News Analysis India

Tag: Uddhav Thackeray

  • Vaze is not Osama Bin Laden, wait till probe is over, says Maharastra CM Uddhav Thackeray

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said the guilty in the Mansukh Hiran death case will be punished, but police officer Sachin Vaze should not be targeted until his alleged involvement is established.

    Facing heat over Assistant Police Inspector Vaze’s alleged link to Hiran’s mysterious death, the government earlier in the day announced his transfer from the Mumbai crime branch.

    Hiran, who was in possession of the vehicle which was later found with explosives outside residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, was found dead in a creek in Thane last week.

    His wife has made allegations against Vaze in her statement.

    “Sachin Vaze is not Osama Bin Laden. It is not right to target a person and hang him and then investigate,” Thackeray said here. 

    “Let the probe be over. The guilty, whoever they are, will not be spared,” he said, speaking to reporters after the end of the Budget session of the Maharashtra legislature.

    On Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis’ claim that Vaze was a member of Thackeray’s party, the Shiv Sena, the chief minister said the officer had become a party member in 2008 and he had not renewed the membership.

    “Now he has nothing to do with the Shiv Sena,” he said.

    “Dadra Nagar Haveli administrator Praful Kheda Patel , who has been named in the suicide note of (Lok Sabha member) Mohan Delkar, too was with the BJP earlier,” Thackeray said.

    The state government has sought the Call Detail Record (CDR) in the Hiran case which Fadnavis possesses, he said.

    Thackeray denied the BJP’s allegation that Mumbai police were probing Mohan Delkar’s alleged suicide in the city last month for deflecting attention from Vaze’s complicity in the Hiran case.

    “The FIR in the Delkar case was filed after a complaint was received from his family members.

    We are not indulging in politics,” he said.

  • Something fishy: Uddhav Thackeray on NIA taking over Ambani bomb threat probe

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said the NIA taking over the case of a vehicle laden with explosives being found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai suggests something was “fishy”.

    Talking to reporters here, Thackeray said governments come and go, but the official administrative machinery remains the same and one needs to trust it.

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case following orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs, an official spokesperson said on Monday.

    The agency is in the process of re-registering the case, the spokesperson added.

    On Sunday, the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) registered the FIR against unidentified persons on the order of the state home department under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy).

    ALSO READ | NIA takes over case of explosives-laden vehicle found near Ambani residence

    Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said in the Assembly on Monday that state police were capable of solving the case of auto parts dealer Mansukh Hiran’s death and the recovery of the explosives-laden car near Ambani’s residence.

    Hiran, the purported owner of the vehicle, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on Friday.

    Thackeray said, “We had handed over the case of the vehicle laden with explosives and the mysterious death of Mansukh Hiran to the ATS. The NIA taking over the case shows something was fishy.”

    The ATS will continue to conduct its probe into Hiran’s death, the CM said.

    He said the opposition does not have faith in the state machinery and wanted to show it doesn’t function.

    “If that is so, why is it demanding that the state government reduce taxes on fuel?” the chief minister asked. Thackeray also said the state police will conduct probe into the alleged suicide of Lok Sabha member Mohan Delkarand punish the guilty.

    Delkar (58), a seven-term MP from the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Union Territory, was found dead at a hotel on Marine Drive in south Mumbai on February 22.

    “A Union Territory is governed by the Centre. We will take the case to its logical end. I wonder how the opposition here is quiet on the issue of the seven-term MP ending his life,” Thackeray said.

  • Raj Thackeray takes U-turn, supports refinery project in Konkan

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI:  Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray not to drop the Nanar Greenfield Refinery project in Ratnagiri. Interestingly, Raj Thackeray had opposed the same project when Devendra Fadnavis was the state’s chief minister.

    After meeting the residents of Nanar locality, Thackeray had said the project would ruin the natural beauty of Konkan region. In a letter dated March 6 to the CM, Thackeray wrote if Maharashtra has to rise above the pandemic-inflicted financial strain, the Konkan and the state can’t afford to let go off the refinery project.

    He said the project will not only benefit the Konkan region but the entire state. “For Maharashtra’s long-term gains, the state government needs to handle this matter in accordance with the welfare of all,” he tweeted. “The coronavirus backdrop has altered our perspective and the real context of situations. There is a serious contest to get investments into states and the country.

    Some time ago, I read that a major international project was passed onto Bengaluru and the Maharashtra state government was trying its best to get it back. This piece of news was rather heartbreaking,”  the MNS leader wrote.

