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Maharashtra Elections 2024: ‘Constitution Seems Blank To PM Modi Because He’s Never Read It,’ Says Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Fires Back At Prime Minister

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Nandurbar (Maharashtra): Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his attack on Rahul Gandhi for flaunting a ‘blank constitution’, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said the Constitution seems blank to the Prime Minister because he has never read it in his life.

Addressing a public gathering in poll-bound Maharashtra today, Rahul said that the Prime Minister says that I show the Constitution in public meetings that is empty.

“Sanvidhan unke liye khali hai kyuki unhone ise zindagi mein pada nahi hai (The Constitution seems empty to him because he’s never read it in his life),” Rahul Gandhi said in a public gathering in poll-bound Maharashtra’s Nandurbar.

Attacking the Prime Minister further, the Congress leader said that the Constitution is not blank, but carries thoughts and ideas of thousand years.

“He has no idea what’s written inside this book; that’s why he says it’s empty. He says Rahul Gandhi shows a red book. It doesn’t matter to us what colour the book is; what matters is what’s written inside it. We are ready to give our lives for what it represents,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“I want to explain to the Prime Minister that this Constitution is not hollow. It is filled with thousands of years of thought. When you call it hollow, you disrespect Birsa Munda, Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, and others. This fight is about protecting it,” he added.

PM Modi’s Remarks

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi attacked Rahul Gandhi saying the “Laal Kitab” of the Constitution which the Congress was flaunting contained “nothing”.

“In ‘farziwada’, Congress has broken its own record. The ‘Laal Kitab’ of the Constitution which the Congress party was flaunting and distributing contained ‘nothing’. It was an empty book. This is nothing but a testament to Congress’ disregard and hate for Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The entire country is in shock over this foolish and unfortunate political play of Congress,” PM Modi said.

Rahul Gandhi Slams BJP Over Tribal Population

Further in his address, the Lok Sabha LoP slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over tribal population, and alleged that the Prime Minister and the BJP-RSS call indigenous people “Vanvasi” (forest dwellers) and carry out deforestation across the country.

“Congress introduced the Land Acquisition Bill to protect your land. The Tribal Rights Act granted you rights to the forest, land, and water. But as soon as the BJP government comes to power, they take your land and hand it over to billionaires. The term “Vanvasi” implies that your children should not become doctors or engineers, should not get jobs, and should not do business. “Adivasi,” on the other hand, means that your children can achieve anything. That is the difference between “Adivasi” and “Vanvasi,” Rahul said.

He further pointed out that in India, the Adivasi population is eight per cent, and their participation should match this percentage.

“I investigated the representation of Adivasis in the Indian government. There are 90 officials who run the government. If the government spends 100 rupees, how many Adivasi officials make decisions about it? Adivasi officials make decisions over just 10 paise of that amount. Out of 90, there is only one Adivasi official, who is side-lined. We need to change this, and the way to do it is through a caste census,” the Congress leader said.

The Lok Sabha LoP asserted that the Congress party has decided that as much money the Prime Minister waives off for billionaires, they will give to the common people.

Congress Leader On The Guarantees Promised

Highlighting his guarantees, the Congress MP said that under the Mahalaxmi Yojana, on the first day of every month, women will receive Rs 3,000 directly in their accounts.

“After that, we will provide free bus travel for women. Farmers will have up to three lakh rupees of debt waived. When farmers sell paddy, cotton, or soybeans, our government will provide MSP (Minimum Support Price). We will conduct the caste census,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“In Maharashtra, everyone will be provided with health insurance up to 25 lakh rupees. For any illness, you can go to the hospital and get treatment up to 25 lakh rupees free of charge. Unemployed youth will receive 4,000 rupees per month until they secure employment,” he added.

Congress Leader On Jobs

The Congress leader also alleged that the BJP has moved 5 lakh jobs from Maharashtra to other states.

“If we look at employment collectively, BJP has moved 5 lakh jobs from Maharashtra to other states. The INDIA bloc government will not do this. The projects of Maharashtra will remain here. We do not want projects from here to be shifted to other states, forcing Adivasis here to work as labourers there,” Rahul added.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024

The campaigning has intensified for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra with both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) making efforts to woo the electorate.

The polls are scheduled for November 20 and counting will be held on November 23.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress 44. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, MVA posed a strong performance winning 30 of 48 seats, while the Mahayuti could only win 17.

Maharashtra

Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra executive committee meeting: Public awareness on SIR is the need of the hour, should not be neglected: Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi

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Mumbai, July 13: The mid-term meeting of the Executive Council of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra began at 2 pm on the second floor of Hajj House, Paltan Road under the chairmanship of Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi (President of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra) and concluded at 5 pm.

