Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar has raised concerns about Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray's commitment to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, both at the state and national levels, following the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 result. Ambedkar asked Thackeray to officially declare his support for the Congress-MVA combination, particularly ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections in October, stated an IANS report. According to the report, the VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar urged Thackeray to provide formal assurances to voters about his continuous support for the MVA coalition, noting that without such clarity, all words would be useless. “Why can’t Thackeray make this written declaration to the voters now… Let it be clear to the public, otherwise, all this is meaningless,” Ambedkar was quoted as saying implying that there's no unity in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Earlier, Ambedkar hinted at a possible move in alliances following the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 result, implying that the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) may partner with the BJP, potentially becoming the largest party, the report added. According to the report, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi had begun conversations with MVA allies--including Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP)--over seat-sharing. However, differences over seat allocation resulted in the failure of negotiations. Despite efforts to reconcile, the VBA chose to compete separately in around 45 constituencies, with the exception of Nagpur, Kolhapur, and Baramati, where it supported MVA candidates, the IANS report. Ambedkar chastised the MVA, notably the Congress, for failing to field any Muslim candidates in the Lok Sabha elections, comparing it with the VBA's inclusion of candidates from minority communities and marginalised parts of society. In another conversation with ANI, VBA chief Prakash Ambed spoke on educational reservations for Muslims. He said, "PM Modi is unaware of certain facts. The High Court and the Supreme Court have stood by the educational reservation for Muslims. Once the Supreme Court has stood behind that reservation, there is no place where the Parliament will interfere with it. Now education reservation for Muslims will become a factor. And that is to move the Hindu votes. PM Modi is saying that we will cancel that 5 per cent reservation."
29 April,2024 05:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA special court in Mumbai has remanded three accused, arrested in the Salman Khan house firing incident, to police custody till May 8. The three accused sent to police custody are Vicky Gupta, aged 24, Sagar Pal (21) and Anuj Thapan (32). According to a report in PTI, Special MCOCA judge AM Patil remanded the accused to police custody while Sonu Kumar Chander Bishnoi (37) was sent to judicial custody on medical grounds. The report added that the police had invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against alleged shooters Gupta and Pal, as well as Bishnoi and Thapan, who are accused of supplying rifles and bullets. Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster, and his brother Anmol are wanted. Earlier, the officials from the crime branch told mid-day that "all the alleged accused are a part of the same syndicate" and thence had imposed MCOCA on them. Initially, the accused in the Salman Khan house firing incident were charged under the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act. However, following a request from the public prosecutor Jaisingh Desai, the court granted police custody to further investigate the conspiracy, the PTI report stated. According to the report, the Salman Khan house firing incident occurred on April 14 wherein two persons on a motorcycle opened fire at the actor's Galaxy Apartment residence in Mumbai's Bandra area. Gupta and Pal, both from Bihar, were arrested in Kutch, Gujarat, on April 16, while Bishnoi and Thapan were apprehended in Punjab on April 25, the report added. Anmol Bishnoi, residing in Canada, claimed responsibility for the shooting in a Facebook post, although the IP address was traced to Portugal. Lawrence Bishnoi, already facing multiple charges, is incarcerated in Sabarmati jail, Gujarat. The accused were recently questioned by the Delhi Crime Branch for hours in Mumbai while a team of Mumbai Crime Branch last week recovered the firearms and live magazines used by the accused which they dumped in Surat's Tapi river. Following the recovery, the Mumbai cops invoked MCOCA against the accused persons.