  • 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.  

  • Don’t teach us Hindutva, why no Bharat Ratna for Savarkar yet: Uddhav Thackeray to BJP

    The BJP has been targeting the Shiv Sena chief for quot;giving up quot; his Hindutva ideology for sharing power with the NCP and Congress.

  • Tiktok star Pooja Chavan’s suicide case: Shiv Sena Minister Sanjay Rathod resigns 

    Express News Service
    Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray accepted his party minister Sanjay Rathod’s resignation on Sunday in connection with Tiktok star Pooja Chavan suicide.

    Earlier in the day, Forest minister Sanjay Rathod met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray along with his wife and offered the resignation letter. This is the first resignations in the Uddhav Thackeray government in the last one year. 

    Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that Oppositions should not make politics over the resignation of Sanjay Rathod. “Rathod himself has offered the resignation. Now, the fair and impartial inquiry will take place and truth will come out. No one will be spared here. The opposition should believe in the investigating agency. If they are raising questions over it, then it is very unfortunate and not acceptable,” Thackeray said.

    Thackeray criticized the Opposition saying that dirty politics has been played by Opposition to ruin someone’s political career. “We have asked the time-bound probe in Pooja Chavan’s suicide case. The investigation is on right track. Once the report is submitted the actions will be taken. We will not entertain the unnecessary demands of the Opposition. They are just making hue and cry and not interested in giving justice to someone. The current Opposition has two mouths that Maharashtra has never experienced,” said Thackeray.

    Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had demanded the resignations of Sanjay Rathod.

    While Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil said that an FIR should be registered against Rathod and arrest should be also made. “We will not stop until the justice is given to Tiktok girl Pooja Chavan who committed suicide. Our fight will continue. We will also raise several issues in the state assembly’s budget sessions. We will also demand the resignations of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde in connection with his second marriage,” Patil said.

    Meanwhile, Pooja Chavan’s parents met the chief minister and handed over the letter demanding a fair probe in their daughter death. They said that media should stop maligning their daughter’s image by linking her to Sanjay Rathod.

    Senior NCP minister said that Uddhav Thackeray failed to handle the situations of Sanjay Rathod. “If they wanted to take the resignations, then it should have taken earlier only. The matter should not have stretched so long that damaged the government image. If they did not take so long, then it should not have taken ahead of the state assembly session. It means that the government has succumbed to the pressure of Oppositions. This is not the good sign of the leadership,” he added requested anonymity.

    Sources in Shiv Sena said that Thackeray’s family was also divided over taking the resignations of Sanjay Rathod. “Adithya Thackeray and his mother Rashmi Thackeray was in favour of seeking resignations of Sanjay Rathod while Uddhav Thackeray was not. But pressure of Oppositions was building and ahead of budget session Thackeray decided to seek the resignations to silence the Oppositions,” said source requested anonymity.

  • Maharashtra minister Sanjay Rathod, linked to Pune woman’s death, attends cabinet meet

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rathod, whose name is being linked to the death of a woman in Pune, on Wednesday attended the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray here.

    Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik gave this information after the meeting that was held at the Sahyadri Guest House here.

    Forest Minister Rathod, who had allegedly disappeared for some days following allegations against him, had emerged in public on Tuesday when he visited the Pohradevi temple in Washim district of Vidarbha region.

    When Rathod paid a visit to the temple, scores of people had turned up near the temple in an apparent violation of COVID-19 norms.

    “Honourable minister Sanjay Rathod ji was present for the cabinet meeting. He came after several days. I think he has somewhere resumed attending meetings,” Malik said.

    To a question about NCP chief Sharad Pawar conveying his displeasure over the massive gathering near the temple in violation of COVID-19 norms, Malik said he has no information about the Maratha strongman doing so.

    He also said that the issue was not discussed in the cabinet meeting.

    “The chief minister has already given order to probe reason behind the gathering, whether any leader, political party or minister had appealed (the people) to come together.”

    “Its report will come from the Superintendent of Police,” Malik said.

    He, however, said it was “not right” for the people to converge on large-scale when restriction on big gathering is in place in the state in view of the COVID-19 situation.

    “The chief minister will definitely take action against those responsible (for the gathering) after the report comes,” he added.

    Some social media posts and the opposition BJP in the state had alleged that Rathod was connected to the death of the 23-year-old woman.

