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Sena MLC Ravindra Phatak who was sent to Surat to bring back rebels joins Eknath Shinde camp, leaves for Guwahati with two MLAs

OpIndia Staff
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Sena MLC Ravindra Phatak who was sent to Surat to bring back rebels joins Eknath Shinde camp, leaves for Guwahati with two MLAs

Shiv Sena MLC Ravindra Phatak, who was sent to Surat on June 21 by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to bring back Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs, has joined the rebel camp now. According to reports, Phatak has left for Guwahati and is joining the Eknath Shinde camp today (June 23). Ravindra Phatak is also accompanied by two other MLAs. One of them is Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Rathod who is elected from the Digras constituency in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. The other MLA is Dadaji Bhuse who represents Malegaon outer constituency.

Ravindra Phatak and the two MLAs took a flight to Guwahati from the Surat airport and will arrive at Radisson Blu hotel where Eknath Shinde is currently staying with other rebel MLAs. After Sanjay Rathod joined the rebel camp, his wife Shital Rathod’s health deteriorated as her blood pressure increased, and she has been admitted at a hospital in Mumbai.

With Sanjay Rathod and Dadaji Bhuse joining the Eknath Shinde camp, there are now 37 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs. This means, Eknath Shinde can now officially announce that he and the other MLAs are defecting from Shiv Sena and they will not lose their MLA status under the anti-defection law. As Shiv Sena has 55 MLAs in the house, the rebel camp needs two-thirds or 37 MLAs to avoid action under the law.

Interestingly, most of the mainstream media reports have used the wrong spelling and designation of MLC Ravindra Phatak. His name is being spelled as Ravindra Phatak and he is being called an MLA whereas he actually is an MLC of Shiv Sena. Ravindra Phatak belongs to Thane which is the hometown and stronghold of Eknath Shinde who is leading the group of rebel MLAs.

On 23rd June 2022, Eknath Shinde showcased his power when video and photographs of 42 MLAs in the Radisson Blu hotel of Guwahati was shared on social media. It included 35 Shiv Sena MLAs and 7 independent MLAs who are supporting Shinde. Now the number of MLAs in Guwahati will reach 44.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party held a meeting of all its elected MLAs at the YB Chavan center. It is also being said, in Maharashtra, that a group of NCP MLAs is willing to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a government in Maharashtra if in case Uddhav Thackeray resigns. However, NCP state president Jayant Patil has said that Sharad Pawar’s decision will prevail.

The drama continues: Sanjay Rathod’s wife falls ill after her MLA husband leaves Uddhav Thackeray and proceeds to Guwahati to join Eknath Shinde

OpIndia Staff
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The drama continues: Sanjay Rathod’s wife falls ill after her MLA husband leaves Uddhav Thackeray and proceeds to Guwahati to join Eknath Shinde

Maharashtra’s political spectrum is witnessing things unfolding like never before. In one such development, Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Rathod’s wife Shital Rathod is admitted to hospital as her husband chose to leave Uddhav Thackeray and left for Guwahati to join Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs.

Eknath Shinde has showcased his power through a video of the 42 MLAs who are with him in Guwahati’s Radisson Blu hotel. Out of these 42 MLAs, there are 35 Shiv Sena MLAs and 7 others are independent MLAs. Today, two more Shiv Sena MLAs are joining the rebel camp, and one of them is Sanjay Rathod. Reportedly, Shiv Sena MLAs Sanjay Rathod and Dadaji Bhuse along with party MLC Ravindra Phatak have left for Guwahati to join Eknath Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena. This step taken by Sanjay Rathod has left his wife in shock and she was admitted to the JJ Hospital in Mumbai.

Reportedly, Shital Rathod was of the opinion that Sanjay Rathod should stay back with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and that he should not leave the party to join the rebel MLAs. This had also caused a tense situation in his house. For the last few days, his phone was not reachable. After Shital Rathod learnt that her husband is joining the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in Guwahati, she fell ill and her blood pressure shoot up. According to a report by News 18 Lokmat, Shital Rathod suddenly had a blood pressure problem out of the worry and was admitted to the JJ Hospital in Mumbai.

Sanjay Rathod was also a cabinet minister in Uddhav Thackeray’s Maha Vikas Aghadi government but he had to step down from the post after the rape allegations leveled against him. On the other hand, Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party who is jailed in a money laundering case and is accused of having dealt with the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s close associates is still a cabinet minister in Uddhav Thackeray’s government. This very well explains why Sanjay Rathod was unhappy with Uddhav Thackeray and decided to join hands with Eknath Shinde.

Eknath Shinde needs 37 out of 55 Shiv Sena MLAs to bypass the anti-defection law and claim his hold on the Shiv Sena legislature party in the Maharashtra Assembly.

Journalist mocks Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, when pointed out that he works for NDTV, he starts airing the propaganda channel’s dirty laundry

OpIndia Staff
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Journalist mocks Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, when pointed out that he works for NDTV, he starts airing the propaganda channel’s dirty laundry

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, ‘journalist’ Nadeem Ahmad Kazmi took to Twitter to mock Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde. However, when it was pointed out that he works for NDTV, the ‘journalist’ promptly forgot about the Shiv Sena leader and instead took off on an unhinged rant against the propaganda channel. Kazmi is actually no more associated with NDTV as the channel had fired him in the year 2017, but his Twitter bio still shows he is working for the controversial channel.

