Latest news with #Adhikari
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"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)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Enforce Prez rule before polls: Suvendu in Maheshtala
1 2 Maheshtala: State leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who went to Maheshtala on Wednesday following a Calcutta High Court order, demanded President's rule in the state before the assembly polls to ensure a free and fair election. "There is a need for President's rule in Bengal. The people have been demanding it and they are justified, as none of them could vote during the last election. They will not be able to cast their votes in the coming election either," he said. H C had earlier this week allowed Adhikari and another MLA to visit Maheshtala and interact with residents, but barred him from organising any procession or make public statements. On Wednesday, Adhikari visited a Shiva temple and a Bajrangbali temple in the area and offered prayers. He also barricaded the place where the Tulsi Manch was put up. Speaking to reporters, he said: "There is an ambience of fear and terror all across the place. Police have enforced prohibitory orders. Is it for the public or BJP netas who want to visit? I recorded everything on the way and the video will be submitted to Calcutta High Court." "I spoke to the people and assured them of getting justice. They will get 'insaaf' this time," Adhikari said before leaving the area.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Political sparring erupts in Bengal after Calcutta High Court stays new OBC list
Political tensions escalated in West Bengal on Wednesday after the Calcutta High Court stayed the implementation of a new OBC reservation list introduced by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government on Tuesday. The court order came days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the revised list before the Assembly. A division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha directed the state not to take any action based on the list until July 31, when the matter will be heard next. Earlier this month, the West Bengal government had issued a notification expanding the OBC list to include 76 additional sub-castes, taking the total number of communities to 140. Of these, 80 are Muslim communities and 60 are non-Muslim. The move triggered sharp criticism from the Opposition, with BJP and CPI(M) leaders accusing the TMC of indulging in vote-bank politics. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said on X, 'I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon'ble Calcutta High Court for its landmark decision to stay the inclusion of 76 Muslim classes in the new OBC list prepared by the Mamata Banerjee government. This is a resounding victory of the judiciary against an arrogant state government that has repeatedly flouted constitutional norms for narrow political gains.' Alleging religious bias in the reclassification, Adhikari said: 'The TMC government's blatant appeasement politics is evident from the disproportionate inclusion of almost 90% Muslim communities in the updated OBC list. Before TMC came to power in 2010, only 20% of OBC communities were Muslim. Under Mamata Banerjee's regime, this number has skyrocketed, sidelining deserving Hindu and other non-Muslim communities who have historically required affirmative action.' He added, 'Today's stay order is a powerful reminder that the rule of law prevails over political opportunism.' CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty also criticised the government at a press conference, saying: 'The state government consistently misleads people on OBC reservation. The High Court had earlier cancelled an OBC list. Instead of rectifying the process, the government repeated the same mistakes. This is nothing but an attempt to mislead the people of Bengal.' 'Celebrating' the High Court order on Wednesday, the BJP distributed sweets in the legislative Assembly. TMC leaders slammed Adhikari for distributing sweets in the state Assembly following the order. 'BJP is an anti-OBC party. One must look at the plot being conspired by Opposition leaders here. We have faith in judiciary but one must take note of who were the architects. The picture that is emerging is similar to what we have seen before. We have seen that in this High Court, those who made big statements on recruitment stepped aside to become BJP MPs. Now, they want to damage OBCs and create unrest,' said TMC leader Kunal Ghosh. 'Their politics is creating legal hurdles whereas we work towards resolving issues,' Ghosh added. Launching a strong offensive against the BJP, TMC leaders on Wednesday slammed the Leader of Opposition. Addressing a press conference at Kolkata's Trinamool Bhavan, TMC leader Arup Chakraborty said, 'It is unfortunate to see that the one who has been appointed as the Leader of Opposition by the BJP is making such statements, which is a direct attack on India's federal structure. Making such a statement means they are engaging in anti-national statements. People like Suvendu Adhikari give lectures on patriotism. He should be booked under UAPA for his remarks and the agencies should initiate an investigation against him.' Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
West Bengal Assembly passes Bill on ‘transparency' in medical costs in private facilities
