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Raj Thackeray puts off Ayodhya trip in political setback for MNS

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In a self-inflicted political blow, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray on Friday morning tersely announced that he has temporarily “postponed” his proposed visit to Ayodhya on June 5.

He himself made the announcement via social media but didn’t spell out any reasons for the move, leading to wild speculations in political circles.

MNS spokesperson Sandip Deshpande and party leader Bala Nandgaonkar were at a loss to explain what actually prompted the unexpected decision, but assured that Raj Thackeray will enlighten the people about it at his planned public rally in Pune on Sunday.

Adding to the MNS’ awkwardness, ruling Maha Vikas allies’ leaders like Shiv Sena’s Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray and state Congress President Nana Patole announced that their upcoming tours for ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla would proceed as per schedule and their trips would be “non-political”.

Taking a swipe at the MNS chief, Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that he heard about it from the media, “but we would have supported him”.

“There’s a large number of Shiv Sainiks and Sena supporters in Ayodhya, and we would have supported him… He is being used by the Bharatiya Janata Party, but some people get delayed wisdom,” he said.

Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto expressed hope that Raj Thackeray would now realise how he was being exploited by the BJP politically.

“They propped him to propagate their agenda and when their message was delivered, they have cut him down to size. He was used as a pawn and he allowed himself to be used to revive his failed political career,” he claimed.

Congress General Secretary Sachin Sawant squarely blamed the BJP for Raj Thackeray’s current predicament.

“First, the BJP pumped up air into him, but when it feared that the Hindutva vote-bank would be divided, they snipped him off,” he said.

Sena MoS and spokesperson Kishore Tiwari alleged that the BJP-MNS and Rana couple were competing to prove whose Hindutva brand is the worst and Raj Thackeray got trapped in their machinations.

“He had harassed North Indians and when the BJP felt this cannot continue as it would have repercussions (in the upcoming civic elections), they ejected him… Anyways, his planned Ayodhya trip was purely political as there people have nothing to do with religion or Hindutva,” he added.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis merely said: “Raj has postponed his visit now, but whenever he plans to go there, he will be given full support and nobody will touch him.”

Raj Thackeray’s abrupt decision came amid massive protests by certain BJP leaders and activists in Uttar Pradesh and other northern states opposing his Ayodhya trip.

They have been vociferously demanding his unconditional apology for the treatment meted out to North Indians in the MNS agitation in 2008.

The anti-Raj Thackeray protests were spearheaded by Uttar Pradesh BJP MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh who warned that unless he apologises, lakhs of his supporters would block his entry to Ayodhya.

Though Raj Thackeray has not revealed anything, there’s speculation that the postponement may have been due to health reasons, but MNS leaders declined comments.

Back in Uttar Pradesh, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh dismissed the MNS claims of “postponement due to illness” and asserted that Raj Thackeray has “cancelled” his trip, and vowed to continue his agitation till the MNS chief tenders an apology.

Earlier, apprehending threats, MNS’ Nandgaonkar had called on Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil and demanded security for Raj Thackeray either from the state government or the Centre.

Simultaneously, he warned that “even if a hair of Raj was harmed, Maharashtra would burn”, though preparations for the Ayodhya trip continued.

Since a month, Raj Thackeray has been in the limelight after he launched an agitation demanding removal of loudspeakers from all mosques in the state failing which his activists would blare Hanuman Chalisa at double-decibel levels.

Maharashtra

Congress locks Mumbai ED office, Case registered against Congress workers

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Mumbai: Mumbai Enforcement Directorate Police have registered a case against 15 to 20 Congress workers for protesting by locking the ED office. The protest was held at the ED office when it was on holiday and the Congress workers locked the already locked office. According to the police, the office was closed during the protest, but a case has been registered against Congress workers and protesters in this case. The protesters also raised anti-government slogans during the protest at the ED office and the protesters said that Modi sends the ED forward whenever he is afraid. Congressmen have continued to protest against the investigation and inclusion of their names in the charge sheet against Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case. Congressmen have protested in the same manner, after which a case has been registered. This case was registered by MRA Marg Police and the investigation is ongoing. No one has been arrested in this case, this has been confirmed by local DCP Praveen Kumar. Police have tightened security around the office following the protest.

