Mumbai, Sep 15: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday defended Union Home Minister Amit Shah amid the controversy surrounding his remarks on the Hindi language, accusing the opposition of selectively interpreting his speech and taking his comments out of context.

The controversy erupted after Amit Shah, speaking at the Rajbhasha Sammelan in Navi Mumbai, described Maharashtra as a leading multilingual state and said there was no reason to oppose learning an additional national language alongside one’s mother tongue. The remarks triggered criticism from Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Expressing indirect disapproval, MNS Chief Raj Thackeray posted a cryptic message on social media, stating, “A cow does not die from a crow’s curse. That is all for now.”

Responding to criticism, CM Fadnavis, speaking to reporters, clarified that Shah explicitly emphasized the importance of the mother tongue and highlighted the rightful status of Marathi in Maharashtra. He urged political leaders to avoid taking statements out of context.

On the Mumbai Police denying permission for activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s rally, CM Fadnavis stressed that maintaining law and order remains a priority, particularly during the upcoming festival season.

He noted that fresh applications will be reviewed on merit, adding that the state government has already accepted several of Jarange’s demands while others remain pending before the court.

On reports of a new CBI FIR naming political figures in connection with the Disha Salian case, CM Fadnavis stated he has not yet reviewed the document. He noted that the CBI is acting pursuant to High Court directions and advised against premature speculation while the legal process takes its course.

CM Fadnavis said that the state cabinet on Tuesday approved several key decisions to support sugarcane farmers, strengthen cooperative sugar factories, and improve governance scheme evaluations.

Among the major announcements was the provision of soft loans to cooperative sugar mills, the establishment of the Maharashtra Technical Assistance Cell (‘Maha-Tech’), and a historic decision regarding agricultural land returns in Ahilyanagar district.

To provide financial stability to distressed cooperative sugar factories, the state government approved soft loans. This capital support will help sugar mills clear pending Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) dues owed to farmers for the 2025–26 crushing season and ensure smooth preparations for the upcoming 2026–27 season, said the CM.

The Cabinet approved the creation of the Maharashtra Technical Assistance Cell (‘Maha-Tech’) to evaluate and optimise state government schemes.

Implemented in collaboration with IIM Mumbai and the Center for Planning and Policy Research, the cell will conduct rigorous evaluations of 25 key state policies and 25 major welfare schemes over the next year to enhance decision-making and delivery effectiveness.

In a significant relief for farmers in Haregaon village (Shrirampur taluka, Ahilyanagar district), the Cabinet decided to return lands currently held by the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation to their original owners. Necessary amendments to the Maharashtra Agricultural Lands Act, 1961 were approved to facilitate this transfer.

The cabinet also approved a complete exemption of stamp duty on the lease deed registration for the Nashik branch of the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad (located in the Nashik Municipal Corporation building) to establish a study center and library.

The cabinet gave clearance for the free transfer of 6,240.30 sq meters of government land to the Arvi Municipal Council in Wardha district for the construction of a commercial complex.

Further, the cabinet sanctioned amendments to the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Townships Act, 1965.

The cabinet also gave administrative approval and expenditure for creating four new administrative posts for the Chairman’s office of the Mumbai Police Housing Township Project.

New Delhi, Sep 15: The Patiala House Court on Tuesday granted three weeks’ interim bail to self-styled “influencer” Swatantra Bhardwaj, who is in judicial custody in connection with the alleged assault of the father of a minor activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar.

Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler of the Patiala House Court passed the order granting Bhardwaj interim relief.

The development comes a day after the court had reserved its order on Bhardwaj’s regular bail plea. During the hearing on Monday, the court had questioned the Delhi Police on whether Bhardwaj had used caste-indicative words at the time of the alleged incident. The prosecution had submitted that the initial complaint did not mention the use of any such language and that the allegation was made subsequently when the complainant’s statement was recorded again, following which provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were added to the FIR.