29 April,2024 04:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA sessions court in Mumbai acquitted 10 alleged accused in the 2015 Malwani hooch tragedy case on Monday. Meanwhile, the court sentenced four persons and the quantum will be decided on May 6 the court said. The 2015 Malwani Hooch tragedy killed at least 100 persons and permanently impaired 76. In June 2015, illegally made alcohol, known as "hooch" or "country spirits," killed over 100 people and left many more dangerously ill. The incident occurred in the Malwani district of Malad, a Mumbai suburb. The Malwani hooch tragedy had sparked outrage, raising questions about the authorities' ability to curb the production and sale of illicit liquor. Out of over 10 accused held in the case, only four have been convicted and 10 others were acquitted. Eight police officers faced penalties for negligence. Reportedly, the accused were found guilty of charges including criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide not amounting to murder of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Bombay Prohibition Act. (With PTI inputs)
29 April,2024 03:24 PM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgashePolice have registered a case against five persons in Maharashtra's Palghar district for allegedly kidnapping a 22-year-old woman, forcing her to marry her male friend and giving her a fake marriage certificate in Palghar, an official said on Monday, reported news agency PTI. The woman, a B.Com student and daughter of a jewellery shop owner in Dahanu area, called her male friend sometime back to inform that her family had decided to get her married to someone else. Later, the man threatened to commit suicide if she failed to marry him, an official from Dahanu police station said, reported PTI. On March 30, the man took the victim to his house in Dahanu to meet his family members. He allegedly gave her sedative-laced food laced and after consuming it, she fell unconscious. The woman was then allegedly driven by the accused to Umbargaon (in Valsad district of neighbouring Gujarat), asked to sign some papers and then taken to a temple where she was forcibly married to him, the official said, reported PTI. The man then drove the victim back to her house and warned her of dire consequences if she indulged in any activity against him and his family. On April 14, the man forwarded her a copy of the fake marriage certificate in Palghar on which the wedding date was mentioned as March 30, 2021 and the place as gram panchayat at Sulia, Kaparada, Valsad, which the woman claimed to have never visited, the official said, reported PTI. Based on her complaint, the Dahanu police on Saturday registered case against the man, his father, sister, uncle and an advocate under Indian Penal Code sections 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her for marriage, etc), 465, 466, 468, 471 (all for forgery), 496 (marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention), he added. (With inputs from PTI)
29 April,2024 02:33 PM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondentPolice have registered a case against 25 office-bearers of the Mumbai Agriculture Produce Market Committee at Vashi in Navi Mumbai for allegedly indulging in irregularities leading to losses of more than Rs 62 crore to the APMC, an official said on Monday, reported news agency PTI. From 2008 to 2013, the accused had taken certain decisions which allegedly resulted in these losses, he said. During a development phase of the APMC in Navi Mumbai, the accused had distributed galas (shops) admeasuring 4,43,391.66 square feet of area to 466 persons and charged them a reduced rate Rs 600 per sqft instead of (the applicable rate) of Rs 2,000 per sqft, the official from APMC police station said, reported PTI. Hence, they allegedly caused a revenue loss of Rs 62,07,48,324 to the APMC in Navi Mumbai, he said. The accused distributed the FSI at a reduced rate than the one of ready reckoner, and gave the gala owners letters of allotment of the FSI at an increased rate, the official said, reported PTI. Based on a complaint by an auditor, a case was registered on Saturday against 25 persons under Indian Penal Code sections 406, 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), the police said, reported PTI. Those named in the FIR include Shashikant Shinde, the NCP (SP) candidate from Satara Lok Sabha seat, and former APMC director Sanjay Pansare, who was arrested by the Navi Mumbai police last week in an alleged corruption case. Earlier last month, two members of an interstate gang which targeted merchants of the Vashi APMC in Navi Mumbai of Maharashtra have been arrested, a Crime Branch official said, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, they used to follow cars of merchants and then steal cash and valuables at an opportune time, Crime Unit II senior inspector Umesh Gawli said. "They were held on March 19 while moving on a scooter without a number plate. Three of their associates hail from Rajasthan. Items valued at Rs 13.64 lakh were recovered from arrested accused Ajay Chouhan and Rohan Kanjar," he said, as per the PTI. "They have cases against their names in Nhava Sheva, APMC, Sanpada, Panvel, Nerul, Kharghar, Vashi, Dindoshi and Shil-Daighar police stations," he added, the news agency reported. Meanwhile, a couple and their two daughters were booked for allegedly cheating a traffic policeman of Rs 1.17 crore, a Navi Mumbai police official said on Saturday, reported PTI. Ramakant Parida, his wife Rajnilaxmi and two daughters are accused of taking cash and jewellery cumulatively valued at Rs 1.17 crore on various pretexts and on the basis of forged documents from the complainant, the Nerul police station official said, reported PTI. "The accused work in a bank. A case of cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and other offences was registered on Thursday and probe is underway. No one has been arrested in the case," he said, reported PTI. (With inputs from PTI)
29 April,2024 02:22 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentA coach of a Mumbai local train on the Harbour Line derailed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) here on Monday morning, and no passengers were injured, a spokesperson of the Central Railway said. A trolley from one of the coaches of a CSMT-bound Mumbai local train from Panvel derailed as it pulled into platform number 2 around 11.35 am. "Derailment of Panvel 56 local while arriving at CSMT Platform no. 2 derailed at 11.35 hrs. No injury to any passengers," said Central Railway spokesperson. There was no report of injuries to passengers in the affected compartment, he said. The derailment, however, disrupted Mumbai local train services on the Harbour Line, and the CSMT-bound trains were terminated at Masjid station, the Central Railway spokesperson. The Harbour Line services will be operational from and to Wadala station, the Central Railway spokesperson said, adding that the restoration work is underway and trains on the Main Line will remain unaffected. The derailed coach's trolley was re-railed at 1.15 pm. The track was cleared at 1.55 pm.
