Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not keep his word of bringing down the prices of essential commodities in seven days, the first promise that he made in 2014, Sharad Pawar said at a huge rally organised for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) candidate Shriram Patil at Muktainagar, the stronghold of the Khadse family. Pawar visited Muktainagar after gap of four and a half years. "It was promised that the prices of gas cylinders would be reduced by 50 pc from Rs 400. Today, however, the price is Rs 1,160. There has been only a rise a continous rise in prices. I appeal you to support our candidate Shriram Patil, who is willing and ready to strive for the common man," Sharad Pawar said. Convoy meets with accident The convoy of vehicles of the NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar met with a minor collision in Jalgaon on Friday. After a vehicle braked hard due to a speedbreaker, a following vehicle bumped into the one ahead. There were no injuries and there was a minor dent in the vehicles. The accident occurree on Bhusawal-Yawal road in Yawal tehsil.
03 May,2024 10:42 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. AklekarCongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he would scrap the 50 per cent limit on reservations in the country, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, Rahul Gandhi was addressing a rally for Lok Sabha elections 2024 Congress' Pune candidate Ravindra Dhangekar. Rahul Gandhi asserted that his party's Nyay guarantees will revolutionise the future course of politics, as per the PTI. He said Maharashtra is a "Congress state" in terms of ideology and he loves to visit it. If the Constitution is changed, India will be unrecognisable, the former Congress president said, the news agency reported. "Will Modi ji speak on whether he will scrap the 50 per cent cap on reservations in the country?" he asked. Rahul Gandhi also criticised PM Modi for "insulting" NCP (SP) leader and former Union minister Sharad Pawar through his "wandering soul" remark. "What does he get by doing so?" he asked. Rahul Gandhi files nomination papers from Rae Bareli seat Ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday filed his nomination papers from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, a constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades. He was accompanied by Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Rahul Gandhi arrived at the Fursatganj airport earlier in the day. Local party workers turned up in large numbers at the collectorate where he filed his papers. Voting in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat will be held on May 20. Earlier, Congress loyalist K L Sharma filed his nomination from Amethi Lok Sabha seat on Friday ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024. K L Sharma filed his papers at the collectorate, accompanied by local Congress leaders. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra earlier in the day urged the the public in Amethi to vote for Sharma. Soon after her arrival in the constituency, Priyanka headed for the party office in Gauriganj and met Sharma. She also addressed party workers to ensure his victory. She later left for Rae Bareli to accompany Rahul Gandhi who will file his nomination from the constituency earlier represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi. Sharma's candidature from the Amethi seat was announced early Friday, the last day for filing of nomination for the polling slated in the fifth phase on May 20. Sharma is pitted against BJP leader and sitting MP Smriti Irani. (with PTI inputs)
03 May,2024 10:30 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentThe Supreme Court on Friday said it may consider granting interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, in a ray of hope to the AAP chief arrested in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and is currently lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody. A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta told the Enforcement Directorate(ED) that arguments on Kejriwal's plea against his arrest are likely to take time and therefore it was considering hearing the probe agency on the issue of interim bail to him on account of Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. Delhi goes to polls on May 25. It then told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, to be ready with the case on May 7. "It appears we can't complete today. We will post it on Tuesday morning itself. Mr Raju, one more thing. If it is going to take time and it does appear to us that it may take some time, we will then consider the question of interim bail because of the elections," the bench told Raju, who was wrapping up his arguments for the day. Raju submitted that he will oppose bail to Kejriwal and pointed to the statements made by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh after getting bail last month in the same case. "Just, look at the kind of statements he is making," the ASG said. The bench said it is putting the agency on notice about the court's intention, so that it is not taken by surprise on May 7, when the interim bail issue will be dealt with. "We are not commenting on it either way. We are just saying we will hear on interim bail and not saying we will grant interim bail. We may or may not grant interim bail." It also told senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, "Just one thing more. Please also take instructions. Because of the position he holds, whether he should be signing official files?" During the hearing, Singhvi informed the bench that on March 16 the elections were announced and on March 21, Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on the basis of statements and materials which were available with the agency since last July. The bench asked Singhvi about the poll date in Delhi to which he replied that the campaigning will end on May 23 and polling will take place on May 25. The top court was also critical of Singhvi's arguments that AAP being a political party it will not be covered under section 70 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which deals with offences by companies. "Anything done by a political party cannot be attributed to its President, Convenor or General Secretary, else it will be a case of vicarious liability. A political party is out of the section 70 of the PMLA," Singhvi submitted, adding that the provision only deals