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BJP ‘victimised’ Shah Rukh, Mahesh Bhatt, says Mamata

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 In a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the country is facing “cruel and undemocratic” party which “victimised” Bollywood personalities like actor Shah Rukh Khan and director Mahesh Bhatt.

“We are facing a cruel undemocratic party – the BJP. If we come together, we will win,” Banerjee said at a large gathering of around 50 prominent civil society members including political and social leaders, retired judges, intellectuals, film celebs and other luminaries.

To a question, she said: “Mahesh ji has been victimised, even Shah Rukh Khan… and many others. But, if we have to win, we must speak out and fight it out wherever needed. You guide and advise us as a political party.”

Stressing the need for putting up a united front before the BJP’s challenge, Banerjee said: “India loves manpower, not muscle-power.”

She said regional parties like Shiv Sena in Maharashtra which are strong in their respective states must join hands to unitedly dislodge the BJP from power.

On the occasion, the Trinamool Congress chief, currently on a two-day visit to Mumbai, recalled the Nobel Prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s poem on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to say that “there is already a bridge between Bengal and Maharashtra”.

Senior NCP leader and lawyer Majeed Memon cited the Supreme Court’s observations how in the recent past, many laws have been rushed through the parliament which do not augur well for the people plus they are open to challenges before the courts.

He said that the West Bengal and Maharashtra together account for 90 seats in Lok Sabha and “Jai Bangla, Jai Maharashtra” can put up a formidable challenge to dislodge the BJP at the Centre, akin to the alliance of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress in Maharashtra with the guidance of NCP President Sharad Pawar, with the BJP kept out of power.

“The Maharashtra model where parties like the Sena and Congress managed to keep their differences aside and worked on common goals, can be replicated elsewhere in the country with similar results,” Memon urged.

The meeting was attended by former high court judges Shafi Sayeed Parkar and Abhay M. Thipsay, senior lawyer Memon, lyricist Javed Akhtar, director Bhatt, intellectuals Bhalchandra Mungekar, Sudheendra Kulkarni, S. Balakrishnan, and Ayaz Memon, Bollywood actors Shatrughan Sinha, Swara Bhaskar, and Richa Chaddha, comedian Munawar Farooqui, social activists Vidya Chavan, Javed Anand and Medha Patkar, author Shobha De, among many others.

The meeting with leading lights from various fields was part of Banerjee’s 2-day high-profile visit to the state during which she met NCP chief Pawar, Sena leaders, MP Sanjay Raut, Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray, the highlight of her trip, and she is likely to return home on Thursday morning.

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Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Hari Boxer detained in US; process to bring him to India underway

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Jaipur : In a major breakthrough in Rajasthan Police’s ongoing crackdown on organised crime and criminal gangs, notorious gangster Harichand Jat alias ‘Hari Boxer’, an active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and a wanted fugitive, has been detained in the United States. The operation was carried out under the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Kumar Sharma as part of the state police’s sustained campaign against organised criminal networks. The Rajasthan Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), working under the guidance of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Dinesh M.N., played a key role in securing the detention. A special team operating under the supervision of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Deputy Inspector General of Police and Interpol Liaison Officer Yogesh Yadav gathered crucial intelligence and coordinated efforts to trace the fugitive.

As part of the international operation, Rajasthan Police facilitated the issuance of a Red Corner Notice against Hari Boxer. It also sent 14 separate references to Interpol across five countries to track his whereabouts and secure action against him. To strengthen the case for his detention, the police submitted a provisional arrest request, an updated and comprehensive dossier containing details of the accused, and his fingerprints to the concerned authorities. Hari Boxer has deep roots in Rajasthan. His birth, upbringing and early journey into the world of crime are all closely linked to the state. His real name is Harichand Jat, and he originally hails from the Bansur area of Rajasthan’s Kotputli-Behror district. His father Girdhari Jat is an ordinary farmer from the region.

