Trinamool names Abhishek Banerjee for Op Sindoor delegation after Yusuf Pathan row
The Trinamool Congress has nominated Abhishek Banerjee for an all-party parliamentary delegation for Operation Sindoor global outreach, sources told India Today. The move comes a day after MP Yusuf Pathan opted out of the delegation.The Centre has picked 51 political leaders, parliamentarians and former ministers cutting across party lines as members of seven delegations travelling to world capitals to put across India's resolve to tackle terrorism against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.advertisementHowever, the Trinamool Congress was unhappy that the Centre did not consult the party before choosing members.Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee claimed that no request for names for the delegation came to the 'mother party.''They (Centre) cannot decide the name. If they request the mother party, the party will decide the name. This is the custom; this is the system. We are with the Central government regarding external affairs policy, and we are fully supporting them,' Mamata Banerjee told reporters.Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee had earlier stressed that the party supports the government on matters of national security, but asserted that it is not the government's role to decide who will represent the party."We stand with the Central Government on all decisions related to the national interest, combating terrorism, and safeguarding the country. However, the Central Government cannot decide who will represent the Trinamool Congress in the delegation. It is our party's prerogative to choose our representatives. If you want one member, we can provide five—but the Central Government must demonstrate good intent," he said.advertisementYusuf Pathan was selected as a member of the delegation led by JDU MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, which will be visiting Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Singapore. However, the former cricketer-turned-politician said that he will not be available to join the delegation.Another Trinamool leader, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, earlier said that he was also invited to participate in the outreach, but declined due to health reasons.
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'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. 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