with companies. The senior lawyer further said that a political party is not a partnership, private corporate firm or a society but an entity which is registered under the Representation of the People Act. The bench said, "It is difficult to accept your arguments. AAP is a juristic person and cannot be arrested. It can be impleaded as accused. Person in-charge can be prosecuted along with the juristic person under section 70 of the PMLA. Will the society not be covered under section 70. Anyway, we have noted your arguments and will deal with it." Singhvi said there is no direct evidence of Kejriwal receiving alleged kickbacks and if at all he has, then the case will fall under the Prevention of Corruption Act and not the PMLA. He added that all the materials the ED has were covered in the bail case of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and the court has said that no case is made out based on them. The top court also posed several queries to the ED including on why nine exculpatory statements of witnesses were not mentioned in the grounds of arrest of Kejriwal and why only inculpatory statements were listed. Raju replied that the investigating officer, though having considered all the material before him, is required to only mention the relevant material which make him believe that the accused has committed the offence. "I have considered all the material but I need to mention only the relevant material and not irrelevant material. The statements which are exculpatory are irrelevant material and if the investigation officer is to record all the material before it, then the record will be voluminous and he will not be able to file the chargesheet in 60 days," Raju submitted. However, the bench did not agree with the submissions and said the scheme of the law and the 2022 verdict in the Vijay Madanlal Choudhury case have kept section 19 at higher pedestal and therefore the entire material should be before the court at the time of his arrest. Section 19 of the PMLA empowers the ED to arrest persons based on the material in its possession, providing a reasonable basis to suspect that an individual has committed an offence punishable under the law. The top court had issued a notice to the ED on April 15 and sought its response to Kejriwal's plea against his arrest. On April 9, the high court upheld Kejriwal's arrest, saying there was no illegality and the ED was left with "little option" after he skipped repeated summonses and refused to join the investigations. The case relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
03 May,2024 09:40 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinod Tawde on Friday said that the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra will win more than 40 seats in state in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, reported the PTI. The Mahayuti alliance comprises of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Vinod Tawde, the party's general secretary, was speaking to reporters during an informal interaction organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ). He said that former minister Eknath Khadse will return to the BJP, and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the party's state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule had never opposed his rejoining. Eknath Khadse had quit the BJP in 2016 after almost four decades in the party. Last month, the veteran leader, who is with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had said that he would be rejoining the saffron party, as per the PTI. Vinod Tawde, however, said that the party's Central leadership will make the final decision about Eknath Khadse's return to the fold. Talking about the break-up of the previous alliance between the undivided Shiv Sena and BJP, Vinod Tawade said, "Devendra Fadnavis would have been the chief minister, but he doesn't play politics of revenge. We had an ideological alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena. People allege that leaders join the BJP under pressure from investigative agencies, but in that case, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut would have joined the party long back," according to the PTI. The ruling Mahayuti coalition comprising of the Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra has almost sealed the seat-sharing deal for Lok Sabha elections 2024. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, and under the seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP has so far agreed to contest in 27 seats, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP will field its candidates in four constituencies and Shiv Sena in 15 seats. The Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Wednesday announced its candidates for Kalyan, Thane and Nashik, freezing its numbers at 15. After he broke away from the original Shiv Sena in June 2022, Shinde had received the support of 13 party MPs, according to the PTI. Under the seat-sharing arrangement, BJP has so far agreed to contest in 27 seats, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP will field its candidates in four constituencies. (with PTI inputs)
03 May,2024 09:26 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentAs many as nine persons received minor injuries after a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus overturned at Ajanta ghat in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra on Friday afternoon, reported the PTI. The news agency reported, the MSRTC bus was on its way from Maharashtra's Pune to Raver when it overturned at around 1 pm, the Ajanta police station official said. "The bus was ferrying 66 passengers, nine of whom suffered minor injuries. The incident took place as the driver lost control of the vehicle. Those injured are from Jamner, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and were provided medical treatment," he added, according to the PTI. Six including two infants killed, three injured as two cars collide in Akola Meanwhile, in an another incident, six persons, including two infants, were reportedly killed and three seriously injured in a collision between two cars in Maharashtra's Akola district on Friday, the police said, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, the victims also include relatives of Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Kiran Sarnaik, who represents the Amravati Teacher constituency in Maharashtra, the officials said. The accident took place on a flyover on the Akola-Washim highway near Patur Ghat in the afternoon, an official said, as per the PTI. Raghuveer Sarnaik (28), who was the MLC's nephew, his sister and three of their relatives were going towards Akola in an SUV, while four persons were travelling in another car in the opposite direction when the accident took place, the official said, the news agency reported on Friday. Of the five relatives of the MLC, three were killed and two injured, an official said. The accident also claimed the lives of three occupants of the other car and left one injured, the official said. A 9-month-old child, identified as Asmira Ajinkya Amle, and a one-year-old baby were among those killed in the accident, the official said, as per the PTI. The three injured persons have been admitted to the Government Medical College in Akola, while the bodies of the deceased have been sent to Akol Rural Hospital for autopsy, he added, as per the PTI. (with PTI inputs)
