Mumbai, Oct 1: Launching a direct and fiery broadside at Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday warned the state government against making tactical errors, daring the authorities to arrest him ahead of CJP’s scheduled demonstrations from October 2 in Mumbai.

“Do not repeat the mistake committed on July 20. If you want to arrest us, do it right now,” he declared during a press conference in Mumbai, setting a tense backdrop for his party’s upcoming agitation against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Calling Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar a “traitor to the nation,” Dipke demanded his immediate resignation over allegations of widespread electoral roll manipulation.

He accused the ruling coalition of engaging in state-sponsored disenfranchisement and using the Election Commission of India (ECI) as a political tool.

“Whoever sits as the Chief Election Commissioner must be transparent. The 13 crore voters whose names were deleted across the country will hit the streets, and when they do, the public will demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar’s bosses,” Dipke asserted.

He further demanded that the Election Commission freeze the recent Special Summary Revision (SIR) lists and conduct upcoming elections strictly using the 2005 voter lists.

Addressing questions regarding police authorisation for the demonstrations, Dipke rejected the necessity of official approval, drawing a historical parallel to the Indian freedom struggle.

“Which of our protests was ever granted permission? We are protesting democratically against the ruling power — why would they permit it? Had Mahatma Gandhi asked the British for permission to protest, they would have refused him too. Permission or not, we will march,” he said.

Taking a direct swipe at CM Fadnavis over his recent remarks that protesters face a three-day jail term before securing bail, Dipke scoffed, “Keep me in jail for three months instead of three days… I will return to the streets again and again,” echoing Fadnavis’s famous political slogan.

He also questioned the selective granting of venue permissions: “If Devendra Fadnavis can hold a political rally at Shivaji Park and ask for votes, why are we barred from protesting at the very same site?”

Dipke announced that CJP will extend full support to the opposition’s joint agitation on October 4. While Dipke will be on a nationwide tour, CJP cadres will assemble in force in Mumbai, setting aside party lines to join a larger united front against the ECI.

Looking ahead to future electoral dynamics, Dipke highlighted the power of young voters. He said, “In the 2029 elections, Gen Z will constitute the single largest voter demographic. It is our duty to deliver the kind of country they envision and deserve.”

Addressing recent public criticism of his high-end wardrobe choices during political campaigns, Dipke dismissed the political chatter surrounding his Rs 30,000 shoes. “I wear Rs 30,000 shoes because I can afford them. I am a massive Shah Rukh Khan fan — it was simply a fan moment and a reel,” he clarified.

With opposition parties gearing up for a massive protest outside the ECI headquarters in New Delhi on October 6, CJP’s Mumbai agitation on October 2 marks the start of escalating confrontation between opposition factions and the Election Commission.

Mumbai, Oct 1: Against the backdrop of the severe drought-like situation prevailing across 265 talukas in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday appealed to the public to celebrate the upcoming Navratri festival and other religious and cultural events with utmost simplicity to stand firmly by the farmers, the nation’s providers.

He also urged Shiv Sena office-bearers, public festival committees (Ganesh and Navratri mandals), and citizens to contribute the funds saved from festival expenditure directly as relief to drought-affected farmers.

“Forego lavish festival celebrations this season and reallocate event funds towards the relief and rehabilitation of drought-affected farmers across Maharashtra,” he said in a post on X.

This year, due to failed rains in Vidarbha, Marathwada and other parts of the state, a shadow of drought has spread across most regions.

With nature’s fury ruining standing crops, thousands of farmers are left devastated.

Speaking on this critical situation, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde reiterated his stance, stating that “our Baliraja (farmers) have the primary right over the state treasury”.

He emphasised that during such times of crisis, the Mahayuti government and the Shiv Sena stand resolutely behind farmers with full strength.

While official government-level relief measures are actively underway, he noted that it is equally vital for everyone to step forward as a society and contribute during this hour of need.

He said celebrating upcoming festivals with grandeur and fanfare while farmers are in distress and anxiety would be inappropriate.

Therefore, public committees, Shiv Sena office-bearers, social organisations, and citizens should observe festivals. Instead of lavish expenditure on celebrations, the saved funds should be redirected towards direct relief and rehabilitation for drought-affected farmers.

Deputy Chief Minister Shinde expressed confidence that if everyone comes to the aid of food providers during their time of crisis, overcoming this natural disaster would be well within reach.

