Mumbai, Sep 25: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday categorically ruled out any move to repeal the historic Mathadi Act, assuring workers that the legislation providing social security and legal protection to Mathadi labourers would remain intact and would be strengthened further.

He also announced that around 3,000 Mathadi workers would be provided housing in Wadala and that the Vashi APMC Market would be redeveloped into a world-class facility with a long-term vision for the next five decades.

He made these remarks while addressing a labour rally organised at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Vashi to mark the 93rd birth anniversary of the late MLA Annasaheb Patil, founder of the Mathadi movement.

Reaffirming protection under the Mathadi Act, CM Fadnavis stated that the law acts as a protective shield for workers. Addressing rumors that the law might be repealed, he assured that the government would strengthen it rather than let it end.

However, he noted that certain unauthorised groups operating in the name of the labour movement are damaging workers’ interests. “To curb these unauthorised elements and protect genuine labourers, a high-level meeting with labour leaders and officials will be convened soon to take strict action,” he added.

He also commended Marketing Minister Jayakumar Rawal and the Labour Department for strictly implementing the rule capping gunny bag weights at 50 kg.

CM Fadnavis further announced that the empowerment and restructuring of all 36 Mathadi Boards in the state have been initiated. Independent panel audits will be conducted to ensure operational transparency. Pending issues regarding wages, Provident Fund (PF), gratuity, bonus, house rent allowance (HRA), and accident compensation will be resolved promptly.

He said obstacles regarding the Wadala housing project have been cleared with the necessary FSI and approvals granted, paving the way for around 3,000 Mathadi workers to receive modern homes. He added that the state government will strive to launch additional housing projects for workers in the future.

Emphasising the modernisation of the Vashi APMC Market, the Chief Minister noted that the market established 50 years ago was once a major commercial hub in Asia. Given changing trade dynamics and increasing turnover, the Vashi market will be redeveloped to international standards, with the government providing all required underground and above-ground FSI. This modern international market will create more sustainable employment opportunities for Mathadi workers.

Calling upon the next generation of Mathadi workers, CM Fadnavis encouraged workers’ children not to limit themselves to manual labour but to pursue professions in medicine, engineering, chartered accountancy and civil services. Special schemes for higher education and skill development will be formulated through the Annasaheb Patil Economic Development Corporation and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI) with full support from the state government.

“We stand firmly with you,” he assured the workers.

State Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and Marketing Minister Jayakumar Rawal, who also addressed the gathering, reiterated the government’s commitment to worker welfare, educational advancement and the modernisation of both labour-related facilities and the Vashi market infrastructure.

New Delhi, Sep 25: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma, reacting to Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s ultimatum to CEC Gyanesh Kumar on “either resign within 48 hours or face protests”, said on Friday that many forces in the country are working against its growth and are trying to weaken the constitutional institutions.

“We heard CJP’s ultimatum. This is a newly formed party, and I cannot say yet what their expectations or goals are. But the direction in which they have started doing politics raises questions, because there is a history here,” he said, speaking to newsmen.

In the aftermath of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s Thursday press conference with his peers, spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka,

“Whether in name of secularism or the way the Communists expanded their political ground here, could they also be moving in the same direction?” he asked.

“Our nation is growing at fast speed. Many powers are at play, working to reduce the pace of the ‘Viksit Bharat ‘. Owing to these powers, many tools are growing that are working against the nation, we have to counter these forces too,” he said.

“When the youth of the nation, using some external force, try to debilitate or defame constitutional institutions, somehow it affects their future, as well as it affects the nation’s future. We should come together for the growth of the nation,” he added.

BJP MP Ghulam Ali Khatana, reacting to CJP’s statement on CEC Gyanesh Kumar, said, “India is a very large democratic country. Everyone has the right to protest and put forward their views. Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, democratic institutions and people’s rights have been strengthened and empowered.”

West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh said, “Every 4 to 6 months they bring out a new issue which is against the institutions of the country or against the country. Defames the country somehow. This is nothing but a publicity stunt. The public is slowly realising these issues. They are trying to defame the country’s institutions.”

He added that first came the Gen Z protests, and now CEC Gyanesh Kumar is being defamed.

“These are conspiracies against the nation. Some elements do not have a sense of the nation, and they just get on the streets to create chaos,” Ghosh said.

BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa said, “Their cause is baseless. Moreover, Congress has no real agenda; that’s why they push agendas when there are none.”

“You are losing elections left and right; first they blamed the EVM (Electronic Voting Machine), but when that didn’t work, now you are directly blaming the Chief Election Commissioner,” he claimed.

Earlier, addressing a press conference on Thursday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said that if within 48 hours Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign, the Cockroach Janata Party will start a nationwide agitation and vowed to sit on strike unless the CEC steps down.

Ayodhya, Sep 25: As Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav began his campaign for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from Raebareli, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Friday that the Rath Yatra could start from anywhere, even from someone’s home, but claimed that Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was also uneasy as the SP Chief was making inroads into whatever little vote bank the grand old party had left in the state.

Speaking to media, BJP MP Ravi Kishan said, “The Rath can start from anywhere, even from someone’s home, but everyone feels that Rahul Gandhi ji has also become uneasy because Akhilesh Yadav ji is making inroads into whatever little Congress vote bank remains. Now, look at their politics. Only they (SP and Congress) and God know what they are doing.”

“Our politics is that of the BJP. Our focus is on how we can win all the seats in Purvanchal and work harder on the seats where we are weaker. We are focusing on that. Their (SP’s) Rath can go anywhere; let it go wherever they want. If their Rath travels all the way to Pakistan, it does not matter to us,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party said that no place belongs to anyone permanently.

SP MP Awadhesh Prasad said, “No place belongs to anyone permanently. It is the grace of the people. Yesterday, the Samajwadi Party, under the leadership of Akhilesh ji, took out a Rath Yatra to Raebareli. We went to the place where injustice and atrocities had taken place and where our elected representative had been insulted.”

“There was no special preparation, and the weather was also not favourable. Despite this, the way a huge crowd gathered surprised everyone. The intentions of those who were with the BJP were completely shaken,” he added.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav’s decision to begin his (Pichhada, Dalit, and Alpsankhyak) PDA Rath Yatra from Raebareli — the Lok Sabha constituency of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi — on September 24 has brought the relationship between the two key INDIA bloc allies into focus ahead of the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled early next year.

Akhilesh’s Rath Yatra, being undertaken in a specially designed bus, is aimed at consolidating the SP’s PDA — social coalition ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled for February 2027.