Mumbai News Highlights: Jarange-Patil camp is unconvinced by CM Eknath Shinde's announcement yesterdayMumbai News Highlights (October 25): Jalna-based Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil has once again started hunger strike after the 40 days of time given to the government to announce the reservation expired. “This time I will not take any medical treatment.. I will not drink water or have any food. Now we will intensify our protest.. chain hunger strike, candle marches will be organised. We request the all party politicians to not come to our villages till reservation is given to the Marathas,”Jarange Patil said.
Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index level in Mumbai continue to hover over ‘moderate category with System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) indicating 139 on Wednesday morning. The Indian Express’ series Death by Breath has revealed that inaction by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on several fronts over the last couple of years has resulted in the deteriorating air quality in the island city ahead of the onset of winter.
In other news, pressing on the INDIA alliance, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray said it is time to have a coalition government in the country. Check out what he said about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shinde Sena MLAs disqualification and more during Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park yesterday. Shinde during his Dussehra speech also hit back at Thackeray, click here and read what he said.
CRPF women personnel take part in a 'bike rally', showing the indomitable spirit of 'Nari Shakti' at the Gateway of India. (PTI)
BMC announced 'complete ban on open burning" of garbage today. Mumbai's Guardian minister, Deepak Kesarkar on Wednesday said that BMC is setting a process and will start segregation of garbage at the the two landfills -- Deonar and Kanjurmarg -- in Mumbai soon.
The Indian Express earlier reported on air pollution due to open burning of garbage. The BMC’s Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP) released in March this year has identified garbage and solid waste burning in the open as one of the top five sources of air pollution. An Express Series ‘Death by Breath’ launched on October 19 reveals how rising pollution levels in Mumbai over the years has exposed its people, particularly young children, to health hazards with adverse long-term consequences. Over the following days and weeks, the newspaper will report on all aspects of the city’s air pollution crisis and the possible solutions and interventions needed.
Senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde has said that he is "as good as" retiring from politics, and his daughter and MLA Praniti Shinde will contest the coming Lok Sabha election from Solapur in southern Maharashtra.
Shinde, a former chief minister, represented the Solapur Lok Sabha constituency in 1998, 1999 and 2009, but lost to BJP candidates in 2014 and 2019. Praniti is a three-time MLA from Solapur City Central constituency.
"I have announced publicly that Praniti will be contesting the Lok Sabha seat as I am as good as retiring from politics. I will be extending all the help, but Praniti will be the candidate," said Shinde, replying to a reporter's question at Solapur on Tuesday. (PTI)
BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya has filed three defamation suits in the Bombay High Court against Ambadas Danve, leader of opposition Maharashtra Legislative Council, Lokshahi news channel and one Anil Thatte, who runs a YouTube channel for uploading content pertaining to an alleged obscene video of Somaiya.
Somaiya has sought Rs 100 crore damages from each of the defendants claiming that they have made allegedly defamatory statements against him with regard to the video.
He also sought a direction to the respondents to take down the videos, not upload any more such defamatory videos or make statements against Somaiya in future.
Somaiya also sought an unconditional apology from the defendants. (PTI)
A case has been registered by Navi Mumbai police against four persons, said to be journalists, for allegedly extorting money from a Panvel-based spa owner, an official said on Wednesday.
No one has been arrested in the case yet, said senior inspector Nitin Thackeray of Panvel police station.
The accused were identified as Kiran Surwade, Santosh Mhaske, Vikas Jha and Zahid Dasana. It was not known which media organisations they were working for.
As per the complainant, the accused threatened to report alleged illegal activities going on at his spa to the police, and extracted Rs 26,000 from him. (PTI)
Soon after Nilesh Rane, the elder son of Union minister Narayan Rane, made a surprise announcement that he was quitting active politics, some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including a Maharashtra minister, held talks with the former MP, urging him to withdraw his decision.
State Public Works Department Minister Ravindra Chavan, who was recently appointed as Sindhudurg district guardian minister, met Rane and sought to assuage his concerns. He claimed on Wednesday that Rane was upset as his concerns towards local party workers were being ignored.
Rane on Tuesday announced on X that he has decided to stay away from politics forever as he was no longer interested in it.
His father Narayan Rane is Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), while his brother Nitesh Rane is a BJP MLA representing the Kankavli assembly constituency. The Rane family hails from the coastal Sindhudurg district. Narayan Rane was a chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999 as a member of the Shiv Sena during the Sena-BJP coalition government. He later joined the Congress in 2005 and the BJP in 2019. (PTI)
Renowned filmmakers Mani Ratnam and Luca Guadagnino will be honoured with the Excellence in Cinema Award at the 2023 Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, the organisers announced on Wednesday.
