Maharashtra
BMC elections 2023: FGGL to middle-class to press NOTA to highlight pending demands in Mumbai
Mumbai: The Federation of Grantees of Government Land (FGGL) has decided to appeal to all activists and voters to press the None Of The Above (NOTA) button in the next BMC elections. FGGL is an organisation demanding conversion of land allotted to thousands of cooperative housing societies by the government into freehold land.
The organisation is, in fact, toying with the idea of forming a NOTA Party of India to give an institutional framework to their movement.
President of FGGL, Salil Rameshchandra, and General Secretary Vikaramaditya Dhamdhere said that for the past several years their organisation has been trying to persuade the Maharashtra government to convert government-allotted land to freehold for them to undertake redevelopment of thousands of old and dilapidated buildings.
FGGL said at present the State Government is demanding 60-70 % of the ready reckoner rate which is beyond the middle-class bandwidth. The federation has instead suggested 5% for redevelopment to be viable.
“We have been pressing for this for the past several years, but politicians of all persuasions are only giving false promises. Hence, we have decided to appeal to the middle-class, which forms a substantial portion of the electorate, to press the NOTA button in protest against the indifferent attitude of politicians,” Mr Rameshchandra said.
Several activists contacted by the Free Press Journal supported the pro-NOTA campaign. Prominent activist Dr Gaurang Vora said the support for NOTA is the need of the hour. “All political parties are the same. They make tall promises but forget the very voters who sent them to office when they come to power. It’s high time their cheating is stopped. NOTA is a powerful weapon in the hands of the common man, and he should exercise it,” he observed.
Noted activist Sameer Jhaveri said, “I fully support the demand. Politicians simply don’t care for the common man. For each and every problem, ordinary people have to move the courts to get justice, which is time-consuming.”
Neeraj Pattath of the Petition Group, too, supported the demand. Jaypal Shetty of the group also backed the demand for NOTA. He said, “I was a part of the Anna Hazare movement. Our main demand was better governance, free of corruption. But the movement didn’t succeed for several reasons. The call to press the NOTA button is an alternative before the people. They should press it to demonstrate their exasperation at growing corruption and an indifferent government.”
However, Vasant Patil, who is part of the Samvidhan Morcha, said NOTA is not an option. “It is like running away from the problem. Political parties must be tackled politically,” he said. Another activist Naseer Jahagirdhar, too, said pressing the NOTA button is not an option. “There’s need for something like the criminal procedure and civil procedure codes that will make the administration accountable,” he said.
A meeting of activists is likely to be held in the coming few weeks to decide upon ways to mobilise public opinion around NOTA, especially among the middle-class. According to political observers, slum votes are managed by political parties with huge funds at their disposal. It’s the middle-class that has been taken for granted all these years.
Maharashtra
Protests not similar to ordering food from delivery apps: Shiv Sena blasts Rahul Gandhi

Mumbai, Oct 12: Shiv Sena national spokesperson Shaina NC said on Monday that Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, thinks protesting is equivalent to ordering food items on a delivery app.
“For Rahul Gandhi, calling for protests is similar to ordering food on delivery apps. Call someone to protest; create inconvenience for people every day,” Shaina said while commenting on the ongoing unrest in the national capital.
“Honourable Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant has said that the matter is sub judice; then why are you creating nuisance on the streets and not letting the court do its work?” she asked.
She added, “Rahul Gandhi lacks empathy and does not care about common people who would want to go to Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Mandi House, Secretariat, Barakhamba Road. They are getting affected.”
“The protestors don’t care about the Metros, traffic, security of the people,” she said.
She further said, “When the matter is in court, one must wait and respect the decision of the Supreme Court.”
Stressing the matter, she further said, “How long will you (Opposition) be able to mislead people through a false narrative? You are welcome to debate in the parliament, but don’t create chaos on the streets.”
Shaina further said that people are not attracted by names like ‘Thackeray’, ‘Gandhi’, and that the opposition has no vision, plans, or blueprints whatsoever.
On the detention of CJP leaders, Shaina said, “There is a stark difference between ‘detention’ and ‘arrest’. Everyone has the right to protest, but when it leads to unrest and riots, then the police will also have to take action.”
She praised the Delhi Police for not aggravating the protests, controlling the mobs and further protecting the common masses.
Reacting to PM Narendra Modi appeal to the country’s Gen Z to make use of the opportunities that come with Viksit Bharat and taking the world towards solutions, Shaina said that the Indian Gen Z are not the future but the ‘present’. With initiatives such as Startup India, MSME, and Lakhpati Didi, the PM has empowered all.
She further said that the youth of the nation should move forward in development and not indulge in chaos and unrest. Rather, one must understand that the need of the hour is education, security and ‘Atma-nirbharta’.
Maharashtra
Maha CM accuses Rahul Gandhi, INDIA bloc of trying to weaken judiciary through protests

