Pranab's son in fray, bolstered by dad's goodwill

October 8, 2012

pranab-son

Jangipur (West Bengal), October 8: The welfare projects undertaken by his father President Pranab Mukherjee during his tenure as Lok Sabha MP have stood son Abhijit, contesting the Oct 10 Jangipur Lok Sabha by-poll in West Bengal's border district of Murshidabad, in good stead.

Abhijit, a first-time Congress legislator from Nalhati assembly constituency of Birbhum district of the state, is being fielded by the Congress from Jangipur. The Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after his father Pranab Mukherjee was elected president.

Though Abhijit battles the heat and dust and campaigns on the muddy roads of Jangipur, it is the record of development works undertaken during his father's tenure as MP that are spoken of most.

Pranab Mukherjee - two-time Lok Sabha MP from Jangipur since 2004 - used his clout as the 'number two' of the Indian government to bring in prosperity and welfare projects in the area.

Pranab Mukherjee - who since his 2004 victory made Jangipur his second home - had always been 'indebted' to the people of Jangipur for electing him as Lok Sabha MP, which in turn had helped him to remove the tag of "rootless wanderer," a tag that stuck long since he had been unable to enter the Lok Sabha despite being in politics since the late 1960s.

Now, with Abhijit in the poll fray, ready to step into his father's shoes, the son seems to tread an easier path, since both Jangipur and Murshidabad district as a whole have been considered a bastion of the Congress since the mid-nineties.

"Pranab babu has done a lot of development for the area. Now, we wish that if Abhijit babu wins, he will carry forward his father's developmental projects," said Samsul Alam, a resident of Jangipur.

Congress supporters claim Abhijit has the upper hand over his nearest rival of the Left Front, given the work his father has done for the area in the last eight years and considering the victory margin of two lakh that Pranab registered in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

With a total electorate of 10,86,052, the constituency is considered to be a Muslim majority constituency.

Clad in kurta and pyjama, Abhijit greets people lining the roads and peeping from their windows and rooftops in villages and small towns with a smile and folded hands.

Two of the most important concerns that the people of Jangipur face are land erosion - vast acres of land have been swept by the Brahmaputra - and arsenic contamination in ground water.

Congress supporters claim that under Pranab Mukherjee's initiative, work has started on a plant to purify water of arsenic. Several steps have been taken to prevent erosion.

Although a total of 11 candidates are in the poll fray, Abhijit's main rival seems to be Left Front's Muzzafar Hossain. The Trinamool Congress has decided not to contest the by-election.

CPI-M politburo member Biman Bose Sunday accused the Congress of inciting violence and creating an atmosphere of terror in Jangipur.

"Two CPI-M supporters have been killed in the area. The Congress is perplexed with the questions that are being asked over the fake promises that they have made in last eight years. So, to terrorise the people, two people have been killed," said Bose in a statement.

Bose appealed to voters of the area to be calm and defeat the alleged terror tactics initiated by the Congress.


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Agencies
August 5,2020

Ayodhya, Aug 5: Every street in Ayodhya was seen illuminated with earthen lamps ahead of the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Ram Temple on Wednesday.

People also lit diyas on the banks of Saryu river as part of the 'deepotsava' celebrations in the temple town which will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries arrive today for the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the Ram Temple.

The entire Ayodhya has been decked up and massive preparations have been made for this occasion with a festive air.

Earlier chief minister Yogi Adityanath had said that 11,000 diyas will be lit at Ram Ki Paidi on the banks of the Saryu river and that all houses and temples in Ayodhya will be celebrating with a 'deepotsava' (festival of lights) on the nights of August 4 and 5.

Adityanath burst firecrackers and lit earthen lamps at his official residence on in Lucknow as part of 'deepotsava'.

The construction work of Ram temple will begin after the foundation stone laying ceremony, in which dignitaries from various political and religious fields have been invited to participate.
Apart from Ayodhya other cities in like Kanpur were also illuminated to celebrate the grand event. Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) workers light earthen lamps in the city, as part of 'deepotsava'.

