Regional

Patna, Feb 7 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that her opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is aimed at protecting illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Speaking to media persons at Patna airport, Adhikari claimed that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government was shielding infiltrators for political gains.

“She is objecting to the SIR only to protect Bangladeshi infiltrators. Illegal infiltrators, especially Muslims, are being protected by her,” Adhikari alleged.

Referring to statements made by the Prime Minister in Parliament, Adhikari said that such issues had already been highlighted at the national level.

“The Prime Minister has spoken in Parliament about how courts are being approached to protect infiltrators. The SIR is not new in this country. It has been conducted eight times earlier, and this is the ninth time it is being carried out in West Bengal. It is a continuous process, but Mamata Banerjee’s protest is only to protect illegal infiltrators,” he said.

Looking ahead to the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Adhikari expressed confidence about the BJP’s prospects and invoked a historical and political narrative.

“We have won Kalinga (Odisha) in 2024 and Ang Pradesh (Bihar) in 2025. Now we have to win Bang (West Bengal) in 2026 to complete the circle of Ang, Bang and Kalinga. These regions were once part of a single state,” he said.

He further asserted that West Bengal would see a change in governance.

“In 2026, there will be a Sanatani and nationalist government in West Bengal,” Adhikari claimed.

Explaining his surprise visit to Patna, the BJP leader said he would meet senior party leaders to discuss election strategy for West Bengal.

“Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey is a central observer. He was also in charge of the BJP in West Bengal and has worked there for four years. I will meet him and other BJP leaders,” he said.

With the West Bengal Assembly elections drawing closer, political exchanges between the BJP and the ruling TMC have intensified, setting the stage for a high-voltage campaign in the State.

--IANS

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Raichur (Karnataka), Feb 7 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds the Water Resources portfolio, on Saturday said that leaders from the region are pressuring him to prevent 30 TMC of water from the Tungabhadra reservoir from flowing into the sea, and asserted that he is committed to the cause. However, he said the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister is not giving him time to discuss the issue.

“If the Andhra CM gives us an opportunity, we will stop the wastage of 30 TMC of Tungabhadra water and ensure justice to the farmers and people of this region,” Shivakumar said.

He was speaking at the Raichur Utsava programme.

Shivakumar said that MLAs from the district had pressed him to bring in a law to ensure that water reaches tail-end areas of canals.

“Earlier, water was being lifted at the upper reaches and was not reaching the tail-end areas. Therefore, we have enacted a new law. When I was the Irrigation Minister earlier, I had visited this place.

“We sanctioned Rs 300 crore for Bangarappa’s lake, and that project is now being implemented. Our government is committed to replacing all the gates of the Tungabhadra dam, and we will certainly do it,” he said.

He said that several landmark welfare schemes, such as the mid-day meal programme, MGNREGA and Stree Shakti, were launched by Congress-led governments from this region.

“Our party president Mallikarjun Kharge fought hard and brought in Article 371J, bringing major changes to your lives and development. Just as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B. R. Ambedkar are remembered, the people of this region must remember Kharge. I request you to preserve his name permanently,” he said.

He listed the five guarantee schemes of the Congress government, including free electricity up to 200 units, 10 kg of free rice, free bus travel for women, Rs 2,000 monthly assistance for women heads of households, and unemployment allowance for jobless youth.

“Through these five guarantee schemes, we are bringing change to your lives,” he said.

Emphasising unity, he said, “We are people of different communities gathered here. Though art forms may differ, all artists are the same. There is no caste or religion among artists. This is a land of farmers. You are giving a new form to the Congress government that feeds the hungry and provides education.”

Calling Raichur a land ruled by the Chalukyas, Cholas and Vijayanagara kings, and one that welcomed leaders of all religions, Shivakumar said the government stands with the people and is committed to bringing change to their lives.

He said the government has taken a historic decision regarding healthcare in the district and has resolved to build a super-speciality hospital.

“We are determined to bring an AIIMS-level institution to this region, and a letter has been written to the Union government in this regard,” he said.

He added that in addition to the five guarantees, the government has introduced a sixth guarantee in the form of a land guarantee.

Noting that the government has completed 1,000 days in office, Shivakumar said a programme has been organised in Haveri on February 14.

“You must continue to give strength to this hand by bringing it back to power in the future,” he appealed.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Feb 7 (IANS) Union Minister for Railways, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Saturday, appealed to the Congress-led government in Karnataka not to adopt a narrow-minded approach.

Saying that the Centre believes in cooperative federalism, the Union Minister called upon all stakeholders to work together towards making India a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

He made the statement after inaugurating the 'Zetwerk Electronics' manufacturing facility at the KIADB Hi-Tech Hardware Park in Bengaluru's Mahadeva Kodigehalli.

It can be noted that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar have repeatedly made statements against the Centre violating principles of cooperative federalism alleging injustice to Karnataka.

Addressing the Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M.B. Patil, who was present at the event, Union Minister Vaishnaw said, "We believe in cooperative federalism. Patil saab, when all states grow, only then does the country grow. Even the Union Budget is ultimately implemented in the states. Therefore, I appeal to everyone not to have a narrow outlook but to adopt a broad vision."

"The vision is to take India towards a Viksit or developed Bharat by 2047. This is the vision given to us by our Prime Minister. Let us all work together with unity and laser-sharp focus towards that goal," the Union Minister said.

Speaking about the electronics component manufacturing scheme, Union Minister Vaishnaw said significant changes had taken place in a short period.

"After the focus shifted from finished products to electronics components, the sector has taken off like a hockey stick. We already have 46 approvals, and investments worth more than Rs 10,000 crore are coming to Karnataka," he added.

