News Analysis India

Tag: Maharashtra politics

  • Gujarat BJP’s CR Patil in touch with Eknath Shinde for long time: Sources

    Express News Service

    Gujarat’s Surat may well become the centre of a political earthquake that is likely to topple the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.

    The disgruntled rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and 21 Sena MLAs are camped at Hotel Le Meridian in Surat. Interestingly, the rooms in this hotel were booked on June 20 evening only.

    Sources said that Gujarat BJP unit CR Patil is the key person behind the rebellion of Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray.

    “Patil has been in touch with Shinde for a long time to carry out ‘Operation Lotus’ in Maharashtra. Patil who hails from Jalgaon is in touch with some of the Sena MLAs as well. These MLAs include Chimanrao Patil from Parola, and Kishor Patil from Pachora, who belong to the Maratha community. This link helped Patil to connect with Shinde and other disgruntled MLAs of Sena. It was planned ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections and Maharashtra state legislative council elections by transferring Shiv Sena votes to BJP,” said a source who requested anonymity.

    Interestingly, after the arrival of Shinde and his supporter MLAs, Patil cancelled all his scheduled meetings. He was in Ahmedabad and then he rushed to Surat. Besides, Gujarat police also deployed heavy security to the hotel where Sena MLAs are camped.

    One of the rebels Shiv Sena MLAs said that he has been promised a cabinet post in the new government. He said in the Thackeray government, he was the senior-most but was still neglected.

    A senior Shiv Sena leader said that party leaders and MLAs who are under the scanner of Central agencies encouraged Shinde to take this step against the Shiv Sena leadership and form government with BJP.

    Sources also said that Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik and former chairman of BMC standing committee Yashwant Jadhav were in Delhi to coordinate with BJP leaders and Shinde. 

    Explaining a plausible cause behind the rebellion, a source who requested anonymity “The communication gap between rural MLAs and urban MLAs of Sena increased. The power was concentrated with urban faces that annoyed rural Sena MLAs. Besides, Uddhav Thackeray was not easily approachable and accessible. During fund allocations, NCP leader Ajit Pawar dominated decision-making which did not go well with Sena MLAs.”

  • Sharad Pawar meets Maharashtra home minister, Mumbai CP to take stock of SIT probe

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: In view of a series of revelations in the Aryan Khan case and the arrest of Anil Deshmukh, NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil at his residence where Mumbai Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale was also present.

    According to sources, the Aryan Khan case is taking a different turn and Mumbai police has got significant evidence that establishes that Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede and his team had demanded Rs 25 crore as ransom from Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan to release his son.

    “Sharad Pawar wants to understand this ongoing controversy with details. It also shows that central agencies are working at the behest of the BJP leaders. The fight continues between the Maharashtra government and the centre over different issues. Pawar handled the home department of the state earlier and therefore he takes a keen interest in all these development that has larger ramifications and guide his party leaders,” said source requested anonymity.

    He added, in the Anil Deshmukh case, the complainant former Mumbai police Parambir Singh is absconding so Sharad Pawar wanted to understand the locus standi of the case against Deshmukh now. Pawar and also met Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut separately on Tuesday.

    Meanwhile, NCB DDG Gyaneshwar Singh also met with Mumbai Commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Tuesday and sought the CCTV footage related to the Aryan Khan case and the serious allegations against NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

    The 15-member central NCB team has taken over six high-profile cases headed by NCB Zonal officer Sameer Wankhede. The team has taken the statement of Prabhakar Sail, who is a witness in the Aryan Khan case, and visited the places such as the cruise which are connected to this high profile case.

    Hemant Nagrale has assured full support to an ongoing probe by the NCB Vigilance team on the drug bust and other cases.

    Moreover, the documents and other items seized in the case has been handed over to SIT team in Mumbai. The vigilance team has also visited the crime spots in Mumbai related to the cruise drug case.

    Maharashtra government-appointed special investigation team (SIT) has also recorded several witnesses and eyewitnesses of this case. They are also checking the call records and timing and connecting the dots with the Rs 25 crore ransom demanded by Sameer Malik’s private team.

  • Dadra Nagar Haveli win: Shiv Sena shows they can fight in BJP’s territory too

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena marked the historical victory in the Dadra Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha bypolls by winning the seat by 51000 votes against the BJP candidate. This is the first major win of Shiv Sena outside Maharashtra.

    Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut tweeted, “First step outside Maharashtra, a giant leap towards Delhi via Dadra Nagar Haveli.”

