News Analysis India

Tag: Shiv Sena

  • ‘What about Pulwama?’: Shiv Sena slams Centre over transfer of Antilia bomb scare case to NIA

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena on Friday slammed the Centre for handing over the Antilia bomb scare case to National Investigation Agency (NIA) saying the agency, which is meant to investigate cases related to terrorism, has been handed over this case without it having any links to terrorism.

    “NIA investigates matters related to terrorism. But despite not having any link to terrorism, the agency has been handed over the case. What is the matter? What probe did the NIA do in the Uri attack, the Pathankot attack, and the Pulwama attack? How many criminals have been arrested? This too is a mystery. But 20 gelatin sticks in Mumbai seems to prove to be a big challenge for NIA,” read an editorial in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana.

    The editorial also praised the former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and alleged there was a certain lobby in Delhi that had grudges against him.

    “The government has to do the rejig in police under certain specific circumstances. Param Bir Singh was replaced in the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner, which doesn’t mean he is guilty. He took the command of the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner during very difficult times. He had instilled a passion in the police to fight the COVID-19 crisis. He himself went to an area like Dharavi,” read an editorial.

    ALSO READ | Ab tak 63: The colourful life of Mumbai cop Sachin Waze now arrested over Ambani bomb scare

    “In Sushant-Kangana episode, he did not let the morale of the police go down. TRP scam files were opened during his time. A lobby in Delhi had grudges against him due to this,” it added.

    The editorial further said that the newly-appointed Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale will have to work with courage and caution.

    “All are sad the way Mansukh Hiren died suspiciously. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have suffered a bit too much. But Ramswaroop Sharma, an MP of the same party, died suspiciously in Delhi during the commencement of the session of Parliament. Sharma was a strong Hindutva proponent. BJP people are not seen beating his chest about his suspicious death. In the case of Mohan Delkar’s suicide, no one is ready to speak even one word. Sushant Singh Rajput and his family have all been forgotten,” the editorial said.

    It added that BJP knows where to invest and where not to and the effort to reduce the morale of Mumbai Police is going on. The opposition should not do this. If the opposition thinks they will take over the power in the state this way, then they are having misconceptions, it added. 

  • Shiv Sena slams Centre over privatisation of national assets

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena on Thursday raised questions over the credibility of Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal’s assurance in Lok Sabha that Indian Railways will never be privatised while slamming the Centre for its pro-privatisation policies.

    “Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said in Parliament that Railways is the property of the country. It will not be privatised at all. At the same time, another Union Minister Prakash Javadekar assured that the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) would not be privatised. Is there such an atmosphere in the country today that their assurances given by these two Ministers of the Centre can be believed?” read an editorial in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are doing the exact opposite of what Goyal or Javadekar are saying. Not only the country’s major ports and airports but nationalised banks also have started to be privatised. The Modi government’s only policy is to hand over Public sector undertakings to investors,” it added.

    Further criticising the Centre’s pro-privatisation policies, the editorial said that public property was not built with the sweat of investors. But the Modi government was selling these national assets. These assets such as airports, seaports now have boards of industrialists.

    “Therefore, no matter how seriously the Ministers may be saying, the sword of privatization is still hanging on the railways and insurance companies,” the editorial added.

    It further said if the government will not do business, then why should you run the government and why do you present a budget? The Ministries of Industry, Trade, Commerce should be put under lock. 

  • Uddhav had asked me to reinstate Waze when I was CM, says BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday claimed that when he was Maharashtra chief minister, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had called him in 2018 to seek reinstatement of the then suspended police officer Sachin Waze into the state police force.

    He also accused the Shiv Sena of pressuring him over this demand at that time.

    Mumbai police officer Waze is at the focus of a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the case related to the recovery of an SUV with explosives near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house in south Mumbai on February 25.

    Waze, arrested in the case on March 13 for his alleged role in the crime, was attached to the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of city police’s crime branch till recently.

    ALSO READ | Ambani bomb scare row: Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh shifted to Home Guard

    Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Fadnavis said, “I was Maharashtra chief minister in 2018 and also helmed the home department. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had called me to reinstate the then suspended police officer Sachin Waze back into the police force. Some Shiv Sena ministers later met me with the same request.”