    The woman died after falling from a building in Hadapsar area of Pune on February 8.

  • Uddhav asks Maharashtra Chief Secretary to plan shifts at Mantralaya, Work-From-Home

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday asked the state’s chief secretary to draw up a plan to implement two working shifts at Mantralaya, the government’s administrative headquarters.

    At the NITI Aayog meeting last week, Thackeray had talked about the need to adopt staggered office timings to lessen crowding in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Amid rising COVID-19 cases in the state, Thackeray also asked chief secretary Sanjay Kumar to explore which government departments can run at full capacity with employees working from home, an official statement said.

    The chief minister was speaking at a meeting with representatives of the gazetted officers’ association at his official residence `Varsha’ here.

    Mantralaya is located in south Mumbai.

    Maharashtra should take the initiative and start a new work culture, the chief minister said.

    “We should start this new work style where work can be completed with full capacity and properly and there will be less COVID-19 threat too.”

    “The officers’ association should take initiative and see how office timings at Mantralaya can be planned in two shifts, taking everybody into confidence,” the statement quoted the CM as saying.

    Thackeray also asked the chief secretary to plan vaccination for all officers and staff at Mantralaya as frontline workers on priority.

    Steps should be taken in a day or two to restrict the number of outside visitors at Mantralaya, he said.

    Also, body temperatures of staff at Mantralaya should be checked every day, the chief minister said.

    An arrangement should be made to conduct antigen tests so that infected individuals do not enter Mantralaya, he instructed.

  • Uddhav seeks report on large gathering near temple in Maharashtra’s Washim after COVID-19 norms flouted

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Taking a serious note of reports of a large gathering near the Pohradevi Temple in Washim district of Maharashtra on Tuesday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered an immediate action against those who flouted rules during the prevailing COVID-19 crisis.

    An official statement here said Thackeray has sought a report from the Washim district collector and the superintendent of police (SP).

    Scores of supporters of Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Rathod, whose name is being linked by the opposition to the death of a woman, gathered near the temple as he emerged in public after several days and visited the shrine earlier in the day.

    Rathod has denied the opposition charges.

    Thackeray, also the Shiv Sena president, stressed that COVID-19-related rules are same for all and asked the Washim district collector and the SP to submit a report regarding the convergence of people near the temple, the statement said.

    He asked the district authorities to take prompt action against those who flouted norms related to COVID-19 prevention and mitigation, it said.

    Thackeray had onSunday said in view of the rising COVID-19 cases, religious, social and political gatherings will be prohibited in the state beginning Monday.

    Asking people to follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour and safety norms, the CM had said he would observe the situation for a week to 15 days and then decide whether to impose another lockdown.

    The chief minister held a meeting at his official residence Varsha here on Tuesday to review the COVID-19 situation in the state.

    He also discussed with civic chiefs of municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) ways to contain spread of the disease.

    Thackeray said the government machinery fought the battle against COVID-19 with patience over the past one year and maintained that healthcare workers, police personnel and other staffers were trying to contain the spread of the disease, risking their lives.

    He said people celebrated popular festivals peacefully and by adhering to norms laid down by the government.

    Rules were adhered to at important religious places, too, and similar style of working is to be followed during ‘Mission Begin Again’ (unlocking process) as well, Thackeray said, according to the statement.

    The chief minister said a second wave of COVID-19 could be a matter of concern for all and this prompted him to disallow religious, political and social events in the state.

    He said the government is prepared to face any situation, but it is also the responsibility of individuals to observe rules.

  • Sanjay Raut blames Opposition as COVID-19 cases spike in Maharashtra

    By PTI
    PUNE: Amid a spurt in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday claimed that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was not in favour of opening up all public places.

    It was the opposition which was demanding that restrictions be removed, he said, speaking to reporters here.

    The chief minister had taken an overview of the situation and he was not willing to remove restrictions on certain public places in view of the pandemic, Raut said.

    READ| Upsurge in COVID-19 cases in Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and MP: Govt

    “But the government reopened some places due to the demand of opposition parties,” he said, in apparent reference to the BJP’s agitation last year seeking reopening of religious places in the state.

    Maharashtra recorded more than 6,000 new coronavirus infections for the first time in three months on Friday.

    Asked about the allegations faced by Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Rathod in connection with a 23-year-old woman’s suicide in Pune, he said probe was going on, and the chief minister would take appropriate decision about Rathod.