After two mishaps, forest dept to work on narrow stretches

the backdrop of criticism from the BJP and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray that the Sena has deviated from Hindutva ideology ever since it joined hands with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress to form the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government in November 2019. Fadnavis had said that the Sena had turned “pseudo secular” for the sake of power.

Sena and BJP split ways soon after the assembly results were declared in 2019, after the Sena was denied the CM’S post. The BJP attempted to form a government with the support of NCP’S Ajit Pawar, but it was short lived.

Thackeray on Saturday criticised the Centre for not coming up with concrete solutions to issues like inflation and attacks on Kashmiri Pandits. “Rahul Bhat, the Kashmiri Pandit, was killed in his office. What is the solution in this? Chant Hanuman Chalisa or hold ghanta yatra? We are celebrating Amrut Mahotsav (75 years of Independence) of our Independence but the rupee is now at Rs 77 (to the dollar). Why don’t you speak on these issues?” Thackeray said.

“A few days ago, prime minister Narendra Modi had chaired a meeting on Covid-19, and he gave a remedy for it... he asked chief ministers to reduce fuel prices. I thought Covid would go away with this. They are not giving the dues to the state,” he said.

Thackeray added the Centre has held up other crucial projects for Mumbai including the Metro car shed. “They want a Mumbai-ahmedabad bullet train; do you want it? Suppose, if it materialises then who will travel in that? This is a plot to breakaway Mumbai and we will not allow it,” he said.

“Attempts to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra will never be allowed to succeed,” he said.

“The people must decide who they want. Do they want those who burn houses or the ones who are lighting the stoves? Our Hindutva is to light stoves in the homes of people and not burn down homes,” Thackeray said.

“Maharashtra is one of the top destinations for start-ups, investments are coming in. They cannot accept that Maharashtra is progressing therefore they are creating such things. Keep politics at its place... they are defaming Maharashtra. They are behaving like a jilted lover. I am asking you today in a cultured manner. Stop all this tamasha, and let’s take Maharashtra forward,” Thackeray said in an appeal to the opposition party.

In April, Sena MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut had claimed that there was “a big conspiracy of [BJP leader] Kirit Somaiya and his associates to make Mumbai a Union territory.” “These people have given a presentation to the Union home ministry.somaiya is leading the conspiracy and is planning to bring Mumbai under Central rule,” Raut had said.

“Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana never insulted PM Modi but highlighted issues of state and national importance,” he further said.

Fadnavis, who headed the previous Bjp-led government in the state, will hold a rally in Goregaon on May 15.

At the time, Thackeray had responded saying that Shiv Sena’s Hindutva was “inclusive” unlike the BJP’S “Hindutva of convenience”. “The BJP does not have a patent on Hindutva. Their Hindutva is one of convenience and they use it when it suits them…to spread hatred. We have abandoned the BJP not Hindutva (ideology). Sena is always committed to Hindutva and Bhagva (saffron),” he had said at a virtual rally for the North Kolhapur bypoll held in April.

“Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has conveniently forgotten about the position he holds. He blamed Modi government for the inflation and question why don’t we speak on it, but forgets that the state government can give relief to the people by reducing its VAT on petrol and diesel,” Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said.

Criticising the critics

Referring to Fadnavis’ speech on May 1, Thackeray said, “Devendra Fadnavis [talked about] the wishes of his masters, which is to make Mumbai independent [of Maharashtra]. No matter how many generations come but you will not be able to do that. Like Balasaheb said we have attained Mumbai by spilling our blood, we have not got it in alms.”

Referring to Fadnavis’ claim that he visited Ayodhya for Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, the CM said, “He said he went to Babri? What was your age then? Was it a school picnic or a college trip for you to go?”

“Hindutva is not in the caps. If it was so then why is the cap worn by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers black in colour? Hindutva is in the minds and hearts,” Thackeray said.

The RSS never participated in the freedom struggle against the British, Thackeray said. He countered the BJP’S claim that the “current Shiv Sena is not the party set up by Bal Thackeray” and asked if the current BJP followed former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s ideology.

“If you want to speak for Mumbai, then the Kanjurmarg plot [for metro car depot] is held up, go to Delhi and raise the issue. We have given money for the Dharavi plot from Railway, but they are not giving it. Go there and get it for my Mumbaikars. There are several projects of Mumbai that are being held up by the Centre,” Thackeray said.

Thackeray also took digs at his cousin, MNS chief Raj Thackeray. “One day a Shiv Sainik asked me if I watched ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’. He said like in the movie Sanjay Dutt sees Gandhiji, we have a person here who thinks he is Balasaheb. He wears shawls, sometimes picks up Marathi issues, and Hindutva. The movie is based on true story. This is a case of chemical locha (imbalance) in the brain. Let some Munnabhai roam around. They want to go to Ayodhya,” he said, referring to Raj’s impending visit to the UP city.

Thackeray added that the MNS, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, and independent legislators Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana — who threatened to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside his residence, Matoshree, last month, and were arrested — were “team B” of the BJP. “They send somebody to Aurangzeb’s tomb, give loudspeakers to another and ask someone else to recite the Hanuman Chalisa. These are B-teams of BJP. If something happens, cases will be filed on [the teams]; [the BJP] will hold press conferences.”

