News Analysis India

Tag: Amit Shah

  • ‘She is very close to me’: After Shah visit to his home, Sourav talks of his relation with Mamata

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid a visit to his residence and had dinner with his family, which grabbed attention, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly Saturday spoke of his close relation with Chief Minister, who is known to be a strident critic of the BJP.

    Ganguly, former Indian cricket team captain, also showered praise on minister and city mayor Firhad Hakim describing him as a person who can be approached by anyone at any time of the day.

    “Our honourable Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a person very close to me. I had approached her to help up this institute,” he said at the inauguration programme of a private hospital here.

    The former southpaw said, “I am also very close to Firhad Hakim. He has been seeing me since I was in Class 1. He has been our family friend. All who approach him get help. I too have called him several times,” Ganguly said.

    Shah’s visit to Ganguly’s residence on Friday had fuelled speculation that the former cricketer would join politics soon.

    The dinner was reported to be a close family affair where besides Ganguly and his wife danseuse Dona Ganguly, the cricketer’s elder brother Snehasish Ganguly and other family members were hosts.

    Shah was accompanied by BJP idealogue, Swapan Dasgupta, the party’s state president Sukanta Majumdar and the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.

    Aware of the conjectures, Ganguly had said on Friday, “Many speculations are rife, but I have known him (Shah) since 2008. While playing, I used to meet him. There’s nothing more than that”.

    He had also pointed out he had worked with Shah’s son, Jay Amitbhai Shah, in the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

    Jay Shah is the BCCI secretary.

    Dona Ganguly had said there was no discussion on politics during Shah’s visit to the Ganguly residence.

    “It is human to speculate. But if there is any news, everyone will know.”

    She had also said, “I don’t know whether Sourav will enter politics or not. But he will do well if he joins politics. I believe he will do good work for the people”.

    Ganguly had visited the state secretariat on April 28 and met Banerjee regarding allocation of land to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), of which he is the president, to build a stadium.

    Political analyst Biswajit Chakraborty described Ganguly as a “businessman” who is trying to maintain good terms with the central and state governments so that his business runs smoothly.

    “Ganguly is doing this for his own benefit. He knows that he has to keep both the Centre and Mamata Banerjee happy so that his business keeps running. He has been balancing quite nicely,” Chakraborty told PTI.

    Another analyst called Ganguly a “perfect gentleman” who was doing a “balancing act”.

    “Ganguly is an immensely intelligent man. I guess Shah had come to his residence yesterday to evaluate how much Ganguly is ready to plunge into politics. And today, he (Ganguly) spoke about his closeness to the CM. Though I do not see any significance in it, I think he is doing it because he has to survive both nationally as well as in the state,” he added.

  • Difficult to stop infiltration, smuggling without local administration’s support: Shah in Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that it is difficult to stop infiltration and smuggling without the support of the local administration.

    He, however, also asserted that soon a political situation would emerge wherein the local authorities would be “forced” to extend help due to public pressure.

    “The BSF has to ensure that borders are impregnable. It is their constitutional right to protect the frontiers. But it is difficult to stop infiltration and smuggling without the support of the local administration. However, we have faith that soon a political situation would come up wherein you will get that support due to public pressure. Everybody will be forced to extend all support,” Shah said while addressing a BSF programme in North 24 Parganas district.

    The ruling Trinamool Congress reacted sharply to Shah’s statement and said it is the BSF’s duty to protect the borders.

    “He is trying to put the onus on others. It is the duty of the BSF to secure the borders. The local administration has provided all help to the force,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

    The Union home minister lauded the Border Security Force’s role in securing the country’s borders.

    “One of the main focuses of our government is to ensure the country is secured from both outside and inside. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is moving forward in every sector as our borders are secured,” he said.

    Shah said that the Centre has come up with a five-year programme to benefit the women jawans of BSF.