Before entering the world of crime, Harichand reportedly led an ordinary life in his village and aspired to serve the country or the state. A look into Hari Boxer’s background reveals that Harichand Jat initially aspired to join the Indian Army or Rajasthan Police. While preparing for competitive examinations, he moved to Jaipur, the state capital. During his stay in Jaipur, he underwent professional boxing training and later started coaching young people in the sport. His association with the boxing ring in Jaipur and his subsequent work as a boxing coach earned him the nickname ‘Hari Boxer’. The name gradually became popular among his friends and on social media before gaining recognition in criminal circles as well. The process to bring Hari Boxer back to India is now underway. His detention marks a significant achievement for Rajasthan Police in its efforts to dismantle organised criminal networks and pursue gangsters operating beyond India’s borders.

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Nitin Nabin’s remarks on Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav trigger political slugfest; BJP, Oppn trade charges

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New Delhi : Political leaders from the BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and other parties on Saturday exchanged sharp reactions to remarks made by BJP National President Nitin Nabin during an exclusive interview with Media, in which he targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over family-centric politics, alleged attempts to create unrest and their political approach. Backing Nabin, BJP spokesperson RP Singh said the party president is absolutely right in describing Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav as leaders whose concerns were limited to their respective families. He alleged that neither leader thought beyond family interests. West Bengal Minister Tapas Roy also endorsed Nabin’s remarks, shifting the focus to development and governance in the state.

Criticising successive Communist and Trinamool Congress governments, Roy alleged that little had been done over the past 50 years to generate employment or establish adequate industrial and infrastructure facilities. He said the Centre is now working with a welfare-oriented approach. However, Congress MP Balwant Wankhade rejected Nabin’s criticism of Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family. Speaking in Amravati, Maharashtra, Wankhade said the family had always prioritised the country over personal interests. Citing former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he said they had sacrificed their lives for the nation and maintained that Rahul Gandhi is continuing to fight for the country’s interests.

Samajwadi Party MP Ramashankar Rajbhar also hit back at Nabin over his remarks concerning Sanatan and the politics surrounding the ‘topi’. He alleged that the BJP was unsettled by Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA (Pichde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) politics, religious practices and the temple being constructed in Etawah. Meanwhile, SBSP MLA Bedi Ram welcomed Nabin’s observations, particularly on development, and thanked him for highlighting infrastructure expansion. Pointing to road construction, expressways, connectivity and rural roads, he said good infrastructure was essential for a state’s and country’s progress. Nabin’s remarks also targeted the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation over its foreign funding, accused Rahul Gandhi of being used as a ‘foreign toolkit’ to create unrest, and questioned the Congress leader’s approach towards democratic institutions and parliamentary traditions.

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‘Prepare for your next life’: Rajbhar mocks Akhilesh Yadav, says he won’t become CM in this life

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Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief, Om Prakash Rajbhar, on Saturday took a swipe at Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav over his claim that his party would return to power in Uttar Pradesh and he would become the Chief Minister again. Reacting to Akhilesh Yadav’s assertion, Rajbhar said that the Samajwadi Party chief should prepare for his next life if he wished to become Chief Minister, as he would not get the opportunity in his present life. “Prepare for your next life. You will not become the Chief Minister in this life,” Rajbhar told Media, taking a dig at the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. The remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence that the Samajwadi Party would return to power in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and that he would once again become the Chief Minister.

Earlier, addressing a gathering in Varanasi, Akhilesh Yadav had indicated that he would not contest the 2027 Assembly elections himself. Instead, he said that he would take the oath as Chief Minister directly from his position as a Lok Sabha member if the Samajwadi Party formed the government. The SP chief also made several promises for Varanasi, including bringing a Metro rail project to the holy city if his party returned to power. He further assured that the Varuna river would be cleaned and that farmers would receive adequate compensation under his government. Rajbhar also commented on the growing scale of the Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya, saying that the festival was attracting increasing public participation and gaining popularity with every passing year.

“The Deepotsav programme is gaining popularity day by day, and people’s attraction towards it is increasing. This is why it is being celebrated on a much larger scale than last year,” he said. The minister also reacted to the Election Commission’s decision to provide another opportunity to people whose names have been left out of the voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in seven states, including Delhi. Defending the Election Commission’s repeated efforts to ensure that eligible voters are included in the electoral rolls, Rajbhar said the poll body did not want anyone’s name to be excluded from the voter list. “The Election Commission does not want anyone’s name to be left out of the voter list. That is why it is repeatedly publishing the lists and asking people to fill in the required forms or approach the authorities for assistance. If people are not taking the process seriously, what can the Election Commission do?” he said.

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