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Maharashtra

Maharashtra: Opposition Parties Boycott Assembly Session Over BJP Leader Girish Mahajan’s Alleged Gangster Links

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The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Monday boycotted the day’s proceedings in the state legislative council after turning tables on the government accusing its senior minister Girish Mahajan of having gangster links. This was in sequel to the government’s decision last week to appoint a special investigative team to probe Shiv Sena (UBT) Nashik unit head Sudhakar Badgujar’s association with gangster and Dawood Ibrahim’s sharpshooter Salim Kutta.

The leader of the Opposition in the House and the Shiv Sena (UBT) member Ambadas Danve on Monday asked the government to sack rural development minister Girish Mahajan for attending the marriage of international terrorist Dawood Ibrahim’s niece in Nashik in May, 2017.

CM Shinde must sack Mahajan: Oppn

The opposition leader said that if Mahajan does not resign, then chief minister Eknath Shinde must sack him.

Last week MLA Nitish Rane had presented video clips and photos of Badgujar dancing with Salim Kutta at a party in May 2017 while the latter was on parole.

Raising the issue aggressively, NCP member Eknath Khadse demanded immediate dismissal of Mahajan and an inquiry through SIT in the matter as he levelled the serious allegation against his old political foe Mahajan. 

“If the state government can set up a special investigation team  to probe the alleged links between  Badgujar and Salim Kutta, a convict in the 1993 serial bomb blast case, then why not an inquiry be constituted against the minister?” he asked, waving the purported pictures of Mahajan with alleged gangsters.

Danve supported Khadse and despite chairperson Neelam Gorhe raising objections to the way the matter was raised without a prior notice, named the minister.” He said when a similar allegation was raised in the lower house against Badgujar, the government had acted swiftly and so it should follow suit and take the same action against the minister after sacking him,” Danve said.Gorhe repeatedly tried in vain to stop Khadse and Danve and said she had granted them permission to air their contention  in good faith since the notice they pressed under section 289 did not name the minister. She also warned them that she would strike off from records the mention of the minister’s name. Senior Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab also vehemently demanded strict action against Mahajan for “hobnobbing with anti-national elements.”

House adjourned

As the opposition members persisted in their demand for Mahajan’s resignation and SIT probe against him, Gorhe adjourned the house twice -for ten minutes first and then for 20 minutes. 

Later, talking to media persons, Mahajan said the allegations against him by Khadse were baseless and uttered out of  personal animosity. “Khadse is a frustrated man  and lost his bearings after severe political and financial setbacks. He is liable to pay the revenue department Rs167 crore for irregularities he indulged in while in government. He is mentally disturbed and therefore making such wild allegations,” said Mahajan.

He said the incident, and pictures Khadse was referring to were nine years old. Elaborating, he said he had attended the marriage ceremony of a relative of Sheher-e-khatib of Nashik, a social figure. Some 20,000 people were attending it as the Sheher-e-khatib had lent a helping hand during Kumbh celebrations in Nashik  some nine years ago.

“Political leaders across parties were attending the event. Later the police had probed the matter to see if any  unscrupulous persons  had been present at the event. They found nothing objectionable and the matter was closed. I am not aware of Salim Kutta’s presence there,” said Mahajan.

Maharashtra

Shiv Sena-UBT Mouthpiece Saamna Takes Dig At BJP’s Delhi Election Approach

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Mumbai: An editorial published by the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamna has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the party of neglecting serious national issues to focus on the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.

According to the editorial, “The schedule for the Delhi Assembly elections has been announced. Voting will take place on February 5, and the results will be declared on February 8. Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah, and central ministers of the BJP have fully thrown themselves into this election.”

“The BJP’s goal is to defeat Arvind Kejriwal and take control of the Delhi Assembly. Meanwhile, China has infiltrated Ladakh and settled two villages. Naxals have killed 10-15 police officers in Chhattisgarh. Violence continues unabated in Manipur. In a state like Maharashtra, daylight murders are happening, and the killers have the government’s protection,” the Saamna editorial read.

Editorial Accuses BJP Of Resorting To Extreme Measures To Defeat AAP

The published editorial accused the BJP of resorting to extreme measures to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

“All in all, the BJP’s policy seems to be that focusing on these serious issues is foolish, and defeating the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi is the most important matter. The BJP has decided to go to any lengths to achieve this. The BJP’s approach is that they will win everywhere and sit in power.”

Argument Made By The Editorial

The editorial argues that a “new form of democracy” has taken root in India, one that focuses on eliminating every political rival through questionable means.

“A new form of democracy has emerged in the country, one that doesn’t want to leave a single political opponent alive, and the direct example of this was seen in Maharashtra and Haryana. Now, it is Delhi’s turn,” the editorial added.

Allegation Made By The Editorial

The editorial alleged that there are “discrepancies in the voter list of Delhi” and that “Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has complained that citizens from Eastern Uttar Pradesh have been removed from the list by labelling them as Rohingyas or Bangladeshis.”

According to the editorial the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar is in denial and questioned, “What world is Rajiv Kumar living in? Wasn’t Trump elected as US President after an EVM scandal?”