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (June 17, 2025) passed a Bill that aims to regulate the cost of treatment in private clinical establishments in the State, and protect patients from unexpected, inflated charges for healthcare. Also Read | Experts call for regulation and standardisation of private healthcare in India The West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation, and Transparency) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was tabled on Monday by the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Chandrima Bhattacharya. The Bill amends the West Bengal Clinical Establishments Act, 2017 with the objective to regulate the licensing process of clinical establishments, increase transparency in their functioning, ensure strict adherence to fixed rates and package rates, and mandate electronic medical record-keeping. No hidden charges The Bill states that 'every clinical establishment must strictly follow fixed rates and charges including the package rates for investigation, bed charges, operation theatre procedures'. Under the amended Bill, privately owned medical facilities will also have to provide proper estimates for treatments not covered under fixed or package rates to the patient and their kin during initiation and through the course of treatment. Hospitals have also been mandated to communicate updated charges and the amount due to the patient and their kin every 24 hours. The amended Bill also prohibits final hospital bills from exceeding the estimates by a percentage specified by the State Health Department. Increased surveillance Additionally, the Bill mandates detailed medical record-keeping of patients in the hospital's electronic software via e-prescriptions, and detailed discharge summaries. 'Clinical establishments will maintain such records and other data in the software as may be notified by the State government from time to time and all such records shall be furnished to the State Government electronically and physically, on demand by the Government,' the Bill states. The Opposition raised concerns over women's safety, and confidentiality. During the debate, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari questioned the lack of specific steps or guidelines in the Bill to improve safety for women doctors, nurses, patients, and guards. 'If e-prescription is introduced, will the confidentiality of the patient's personal information be protected?' Mr. Adhikari said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator also raised questions over the 'practicality' of the new charges being communicated to the patient within 24 hours. 'Sometimes it takes more than 24 hours for a patient's health test report to come. So, this specific time frame is not realistic,' Mr. Adhikari said. Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya responded to the LoP's allegations, saying that, going forward, private hospitals would be obliged to inform patients about the cost of treatment in a timely manner, and that the Bill had been introduced to regulate the private healthcare sector. Notably, the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission, conceptualised and announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2017, also oversees treatment infrastructure in private clinical establishments across the State. The President of the Association of Hospitals of Eastern India, Rupak Baruah, said that the Bill was a good initiative to bridge misunderstandings between common people and hospitals, but added that 'medical treatment is a dynamic process that does not always adhere to a fixed system'.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Khidderpore market fire 'act of sabotage': BJP's Suvendu Adhikari
The early morning fire on Monday ripped through parts of the congested Khidderpore market in southwest Kolkata, gutting hundreds of shops and triggering panic among local traders Press Trust of India Kolkata Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday claimed the devastating fire that gutted several shops at Khidderpore market here was an act of sabotage. Adhikari also said he and other BJP MLAs will raise the issue in the assembly during the ongoing monsoon session. "People have lost their trust in the chief minister, and that is why a large posse of police personnel had to be deployed during her visit here," he said, addressing the affected shop owners at Khidderpore market. The early morning fire on Monday ripped through parts of the congested Khidderpore market in southwest Kolkata, gutting hundreds of shops and triggering panic among local traders. No casualties were reported. The senior BJP leader also wondered what the state government's monetary compensation of Rs 1 lakh would do for shop owners who lost everything in the blaze. Adhikari said he supported the demand of those affected to not be shifted to any other place as a temporary measure. Asserting that the fire was not just an accident, he claimed it was an attempt to bring up new buildings and shopping complexes. "The TMC is now using the police to safeguard itself since they do not have the masses by their side," Adhikari said. Visiting the fire-ravaged market on Orphangunge Road at Khidderpore here, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Monday announced a rehabilitation plan, including the construction of a new market, financial assistance for affected traders, and temporary rehabilitation arrangements for the business continuity. Banerjee said a detailed investigation and assessment of the damage caused by the pre-dawn blaze at the nearly 150-year-old market would be carried out. "Traders whose shops were completely destroyed will receive Rs 1 lakh, covering the cost of reconstruction and materials. Those who suffered partial damage will receive Rs 50,000 in assistance. These amounts will be disbursed only after relocation," she said. To help affected traders continue business, Banerjee had said the market will be temporarily relocated to a nearby site till a new structure is built. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