    First step outside Maharashtra, giant leap towards Delhi via Dadra Nagar Haveli ! #ChaloDelhi pic.twitter.com/8sbqBgSbna
    — Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) November 2, 2021
    Shiv Sena’s Kalaben Delkar won by 51,269 votes against the BJP candidate Mahesh Gavit. Dadra Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha bypoll was necessitated by the death of independent Lok Sabha MP Mohan Delkar. Shiv Sena fielded his widow Kalaben, who bagged 1,18,035 votes aganst her closest rival Gavit, who got 66,766 votes. In 2019, Mohan Delkar won this same seat by 9,001 votes against the BJP candidate Natubhai Patel.

    Shiv Sena’s Pawan Kumar Pandey won from Akbarpur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh in 1991 when Ram Mandir movement was at its nadir.

    READ HERE | Shiv Sena wins Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha seat in bypoll

    Sachin Parab, a senior journalist who closely follow the Shiv Sena and wrote books on Uddhav Thackeray’s grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray said that Dadra Nagar Haveli victory of Shiv Sena will give them more power and voice to attack to BJP in the coming days. He said the union territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli is part of Gujarat with 30 per cent Marathi population. “Shiv Sena has shown that they can fight and defeat the BJP in their territory also. So there will be more political slugfest between Uddhav Thackeray and Narendra Modi- Amit Shah in future. This victory has also catapulted Uddhav Thackeray as centre politics and Sanjay Raut has also hinted in that direction as well,” Parab said.

    He said though Bal Thackeray created Shiv Sena’s base in Dadra Nagar Haveli, he could not reap success there — something his son Uddhav Thackeray has now succeeded in. “Besides, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Deglu victory has also consolidated the position of Maha Vikas Aghadi. They will strongly fight with BJP and win the seats. This defeat is a major setback to BJP. The morale of their workers will get down in Dadra Nagar Haveli as well in Maharashtra,” Parab added.   

  • BJP ‘entertaining’ people, why open cinema, drama halls: Sanjay Raut

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a swipe at the BJP, claiming it was providing “entertainment” to people, and questioned the need for opening cinema halls and drama auditoriums during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Notably, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said cinema halls and drama theatres in the state will be permitted to operate from October 22 on the condition that they follow all the protocols required to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

    In his weekly column ‘Rokhthok’ in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Raut, who is the executive editor of the Marathi daily, said the opposition party (BJP) in Maharashtra has “crossed all limits”.

    “Every day, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya levels new allegations against different state ministers and visits their constituencies. I feel the state government shouldn’t stop his tours. His allegations are like soap bubbles. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has a different style,” he quipped.

    “Even though the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions continue, political entertainment programmes are on in the country.

    In all, there is fun everywhere… there is mystery and comedy in the entertainment that is being provided by the opposition party. Is there a need to open cinema halls and drama auditoriums?” he wondered.

    Raut, whose party shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra, claimed that the state BJP unit has made a “mockery” of central probe agencies.

    He said Maharashtra had a rich tradition of illustrious opposition leaders like Madhu Dandavate, Madhu Limaye, George Fernandes and Hiren Mukherjee, who launched fierce agitations against the then governments and exposed corruption.

    Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi also bore the brunt, he said.

    In Maharashtra, leaders like Datta Patil, Mrunal Gore, Keshavrao Dhondge, Krushnarao Dhulap and Gopinath Munde kept various state governments on tenterhooks, but there was no viciousness as in the present times, the Shiv Sena’s chief spokesperson said.

    Chief ministers like Shivajirao Nilangekar, A R Antulay and Vilasrao Deshmukh had to quit because of the opposition attack, he noted.

    “Today, the opposition is a just a comedy show. It is doing nothing, but threatening of ED inquiries and indulging in character assassination,” he claimed.

  • Multiple FIRs filed against Narayan Rane for his ‘tight slap’ remark about Uddhav, BJP defends Union Minister

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: A day after Narayan Rane sparked off a row over his remarks about “giving a tight slap to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray”, multiple FIRs have have been lodged in Pune, Nashik, Mahad, and other places against the Union minister. 

    Nashik Police have sent a team to Chipun, where Rane is expected to attend a Janashirwad Yatra on Tuesday. They are likely to arrest him.

    The remarks made by the Union minister has also drawn sharp criticism from Shiv Sena. The party workers have erected posters of Union minister depicting a hen and calling him a hen thief.