Chief Minister's residence in Uttarakhand will be decorated with 5100 diyas filled with Ghee on Wednesday evening to celebrate the occasion of the 'bhoomi pujan' of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Uttrakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has said that Lord Ram Temple being built in Ayodhya is associated with "our belief". He also appealed to people in the state to light diyas at their homes on the occasion.

Earthen lamps were lit at Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh and in Punjab too people lit lamps as part of 'deepotsava'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform 'pooja' at Hanumangarhi and Shree Ramlala Virajman before performing 'bhoomi pujan' of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday, informed Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Tuesday.

He will unveil a plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone and also release Commemorative Postage Stamp on 'Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir'.

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News Network
June 29,2020

New Delhi/ Jammu, Jun 29: Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the face of Kashmir's separatist politics for over three decades, has quit the Hurriyat Conference, the biggest separatist amalgam in Kashmir. The 90-year-old, who had led the separatist movement in Kashmir Valley since the 1990s, was a lifelong chairman of the Hurriyat.

He has mostly been in house arrest since 2010, when anger and violence over police firing on protesters consumed Kashmir.

In an audio message, Syed Ali Shah Geelani said he was announcing his resignation from the All Party Hurriyat Conference because of "the current circumstances" in the umbrella group.

"In view of the current state of the Hurriyat Conference, I am announcing my complete dissociation from the forum. In this context I have already sent a detailed letter to all constituents of the forum," said Geelani in an audio message released this morning.

This marks a major development for separatist politics in Jammu and Kashmir after the government ended its special status under the constitution's Article 370 in August last, split it into two union territories and enforced massive restrictions in movement besides jailing scores of leaders.

Geelani also released a two-page letter in which he accused constituents of Hurriyat of inaction after the scrapping of Article 370.

"I sent messages to you through various means so the next course of action could be decided but all my efforts were in vain. Now that the sword of accountability is hanging over your heads for the financial and other irregularities, you thought of calling the advisory committee meeting," he wrote.

The letter accused Hurriyat constituents of hatching "conspiracy and resorting to lies against him" and also teaming up with the Hurriyat chapter in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, which had targeted him. "Instead of reprimanding them, you called a meeting in Srinagar and ratified their stand. You people have become part of the conspiracy and lies," said the letter.

"The lack of discipline and other shortcomings were ignored and you did not allow a robust accountability system to be established over the years but today, you have crossed all limits and indulged in rebellion against the leadership."

Sources say Geelani had been attacked by groups in Pakistan for what they called his failure to respond to the government's big move. Many questioned the silence of the separatist hardliner, who was prone to calls for protest shutdowns and election boycotts.

A three-time MLA from Sopore, Geelani quit electoral politics after militancy erupted in Kashmir. Recent reports have claimed that he has been unwell.

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Agencies
January 8,2020

New Delhi, Jan 8: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President Aishe Ghosh has filed a complaint over the violence that took place at the varsity campus on Sunday.

"I am filing this complaint for the incident in which a mob conspired and acted with common intention to assault, intimidate and attempt to murder me, and request you to register an FIR and apprehend culprits at the earliest," the complaint read.

She said that on January 5, in the afternoon, she received information from students in the campus that some students affiliated to ABVP along with other unidentified men and women had gathered with weapons like rods, sledgehammers and lathis near Ganga Bus Stop.

"I along with Nikhil Mathew (MA Labour Studies) who was also present there, were surrounded by a group of persons of that mob most of whom were wearing masks. The mob of 20-30 persons dragged me behind a car standing near the 24*7 and surrounded me and despite my pleading did not let me go and attacked me with rods while I had fallen down. I remember that one of the people was of medium height wearing a brownish-red sweatshirt with UCLA written on it. I saw his face as he was facing me and did not have a mask on and can identify him if I see him," Ghosh wrote in her complaint.

"I was attacked by the above-mentioned persons collectively and was hit on the head multiple times with iron rods. I fell to the ground and my head started bleeding, and some of them kicked me and hit me with the rod on my hand and rest of the body including my head, chest and back."

"I am attaching with this complaint a copy of the MLC which details my injuries. Nikhil Mathew tried to save me but was also hit with an iron hammer and other weapons on his head and arms. The intention of the group of men and their acts was definitely to murder me and other persons associated with me," she said.

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