Nagpur: In probably the first instance in the ensuing assembly election, a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate has openly accused the Congress of breaching the Maha Vikas Aghadis (MVA) coalition pact by supporting a rebel candidate.

In the midst of a hectic campaign, Vishal Barbate, the official nominee of Uddhav’s Sena in the Ramtek assembly constituency has alleged that rebel Congress candidate Rajendra Mulak, who is contesting as an independent after being expelled for six years, is being supported by the local Congress leaders. Mulak, who defied the party to contest the seat that was allocated to Shiv Sena (UBT), is seen as a strong contender as Congress MP from Ramtek, Shyam Kumar Barve, and Saoner sitting Congress MLA Sunil Kedar are campaigning for him owing to his clout in Nagpur rural.

This is the first time that the Congress symbol will be missing from the election scene here. The party had to bow down before an adamant Shiv Sena (UBT) and concede in the seat-sharing talks. Though on the face of it, it may look like a straight fight between Barbate and Shiv Sena (Shinde)s Ashish Jaiswal, what has queered the pitch is Mulak’s presence.

Who Is Rajendra Mulak?

Mulak is a protégé of exchief minister Prithviraj Chavan and also related to him. He comes from a prominent Congress family – his father Bhau Mulak was an MLA and minister in the 1970s, holding the finance and energy portfolios. A dynamic and committed Congress leader, Rajendra Mulak earlier used to contest from Umred, which after the 2009 delimitation was reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates and so out of bounds as he is a Kunbi Maratha. Since then, he has been working for the party organisation, especially Nagpur district rural which has six assembly seats of Umred, Kamptee, Saoner, Hingna, Ramtek, and Katol.

Who Is Vishal Barbate?

Vishal Barbate is a debutant who has a major car dealership in Nagpur city. He is facing an uphill task taking on Shinde candidate Jaiswal, who has an enviable electoral track record winning the seat for three consecutive terms in 1999, 2004, and 2009. He lost the seat in 2014 to Mallikarjun Reddy but then again won it in 2019 as an independent when the undivided Sena denied him a ticket.

About Ramtek Constituency

Ramtek constituency is one of the 12 assembly constituencies in Nagpur district, six of them rural and six urban. It’s a pilgrim centre known for the ancient Ram temple, Gad Mandir, atop a hill. It was here that Mahakavi Kalidasa – invited by the Vakataka King of Vidarbha around 400AD – penned his magnum opus Meghadootam on being captivated by the beauty of this place. Politically, Ramtek was once known as the safe haven for Congress. It achieved importance when former Prime Minister, the late PV Narasimha Rao, contested from here once.

Mumbai: Coming down heavily on former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the NCP SCP leader ‘has been exposed now’. He was referring to an interview by the retired Justice Chandiwal, who said he had not given a clean chit to Deshmukh.

Deshmukh was granted bail by the court due to his illness, Fadnavis told a rally in Narkhed. Whatever Deshmukh had been saving about the matter, he had been nailed, the deputy CM said.

About Deputy CM’s Attack

Fadnavis’s attack was in response to an interview by retired Justice Kailas Chandiwal, who had probed the charges against Deshmukh made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh—the alleged target of collecting Rs 100 crore monthly from bars, restaurants, and other establishments. In his interview with a regional channel, the retired justice said he had not used the words ‘clean chit in the report. “No proper evidence was allowed to be submitted before the commission,” he said.

Significance Of Retd Justice’s Statement

The statement by retd Justice Chandiwal assumes significance, as Deshmukh has alleged that the report was not being made public as he was given a clean chit in it. The Chandiwal Commission was appointed after former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh made a sensational allegation that Deshmukh had set a target for the collection of Rs 100 crore monthly, from the owners of dance bars and permit rooms in Mumbai.

Deshmukh, soon after his release from jail after the grant of bail, said that the government deliberately avoided making the Justice Chandiwal report public. Justice Chandiwal further said in the interview, he had criticised Param Bir Singh for backtracking on his earlier stand. “I was not given proof (of the alleged given target). I never gave a clean chit. Both Singh and Sachin Vaze did not submit the evidence, despite having it with them. Had those been submitted, something could have happened,” the retired justice said in the interview. Further, said Chandiwal, though Vaze mentioned the names of Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar in the affidavit submitted, these were not taken on record, after learning about the intention.

The report never used the words clean chit but said that evidence was not produced. The sacked cop Vaze, Param Bir, and Deshmukh met and then Vaze changed his evidence, Chandiwal said. “It was like ‘Teri bhi chup, meri bhi chup”. No pressure can be exerted on the submission of proof. The contents of the report submitted couldn’t have been digested by any government, the retired justice has said.

“I did not record the names of Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar. I had told Vaze this, as well. Attempts were made by Vaze and Deshmukh to involve Fadnavis. But I did not take it on record. It was a clear attempt to get publicity. But I did not allow it,” Chandiwal said in the course of the interview.

Thane: In a significant operation exposing a wildlife smuggling racket, the Forest Officials rescued rare species of animals from a highrise in Dombivli. The officials raided an apartment in Palava City, Dombivli and found exotic animals including lizard, turtles, rare species snakes and other reptiles stored in the flat. Horrifying enough, the team found a monkey caged in the washroom of the apartment.

It was later confirmed that the rescued animals included Ignuana (lizard), an Orangutan and python. The operation was conducted by the Forest Range Officers from Thane and Kalyan along with a team from Manpada Police Station after a tip.

The officials did not find any accused present in the apartment at the time of the raid. A case under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 has been registered and a search for the accused is underway. Meanwhile, the seized species are handed over to a local NGO on a temporary basis for observation.

The video of the forest officials raid surfaced on the internet shows a boy opening the door of the well-kept apartment. After entering the flat, the officials gradually come across wildlife species stores in small cage, plastic boxes piled up in the passage and shocking enough an Orangutan in washroom at the end of the apartment.

As per the statement issued by the police, the teams raided the 8th floor apartment in B wing of Savarna Building in Palava City, Dombivli. In the action, the exotic animals seized as prima facie identified as python, ignuana (lizard), turtle, snake etc. The seized wildlife species, on temporary basis, are handed over to Birsa Munda- a local NGO. The pachanama, documentation and search for the accused is underway, it added.