    “It is shameful that the chief minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given (him) a tight slap,” Rane said during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra in adjoining Raigad district on Monday.

    However, the BJP leaders defended Narayan Rane saying his language is like late Balasaheb Thackeray so people should understand it. BJP leader Ram Kadam said that there can be a debate over Narayan Rane’s langauge, but the state police cannot arrest him.

    “Narayan Rane is a Union cabinet minister therefore the police cannot violate the protocol and arrest him. They can give reply in same language. If he is arrested, then we will protest against it,” Kadam said.

    Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra BJP president said that he cannot defend the statement made by the Union minister but the state govt police cannot arrest him. He said this is the language and style of Rane.

    “They can give notice or warn that the ministers should not speak like this. But there should not be an arrest,” Patil said adding during Dussera rally, Uddhav Thackeray also made many controversial statements so can we arrest them?

    Patil wondered how a state could plan to arrest a Union minister.

    “Is there no administrative procedure?” he asked.

    “People who are pointing fingers at Rane should not forget that there have been several instances of Uddhav Thackeray using inflammatory language,” the BJP leader said.

    On Monday, during his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ in adjoining Raigad district, Rane said, “It is shameful that the chief minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given (him) a tight slap.”

    The BJP leader and former Shiv Sena chief minister claimed Thackeray forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address to the people of the state.

    Thackeray had to check the year of independence with his aides midway during the speech that day, Rane said Mumbai BJP MLA Ram Kadam defended the Union minister and said, “Rane is know for his aggressiveness. There could be a difference of opinion over his choice of words.”

    He alleged that from the day of commencement of the Jan Ashirwad Yatra, the Thackeray-led Maharashtra government was trying to misuse power and hinder Rane’s rally.

    “This is cheating by the state government. The state government is scared because of the massive response garnered by his rally,” the legislator told a news channel.

    He also claimed that Thackeray as CM had earlier made controversial statements and also used inflammatory language.

    “However, it was conveniently ignored by people as well as the state machinery,” Kadam said.

    BJP leader Pramod Jathar, who is co-ordinating Rane’s yatra in Ratnagiri district, said, “Rane’s language is similar to that of late Balasaheb Thackeray (the founder of Shiv Sena). The Jan Ashirwad Yatra will continue for sure.”

    Asked about Rane’s remarks, he said, “CM Thackeray forgetting the year of independence is more insulting. Rane only expressed feelings of the common man.”

    However, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik claimed the BJP was trying disturb the harmony in Maharashtra, and said “there will be repercussions” if a person makes controversial remarks.

    “The state will not accept this kind of language. Rane has not only insulted CM Thackeray, but also the people of this state. If a person makes controversial remarks, there will be repercussions,” said Malik, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra.

    He also claimed that the BJP was trying to do politics, “like it did in West Bengal by inciting violence”.

    “The BJP must understand that Maharashtra will not get into it,” he added.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • NCP says MVA allies kept in loop about Pawar-Modi meeting in Delhi

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The NCP on Saturday said that party chief Sharad Pawar’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi earlier in the day was a scheduled one to discuss amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, among other things, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies were aware of it.

    Addressing a press conference, NCP spokesperson and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said that AICC general secretary H K Patil was told about this scheduled meeting when he and other Congress leaders met Pawar in Mumbai recently.

    “Even Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was apprised of this meeting,” he added.

    The NCP shares power with the Shiv Sena and the Congress in Maharashtra as part of the MVA government that was formed after the 2019 Assembly elections.

    Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweeted a picture of the meeting between Pawar and Modi that lasted nearly an hour, during which they held talks on a number of issues.

    Malik said, “Amendments to Banking Regulation Act would hurt the co-operative sector banks since more powers were given to the RBI and while cooperative banks faced restrictions in power.

    Cooperation is a state subject… Pawar has been discussing the issue with all the stakeholders.”

    “He (Pawar) had spoken to the PM over phone and it was decided to meet whenever he is in Delhi,” he said. The NCP leader said that Pawar also raised the issue of COVID-19 handling and the process of vaccination during the meeting.

    “Yesterday, CM Uddhav Thackeray had told the PM that a national policy to stop crowding at public places should be framed,” he said.

    Malik, however, rejected reports that Pawar had met BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in Delhi.

    Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who is in Delhi, told reporters that he wasn’t aware of any meeting between Pawar and Fadnavis.