Earlier in the day, Nadeem Ahmed Kazmi wrote an insulting Tweet against Shinde who, along with his group of MLAs is on the verge of successfully charting out their rebellion from the Shiv Sena. “Decency matters…Shinde will be an auto driver again…just mark my words,” Tweeted the ‘journalist’.

The so-called NDTV journalist raked up Shinde’s humble past in order to disparage him. Eknath Shinde, who has engineered the biggest revolt to hit Shiv Sena in over 15 years, was once an auto-rickshaw driver in Thane city adjoining Mumbai. In 1980, he was influenced by Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and joined the party, working as a Sainik. Over time, Shinde, a four-time MLA who holds urban development and PWD portfolios in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, emerged as a key Sena leader in the Thane-Palghar region in Maharashtra.

A Twitter user Varun Sharma (@LogicalHindu_) shared the screenshot of Kazmi’s vilifying Tweet alongside the screenshot of his Twitter bio where he still identifies himself as an NDTV journalist. Tagging the channel’s editorial director Sonia Singh, consulting editor Nidhi Razdan and news anchor Gargi Rawat Ansari, Varun Sharma wrote, “.@nadeemkazmi64 is a Journalist with NDTV. Proud of you @soniandtv , @Nidhi , @GargiRawat – for teaching your colleagues decency, manners and ethics.

Twitter user Varun Sharma, in his subsequent Tweet, tagged the Press Club of India, asking whether they endorse the remarks made by their general secretary Nadeem Ahmed Kazmi.

NDTV’s editorial director Sonia Singh responded to Varun Sharma’s Tweets and informed that Nadeem Ahmed Kazmi is no more associated with the channel. “He has not been with NDTV since 2017,” Tweeted Sonia Singh.

Sonia Singh’s comment incensed Kazmi, who embarked on a full attack mode against the channel. In an extremely curt reply, Kazmi wrote, “Matter is subjudice. NDTV has been slapped with 10 k fine for not appearing in the court Pls find out from your lawyers. Thanks..”

Another Twitter user responded by asking what went wrong between him and NDTV, to which Kazmi claimed that in 2017, the channel had unceremoniously thrown him out despite him giving two decades of his career to the channel.

“I was illegally removed from my duty despite giving 2 decades of my prime time to the organisation. I stood fir them on crucial times but they ..you know..i suffered immensely and forced to leave Delhi. Have no source of income at the fag end of life at 58,” said Kazmi as he went on an unhinged rant against the controversial channel.

SS of Nadeem Ahmad Kazmi’s Twitter bio

Interestingly, even though Kazmi himself complained that the channel had wrongfully fired him, he still refers to himself as an NDTV employee. A part of his Twitter bio reads, “working with NDTV”.

His Linkedin profile also reads he is on “assignment at NDTV.”

SS of Nadeem Kazmi’s Linkedin profile

It may be recalled that on June 20, Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde was reported ‘missing’ along with several MLAs. The reports of him being ‘out of reach’ came out after legislative council elections on Monday. There have been rumours floating around that some of the Shiv Sena MLAs cross-voted in the elections resulting in the BJP winning the MLC seats.

Yesterday (June 22), a total of Shiv Sena 34 MLAs signed a letter in support of Shinde, and now the number of party MLAs in Guwahati has gone up to 35. After the initial movement of MLAs led by Eknath Shinde from Surat to Guwahati, 7 more MLAs arrived in Assam, and the number has now increased to 42. Three leaders reportedly reached Guwahati this morning, while another four had already joined the camp Wednesday night.

After Shiv Sena MLA Nitin Deshmukh claimed he was abducted to Surat and Guwahati, Eknath Shinde camp releases his photos with them busting his lies

OpIndia Staff
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After Shiv Sena MLA Nitin Deshmukh claimed he was abducted to Surat and Guwahati, Eknath Shinde camp releases his photos with them busting his lies

Political drama in Maharashtra is not over yet. Shiv Sena MLA Nitin Deshmukh (Balapur constituency in the Akola district of Maharashtra) who returned to Maharashtra from Guwahati on 22nd June 2022 narrated his so-called journey in the press conference with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. Deshmukh had claimed that he was abducted to Surat and then to Guwahati, and he somehow managed to escape to Nagpur on a chartered plane. However, within hours of him claiming a forcible abduction by Eknath Shinde camp, the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in Guwahati have shared Nitin Deshmukh’s happy visuals with them. In these photos and videos, Nitin Deshmukh does not seem to be unhappy or pressurized, but he is rather appearing happy.

In the photographs, Nitin Deshmukh can be seen inside and outside the chartered plane, and he certainly does not look like ‘abducted’, and looks like a free man instead who was travelling with the rebel camp on his on will.