The award, which honours individuals who have made outstanding, long-lasting contributions to the world of film and cinema, will be bestowed on them on the festival's opening day on Friday.
"It's a privilege to award these formidable artists. They have redefined and expanded our ideas of what cinema can be. We look forward to having them at Jio MAMI," said Anupama Chopra, festival director, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, in a statement.
Ratnam and Guadagnino will attend the festival to receive the honour and also conduct masterclasses during the film gala.
The festival will also screen Ratnam's two-part epic "Ponniyin Selvan", and Guadagnino's 2009 Golden Globe-nominated film "I Am Love". (PTI)
The Western Railway is carrying out the work of construction of a new sixth line between Khar and Goregaon station comprising an 8.8 km stretch in the Mumbai suburban section.
For this work, around 2,525 local train services will be cancelled from October 27 (Friday) to November 6 (Monday), as per the Railways.
The pending dues of 22 hospitals offering medical services in Maharashtra's Jalna district under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) have touched nearly Rs 10 crore, an official said on Wednesday.
MJPJAY is a flagship cashless health insurance scheme of the Maharashtra government and covers a comprehensive range of 996 diseases.
According to Avinash Markad, the Jalna coordinator of MJPJAY, the pending dues of 22 private hospitals from the district empanelled under the scheme had touched nearly Rs 10 crore since June of which Rs 1.5 crore has already been released, he said.
Private hospitals in Jalna district, however, have expressed concerns over the pending dues. “If we don't get the dues, we might be forced to shut down services under MJPJAY,” said the director of a hospital in Jalna city requesting not to be identified. (PTI)
Jalna-based Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil said he had given 40 days of time to the government to announce the reservation which expired on Tuesday (October 24) but the government has not announced the reservation hence he is sitting on hunger strike again.
"This time I will not take any medical treatment.. I will not drink water or have any food.. the government has not taken any steps to give a reservation yet. Now we will intensify our protest but it won't be aggressive in nature.. chain hunger strike will take place in the villages.. candle marches will be organised. We request the all party politicians to not come to our villages till reservation is given to the Marathas,"Jarange Patil said further appealing the community members to not take extreme step and urged the community to not be aggressive.
After Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) saying he would not be surprised if they allied with terrorist groups like Hamas and Lashkar-e-Taiba for their own selfish motives, Sanjay Raut hit back saying, "... He (Eknath Shinde) is himself Hamas... This shows how many dirty worms the BJP has planted in your mind..."
With the deadline set by him having ended on Tuesday, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil is set to announce his decision to go on fast unto death Wednesday. Jarange-Patil had given 40 days to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to announce reservations for the Maratha community.
On Tuesday, during his Dussehra speech at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, Shinde declared that his government is committed to providing reservations for the Maratha community. The Jarange-Patil camp, however, is unconvinced by his announcement.
After Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde slammed Uddhav Thackeray yesterday, Maharashtra Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said, "...He (Eknath Shinde) is speaking all this because of the support that Uddhav Thackeray is getting. They should declare elections and then they will know who is original and who is a duplicate, who has the support of the public, and who has Shiv Sena's ideology..."
The show of strength at Dussehra rallies between Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde continued this year as well. At the Shivaji Park gathering, Thackeray, while hitting out at the Shinde-led Sena, batted for a coalition government, saying, “The country needs a strong government but not of one party with brute majority.” Speaking from the dais at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, CM Shinde held no bars, hitting out at Thackeray, saying: “I won’t be surprised if they (Thackeray) merge with the Congress. Instead of being proud as Hindu, they are now proud to join hands with socialists. They will even join hands with Owaisi.”
CM Eknath Shinde said that Uddhav Thackeray always wanted to become the Chief Minister but had hidden his real face for long. “He had sent two people to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar to tell him that he should be made the Chief Minister. He had taken the sage’s avatar, but he was actually an opportunist,” said Shinde.
During the rally at Azad Maidan, CM Eknath Shinde hit out at Uddhav Thackeray's faction for joining hands with socialists and the Congress, instead of being proud of their Hindu identity.
He further said that his party withdrew from the fight for Shivaji Park as Dussehra rally venue as he wanted to maintain peace. “I could have held the rally at Shivaji Park. But I am the head of the state and wanted to maintain peace. Last year, we held the rally at BKC. I told my people that for me any place where I can reiterate Balasaheb’s thoughts is Shivtirth for me,” said Shinde.
