Mumbai, Aug 4: International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) founder Rishabh Shah on Tuesday announced that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat will participate in one of the world’s largest youth-led conferences on August 6, where he is scheduled to interact with members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha on leadership, nation-building and India’s role in uniting the world.

The inaugural session of the conference will revolve around ‘The Role of Youth in Uniting the World, the Indian Way’. The annual gathering will bring together students aged 15 to 19 years with participants representing schools and colleges from different parts of the country.

The event comes at a time when young people across India are becoming increasingly active in discussions on democracy, leadership, governance and nation-building.

Bhagwat is expected to engage with more than 2,000 students from over 100 cities at the event in Mumbai on August 6, which is being described as one of the world’s largest youth-led conferences.

The interaction with the RSS chief will be held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) during the inaugural ceremony of the annual championship conference of IIMUN, which is marking its 15th anniversary this year.

Speaking to media about the initiative, IIMUN founder Rishabh Shah said the organisation has consistently focused on helping young people understand India’s values while preparing them for leadership roles.

“Our main endeavour is to help youth aged 11 to 19 understand what ‘Bharat’ is and what ‘uniting the world the Bharatiya way’ means. We try to mould the next generation into good leaders. We have been doing this for the past 15 years through various programs. In a year, we aim to organise thousands of programs, which are managed by youth aged 15 to 24. Beyond the age of 24, these individuals move on to different fields — some join politics, others enter films, business, or various other sectors,” Shah told media.

Highlighting the scale of the organisation’s outreach, Shah said nearly 30,000 students have been associated with IIMUN and have actively worked with the platform over the years.

“The number of people who have been impacted is around 7 to 7.5 crore. These are the estimates. As for how many people were actually impacted, you would have to ask them directly,” he added.

Shah also noted that this would be the third occasion on which Mohan Bhagwat would be attending an IIMUN event to interact with the younger generation.

“I believe that organisations like RSS and Indian National Congress, along with other prominent institutions, should be studied by the younger generations. These organisations have different ideologies, and hence, the new generation should learn about them,” he said.

Besides Bhagwat, several prominent personalities, including actor Shabana Azmi, actor Boman Irani and former Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud, are also expected to attend the conference.

Emphasising the need to expose young people to diverse streams of thought, Shah said, “No matter what the ideology is, at the end of the day, when we think about Bharat, everyone needs to come together, engage to build leaders of the young Indians as we need all — Savarkar, Sardar Patel, Swami Vivekanand and Mahatma Gandhi — especially this generation.”

Commenting on the recent Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led protests over repeated paper leaks and alleged examination irregularities, Shah said the concerns raised by the students deserved attention irrespective of political affiliations.

“The issues that were raised during the protest were of utmost importance. Neither CJP nor BJP; we need to talk about education. I do believe if the country needs to strengthen, then the education system should also,” he said.

While supporting the need to raise concerns over education, Shah also stressed that public protests should maintain decorum in language and expression.

“The vocabulary used by a few people during the protest, no matter for whom — be it the Prime Minister or the LoP — we should avoid. The protest should be within limits. This generation is frustrated, and now it’s coming out,” he said, attributing part of that frustration to what he described as the influence of vulgar content in sections of the film industry and on social media.

He further argued that the prevailing social and political environment also contributes to the frustration being witnessed among young people.

“This is not entirely the fault of Gen Z but also of the generations before them for the environment that has been created… If a rapist is acquitted, a murderer becomes a parliamentarian, it would obviously affect children because they are aware of these developments. Don’t create the hate. It is being created across party lines and the film industry,” he added.

Mumbai, Aug 4: A letter issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has presented a crucial organisational test for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under the leadership of party president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar. ​The communication, dated July 27, raises concerns regarding internal organisational procedures, compliance with party protocols, and unanswered challenges to the party’s internal structure.

The regulatory review comes at a sensitive juncture, as the broader legal battle between rival factions — the NCP under Sunetra Pawar and the opposition faction led by Sharad Pawar — remains pending before the Supreme Court.

