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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Elections 2024: ‘Modi Govt Will Amend Waqf Act, Danke Ki Chot Par,’ Says Union Home Minister Amit Shah At Ghatkopar Rally

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Mumbai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday boldly asserted that the Narendra Modi government will amend the Waqf Board law “come what may (danke ki chot par)” and after that no one would be able to declare private land as Waqf property.

Shah said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is against the changes, but the bill to amend the law regarding the Waqf board will soon be passed in the Parliament.

Home Minister On Waqf

Speaking at the rally in Ghatkopar on Tuesday, the Union Minister said that in Congress-ruled Karnataka, entire villages had been declared as Waqf property.

“The Waqf Board of Karnataka has transferred lands of farmers, villages and old temples to Waqf property, and no one can stop them. It won’t be possible here, because Modi ji has proposed the changes in the law of the Waqf Board. The Aghadi is against the changes, but the bill to amend the law regarding the Waqf board will soon be passed in the Parliament,” Shah said.

“Narendra Modi sarkar waqf kanoon danke ki chot par badal ne wali hai (Come what may Narendra Modi government is going to amend the Waqf act) and then no one’s land or house would be declared as Waqf property. This is a free India, and no one has the permission to do this,” he added.

What Is The Waqf Act Of 1995?

The Waqf Act 1995, was originally established to regulate Waqf properties, but it has long faced criticism over issues of mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha this August, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.

Amit Shah in his rally further talked about a petition submitted by a large group of ulemas to the Congress State President in Maharashtra, demanding 10 per cent reservation for Muslims. He said the Indian Constitution does not allow reservation based on religion.

“Just now, a large group of ulemas met the Congress State President in Maharashtra and submitted a petition demanding 10 per cent reservation for Muslims. In this country, 50 per cent of reservations have already been allocated, and if you (Congress) want to provide reservation to Muslims, then someone’s reservation will have to be reduced. Our Constitution does not allow reservation based on religion…let Rahul Baba and his company do what they can, but we will protect the reservation rights of OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis,” Shah said in his speech.

“A few days ago, I presented the BJP’s manifesto before the people of the state, and on the same day, Kharge ji presented the Maha Aghadi’s manifesto to the public. Furthermore, Kharge ji told the Maharashtra Congress to make promises that can be fulfilled, not promises that can’t be kept,” Shah added.

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.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Shiv Sena-UBT Leader Vishal Barbate Accuses Congress Of Backing Rebel Candidate Rajendra Mulak In Ramtek Poll Battle

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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.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis Slams NCP-SP Leader Anil Deshmukh Following Retired Justice Kailas Chandiwal’s ‘No Clean Chit’ Statement

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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.

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Crime

Wildlife Smuggling Racket Busted: Rare Snakes, Reptiles, Caged Orangutan Rescued From Dombivli House

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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.

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