During the rally at Azad Maidan, CM Eknath Shinde hit out at Uddhav Thackeray's faction for joining hands with socialists and the Congress, instead of being proud of their Hindu identity.
He further said that his party withdrew from the fight for Shivaji Park as Dussehra rally venue as he wanted to maintain peace. “I could have held the rally at Shivaji Park. But I am the head of the state and wanted to maintain peace. Last year, we held the rally at BKC. I told my people that for me any place where I can reiterate Balasaheb’s thoughts is Shivtirth for me,” said Shinde.
Thanking Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil for leading the reservation protests maturely, Uddhav Thackeray said protestors were lathicharged in Jalna just how British General Dyer had unleashed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
'In a similar manner, this government charged lathis on the villagers who were protesting peacefully. The villagers were brutally beaten. This issue was also burning when I was CM, but there was no lathischarge. the police do not act with out orders. Who is the General Dyer of Jalna?' he asked.
He further hit out at the Centre for not resolving the Maratha issue during the special parliament session convened last month. 'If this issue has to be sorted, it has to resolved through the Lok Sabha. We were expecting that a decision will be taken during the special parliamentary session organised last month,' he said.
Speaking at Shivaji Park, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray expressed displeaure over the delay in disqualification proceedings against the fractured party's MLAs. Stating that the country is watching, Uddhav said, "We have gone to the Supreme Court, but only fresh dates are given. Despite a rap from SC, a lesson is not learnt ." Uddhav's statement was a jibe against Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar who has repeatedly said that he will follow the due procedure and will neither delay nor hurry up hearing of the disqualification pleas.
"If this tribunal is not following the orders of Supreme Court, then the question arises if the SC will exist in this country or not. Let's see what happens, but I say that let the elections take place before the decision on the disqualification and see what the voters do with these people," Uddhav said.
Former CM Uddhav Thackeray began his address at the Shivaji Park Dussehra rally, as large crowds remained in attendance.
CM Eknath Shinde has arrived at Azad Maidan for the public rally. A chair has been kept vacant on the stage, symbolising it as that of late Bal Thackeray
A 39-year-old functionary of Shiv Sena was killed and three workers of the party were injured as a tanker hit their SUV in Maharashtra's Sangli district when they were headed to Mumbai for the Dussehra rally.
The incident occurred at Shirdhon village in Kavathe Mahankal tehsil in the morning. The local functionary of Shiv Sena, identified as Vivek Teli, was killed while three of his colleagues were injured, a police official said, adding that the condition of one of them was critical. (PTI)
What has politics in Maharashtra got to do with Mumbai’s Shivaji Park? A lot, historians and political analysts say.
For Shiv Sena, this is where its founder late Bal Thackeray held his first political rally here on the day of Dussehra 56 years ago, an event that would recur every year thereafter. Thackeray would use these rallies to spell out the party’s political agenda from time to time, hit out at his rivals and offer motivational speeches to his followers, said veteran Sena leader and MP Gajanan Kirtikar.
When Thackeray died in 2012, he was cremated here. Sena workers call Shivaji Park ‘Shiva-tirtha,’ or a holy place, that now houses a memorial to Bal Thackeray. Read the full story here
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had at last year's Dussehra rally called his successor Eknath Shinde and his supporters “traitors” and insisted that this stamp will remain forever. “As time changes, Ravan’s face also changes. Today, it is the traitors (who are Ravan). When I was unwell and underwent a surgery, I had given the responsibility to him (Shinde). But he conspired against me thinking I will never stand up on my feet again,” Thackeray had said, months after Shinde's rebellion brought down the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.
Shinde, meanwhile, asserted his rebellion was not an act of “betrayal”, but a “revolt” and asked Uddhav Thackeray to kneel down at party founder Bal Thackeray’s memorial and apologise for going against his ideals and aligning with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The allotment of Shivaji Park to Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) for the Dussehra rally this year was a smooth sail as the Sena faction led by incumbent Chief Minister Eknath Shinde withdrew its claim over the venue to hold its rally.
However, last year, the two factions, fresh from a split, fought tooth-and-nail to host their respective rallies at Shivaji Park. Citing law and order situation, the BMC had denied permission to both the factions of the Shiv Sena to hold the annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park. Soon after, Uddhav-led Sena knocked on the Bombay High Court's doors, securing permission to hold the Dussehra Melawa in 2022 at the Dadar ground.
It was after this setback that the Shinde-led faction held its Dussehra rally at the MMRDA grounds in BKC.
Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray reached Shivaji Park in Dadar for the Dussehra rally. Meanwhile, CM Eknath Shinde will be addressing a rally at Azad Maidan.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is leading the community’s agitation for reservation, on Sunday said an intensified agitation which will include fast unto death and a hunger strike will be launched from October 25 as the state government is unlikely to provide reservation by the set deadline of October 24.
