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Tag: Uddhav Thackeray

  • Fadnavis likens Uddhav government with Babri; says he won’t rest till it is brought down

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Hitting out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday sought to liken the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state with the Babri mosque structure and said he would not rest till the Shiv Sena-led dispensation was brought down from power.

    He also said that the Shiv Sena does not mean Mumbai, Maharashtra or Hindutva, and added that nobody can separate Mumbai from the state, but he wants to free the city from “corruption and misdeeds”.

    Fadnavis was addressing ‘Hindi Bhashi Mahasankalp Sabha’ organised by the BJP’s North Indian cell in suburban Goregaon, a day after Uddhav Thackeray’s rally in the city, where he had slammed Fadnavis and the BJP.

    Fadnavis’s rally began with the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa.

    Elections to several other civic bodies in the state, including Mumbai, which was ruled by the Shiv Sena for more than 25 years, are due this year.

    Describing Thackeray’s rally as a “laughter show”, Fadnavis said, “This man had never spoken about the state’s development, progress and welfare of people in the two-and-a-half years (of his rule).”

    “One doesn’t become a tiger just by clicking photographs of tigers. There is only one tiger now – Narendra Modi,” he said.

    During his rally, Thackeray had targeted Fadnavis for saying that he was in Ayodhya during the demolition of the Babri mosque.

    “If you had tried to climb the Babri mosque, it would have collapsed under your weight,” he had said.

    Referring to it, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly said he weighs 102 kilos now, while back in 1992 his weight was 128 kilos.

    “I will not rest till I bring down the Babri structure of your power,” Fadnavis said.

  • Fadnavis terms CM Thackeray’s speech as ‘another taunt bomb’

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday poohpoohed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s speech at a rally here as yet another “taunt bomb”, and said a befitting reply will be given.

    Earlier in the evening, Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena, launched a scathing attack on the BJP, a former ally, accusing it of peddling “fake Hindutva” and diverting people’s attention from real issues.

    “This turned out to be yet another taunt bomb, it will get reply and a befitting one,” Fadnavis tweeted in Marathi after the rally.

    The BJP leader had in the past accused Thackeray of taunting opposition leaders instead of speaking about the issues that concern people.

    Meanwhile, Avinash Abhyankar, a leader of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS, also took a jibe at the chief minister over Twitter.

    The character of ‘Lucky Singh’ in the film “Lage Raho Munnabhai” gets the message ‘get well soon’ from everybody, and his party too will send the same message (to Uddhav Thackeray), he said.

    CM Thackeray, in his speech, had taken potshots at Raj Thackeray, his estranged cousin, saying that like Sanjay Dutt’s character `Munnabhai’ in the film thinks that he is conversing with Mahatma Gandhi, some people think they have become (Shiv Sena founder) Bal Thackeray.

  • Uddhav slams BJP over ‘fake Hindutva’, says Mumbai will never be separated from Maharashtra

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Sounding the bugle for elections to the Mumbai municipal corporation and several other civic bodies in the state which are due this year, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday slammed the BJP and said the attempts to “separate Mumbai” from the state will never succeed.

    The BJP was peddling “fake Hindutva and diverting attention from real issues,” he said.

    Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena, also accused the former ally of doing dirty politics, and wondered if it was the same BJP which the Sena considered to be its friend for 25 years.

    Notably, the chief minister addressed his first open air public meeting in two years. Thackeray had undergone a spine surgery in November 2021 and was confined to home for several weeks.

    The BJP has “A ,B ,C teams” and “gives them loudspeakers and asks them to visit Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb or recite the Hanuman Chalisa,” an aggressive Thackeray said, making reference to recent political controversies in the state. “The BJP will only watch the tamasha (drama) and address press conferences,” he added.

    Without naming his estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, the chief minister said like Sanjay Dutt’s character in the film “Lage Raho Munnabhai” thinks he is conversing with Mahatma Gandhi, some people think they are Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

    He also hit out at BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over the latter’s alleged remark that “Mumbai will be freed.” “This was not a slip of tongue, it was what was in his mind,” Thackeray said.

    “Such attempts (to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra) will never be allowed to succeed. Maharashtra has got Mumbai after a lot of struggle and shedding blood,” the chief minister said. “If Dawood Ibrahim decides to join the BJP, he may even be made a minister. That is why, perhaps, central agencies are after him,” he quipped.

    In an apparent reference to the Enforcement Directorate’s raids on the properties of his brother-in-law, Thackeray said he was exercising restraint. “I have never targeted the family members of political opponents,” he added.

