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Maharashtra

Stop vicious politics or you won’t be spared, Uddhav Thackeray warns BJP, MNS

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday warned the Bharatiya Janata Party and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to stop their “dirty politics” or they would not be forgiven or spared.

Addressing a huge rally here, Thackeray targeted the BJP and his estranged cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray on a wide-range of issues including their brand of Hindutva, love for Marathi, the Centre’s pending GST dues to Maharashtra, BJP’s hurdles in various important development projects of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, and attempts to separate Mumbai as a Union Territory.

Ridiculing BJP Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis’ recent claims that he was present during the razing of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya (1992), Thackeray asked if he had gone on a school picnic there or some sight-seeing tour. “Look at his age and how much he blabbers,” he said.

Without naming his cousin, Thackeray compared him with the character of Sanjay Dutt who gets visions of Mahatma Gandhi in the blockbuster “Lage Raoho Munnabhai” (2006).

“There’s one case roaming around wearing a shawl like Balasaheb Thackeray and claiming to see his spirit… As in the film, he is suffering from some ‘chemical locha’ and needs treatment,” Thackeray said amidst applause.

Dwelling on issues of the high inflation or unemployment, the CM and Shiv Sena President said “first they should talk about the price hike” before questioning others’ Hindutva and diverting to loudspeakers (in mosques’ or Hanuman Chalisa, both recently raised by Raj Thackeray and the MP-MLA couple of Navneet Kaur-Rana and her husband Ravi Rana.

“You couldn’t protect one Kashmiri Pandit who begged for transfer from Budgam (Kashmir) to Jammu, and terrorists barged into his government office and shot him. Do you have the guts to go and chant Hanuman Chalisa there?” Thackeray challenged the Rana couple.

He thundered at the manner in which the Centre is providing security at public expense to “nincompoops” who target the MVA government but not the Kashmiri Pandits who really need it.

Referring to the break-up between BJP-Sena in October 2019, Thackeray sharply said that “we kicked the donkey before it could kick us” but they couldn’t digest it and continued to behave like “a jilted lover”.

“Now they are accusing us of leaving Hindutva by allying with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party… Whatever we did, we did openly, not like you swearing-in the government in the early morning hours. You made all attempts to bring us down, but when you failed, you deployed central agencies after us, yet nothing happened,” he said.

It seems now they will even go after Dawood (Ibrahim Kaskar) but if he joins them, they will even take him in the cabinet, he said in another swipe at the BJP.

The CM warned the opposition parties to stop the “dirty politics by framing MVa leaders under false cases, or the people of Maharashtra will neither forgive them nor spare” them.

Pooh-poohing Fadnavis, Thackeray said that if he had really gone to Ayodhya then (1992), he could have merely tried to climb atop (the Babri mosque) would have crashed down under his weight.

He blamed Fadnavis for “blocking the Kanjurmarg land” needed for the Mumbai Metro carshed, and attacked the Centre for not handing over the railway plan to facilitate the Dharavi slum redevelopment, and asked him to go and shout in Delhi for clearing Maharashtra’s projects.

“We never asked for the Bullet Train project, but it is being forced on us… Did anybody demand it? Yet our development projects are being stalled, our GST dues are not being cleared,” said Thackeray.

He reiterated that the Sena’s Hindutva was in the heart and not by merely wearing saffron caps or threatening others, for us, Hindutva “is Ram in our mouths and ‘kaam’ (employment) in the hands”.

Failing this, he cited the example of Sri Lanka “which is now in flames for the second timea by the people who are suffering there without food and livelihood”.

Maharashtra

Mumbai Rains: BMC Provides Food, Water, & Tea To Stranded Commuters At Railway Stations, Local Trains, & Waterlogged Roads

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Mumbai: Continuous heavy rainfall on Tuesday caused severe waterlogging across several areas of the city, disrupting both road and rail traffic. Local train services, the city’s lifeline, were heavily impacted, leaving many commuters stranded at railway stations for hours.

In a prompt response, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stepped in to assist those affected. BMC officials distributed essential items such as drinking water, tea, biscuits, and snacks to stranded passengers at multiple railway stations, including major junctions.

Visuals from various locations showed civic workers handing out refreshments as trains came to a standstill due to flooding on the tracks. The gesture was widely appreciated on social media, with many users thanking the authorities for their timely support during a difficult commute.

In the video shared by the BMC, officials are seen distributing essential food items inside Mumbai local train coaches and at various railway stations. Authorities also assisted commuters stuck on roads, helping those facing difficulties in travelling due to the ongoing heavy rainfall.