Nitin Deshmukh had levelled several allegations against Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena rebel MLAs who are with him, Bharatiya Janata Party, and Gujarat police while narrating his self-proclaimed great escape. Nitin Deshmukh said that he was forcibly taken by the rebel MLAs and Eknath Shinde. He had also claimed that he was forcible taken to a hospital by around 150 policemen claiming he had an heart attack, and he was kept in the hospital and injected with medicine. He said that after he was taken to Guwahati, he managed to return to Nagpur on a Chartered plane. On his name appearing in the list of signatures of Shiv Sena MLAs supporting Eknath Shinde, Deshmukh had claimed that he had not signed the document, and his signature was doctored.

But the Shiv Sena MLAs in the Shinde camp have released his photographs with them where he is seen happily boarding the plane and landing at the airport. They have also released photographs and videos showing Nitin Deshmukh signing the letter in support of Eknath Shinde.

Nitin Deshmukh’s first press talk after returning on 22nd June 2022.

Nitin Deshmukh in his talk with the media said, “After the voting for the legislative council, I was taken to Thane along with our other fellow MLAs. It all seemed normal at that time. But after Thane, the vehicles suddenly took a turn and we were told that we are going somewhere else. When we reached Surat, I saw so many police personnel deployed there. I had never seen such a grand hotel in my life. Police officers including those of the IPS ranks were making sure that no Shiv Sena MLA goes back. So, this is the level of conspiracy and planning made by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Everything was happening with their support. In Surat, I told Eknath Shinde saheb that I want to go back, but he did not listen to me.”

Nitin Deshmukh’s second press talk with Sanjay Raut on 23rd June 2022.

Alleging Gujarat police for forcibly abducting him on the inputs of Eknath Shinde and BJP, Nitin Deshmukh said, “I somehow managed to escape at around 12 in the noon. Till 3 pm I was roaming on the roads and was chased by not less than 150 policemen. Somewhere I stopped near some school or college and called my fellow leaders in Maharashtra who arranged a vehicle for me. Before the vehicle could reach me, the police lifted me and took me to a hospital. This means that my phone call was also being tracked and listened to. In the hospital, from 3 pm to 6:30 pm I somehow dodged the doctors and did not allow them to touch me. But at around 6:30 pm, around 10-15 people lifted me and gave me an injection in my arm saying that I have just had a heart attack. I was unconscious for some time after this. When I woke up, I was in a hospital room and around 50 police were in that room to keep a watch on me.”

Nitin Deshmukh further said, “Then I decided to go with the rebel MLAs and see what exactly they are going to do and come back in an intelligent manner because physical resistance was not the way to fight with this well-planned conspiracy. I went to Guwahati with them and in Guwahati, I somehow managed to arrange a special airplane that would take me to Nagpur and came back.” Nitin Deshmukh did not disclose who helped him to fly back from Guwahati, and who arranged a chartered plane at such a short notice. He said that it was the almighty God himself who helped him out and that he will not name the man who helped him in Guwahati. He also compared his comeback with the heroic escape of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from Agra.

Nitin Deshmukh also claimed that his signature seen in the resolution signed by the rebel MLAs is forged and incorrect. In the first press talk on 22nd June 2022, he even went on to claim that the one who is seen in the visuals while signing the document is not him but somebody else looking like him. But on 23rd June 2022, in a press conference with senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, he did not say any such thing. The MLAs in the Shinde camp have also released more photographs of Nitin Deshmukh signing the resolution. Nitin Deshmukh is clearly identified in those photographs.

Birbhum Massacre: TMC leader not only ordered the killings at Bogtui village but also monitored the massacre while keeping police away, says CBI

OpIndia Staff
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Birbhum Massacre: TMC leader not only ordered the killings at Bogtui village but also monitored the massacre while keeping police away, says CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet on Monday at Rampurhat court in Bengal’s Birbhum district. The charge sheet says that Anarul Hossain, the former Rampurhat community block-1 unit president of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), not only ordered the killings at Bogtui village which took place on 21st March 2022 and claimed ten lives but also monitored it while keeping the police away.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times, it was mentioned in the 1192-page charge sheet submitted by the CBI. The charge sheet is based on the eyewitness accounts, CCTV footage at various places, and the statements of the two out of three women who died of burn injuries at Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital.

Anarul Hossain is currently in judicial custody. He was arrested on 24th March 2022. Before CBI brought him into custody, he was accused of murder, arson, rioting with lethal weapons, and criminal conspiracy.

The Birbhum Massacre

On March 21 at 8:20 p.m., a bombing at the Bogtui crossroads on NH-114A claimed the life of Bhadu Sheikh, the deputy chief of the nearby TMC-controlled Barshal gram panchayat. According to the charge sheet, Hossain then ordered a counter-assault in response to this. Bhadu Sheikh was rushed to the Rampurhat hospital, where he was declared dead. Hossain was also seen at that hospital, after Sheikh was taken there. Charges in two separate crimes are framed by the CBI but at the same time, CBI has underlined that both the incidents are interlinked. Four people are accused in the Bhadu Sheikh murder case while 18 others including Anarul Hossain are accused in the violence that erupted after Sheikh’s murder.

Ten persons were killed in this counter-attack ordered by the TMC leader, when a dozen houses were burnt down. The miscreants had locked the houses from outside before torching them, leaving no room for the occupants to flee. 