03 May,2024 09:13 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentThe Delhi Police on Friday arrested a Congress member for allegedly uploading and circulating a fake video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, an official said here. Arun Reddy handles the 'Spirit of Congress' account on 'X', the official said. The Delhi Police Special Cell earlier registered an FIR after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), filed a complaint about the doctored video of Shah where his statements indicating a commitment to abolish quota for Muslims on religious grounds in Telangana were changed to make it seem that he was advocating scrapping of all reservations. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
03 May,2024 07:44 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIUnion Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday hit out at Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, saying that he is running 'nakli' (fake) Shiv Sena and that the real party lies with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Addressing a rally at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra to campaign for his cabinet colleague Narayan Rane, who is contesting the election from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha constituency, Shah said making Narendra Modi the prime minister once again means making the country secure. "Uddhav Thackeray is running 'nakli' (fake) Shiv Sena, real Shiv Sena is with Eknath Shinde," Shah said. He said Thackeray should clarify whether he wants the CM post or the Congress and NCP that defended Article 370. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
03 May,2024 07:29 PM IST | Ratnagiri | PTIAtleast six persons, including two infants, were reportedly killed and three seriously injured in a collision between two cars in Maharashtra's Akola district on Friday, the police said, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, the victims also include relatives of Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Kiran Sarnaik, who represents the Amravati Teacher constituency, the officials said. The accident took place on a flyover on the Akola-Washim highway near Patur Ghat in the afternoon, an official said, as per the PTI. Raghuveer Sarnaik (28), who was the MLC's nephew, his sister and three of their relatives were going towards Akola in an SUV, while four persons were travelling in another car in the opposite direction when the accident took place, the official said, the news agency reported on Friday. Of the five relatives of the MLC, three were killed and two injured, an official said. The accident also claimed the lives of three occupants of the other car and left one injured, the official said. A 9-month-old child, identified as Asmira Ajinkya Amle, and a one-year-old baby were among those killed, the official said. The three injured persons have been admitted to the Government Medical College in Akola, while the bodies of the deceased have been sent to Akol Rural Hospital for autopsy, he added, as per the PTI. Cricketer Suresh Raina's cousin killed in road accident in Dharamshala Meanwhile, in an another incident, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina's cousin was reportedly killed in a hit-and-run incident, which also claimed the life of another man riding the same scooter, police said on Thursday, reported the PTI. According to the news agency, Suresh Raina's cousin identified as Saurabh Kumar was Raina's maternal cousin, and his friend Shubham from Kuthman died in a collision with a car near Gaggali airport on Wednesday, they said. Superintendent of Police (SP) Kangra, Shalini Agnihotri, said the accident took place around 11:30 pm on Wednesday near Himachal Timber in Gaggal. According to the police, the driver of the car, Sher Singh, was responsible for the collision, as per the PTI. He had fled the scene but with the help of the CCTV footage, which captured the incident, Singh was later arrested in Mandi, they added. A case has been registered against the accused under sections 279 (rash driving) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, along with section 187 of the Motor Vehicles Act, the police said, according to the PTI. (with PTI inputs)
03 May,2024 05:48 PM IST | Akola | mid-day online correspondentWith “Jai Maharashtra!” chants, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) party workers on Thursday afternoon marched along with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) Mumbai North West candidate Amol Kirtikar for filing his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The Congress candidate from Mumbai North seat Bhushan Patil, too filed his nomination on Thursday at the Bandra Collectorate in Mumbai. Thousands of people rallied in support of the INDIA bloc and Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, resulting in prolonged traffic congestion in the surrounding neighbourhoods of Kherwadi, Kalanagar, and Gandhi Nagar in Bandra East in Mumbai. Bhavna Jain, a spokesperson and general secretary of Maharashtra Congress said, “This election is very crucial. We have gathered here to fight against peaking inflation, unemployment amongst youth and the ever-widening divide between Hindus and Muslims under the rule of BJP.” Also Read: Shrikant Shinde, Hemant Godse, Bharati Pawar file their nominations As the the MVA candidates marched towards filing their nominations, the party workers were seen holding flags and the party symbols. Poonam Avirkar, a supporter of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, pointed