    “I am well aware of the hardships faced by jawans at the borders. That is why we have come up with housing programme and various other policies to ensure that jawans get to spend more time with their families. The Narendra Modi government is committed to ensuring that our jawans work with minimum difficulties at borders. We will leave no stone unturned in solving their problems,” he said.

    Shah lauded the BSF’s role in the Bangladesh Liberation War while laying the foundation stone of ‘Maitri Sangrahalaya’ museum at Haridaspur.

    Earlier in the day, Shah inaugurated floating border outposts in Hingalganj in Sundarbans and flagged off a boat ambulance during his two-day visit to West Bengal, the first since the 2021 assembly elections. He also interacted with senior BSF officials.

  • Amid crisis in state BJP, Amit Shah to visit Bengal on May 5-6

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a tour of West Bengal on Thursday and Friday during which he will visit forward areas along the Indo-Bangladesh border, address a public rally, and interact with MPs, MLAs, and BJP office bearers of the state, officials said on Wednesday.

    Shah will also attend a cultural event, Mukti-Matrika, organised by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the inscription of the Durga Puja in the UNESCO list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ to be held at Kolkata’s iconic Victoria Memorial on Friday.

    The home minister will flag-off a boat ambulance at a floating Border Out Post (BOP) at Sutluj in the state on Thursday morning, the home ministry officials said.

    He will lay the foundation stone of Maitri Museum and Prahari Sammelan at Haridaspur BOP.

    On Thursday evening, Shah will address a public meeting to be held at Railway institute sports ground in Siliguri.

    On Friday, the home minister will visit Teen Bigha and interact with the BSF personnel at Jhikabari BOP in Cooch-Behar district.

    After returning to Kolkata, he will meet the MPs, MLAs and state office bearers of the BJP West Bengal unit, the officials said.

  • Ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit, Bengal BJP faces heat of discontent

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: Less than a week to go Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit the state, the BJP’s West Bengal unit continued to face the heat of discontent within the party as 15 functionaries of Barasat organisational committee in Kolkata’s adjoining North 24 Parganas district tendered resignation in one go on Sunday.

    The dissent among the party leaders surfaced at a time when the BJP high command issued a dictate directing the state chapter to rejuvenate the party’s internal dispute and build up united image ahead of Shah’s visit starting from May 4.

    The saffron camp had started facing erosion within the party since the debacle in the by-elections, in which the party failed to retain the Asansol Lok Sabha seat.

    Three MLAs, including the state secretary, had stepped down from the state hierarchy and 14 district level functionaries in Nadia had tendered resignation within 48 hours of the results of the by-elections reflecting the saffron camp’s poor show.       

    “All the dissidents expressed their discontent against the district president accusing him of favoritism and elevating “incompetent” faces shunning the party’s old and loyal workers. They, including a Mandal president, also held the top leadership of the district committee for failing to win a single ward in Barasat civic body,” said a senior BJP leader.

    In the mass resignation letter, the dissident BJP workers accused Tapas Mitra of being involved in anti-party activities.

    “He not only gave priority to those who are close to him. Besides, he is hand in gloves with Trinamool Congress leaders and helped our rivals to get electoral gain in the civic polls,” said Shyamal Roy, one of the functionaries who resigned on Sunday.  

    Mitra, however, denied all allegations.

    Sukanta Majumdar, BJP’s state president, said, “None of the district committee functionaries, who tendered resignation, talked to him on the issue of their grievance. I will talk to them and sort out the issue.”

    During his visit, Shah will hold a meeting with the party functionaries in Kolkata on May 6 where the state unit will explain the reasons behind the debacle in the by-elections.

    “The discontent is expected to surface in Shah’s meeting which will not be a comfortable situation for the state leadership,” said the BJP leader.

  • Amit Shah failed to protect Delhi from communal violence: NCP chief Sharad Pawar

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: NCP president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah could not protect Delhi from communal riots. Speaking at a rally of the Nationalist Congress Party at Kolhapur in western Maharashtra, Pawar referred to violence that broke out in Jahangirpuri area of Delhi during Hanuman Jayanti processions.