The editorial referred to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s claims that EVMs can be hacked and pointed to various instances in the U.S. where the integrity of the electoral process was questioned.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece went further, alleging the BJP of securing victories through dishonest means. “The victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party, i.e., Modi-Shah, is never straightforward. They have achieved every win through crooked means, often by rigging the system,” the party stated. It cited the 2019 Maharashtra elections, where the BJP reportedly contested 132 seats but ended up with 120, a performance the Shiv Sena (UBT) described as an “anomaly”.

“What extraordinary work did the Shinde faction do in Maharashtra to win 58 seats?” the editorial remarked, referring to the Shiv Sena faction that defected to the BJP.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) further accused the Election Commission of playing a biased role in the Maharashtra political crisis, specifically over the decision to award the Shiv Sena’s “bow-and-arrow” symbol to the rival faction in Thane.

Editorial Takes A Dig At ECI

The editorial taking a dig at ECI wrote, “They gave the clock symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party to Ajit Pawar during Sharad Pawar’s lifetime, should not speak of transparency and morality.”

According to the editorial, “However, they (ECI) should remember that Modi and Shah are not immortal; they will have to account for their actions. Hence, times will change, and everyone will have to answer for their sins. The Delhi Assembly elections could prove to be the spark for BJP’s downfall”

Editorial Takes A Potshot At The Congress Party

The editorial also took a potshot at the Congress party, questioning its priorities. “While the country is fighting against the Modi-Shah dictatorship, the Congress is throwing mud at AAP rather than the BJP,” the mouth piece read, expressing bewilderment over Congress’s decision to focus on Kejriwal’s AAP rather than targeting the BJP.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece voiced concerns about the role of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor. “The Lieutenant Governor is currently acting as an agent of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Once the Model Code of Conduct is enforced, all powers of the Chief Minister and Ministers in Delhi are supposed to be stripped, but the Lieutenant Governor is doing the BJP’s bidding. This is dangerous,” them editorial warned.

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Crime

Revelations In Torres Jewellery Chain Scam: Company’s Head Accounted alerted Police, Delayed By Authorities, Claims Report

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Mumbai: A massive investment scam involving the foreign-based Torres Jewelry company allegedly duped around 1.25 lakh investors. New details have surfaced in the alleged scam. Three days after the alleged fraud surfaced, the police said that its head accountant had alerted cops, reported Media.

As per the media report, Abhishek Gupta had filed complaints with several authorities, including the Mumbai Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He alleged fraudulent practices by the firm. The accountant further claimed that despite complaints, no action was taken by the authorities.

Gupta first submitted his complaints on December 30, the police said as reported by Media. He also reportedly tried to meet officials to report the alleged fraud. However, the main accused managed to flee before a raid by the Navi Mumbai Police at the jewellery chain’s Sanpada store in the city. Gupta approached the Shivaji Park Police Station and also sought police protection on Wednesday after he reportedly received threatening calls.

“Gupta also visited Byculla police station on Tuesday night to report the threat calls.,” a police officer told the media house. Meanwhile, the jewellery chain alleged that Gupta and its CEO, Tausif Riyaz, were involved in vandalising and robbing the stores.

The sophisticated fraud known as the Torres Jewellery scam was initiated in February 2024 and targeted a specific economic group. The jewellery chain operated six stores in and around Mumbai.

It allegedly floated schemes that promised incredible returns on jewellery purchases, generous rewards for referrals in a Ponzi scheme, and huge lucky draws that gave away expensive cell phones and cars in an attempt to instil confidence using what turned out to be fake jewellery.

The firm allegedly continued to increase the payout margins on its extravagant investment schemes from 6 per cent to 13 per cent in the run-up to the Christmas and New Year’s holiday in 2024.

The company reportedly even introduced new schemes to entice even more investments. Then it suddenly closed. Thus, an estimated 1.25 lakh investors have been defrauded by Torres. The majority of them have very low incomes.

The company is blaming few rogue employees who duped investors for large some of money. On Wednesday, it announced to resume its operations. The announcement in this regard was made by the firm on its ficial Youtube and Instagram channel.

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Bollywood

John Abraham Says He’s Never Touched Drugs, Urges Students Not To Smoke Or Drink At Navi Mumbai Event

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Actor John Abraham recently attended the Nasha Mukt Navi Mumbai program, an anti-drug awareness campaign launched by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. While addressing the students present, the actor made a surprising revelation, stating that he has never touched drugs in his life. Further, the Pathaan actor urged the students to be role models, good citizens, and to train hard to build strong muscles, setting a positive example.

He said, “I want to say to students, I have personally not touched drugs ever in my life, also no smoking, no drinking, but no drugs is very important. Be very disciplined in life, be a role model to your friends, colleagues. Be a good citizen of Maharashtra, India, and train hard to get some good muscles.”

John further congratulated Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the initiative. “This is a very important initiative for Maharashtra and the youth of Navi Mumbai,” he added.

On the work front, John was last seen in Vedaa, which was released in 2024. The film also starred Sharvari, Tamannaah Bhatia, Abhishek Banerjee, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kumud Mishra, Rajendra Chawla, Tanvi Malhara, Anurag Thakur and Urvashi Dubey, among others.

The film clashed with Shraddha Kapoor’s Stree 2 and Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein at the box office on Independence Day, August 15, 2024.

Next, John has Tehran in his pipeline alongside Manushi Chhillar, which is produced by Dinesh Vijan. The film is reportedly based on real-life events on the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war.

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