    “There is no politics in Pawar-Modi meeting. There can be discussions on various issues other than politics,” Raut said.

    Meanwhile, the NCP also released a letter written by Pawar to Modi, in which he has said that although the objectives behind the amendments to the Banking Regulation Act are laudable, they do little to promote the well-being and growth of the cooperative sector.

    Pawar submitted the letter to Modi during their meeting on Saturday.

    “You recently advised the rural youth to engage in micro, small and medium-size businesses along with their farming activities so as to make them ‘atmanirbhar’ under the adverse climatic conditions.

    The cooperative banks can contribute to this cause since they have expertise of lending to these first time borrowers and contribute more than 23 percent of their advances of Rs 3.04 lakh crore to small and micro industries, he said.

    “The growth of this sector is crucial to the holistic development of the country and all efforts should be made to encourage this sector,” the former Union minister added.

    “The aims and objectives of the amended Act are well-intentioned and many provisions are necessary.

    The erring board and management must definitely be acted upon strictly and depositors’ interest should be protected, but at the same time it should be ensured that while doing so, the cooperative principles laid down in the Constitution are not sacrificed at the altar of over-zealous regulation,” Pawar said in the letter.

  • Why scared to hold Speaker’s election despite majority in House: Fadnavis asks MVA 

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Amid reports that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) dispensation in Maharashtra was planning to change rules to adopt the method of open voting for the state Assembly Speaker’s election, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday asked why the state government was scared despite having majority in the House.

    He said the move showed that the MVA allies not only trust one another but also their own legislators.

    Fadnavis also reiterated that the three-party MVA dispensation will collapse under its own weight, and asserted that once that happens, his party would provide an alternative government in the state.

    The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly was speaking to reporters at the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini near here.

    The Assembly speaker’s post has been lying vacant since February after Nana Patole resigned to take charge as the state Congress president.

    As per tradition, the speaker is elected unopposed.

    When asked about the state government considering changing rules for holding the speaker’s election, Fadnavis said, “If you have majority, why are you scared and why are you changing rules? Why do you want elections through show of hands (open voting)? This means that the MVA allies don’t trust each other and also their own legislators.”

    “Any meeting for change of the legislative rules has to be convened by the speaker. Deputy speaker doesn’t have the authority. Without the speaker such a meeting is not valid,” he added.

    Meanwhile, sources said that change in rules for holding the speaker’s election is under consideration of the government.

    A preliminary meeting took place recently, but nothing has been finalised yet, they said.

    Fadnavis said, “When the issue comes before us, we will take a stand.”

    The former chief minister said when Congress’s state unit chief Nana Patole speaks of going alone in the next Assembly polls, NCP president Sharad Pawar counters him and Congress leaders, who meet Pawar, don’t take Patole along, which shows what is happening among the ruling allies.

    “We are playing the role of strong opposition. I have been saying from day one that this government will collapse under its own weight. I did not give any time-frame. When it collapses, we will give an alternative government,” he said.

    His statement comes a day after Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil said the MVA allies will fight among themselves, but they will not let the three-party government fall.

    The MVA, an unlikely coalition of the Shiv Sena and its one-time opponents, the NCP and the Congress, came to power in November 2019.

    In the past, the opposition BJP has raised questions over the stability of the Shiv Sena-led government with Fadnavis and other leaders saying the coalition will collapse under the weight of its internal contradictions.

    However, MVA allies have repeatedly asserted that the Uddhav Thackeray government is stable and will complete its full five-year term (which ends in 2024).

    Fadnavis also said that senior NCP leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal met him to discuss about preparing the empirical data of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) to restore the political reservations to the community in local bodies that was struck down by the Supreme Court.

    “During our government, we prepared the empirical data of Marathas, which was upheld by the Supreme Court,” he said.

  • With Narayan Rane inducted in Modi’s cabinet, BJP eyes Maratha vote bank

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision of inducting former chief minister Narayan Rane in his cabinet is a strong message that the BJP wants to shed its traditional Brahmin-Baniya party image in Maharashtra and plans to foster a strong Maratha leadership.

    The BJP’s chief ministerial pick in the last assembly and current leader in the House, Devendra Fadnavis, is a Brahmin. But after the party lost power, many OBC and other communities started drifting away from it. The negativity against the party has been rising under Fadnavis. Hence, the BJP decided to do expand its vote base beyond Brahmin and Baniya voters.