    “When I received the proposal to reinstate Waze back into police force, I verbally sought advocate general’s opinion about it. I was told that Waze was suspended after the Bombay High Court’s order. Therefore, I decided not to reinstate him,” Fadnavis said.

    The Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly also alleged that the Shiv Sena even tried to pressurise him over it.

    The BJP and the Shiv Sena shared power between 2014 and 2019.

    However, after the 2019 Assembly polls, the Sena parted ways with the BJP over sharing the chief minister’s post and joined hands with the NCP and the Congress.

    Uddhav Thackeray heads the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.

    Credited with eliminating 63 alleged criminals in ‘encounters’, Waze, a 1990-batch officer of the state cadre, was suspended in 2004 over his role in the custodial death of a 2002 Ghatkopar blast suspect Khwaja Yunus and was reinstated last year.

  • 50 Shiv Sainiks booked for COVID-19 rules violations after protesting at BJP leader’s office

    By PTI
    THANE: A mob of 50 Shiv Sainiks have been booked for entering the office of a Thane BJP leader and protesting there without keeping in mind COVID-19 protocols, police said on Tuesday.

    The incident happened on March 12 in the office of Manohar Dhumbre, BJP group leader in the Thane Municipal Corporation, a Naupada police station official said.

    “The Shiv Sainiks and Dhumbre had arguments over some issues in the latter’s ward. Those in the mob did not wear masks nor did they maintain social distancing. So we booked them under section 188 of IPC and Maharashtra Police Act. No arrest has been made so far,” he added.

  • NIA taking over Ambani bomb scare case amounts to demoralising Mumbai Police: Sanjay Raut

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that the NIA taking over the probe into the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence here amounted to demoralising the Mumbai Police and creating instability in Maharashtra.

    Talking to reporters here, Raut also said Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze, arrested late Saturday night by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is an “honest, successful officer and a good investigator”.

    “The state government’s prestige is at stake in this case,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

    Meanwhile, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told reporters in Nagpur that the ATS and NIA were probing the recovery of the explosives-laden vehicle and the case of Hiran’s death.

    “The truth will come out and action will be taken accordingly,” he said.

    When asked if Waze would be suspended, Deshmukh did not comment.

    A Scorpio found parked near Ambani’s house on Carmichael Road in south Mumbai on February 25 contained some gelatin sticks and a threat letter.

    Waze, an “encounter specialist”, is also facing heat in the murder case of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran who was in possession of the Scorpio.

    Hiran was found dead in a creek in Thane district on March 5.

    The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is investigating the Hiran murder case.

    It had registered an FIR against unidentified persons days after Hiran’s body was found.

    Raut said the Mumbai Police were capable of investigating both the cases and involvement of central agencies “wasn’t required”.

    “They (Mumbai Police) are capable and professional. They can’t be pressurised. The NIA taking over the probe amounts to creating pressure and terror of the central government by lowering the morale of the police and destabilising the state,” he alleged.

    The Shiv Sena’s chief spokesperson further charged that Waze’s arrest by the NIA amounted to encroaching upon the rights of the police and an attack on their capabilities.

    Raut said state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had handed over the probe to the ATS, but the NIA entered the scene to probe the recovery of 20 gelatin sticks in the Scorpio.

    To a question on sections under which Waze has been charged, Raut said, “There is a difference between charges being levelled and the charges being proved.”

    “The state government’s prestige is at stake in this case,” he further said.

    Raut also said the government should take “very seriously” the issue of sensitive information reaching the opposition leaders first.

    The opposition should explain what the CBI’s probe found into the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death which the Mumbai Police had not investigated.

    In his weekly column ‘Rokhtok’ in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, Raut said it was not a good sign for the state government that Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis had “access first” to all confidential documents in case of the explosives-laden SUV and Hiran’s mysterious death.

    He said the present controversy has enabled the opposition to “regain its lost confidence”.

    “What was happening in the state currently was not good for its prestige,” he said.

    Raut said Sanjay Rathod had to resign as state minister over the Puja Chavan suicide case, while the opposition targeted Sachin Waze in the case Manuskh Hiran’s death.

    “But, the opposition is not ready to speak on the cases of suicide of (interior designer) Anvay Naik and (Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha member) Mohan Delkar,” he said.

    Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and two others were arrested on November 4 last year by Raigad police in connection with the suicide of Anvay Naik and his mother in 2018. They were granted bail by the Supreme Court a few days later. Delkar (58) was found dead in a hotel in south Mumbai last month.

    Dubbing the recovery of gelatin sticks from the vehicle found near Ambani’s residence and Hiran’s death as a “mystery”, Raut said, “But, there is a difference between mystery and truth.”

    He said Hiran left his house for the last time saying a police official called “Tawde” had called him to Kandivali police station.

    “But, there is no official by that name in Kandivali. All this is very complicated. An external force is controlling some groups in the Mumbai and Thane police forces,” Raut claimed, adding that it is not good if factionalism in the police force shows up again.

  • Maharashtra-Karnataka border row: Sanjay Raut calls for all-party visit to Belgaum

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday alleged that Marathi people residing in Karnataka’s Belgaum were being victimised, and said an all-party delegation from Maharashtra should visit the city in the neighbouring state to resolve the ongoing stand-off.

    Talking to reporters, Raut said that in the last eight days there have been instances of attack on Shiv Sena leaders and the party’s office in Belgaum by pro-Kannada outfits.

    “Belgaum is part of India and the Maharashtra- Karnataka dispute is a language dispute.

    Itshouldn’t be stretched too far and this is the responsibility of the Karnataka government too,” he said.

    “If the situation goes out of hand, the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra government shouldn’t be blamed since the response would not be official, but political,” the Sena’s Rajya Sabha member said.

    Raut blamed the Centre for the situation in Belgaum, saying that it can see violence in West Bengal and places where BJP is contesting elections, but “turning a blind eye” to the developments in Belgaum.

    “The Maharashtra government will have to take a firm stand. An all-party delegation should visit Belgaum soon to show unity with the Marathi people suffering the high- handedness there,” he said.

    The Sena leader alleged that Kannada outfit Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, which is attacking the Shiv Sena activists, is sponsored by the BJP.

    “No one from the BJP is speaking about it. The Shiv Sena can also respond in equal measure, but we don’t want to create a rift between the two states. The Centre should intervene,” he said.

    Raut said the fresh stand-off was an attempt to divert the attention from the sex CD scandal allegedly involving a former Karnataka minister.

    He lamented that despite the boundary dispute being a sub-judice matter, Karnataka constructed a Vidhan Bhavan in Belgaum and made it the second capital of the state.

  • BJP , Shiv Sena duel in Lok Sabha over Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, metro projects

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Lok Sabha proceedings on Wednesday saw verbal duels between BJP and Shiv Sena, who accused each other of non-cooperation over important infrastructure initiatives like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train and Mumbai Metro project in Maharashtra. 

    While Railway Minister Piyush Goyal charged the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government of stalling the bullet train project, the Shiv Sena accused the Centre of not cooperating with the state dispensation over the Metro car shed project.

    Goyal said it was because of the “ego” of the state government that the car shed issue remains unsolved.

    After the formation of the MVA government, the Shiv Sena changed the Metro car shed site from Aarey to Kanjur.

    The Kanjur land belongs to the Centre.

    Arguments began during Question Hour when Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav asked whether there are any plans to run a bullet train between Mumbai and Nagpur. Goyal said: “Decisions were taken swiftly and work also started on it rapidly. World’s best technology was brought to India. But I am pained that since the new government was formed in Maharashtra, there is a sort of full-stop to the work,” Goyal said.

    Goyal also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly desires that the country has an advanced technology, railways run faster and people get world class facilities.

    For the same purpose, work on a high-speed railway line between Mumbai and Ahmedabad was being undertaken.

    The minister said the land acquisition started at a fast pace and 95 per cent land of land under the jurisdiction of Gujarat has been acquired.

    Land from Dadra Nagar Haveli too has been acquired.

    He said there is still hardly any progress on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train after the new government came to power in 2019.

    He said only 24 per cent of land required for the work under the jurisdiction of Maharashtra has been acquired.

    “The work on high-speed railway is not progressing in Maharashtra. The work in Gujarat is moving at fast pace but it has stopped in Maharashtra,” he said.

    Replying to a question on the same issue by Manoj Kotak, BJP MP from Northeast Mumbai, Goyal said even the land from where the bullet train is to start from Mumbai has not been handed over to Centre.