The meeting began with the recitation of the Holy Quran and Naat Khawani by Mufti Mirza Kaleem Beg Nadvi (President of Jamiat Ulema Marathwada). More than one thousand members of the Executive Council from all over Maharashtra attended the meeting.

Mufti Muhammad Yusuf Qasmi (General Secretary, Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra) presented the Secretary’s Report and Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi (President, Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra) delivered a detailed presidential address in which he described the methodology, procedures and history of Jamiat Ulema, describing the organization as a purely religious organization, described the services of its leaders in the independence of the country and laid special emphasis on Hindu-Muslim unity and moral reform in the Muslim society to combat communalism in the current situation of the country.

In this meeting, seven proposals on various topics were presented by the officials of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra.

The proposal related to SIR was presented by Maulana Muhammad Arif Omari, Vice President of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra, in which he explained the method of filling the enumeration form and drew special attention to the fact that people should not sit in their homes and wait for the BLO, but should set up camps at different places, gather people there and help the BLO fill the forms by blocking the camp.
Maulana Umari also said that keep the photo of the 2002 list from which the mapping has been done. Advocate Imran Khan attended the meeting as the special guest and in his short speech, praising the SIR proposal of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra, said that it has three phases. The first phase was mapping, which has been done. The second phase is filling the enumeration form, which is ongoing.

After this, a third phase will come, which is that those whose names will not be able to appear in the electoral roll should not be disappointed, but rather it is more important to prove yourself eligible by submitting documents in a legal manner. There is no need to be afraid of this, but be mentally prepared to try to face it with courage.

Mufti Muhammad Haroon Nadvi (Vice President, Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra) presented a proposal titled “Strengthening Democracy”, in which he explained the usefulness of the democratic system and its need in a multi-religious country like India, and said that in recent days, the brothers of the country have risen up in protest against the demolition of mosques in Rajasthan, which is a good omen for the democratic system of the country.

Qari Muhammad Idrees Ansari (Vice President, Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra) mentioned the habit of drug abuse and its common behavior among the young generation and gave suitable solutions to overcome it.
Qari Abdul Rashid Hamidi (Vice President, Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra) explained the harms of unnecessary use of social media and said that 16 youths have been arrested in our region of Marathwada for adopting an incautious attitude on social media and youths from several places are behind bars for commenting and liking on social media, whose cases are being investigated by the Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra Legal Department. The aid committee is fighting,
Maulana Ishtiaq Qasmi (Treasurer of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra) while proposing a proposal on Hindu-Muslim unity said that Jamiat Ulema Hind has been convinced since the first day of its establishment that the country cannot progress without Hindu-Muslim unity.

Further explaining this proposal, Maulana Haleemullah Sahib Qasmi said that unity does not mean that both parties adopt each other’s religion or customs, but rather that they create a common environment of good behavior, morality and respect for the rights of their neighbors while adhering to their respective religions. For this, Jamiat Ulema Hind has formed a forum under the convenorship of Hazrat Maulana Syed Asjad Madani (Vice President of Jamiat Ulema Hind) which will run its movement in the country. It has been decided to hold a training program in Mumbai on August 27, the details of which will be informed soon.

Qari Muhammad Yunus Chaudhry (Vice Treasurer of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra) proposed a proposal on the need and importance of social reform, Maulana Abdul Qayyum Nazish (Director of Religious Schools) proposed the need for religious education and Mufti Hafeezullah Qasmi (Director of the organization) emphasized the formation of new units of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra and proposed that a quarterly accountability meeting should be held in every district of the state of Maharashtra.
Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra’s executive committee meeting: Public awareness on SIR is the need of the hour, should not be neglected: Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi
Finally, one representative each from the five geographical regions of the state of Maharashtra (Mumbai and its environs, Khandesh, Vidarbha, Western Maharashtra and Marathwada) expressed their impressions about the meeting and the meeting came to an end with the prayer of the president of the meeting.
Before the meeting, there was a luncheon. The Director of the Office of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra, Hafiz Muhammad Arif Ansari, Maulana Muhammad Asid Qasmi (Member of the Executive Council) and the staff of the state office carried out the arrangements with great care.