​The central focus of the ECI’s directive involves significant modifications made to key sections of the NCP constitution — specifically Articles 6, 7, 12, 18, 32, and 36. These provisions govern essential party operations, including membership rules and cadre enrollment procedures, ​structural organisation of state executive committees, disciplinary and suspension powers vested in leadership and management and utilisation of official party funds. ​

While official records from the party’s national convention on February 26 — during which Sunetra Pawar was elected national president following the passing of Ajit Pawar — reflect an amendment to Article 18(1), the ECI noted that formal resolutions and supporting documentation backing changes to the remaining articles were either missing or incomplete. ​

The regulatory review follows a formal challenge submitted to the poll panel by NCP National Secretary Sachidanand Singh, who raised objections regarding the election procedures and the validity of the constitutional amendments. ​

Although the ECI previously recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the official NCP and allotted it the traditional ‘Clock’ symbol based on legislative majority, legal experts warn that procedural lapses could carry wider consequences. Any flaw in formalising the party presidency or validating its constitution could provide opposition factions and internal dissenters critical leverage in ongoing judicial proceedings before the Supreme Court. ​

“Failing to validate constitutional modifications through ratified resolutions could expose fundamental party decisions — such as candidate nominations, committee appointments, and financial allocations — to severe legal challenges,” said political observers. ​

In a video statement addressing the development, NCP chief spokesperson Umesh Patil downplayed the ECI’s communication, describing it as standard procedure between the electoral body and registered political parties. Patil asserted that the letter is a routine compliance check and that the party is preparing a detailed response. He dismissed reports of factional rift or internal friction, maintaining that the party hierarchy remains fully united.

​Political analysts view the ECI’s letter as an organisational discipline test for the NCP.

To safeguard its legal standing and secure Sunetra Pawar’s leadership framework, party insiders indicate the leadership is preparing a three-pronged strategy. This includes compiling and submitting a comprehensive resolution package covering every amended clause (Articles 6, 7, 12, 32, and 36) to satisfy the ECI’s regulatory checklist, engaging with dissenting office-bearers to resolve procedural grievances internally before they escalate into formal litigation and ensuring all internal governance records and transition protocols are legally airtight so as not to weaken the party’s standing in sub judice matters.

Mumbai: To protect Mumbai’s trees and maintain ecological balance, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken a tough stand against those violating tree protection regulations. Cases have been registered against two separate housing societies in the respective police stations for damaging trees and felling beyond the permitted limits. A non-cognizable offence has been registered against the officials and the developer of ‘Shetal Tapovan Housing Society Limited’ (located near Dindoshi Metro Station) at Karar police station for damaging trees outside their complex. Moreover, a case has been registered against ‘Kalpataru Aura Housing Society Limited’ in Ghatkopar (West) after it was found that trees were felled beyond the limits approved by the municipal corporation. Trees in Mumbai are important components of the city’s ecological balance. There will be no leniency towards any individual, organisation or developer who damages trees or violates the conditions of the permit in violation of the tree protection rules. Strict adherence to the regulations framed by the Tree Authority is mandatory for all concerned parties to protect and preserve trees and maintain ecological balance. Dr Avinash Dhakne, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) has warned that strict legal action will be taken against any individual, organisation or developer found violating the rules and regulations.
DGM Sheetal Tapovan Housing Society is located near Dandoshi Metro Station in Malad (East). The ‘P-North’ ward office had received an online complaint alleging that two trees located in front of this housing society were killed by injecting poison. Acting on the complaint, the Garden Department officers inspected the spot along with the complainant. During the inspection, it was observed that a Peltophorum tree situated on the roadside in front of the society’s entrance gate had 20 to 22 holes drilled near the base, in which poison had been injected. Moreover, a tree in front of the other gate of the society was found to be completely withered. As it appeared prima facie that the housing society had damaged the trees, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has registered a formal complaint against the parties concerned. Consequently, a non-cognizable offence under Section 8 read with Section 21 of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975 has been registered at the Karar Police Station.
The ‘N’ Ward Office had received a complaint of felling of more than 100 trees in excess of the permitted limit given by the Municipal Corporation in the Kalpataru Aura Housing Society Limited complex in Ghatkopar (West). Following the complaint, the spot was inspected. The Municipal Corporation had earlier allowed felling of trees with certain conditions and limitations. However, an on-site inspection revealed that the felling was done beyond the permissible limit. It is mandatory to obtain prior permission from the Municipal Corporation and strictly follow the approved conditions before cutting, damaging or felling any tree. Violation of these rules attracts penal and criminal action against the concerned individual, organization or developer. Accordingly, a case has been registered at the police station against ‘Kalpataru Aura Housing Society Limited’. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr. Avinash Dhakne said that damaging trees, injecting or injecting poisonous substances, and cutting or destroying trees are punishable offences under the law. Citizens are appealed to cooperate in environmental protection by immediately informing the concerned department in case of such incidents.