    The BJP was acting like a ”jilted lover” and “throwing acid” on Maharashtra by maligning it, said Thackeray, whose party broke off its alliance with the BJP after the 2019 Assembly elections over the chief minister’s post. He also condemned Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale’s alleged derogatory post about NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

    Targeting Fadnavis for saying that he was in Ayodhya during the demolition of the Babri mosque, Thackeray said, “If you had tried to climb the Babri mosque, it would have collapsed under your weight.” He then cited BJP veteran L K Advani’s comment that those who climbed on the Babri structure were Marathi-speakers.

    The Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana has always highlighted the issues of national and state importance but never insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Thackeray said.

    He also alleged that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is under the Union government, “takes care of Aurangzeb’s tomb” but comes in the way of his government’s initiative to preserve and develop ancient temples in the state.

  • MP Navneet Rana dares Maharashtra CM Thackeray to contest election against her

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Independent MP Navneet Rana, who recently got bail after being arrested by Mumbai police last month over the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ recitation row, on Sunday challenged Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to contest an election against her.

    She also claimed that the people of Mumbai and Lord Ram will teach the Shiv Sena a lesson in civic polls.

    Shiv Sena president Thackeray, who became the CM in November 2019 after forging an alliance with the NCP and Congress, took oath as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council in May 2020. Prior to that, he was not a member of the state legislature.

    Navneet Rana, the MP from Amravati in Maharashtra, and her MLA-husband Ravi Rana were arrested on April 23 by the Mumbai police after the couple announced that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside CM Thackeray’s private residence `Matoshree’ here, which angered workers of the Shiv Sena, Thackeray’s party, leading to tension.

    The couple was granted bail on May 4 by a special Mumbai court. They walked out of jail on May 5 following which Navneet Rana was admitted to a private hospital here.

    Her lawyer then said she had complaints of high blood pressure, body aches and spondylitis.

    Talking to reporters on Sunday after being discharged from the hospital, the Navneet Rana said, “I challenge Uddhav Thackeray ji to chose a constituency and get elected directly by people. I will fight against him.”

    “I will work hard with honesty and win the election, and he (the CM) will know the people’s power,” she said.

    “What crime did I commit that I was jailed for 14 days? You can put me in jail for 14 years, but I will not stop chanting the names of Lord Ram and Hanuman. Mumbaikars and Lord Ram will teach the Shiv Sena a lesson in the civic polls,” the parliamentarian said.

    Navneet Rana also said she will campaign in Mumbai and support ‘Ram bhakts’ (followers of Lord Ram) to end the “corrupt rule” of the Shiv Sena.

    This Shiv Sena shares power in the state with the NCP and Congress.

    The Thackeray-led party also controls the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

    Notably, CM Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray is the first from the family to enter the electoral fray.

  • Police officers close to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray killed Mansukh Hiran, alleges Kirit Somaiya

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Saturday alleged that some police officials “close to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray” killed Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    He will meet officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the case, Somaiya told reporters.

    Officials from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) were not available for commenting on the BJP leader’s allegation.

    The NIA on Wednesday claimed before the Bombay High Court that former police officer Pradeep Sharma was the main conspirator in the “cold-blooded murder” of Hiran, who was considered a weak link in the “larger conspiracy of terrorising” the family of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

    Dismissed police officer Sachin Waze — also arrested in the case — gave Rs 45 lakh to Sharma for henchmen to kill Hiran, the NIA said.

    On February 25, 2021, an explosives-laden SUV was found near Mukesh Ambani’s residence ‘Antilia’ in south Mumbai.

    Hiran, who was in possession of the SUV earlier, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on March 5, 2021.

  • Balasaheb had backed Narendra Modi amid demand for his ouster as Gujarat CM after Godhra riots: Uddhav Thackeray

    Uddhav Thackeray said a demand was being raised to remove Modi as Gujarat CM when BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister of the country.

  • Sena fighting those who plan to divide India by causing riots in name of Hanuman Chalisa: Raut 

    Sanjay Raut made the comments a day after Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey took a potshot at the Uddhav Thackeray government over 'arresting people for reciting Hanuman Chalisa'.

  • MP Navneet Rana was not ill-treated by police, says Maharashtra home minister 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Tuesday denied Independent MP Navneet Rana’s accusation that she was ill-treated in police custody after her and her husband’s arrest on Saturday.

    Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has sought information about the accusations and it will be provided, he added.