29 April,2024 01:09 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. AklekarAmid ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Five prime ministers in five years jibe at the INDIA bloc, and said that they would even make two or four Prime Ministers in a year, but wouldn't let the country go towards "dictatorshipm," reported news agency ANI. Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi had claimed that the INDIA bloc would resort to a "one year, one PM" formula, leading to "5 Prime Ministers in 5 years", reported ANI. "A coalition government is much better than a democratically elected dictator. Who we choose as our Prime Minister is our wish. We will even make two or four Prime Ministers in a year, but we will not let our country go towards dictatorship. In two phases PM Modi is losing. INDIA bloc is crossing 300 seats in the Lok Sabha elections everyone will get to know on June 4," he said. Sanjay Raut also claimed that the NDA was losing in both phases of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 held till now, reported ANI. "On June 4 (the date of counting votes), you will learn that the INDIA bloc is crossing 300 seats," he said. Sanjay Raut further compared PM Modi with Aurangzeb and said that the Prime Minister "acts" like Aurangzeb "Maharashtra is of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Maharashtra has its own history. We always think why Narendra Modi acts like Aurangzeb. Yesterday he made a speech that Uddhav Thackeray who is holding hands with Aurangzeb like Congress but you yourself is Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb was born in Gujarat very few people know this. Aurangzeb where he was born is a neighbouring village of Narendra Modi's village, therefore Aurangzeb's soul has come in the body of Narendra Modi," he added, reported ANI. Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi said that asserted that the Congress and the INDIA bloc have two self goals "anti-nationalism and politics of hatred." "DMK party is very special to Congress and is abusing Sanatana. They are saying that the Sanatana is dengue and malaria. People who talk about destroying Sanatana Dharma are invited by INDI Alliance to Maharashtra and they are welcomed here. INDI Alliance has stooped so low in vote bank politics that they have allied with people who believe in Aurangzeb. What must Bala Saheb feel after seeing this?... Fake Shiv Sena is walking shoulder-to-shoulder with these people... Bala Saheb must have been very upset with this. Wherever his soul is, it must be upset seeing these activities," he added, reported ANI. He further attacked the INDIA bloc and said that if their government is formed, they will abrogate the CAA, reported ANI. "They (Congress and INDIA bloc) are saying that if their government is formed, they will abrogate the CAA. Will the county allow them to do this? If in case they try to do so they know what they have to face? Those who cannot win Lok Sabha seats in 3-digit numbers, can the INDI alliance even reach the door of forming a government. Their formula is 'Ek Saal, Ek PM'... And if they stay in power for 5 years, then 5 prime ministers. The Congress and INDI alliance are making speeches in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu demanding a separate country. Can the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ever accept this?" he said. Maharashtra will be polling in 11 seats in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 7. Out of 48 seats, voting in 13 seats has been completed in the first and second phases. The third phase will witness polling in 94 constituencies across 12 states/UTs. The polling in the second phase of the parliamentary elections simultaneously across 88 constituencies recorded an approximate voter turnout of 60.96 per cent as of 7 pm on Friday, according to the EC. With the conclusion of phase 2, voting has been completed in 14 states/UTs for the general elections in 2024. The results will be announced on June 4. (With inputs from ANI)
29 April,2024 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAt least 12 people were admitted to a hospital for suspected food poisoning in the last two days after they ate a non-vegetarian street food item in Goregaon area of Mumbai, a civic official said on Sunday. Hospitalised in Mumbai: Incident occurred in Goregaon He said nine of the 12 people have been discharged from the hospital while three others are recuperating. The incident occurred at Satellite Tower in Santosh Nagar area of Goregaon (East) on Friday after eating chicken shawarma, he said. Hospitalised in Mumbai: Nine people discharged "Twelve people complained of food poisoning on Friday and Saturday. They were admitted to a hospital. While nine people were discharged, three others are undergoing treatment," the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said without elaborating on whether the food was consumed by the 12 people at a hotel or shop. Hospitalised in Mumbai: Other incidents Earlier this month, around 50 students from a private coaching centre in Maharashtra's Pune district have been hospitalised after they suffered from food poisoning, a police official said, according to the PTI. All the students who fell ill are in a stable condition, he said. The private centre in Khed taluka has provided boarding facilities to over 