Union Minister blasts West Bengal, Delhi over delays in women’s safety initiatives
Annapurna Devi condemned West Bengal for its failure to operationalize Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) under the POCSO Act.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, on Saturday called for unity among the Congress and the Left to protect and preserve the “secular character of the nation.”
While drawing parallels between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Chowdhury criticised both the leaders. The Congress leader was sharing the stage with CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammad Salim in Barrackpore of North 24 Parganas.
“In Delhi, we see Modi calling for an opposition-free India and in the state, Banerjee wants an Opposition-free Bengal,” said Chowdhury, a former state Congress chief. “There is a need for unity with the Left parties to protect and preserve the secular character of our nation,” he said.
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The seminar based on “Is there an end to brutal intolerance” was organised by a foundation set up in the memory of CPI(M) leader Subhas Chakraborty.
Salim also attacked both the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government at the Centre and the Trinamool Congress government in the state.
With Chowdhury and Salim playing pro-active roles, the Congress and the Left Front had joined hands in the 2016 Assembly polls. However, they failed to dislodge the TMC from power, it finished the biggest opposition group, relegating the BJP to the third place.
In 2019, the Congress and the CPI(M) failed to clinch a seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha polls. While the Congress finished with only two seats, the Left Front drew a blank. The BJP won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats against the two it had won in 2014. The TMC was reduced to 22 seats against 34 in 2014.
Seeing this as an opportunity the Congress and the Left have been trying to inch closer. The parties have already taken out two joint rallies in violence-torn Bhatpara of the North 24 Parganas district.
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