    During the time of Gopinath Munde, the BJP’s leadership was in the hands of OBC. After the rise of Fadnavis, it has been unable to test any major success despite using all resources. That’s another reason why the party has now decided to strengthen the hands of Rane, a Maratha. BJP sources said from now on, along with Fadnavis he will have a major say in party affairs.

    Maharashtra has more than 30% Maratha population. The state’s politics has been always dominated by Maratha leaders such as Yashwantrao Chavan and Sharad Pawar. “The BJP also has Maratha leaders like Ashish Shelar and Chandrakant Patil, but they have their limitations. By inducting Rane, the party aims to wean away Maratha votes in upcoming polls,” said a senior leader.

    Apart from Rane, the PM has inducted three new faces from the state: Kapil Patil, Bhagwat Karad and Bharati Pawar. Except for Karad, all three have switched to the BJP from other parties. Patil and Pawar were with the NCP earlier. 

    “This is a positive message for outsiders who are in the BJP: that positions are not only given to old and loyal members but also to new entrants provided they are hardworking, aggressively take on the opposition and expand the party base,” said a political observer. “During the last assembly polls, many Congress and NCP leaders joined BJP and got elected. But BJP could not form a government. These  MLAs are unhappy and may consider leaving the party. BJP hopes the message that those who bring benefits to the outfit will be appropriately rewarded will not be lost on such leaders.”

  • Independent MLA, Home Minister, resignation: A look at Anil Deshmukh’s journey in Maharashtra politics

    By PTI
    NAGPUR: Except for the Devendra Fadnavis- led government during 2014-19, Anil Deshmukh has managed to find a berth in the state ministry irrespective of which party came to power in the last over two decades.

    That journey hit a roadblock on Monday as he quit the Uddhav Thackeray-led ministry after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into the allegations of extortion against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

    Deshmukh (70), who hails from Wadvihira village near Katol in Nagpur district, began as an independent MLA in 1995, extending support to the then Shiv Sena-led government – in which BJP was a partner – and was made a minister of state.

    In 1999, he broke off his ties with the Sena-BJP government and joined the newly-formed Nationalist Congress Party.

    He won from Katol Assembly seat and was inducted in the Congress-NCP ministry as a cabinet minister in 2001.

    He was dropped during a cabinet reshuffle and rejoined the ministry in 2009 and held charge of food, civil supplies and consumer protection.

    Deshmukh lost the 2014 Assembly elections to his nephew but regained the Katol seat in 2019.

    He recently scored a self-goal in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly while attacking the BJP and claiming how good is the law and order situation in Maharashtra.

    Deshmukh pointed to the alleged suicide of Lok Sabha member Mohan Delkar and also that of an IAS official “from Madhya Pradesh” in Maharashtra, claiming that both felt they would only get justice in Maharashtra and not in their home states that are ruled by the BJP.

    Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis immediately pointed out that the IAS officer, whom Deshmukh had referred to, hailed from Congress-ruled Chattisgarh.

    An embarrassed Deshmukh had to set the record straight in the House.

    Singh is not the first bureaucrat to attack him.

    In April 2020, he was criticised by a retired IAS officer and chairman of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission Anand Kulkarni, who threatened to “expose” Deshmukh over alleged corruption in the allotment of molasses and transfers of excise officials.

  • Union Minister Ramdas Athawale meets Kovind, seeks President’s rule in Maharashtra

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday met President Ram Nath Kovind and sought President’s rule in Maharashtra in the wake of former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh’s allegation of corruption against state home minister, and the Sachin Waze episode.

    Athawale met the president in New Delhi.

    Talking to reporters in the national capital after the meeting, the Minister of State for Social Justice said, “I submitted a memorandum of demand to Kovind and urged him to impose President’s rule in Maharashtra. He told me that he would think over my demand.”

    “One police officer Sachin Waze plants explosives near the residence of businessman (Mukesh Ambani), while state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh allegedly gives the target of collecting Rs 100 crore per month to senior police officers. This is a serious situation in the state,” he said.

    There should be a probe against Deshmukh as he is under suspicion at this moment, Athawale said.

    Param Bir Singh had sent an eight-page letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 20, claiming that Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels.

    However, the minister has refuted the allegation.

    Waze, a Mumbai police officer, has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the explosives-laden SUV found parked near Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai on February 25.

    He is also facing heat in the alleged murder of Thane-based businesssman Mansukh Hiran, who was in possession of that SUV.

    Hiran was found dead in a creek on March 5.