    “The member (Jadhav) desires that a high-speed railway should run between Mumbai to Nagpur. Who desires it more than myself. I hail from Mumbai, was born and brought up there. Prime Minister’s dream is to have a high-speed railway but for that my pain is the Maharashtra government has hindered the progress of the project.”

    “In such a case how can there be a railway between Mumbai and Nagpur. It’s beyond my understanding,” Goyal said.

    Shiv Sena MP Jadhav said the reason why people of Maharashtra oppose the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is they feel this is a ploy to shift big businesses to Gujarat.

    To this, Arvind Sawant, another Shiv Sena member and a former Cabinet minister till he resigned after his party parted ways with the BJP to join hands with Congress and NCP to form the MVA government, accused Goyal of lying.

    “We always speak truth. The job to lie is of leaders for the post of chief minister,” Goyal said alluding to Thackeray.

    “I don’t know what the leaders desire. They don’t cooperate with us even for developmental work,” he said.

    Goyal asked Jadhav to put pressure on the Maharashtra government for cooperation from its end.

    Hitting back, Jadhav said the reason why people of Maharashtra oppose the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is because they feel “this is a ploy” to shift all big businesses to Gujarat.

    “Even before this all corporate offices, government offices have moved out of Mumbai. This is a ploy of the Centre to reduce the importance of Mumbai,” he said.

    Rubbishing the charge, Goyal said when the BJP-led government was in Maharashtra from 2014-19, there was no flight of businesses from Maharashtra to any other state.

    “Yes, but looking at the condition prevailing today, the work it has done and also the way it has failed in COVID management and running the government with taints of corruption. In such a scenario if people (business) leave Mumbai, then who is responsible,” he said.

    “The line which has already been decided, for which Maharashtra has already given its approval, if there is no cooperation even on that then what attitude it will adopt for future lines,” Goyal said.

    To this, Sawant, who represents Mumbai South constituency, accused the minister of “speaking half-truth”.

    Sawant said the state government has to receive Rs 1 lakh crore from the Centre.

    “You will not give that (Kanjur) land. You have kept mum on the land for Metro car shed.

    He said the Centre was not cooperating with the state government by giving its land for the Metro car shed project,” he said.

    “It (that the Centre has to give Rs 1 lakh crore to Maharashtra) is baseless. I will give the details of how much money Maharashtra government has to pay the Centre. Just because there is no cooperation many of the projects have been hit,” Goyal said.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • 1975 Emergency an outdated issue, should be buried: Raut

    Raut also questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi #39;s move of expressing regret over the Emergency imposed by his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

  • Will contest 20-25 seats in 2022 Goa Assembly polls: Shiv Sena

    By PTI
    PANAJI: Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said his party will contest 20-25 seats in the Goa Assembly polls scheduled to be held next year.

    He claimed there was large-scale unrest against the BJP government here but the opposition was unable to take advantage of it, and this was giving space to parties like AAP which surfaced only during polls in Goa.

    Those who question the strength of the Shiv Sena in Goa must contest polls on their own in the state rather than on the strength of alliances, Raut added.

  • Sena not to contest Bengal polls, stands in solidarity with ‘real tigress’ Mamata Banerjee

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Wishing ‘roaring’ success to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena party has decided not to contest the West Bengal Assembly polls, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut announced on Thursday.

    The decision was taken after a discussion with Thackeray.

    Raut, who on January 17 had said Shiv Sena will contest the West Bengal Assembly Elections, on Thursday said the party will stand in solidarity with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

    “A lot of people are curious to know whether Shiv Sena is contesting West Bengal Polls or not? So here’s the update after discussions with Party President Uddhav ji Thackeray. Looking at the present scenario, it appears like a ‘Didi Vs All’ fight. All ‘M’s – Money, Muscle and Media are being used against ‘Mamata Didi. Hence, Shivsena has decided not to contest West Bengal polls and stand in solidarity with her. We wish Mamata Didi a ‘roaring’ success, ‘cos we believe She is the real Bengal Tigress !!,” Raut posted a picture containing the text on Twitter.

    West Bengal is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP in the fray.

    Elections for the 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal will begin on March 27. The state is set to witness eight-phase Assembly polls this year.