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As bulldozer politics enters Delhi, Congress accuses BJP of bigotry

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 Ahead of the Delhi civic polls, bulldozer politics has entered the national capital both physically and politically. The BJP, AAP and the Congress are at loggerheads since the BJP ruled civic body in Delhi started bulldozing illegal structures in Jahangirpuri and then initiating an anti-encroachment drive in places like Shaheen Bagh.

The Congress and AAP local leaders have opposed the drive in Shaheen Bagh but the Congress is more vocal than Delhi’s ruling party, the AAP. However, on Friday Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia of the AAP wrote a letter to the Union Home Minister asking that the demolition drive be stopped as it will affect 60 lakh people.

Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala reacting to the drive said, “The bulldozer of bigotry, superstition, sectarianism, fanaticism, injustice and intolerance heaped upon the Nation by the BJP government has to a large extent trampled upon India’s march ahead.”

“The issues of Development-Progress-Prosperity-Education-Schools-Roads-Hospitals-Infrastructure-Industry-Employment-Agriculture are no longer electoral issues in our country.”

He said that the BJP is not looking at the issues which are relevant to the country. The “BJP sponsored issues are Shamshan/Kabristan, Bulldozer, Loudspeaker, Mandir vs Masjid vs Church vs Gurudwara, changing names of roads and monuments, creating division on the basis of clothing and food habits.”

The politics of bulldozers which started from Uttar Pradesh is taking a pan-India turn with many states ruled by the BJP initiating this from Assam to Madhya Pradesh. However the BJP has defended this move of bulldozers. BJP leader Adesh Gupta blamed the “Bangladeshis and Rohingyas for the violent clashes”, and asked the North Delhi Mayor to remove illegal encroachments in the area. Later he also asked the other two Mayors to remove the encroachments.

However, it is not that there is no opposition. More than a dozen civil society organisations and political parties took out a procession on April 11 to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s residence protesting against the anti-encroachment drive in the national capital.

Holding placards and raising slogans, as the citizen groups marched ahead a large police force stopped them much before the road leading to the LG’s residence. The protesters also shouted slogans against “rising” communalism.

The protesters also included Left wing organisations such as the CPI, CPI(M), CPI (ML), AIFB and RSP.

All India Kisan Mahasabha Secretary Purushottam Mishra told IANS: “This is a demonstration to protest action against the poor of the country. This is not an action against illegal encroachments but an attempt to divide the Hindu and Muslim communities and a campaign for corporates to loot the common man.”

“The government is trying to distract the common man by raising communal politics. We will raise our voice against it across the country. We shall organise demonstrations throughout May,” he said.

However the Congress and the AAP were caught unawares as the BJP seems to have set the agenda for the MCD polls through Shaheen Bagh — famous for its month long anti-CAA protest.

Local AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested on Thursday for blocking MCD officials, but Congress leaders in Shaheen Bagh continue to accuse the BJP and the AAP of ‘fixing’. Khan was granted bail on Friday.

It blamed the civic body and staged high octane protests after a MCD team reached Shaheen Bagh to raze “illegal” structures in the area on Monday. Congress leader Parvez Alam Khan, Vice Chairman of the Delhi Congress’ Media Department, who was detained by the police said that the local MLA came late after the Congress started protesting; he should have spoken to the administration but “the AAP and the BJP are in match fixing”.

“Why is Adesh Gupta (Delhi BJP chief) issuing orders, this means the mayors are incompetent,” he said.

Maharashtra

Public representatives have high confidence in Shinde’s work, Uddhav Thackeray MPs did not have confidence in his leadership: Milind Deora

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Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora strongly criticised the absence of several MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray faction meeting. He said that only the UBT leadership can answer why UBT MPs did not attend the meeting called by his party. He said that the members who were absent from the meeting lacked faith in their party leadership. Deora said that today the people and public representatives have faith in the work and leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde sahib works to strengthen the hands of those who trust in Shinde sahib’s leadership. Targeting Sanjay Raut, Milind Deora said that he is not aware of parliamentary traditions and rules. Other UBT MPs should understand what kind of meetings are held and what are the whip rules. On the issue of whip, Deora said that whip is issued only for voting in the House, not for attending any political meeting. This is a parliamentary rule and those who have been members for years should be aware of it. Milind Deora further said that Sanjay Raut sometimes abuses his own MPs, sometimes claims that all MPs are with him, sometimes says that his MPs were given money, and sometimes accuses MPs of corruption. This reflects his contradictory behavior. Sanjay Raut insulted his own MPs. With such behavior, who would want to work with him? He said that no leader has any faith left in the UBT leadership. Public representatives want their leader to be available to them. That is why many leaders still want to work under the leadership of Eknath Shinde. Shiv Sena welcomes anyone who wants to work for the development of their area. Our aim is not to weaken anyone but to strengthen the people. Finally, Deora said that the UBT leadership needs to examine itself instead of blaming others. I can only wish them well.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Customs Department sign MoU for conservation and restoration of Mahim Fort