As heavy rains continue to batter Mumbai for the fourth consecutive day, the city’s police force has stepped up to support citizens affected by widespread waterlogging. From clearing flooded roads to assisting with stranded vehicles, Mumbai Police remain committed to helping Mumbaikars navigate the chaos.

At Shirodkar Market in Parel, police officers were seen helping to move a vehicle stuck in deep water, making sure no resident was left stranded. Likewise, at Oberoi Junction, where traffic had slowed significantly due to water accumulation, Mumbai Police personnel, along with @mybmc staff, were present on-site to assist commuters and manage the situation.

A video shared on the official X handle of the Mumbai Police shows officers actively helping citizens during heavy rainfall. From pushing auto-rickshaws to guiding cars through flooded roads, the police are doing everything they can to ensure public safety and keep traffic moving smoothly.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Rains: Thane Youths Swim Through Floodwaters To Rescue Car-Trapped Passengers

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In yet another display of courage and compassion during the monsoon, two youngsters in Thane risked their lives to rescue two people trapped inside a car submerged in floodwaters. The dramatic incident, caught on camera and widely shared on X, is a reminder of how Mumbaikars stand by each other in times of crisis.

The video shows a white car stuck in an underpass, tilted dangerously with its bonnet submerged while the rear end remained slightly above water. Inside the vehicle, two passengers, the driver and his companion, appeared helpless, unable to escape as the water levels rose around them.

As the situation grew critical, two local youths swam through the murky rainwater towards the car. Without hesitation, one of them climbed onto the vehicle, using his strength to push the elevated rear end down. This simple but daring act allowed both passengers to slide out of the car to safety. The second rescuer stayed close, ready to support and guide them through the water.

The video quickly went viral, earning admiration from citizens for the bravery and quick thinking of the rescuers.

Such incidents reflect a long-standing truth about the city and its people: in the face of adversity, Mumbaikars never hesitate to help strangers. Whether during devastating floods, train accidents or smaller day-to-day emergencies, stories of ordinary citizens turning into heroes have consistently emerged.

The Thane rescue is just one among countless examples of this unbreakable spirit. While the heavy rains continue to cause hardship, this act of courage has offered a powerful reminder that solidarity and humanity shine brightest in difficult times.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Rains: Waterlogging On Tracks Near Dadar, Thane & Jogeshwari; Several Passengers Stranded As Local Train Services Disrupted Amid Heavy Rainfall

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Mumbai: Mumbai’s suburban railway network, the city’s lifeline, was badly hit on Tuesday morning after overnight rains left several stretches of track waterlogged, throwing services off schedule and leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

Central Railway services were the worst affected, with trains running 30–40 minutes late during the morning rush hour. Harbour Line trains towards CSMT also faced delays. Local train services were partially suspended from Panvel as per commuters.

Local Trains Moving Through Waterlogged Tracks

Visuals from across the city painted a grim picture. At Dadar station, waterlogging on the tracks slowed train movement considerably, while on the Andheri–Jogeshwari stretch, tracks were submerged, disrupting operations.

At Thane and Kalwa, frustrated passengers, unable to wait for delayed trains, climbed down onto the railway lines and walked along the tracks in large numbers. At the Kalwa car shed, citizens gathered on the tracks attempting to board outgoing trains. Similar chaos unfolded at Ghatkopar and Dadar where water accumulation stalled services.

Officials later clarified that trains were running with minor delays, around 10 minutes on the Central Line and 5 minutes on the Harbour Line, but for commuters on the ground, the impact was far greater. Western Railway, meanwhile, said its services were running normally.

The breakdown of rail services had a cascading effect on road transport. Bus depots outside Thane and Dadar stations saw heavy crowds as stranded passengers looked for alternatives. With several arterial roads already clogged due to flooding, the city struggled under mounting pressure on all modes of transport.

The overnight downpour left several low-lying areas submerged, including Byculla, Gandhi Market in Sion, Dadar, Andheri and Vile Parle, where residents waded through knee-deep water. Visuals showed major junctions under water, further slowing down vehicular movement.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a nowcast warning at 10:15 am on Tuesday, forecasting intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 40–50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, over Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad and the ghats of Pune over the next three to four hours.

Mumbai Police Commissioner issued an advisory urging citizens to remain indoors unless travel was absolutely necessary. “Please take care, step out only if necessary, prevent going near the shore during high tide and don’t forget, you will find us around the corner for help, in case of any emergency,” he wrote on X, also appealing to offices to allow employees to work from home.

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