Suvendu Adhikari latest news (Img: Google)
Kolkata: Highlighting the various significant measures taken by the state government in the three months since the BJP formed the government in Bengal in May, the Chief Minister stated that land has been handed over to the BSF for fencing the India-Bangladesh border.
The illegal list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) has been cancelled, and the Imam-Muezzin allowance has been discontinued. He also mentioned measures regarding the reverence for cattle and the ban on the display of weapons during Muharram.
Suvendu stated that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill would be introduced in a few days. "I have two more tasks remaining: enacting laws regarding religious conversion and land transactions." He clearly affirmed that he would accomplish these tasks as well. However, he did not provide details regarding the proposed law's framework or a timeline for its implementation.
Following the Chief Minister's statement, discussions have begun regarding the system in neighboring BJP-ruled Assam concerning the proposed law on land transactions. The Assam government has implemented stringent provisions regarding land sales and purchases in certain areas and under specific circumstances.
In some instances, government permission is required to sell land to a person of a different religion. Relevant authorities may also examine the buyer's source of income and the potential impact of the land sale on the social fabric of the area.
Odisha also has special restrictive provisions regarding land transactions involving certain communities and protected areas. It remains unclear whether the proposed law in Bengal will follow the Assam model or take a different form. Political discourse on this issue has intensified following the Chief Minister's statement.
The Chief Minister's statement is also being linked to the issue of 'Land Jihad' raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address last year. The BJP has alleged that demographic changes are taking place in border areas due to infiltration and that outsiders are increasingly encroaching upon the land of local residents.