500 students. It offers coaching to students preparing for Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the senior official said, reported the PTI. After having dinner at the coaching centre on Friday night, more than 50 students complained of food poisoning symptoms like stomach ache, vomiting and diarrhoea the next day. The students were admitted to a nearby hospital where their condition is stable, the official said. The police have launched a probe into the food poisoning incident and food samples are being sent for lab testing, the police official added, as per the news agency. Meanwhile, in an another incident, earlier this month, one person had died and more than 75 people fell sick allegedly due to food poisoning in Majri colliery area in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district, a health official had said, the PTI had earlier reported. According to the PTI, the incident occurred after more than 400 people had 'prasad' a day earlier during a religious function on the eve of Chaitra Navratri Mahotsav in a Kali temple, he said, according to the PTI. "Some of them started feeling unwell after reaching home and 79 arrived at Warora civil hospital past midnight. The condition of six persons was critical and they were shifted to Chandrapur district hospital. Of these, a man identified as Gurufem Yadav died," the official had said, the news agency had reported. The other patients were said to be stable and were under treatment, he added. (With inputs from PTI)
29 April,2024 08:30 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday appealed to voters to put aside other issues and vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he kept everyone alive by making vaccines available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fadnavis sought votes over vaccines during his addresses at Madha and Barshi towns in Solapur district. The senior BJP leader held his first rally at Barshi, part of the Osmanabad Parliamentary constituency, where Archana Patil of the NCP is contesting against incumbent MP Omraje Nimbalkar of the Shiv Sena (UBT). Madha falls under the Madha Lok Sabha constituency, where the BJP has re-nominated its sitting MP Ranjitsinh Nimbalkar against Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). “Put aside other issues and vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he kept us alive during the pandemic. He took the initiative and under his leadership, India not only produced its own vaccine but also supplied it to other countries,” said Fadnavis. He was referring to India’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme under which anti-COVID-19 jabs were supplied to several nations. The country was not in a strong position before Modi came to power, he said. “Earlier, people from Pakistan could easily come here and carry out terror attacks. The then Prime Minister would go to the US to complain about Pakistan, but nothing would happen. After Modi came to power, we retaliated by surgical strike and carried out air strikes to send out a strong message,” he said. Today, India is prospering while Pakistan is heading towards bankruptcy, Fadnavis said. Madha and Osmanabad will go to polls in the third phase of general elections on May 7. Elections to the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra have been scheduled in five phases of the general elections between April 19 and May 20. Votes will be counted on June 4. 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
29 April,2024 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesMumbai North Central MP Poonam Mahajan, who has been denied renomination by the BJP this time, has said people from the constituency treated her like family for 10 years and she hopes the relationship would always continue. In a post on X on Saturday, Mahajan, who has been replaced by prominent lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, also thanked the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving her an opportunity to serve the people of Mumbai North Central constituency for 10 years. “I wish to continue on the path of ‘nation first’ shown by my late father Pramod Mahajan. I hope to walk on that path always,” she said. The BJP on Saturday denied ticket to Mahajan and instead picked Nikam, who was the special public prosecutor in Mumbai terror attack and 1993 serial blasts cases, as its nominee from the Mumbai North Central seat. Nikam is pitted against Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad. In the post on X, Mahajan said, “I will be indebted to the family-like people from Mumbai North Central who treated me not just as an MP but gave me affection like a daughter.” Mahajan said she will dedicate each and every moment of her life to the service of the nation. The BJP has this time dropped all its three sitting MPs in Mumbai. It has replaced Gopal Shetty with Piyush Goyal in Mumbai North seat and Manoj Kotak with Mihir Kotecha in Mumbai North East constituency. In 2019, the BJP and its then ally Shiv Sena (undivided) won three seats each out of the total six in Mumbai. The Sena had won Mumbai South, Mumbai South Central and Mumbai North West. After a split in the party, Mumbai South Central MP Rahul Shewale and Mumbai North West parliamentarian Gajanan Kirtikar switched over to the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Only Shewale had been renominated by the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) has renominated Arvind Sawant from Mumbai South. The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the state is yet to announce its candidates for the Mumbai South and Mumbai North West seats. The Oopposition Congress is yet to announce its candidate in the Mumbai North seat. Polling in all the six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai will be held on May 20. 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
