Mumbai: The campaign for the Nagar Panchayat and Municipal Council elections in the state has reached its peak and BJP leaders have published booklets in Urdu to promote their candidates. Samajwadi Party MLA from ‘Bhiwandi East’ Raees Shaikh has welcomed the BJP’s Urdu booklet. MLA Shaikh claimed that the BJP has realised, albeit belatedly, that Urdu is not the language of any single religion.

BJP MLA from ‘Aran’ in Raigad district Mahesh Baldi’s workers are distributing booklets in Urdu during the Municipal Council elections. Pointing out this, MLA Raees Shaikh said that ‘on one hand they hate Muslims on the basis of religion and when their votes are needed, they resort to Urdu language’, which is a double-edged sword of the BJP. State Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitish Rane should express his feelings about the printing of BJP’s campaign booklets in Urdu.

The state has an Urdu Sahitya Academy. However, this academy is considered an institution working for Muslims. The condition of the Urdu Academy is such that there is no fund, no office, no staff. Urdu language centers, Urdu schools, Urdu speaking teachers, Urdu homes are not given funds and space. The BJP government has closed the Urdu monthly ‘Lok Rajya’, which has been running for five decades. MLA Raees Shaikh has asked why the BJP, which is so hostile to the Urdu language and Muslims, should regret the Urdu Muslim votes at the time of elections? Urdu is not the language of any religion. Urdu speaking writers and lyricists have contributed a lot to the development of Bollywood. There are 75 lakh Urdu speakers in the state and 25 Urdu dailies are published in the state daily. MLA Raees Shaikh has advised the BJP to curb its conspiracy to spread hatred on the basis of language and religion for selfish politics.

Mumbai: The Samajwadi Party will contest the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections with full vigor, this was claimed by Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and worker assemblyman Abu Asim Azmi in a press conference held at Islam Gymkhana here today. He said that the situation in Govindi is very bad, there is a shortage of funds here and difficulties have arisen in providing funds. If any funds are sought, the excuse is given that the funds have been spent on the Ladli Behan Yojana and the funds are not available. He said that the Samajwadi Party is also participating in the Zilla Parishad and Gram Panchayat elections in Maharashtra. Along with this, Abu Asim Azmi has also announced to contest the elections alone on about 150 seats in the BMC elections.

Abu Asim Azmi said that from November 20, the Samajwadi Party will distribute AB forms to its candidates and this process will continue till December 5. The Samajwadi Party will field its candidates in the constituencies where its candidates will be able to participate in the elections with strength. He said that the way the Samajwadi Party had made an agreement with the Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi last time, but it has been betrayed, he said that the Samajwadi Party was not provided a seat until the date of filling the form in the assembly elections ended and then two seats were given and no discussion was even held with us regarding this. The Samajwadi Party is free to take decisions for the elections in Maharashtra. National President Akhilesh Yadav has given full responsibility for this. He has made it clear that he is free to compromise with secular parties in Maharashtra to keep communal forces away from power. However, despite this, the attitude of a big party like Congress towards its allies is not appropriate and compromises are broken in the very elections. Therefore, the Samajwadi Party has now decided to contest the BMC elections alone. He said that in Maharashtra, a Samajwadi Party candidate is also in the fray in the Gram Panchayat Zilla Parishad elections, along with this, the Samajwadi Party will contest the elections on development works. He said that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had visited Govindi once and expressed concern about the plight of the streets here. After that, we demanded funds from Ajit Pawar and he promised to provide more funds, but when we talked to him, he said that the funds have been spent on the Ladli Behan Yojana. He said that elections have not been held for four years, so the condition of other districts including the corporation is very bad. He alleged that funds are not being provided to former members of our party, but if someone joins the Ajit Pawar group or Shinde Sena, it does not matter whether he was a corporator or not, funds are provided to him immediately. In such a situation, this discrimination should end and all former corporators should be provided funds because they understand the problems of their areas.

He said that the lives of the people have become unbearable due to the SMS company in Govindi Shivaji Nagar. The High Court has given more time to the company, due to which there is disappointment among the people. The issue will be approached in the Supreme Court. Abu Asim Azmi has once again strongly demanded from the government to close the SMS company and has also assured to take all necessary steps for this and has requested the people to strengthen the Samajwadi Party. Samajwadi Party leader Advocate Yousuf Abrahani, MLA Raees Sheikh, and other leaders were present in this press conference.

Mumbai: A massive fire broke out on November 19 in Kurla West near the Mubarak Complex at LIG Colony, reportedly triggered by a gas pipeline burst. Videos circulating on social media captured thick black smoke coming into the air as flames spread rapidly.

According to the visuals, the blaze was seen in the shop located on the ground floor of a residential building and firefighting officials were present at the spot trying to douse the fire. Several residential buildings are seen in the lane where the fire took place, bringing in security concern for residents.