“From October 25, I will launch a fast unto death. During this hunger strike, I will not take any medicine nor will avail of any medical assistance. I will give up food and water as well. To get justice for the Maratha community, I will launch a strict hunger strike,” Jarange-Patil said at a press conference in Antarwali Saraati village in Jalna district.
“I had first set a deadline of October 14 for deciding on the Maratha community’s demand for reservation. I had given them a full month. After that, I gave them 10 more days. Now, the deadline is October 24. After that I will not extend the deadline even by 15 minutes,” Jarange-Patil said.
As the two Shiv Sena factions are set to hold their annual Dussehra public rallies in Mumbai on Tuesday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has launched a new music video, seeking to reclaim the legacy of Sena founder Bal Thackeray.
Interestingly, even as the music video has the Shiv Sena UBT name and poll symbol — mashaal — the lyrics underline that the party name and symbol do not mean much for Shiv Sainiks, and however, stresses that the Thackeray name is synonymous with the party and that the Shiv Sainiks owe their allegiance only to the Thackerays. Read the full story here
An eight-member committee, appointed to probe the fire incident in Unnat Nagar of Goregaon, has recommended various measures to ensure safety in buildings of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) for safe evacuation during a fire. “To ensure that the ladder is durable and long lasting, the SRA authorities should ensure that it is made of wrought iron,” the report stated. Read more
Maharashtra BJP leader Pankaja Munde announced Tuesday that she would not leave the ground till 2024 elections, expressing her resolve to “relentlessly fight against injustice”.
“I am often asked if I will leave the BJP and join other parties. To those raising questions, I would like to state that my loyalty is not founded on weak premises,” she said at a Dussehra rally in Bhagwangad in Beed district, where her supporters hailed her as their “chief minister”. Read more
Days after a controversy was triggered over “veg-only-tables” at one of the hostel-messes at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Insight — the official student-media-body of the institute, published an article questioning the segregation. Terming the decision a “dangerous precedent”, the body has put forward the far-reaching implications of the decision.
Pointing out that hostel-life is different from the ways of home-living, Insight emphasised on the need to deal with this unfamiliarity. “While this is a testament to the fact that we need to support each other, this demand for segregation in the name of inclusivity (and worse, the acceptance of this demand) is unreasonable,” stated the article. Read the full story here
BJP leader Nilesh Rane, who is the elder son of Union Minister Narayan Rane, has announced his withdrawal from electoral politics.
Nilesh Rane was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 from Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency as a member of the Indian National Congress (INC). He had unsuccessfully contested for the Congress in 2014 and again in 2019 on a Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha ticket after parting ways with the Congress and allying with the BJP. Read more
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has delayed the announcement of new dust mitigation plans, which were scheduled to be rolled out on Monday.
Sources in the BMC said that the civic body on Monday was in the process of holding discussions with various stakeholders in the construction industry but could not reach a consensus on the final guidelines. Read more
Maharashtra OBC Mahasangh president Babanrao Taywade said Monday the organisation has adopted the strategy of “wait and watch” while reiterating that there will be no change in its stand on Maratha reservation, for which the state government has been given an October 24 deadline by community leaders.
Read the full story here
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had on Sunday said the state government, led by him and the two deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, is committed to provide reservation to Marathas and implored the community members to keep patience and not take any extreme steps.
Shinde appealed to Marathas to give the government some time and assured them that the state will fulfill the promise of reservation to them.
Nearly 15,000 of the 40,000-strong Mumbai Police force will be out on the streets to ensure law and order on Tuesday when three major events are scheduled to be held in the city — two Dussehra rallies by Shiv Sena factions and the World Cup match between South Africa and Bangladesh at Wankhede Stadium.
“Supporters of both the factions will heading towards their respective venues from early evening. As these supporters, who have extreme differences, are expected to travel by public transport, we have to be alert to avoid clashes,” said an official. Read more
Akshay Gawte, 22, from Buldhana of Maharashtra fulfilled his childhood dream by joining as an Agniveer three months ago much against the wishes of his family members. However, he couldn’t live his dream for long and died on October 21 in Siachen glacier where he was deployed on duty.
The family was inconsolable when his mortal remains were brought to his village in Saray of Pimpalgaon where the funeral was held on Monday. “We used to yell at Akshay, discouraging him from joining the Army as he was our only son but he was committed to join…,” said Akshay’s father Laxman Gawte. The Army informed that Akshay died of a heart attack, family members said.