29 April,2024 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesWill the resignation of four-time MLA Arif Naseem Khan as a Congress star campaigner, in protest against the denial of a ticket to him, have serious repercussions for the party? It seems not. Soon after Khan’s resignation, a WhatsApp message went viral, urging Muslims to boycott election campaign events held by the Congress and NCP. Only then would these parties realise the value of Muslim support, said the message. Such was the backlash from the community that within hours, the message was deleted. This sequence of events sums up the mood of Muslim voters today. Whoever the candidate, their vote will go to the INDIA bloc, which they see as best placed to counter the BJP. This was the mood a month back when candidates had not been decided; it remains the same today, when not a single Muslim has been nominated by the alliance. However, the lack of Muslim candidates is indeed something that troubles the community. Earlier, the usual demand was for more tickets to Muslims. But the number of Muslims getting tickets has fallen so sharply that the community risks being marginalised in Parliament. “We didn’t expect the Shiv Sena to nominate anyone from our community,” said social worker Mansoor Darvesh. “But the Congress and NCP not doing so means they don’t care for our opinions at all.” Question of winnability? “The Congress and NCP talk about winnability as the criterion for choosing candidates,” said political activist Akif Dafedar. “Does that mean all their Hindu candidates win?” One reason parties cite for not giving tickets to Muslims is that Hindus will not vote for Muslim candidates. “This is wrong,” said Dafedar. “By saying this, you are painting all Hindus as communal.’’ There are, however, voices which question whether mere representation is enough. A community leader must be such that no party can afford to dump them, said Marathi Muslim Sangh convenor Faquir Thakur, adding that Mumbai’s Muslim MPs and MLAs were not of that calibre. Asked Farouque Mapkar: “What’s the point of a Muslim MP/MLA who does nothing for us?” Mapkar has seen the Muslim leadership up close in his long and lonely struggle to book the policeman who shot him during the 92-93 riots, and who was indicted by the Srikrishna Commission Report. “Arif Naseem Khan went to the Supreme Court for the implementation of the report, but after he became minister, did he do anything to get it implemented?” he asked. Mapkar raised another question: “What’s the point of Muslim representatives who cross over to the other side after winning on our votes?” Over the past few months, the NCP’s Nawab Malik, and the Congress’ Baba Siddiqui and Mushtaq Antulay, have joined Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP, which is in alliance with the BJP. Deafening silence The lack of Muslim candidates is compounded by the silence of parties on Muslim issues. “We have really become fit only to lay mats for party meetings (‘dari bichanewale’),” said a prominent religious figure wryly. “They want our votes, but won’t mention us in their campaigns. They’ve made us political untouchables. In UP, Holi is now celebrated by covering up mosques, and nobody protests. Is this the freedom we fought for?” Despite such concerns, Mumbai’s Muslims are forcing themselves to vote for the Congress-NCP, parties they’ve always been loyal to. Ironically, when it comes to Uddhav Thackeray, they are more than positive, though he heads a party they’ve always opposed. They give two reasons for this. One, Thackeray’s record as CM. Not only did his handling of COVID appeal to them (“Muslim women really liked the way he spoke on TV during the pandemic, like a reassuring family elder”), but they also appreciated the way he handled crises which could have spelt trouble for Muslims, be it the lynching of sadhus in Palghar, or Raj Thackeray’s ultimatum to stop azaan on loudspeakers. Secondly, as community activist Sayeed Khan pointed out, a new generation has grown up who have no memory of the 1992-93 riots, or the Shiv Sena’s role in them. Old-timers in the Sena may face awkward questions as they try to reach out to a community that has never voted for them, yet, the very people asking those questions know their vote will go to these old Sainiks. The best example of this can be seen in south Mumbai, where Muslims have voted for the Deoras since the 80s. Now, Milind Deora is with the NDA. Do Muslims here feel his absence? “Even if his father Murli were alive, and he had allied with the BJP, we wouldn’t have voted for him,” said one, as he set off to attend sitting Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant’s meeting. May 20Day Mumbai goes to the polls
29 April,2024 07:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Jyoti PunwaniADVERTISEMENT
