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Maharashtra: Congress livid as Didi writes UPA’s epitaph

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Relegated to the political pavement as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stormed Mumbai in her 2-day-long high-profile trip which ended on Thursday, the Maharashtra Congress unitedly slammed her for her ‘RIP’-ping comments spelling doom for the UPA.

Banerjee met leaders of two of the 3 ruling allies – Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena’s MP Sanjay Raut and Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray, met civil society members, some industrialists, film personalities, but obviously she had no love lost for the state Congress.

The visiting leader’s shocker came during her brief media interaction, when she virtually blurted out – “What UPA? There’s no UPA now…” stunning the Congress and momentarily even the NCP supremo Pawar seemed dazed but kept his legendary cool.

An enraged Congress top brass hit back, though diplomatically – to avoid antagonising the Sena-NCP leaders or even remotely appear siding with the BJP – and harked on the grand old party’s contributions, the Gandhis’ leadership while blaming Banerjee’s “personal ambitions and ego” and painting the BJP as the real villain.

“The BJP is a threat to the Constitution and Democracy. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are constantly challenging the dictatorial attitude of the BJP,” said State Congress President Nana Patole.

The Congress Legislature Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat dismissively said, “no individual party can fight the BJP if that party only thinks of its own political gains and personal ambitions” and the Congress remains the sole viable option before the country.

AICC Secretary Sanjay Dutt said, “if there is one party which has been fighting fascist forces and standing up for the people of India, it’s the Congress”, and others are now posturing only to grab the ‘chair’ (power).

“If any other party leader makes any baseless, sarcastic or malafide comments about Rahul Gandhi, we will give a befitting reply and show them the mirror of their past stance and statements,” hissed Dutt.

State PWD Minister Ashok Chavan hit back at Banerjee saying the “Congress and its leadership needs no certification for its commitment to Democracy and Constitution, or its tireless struggle against the BJP’s policies”.

“Since before Independence, Congress has been fighting for the commoners, the rights of the people… The (BJP) central government is using the ‘divide-and-rule’ policy on the opposition parties. In such a scenario, it becomes the responsibility of all non-BJP parties not to indulge in politics that supports this policy of the Centre,” said Chavan sharply.

Patole pointed out how Rahul Gandhi has stood firm against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP, on the land acquisition law and the three black agriculture laws, the BJP’s divisive policies, inflation, unemployment, etc.

“The country is more important than personal ambitions or egos… A political party restricted to one state cannot provide an alternative to the BJP. Given the gravity of the situation, all like-minded parties must come together in the national interest,” urge Patole, adding only Congress is the viable option to the BJP.

Thorat cautioned that criticising Rahul Gandhi would only help the BJP which he has fearlessly challenged, plus the Congress and the entire Gandhi family has borne the oppression of the BJP, but they were not cowed down.

Some political commentators have claimed that despite the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) venturing into uncharted territories where it is barely known or has any base, ultimately they will need Congress support to form the government as it happened during the tenures of the former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda or I.K. Gujral.

Besides Congress, even the Opposition BJP leaders attacked Didi, questioning her ‘private’ meeting with Shiv Sena leaders and asked whether Maharashtra would go the West Bengal way.

Maharashtra

Rakhi Sawant Social Media Post Triggers Public Debate

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Mumbai: Actress and television personality Rakhi Sawant has sparked widespread discussion after sharing a social media post related to the ongoing student protests in the country.

The post featured a symbolic red sanitary pad, which many users interpreted as a gesture of support for the protesting students. The image quickly went viral, drawing mixed reactions across social media platforms.

While several users appreciated the symbolic message and described it as an expression of solidarity, others criticised the post, calling the imagery controversial and inappropriate. The incident has reignited debate over the role of celebrities in expressing views on social and political issues.

The controversy has generated significant public attention, with supporters defending freedom of expression and critics questioning the use of symbolic imagery in sensitive matters.

As of now, Rakhi Sawant has not issued an official statement responding to the controversy surrounding her post. There has also been no official confirmation of any legal action specifically related to her social media activity.

The issue continues to attract attention online, with discussions focusing on freedom of expression, public responsibility, and the influence of celebrities on national conversations.

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Maharashtra

Peaceful tricolor rally from Amjadiya Road to Shanti Nagar led by Bhiwandi Samajwadi Party MLA Raees Sheikh concludes

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Mumbai: Citizens of Bhiwandi on Friday spontaneously organised a ‘Tiranga Pail Yatra’ (Tricolor March) to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the ‘NEET’ paper leak scandal and to express solidarity with the nationwide student protests. Led by Samajwadi Party MLA (Bhiwandi East) Rais Sheikh, the foot march was attended by a large number of local citizens as well as opposition party workers and leaders. The march covered the route from Amjadiya Road in Bhiwandi to Shanti Nagar and was concluded in the evening. No flags of any political party were hoisted during the rally, but citizens held the tricolor in their hands and expressed the spirit of unity. The peaceful procession demonstrated the spirit of unity ‘One Nation, One Passion’. Many participants raised slogans demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, including “Inqilab Zindabad” (Long Live the Revolution) while others held placards protesting against the Modi government. The march ended with the presentation of a memorandum to the Bhiwandi Sub-Divisional Officer.

Speaking to the media during the event, MLA Raees Sheikh said that the ‘Tiranga March’ was not affiliated with any specific political party but was a spontaneous initiative by the citizens of Bhiwandi. He noted the growing nationwide anger against the central government over the ‘NEET’ paper leak and the brutal lathicharge on protesting students. The aim of the march was to support the student movement and demand an end to corruption in the examination system. The participants demanded that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign, holding him responsible for the ‘NEET’ paper leak incident. The memorandum issued by the ‘Tiranga Rally’ has put forward four demands: a judicial inquiry into the brutal lathicharge on student protesters at Delhi’s ‘Jantar Mantar’; a financial assistance of Rs 1 crore to the families of students who committed suicide following the NEET paper leak; and withdrawal of police cases registered against student protesters in Delhi as well as all states and union territories.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Shivaji Park student protest: Public anger after video of misbehaving with woman goes viral on social media, demands for four-pronged action

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Mumbai: After the shameful act of a police officer during a protest in Shivaji Park Dadar in Mumbai came to light, the Mumbai Police has defended the constable Deepak and said that the video that has gone viral on social media is irresponsible. The officer did not intend to misbehave or flirt with the woman. When the officer went to arrest a man during the protest, the woman protester came in the middle and this is the video. After the investigation in this case, the senior officers of the police department have given a clean chit to the above-mentioned police officer after carefully examining the video footage. This is causing resentment among the citizens. The police have said in their denial statement that there is no mistake on the part of the constable who controlled the protesters. He did not touch the woman intentionally. It is certain that he was controlling the protesters.

In this case, advocate Nitin Satpute has expressed surprise at the clean chit given to the police constable and has appealed to the victim to register a case against the official himself. If a case is not registered in this case, he will approach the court to register a case. He said that the videos of violence against students in Mumbai and other places that are going viral are worrying. In this, many videos have also come to light that are based on extreme brutality. In one video, a constable is threatening to implicate two students in a false drug case, while in the other video, this shameful act of a police constable has come to light. After this video, many political leaders have also tweeted it and demanded action. While the police have given a clean chit to the constable in this case, this has also affected the image of the police department. This video has tarnished the Mumbai Police. The public is angry with the police’s behavior and is also surprised by the police’s latest stance that the constable is innocent and has done nothing wrong.

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