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Maharashtra

Democracy in peril due to BJP’s ‘monstrous’ political ambitions: Thackeray

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3 years ago

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Shiv Sena President and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday warned that democracy in India is at peril owing to the “monstrous ambitions” of the Bharatiya Janata Party to control everything.

“A conspiracy to eliminate all the opposition and regional parties in the country is going on in full swing… The ruling party (BJP) is scared of the opposition. It indicates their inefficiency,” said Thackeray, in the concluding part of a marathon “birthday interview” to Sanjay Raut, Executive Editor of the Sena mouthpieces “Saamana” and “Dopahar Ka Saamana” newspapers.

He pointed out that democracy does not mean winning (elections) everytime, be it any party – Shiv Sena, Congress, NCP, BJP, etc – nobody gets consecutive victories, all have to win or lose, new parties keep emerging, shine for some time – “that is a real democracy”.

However, the gargantuan aspirations (of the BJP) of keeping everything under their heels coupled with whatever they say is right, makes them apprehensive of the opposition, he said.

Recalling the late Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s refrain – “Power comes and goes, but the country should remain”, Thackeray said: “I was the CM yesterday, I am not today and am sitting in front of you… What’s the difference? Power comes and goes… and returns, but it doesn’t matter to me.”

He emphasised the need for all political parties to unite and work for the country, or they shall be labelled as “enemies” of our nation, as there are stupendous problems like inflation, unemployment, etc, that confront the people.

Thackeray took a swipe at the BJP-government on how various central investigation agencies are harassing the Opposition, arresting their leaders first and framing the charges later, “defaming them in a dirty and perverted manner intended to ruin their careers”.

Referring to BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s statement that his party was like a “washing machine” which makes people facing allegations “virtuous”, Thackeray said this is not really the sign of a strong ruler, but one in fear.

To Raut’s query on how to overcome such oppression, Thackeray said that first all should have a desire to get out of it, as people did during the Emergency and united to form the Janata Party.

At that time, he said the Janata Party (1975-1977) did not even have election agents at polling booths, yet people of all classes voted for them overwhelmingly, and the party came to power.

“Later, due to infighting, the Janata Party government toppled itself. So, there must be a strong will to fight unitedly. Presently, the symptoms are not good and it seems the country is heading towards dictatorship, this is the opinion of many,” cautioned Thackeray.

He said the Shiv Sena is willing, but it cannot go alone and all the states of the country must join together for the struggle which will “awaken” the people, and without making too many enemies, must ensure healthy politics.

In this context, Thackeray mentioned the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress’s Maha Vikas Aghadi, and termed it as “a successful experiment, and supported by the masses”.

“The MVA was not wrong. The people have welcomed it. Many in the state cried when I left ‘Varsha’ (the CM’s official residence, on June 22). I will not allow those tears go in vain,” he said.

The Sena leader rued how the very same people (Eknath Shinde) who were opposed to joining hands with the BJP in 2014 have now allied with that party, and called him “a power-hungry” person.

Thackeray said he had offered Shinde the post of CM, after discussing with the NCP-Congress provided he could get some replies from the BJP, “but he had no guts”.

He again challenged the Shinde-Fadnavis government for elections and predicted that the “state will again get a Shiv Sena CM”.

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Maharashtra

Mega Block Alert: Local Trains to be Rerouted & Delayed On Feb 23 For Maintenance Work, Check Details

Published

6 hours ago

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February 22, 2025

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Mumbai: Central Railway announced a major change in the UP and Down fast local trains in the Central route for February 23. Meanwhile, Western Railway also announced a major mega block on the line. The jumbo block is carried out for maintenance work on signals and tracks, which will lead to rerouting and delays in train schedules.

Central Railway Rerouting Details

On the Thane to Kalyan route, Down Fast and Semi-Fast local trains departing from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Mumbai will be diverted to the Down Slow line between Thane and Kalyan stations. These trains will have additional halts at Kalva, Mumbra, and Diva stations, which will result in a delay of approximately 10 minutes in reaching their destinations.

Similarly, Up Fast and Semi-Fast trains departing from Kalyan towards CSMT will be rerouted onto the Up Slow line between Kalyan and Thane stations. They will also halt at Diva, Mumbra, and Kalva before merging onto the Up Fast line at Mulund station, causing a delay of around 10 minutes.

Western Railway’s Five-Hour Jumbo Block

On the Western line, a significant five-hour Jumbo Block has been scheduled on February 23, between Santacruz and Goregaon stations. From 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, both Up and Down Fast lines due to maintenance work of tracks, signalling systems, and overhead equipment.

Trans-Harbour Line

According to railway officials, there will be no block on the Uran and Harbour routes.

However, services on the Trans-Harbour line will be temporarily suspended. Up Trans-Harbour services from Panvel, Nerul, and Vashi towards Thane starting with the 10:25 AM departure from Vashi and the 4:09 PM departure from Nerul will remain non-operational. Likewise, Down Trans-Harbour services from Thane to Vashi, Nerul, and Panvel, running from 10:35 AM to 4:07 PM, will also be suspended during this period.

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Maharashtra

Maha minority panel to seek shorter working hours for Muslim staff during Ramzan

Published

7 hours ago

on

February 22, 2025

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Mumbai, Feb 22: After Telangana and Andhra Pradesh permitted Muslim government employees to leave offices early during the fasting month of Ramzan, similar demands are now being raised in Maharashtra and other states.

Maharashtra Minority Commission Chairman Pyare Khan confirmed that the commission has received multiple applications requesting the state government to allow Muslim employees to leave work an hour early during Ramzan.

“We have received several requests from people asking for permission to leave offices an hour early during Ramzan. India is a great example of ‘Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb,’ where people from different communities live together in harmony,” Khan told media.

He added that he plans to present this demand to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis through an official letter.

The demand follows orders issued by the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments, allowing Muslim employees, including teachers and contract workers, to leave work at 4 p.m. instead of the usual 5 p.m. from March 2 to March 30 to perform religious rituals.

“The government hereby permits all the employees who profess Islam, including teachers and persons hired on contract, out-sourcing basis, and Village/Ward Secretaries, to leave their offices/schools early by an hour before closing time on all working days during the Holy month of ‘Ramzan’ to perform necessary rituals,” read the Andhra Pradesh government order.

Similarly, the Telangana government order stated: “Government hereby permits all Muslim government employees/teachers/contract/out-sourcing/boards/corporations and public sector employees working in the state to leave their offices/schools at 4 p.m. during the holy month of Ramzan, i.e., from March 2 to 31, to offer necessary prayers, except when their presence is required due to exigencies of services.”

The demand is also gaining traction in Karnataka, where Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice Presidents M.R.M. Hussain and Syed Ahmad recently wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging the state government to grant Muslim employees a one-hour exemption from duty to facilitate prayers and iftar.

However, the Karnataka government has yet to make a decision on the request.

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disaster

Massive Fire Breaks Out At Residential Building In Mumbai’s Marine Lines

Published

8 hours ago

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February 22, 2025

By

Mumbai: A massive fire broke out in Mumbai’s Marine Lines on Saturday. The blaze rupted on the top floor of a residential building, Marine Chambers. The building is located near Gol Masjid.

The fire broke out at around 12.30 pm on Saturday. After receiving information, several fire tenders reached the spot. Senior officials also rushed to the place where the blaze erupted.

Visuals of the fire also surfaced online. In the video, an envelope of black smoke could seen billowing out of the building. This led to panic among the locals.

A firefighting operation is currently underway.

The reason for the blaze is not yet known. There are no reports of any injuries.

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