“They (BJP) are holding a rally tomorrow to ‘give an answer’. Let them. I will hold another rally. But I want to say one thing, if you want to give an answer, then give answers on the inflation issue,” Thackeray said.

Staking claim to ‘Hindutva’

On April 2, Raj had raised the issue of removing loudspeakers that play the azaan (call for prayer) outside mosques. Raj said Thackeray had “forgotten” the ideals of Sena party founder Bal Thackeray, and projected himself as the true Hindutva ideological heir of the Sena patriarch. Instead, Thackeray was following the political ideology of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Raj said.

Sena leaders countered Raj’s statements and said that Raj, who left the Sena, should not teach them Hindutva. Sena MP and chief party spokesperson Sanjay Raut called the MNS a “concubine” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Those who left Balasaheb and his ideals, and those who have become the concubine of BJP, which backstabbed Shiv Sena, must not teach us Hindutva. They must do their politics but they don’t have the right to call others fake. Like there are fake liberals, there are fake Hindutvawadis as well,” Raut had said.

The Sena called BJP’S tacit support to the MNS a move to divide Hindus. Raut had said that the BJP was using Raj to carry out its own agenda. The MNS has been on the back foot in the Hindutva tug of war, after Raj’s previous campaigns against North Indian residents of Mumbai — specifically migrants and residents from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar — gave pause to the BJP’S plan of indicating any formal alignment with the MNS especially during the UP state assembly elections that were held earlier this year.

In the run-up to the BKC rally, Sena has been releasing teasers with video clips of Bal Thackeray and Uddhav for the last few days. In one such clip, Bal Thackeray is heard saying he is the Sena ‘pramukh’ because of the support of Shiv Sainiks, while another teaser carried Bal Thackeray’s famous speech opener greeting to all “Hindu brothers and sisters”. The teaser also says Shiv Sainiks will “see and hear real Hindutva” at the rally.

Sena is planning a show of strength at BKC. Parab, who is organising the rally, said the ground’s capacity was around 1.5 lakh people, and Sena had only invited party workers from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The Sena chief is also slated to hold a public rally in Aurangabad on June 8. On January 23, 2020, the CM had participated in the celebrations held on the birth anniversary of Bal Thackeray at the MMRDA Ground in BKC.

Sena also kicked off its Shiv Samvad Abhiyan (outreach programme) at the rally. After Vidarbha and Marathwada, the Abhiyan will be conducted in Mumbai, and other districts in the north and west of the state, as well as in the Konkan region. A Sena functionary said party MPS are expected to start touring these regions on May 25.

“Fadnavis addressed ‘booster dose rally’ on May 1 at Somaiya ground in Mumbai to charge up the party cadre and booth level workers ahead of the local body polls. This is his second political rally in the gap of just two weeks and immediately after Thackeray’s rally. He would not miss the opportunity to give it back to Thackeray and Shiv Sena,”said a BJP leader who did not wish to be named.

Several ruling party leaders as well as their family members and associates are under the scanner of multiple central agencies. In March, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached 11 flats of a company owned by Thackeray’s brother-in-law Shridhar Patankar. Other agencies have initiated action against Sena leaders including Sanjay Raut and people close to Aaditya Thackeray. Other MVA ministers, including former home minister Anil Deshmukh and state minister Nawab Malik are under investigation for alleged corruption.

(Inputs by Surendra P Gangan)

a larger conspiracy in the matter, according to an official who declined to be named. Those named in the CBI cases include Dileep Kumar from Delhi, Gurram Satish and Gurram Vasu from Hyderabad, and Sajjan Singh, Prabhu Lal Meena, Ram Avtar and Amit Kumar Sharma from Rajasthan for taking part in the betting in 2019. They were involved in cricket betting since 2010, according to investigators.

The agency has tracked transactions worth around ₹10 crore, including cash deposits in the accounts of Kumar, Satish and Vasu, and ₹80 lakh in accounts of Rajasthan-based accused.

Dileep Kumar was operating a number of bank accounts in which domestic cash deposits worth over ₹43 lakh have been made since 2013, defying economic rationale, CBI said.

It also detected that in the six bank accounts operated by Gurram Satish, cash deposits worth ₹4.55 crore (domestic) and ₹3.05 lakh (foreign) have been made during 2012-20, and in the case of Gurram Vasu, the amount was ₹5.37 crore during the period.

There was no recognisable business rationale to explain the transactions, the CBI has alleged. “The persons involved are running the racket of cricket betting, committing fraud by inducing betting,” the FIR said.

PUNE: After Friday’s mishap at Sinhagad fort, a technical team from Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) visited the ghat stretch and identified causes for the accident.

While the forest department

UDDHAV RALLY

plans to carry out course correction at accident-prone spots (narrow stretch in ghat section), the PMPML has also planned to offer advance training to its drivers ferrying tourists in e-buses. Within a fortnight of its opening, the Sinhagad e-bus service has already reported two mishaps with the recent on Friday, wherein 28 passengers had a narrow escape after an electric bus hit the railing at the ghat section. While no one was injured, the railing was damaged. Deputy conservator of forests Rahul Patil said, “it is an ongoing process and that the authorities are working on the betterment of roads to prevent accidents.”

According to PMPML drivers, there are a few sharp curves where driving becomes difficult.

IPL BETTING