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Maharashtra

Shiv Sena’s Raut alleges ED out to ‘fix’ him, asks VP to ‘rein in’ agency

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In an unprecedented move, Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party Leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut has knocked the doors of Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Chairman of the upper house, with a plea to “rein in” the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and stop harassment of opposition political leaders.

Among the stunning points by Raut is how alleged cases are being on filed and probed on decades-old transactions, he was pressurised to help bring down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to force a mid-term election, and threatened with jail term along with two other state Cabinet Ministers, if he refused to cooperate.

Shooting off a 4-page letter, he has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of systematically targetting its erstwhile ally Shiv Sena leaders or persons close to them like family, relatives, friends, acquaintences by letting loose Central agencies like the ED against them.

Raut contended that the BJP used the probe agencies not only for harassment/ intimidation of leaders of other political parties but also to topple democratically-elected governments.

“This is certainly not a healthy sign for any country where democracy prevails,” pointed out Raut, who has received full support from the Sena leaders, Nationalist Congress Party, and the Congress while the Aam Aadmi Party was left “amused”.

The development comes a year after independent Lok Sabha MP from Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli Mohan Delkar had made similar complaints to the Centre and later committed suicide in a Mumbai hotel in February 2021. Later his widow Kala M. Delkar won the same seat in a bypoll late last year.

Raut cited the instance of January when some persons approached him to assist ousting the MVA government of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to force a mid-term Assembly poll in the state, and when he refused to join the clandestine efforts, was warned of a fate similar to RJD leader Lalu Prasad with many years in jail, and that two Cabinet Ministers and 2 other senior state leaders would also be sent behind bars.

He said that there were two small property deals he conducted 10 and 17 years ago, which were duly declared by him in the election affidavits, and now the ED and other agencies are “probing” those deals, threatening the property sellers and their families are being harassed and threatened to give false statements against Raut or face jail or property seizure.

Referring to his daughter’s wedding in November 2021, Raut said that some 28 of the decorators and vendors have been picked up illegally, taken to the ED office where they are intimated into giving statements that he (Raut) made Rs 5 million in cash payments, warned of detention or arrest.

“In fact, some of the ED and other agencies personnel have even confessed to the very people they are summoning that they have been asked by their bosses to ‘fix’ me,” Raut said, adding how the Central agencies are reduced to puppets of their political masters.

Senior MVA leaders like Minister Aditya Thackeray, Kishore Tiwari, MP Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena), NCP’s Nawab Malik and Congress’ Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe came out in full support of Raut.

BJP’s Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, however,charged Raut of playing the “victim card” and said that tigers cannot be scared of wolves.

“Raut is an editor and know how to make headlines or earn mileage from them… In (PM Narendra) Modi’s government no one can victimise anyone and hence Raut is playing a victim card,” said Fadnavis.

Opposition AAP leader Preeti Sharma-Menon said she was “amused” by Raut’s allegations of “misuse/abuse of power” by Central law enforcement agencies, and the “Shiv Sena is no paragon of virtue”.

She also slammed the BJP for “vendetta driver witchhunt of Opposition leaders” through systematic misuse of central agencies like the ED, the NCB, and the CBI by subverting the criminal justice system and grossly abusing the power vested in them.

Harking to similar tactics of BJP in Delhi – where AAP is in power, she said the BJP’s “diabolic plans” came to nought and these agencies were also pulled up by the courts.

“The Sena should learn from AAP and welcome scrutiny. It must walk the talk if it has nothing to hide and emerge unscathed. Or, maybe the Sena does have skeletons, nay, an entire graveyard in its closet for such was its association with the BJP, whom it divorced only recently (2019),” said Sharma-Menon.

Raut has also warned that he would soon come up with an “expose” on the ED, while Malik said the MVA would unitedly vanquish the BJP at the Centre.

For special effects, Raut closed his letter with the famed poem penned by the legendary anti-Nazi German pastor Martin Niemoller: “First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde Addresses Criticism, Urges Shiv Sena Workers To Gear Up For Upcoming Elections

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Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde responded sharply to criticism from local leaders, emphasizing that Shiv Sena works on the ground rather than just through posters. Speaking at a rally of party workers, Shinde remarked that while some make foreign trips to London, they often return empty-handed.