    “Few days back, Delhi was burning due to communal tensions. The state of Delhi is controlled by (chief minister) Arvind Kejriwal, but its police comes under the Union Home Ministry handled by Amit Shah. Shah failed to protect the city from communal riots. If anything happens in Delhi, the message goes out to the world. The world would imagine that there is unrest in Delhi. You have power, but you can not handle Delhi,” he said.

    He also targeted the BJP government in Karnataka over riots in Hooghly. “The names of shops and their owners from minority communities were mentioned on a hoarding. It was also written on it that people should not buy things from such shops. This is a common picture in the states where the BJP is in power,” the former Union minister said.

  • Country is indebted to Sikh Gurus: Union Home Minister Amit Shah

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the country is indebted to Guru Teg Bahadur, who didn’t give himself up to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and scarified his life to protest against forced conversion of Kashmiri Pandits.

    “Those who wielded swords (Mughals) and beheaded people have vanished. Crores of people still follow teachings of those who (Guru Teg Bahadur) made sacrifices and remember his martyrdom even after 400 years. He has done a great service to this country. Dashmesh pita (10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh) was also born in his family. He also defended against the atrocities of Aurangzeb and continued the legacy of his father,” said Shah.

    He was speaking at the 400th Parkash Purab (birth anniversary) celebrations of Guru Tegh Bahadur at Red Fort ground. The home minister further added that the country had indeed benefitted from the sacrifices made by the Sikh Gurus. “The country is breathing as an independent nation today; celebrating 75 years of its independence because of the martyrdom of Sikh Gurus. We are indebted to them,” he added.

    Prakash Purab celebrations, a two-day programme, is being organised by the culture ministry in collaboration with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). The programme is focussed on highlighting the life of Guru Tegh Bahadur and teachings.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the celebrations on Thursday and address the nation from there. Modi will also release a commemorative and postage stamp on the occasion. Ragis (Sikh musicians who play hymns (shabads) in different ragas) and school children from different parts of the country are also participating in ‘Shabad Kirtan’.

    On Thursday, there will also be a grand light and sound show depicting the life of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Apart from this, the traditional martial art of Sikhs ‘Gatka’ will also be organised. Guru Teg Bahadur was executed for supporting the religious freedom of Kashmiri Pandits on the orders of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb at Chandni Chowk, where Guru Sisganj stands.

  • Amit Shah to be on 3-day visit to MP, Bihar and Puducherry from April 22-24

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a three-day trip to Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Puducherry between April 22 and April 24, top government sources said.

    During the visit, Shah will be in Madhya Pradesh on April 22 followed by Bihar on April 23 and Puducherry on April 24. On April 22, the Home Minister will be participating in the 48th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) meeting in Bhopal as the chief guest at 11 am.

    Madhya Pradesh Police in association with the Home Ministry and the Bureau of Police Research and Development is organising the event at the police headquarters in Bhopal. Police officers, academicians, researchers, judicial and scientific experts will present their papers at the meet

    The Union Home Minister will visit Bihar to pay tributes to freedom fighter Veer Kunwar Singh on April 23. Shah will also attend a program in Jagdishpur in Bihar’s Arrah district on the same day in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers will be present with 75 thousand flags.

    “The programme will be a non-political event. The coming generation will be informed about the sacrifice of Veer Kunwar Singh. The programme will be organised under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 75th year of India’s independence,” said sources.

    On April 23, the Home Minister will reach Puducherry to attend an event. 

  • Move to make Hindi compulsory in North East schools will create disharmony: Students’ bodies

    Amit Shah had said at a meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee in New Delhi on April 7 that all northeast states have agreed to make Hindi compulsory in schools till Class 10.

  • Assam-Meghalaya resolve border dispute in 6 locations; Shah terms it ‘historic day’ for Northeast

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Assam and Meghalaya on Tuesday signed an agreement to resolve their five-decade-old border dispute in six of the 12 locations, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling it a “historic day” for the Northeast.