On 25th March 2022, the Calcutta High Court ordered the CBI probe of the Birbhum killings and Sheikh’s murder. CBI has mentioned in its charge sheet that Rivalry between Sheikh and his colleagues over dubious land deals, fraudulent companies, and share of extortion money led to Sheikh’s murder. The charge sheet cites eyewitness statements to support its claim that Hossain directed the crowd to attack Sona Sheikh and Fatik Sheikh’s residences, expressly instructing the mob that no one should be spared.

The residences of Sona Sheikh and Fatik Sheikh were targeted in a section of Bogtui village, just 150 metres from the busy Rampurhat town, and fuel was transported there from a nearby store in an e-rickshaw whose driver the CBI had detained. Unmehani Khatun, an eight-year-old child, was one of the six women who were burnt alive that night. Nurnehar Bibi was the oldest victim, aged 77. Marjina Khatun, 21, and Sajidur Rehman, the lone male victim of the massacre, were among the others.

The families living in at least eight other homes were attacked; but they were able to get out. The 10 victims were all members of the families of the three brothers Mihilal, Sheikhlal, and Banirul Sheikh, as well as Sona and Fatik Sheikh, who were related to the brothers.

Anarul Hossain’s involvement in the Birbhum Massacre

Hossain is accused of instructing local cops not to rush to Bogtui. The charge sheet cites witnesses who informed CBI that Hossain gave the perpetrators assurances that no policeman would approach the area for at least an hour in accordance with his orders. The Bogtui village is at a distance of less than one kilometre from the Rampurhat police station but the police took more than one hour to reach the spot.

Several witnesses informed the CBI that when they phoned Hossain for assistance, he told them they would have to bear the repercussions of the attack on a TMC leader. According to the charge sheet, Hossain deleted the call logs from his phone in order to destroy evidence.

West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party’s spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, “Anarul Hossain is too small a fry to plan and commit such a massacre on his own. It is obvious that he was carrying out the orders given by someone senior to him in the TMC hierarchy. Are we to believe that top district police officers did not rush to Bogtui just because Hossain asked them not to?”

Who is Anarul Hossain?

Anarul Hossain is the TMC President of Rampurhat Block No.1 and was arrested in connection to the violence that transpired in Bogtui village of Birbhum. India Today reported that Hossain was associated with the Congress party, before defecting to the TMC. As per a report published by TV9 Bangla, Hossain joined the Trinamool Congress in 1998 and went on to serve as the party’s block president for more than a decade. Known as a ‘skilled organiser’ within the party ranks, he controls the municipal corporation and the sand mining business in the Rampurhat area.

ABP Ananda reported that Hossain grew up in poverty and worked as a mason (Raj mistri). He used to live with his family in a mud house (matir badi). However, his ‘fortunes’ changed after 2011. Once an impoverished mason, Hossain today lives in a bungalow in Sandhipur village that is located in Hoogly district of West Bengal. He is also also the owner of several houses and cars.

Citing local sources, ABP Ananda reported that he became an influential contractor within just 6 years. His influence in the area increased by several folds after he was made the Block President by Trinamool Congress. Now CBI has framed charges against him in the Birbhum Massacre of 21st March 2022 based on the testimonies of the eyewitnesses.

Shiv Sena political turmoil: Eknath Shinde’s rebellion a farce or fact

Malhar Pandey
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Shiv Sena political turmoil: Eknath Shinde’s rebellion a farce or fact

On the 16th of November 2019, Maharashtra was shocked as Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut had just declared an alliance with the parties which were not just opposite on the ideological spectrum but against whom the elections had been fought. 28 November 2019 was the date on which Uddhav Thackeray was sworn as the Chief Minister betraying the mandate of the citizens of Maharashtra. The BJP led by Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray was the collation (mahaYUTI) for which the people had voted for. But, the opposition parties, specifically NCP were out of power for more than 5 years, which it hadn’t been since its inception in 1999. NCP had always been in coalition with INC, handling some or the other important portfolios.

Also, it was a fact that the NCP supremo was not able to digest the fact that a young politician from Nagpur had completed his 5 years in office as CM from 2014 to 2019. Considering all these circumstances, the backroom politics entered the scenario and the power hungriness to be the CM, led Shivsena into a political whirlpool, that it had not anticipated. 

The actions and the inactions

The stage was set, Uddhav Thackeray was offered the highest seat in the state and then Shiv Sena ‘Pakshapramukh’ went on to become the 19th Cheif minister of Maharashtra on a condition put forth by NCP and INC to compromise on the principles of Hindutva for which the Shiv Sainiks had even given their lives for in the past. Right from the very beginning of this government, the ‘Kadva’ or the ardent Shiv Sainik was not comfortable with the partners in this Aghadi sarkar.

They were not able to digest the fact that Shiv Sena now had to listen to the Congress, which had been its traditional political and ideological enemy since the very beginning. But, apart from all the ideological and political differences, the coalition partners, NCP and INC made sure to squeeze Shiv Sena as much as possible by not giving them the most important portfolios in the government. Home affairs, revenue, finance, PWD, water resources, and energy ministries were all distributed amongst INC (44) and NCP (53), even though they had less in legislative assembly than Shivsena (56). NCP had more cabinet ministers and ministers of state (15) than Shiv Sena (14).

