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Thackeray brothers to address joint victory rally today to celebrate Maha govt’s turnaround on Hindi from Grade 1

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Mumbai, July 5: Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray will on Saturday participate in a joint victory rally organised by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), in Worli Dome to celebrate the MahaYuti government’s decision to withdraw two government resolutions on the introduction of Hindi from Classes 1 to 5.

It will be the first joint rally of the Thackeray cousin brothers Uddhav and Raj, after the split in the Shiv Sena in 2005.

Amid talks of coming together ahead of the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections slated to be held within the next six months, Uddhav and Raj have decided to jointly rake up the issues of Marathi language and ‘Marathi Manoos’ in a serious bid to corner the BJP-led MahaYuti government in Maharashtra.

Both the parties have decided not to display party flags and banners but the Shiv Sainiks and ManSainiks have worked hard to put up a major show of strength on Saturday.

Uddhav and Raj Thackeray will be seen on the same platform as they will reach the joint rally venue at 11.30 A.M.

Before they speak, the Communist leader Prakash Reddy, the Peasants and Workers Party of India leader Jayant Patil and NCP (SP) leader and party MP Supriya Sule will address the rally.

Incidentally, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has conveyed his inability to be part of the joint rally due to prior engagements but said his party is against the imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra.

The senior Pawar chose to stay away so that the focus will remain on both the Thackeray brothers.

The Congress has decided not to join the rally especially due to differences with Raj Thackeray’s protests against Hindi speaking people, especially North Indians.

Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS sources said that if the Congress decides to join at the last moment the party representative will be given an opportunity to address the joint rally.

Big screens have been installed inside and outside the joint rally venue as the organisers expect a big turnout.

Both the Thackeray cousins have said that the issue of imposition of Hindi is not yet over as the government’s move to appoint the Narendra Jadhav committee is meaningless and they will continue to oppose the introduction of Hindi.

Crime

NIA nabs 2 human traffickers from Delhi, HP for role in sending over 100 youths to US via ‘donkey route’

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New Delhi, July 5: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested two human traffickers from different locations in Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The duo, accused of sending more than 100 youths to the United States using the notorious ‘donkey route’ were nabbed after extensive searches.

The accused were identified as Sunny Donker, a resident of Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) and Shubham Sandhal, a resident of Punjab who was currently residing in the national Capital.

Both are said to be associates of Gagandeep Singh alias Goldy, arrested earlier in March.

Gagandeep was arrested over a victim’s complaint who was illegally trafficked to the US using the infamous ‘donkey route’ and was deported back to India in February, this year.

Goldy, a resident of Tilak Nagar in Delhi, was subsequently chargesheeted by the NIA.

As per the findings of the law enforcement agency, Gagandeep Singh used to take around Rs 45 lakh from each victim on the pretext of sending them to US on a valid visa.

He would then illegally send them on an arduous journey via multiple countries, including Spain, El-Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

He had sent more than 100 victims illegally to the US, in this manner before being arrested.

Sunny was the main associate of Gagandeep Singh and played a key role in facilitating the journey of the victims on the ‘donkey route’.

Also, the victims were physically and mentally harassed on the way by agents to extract more money.

Shubham Sandhal operated as key hawala conduit, who transferred funds to agents in Latin America. Gagandeep used him to transfer part of the money taken from the victims to the agents based in Latin America.

The NIA, took over the case from Punjab Police in March this year. As the investigation proceeds, it continues to unravel dark secrets of the human trafficking racket.

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National

Maha: Oppn slams NCP MLA for political remarks while presiding in Assembly

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Mumbai, July 5: The opposition parties in Maharashtra took a serious objection to the political remarks made by the Assembly’s Presiding Officer Chetan Tupe while conducting the business in the House.

They said that it was not acceptable, demanding that the dignity of the chair must be maintained.

The issue was raised by the Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar and it was supported by Bhaskar Jadhav (Shiv Sena-UBT) and Nana Patole (Congress).

They also asked, “Do those who make political statements have the right to be the presiding officer?”

Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar took a serious note and expressed serious displeasure, saying that such incidents should not happen in future.

“Those sitting as presiding officers should maintain letter and spirit of the law. It is necessary for the presiding officers to work within the framework of the rules given by the Constitution.”

The Speaker assured that the chair of the Speaker will not be used for political purposes.

He also told the House that he will take a decision in this regard in his chamber.

Earlier, Wadettiwar criticised the presiding officer for his political remarks during the discussion over a motion on farmer suicides and the current state of agriculture amid the state government’s apathy.

He appealed to the Assembly Speaker to reprimand the presiding officer Chetan Tupe.

“While the discussion was on, the Agriculture Minister and the officials of that department were not present, but the work continued. But since some members were not present, does the presiding officer Chetan Tupe have the right to sit in the chair and present the government’s position? While the chair has a certain dignity, it is not right to make political speeches from there, such a thing has not happened in the past,” Wadettiwar said.

He also said: “The presiding officer in his statements targeted opposition party members for their absence while saying they speak about farmers but skip the proceedings. Tupe said he has been in the House for 13 hours and has not given out.”

He added that even though the presiding officer is conducting the business in the absence of a Speaker, he is treated as the Speaker and it is binding on him not to make any political statements.

“While it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the House functions properly, it is the responsibility of the Parliamentary Affairs Minister to see whether the Ministers of the department are present in the House. In such a case, the custom and tradition should be followed from the highest position in the House,” Wadettiwar said.

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Business

India added one new airport every 40 days in last 10 years: Civil Aviation Minister

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New Delhi, July 5: In just 10 years, the country have seen 88 new airports — nearly one new airport every 40 days — and added 60 additional flights every hour, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said.

According to the minister, flying in India today is more accessible, more available and more affordable.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian skies are more connected, competitive and collaborative, said Naidu, reiterating the ministry’s commitment to collaborative, state-specific strategies for achieving inclusive aviation growth.

He was speaking at the ‘Northern Region Ministers’ Conference on Civil Aviation 2025’ in Dehradun, organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation

“Through this strategic initiative we aim to identify the regional opportunities and unlock the vast potential of Tier 2 and 3 cities. If we look at the sector through numbers, then we can clearly see the scale of the opportunity that exists,” Naidu told the gathering.

At the event, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami underlined the pivotal role of aviation in enhancing regional connectivity, enabling tourism, and supporting socio-economic development in the state.

He appreciated the phenomenal growth in the aviation sector and highlighted the prime importance of ensuring safety in the aviation operations, including helicopter operations in the hilly terrain of the state for which “the state government and the Ministry are deeply committed”.

A series of presentations was made by the Ministry on opportunities for the states in the aviation sector.

The plenary session provided an overall outlook emerging from the day-long conference, where Naidu outlined the Ministry’s strategic priorities for the region, including the development of heliport infrastructure, expansion of UDAN routes, strengthening of Flying Training Organizations and MRO hubs, and creating synergies between the Centre, states and industry stakeholders.

The Minister also reflected on key outcomes from the one-on-one meetings held between the Ministry and state delegations, and parallel sessions between state governments and aviation industry leaders, and assured all support from the Central Government in taking the aviation sector forward.

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