Gawte, who served for over nine months died on October 21 at the Siachen Glacier after complaining of uneasiness. While he is the first casualty since the Agnipath recruitment scheme began, the actual cause of his death is still not known. Read More
Apprehensive that the Opposition’s protests might feed into resentment over the lack of government jobs, the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government has rolled back a policy on contractual recruitment of government employees. The government moved fast, being already shaky over growing quota demands from different communities, also triggered by their fear of shrinking opportunities.
The Shiv Sena (Shinde)-BJP government announced the rollback on contractual appointments on October 20, with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis pointing fingers at the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, saying the policy was framed by it. He also claimed to have himself raised objections to it, and said that his protests against “inflated” rates awarded to private agencies for contract recruitment had led to these being curtailed to 25%.
“Why should we own up to their sin? Why should we own up to their decision and get the flak?” Fadnavis said. Read More
On Tuesday morning, the CPCB data reflected that the AQI levels have touched 181 in Mumbai with Deonar experiencing the worst air quality in the city at 278 followed by Sion where the AQI stands at 247. Colaba and Bandra East have registered an AQI of 239 and 225 respectively. Borivali east's AQI, meanwhile, stands at 96 which is the best in the city.
Opposition NCP's state unit chief Jayant Patil announce new public outreach party campaign from Dussehra. "Me Maharashtravadi, Ladha Asmitecha Aaplya Swabhimanacha'' (I am for Maharashtra, fight for pride, our self - respect) will be the tagline of this where focus will be on party chief Sharad Pawar.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and Padma Shri Shankar Mahadevan, who has been invited as the chief guest, were also present on the occasion.
Noted singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan on Tuesday hailed the contribution of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) towards the nation, its culture, traditions and preservation of the ideology of 'Akhand Bharat'.
Here's what he said:
- Some anti-social people call themselves cultural Marxists or woke but they have forgotten Marx.
- He cautions against attempts to garner votes by inflaming emotions ahead of 2024 general elections.
- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat asks people to vote keeping in mind unity, integrity, identity and development of the country
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also performed 'Shastra Pooja' on the occasion of 'Vijayadashami Utsav'.
Were extremists across the border involved in Manipur violence: Mohan Bhagwat at RSS Dussehra rally in Nagpur.
'For many years Meitei and Kuki communities have been living together. How did the violence erupt all of a sudden? The conflict benefits external forces. Are external factors involved?'
'The Union Home Minister Amit Shah was there for three days. But who actually fuelled the conflict? It is not happening, it is being made to happen.'
'It is not only about peace, it is also about uniting the society. The RSS is going to everbody and talking about unity and peace. We are risking our lives in such volatile situations. We are proud of the RSS workers who worked in Manipur.'
'We need to be united in the face of any problem. This is the lesson we've learned from it.'
'Country is moving forward. But while moving forward, we need to show the world. We should not follow anyone else's path. This is reflecting in our government's actions as well,' he says.
'Our country is moving forward in all aspects,' he says.
He mentions India's growth in terms of the economy, digital technology, startup space among others.
"India is being recognised for its greatness across the world," he says mentioning the G20 Presidency hosted by India this year.
"It happens every year but this time the praise for how well the guests were hosted and treated. The announcement of including the African Union on day one was a milestone," he says. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam was spoken about, he says.
'If India is a song, the RSS is the 'sargam' that silently and strongly backs it,' Shankar Mahadevan says making an analogy of music to describe what he think of the RSS.
He thanks everyone for the 'lifetime opportunity' and apologises if he has said something 'incorrect'. He concludes the address with a rendition of the song Bharat.
Singing brief lines from his popular songs, Shankar Mahadevan speaks about the importance of letting the next generation know about the influence of Indian culture even in commercial music.
'The marching band is also based on various ragas, chief Mohan Bhagwat told me. I would love the work with them whenever I get the chance next,' he says.
'We are a country that prays for every creature's peace. The next generation must understand and realise,' he says.
Every citizen, be it any profession including a musician like me, have certain responsibilties towards the country. You need to show some respect and allegiance to the country and make a difference through your work,' Mahadevan says addressing the RSS gathering.
'The meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat ji in Mumbai when he extended me the invite was personal, one-on-one and warm. I'm incredibly fortunate,' Mahadevan says.
'It is a spectacular programme. I am feeling so happy. It has made me an even more proud Bharatiya nagarik (citizen) today.'
Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan is present at the RSS Vijayadashami Utsav event in Nagpur, Maharashtra as the chief guest of the function. He witnessed the 'Path Sanchalan' (route march) and the rally.