The deal was not going the way Shiv Sena had anticipated. Seeing that Uddhav Thackeray had no background in governance, he was purposely kept direction less when the entire world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The haphazardness of handling the COVID-19 pandemic did not affect the image of any other minister but that of Uddhav Thackeray took a massive hit with the traditional voters of the BJP and Shiv Sena. Right from the Sushant Singh Rajput’s case, Kangana Ranaut’s case to handling Palghar Sadhu’s case impatiently, it was all heading in the wrong direction specifically for Shiv Sena. The commoners, who saw Shiv Sena as one of the strong voices of Hindutva, started losing faith in them.

The deeds of misgovernance were endless. The sitting home minister (NCP) Anil Deshmukh, found himself stuck in the heap of corruption charges, which eventually led him to resign from the post. This sent a wrong message to commoners, again, who saw Shiv Sena Pakshapramukh Uddhav Thackarey as a leader who did not have control over his ministers. People also saw how the Shiv Sena-led government was busy protecting a lifelong Hindu hater, Dawood Ibrahim’s close aid, minority affairs minister (NCP), Nawab Malik, in a case which had heaps of evidence which guaranteed his connection to Dawood Ibrahim.

The Shiv Sainiks who were born and brought up under the leadership of Balasaheb and Anand Dighe found this a betrayal of the principles for which Shiv Sena once stood. Apart from all these things, the two parties, NCP and INC, did not stick to alliance or Aghadi, when it came to local (Sthanik Swarajya Sanstha) elections. They fought independently, in which most of the time Shiv Sena lost miserably. The common-minimum program on which the Mahavikas Aghadi was standing only benefited the other two parties. Shiv Sena started losing its ground in the areas where it held great power once. 

The problem within the party

Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena was not just built by Balasaheb himself but by countless karyakarta’s who gave their lives to build this party from scratch. After Balasaheb’s death, Uddhav Thackeray succeeded the throne but he made wrong choices when it came to choosing the people who advised him. The decision to break away from BJP (an alliance for more than 25 years) was administered by Sanjay Raut. Let’s say he was a key player in the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. But, Sanjay Raut’s way of communicating, his ego issues and his habit of giving unwanted statements at the most unwanted times created a huge problem for the Shiv Sainiks as is evident from the stand taken by Shiv Sena Stalwart Eknath Shinde.

Apart from this, the novice Uddhav Thackeray’s interference in the party affairs made it uneasy for the party leaders to work efficiently. Sanjay Raut, Aditya Thakarey and a few others made Uddhav Thakarey unreachable to even those within the party. While all the things were happening, Shivsena leaders from various parts of Maharashtra, tried to communicate their problems with local NCP and INC leaders to the party high command, but the high command as mentioned earlier was not reachable and was busy continuing the PR activity to project Uddhav Thakarey as the best CM. The connection between the leader and the Karyakarta’s started dwindling. 

The Fadnavis factor

While all these things were taking shape, the Maha Vikas Aghadi seemed to have forgotten the fact that Devendra Fadnavis, the only chief minister to have completed 5 years successfully in office was now the leader of the opposition. A master strategist and one of the most erudite politicians currently in Bharat was there to question the moves and intentions of the Shiv Sena-led government. From day 1, Devendra Fadnavis was on the move. A few months after he became LoP, The pandemic hit the world.

Fadnvavis started touring nook and corner of Maharashtra, personally helping those in need, while Uddhav Thackrey was busy addressing people through his infamous Facebook lives. This again sent a wrong message to the Shiv Sainiks that the leader of their party and the state were not proactive when it was needed the most. One by one, Fadnavis presented before the legislative assembly and Maharashtra the corrupt practices of the current government, right from Sachin Waze’s issue, Anil Deshmukh’s 100 CR loot, Palghar Sadhu lynching case to Nawab Malik’s underworld connection. His articulateness left the Shiv Sena speechless. Remember, the cases were mostly against the NCP members, but Uddhav Thackrey was under the cross-hair of the Janata of Maharashtra. Fadnavis also saw that one of the two spaces for Hindutva was left vacant as Shiv Sena joined hands with the anti-Hindutva parties, and made all efforts to fill that space with all his fierceness and successfully filled it.

He made his speeches targeting the anti-Hindutva stand of the current Shiv Sena-led government, thus making the Hindutvavadi camp inside the Shiv Sena uncomfortable. Devendra Fadnavis made the Sangathan of BJP much stronger. He made full use of the rift within the Maha Vikas Aghadi to secure exceptional wins right from the Sthanik Swarajya Sanstha elections to Rajya Sabha and recently the Legislative council elections. BJP became stronger on all fronts, thus making the Shiv Sainiks think of their future careers in years to come after 2024 when MVA will be dissolved and Fadnavis will be back in power. 

Eknath Shinde’s rebellion: Farce or truth? 

The last month has been more or less like a roller coaster ride for Maharashtra. From the Rajya Sabha elections to the MLC elections, it has all been a great story so far for the BJP but a nightmare for MVA especially the Shiv Sena. In Rajya Sabha, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Pawar lost to BJP leader Dhananjay Mahadik. In MLC elections, BJP won the impossible 5th Seat of Prasad Lad. BJP had managed to get votes of the MLAs from the MVA, out of which it seemed to manage the highest were from SS, second highest from INC and least from NCP. This made the rift within the party much clearer.

