Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar Saturday said that there has been no proposal regarding an alliance with Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). “As there is no proposal for an alliance before us, we would not like to discuss it,” Pawar told reporters in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Pawar’s comments come in the wake of the allegation by Prakash Ambedkar that he (Pawar) was still siding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). NCP had advised Ambedkar to adopt restraint and avoid making statements against the partners of Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Asked about the discussions that Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) had with VBA and the announcement of an alliance between them, Pawar said, “We are not aware of what is going on between the two parties. Since we were not part of the discussions, we would not like to talk about it. And therefore, there cannot be any discussion about the distribution of seats.” Read More
Meanwhile, terming the recent remarks of Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju against the Collegium system for appointment of judges as a “diatribe”, former Supreme Court judge Rohinton Fali Nariman said Friday that if the last bastion of independent judiciary falls, the country will enter the “abyss of a new dark age”. He also said that “sitting on names” recommended by the Collegium was “deadly against democracy”. Nariman, who was part of the Supreme Court Collegium before retiring from the apex court in August 2021, made these remarks while delivering the seventh “Chief Justice MC Chagla Memorial Lecture” in Mumbai on “A tale of two Constitutions — India and the United States: the long and short of it all”.
Adding 10 acres to the open green space of Mumbai city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to expand the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Vanaspati Udyan and Zoo, popularly known as the Byculla zoo.
The zoo is spread across about 53 acres, and the BMC will add another 10 acres—seven acres of the newly acquired pocket of the Mafatlal Compound and the rest in the Poddar area.
Exotic zone’
The expansion plan proposes to create a special “exotic zone” to serve as a safe haven for exotic animals such as giraffes, zebras, jaguars, white lions, wallabies and chimpanzees.
The expansion is part of phase III of the zoo revamp project initiated in 2015. As part of the first phase, Humboldt penguins were added to the zoo in 2017. Phase II, launched in 2017, saw the construction of 17 animal exhibits as well as an aviary, which today houses over 100 bird species. Ninety per cent of the work on phase II is complete, according to a senior zoo official.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday took on Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the latter’s home turf for the “betrayal” he inflicted on the Sena, as well as Maharashtra, and asserted that the whole country knows they “sold out”, and for how much.
In his first visit to Thane since the Shiv Sena split last year, the former Maharashtra CM also paid tribute at the memorial of Anand Dighe, the late popular Sena leader who was considered Shinde’s mentor.
Thane was a stronghold of the united Sena for years, but with most supporters leaving with Shinde, this is seen as a move by Thackeray to rebuild the party in the district.
Mumbai News Live: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya too participated in the rally. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole has alleged the money of LIC and other PSUs was invested in Adani Group at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he claimed was "a massive scale of irregularities" and demanded a probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT).
He also demanded the Maharashtra government take back the Dharavi redevelopment project in Mumbai from the Adani group.
The Congress' demand for an SIT probe came days after a New York firm alleged in a report that its two-year investigation found the Adani Group "engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades".
Adani Group has threatened to sue Hindenburg Research for its "reckless" attempt to sabotage the mega share sale at Adani Enterprises and called the report "maliciously mischievous". (PTI)
A passenger on board an IndiGo flight to Mumbai from Nagpur allegedly attempted to remove the cover of the emergency exit when the aircraft was approaching for landing, the airline said on Sunday.
An FIR has been registered against the passenger for the alleged act, IndiGo said in a statement and added there was “no compromise” on the safety. Read more
Over 200 students at the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) in Mumbai watched the controversial BBC documentary on the 2002 Godhra riots on their personal devices inside the campus on Saturday evening. This was after a protest was held by BJP youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BYJM) outside the institute gates in Deonar.
The TISS administration maintained that the documentary was not screened, as students watched it on their personal devices. Read more
The Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai turned an expansive venue for ‘Lollapalooza India’ — a two-day musical extravaganza — which started on Saturday afternoon, with four stages set up on the race track over 225 acres to facilitate performance of nearly 40 artists who are expected to draw hordes of music lovers.
With probably being the biggest cultural event in the city following the Covid-induced restrictions, the large crowd which gathered at the racecourse on Saturday made the first-ever Asian edition of Lollapalooza quite an attraction. Read more
Mittu Singh, the lifeguard arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch earlier this month for allegedly murdering MBBS student Sadichcha Sane in November 2021, has refused to undergo a second lie detector test. He had undergone a lie detector test in 2021, when he was a suspect in the case but was let off due to lack of evidence.