Mumbai, Oct 12: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday launched a scathing attack on Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc, accusing them of executing a deliberate strategy to pressure and delegitimize India’s constitutional institutions, including the Supreme Court, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The Chief Minister’s strong reaction came as INDIA bloc leaders, led by Rahul Gandhi, staged a high-voltage march in New Delhi towards the Supreme Court.
The opposition leaders are demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of subverting electoral integrity and “robbing the nation”.
CM Fadnavis criticised the opposition for brandishing copies of the Constitution while systematically undermining constitutional bodies. He alleged that the current protests are part of an extreme far-left plot designed to reject Dr B R Ambedkar’s Constitution and breed public distrust against democratic systems.
Questioning the rationale behind marching to the apex court to force a meeting with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), CM Fadnavis asked, “Which section of the Constitution empowers a political march to demand an audience with the Chief Justice of India? Attempting to exert pressure on the Supreme Court is a direct insult to Dr Ambedkar’s Constitution.”
Drawing a sharp contrast, he invoked the 1975 Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He highlighted how the Congress regime then suspended fundamental rights and restricted citizens from approaching High Courts and the Supreme Court.
“We fought against constitutional tampering in 1975, and we will fight again today. We will never allow anyone to alter or tamper with Dr B R Ambedkar’s Constitution,” he declared.
CM Fadnavis asserted that Congress’s repeated electoral failures have driven it to resort to anarchy. He also pointed to instances during past agitations at Jantar Mantar, where social media algorithms were manipulated to spread chaos, noting that platforms like Meta later issued apologies over ad-driven content and missteps involving Prime Minister Modi’s posts.
He stated that Congress needs to stop blaming Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for its political setbacks and instead look inward at its failed leadership. “Congress needs to find the reasons for its failure not in EVMs, but in its own leadership. This is a rejected leadership that is repeatedly re-launched, only to fail every time,” he noted.
Emphasising Congress’s declining footprint, CM Fadnavis noted that key states across the nation have rejected the party for decades, including Tamil Nadu: 59 years, West Bengal: 50 years, Uttar Pradesh: 46 years, Sikkim: 42 years, Bihar: 36 years, Tripura: 33 years, Gujarat: 31 years and Madhya Pradesh & Odisha: 23+ years.
He added that across 18 states, voters have distanced themselves from Congress for decades, forcing the party to rely heavily on regional partners like the DMK, RJD, and BSP to survive.
He accused the opposition of systematically trying to instill distrust in the public mind regarding democratic institutions and the rule of law.
Maharashtra
CM Fadnavis criticises protesters for targeting constitutional bodies; backs CJI’s stance

Mumbai, Oct 12: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday launched a scathing attack on the opposition and activist groups, defending Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant’s decision to decline a meeting with protesters.
Speaking during a media interaction, he accused opposition parties and outfits of running a systematic design to undermine India’s core constitutional institutions and usher in an “ultra-Leftist” brand of anarchy.
Defending the CJI’s refusal to meet demonstrators, CM Fadnavis asked, “Which Constitution states that the Chief Justice of India should meet protesters and marchers?” He emphasised that the CJI acted well within his constitutional rights and praised the judiciary’s stance that grievances must be legally addressed inside courtrooms rather than through street pressure.
CM Fadnavis alleged that a well-crafted conspiracy is underway to systematically devalue independent pillars of democracy, such as the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He noted that the ultimate goal of these groups is to convince citizens that constitutional frameworks cannot deliver justice.
Commenting on recent demonstrations, including those by the Congress and civil groups, CM Fadnavis distinguished between lawful democratic protest and chaos. Pointing to instances where crowds allegedly crossed the line with provocative sloganeering, he asserted that when thousands with criminal records mobilise to disrupt public order, it amounts to outright anarchy rather than peaceful dissent.
Addressing reports that certain protesters praised his governance style as “soft-hearted” to allow demonstrations, he dismissed the remarks as a tactical ploy. He stated he is not easily swayed by opportunistic flattery, pointing out that the intent behind such praise was merely a convenient vehicle to target higher offices.
Contrasting the current protests with constructive democratic engagement, CM Fadnavis highlighted his administration’s willingness to engage in dialogue with anyone — reiterating that even violent insurgent elements like Naxalites have been approached with attempts at reform and persuasion through democratic channels, rather than enabling lawlessness under the guise of activism.
CM Fadnavis’ comment comes after BJP National President Nitin Nabin targeted Opposition parties and youth groups leading protests in the national capital over electoral roll revisions and the Chief Election Commissioner’s accountability.
Nabin accused the INDIA bloc and youth organisations (such as the Cockroach Janta Party) of attempting to “destabilise the nation” after being rejected by voters in democratic elections. He alleged that the ongoing protests were being driven at the behest of “foreign forces” seeking to undermine domestic peace and economic development.
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