He said that investments were flowing in from across the country and added that the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had increased the budget for the electronics component manufacturing scheme from Rs 22,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore.

"The journey has just begun, and the electronics manufacturing sector is now set to accelerate at a very fast pace," he added.

Union Minister Vaishnaw said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a target of $500 billion in electronics production by the financial year 2030–31.

"We must move very fast in that direction. If you have any new ideas or suggestions, we are open-minded and ready to change our policies if required. Whatever works for the industry, we will adopt it as policy," he added.

Expressing satisfaction over recent developments, the Union Minister said, "It is very encouraging to see that end-to-end two-nanometre chip designs are now being developed in India. This is a major achievement. Equipment manufacturers have also started coming to India. Companies such as Applied Materials and Lam Research have come to India, and our next target should be to bring ASML."

It can be noted that ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) is a Dutch multinational corporation and the world's leading supplier of photolithography systems for the semiconductor industry.

Calling the journey satisfying, Union Minister Vaishnaw said commercial production would begin this year.

"Within the next few weeks, the first commercially produced chip will come out of a semiconductor plant. Stay tuned for that. Semicon 2.0 will be bigger, with a focus on design, equipment manufacturing, chemicals, gases, validation, yield improvement, and all functions required for a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem," he added.

He said that talent development in the sector had progressed well.

"We are targeting 85,000 semiconductor engineers over the next 10 years. In the last four years alone, we have trained 67,000 engineers. A large part of chip design work will happen in India, which will be a major leap in the coming years," he added.

"We have also laid out a roadmap from 28 nanometres to 7 nanometres under Semicon 2.0. After that, we will move towards 2 to 3 nanometres. I would like to thank each and every industry partner," the Union Minister said.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Feb 7 (IANS) Commenting on the Bengaluru Metro fare hike row, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday said that the Secretary from the Union government was the head of the Metro fare fixation committee, and no one has asked for his opinion on the fare hike.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, “How is the state government responsible for the Metro fare hike? The fare fixation committee is headed by a secretary appointed by the Centre. You can make me responsible for the hike if I have signed any file relating to it. No file on the fare hike has come to me. I will discuss it with Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials on Monday. We don’t want to trouble the common people. I will review the financial situation.”

He was replying to criticism from the BJP that the state government was responsible for the fare hike.

Asked about the BJP’s comments that the fares were going up in view of the state government not giving financial assistance to BMRCL, the Deputy CM said, “Let the BJP first say what it has done for the state?”

Asked about Bengaluru MP Tejaswi Surya’s statement on how Metro fares could go up without the state government’s approval, he said, “Poor guy, he doesn’t have enough experience. He is limited to only tweets and statements before the media. Let him not blabber. Has he got anything from the Centre for the state? Let’s not talk about an empty trunk.”

However, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has announced that, following his discussion with Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the proposed Bengaluru Metro fare hike has been temporarily suspended.

The BJP MP stated that he had requested the Union Minister's immediate intervention regarding the planned fare increase for the Bengaluru Metro, scheduled to take effect on February 9.

Surya noted, "Bengaluru already has the highest Metro fares in India. Another increase would make public transport inaccessible for many citizens and undermine its purpose."

--IANS

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Aizawl, Feb 7 (IANS) Mizoram Governor General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.) on Saturday highlighted the state’s proud tradition of peace, harmony and mutual respect between civilians and personnel in uniform.

The Governor, along with the First Lady Bharti Singh, graced the State-level ex-servicemen rally organised at Lammual Ground here.

The event was also attended by Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga.

He said that Mizoram’s ex-servicemen stand out among their counterparts across India as some of the most well-dressed and smartest, remarking that this is “an epitome of how an ex-serviceman should conduct himself”.

The Governor described the rally as a powerful reflection of mutual respect, trust, cooperation and goodwill between the public and the armed forces.

Emphasising that ex-servicemen serve as living embodiments of selfless service and sacrifice, he recalled how they spent long periods away from their families in some of the most challenging and remote terrains of India, ensuring the nation’s security and safety.

General Singh (Retd.) commended the courage, discipline and devotion to duty displayed by ex-servicemen in service to the nation, describing these qualities as exemplary and worthy of emulation.

Expressing appreciation for the arrangements made on the occasion, the Governor welcomed the organisation of a dedicated medical camp for ex-servicemen and their families, along with a Grievance Redressal Cell to address issues related to pensions, medical facilities, welfare schemes and resettlement matters.

He expressed optimism that these initiatives would yield positive results and announced plans to organise larger and more comprehensive medical camps in the near future.

The Governor reaffirmed the Mizoram government’s commitment to the welfare of ex-servicemen and their families, stressing that in the true spirit of Tlawmngaihna — the Mizo value of selfless service and concern for others — veterans must always be treated with dignity, care and respect.

Home Minister K. Sapdanga described the rally as a magnificent tribute to ex-servicemen who have sacrificed for the nation and instilled great pride and hope in the country.

He paid tribute to those who spent extended periods in conflict zones and difficult terrains, always prioritising duty above all else.

Acknowledging that the people of Mizoram deeply recognise and appreciate the sacrifices of ex-servicemen, he urged them to continue setting exemplary standards even in civilian life.

He encouraged the youth to draw inspiration from these veterans and strive to become responsible and valuable citizens serving the nation and society.

Following the formal proceedings, the Governor visited various stalls set up at the rally venue and interacted warmly with the ex-servicemen present.

During the event, honours and assistance were presented to nine ex-servicemen, the family of one gallantry award recipient, and five Veer Naris.

--IANS

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