1. CAA Panic Delays Road Projects
Construction of several metalled roads across south Bengal will miss the 31 December deadline set by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as labourers have started skipping work to search for documents to prove their citizenship.
Many workers have returned home because of alleged panic over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens.
“The projects might be delayed by around two weeks because many labourers stopped coming to work following the passage of the amended Citizenship Act,” said a source in the public works department.
“They are mostly preoccupied with the collection of papers and many have also taken leave to go home and look for the same,” the source added.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Fresh War of Words in Bengal Over Varsities
Snubbing Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s proposal to hold a discussion over the recent programme cancellations and protests at State-run universities, Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee on Sunday took to Twitter to provide the State government’s perspective on the incidents.
Dhankhar had on Saturday shared on the micro-blogging site a letter sent to him by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in response to his offer for talks over matters related to State-aided universities.
The CM, in the letter, said the subject “pertains to the Department of Education, I am forwarding the letter to Minister-in-Charge Education department Partha Chatterjee to discuss all issues with you at a convenient time”.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. BJP: 1 Crore Refugees to Congratulate PM Modi for CAA
The BJP on Sunday, 29 December, claimed there are at least 70 lakh to 1 crore fake voters in Bengal who have illegally entered India from Bangladesh. Claiming that the refugees in Bengal are happy, the party’s state unit said it will send 1 crore messages from them through postcards and emails congratulating PM Narendra Modi for passage of the new citizenship law.
At a press conference, BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said, “One crore refugees will congratulate the PM for passing this law. They will thank him for giving them citizenship.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. ‘Citizenship Law Won’t Be Implemented in Bengal as Long as I Am Alive,’ Says Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said as long as she is alive, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) will not be implemented in the state.
Addressing a public meeting at Naihati in North 24 Parganas district, Banerjee said, “As long as I am alive, CAA will not be implemented in Bengal. No one has to leave the country or the state. No one can snatch away the rights of the people of the country, like citizenship.”
This was Banerjee’s sixth public meeting to protest the new law since the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by Parliament earlier this month.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also said she won’t let the BJP set up detention centres in the state. “They (BJP) are saying they will set up detention camps here. Who is in power here? We are. I am ready to give my life. I won’t allow the BJP to set up detention camps even if I die,” she said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Bengali Signage Mandatory in 2 Towns
The Asansol and Durgapur municipal corporations run by the Trinamul Congress made Bengali mandatory in signage from 1 January.
The decision is viewed as a bid to woo Bengalis in the two towns which have a large number of Hindi speakers.
The move comes amidst the Centre’s purported attempts to push for Hindi as a common language for the entire nation.
The Asansol electorate has 45 percent Hindi speakers, while it is over 25 percent in Durgapur.
(Source: The Telegraph)
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