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The vision of the conservation and restoration of the Mumbai Mahim Fort is to revive its historical beauty. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that it is a matter of pride and honour that the Municipal Corporation is preserving this fort. An MoU was signed between the Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the Customs Department today (June 18, 2026) at the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters for the conservation and restoration work of Mahim Fort, which has been declared a State Protected Monument.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi, Principal Commissioner of Customs Department Shri Ajay Kumar Pandey, Additional Commissioner of Customs Department Nitin Tagde, Vikram Phadke, Deputy Commissioner (Commissioner Office) of Mumbai Municipal Corporation Prashant Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner (South Zone) Prashant Gaikwad, Assistant Commissioner (South Zone) Prashant Gaikwad were also present on the occasion. Yogesh Desai, Advisor on Conservation of Ancient Heritage Vikas Dilawari, Dr. K. K. Sangle, Head of the Department of Structural Engineering, Virmata Jijabai Institute of Technology, etc. were present on the occasion.

As per the directions of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, the conservation and preservation of ancient structures in Mumbai is being done under the guidance of Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi. On this basis, the Municipal Corporation has taken the initiative to conserve and revive the Mahim Fort.

Under this agreement, the dilapidated structure of Mahim Fort will be strengthened and reconstructed. The historical well present in the fort area will be searched and excavated. A pedestrian path will be made all around the interior of the fort. In addition, a protective wall will also be constructed to protect the foundation of the fort. Rs 20 crore has also been allocated for this. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that the Municipal Corporation’s G (North) Department has removed the encroachments on the Mahim Fort and rehabilitated the local residents. So now help will be given to restore the glory of this fort. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi said that the Municipal Corporation has made great efforts to remove the encroachments on the Mahim Fort, which is a historical and ancient heritage, and to preserve it. Now the administration is planning to develop this fort as a tourist destination.

Principal Commissioner of the Customs Department Ajay Kumar Pandey said that apart from being a historical heritage, Mahim Fort is known as the customs station of the Customs Department. The conservation and restoration work undertaken by the Municipal Corporation will make this fort famous. Also, this fort will develop as a tourist destination for Mumbaikars. Mahim is an ancient fort and the descendants of Raja Bimbadev built this fort around the 12th and 13th centuries. Mahim was the main centre of power among the seven islands of Mumbai and this fort is a symbol of that glorious history. The Maharashtra government declared Mahim Fort as a state protected monument in 1975. The total area of ​​the fort is about 3,796.02 sq m. Currently, the fort is under the jurisdiction of the Customs Department. The existing structure of Mahim Fort was encroached upon in the form of slums. After surveying the entire area, proper documents were verified and 275 slums have been rehabilitated in flats available for project victims in Kurla and Malad. However, the restoration of a religious structure is underway.
The restoration and conservation work of the fort is proposed to be carried out under the guidance of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s G (North) Division Office, Customs Department, Advisor on Conservation of Ancient Cultural Heritage Vikas Dilawari and Dr. Sangal K. Jijabai, Head of the Structural Engineering Department of Veermata.

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Maharashtra

Operation Tiger rebel MPs in Maharashtra should be disqualified: Abu Asim Azmi

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Mumbai: Talking about the ongoing Operation Tiger of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Samajwadi Party Mumbai/Maharashtra state president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi said, “Today’s public representatives, leaders, and workers are no longer guided by ideology, they have become greedy. Those who take the votes of the people and then change parties of their own accord, their positions should be declared null and void.” Abu Asim Azmi further said that if someone contests elections on behalf of a party, he is provided with the party’s flag, banner, symbol and money. Workers are working day and night to ensure the victory of their candidate. Those representatives are elected on the basis of the party’s ideology, and people agree with this ideology, so they vote for them. However, after victory, they rebel against the party. A law should be made that if a candidate joins another party after winning, his position should be declared null and void. Taking a dig at the BJP, he said that the BJP is trying to lure, intimidate and It misuses power to intimidate and bring them into its party. If they do not join, they are sent to jail like Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh, but they were proven innocent. The BJP has tried to create a rift in other parties, which is why many parties have been split into two.

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