Mumbai, Oct 2: Hours before its scheduled protest at Mumbai Shivaji Park, Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) leaders on Friday asserted that they are “prepared to go to jail if it can ensure accountability” for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, amid “vote theft” allegations against him.

CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke had earlier announced the agitation to demand the resignation of the CEC.

Speaking to media, CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka said: “If going to jail can bring back the votes of 13 crore people, and if going to jail can ensure accountability for Gyanesh Kumar, then we are absolutely ready to go to jail. Gyanesh Kumar is the biggest traitor in this country; he is responsible for 13 crore voters being struck off the voter list. No one has committed a greater betrayal in this country so far.”

“Just like the previous agitation, we won’t back down till our demands are met,” he asserted.

CJP co-convener Saurav Das added: “There was such a massive movement across the country against (then-Union Education Minister) Dharmendra Pradhan, in which the youth came out in very large numbers. We saw the spirit of Mumbai on such a large scale after many years. So, we thought that this time we should come to Mumbai again and start from here.”

Urging people to join the agitation in large numbers, he said: “Today is the auspicious day of Gandhi Jayanti, and I appeal to the youth of the country to unite once again, just as they did during Jantar Mantar 1.0. It should be a grand agitation aimed at saving the country. Whatever changes we aim to bring into the nation will not be possible if our vote is stolen…we have to come together against this conspiracy against the youth.”

Das also claimed that attempts have been made by workers linked to the BJP to hamper the planned agitation.

“The BJP people have sent some workers. We have also provided pictures of the same…No local resident or any citizen of the country would be against this protest because nobody wants their votes to be stolen or their rights to be violated,” he told reporters.

Das stated that CJP has submitted an intimation to the Mumbai Police, saying: “They are a professional force. I believe there will be mutual cooperation from their end as well as ours.”

“The protest will be held in a peaceful manner, and from here the pan-India agitation will be kicked off,” he added.

CJP leader Sidhant Bhardwaj highlighted that people started gathering at the protest venue hours before the scheduled time of 4 p.m.

“The enthusiasm among the people is the same as it was at Jantar Mantar. These are the people who have come to save the country. Even if they belong to different state, city or villages, their spirit and their respect for the country remain the same. That is why a large number of people have already gathered here even before the agitation began,” Bhardwaj told media.

Expecting more people to join the protest, he said: “We are expecting a minimum of 40,000–50,000 people today, and it could possibly go beyond one lakh.”

Mumbai, Oct 2: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the ‘Dharavi Experience Centre’ will not merely showcase blueprints of the redevelopment project but allow the area’s residents to directly experience their future homes, neighbourhoods, and workplaces.

In an interaction with the media, he stated that this initiative will help curb rumours, misconceptions, and incomplete information, creating an atmosphere of trust around the redevelopment.

CM Fadnavis inaugurated the state-of-the-art ‘Dharavi Experience Centre’, which offers physical and digital previews of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project plan, rehabilitated homes, industrial spaces, and upcoming social infrastructure, built near the BKC in the PMGP Colony’s H Block.

The event was attended by Adani Group Managing Director Pranav Adani, BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Mumbai Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) CEO Dr Mahendra Kalyankar, Dharavi Redevelopment Project CEO and SRA Secretary Vipin Paliwal, Adani Navbharat Developers Private Ltd (the Special Purpose Vehicle executing the redevelopment project) CEO Anil Sardana, among others.

After inspecting the centre, Fadnavis said: “Dharavi is not just a slum; it is a major economic engine. A significant economy thrives here through Kumbharwada’s pottery industry, leather business, food processing, plastic recycling, and various micro, small, and medium enterprises. The redevelopment plan respects these industries and focuses on providing them with better, well-planned workspaces. This is an effort toward comprehensive urban transformation while preserving Dharavi’s existing social, cultural, and economic identity.”

He added that this serves as an ideal example of the urban transformation taking place across the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Chief Minister noted that the ‘Dharavi Experience Centre’ will provide real-time information to everyone on how the Dharavi redevelopment project will look, what Dharavi is today, and how its structure will evolve in the future. This centre will play a crucial role in addressing the questions and confusion among Dharavi residents regarding their future post-redevelopment. He expressed confidence that by offering information on homes, roads, open grounds, social amenities, and employment opportunities all under one roof, the centre will be valuable for citizens, stakeholders, and urban planning researchers across the country.

The Dharavi Experience Centre highlights the journey from Dharavi’s present to its future transformation through modern audio-visual and digital technology. During his visit, CM Fadnavis also launched a special song titled “Dharavi Ka Kal”, sung by renowned singer Shankar Mahadevan, portraying the changing face of Dharavi, and released the book “Mere Sapno Ki Dharavi”.

Mumbai, Oct 2: In a sharp critique of the ruling establishment on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday said that remembering the Father of the Nation is more crucial today than ever before. Warning against the modern tendency to reduce national icons to photo opportunities and symbolic rituals, Thackeray declared that while those in power may use Gandhi only for ceremonial tributes, true democracy cannot survive without his core teachings.

In his post on X, the MNS chief criticised the superficial manner in which great figures are commemorated today. “Our remembrance of great figures is often limited to their birth and death anniversaries – garlanding statues and taking photographs. Equating memorials solely with statues and posing next to them has become our new form of paying tribute,” Thackeray noted.

Taking direct aim at the political climate under the current regime, Thackeray highlighted the growing intolerance towards public dissent.

He emphasised that Mahatma Gandhi’s primary legacy was empowering citizens to question authority — a virtue that the current “powers-that-be” actively attempt to stifle. “The moment questions are raised, those in power and their army of online trolls are eager to brand you an ‘anti-national’,” Thackeray stated, raising concerns over the suppression of peaceful demonstrations, the use of state force against protesters, and the erosion of autonomy in critical constitutional bodies like the Election Commission.

Defining what he considers Mahatma Gandhi’s greatest contribution to India, the MNS chief said it was not merely political freedom, but the common individual’s inherent right to say “no” to state overreach.

“The government possesses the law, the brute force of power, and the ability to alter laws to suit its convenience… Yet, Gandhiji demonstrated that despite all this, the government cannot claim ownership over the common person’s capacity for rational thought or over their conscience,” he remarked.

He warned citizens against systematic efforts on digital platforms and social media propaganda channels — often dubbed “WhatsApp Universities” — to compromise independent thinking and public awareness.

Reiterating that the public remains sovereign in a democratic republic, Thackeray stressed that political agitations, street marches, and citizen participation are essential tools to hold ruling administrations accountable.

Concluding the statement, the MNS leader reaffirmed that while rulers may only embrace Gandhi when it suits their immediate political convenience, the health of Indian democracy depends on preserving his spirit of peaceful resistance and moral courage.

Earlier, Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena(UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray addressed a joint press conference on Tuesday to unveil the blueprint for a public protest march scheduled for October 4. The demonstration, as per the parties, is directed against the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the body of functioning as an “extension of the ruling party” and deceiving voters through the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

“We have been consistently raising concerns over EVM manipulation and electoral malpractices for years. Back in 2017-18, I met several political leaders regarding these issues. This march stands against the humiliation of voters and the subversion of our electoral integrity. Whatever we have to say, we will deliver directly from the stage on October 4,” Thackeray stated.