Power politics plays out on Bal Thackeray’s death anniversary
MUMBAI:AMIDST the tussle to form the government in Maharashtra, power politics was in full swing on the seventh death anniversary of Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray in Mumbai on Sunday.
Leaders of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) paid homage to Bal Thackeray, both through messages and by making personal visits to Shiv Tirth, the memorial at Shivaji Park in Dadar west.
Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sena’s former ally, also joined in to pay rich tributes to the late Sena supremo, who passed away on this day in 2012. “Balasaheb Thackeray raised his voice for the self-respect and pride of ‘Marathi Manoos’. He was a courageous personality and a unique orator who enjoyed the endless affection of his followers. We bow down to him,” NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who was in Pune for a party meeting, said. Congress leaders too paid homage and recalled Bal Thackeray’s services to the state and its people.
Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi, sons Aaditya and Tejas, family members and party leaders visited Shivaji Park and offered floral tributes.
Later, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who earlier said in a tweet that “Balasaheb has taught us self-respect”, accompanied by his former ministerial colleagues paid floral tributes. Some workers of the Sena, which recently snapped ties with the BJP, shouted in Marathi Fadnavis’s assembly poll campaign slogan, “I will be back (as CM),” along with Sena’s “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki jai” war cry.
For his part, Fadnavis, who resigned as CM last week, also tweeted a video of Bal Thackeray’s select speeches with his own voice-over offering tributes to the Sena founder.
In his response, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, “We don’t wish to be taught about pride. The next CM will be from the Shiv Sena.”
The Congress-ncp and Sena are currently engaged in finalising an upcoming alliance before forming the state government.
The NCP has said a decision on government formation by the proposed Congress-ncp-shiv Sena combine will be taken in the next couple of few days. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told mediapersons that Pawar will meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday, followed by a meeting of the top leaders of both the parties on Tuesday. “Thereafter, the government formation process will be finalised,” Malik said.
RAIPUR/NEWDELHI: The Centre has told security forces deployed in states affected by Left-wing extremism to shoot at any unidentified aerial objects after a “serious and new” threat of Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region using drones for surveillance, officials said on Sunday.
The latest directive by a unified command of security and intelligence agencies at the Centre comes in the wake of an incident where suspicious objects were seen hovering over a strategically important Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Sukma. “Some suspicious objects flashing lights have been seen over a camp in Sukma but nothing concrete was found. We are yet to confirm whether it was drone or anything else,” said inspector general of police Bastar Sunderaj P.
The IG said that they have alerted all security camps about the development and searches are being conducted in nearby areas and all suspicious hideouts for presence of any such objects.
The Chhattisgarh police informed the central government that a small red and white light emitting object, probably a drone, was seen flying near the CRPF camp in Kistaram and Pallodi last month at least four times, according to the state police.
The object emitted a “low whizzing sound” that drew attention of camp guards after which offensive position was taken by troops but the mini-uavs soon disappeared from the sky above the CRPF camps, a police officer said.
The development rang alarm bells in the security establishment, leading intelligence agencies to a vendor in Mumbai who is suspected to have sold the drones to some unidentified persons, possibly Maoist cadres.
Inquiries in this context are ongoing, police officials said.
“This development is a serious concern. Possession and operation of drones by Maoists is a new challenge which has been anticipated by security agencies for long. The issue has now surfaced,” a top-ranking security official official privy to the development said.
The official said, “Shoot-atsight orders have been issued to security forces all across the LWE affected states to take down such rogue drones or UAVS being operated by Naxals (or Maoists).”