Modi to visit Bengal today, address rally in Kolkata
Kolkata, March 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit West Bengal on Saturday to address a rally at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground here and inaugurate development projects worth around Rs 18,680 crore, in what will be his first trip to the state after the publication of the post-SIR electoral rolls on February 28. The rally, organised by the BJP, will mark the culmination of the party’s statewide Parivartan Yatra campaign ahead of the Assembly election. The yatra, which began on March 1, a day after the publication of the revised electoral rolls under the SIR, covered 237 Assembly constituencies. Party leaders describe it as both a mass-contact exercise and an organisational stress test aimed at converting booth-level groundwork into visible street mobilisation. (PTI)
WB CM sets up development boards for five communities
Kolkata, March 13: Ahead of the West Bengal assembly election, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said her government would soon constitute five new cultural and development boards for specific communities, a move aimed at consolidating support among key social groups, particularly in the politically sensitive western districts of the state. Banerjee said the proposed boards would be formed for the Munda (ST), Kora (ST), Dom (SC), Kumbhakar (OBC) and Sadgope (OBC) communities. Stating that these communities are integral to the social fabric of West Bengal, she said the boards would help protect their languages and cultural traditions while facilitating socio-economic development. (PTI)
MHA to review VIP security measures after attack on ex-CM
New Delhi, March 13: The Union home ministry will undertake a comprehensive security audit of all VIPs under the central security cover in the wake of the assassination bid on former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, officials said on Friday. The decision to hold the review next week was taken in a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka and senior officials from the VIP security wing of the MHA, they said. Abdullah had a miraculous escape on Wednesday night when a gunman shot at him from behind as the National Conference president was leaving a wedding in Jammu. (PTI)
Bihar assembly receives bomb threat, turns out to be hoax
Patna, March 13: The Bihar Assembly on Friday morning received a bomb threat via email, which later turned out to be a hoax, officials said. The email threat was received at 11.11 am, prompting secretary in-charge Khyati Singh to inform Speaker Prem Kumar, they added. Anti-Terrorism Squad, sniffer dogs and police inspected the premises. Officials said no explosive or suspicious substances were found during the inspection of the premises. (PTI)
