted as Chief Secretary since he still has 10 months of service left?' Adhikari asked.
Meanwhile, polling for the Kaligang assembly constituency in West Bengal began on Thursday morning. The results are scheduled to be announced on June 23. (ANI)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Mint

33 minutes ago

• Mint

California governor attended wine-fundraiser as LA burned in protests? Report claims ‘he was walking like…'

Governor of California Gavin Newsom was seen at a wine-tasting charity event at his vineyard earlier this month. He had thrown on a pair of sunglasses and sipped wine at a luxurious gathering in his sun-drenched vineyard amid the chaotic anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, according to a report by the New York Post. The posh event known as the 'Vineyard Vibes' took place at Odette Estate Winery in Napa Valley on the afternoon of June 7, aiming to raise funds for the Plumpjack Foundation, established by Newsom's sister. The report quoted one of the witnesses, who was shocked to see Newsom casually having a glass of wine in a V-neck T-shirt and baseball cap, just a day after violent protests erupted across his city. 'I couldn't believe it,' the report quoted a person who photographed the Democrat at the wine-tasting event. 'He was just walking around like this was an everyday occurrence," it added. However, more than 400 miles away from the event, violent protests broke out in downtown Los Angeles, where some threw Molotov cocktails at authorities, while a few vehicles were set on fire. The violence began after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids on illegal migrants, escalating to a level where the US President Donald Trump called in the National Guard despite opposition from Newsom, who criticised the Republican for escalating the situation. Newsom was present at a wine-tasting charity event for nearly 90 minutes, the report quoted a person aware of the development. On the same day, Trump sent troops to control the violence. The report mentioned that the event included 'contemporary yet sophisticated' wines, live jazz music and local sources pizza and smash burgers. 'It's the perfect kick-off to summer fun,' it cited the promotional language of the event. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Newsom clarified that he 'proudly attended' the annual fundraiser for the UCSF Cancer Centre in 'honour of his mother, who died of breast cancer,' the report said.

Hindustan Times

40 minutes ago

• Hindustan Times

Bengal govt delivers Digha Jagannath temple prasad to 10.4 million households

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has started delivering prasad from the newly-constructed Jagannath temple in Digha at the doorsteps of more than 10.4 million households across the state. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee chairs a high-level meeting for Smooth Snan Yatra at Digha Jagannath Temple, at Nabanna Sabhaghar in Howrah on June 12. (ANI) 'Around 300 kilos of khoa (a sweet), which was offered to the deities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and Goddess Subhadra – was sent to all the districts in West Bengal in small amounts. There they were mixed with additional khoa in select sweetshops to make peda and gaja. These are being delivered to more than 10.4 million households at the doorsteps,' Radharamn Das, vice-president and spokesman of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kolkata, told HT. However, a fresh controversy has erupted over the government's initiative of distributing prasad from the temple. Earlier this year a series of controversies were triggered when the temple, a brainchild of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, was inaugurated on April 30. On June 10, around 300 kilos of khoa (a sweet), supplied by a Kolkata-based manufacturer, reached the temple in refrigerated containers. Dozens of priests received the khoa, which was then offered to the trinity deities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and Goddess Subhadra. 'The offering (khoa) was then sent to the districts where more sweets were added to increase their volume and two types of sweets were made. They were packed and are now being delivered to the households by ration dealers,' said Das. The door-to-door delivery of the prasad started from June 17 and is likely to continue till July 4. The state government is taking the help of its huge network of ration shops and ration dealers to deliver the prasad at the door-step of 10.4 million households. 'In 2021 the state government launched the Duare Ration scheme, through which subsidised food grains are delivered at the door steps of the beneficiaries. More than 22,000 ration dealers are involved in this. This entire network is now being utilised to deliver the prasad at the door steps,' said Biswambhar Basu, national general secretary of All India Fair Price Shop Dealers' Federation. Each packet will contain two sweets (peda and gaja) and a photo of the temple and the trinity deities. Each packet will cost around ₹ 20, a senior official said. Suvendu Adhikari, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, however, alleged that the TMC-led government was hurting the sentiments of Hindus. 'The government is hurting the sentiments of Hindus in the name of distributing prasad. This is not prasad as it is not coming directly from any temple. These are sweets manufactured in local sweet shops. True Hindus will not accept it as a prasad. They will accept it only as sweets from the local shop. This is an anti-Hindu government,' Adhikari told the media. On April 30, while speaking to the media on the temple's inauguration day, Banerjee had said: 'I am giving responsibility to the state Information and Cultural Affairs (I&CA) department. A photo of the temple and a small amount of prasad should be delivered to every house across the state and also to eminent persons across the country.' A senior official, however, pointed out that when the government issued the order for the prasad to be delivered by ration dealers, the word 'prasad' was replaced by 'souvenir'. 'It has been decided that a token souvenir in connection with the 'Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre' (Digha) will be distributed to the households of the state by utilising the 'Duare Ration' delivery system,' said the order issued by the I&CA department earlier this month. While Banerjee is the state I&CA minister, Indranil Sen is the minister of state. Multiple calls made to Sen went unanswered. He didn't respond to specific whatsapp messages either. 'These initiatives by Banerjee are nothing but an attempt to counter the BJP's Hindutva campaign. But while on one hand the government is calling it a temple and a dham, on paper they are saying it is a cultural centre. Also, they are not using the word prasad, they are calling it a souvenir. Duare Ration scheme is availed not just by the Hindus, but by other communities also. This may hurt their sentiments as well,' said Rabindranath Bhattacharya, professor of political science at Burdwan University. The BJP, meanwhile, has already raised allegations that non-Hindus are being used to deliver the prasad to Hindu households in some areas. This is, however, not the first time that a controversy has erupted over the Jagannath temple. The 'temple' tag itself triggered a major controversy ahead of the inauguration when the BJP had raised questions on how funds from the government exchequer can be used for constructing any institution for a particular religion. Days before the 'temple' was inaugurated, Adhikari wrote an open letter to the state's chief secretary HK Dwivedi seeking clarification on whether it was a 'temple' or a 'cultural centre' 'The tender documents of West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation reveal that 'Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra' has been built at Digha? You are inviting me to attend the 'Prana Pratistha' Ceremony. Will you clarify whether 'Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra' (cultural center) is being inaugurated or Jagannath Temple is being inaugurated? You must reprint the Invitation Card with proper clarity. You can also send me a reply clarifying whether HIDCO has built a Temple or a Cultural Centre,' Adhikari wrote on X on April 27. The newly constructed temple also became a bone of contention between the TMC-led government in West Bengal and the BJP-led government in Odisha, which houses the 12th century Jagannath Dham in Puri. Mohan Majhi, chief minister of Odisha also shot a letter to Banerjee asking her to refrain from tagging the Digha temple as a 'dham'. Allegations had surfaced that neem wood, preserved at the Puri temple, was stolen to make the idols in the Digha temple. Considered auspicious in Hindu religion, wood from neem (Azadirachta Indica) tree was used to make the idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra at the ancient Puri temple. Banerjee oversaw the consecration ceremony on April 30. The consecration was supervised by Rajesh Daitapati (servitor), one of the priests from the Puri temple. 'Nobody raises questions when Mamata Banerjee builds skywalks at Dakshineswar and Kalighat temple or worships Kali or Durga. But the Jagannath Dham seems to have hit the wrong nerve. I am being accused of stealing a neem tree. There are four neem trees at my home. Ask them how many they want. We don't need to steal things,' Banerjee had said in May, reacting to the allegations. Though a subsequent probe found the allegations untrue, the servitor of the Puri temple who attended the 'consecration process' of the Jagannath temple in Digha was debarred from entering the temple for a month. 'I think that the people of the state are somewhat indifferent to this Jagannath temple issue. Neither the BJP nor the TMC will gain anything out of this. Only a handful of sweet-traders are likely to gain something from this as a few crores of rupees are involved. Even though the Mamata Banerjee government had planned to counter the Hindutva campaign, it has lost the edge,' said Biswanath Chakraborty, professor of political science at the Rabindra Bharati University.

