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This is an archive article published on July 31, 2023

Mumbai this week: Sambhaji Bhide’s Gandhi remark raises storm; heavy rains lead to traffic woes, but recharge lakes

Next week: Maharashtra Assembly's Monsoon Session to conclude; Sharad Pawar and PM Narendra Modi to share stage in Pune; and more

Congress workers raise slogans during a protest against right-wing activist Sambhaji Bhide over his alleged derogatory remarks about Mahatma Gandhi, outside party office in Thane. (PTI)

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A remark by Hindutva activist Sambhaji Bhide on Mahatma Gandhi’s lineage raised a storm in Maharashtra, with Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan demanding his arrest. Police swung into action and filed an FIR after Chavan received a death threat on his e-mail.

Meanwhile, Prakash Ambedkar, the president of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, said Bhide’s remarks are an outcome of the political patronage he has enjoyed from the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Following are the other important updates from Mumbai and Maharashtra in the past week (July 24-30):

On the political front

Assembly Session

The Maharashtra Assembly Session will resume on August 2 and continue till August 4. While protests over the situation in Manipur resounded in the past week, the Opposition also staged a walkout alleging that no action had been taken against portals that had allegedly uploaded objectionable content on Savitribai Phule.

During the proceedings, Industries Minister Uday Samant announced that the government would release a White Paper on industries, highlighting the reasons why four mega industrial projects did not come to Maharashtra. Meanwhile, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar refuted allegations of unequal distribution of funds by the Opposition, and said he followed the fund distribution pattern of 2019, 2020 and 2021 when tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was in power.

NCP vs NCP

After the NCP split, the Election Commission asked the two factions to share with each other documents that they had submitted to the poll panel in connection with their dispute, a source told The Indian Express.

When the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar joined the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra, it gave credence to speculation that he would replace CM Eknath Shinde as the chief minister. Nearly a month later, the question on everybody’s mind is: What’s next for Ajit Pawar? Read the analysis by Shubhangi Khapre

Opposition statements and rallies

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A week after they held a “courtesy meet”, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray expressed displeasure over Deputy CM Ajit Pawar asking his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar to retire from politics since he had grown old. After the meet, however, he also praised the NCP leader for his ability and efficiency.

Moving to the fractured Shiv Sena, Speaker Rahul Narvekar gave a two-week period to 40 Shinde led Sena MLAs to file detailed replies after the two factions replied to disqualification notices.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray are set to hold joint rallies in Maharashtra. For the first time after a split in his party, Sharad Pawar will also start a state-wide tour from Tuljapur in Osmanabad in the Marathwada region on August 16.

Why Uddhav Thackeray’s open challenge to Modi-Shah is empty rhetoric. Read on…

Rains recede; leave behind woes

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Heavy rains lashed Mumbai for most of last week, leaving roads inundated, resulting in traffic snarls and delays in train and bus services. Elevated Metro Lines 2A and 7 that came to the aid of the people at this time.

At this time, the BMC said that more than 6,000 potholes were filled by the civic body in the past one month, while a road in Andheri that was repaired for PM Modi’s visit a few months ago saw emergence of potholes. While surveying the Wada-Bhiwandi stretch and Mumbai-Nashik Highway, Shinde directed the administration to solve the traffic issues and fill all the potholes in two days.

Read Pratip Acharya’s report on why no major instances of prolonged waterlogging were reported despite heavy rains

Four persons sustained minor injuries in three separate cases of structural collapses, while debris from a landslide entered an Andheri building and left cracks in its structure. More than 100 trees collapsed in the city, even as the wettest July of its history was recorded. While water level in the region’s lakes crossed the 70 per cent mark on Saturday, light to moderate downpour is expected over the next few days.

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Also Read | Solving Crime | How indelible ink mark on man’s finger helped cops solve his murder case

Other important news this week:

Not contract hiring, 3,000 cops to be outsourced temporarily: DyCM Devendra Fadnavis
26 years after Datta Samant killing, CBI court acquits Chhota Rajan
Projects valued at over Rs 19k crore face hurdles as railway land encroached between Churchgate & Virar
Row over ‘separate place’ for vegetarian students at IIT Bombay hostel mess; 15 students opted for early exit last year
Byculla railway station gets UNESCO’s Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage award
Luxury home sales in Mumbai grow by 50% year on year
Trimbakeshwar temple case: SIT to submit probe report in a month, says Fadnavis
High level probe ordered in money spent on desilting Mithi river
IIT Bombay’s main building named after Nandan Nilekani, alumnus from class of 1973
Drinking contaminated water for a week, says students of Mumbai’s Grant Medical College

Also Read | Prolonged hospital stays of high-profile accused under cloud

Photo of the week

Bad road condition at DN Nagar, Andheri. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Also Read | BMC enters deal to vaccinate one lakh stray dogs in Mumbai

News to watch out for next week:

The Antim Athavda Prastav (motion in the last week of legislature) will take place in the coming week where the Opposition will point out a range of issues plaguing the state. The government will respond to those issues in the monsoon session.
Sharad Pawar and PM Narendra Modi will share stage in Pune.
Mumbai may record less rainfall during the first half of this month, starting Tuesday as the low pressure that had developed last week has moved towards northern Konkan.
With Mumbai’s overall water stock touching 74 percent on Sunday morning, the BMC may likely revoke the ongoing 10 percent water cut. A decision on this matter may be taken by end of this week.
The assembling work for Gokhale Bridge in Andheri likely to gatehr pace as the remaining consignment of the fabricated bridge is likely to reach Mumbai by this week.

Also Read | Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya appointed Chief Justice of Bombay HC

News from Mumbai: July 17-23

News from Mumbai: July 10-16

News from Mumbai: July 3-9

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