Tales of dissent: Mamata writes poem against NRC, BJP govt
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday penned a poem slamming the BJP government over the complete draft of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) and said those who protested against the saffron party had no place in the country. The poem is written in Bengali and was posted on the chief minister’s Facebook page with her signature and date. The poem under the title ‘Identity’ goes as…(they want to know) Who are you, what is your surname, what is your identity, what do you eat, where do you live. “Do you listen to mann-ki-baat, do you write against the ruling party? Then you have no place. You are a terrorist,” says the poem in a critical reference to the BJP. “Those who don’t know the power of the ruling party and rebel against it are anti-nationals and have no place (in the country)”, it says. Banerjee, who has been vocal about her anti-BJP stand, also slammed the saffron party over its treatment of Dalits, Christians and other minority communities, in the poem. “(they will ask) What is your attire, who do you support and whether you have ‘Gobardhan’ account. “If the answer is in the negative, you are infiltrator,” goes the poem. The NRC draft of Assam was released on July 30 which excluded the names of over 40 lakh people. (PTI)
Over 100 take ill after eating at community feast
Raigarh: Over 100 people fell ill after reportedly eating food at a feast organised following a funeral in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, police said on Monday. The incident happened on Sunday in Gadhumariya village in the district, located around 250 kilometres from the state capital Raipur. “Villagers complained of uneasiness and several vomited after consuming food at a community feast held on Sunday afternoon after a funeral,” Raigarh Additional Superintendent of Police Harish Rathore said. He said that 87 people, including 25 women and children. were rushed to the district hospital while 15 others were taken to hospitals in the vicinity. “Forty people are still undergoing treatment at the district hospital. They are out of danger. Investigations are underway to find out the cause of the incident,” Rathore said. In a similar incident on July 28 in the state’s Rajnandgaon district, a woman had died and 149 others fell ill after partaking a community feast. (PTI)
Another AAP MLA joins dissidents camp in Punjab
Chandigarh: In a boost to the dissident AAP legislators in Punjab led by Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Garhshankar MLA Jai Krishan Singh Rodi on Monday announced that he is joining their group and accused the central leadership of ignoring the voice of the state unit. With the inclusion of Rodi, Khaira group now has eight legislators on its side. Apart from Khaira, others are Kanwar Sandhu (Kharar), Primal Singh (Bhadaur), Jagdev Singh Kamalu (Maur), Nazar Singh Manshahia (Mansa), Master Baldev (Jaitu) and Jagtar Singh Jagga (Raikot). AAP had won 20 seats in the 117-member House in the assembly elections last year. (PTI)
Balloons with ‘Pakistan, I Love’ written on it found in Rajasthan
Bikaner: Two balloons with words ‘Pakistan and I Love’ written on them were recovered on Monday in Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar district, police said. The villagers informed the police about the balloons, SHO Raisighnagar police station Majid Khan said. Police and CID officials are investigating the matter, he added. On Sunday, a balloon with Pakistani flag tied with it was found in 19 BB village in the Padampur police station area of Sriganganagar district, which shares the international border with Pakistan. The balloon had ‘Azadi Mubarak’ seal in Urdu and an address of Bahawalpur in Pakistan, SHO Padampur police station Rameshwar Lal said on Monday. He said the matter was being investigated jointly by police and intelligence officers. (PTI)
15 Maoists killed in encounter with police in Chhattisgarh
Raipur: At least 15 Maoists were gunned down today in an encounter with security forces in a dense forest in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, police said. This was one of the biggest anti-Maoists operations in the history of Chhattisgarh, where 15 bodies of rebels were recovered in a single incident, state’s Special Director General of Police (anti-Naxal operations) D M Awasthi told reporters here. Two maoists, including a woman who was injured the gunbattle, were also arrested from the encounter site. 16 weapons, including 315 bore and 12 bore guns, were recovered from the spot, Awasthi said. Besides, an area committee member and an injured woman Naxal were arrested from the spot, he said. (PTI)