The farce, know-all attitude of the CMs defacto advisor Raut, was open for the public to see and Shiv Sainiks to question. Eknath Shinde, one of the prominent leaders in Shivsena, left the state on the second day of the MLC election results along with a few MLAs to Gujrat, keeping all their phones unreachable, making a bold statement against the party leadership, especially Uddhav Thackeray. Uddhav Thackeray’s unreachable stance in the past, came to haunt him now. Eknath Shinde after a day and a half of all the drama, tweeted from his account that he and the MLAs with him are the true Shiv Sainiks of Balasaheb and Anand Dighe Saheb, who will not compromise with Hindutva for the sake of power.

As the days passed, more and more MLAs joined him in his mutiny against the Thakarey family to get out of power with MVA. His demand is to rejoin the Hindutva camp and stand-alone independently as a party in the upcoming elections. Many are seeing this through an emotional lens, but, seeing practically, Eknath Shinde and many other leaders found themselves nowhere in future of Maharashtra politics, as they foresaw the party’s end if they stayed with NCP and INC, in the current MVA government. This move just before, the BMC, PMC, TMC and the NMC elections, makes us question, whether this rebellion by Eknath Shinde is true or not! Shiv Sena has lost its hold on the grounds of Hindutva and it will take years for it to regain control again. As of now, the only game-changer for Shiv Sena is BJP and after seeing the decisiveness of Devendra Fadnavis, it seems he will make a move that no one has even thought of. We don’t know what the future of MVA beholds, but whatever is happening currently in Maharashtra, is a good sign for the days in Maharashtra to come.

Why were the houses of Ishtiaq Ahmed and Riyaz Ahmad demolished in Uttar Pradesh: What the UP govt said in court, exposing their lies

OpIndia Staff
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Why were the houses of Ishtiaq Ahmed and Riyaz Ahmad demolished in Uttar Pradesh: What the UP govt said in court, exposing their lies

On Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh government submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court clarifying its stand on the demolition of illegal properties in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The government said that the demolition was carried out under Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1972, and had nothing to do with the riots.

The Court was hearing the petition filed by Jamiat-Ulama-I-Hind that sought directions to the Uttar Pradesh authorities to ensure that no further demolitions of properties are carried out in the state without following due process. The petitioner alleged that the government had deliberately razed down the properties of one particular community and had not even served notices before demolition.

The state government on June 23 stated that the petitioner has attempted to give a mala fide color to lawful action taken by the local development authorities as per the procedure established by law. It alleged that the applicant resorted to cherry-picking one-sided media reporting of a few incidents and extrapolating sweeping allegations from the same against the State.

“The said demolitions have been carried out by the local development authorities, which are statutory autonomous bodies, independent of the state administration, as per law, as part of their routine effort against illegal constructions, in accordance with the 1972 Act. Regarding two demolitions in Kanpur the house owners had admitted illegalities in the construction”, the UP Government added in an affidavit filed in response to a plea.

The plea that was filed by the Jamiat-Ulama-I-Hind on June 16 specifically highlighted some of the recent demolition cases and alleged that the state government had targeted people of one particular community and had demolished the properties of only those who were involved in the ‘protests’. Refuting strongly the allegations, the state told the Supreme Court that in case of the recent protests, the government was already taking stringent steps against the accused under the CRPC, IPC, UP Gangster and Anti Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, Prevention of Public Property Damages Act and Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Act, 2020.

“It takes strong exception to the attempt by the petitioner to name the highest constitutional functionaries of the state and falsely colour… the local development authority’s lawful actions strictly complying with the Act as ‘extra legal punitive measures’ against accused persons, targeting any particular religious community. All such allegations are absolutely false and are vehemently denied”, the state government was quoted.

The government meanwhile also referred to some of the recent demolition cases in Kanpur and Prayagraj and affirmed that the owners of the properties had agreed to the illegalities of the construction but had failed to appear for the hearing. Action by the Kanpur Development Authority and Prayagraj Development Authority was executed only after serving several legal notices.

Demolition of illegal property owned by Kanpur violence accused Mohammad Ishtiaq Ahmed

The Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) on June 11 demolished the illegal property owned by Mohammad Ishtiaq Ahmed who is a close aide of the Kanpur violence mastermind Hayat Zafar Hashmi. KDA administration officials, and Rapid Action Force personnel were also present along with the police force on the spot when the demolition was carried out. While many speculated that Ishtiaq Ahmed’s property was razed to the ground because of his connection with the Kanpur violence, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday stated that Ishtiaq Ahmed was sent the demolition notice on April 19.

Elaborating the instance, the state government added that the Ishtiaq Ahmed in Kanpur had built commercial property on the residential land without the permission of the KDA. The KDA approved the residential property plan in the year 2016 but Ishtiaq Ahmed was constructing a commercial property there. He was issued a show-cause notice on August 17, 2020, to stop the construction and was asked to appear for a hearing on August 28.