He noted that if saving festival costs allows society to wipe away the tears of even a single farmer and bring a smile to that person’s face, it would truly be genuine service to Goddess Jagadamba.

Reaffirming the Mahayuti administration’s commitment to the farming sector, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde said the government has prioritized mobilizing resources.

However, he called for a broader collective effort to support farmers battling agrarian distress.

“The first claim on the treasury of this state belongs to our farmers,” he said, adding that when farmers are battling the dire circumstances of drought, it is a collective moral and social responsibility to stand firmly by their side. He further said it would not be appropriate to celebrate upcoming religious or cultural festivals with great pomp and show while farmers remain gripped by anxiety.

With dry spells affecting multiple districts, the state government is actively deploying relief measures.

Deputy Chief Minister Shinde said unified public participation, alongside government assistance, would help the state overcome this natural adversity and restore long-term security to rural Maharashtra.

Victims of the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast have filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India against four accused—Rajendra Chaudhary, Manohar Ramsingh Narwaria, Dhan Singh, and Lokesh Sharma—who were discharged from the case last month; a hearing on this matter took place today. Additionally, a petition was filed seeking the expunging of High Court remarks made against the Muslim accused who had been discharged from the case; the Supreme Court granted this request and directed the Bombay High Court to hear the pending appeal concerning the Muslim accused without being influenced by the High Court’s recent observations. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra ATS, along with Dhan Singh and others, has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the nine Muslim individuals who were discharged from the case. Senior Advocates Nitya Ramakrishnan and Sadan Farasat presented arguments before the Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice Vipul Pancholi. Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra (Arshad Madani) provided legal representation on behalf of the bomb blast victims and the Muslim accused who had been discharged from the case. During today’s hearing, Advocate Sadan Farasat informed the two-judge bench that a division bench led by the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court had recently discharged four accused persons (Dhan Singh and others) from the case; however, the court’s judgment also included remarks against the Muslim accused. These remarks were made in the absence of the Muslim accused and without affording them an opportunity to present their side; therefore, the court was urged to expunge these observations. Acting on Advocate Sadan Farasat’s request, the bench ordered that the remarks made in the Bombay High Court’s judgment would not prejudice the cases currently pending in the High Court concerning the discharged accused—Noorul Huda and others—and directed the High Court to decide the appeals on their merits. Following the conclusion of Senior Advocate Sadan Farasat’s arguments, Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, representing the bomb blast victims, informed the court that the High Court had discharged accused individuals Rajendra Chaudhary, Manohar Ramsingh Narwaria, Dhan Singh, and Lokesh Sharma, even though charges had already been framed against them in the trial court. The bench directed Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan to present arguments regarding the appeals filed by the bomb blast victims next week and adjourned the hearing. Expressing satisfaction with today’s court proceedings in Mumbai, Maulana Halimullah Qasmi, President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, stated that a partial success had been achieved. Victims of the bomb blast, along with the accused—Noorul Huda, Mohammad Ali Shaikh, Asif Bashir, Mohammad Zahid, and Raees Ahmed (who were discharged from the case in 2016)—had requested the Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra Legal Aid Committee, through Maulana Abdul Qayyum, to challenge the Bombay High Court’s verdict in the Supreme Court of India. Maulana Halimullah Qasmi stated that four petitions (SLPs) were filed in the Supreme Court following consultations with senior lawyers—a matter heard today—and that the services of the country’s renowned criminal lawyers were engaged to ensure effective legal representation, resulting in partial success today. He further noted that, through the efforts of the Jamiat Ulama Legal Aid Committee, nine Muslim youths arrested by the Maharashtra ATS were initially released on bail and subsequently discharged from the case; however, the accused belonging to the majority community and the Maharashtra ATS challenged the discharge order in the Bombay High Court, where proceedings are currently underway. Maulana Halimullah Qasmi added that he considers it highly unlikely the NIA will challenge the Bombay High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court of India, given that the agency has not yet filed an appeal in the High Court against the accused acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case; conversely, victims of the blast have filed an appeal in the Supreme Court, which was heard today. Thirty-one people were killed and 312 injured in the serial bomb blasts that occurred on September 8, 2006, at the Hamidia Mosque, Bada Qabristan, and Mushawarat Chowk.