Shinde criticized opponents threatening disruption (“humbarada fod”) in the wake of the Mumbai municipal elections, highlighting that his government has provided ₹32,000 crore in aid to flood-affected farmers, exceeding opposition expectations. He also recalled past elections, noting that after setbacks in 2022, the party fought 100 assembly seats, winning 20, and metaphorically “broke humbarada” then—implying that some challenges should be reserved for future confrontations.

Shinde stressed the importance of grassroots workers, stating, “Our party belongs to the workers, not to the master-servant hierarchy. I work as a worker, not just as Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Minister.” He praised Shiv Sena’s proactive response during crises in Sangli, Kolhapur, Chiplun, Kerala, and Uttarakhand.

He outlined recent developmental initiatives, including a ₹32,000 crore relief package for flood-affected areas and the progress of the Marathwada Water Grid project. Shinde emphasized that the party aims to reach every household, and urged party officials and workers to uphold Hindutva, ensure voter engagement, and maintain organizational discipline.

On elections, Shinde highlighted the role of booth and group leaders in determining success. He advised meticulous verification of voter lists, stressing that errors could cost votes. A special app has been launched for election preparedness, enabling real-time surveys and corrections.

He called for unity within the Maha Yuti alliance, warning against actions that might create divisions, and encouraged party workers to commit to spreading the Shiv Sena’s presence in every home.

Present at the rally were Social Justice and Sambhajinagar Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat, MP Sandipan Bhumre, MLAs Pravin Jayswal, Vilas Bhumre, Ramesh Bornare, Sanjana Jadhav, city chief Rajendra Janjal, and other senior Shiv Sena leaders and workers.

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Maharashtra

In the Nawab Malik and Hasinia Parker case, the accused was arrested for cheating in the name of digital arrest

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Mumbai: Police have arrested an accused who had deposited Rs 15 lakh in a bank account by threatening to arrest former minister Nawab Malik and Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parker in the money laundering case. He had called Delhi Police headquarters and said that there was a money laundering case against the complainant and that his account details had been used in the transactions of Nawab Malik and Haseena Parker, so he needs to be investigated and he is a digital arrestee. The caller had identified himself as DSP Bhupesh Kumar and SP Gopesh Kumar over the phone, after which the police registered a case of fraud. The complainant was also given a fake arrest warrant from the CBI, on which his name was also mentioned, and was instructed to deposit Rs 15 lakh for verification of the funds. This amount was deposited in a Federal Bank account, out of which Rs 5 lakh was transferred to the Bank of Baroda. The details of the accused were found out from the account hold and then the police arrested the accused from Sangli district. He was identified as Vikas Sambhaji Chavan. The accused was arrested and presented in court. A criminal case has also been registered against the accused in Mumbai and Rajasthan. This action was carried out by Joint Police Commissioner Lakshmi Gautam and DCP Parshottam Karad on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti. The police have appealed that there is no law called digital arrest and the CBI, ED and any agency cannot make digital arrest and no law in the Indian Constitution allows for digital arrest. No, that’s why people should be careful.

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Maharashtra

Waris Pathan knows what Nitesh Rane is doing. Nitesh Rane’s threat to Pathan.

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Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP leader and minister Nitesh Rane once again spewed venom against Muslims and said that this is not his father’s Pakistan and Karachi but a Hindu Rashtra and a government of Deva Bhau, in such a situation, if anyone tries to disrupt the order and atmosphere, he will be given a response. Nitesh Rane targeted AIMIM national chief Asaduddin Owaisi and said that the place where Owaisi’s rally was held is not Ahmednagar but Ahlia Nagar. The government has changed the names of Ahmednagar and Aurangabad, despite this, people avoid calling Ahmednagar Ahlia Nagar and Aurangabad Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Such people do not follow the Constitution of India but follow Sharia. He said that if Owaisi tries to disrupt the atmosphere of the state, the government will be forced to consider whether to give him permission to hold a rally or not because he comes here for his political rally.

Threatening Advocate Waris Pathan, Nitesh Rane said that Waris Pathan knows what Nitesh Rane is. He said that Waris Pathan should fix the time and place, Nitesh Rane will definitely come, then we will know what will happen. Nitesh Rane, while showing provocation against Muslims, said that when the idol of our gods and goddesses is desecrated and subjected to violence, where does brotherhood go and where does the Constitution of India go then? He said that if anyone tries to disturb the peace of the state, then he should know that here is the Hindutva Valley government of Devendra Fadnavis.

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