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

No need for moral lessons from MLA Sunil Kumar, says Karnataka minister Laxmi Hebbalkar; defends anganwadi record, blames BJP for distraction protests

Karnataka minister Laxmi Hebbalkar UDUPI: Women and Child Development minister and Udupi District minister Laxmi Hebbalkar on Friday dismissed criticisms made by MLA Sunil Kumar , stating that he lacks the moral authority to lecture others. 'There is no need to learn moral lessons from MLA Sunil Kumar. What does moral authority even mean? Let him first understand morality before lecturing others," said Laxmi Hebbalkar. The minister was responding to Sunil Kumar's allegation that Hebbalkar lacked moral rights to speak on activist Chakravarthy Sulibele. She questioned, 'What does he mean by saying the district minister lacks moral rights? Sunil Kumar speaks well but seems to believe he alone holds all the wisdom and others are fools,' she said. When asked about the number of Anganwadi centres under her department, the Minister responded, 'There are around 69,000 Anganwadi buildings in the state, of which about 12,000 are rented. Do I need to speak everything about Sunil Kumar? You are asking about my department? Come, I will give you all the details,' she said. She added, 'I know exactly how many Anganwadis there are in the state, how many Anganwadi workers are there, how many are functioning from rented buildings, how many are govt-owned, how many are in rural areas, how many in towns, and how many are in poor condition. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending Local Enterprise Accounting Software [Click Here] Accounting ERP Click Here Undo I even know how many are in your (Sunil Kumar's) constituency.' Protest is a Constitutional Right 'Protest is a constitutional right. If the opposition has nothing else to do, let them protest. The central govt is being unfair when it comes to development. Let them protest against the injustice by the central govt. NREGA funds were not released. Can they protest about that? The BJP is trying to mislead the public and are protesting to cover up internal party conflicts. This is all BJP's drama. Even BJP workers are tired. Wherever you go, they express dissatisfaction with their leaders. These protests are just a distraction tactic to blame the Congress,' she alleged. Government Not Targeting Anyone On Hindu leaders being targeted and externed, particularly Hindu leader Srikanth Shetty, the Minister said, 'We are not targeting any intellectual or orator. It is important to protect communal harmony in society. No attempt should be made to divide the society. One must review Srikant Shetty's past speeches and the truth will be out,' she said.