    The agreement was signed in the presence of Shah and Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma respectively.

    The pact will resolve the protracted dispute in six of the 12 places along the 884.9 km border between the two states. “It is a historic day for the Northeast,” Shah said at the function held at the Ministry of Home Affairs here.

    The home minister said with the signing of the agreement, 70 per cent of the border dispute between the two states has been resolved.

    There are 36 villages in the six places, covering an area of 36.79 sq km, with regard to which the agreement has been reached. The two states had formed three committees each in August last year to go into the vexed boundary question.

    The constitution of the panels had followed two rounds of talks between Sarma and Sangma where the neighbouring states resolved to settle the dispute in a phased manner.

    According to the joint final set of recommendations made by the committees, out of 36.79 sq km disputed area taken up for settlement in the first phase, Assam will get full control of 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya 18.28 sq km.

    Out of the 12 points of dispute between Assam and Meghalaya, the six areas with relatively less critical differences were taken up in the first phase.

    The boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has lingered for 50 years. However, the effort to resolve it gained pace in recent times.

    Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972 but the new state had challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to dispute in 12 locations in the border areas.

  • Border row: Amit Shah to hold crucial meeting with Assam and Meghalaya CMs on Tuesday

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a crucial meeting with the Assam and Meghalaya Chief Ministers on Tuesday to finalise a draft resolution of the two states towards settling their boundary dispute in six of the 12 areas.

    Official sources said senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs would also attend the meeting in New Delhi.

    In August last year, the two states had mutually agreed to find a solution to the dispute in the six “less complicated” areas in the first phase based on historical facts, ethnicity, administrative convenience, willingness of the people and their overall sense of sentiments and contiguity of the land in disputes.

    The areas are Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pillangkata and Ratacherra – falling under West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi and East Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya and Cachar, Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup districts of Assam.

    In due course, the two states constituted three regional committees each. The members of the committees, each headed by a Cabinet minister, visited the disputed areas and held public meetings. After a fair understanding of the problem, they submitted their reports to the respective governments.

    The draft resolution was prepared based on their recommendations. The disputes in the six areas cover 36.79 sq km of land. According to the recommendations, 18.51 sq km will go to Assam and the remaining 18.28 sq km to Meghalaya.

    Now that the two states are on the verge of resolving the problem in six areas, there is concern on both sides.

    The Opposition parties besides various organisations in the two states are wary of a raw deal. They feel their state is compromising more than the other. Also, the locals of some villages staged a protest expressing reluctance to be part of the other state.

    Meghalaya was carved out of Assam in 1972. The boundary disputes evolved over a period of time. The numerous high-level meetings between the two states in the past had always ended with a resolution to maintain the status quo.

    On January 29 this year, the two states had signed a memorandum of understanding. It is expected to yield the principles for the next phase of discussions on the remaining six areas, considered complicated.

    Assam also has border disputes with Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

    Fact file

    There are 12 areas of disputes. The six taken up in the first phase cover an area of 36.79 sq km. According to recommendations, 18.51 sq km will go to Assam and 18.28 sq km to Meghalaya.

    Hahim (dispute is in 3.51 sq km. Recommendation is Assam will get 0.3 sq km, Meghalaya 3.21 sq km)

    Gizang (dispute is in 13.53 sq km. Recommendation is Assam will get 10.63 sq km, Meghalaya 2.9 sq km)

    Tarabari (dispute is in 4.69 sq km. Recommendation is entire 4.69 sq km will go to Meghalaya)

    Boklapara (dispute is in 1.57 sq km. Recommendation is Assam will get 1.01 sq km, Meghalaya 0.56 sq km)

    Khanapara-Pillingkata (dispute is in 2.29 sq km. Recommendation is Assam will get 1.79 sq km, Meghalaya 0.5 sq km)

    Ratacherra (dispute is in 11.2 sq km. Recommendation is Assam will get 4.78 sq km, Meghalaya 6.42 sq km)