As neither he nor his representatives responded to several similar notices, the property was sealed by the authorities and an FIR was lodged. The KDA then issued a demolition notice to Ishtiaq Ahmed and had given 15 days to demolish the unauthorized construction. Failing that, the KDA itself demolished the property on June 11.

After the demolition, one of the KDA officials had clarified that the act of property demolition had nothing to do with the Kanpur violence and that the owner was already sent a demolition notice. “This property belongs to some Mohammad Ishtiaq. The order to bulldoze this was passed already. Today’s date was set by the authorities to bulldoze the illegal section of this building. This is a routine procedure and the action is taken according to the same. Concerned officers who had listened to the matter had served them with prior notices. A residential plan was passed for this building but they were making a commercial one”, KDA Secretary Shatrohan Vaishya had said on June 11.

Another accused Riyaz Ahmed was constructing illegal petrol pump

Reportedly, the KDA had also demolished the under-construction petrol pump owned by Riyaz Ahmed on June 11. Ahmed who is also booked in the case of Kanpur violence had taken no prior permission from the authority for the construction of the petrol pump. He was issued several notices from February 23 to March 8 and the final demolition notice was issued on April 20 this year. As the accused or his representatives failed to respond to the notices, the KDA executed the demolition on June 11.

“In both the cases”, the state government said, “applications were filed by Ishtiaq Ahmed and Riyaz Ahmed on June 17 wherein they admitted the illegality and irregularity in the construction. Iftiaq’s son Iftikar had said that the non-compoundable portion of the construction would be demolished by the dependent himself, thus admitting the offense of illegal construction”, the government added in the affidavit on June 22.

Javed Ahmed had build office in residential land, was issued several notices

Further referring to the case of demolition of illegal property of Javed Mohammed in Prayagraj, the state said that he was issued a demolition notice in May and was asked to remove the illegal construction by June 9. The authority had also issued a notice on June 10 to Javed Mohammed to vacate the property that was unlawfully constructed. Javed Mohammed is the prime accused in the violence that erupted in Prayagraj former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s allegedly derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad.

According to the reports, the Javed Mohammed had constructed an office in the residential area without taking permission from the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA). The PDA noticed a marble nameplate with the name ‘Javed M’ installed on the boundary wall and a signboard showing ‘Welfare Party of India’ above the boundary wall of the property. The PDA has sent a show-cause notice and several similar notices from May 10 to May 24 and decided to demolish the property on June 12.

Severe violence erupted in the cities of Kanpur and Prayagraj in the first week of June after Islamists came out on the streets in protest against ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. They raised slogans against her and demanded her arrest. The rioters also pelted stones at the police officials and civilians disturbing the peace and law and order in the area. Several injuries were reported.

The UP Police later arrested Hayat Zafar Hashmi and his aides Ishtiaq Ahmed and Riyaz Ahmed as prime accused in Kanpur violence and Javed Mohammed from Prayagraj for planning the violence in Prayagraj. The state on June 22 refuted the allegations made by Jamiat-Ulama-I-Hind which claimed that the state had bulldozed properties of the accused of their involvement in the violence. The State asked the Court to dismiss the petition clarifying that the demolition of properties was carried out in accordance with the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1972, and had nothing to do with the riots.

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy govt launches free Drone Pilot training, placement program only for Christians and Muslims, BJP leader shares ad

OpIndia Staff
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YS Jagan Mohan Reddy govt launches free Drone Pilot training, placement program only for Christians and Muslims, BJP leader shares ad

Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, the BJP general secretary of Andhra Pradesh has taken to Twitter to share how the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Govt, has allegedly launched a drone pilot training program, only for candidates belonging to the two minority communities. According to the poster shared by the BJP leader, the course is being offered by the Drone Institute of Technology (DIT) in Andhra Pradesh. The ad published inviting aspirants to join the offline course specifically mentions that the course will provide free training and placement only to Christian and Muslim candidates.

Questioning the Andhra CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s anti-Hindu bias, the BJP leader tweeted, “Everyone has the equal rights on the resources then why @AndhraPradeshCM has specifically kept training only for students of 2 communities? It could lead to communal tensions, Andhra gvt is doing very dirty politics with our students. They should take back this decision.”

As can be seen, the advertisement shared by the BJP leader states has the picture of CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on it along with the Emblem of Andhra Pradesh. It mentions, in rather bold letters, that the course has been developed to offer free training in drone flying and free placement subsequently, but strictly for Christians and Muslims only.

The poster also carries two numbers that aspirants can call on for registration or enquiry. However, when OpIndia tried to call, both numbers were constantly unreachable.

Poster shared by BJP leader

Notably, the opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh have always accused YS Jagan Reddy, a Christian, of spending huge on the services Christian community, with an eye on encouraging conversion activities, ever since he became the Chief Minister of Andhra.

Jagan’s anti-Hindu bias and his soft stance on conversion and the appeasement of a now-significant minority of Andhra Christians is an open secret. Experts have expressed their concerns regarding the spree of freebies doled out to the Christian communities by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government with an aim to encourage ordinary Andhra citizens to convert to Christianity.

In fact, last year, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh seeking a report regarding the action taken against the forceful conversions targeting the Scheduled Caste (SC) community in the state.