out that the biggest concern among people is the threat that the BJP will amend the constitution if it wins the election this time. On March 30, BJP candidate Jyoti Mirdha contesting from Nagaur Rajastan was heard saying: “Desh ke hit mein kai kathor nirnay karne padhte hain. Unke liye humein samvidhanik badlav karne padhte hain. (Several tough decisions need to be taken in the country’s interest and for that we have to make constitutional amendments.)" Another BJP MP Anant Hegde has also reportedly said that “if we get 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, we will change the constitution. With an increasing number of BJP candidates allegedly advocating for constitutional amendments, concern about losing their rights has spurred individuals from distant corners of the state to come together in unity. Adivasis from Aarey Colony in Mumbai also joined the rally outside Chetana College in a bid to extend their support to the anti-BJP alliance. Also Read: PM Modi's speeches not based on facts and reality, says Sharad Pawar Bringing focus back to unemployment and lack of education, a leader of Mumbai Adivasi Congress questioned, “There is Goods and Services Tax (GST) being charged even on school books – what will Adivasis study?" Supporters of the INDIA bloc appeared vehemently opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi securing another term in office. When questioned about their stance on Modi's efforts to forge international relations, a woman supporter of the INDIA Alliance supporter, who attended the rally in Bandra east, remarked, "These relations have helped his business colleagues and not Indians. PM Modi should firstly prioritise the well-being of his own country's citizens before enhancing India's relations with other nations." Swapnil Waghmare, Leader at Yuva Sena's Solapur unit told this reporter, “We have come together today to send a clear message to the BJP. The ruckus caused by their misuse of the Enforcement Directorate will be addressed proportionally.” A recent report by Indian Express revealed that between 2014 and September 2022, 121 prominent leaders came under ED radar, 115 of them Opposition leaders; the list has grown since. Expanding on these allegations, a supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party remarked that the arrest of Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, by the Enforcement Directorate is the peak example of dictatorship that our country is reeling under. “We are fighting to safeguard constitutional bodies as well,” he added.
03 May,2024 04:01 PM IST | Mumbai | Ainie RizviEight personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF), who were deployed on poll duty, were injured when the bus they were travelling in rammed into a tree in Chhattisgarh on Friday, an official said, reported the PTI. The incident took place in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district. The accident occurred in the Kamosin Dand area when the paramilitary personnel were heading back after visiting a polling booth on a hill in Dharamjaigarh, said Digesh Patel, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Dharamjaigarh, as per the PTI. As many as 17 BSF personnel travelled to the polling booth on the remote Chhuhi Hill under the Raigarh Lok Sabha constituency, which will go to polls on May 7, he said, the news agency reported on Friday. On the way back, the bus driver lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a tree, he said. "Eight jawans were injured in the accident, while others sustained minor bruises," the official said. The injured jawans were undergoing treatment at Dharamjaigarh Civil Hospital, and their condition was out of danger, he said. Cricketer Suresh Raina's cousin killed in road accident in Dharamshala Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina's cousin was reportedly killed in a hit-and-run incident, which also claimed the life of another man riding the same scooter, police said on Thursday, reported the PTI. According to the news agency, Suresh Raina's cousin identified as Saurabh Kumar was Raina's maternal cousin, and his friend Shubham from Kuthman died in a collision with a car near Gaggali airport on Wednesday, they said. Superintendent of Police (SP) Kangra, Shalini Agnihotri, said the incident took place around 11:30 pm on Wednesday near Himachal Timber in Gaggal.According to the police, the driver of the car, Sher Singh, was responsible for the collision, as per the PTI. He had fled the scene but with the help of the CCTV footage, which captured the incident, Singh was later arrested in Mandi, they added. A case has been registered against the accused under sections 279 (rash driving) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, along with section 187 of the Motor Vehicles Act, the police said, according to the PTI. (with PTI inputs)
03 May,2024 03:47 PM IST | Raipur | mid-day online correspondentAhead of upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday filed his nomination papers from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, a constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades. He was accompanied by Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Rahul Gandhi arrived at the Fursatganj airport earlier in the day. Local party workers turned up in large numbers at the collectorate where he filed his papers. Voting in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat will be held on May 20. Earlier, Congress loyalist K L Sharma filed his nomination from Amethi Lok Sabha seat on Friday ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024. Sharma filed his papers at the collectorate, accompanied by local Congress leaders.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra earlier in the day urged the the public in Amethi to vote for Sharma. Soon after her arrival in the constituency, Priyanka headed for the party office in Gauriganj and met Sharma. She also addressed party workers to ensure his victory. She later left for Rae Bareli to accompany Rahul Gandhi who will file his nomination from the constituency earlier represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi. Sharma's candidature from the Amethi seat was announced early Friday, the last day for filing of nomination for the polling slated in the fifth phase on May 20. Sharma is pitted against BJP leader and sitting MP Smriti Irani.
03 May,2024 03:14 PM IST | Raebareli | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