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Crime

Accused in air hostess sexual assault case was porn addict: Gurugram Police

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Gurugram, April 19: Gurugram Police said on Saturday that the accused in the air hostess sexual assault case was a porn addict, an official said.

Gurugram Police Spokesperson Sandeep Kumar said that the accused used to watch porn videos habitually, which was also confirmed from the mobile phone recovered from him.

He said that during police interrogation, it was found that the accused has a B.Sc. (OT) degree from a private institute from the years 2019-2022, and he was an average student in studies.

“For the last five months, he was working as a treatment machine technician in the ICU of the hospital. The accused going to the victim at the time of the incident was confirmed from the CCTV cameras installed in the hospital,” he said.

The Spokesperson said that during interrogation of the accused, it was also found that he had watched porn videos before the incident and even after committing the crime.

“Which is also being confirmed from the search history of the accused’s mobile phone. He was produced before the court on Saturday, from where he was sent to judicial custody for further proceedings,” he said.

Meanwhile, the SIT on Friday nabbed the accused, after analysing at least 800 CCTV cameras installed inside and outside of the hospital, who sexually assaulted the woman when she was on a ventilator.

The accused was identified as Deepak (25), a native of Muzaffarpur in Bihar. The accused had been working as a treatment machine technician in the ICU of the hospital for the past five months and was arrested in the Sadar police station area on Friday.

An official privy to the investigation said that the accused has confessed to his crime in the matter.

“While investigating the incident, eight police teams checked the footage of 800 CCTV cameras installed in the hospital, and around 50 hospital staff, including doctors, were questioned about the incident. Keeping in mind the seriousness of the incident, the police teams investigated from every angle and collected a lot of information related to the incident, as a result of which the police got great success in identifying the accused who committed the crime,” said Arpit Jain, DCP (Headquarters).

On Thursday, Vikas Kumar Arora, Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, had constituted an SIT and ordered the identification and arrest of the accused.

As per the order of the Police Commissioner, an SIT was constituted under the leadership of Arpit Jain, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Headquarters, Gurugram, in which a total of eight different police teams were given special directions and deployed to collect information and evidence related to the incident.

Dr. Sanjay Durani, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said in a statement that: “We have been informed that the police have identified a suspect who has been taken into custody in connection with the ongoing investigation concerning allegations of sexual assault on a patient. On the basis of information provided to us by the police, we have suspended the suspect employee. As we await the final outcome of the investigation, we will continue to provide full support to the police.”

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Business

FM Sitharaman to showcase India’s economic dynamism during US, Peru visit

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New Delhi, April 19: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to embark on an official visit to the US and Peru, beginning April 20, where she is slated to participate in multilateral dialogues to showcase India’s economic dynamism, as the country prepares a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the US, it was announced on Saturday.

During her visit to the US, the Finance Minister will visit San Francisco and Washington, DC, from April 20-25, according to a Ministry of Finance statement.

In San Francisco, FM Sitharaman would deliver a keynote address at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, titled ‘Laying the foundations of Viksit Bharat 2047,’ followed by a fireside chat session.

The Finance Minister will also interact with top CEOs from prominent fund management firms during a roundtable meeting with investors, besides holding bilateral meetings with CEOs from top information technology (IT) firms based in San Francisco.

She will also participate in an event featuring the Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there, said the ministry.

In Washington, DC, FM Sitharaman will participate in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meetings, the Development Committee Plenary, IMFC Plenary, and Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) meeting.

On the sidelines of the Spring Meetings, she will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from several countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and the US; besides meeting EU Commissioner for Financial Services; President, Asian Development Bank (ADB); President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA); and First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During her maiden visit to Peru from April 26-30, the Finance Minister will lead an Indian delegation of officials from the Ministry of Finance and business leaders, highlighting the strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations between the two nations.

Beginning her visit in Lima, she is expected to call on the President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, and Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen, besides holding bilateral meetings with the Peruvian Ministers of Finance and Economy, Defence, Energy and Mines, and also holding interaction with local public representatives.

The Finance Minister will chair the India-Peru Business Forum meeting with prominent business representatives in attendance from both India and Peru.

FM Sitharaman will also hold an interaction with the Indian investors and businesses currently operating in Peru, as well as the Indian business delegation visiting Peru. The Finance Minister will also participate in a community event in Lima, where she will interact with the Indian diaspora living in Peru, according to the ministry statement.

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