As per law, the police require the consent of the person concerned to make him undergo a lie detector test. Read more
Ashish Shelar, Mumbai BJP president, Mumbai North, BJP MP Gopal Shetty, Pravin Darekar BJP MLC and former leader of opposition in Legislative Council during MVA government, Kirit Somaiya senior BJP leader, Bhatkalkar, BJP MLA from Kandivali east and Manoj Kotak, BJP MP from Mumbai North East also took part in the rally.
The rally saw the participation of people from various walks life. Starting from BJP's Kirit Somaiya to homemakers here is a list of people from different professions, who were spotted at Shivaji Park. Shubhangi Dumani, 45, Vikhroli, interior designer from RSS group of housing colony, Archana Hazare, 39, a graphic designer and now a home maker, Sakshi Mangesh, 41, a house maker, Bhuvan Joshi Malad, a rickshaw driver and Chitra Wagh, state president of BJP Mahila Morcha.
Actor Rakhi Sawant on early Sunday morning confirmed that her mother Jaya Bheda died at a hospital here.
Bheda, 73, passed away around 9 pm on Saturday, according to Deepak Namjoshi, pulmonologist and director, CritiCare Asia Multispecialty Hospital & Research Center, Juhu.
In a statement shared on her Instagram Stories, Sawant said the funeral will be held on Sunday noon at Municipal Christian Cemetery here. PTI
A motorman of a local train sustained minor head injuries after the boom of a Hydra crane dashed the local's front portion at Naigaon station in Palghar district in the wee hours of Saturday, an official said.
According to official reports, the Hydra crane was working near Naigaon's Western line when it hit the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) motor cabin causing damage to the windshield of the cabin. After the incident, the motorman sustained minor head injuries and was immediately provided primary aid by a fellow motorman.
Reportedly, the incident took place after the crane operator was distracted by passenger activity during the incident. Further details awaited. (ANI)
With a group of students moving to watching the BBC documentary on a laptop after the screening was stopped in the wake of protests by BJP Yuva Morcha workers, a divide has erupted among the students. Another student collective, the Democratic Secular Students Forum, has condemned the screening/watching of the controversial documentary inside campus.
Sairam Macha, a student belonging to the group said: "Despite warning by the administration and in the presence of security forces, the controversial BBC documentary was screened on campus on laptops. We condem such screening. We also urge the TISS administration to take stringent action against PSF and also the student representatives who supported it."
Meanwhile, the Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF), a student collective at TISS that has planned the screening of the documentary, said "everything was normal and usual inside the campus and that there was no change in its officially announced plans."
Speaking to reporters at the protest site, BJP Yuva Morcha's Tajinder Singh Tiwana said that the "anti-India film is set to be screened with malafide intentions." "The Institute authorities have not been able to provide any satisfactory response to our concerns. We will continue the protest,' he says.
Since the inauguration of the Phase 2 of Mumbai Metro’s Lines 2A and 7 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 19 and the commencement of commercial operations from the next day, more than 10 lakh commuters have availed the services, showed figures. The total ridership on these lines has also crossed the 1 million-mark, said officials.
The two lines, a total of 35 km, are now fully operational and connected with Metro Line 1 (Versova and Ghatkopar via Andheri), creating the first Metro network in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). In addition, because of its connectivity with the railway line through Metro 1, millions of Mumbaikars have benefited from it. (Read More)
Terming the recent remarks of Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju against the Collegium system for appointment of judges as a “diatribe”, former Supreme Court judge Rohinton Fali Nariman said Friday that if the last bastion of independent judiciary falls, the country will enter the “abyss of a new dark age”. He also said that “sitting on names” recommended by the Collegium was “deadly against democracy”.
Nariman, who was part of the Supreme Court Collegium before retiring from the apex court in August 2021, made these remarks while delivering the seventh “Chief Justice MC Chagla Memorial Lecture” in Mumbai on “A tale of two Constitutions — India and the United States: the long and short of it all”. (Read More)
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) president Uddhav Thackeray Friday said the people of Maharashtra are waiting for the election and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will win 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming general election.
Thackeray was referring to the poll survey conducted by TV news channels and a polling survey agency, which projected that if the election is held now, MVA will get at least 34 seats in the Parliament election, which is slated to be held in 2024. (Read More)
Amarinder Singh, former chief minister of Punjab, is likely to be appointed the new Governor of Maharashtra. The development comes days after incumbent Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari expressed his desire to step down from the post.