    In a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Navneet Rana alleged that she was ill-treated on account of her caste and not given even water at the Khar police station.

    ALSO READ: After Mumbai top cop posts tea-sipping clip, Rana says she was ill-treated in lock-up of Santacruz cops

    After police earlier in the day released a video showing her drinking tea at the police station, her lawyer said the incident took place at Santacruz police station and not at Khar station.

    “I personally sought information about the accusations of Lok Sabha member Navneet Rana that she was ill-treated by police officials because she belongs to a lower caste,” Walse-Patil told reporters.

    “I did not find any evidence backing her allegations. It is a fact that no such incident has taken place in the police station,” the minister added.

    Action was taken against the Rana couple “within the legal frame”, he said, adding that he would not comment further as Nanveet Rana has approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the issue.

    “He (speaker) has sought information from us and we will send it,” Walse-Patil added.

    On the grant of permission for Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s rally in Aurangabad on May 1, the home minister said decision will be taken in the next couple of days.

    “The decision on whether to grant permission will be taken by the local police commissioner and not the state government,” he added.

    Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana were arrested on Saturday after they announced that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai.

    The announcement triggered angry reaction by Sena workers.

    The couple later backed out, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mumbai the next day.

    The lawmaker couple, now booked for sedition besides other charges, is currently in judicial custody. 

  • Corruption probe against Anil Deshmukh: Chandiwal Commission submits report to Maha CM

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Chandiwal Commission, probing corruption allegations against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, submitted its report to state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday.

    The Maharashtra government had formed the single-member commission, headed by Justice K U Chandiwal (retired) in March last year the conduct a probe into the corruption allegations levelled against Deshmukh by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

    During the nearly year-long probe, the commission recorded the statements of Deshmukh, dismissed police officer Sachin Waze and others. Singh had appeared before the commission once, after multiple summons.

    The former Mumbai police chief, through multiple affidavits, told the commission that he had nothing more to share other than the information he provided in his letter to the chief minister.

    Singh was the Mumbai police commissioner when an explosives-laden SUV was found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence ‘Antilia’ in south Mumbai in February 2021.

    Singh, who was transferred from the police commissioner’s post in March last year in the aftermath of a ‘Antilia’ bomb scare, had alleged that Deshmukh asked police officers to collect Rs 100 crore every month from bars and restaurants in the city.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are also probing the allegations made against Deshmukh by Singh.

    Deshmukh, who resigned from the post of state home minister in April 2021, was arrested by the ED in November last year in connection with a money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody.

  • Court seeks Mumbai police’s reply to bail plea of Rana couple in sedition FIR

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A sessions court here on Tuesday asked the Mumbai police to file on April 29 their reply to a bail application of jailed independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband, MLA Ravi Rana.

    The couple had on Monday moved the court seeking bail in an FIR registered by the Mumbai police against them on charges of sedition and promoting enmity, after they gave a call to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence ‘Matoshree’ in suburban Bandra.

    When the matter came up for hearing in the court on Tuesday, the police said they want to respond with an affidavit to the bail plea. The court accepted this and posted the matter for further hearing on April 29.

    The Ranas were arrested by the Mumbai police on Saturday.

    Ranas’ advocate Rizwan Merchant on Monday said the couple decided to withdraw their bail plea pending before the Bandra magistrate court that had remanded them to 14-day judicial custody on Sunday.

    Merchant had said the suburban Khar police initially booked the Ranas under Indian Penal Code Section 153(A), for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups.

    At the time of their remand, the police informed the magistrate court that they had added the charge of sedition, under IPC Section 124A, against the couple in the first FIR.

    Their bail plea said the call to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside ‘Matoshree’ was not a calculated move to promote feelings of enmity or hatred and the charge under section 153(A) cannot be sustained.

    There was no intention on part of the applicants to instigate or create hatred by offering Hanuman Chalisa near ‘Matoshree’, the couple said in their plea.

    It is submitted that by no stretch of imagination can the acts of the applicants be stated to constitute the offence of sedition, the plea said.

    Further, the Mumbai police had issued notice under section 149 of the CrPC and the applicant (Navneet Rana) had complied with the police’s direction and not stepped out of her residence, it added.

    Navneet Rana, the Lok Sabha MP from Amravati in eastern Maharashtra, and Ravi Rana, the MLA from Badnera in Amravati, had eventually dropped their plan to recite the Hanuman Chalisa (hymns dedicated to Lord Hanuman) on Saturday outside Thackeray’s home, citing the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mumbai for an event on Sunday.