Bhardwaj’s counsel had sought bail, while the prosecution opposed the plea. Bhardwaj is accused of assaulting Sanjay Kumar, father of a minor protester, during a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in July.

The police had earlier said that the injuries sustained by the victim were “simple” in nature and were allegedly caused by a steel bracelet.

The FIR invokes relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and provisions relating to criminal intimidation.

The development comes days after the Patiala House Court had declined an out-of-turn hearing on Bhardwaj’s bail plea and listed it for September 14.

Bhardwaj was held in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district on September 4, hours after representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) met senior Delhi Police officials and demanded his arrest.

The Delhi High Court had earlier dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by Bhardwaj challenging his arrest in the alleged assault case.

A Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja rejected the petition after the Delhi Police submitted that it was not maintainable as Bhardwaj had already been sent to judicial custody.

The CJP had also demanded the invocation of an attempt-to-murder charge, with the police stating that the provision would be considered after obtaining an expert medical opinion.

A separate FIR was also registered against Bhardwaj under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the complaint of the minor activist, who alleged online rape threats and harassment.

The controversy erupted after a purported viral video in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had physically assaulted the father of the minor activist during the Jantar Mantar demonstration and allegedly said that he was let off because of his “political connections”.

Bhardwaj later told the media that he had allegedly acted in self-defence.

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV) chief Chirag Paswan had said that his name was “misused” by Bhardwaj in the purported video. Paswan had said that he filed an official complaint against Bhardwaj and would ensure justice for the minor victim and her family.

Lucknow, Sep 15: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the war of words between Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) President Jayant Chaudhary appears to be intensifying, with the political confrontation now taking a more personal turn.

The latest exchange followed a remark by Akhilesh Yadav, who took a swipe at Jayant Chaudhary over the RLD’s position in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Akhilesh reportedly quipped that only if the RLD wins 73 seats in the NDA would it be considered that the alliance had truly respected “Chaudhary Saheb”.

The remark did not go down well with Jayant Chaudhary, who responded sharply and warned the SP chief against making what he described as light remarks.

“The SP chief is talking lightly. If I speak out, he won’t be able to stand in UP,” Jayant Chaudhary said, escalating the ongoing political exchange between the two leaders.

The remarks have also drawn reactions from several Uttar Pradesh ministers, who came out in support of the RLD chief and criticised the SP leadership over its comments concerning the Chaudhary family.

Minister Narendra Kashyap said Jayant Chaudhary was not only a Union Minister but also a senior political leader with a prominent political legacy.

“Jayant Chaudhary is a Union Minister and a senior leader. His father served as a Union Minister, and his grandfather served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh as well as the Prime Minister of the country. Defining the party that gave the country a Prime Minister with the word ‘chavanni’ would naturally cause anger and outrage, wouldn’t it? So perhaps Jayant Chaudhary has some past experiences that could pose a threat to the Samajwadi Party. As for what that is, he himself will answer,” Kashyap said.

Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, speaking to media, also backed Jayant Chaudhary and said the RLD leader’s familiarity with the family and its political affairs gave him an understanding of the situation.

“What Jayant Chaudhary has said is correct because he used to visit their home frequently, so he knows the situation of the entire family,” Rajbhar said.

Minister Anil Rajbhar also criticised the remarks directed at the Chaudhary family and stressed the family’s standing in national politics.

“The Chaudhary family is a big name in national politics. Chaudhary Sahab was a great man, and every section of society respects him. Now making such statements against this family will not be tolerated, and the SP will have to face the consequences of it,” Anil Rajbhar said.

Reacting to the statement, Minister Nand Kishor Gurjar described Jayant Chaudhary as a “serious and educated” political leader and alleged that Akhilesh Yadav and other SP leaders had made derogatory remarks against leaders and various social groups.

“Akhilesh Yadav and SP leaders have made derogatory remarks about leaders and communities from various social groups. Farmers, labourers, and youth will oppose any political comments against Jayant Chaudhary. The Samajwadi Party does not respect its long-time allies in western Uttar Pradesh,” Gurjar said.