NCSC had taken cognisance after, the Hindu legal-activist group – Legal Rights Protection Forum and SC-ST Rights Forum, a non-profit legal activism organisation that works for Dalit rights, had, in January 2020 written a letter to National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) over rampant forced conversions activities by the Christian missionaries and Church.

In 2019, the Jagan government had hiked the financial assistance, which was being given to Christian pilgrims going to Jerusalem, from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 for those with an annual income up to Rs 3 lakh. The assistance money given to those who are earning over Rs 3 lakh per annum has been increased to Rs 30,000.

In August 2019, Jagan’s government announced that they would provide an honorarium of Rs 5,000 per month to Christian pastors. The Andhra government is also working to launch housing schemes and financial assistance for the poorer sections of the Christian community. 

As per the 2011 Census, the Christian community in Andhra Pradesh accounts for about 1.4% of the total population, however, the number of followers of the faith is estimated to be higher in the state due to the rising conversion phenomenon.

‘We don’t want Uddhav Thackeray to quit’: What rebel Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar said while demanding return to ‘natural alliance’ with BJP

OpIndia Staff
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‘We don’t want Uddhav Thackeray to quit’: What rebel Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar said while demanding return to ‘natural alliance’ with BJP

On June 23, rebel Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar said in a statement that no one was demanding Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation, but their demand was to return to the natural alliance that is with Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking to Times Now, Kesarkar detailed what was going on in Maharashtra. When asked as CM Thackeray was returning to Matoshree (personal resident of CM Thackeray) if there was any chance of saving the government, Kesarkar said, “The rebel never happened for the resignation of Uddhav Sahab. MLAs have some issues with the parties that we are in alliance with. Had those issued been resolved, this situation would never happen. I am still in Mumbai and attending all the meetings being conducted by Shiv Sena. Whatever issue has been raised in front of me, I have forwarded it to the CM.”

He added, “This is not the first time I have raised an issue with the parties in the alliance. I have been speaking it for over 1.5 years. My personal view is it is not a national alliance. There is no coordination between leaders from alliance parties and CM. If the coordination is not there, the state cannot progress.”

When asked why CM did not act on the issues raised by Kesarkar, he said, “My aim was to ensure coordination between Delhi and Maharashtra. There was a meeting in that direction, but we could not find a solution to the problem. The coordination should be good between the parties in the state and the central government, even if the party is in opposition. I had told CM that if our own house is burning, it should be taken care of first. It does not matter whom we alliance with.”

He further added that BJP should have been patient and not spoken ill of the Thackeray family. He said, “No one speaks ill of them. This family has done so much for the state. There were accusations against Aditya Thackeray that had messed up the situation.”

Speaking to Republic, he said, “I had been very firm on my stand that Sena should go with BJP in the alliance.” He further added there were Shiv Sena workers following him despite his firm demand to the General Secretary of the party not to indulge in such acts. He said, “I had told them to stop sending cars to follow me; otherwise, I have to take some action, but they were still there in the morning.”

He further added, “We never asked for his resignation but told him that the important ministries are with the ministers from parties that we are in alliance with. They are not releasing funds for the constituencies of Shiv Sena. We told him that it has to stop.” He said before leaving Mumbai, he personally had a word with CM. He said, “I have been saying this for a long. When PM and CM work together, the state prospers.”

The political unrest in Maharashtra

The political unrest in Maharashtra started after reports of cross-voting during MLC elections, where the BJP won five seats despite lacking enough numbers in the assembly. Eknath Shinde, along with other rebel leaders, went untraceable after the results. Later it was reported that the rebel leaders of Shiv Sena were lodged in a hotel in Surat, from where they shifted to Assam.

Uttar Pradesh: Police arrest Faisal, Shohil and Salman for beating a middle-aged Dalit man to death after he opposed molestation of a girl

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Police arrest Faisal, Shohil and Salman for beating a middle-aged Dalit man to death after he opposed molestation of a girl

An incident of molesters beating a middle-aged Dalit man to death has come to light in district Pilibhit of Uttar Pradesh. On June 22, the Police arrested Mohammad Faizan alias Bhura, Mohammad Shohil and Mohammad Salman alias Munna for allegedly beating a Dalit man identified as Raju to death after he opposed the molestation of a girl by the trio. They have been arrested based on the complaint of Raju’s wife, Ram Beti. The incident took place on June 16.

The trio has been booked under Sections 147, 149, and 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3(2)5 of the SC/ST Act.

Series of events that led to the murder of Raju

As per the reports, the incident took place on June 16 in Madhaupur under the Amaria Police Station area in the Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh. The accused climbed on a terrace and molested a girl. Raju, who was a middle-aged Dalit man, tried to save the girl. Irked by the intervention by Raju, the trio beat him up. Raju, who got seriously injured in the attack by the trio, was rushed to the hospital for treatment. He succumbed to the injuries on June 18. Several people were detained by the Police in connection to the case for questioning.

Additional forces were called from three nearby Police Stations as tension prevailed in the area after Raju’s death. Raju’s wife filed a complaint against the Trio in Amaria Police Station and based on the complaint, the accused were arrested. As per reports, Police are looking for more people linked to the case. KK Verma, SHO Amaria, has promised strict action against the accused in the case.

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