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Maharashtra

‘Manhole Rail Guard’ prototype developed to protect Mumbai manholes inspected by ritu Tawde, pilot testing to be done in ‘L’ ward

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Mumbai: A prototype of a rectangular shaped ‘Manhole Rail Guard’ has been developed by an organisation to enhance public safety during manhole related operations and to ensure the safety of personnel engaged in maintenance and repair work. Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar personally inspected the prototype at the Municipal Corporation headquarters today (July 13, 2026). Several corporators were also present on the occasion. The process of reviewing the details of the prototype has been completed. Suggestions were given to improve its effective use. Their recommendations included making the rail guard collapsible so that its size can be easily adjusted to the dimensions of the manhole, and incorporating reflective paint or flashing lights to enhance visibility in low-light conditions. Prioritizing the safety of citizens and municipal staff, the square-shaped ‘manhole rail guard’ has been designed to be sturdy and easy to handle. Measuring 1 meter high, 1.5 meters long, and 1.5 meters wide, the rail guard is available in two weight variants of 225 kg and 80 kg to meet different operational needs and site requirements. The prototype will be deployed on a pilot basis in the ‘L’ administrative ward of Mumbai. After actual implementation in this ward, the final design of the ‘Manhole Rail Guard’ will be decided based on operational experience, technical requirements, and feedback from municipal staff and citizens. Furthermore, the municipal administration will decide whether to extend the use of this prototype to all other administrative wards of Mumbai after reviewing the insights and feedback gained during this pilot trial.

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Maharashtra

State-of-the-art emergency ward and emergency medical services complex inaugurated at Nair Hospital, Mayor Ritu Tawde and other dignitaries inspected the facility

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The state-of-the-art, newly constructed ‘Accident and Emergency Medical Services Complex’ at Nair Charitable Hospital, managed by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation and located in Mumbai Central, was inaugurated today (July 13, 2026) at Mumbai BYL.

The services were inaugurated after an inspection of the new complex and its departments in the presence of Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde. Ritu Tawde, Leader of Opposition Kishori Pednekar, Samajwadi Party Group Leader and local corporator Amreen Abrhani, Improvement Committee Chairperson Scindia Doshi, Public Health Committee Chairperson Praharish Bhandarge, Women and Child Welfare Committee Chairpersons Permanent Two Days, Corporators Rohidas Lokhande and Ajay Patil, Deputy Commissioner (Public Health) Sharad Ugade, Director (Medical Education and Major Hospitals) and Dean of Nair Hospital Dr Shailesh Mohte, Chief Medical Superintendent Dr Chandrakant Pawar, other dignitaries and concerned officers were present. Meanwhile, a formal inauguration ceremony was planned for the Accident and Emergency Medical Services Complex at Nair Hospital. However, the ceremony was cancelled as the central government had declared a one-day national mourning in India on July 12, 2026, following the demise of Qatar’s ‘Father Emir’ former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. On this occasion, tributes were paid to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. However, given the priority and need to start medical services, the dignitaries inspected the new complex, and the services were launched.
Information on the Casualty and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Complex at Nair Hospital
A state-of-the-art Casualty and Emergency Medical Services Department has been established at Nair Hospital to meet the minimum standard requirements prescribed by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

This is a major and important infrastructure project undertaken as part of the ‘Prime Projects Development’ under the Nair Hospital expansion project. The expansion scheme also includes an upcoming Oncology (Cancer) building, Resident Medical Officer (RMO) quarters, and an L-shaped building. The integration of a 24-hour Casualty Department and modern Emergency Medical Services enables the provision of fast, high-quality medical treatment to patients. After successful completion of construction and receipt of all statutory No Objection Certificates (NOCs), the complex was handed over to the Nair Hospital administration on 25th June 2026. This new complex paves the way for the next phase of the hospital’s development. The old Casualty Department building will now be demolished to make way for the construction of a modern, 20-storey residential complex for Resident Medical Officers (RMOs).

Phase Start of Operation
To ensure optimum patient safety and clinical efficiency, operations in this fully (centrally) air-conditioned department will commence in two separate phases. Phase 1 (Immediately Operational)In this initial phase, key medical services — such as Accident Department, Emergency Medical Services, Triage Ward, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, Surgery, and a Minor Operation Theatre (Minor OT) — have been started immediately.Phase 2 (Forthcoming)
Modern emergency diagnostic and testing services will be introduced soon.

Facility Layout and Highlights
The department is thoughtfully designed over two floors with the aim of ensuring rapid patient assessment, timely emergency treatment, and seamless administrative operations.
The ground floor is designed to facilitate rapid patient assessment and stabilization, focusing on prompt assessment, treatment, and initial diagnosis.

Administrative and Triage Center A dedicated ‘Scheme Registration Office’ is located here to streamline patient registration and initial screening. Additionally, there is a ‘Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) Room’ to handle medico-legal matters.

Specialist Consultation Rooms – This area includes separate rooms for specialists in General Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics, and Orthopaedics, as well as a ‘General Examination Room’.
Emergency Treatment A fully equipped ‘Minor Operation Theatre’ (Minor OT) is available for minor emergency surgical procedures. ‘Golden Hour’ Management – An 8-bed Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ward, equipped with facilities to provide intensive care during the first hour of an emergency, has been established.

Diagnostics and Safety The facility includes an X-ray room for immediate imaging and a ‘patient-free decontamination room’ for the safe decontamination of patients exposed to toxic or hazardous substances.

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