Koshyari, who has faced Opposition criticism and demands for his resignation over various issues throughout his tenure, said on Monday that he had conveyed his desire to step down to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“During the recent visit of the Hon’ble Prime Minister to Mumbai, I have conveyed to him my desire to be discharged of all political responsibilities and to spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing and other activities. I have always received love and affection from the Hon’ble Prime Minister and I hope to receive the same in this regard,” Koshyari said in a statement released by Raj Bhavan. (Read More)
In order to control malpractices during admissions in schools, the Maharashtra government on Friday made submission of Aadhaar card of both students and parents mandatory during the admission process.
The Government Resolution (GR) issued by the school education department on Friday cited a case of corruption in Beed, where bogus students were shown to have got admission. It stated that the government was considering issuing guidelines, which could prevent such instances in future. “Based on the HC order, a committee was formed under the chairmanship of justice P V Hardas to provide recommendations. The committee submitted its report and accordingly the state has issued the guidelines,” it stated. (Read More)
Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar has urged the Maharashtra government to take police action against students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) after they announced their plan to go ahead with the screening of the controversial BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’ on the campus Saturday. The institute’s administration earlier issued a warning to students against screening the documentary.
In a statement, Shelar said, “The police should act or else we will have to step in. It is a bogus documentary. And those determined to show this documentary in public are escalating tensions. It will lead to law-and-order problems. TISS should stop this immediately.”
arlier this week, Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF) – a student collective at TISS –announced the screening of the documentary on campus on Saturday in solidarity with students from Delhi. On Friday, however, the institute’s administration issued an advisory to students asking them to refrain from participating in activities in connection with the documentary. (Read More)
The Maharashtra government will host the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Janmotsav between February 18 and 23 at the Shivneri Fort in Pune, with various events for tourists.
Tourism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said on Friday, “We will make this into an annual festival. Every year, thousands of people, for their love of Shivaji Maharaj, visit the fort, and various kinds of celebrations are held. This year, the government especially wants to organise it.”
The year marks the beginning of the 350th year of the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. (Read More)
The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has given its nod for a water taxi service between Gateway of India and Belapur. The vessel ‘NAYAN XI’, to be operated by Nayantara Shipping Pvt Ltd, will be the only service on this route, which is expected to begin in the first week of February. At present, from Gateway of India, water transport services are usually available only up to Mandwa.
The service is likely to be inaugurated on February 4. However, an official confirmation is awaited from state Shipping Minister Dadaji Bhuse, MLA Manda Vijay Mhatre and Maharashtra Maritime Board and MbPT, according to Infinity Harbour Services LLP (IHSLLP), which is the operational and commercial partner.
The vessel will sail from Belapur at 8.30 am, reaching Gateway of India at 9.30 am. From Gateway of India, it will leave at 6.30 pm and arrive at Belapur at 7.30 pm. Tickets will be priced at Rs 250 for the lower deck and Rs 350 for the upper / business deck. For ticketing and online sales, Nayantara Shipping Pvt Ltd has collaborated with MyBoatRide.com (brand owner of Infinity Harbour Services), which is in the business of digital ticketing. (Read More)
Days after chaos in Delhi universities over the screening of the controversial BBC documentary on 2002 Godhra riots, the administration of Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) in Mumbai on Friday issued a cirular to its students, asking them to refrain from any such activity which “may disturb the academic environment and jeopardise the peace and harmony on campus”.
Earlier this week, a student collective from TISS, Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF), had announced the screening of the BBC documentary India: The Modi question on the campus on Saturday in solidarity with students from Delhi. (Read More)
Naqi Ahmed Shaikh, an accused in the 2011 Mumbai triple blasts case, wrote to court on Wednesday that he was going on an indefinite hunger strike seeking that the trial, which is yet to begin 11 years after the incident, commence and be heard daily.
Following this, Shaikh was produced before the court on Friday through video-conference from Taloja Central Prison, where he is lodged. The court partly allowed Shaikh’s plea stating that the trial can be conducted expeditiously and directed for the prosecution and defence to cooperate to proceed with the trial. The court said that since there is pendency of other matters of undertrial prisoners and other time-bound matters, it is not possible to conduct day-to-day trial. (Read More)