Mumbai, Aug 19: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that its newly announced National Executive lacks brilliance and operational autonomy.

The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, alleged that the long-delayed leadership structure functions primarily “to carry out the preferences of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, while the party’s ‘real’ machinery relies on external levers of power”. ​

Highlighting the timeline of the organisational reshuffle, the editorial pointed out that the new lineup was declared seven months after Nitin Nabin assumed the role of National President. ​”Finding individuals who will quietly steer the party’s carriage in the exact direction desired by PM Modi and HM Shah should not have taken seven months,” the editorial noted, questioning the operational necessity of the executive body altogether. ​

The Thackeray camp further highlighted political vulnerabilities in Bihar, pointing out that during the intervening period, Nabin vacated his Bankipur Assembly constituency. The BJP subsequently lost the seat in the by-election — a result the editorial attributed to the strategic presence of Prashant Kishor, claiming it exposed the ruling party’s electoral limitations when faced with formidable tacticians. ​

The editorial asserted that the BJP’s newly appointed team holds “no actual burden to win elections”, claiming that core election strategy and ground management have been effectively outsourced to state machinery, law enforcement agencies, financial resources, and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). ​

Referencing international discourse, the editorial cited comments by global figures such as US President Donald Trump, Tulsi Gabbard, and Elon Musk regarding EVM vulnerabilities and the reliance on paper ballots in American elections.

The editorial contrasted this with India, criticising the Election Commission and the Supreme Court for repeatedly declining demands to revert to paper ballots. ​

Among the key organisational appointments, the Thackeray camp levelled strong ethical objections against naming Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal as the BJP’s National Treasurer. ​The editorial argued that placing a cabinet minister in charge of party funds for India’s wealthiest political entity creates an inherent conflict of interest, where state authority over trade policies and licensing could intersect with political fundraising.

Pointing to the BJP’s reported treasury reserves exceeding Rs 7,000 crore and its extensive network of nationwide offices, it asserted that Goyal should have resigned from his government post before taking up the organisational role. ​

The editorial detailed several prominent shifts in the new lineup. ​Ram Madhav was reassigned to a prominent role within the National Executive following an absence linked to previous allegations regarding Jammu & Kashmir tenders made by former Governor Satya Pal Malik. Amit Malviya has been removed from the National IT Cell. Deepak Mhashe has been brought in as his replacement. Smriti Irani returns to party organisational responsibilities. Vasundhara Raje Scindia and senior Maharashtra leader Vinod Tawde retain their positions as General Secretaries, the editorial added.

The inclusion of Bharati Pawar from Maharashtra comes as a surprise to state party ranks, it said.

Meanwhile, Tariq Mansoor stands as the sole Muslim face accommodated in the new National Executive, added the editorial. ​

Dismissing the reshuffle as an “arrangement of convenience”, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena remarked that while formal organisational titles have been distributed, the primary levers controlling the BJP’s electoral apparatus remain strictly centralised.

Mumbai, Aug 18: In a major push to boost transportation across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and ease severe traffic congestion in Pune, the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday approved two major infrastructure projects: Metro Line 13 (Mira Bhayander to Vasai‑Virar) and the eastern extension of the Pune Ring Road (Sortapwadi to Varve‑Shivare).

Passing through Thane and Palghar districts, Metro Line 13 (Mira Bhayander to Vasai‑Virar) will be executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) at an estimated total cost of Rs 17,724.99 crore. The line is 25.03 km long, comprising 21.78 km of elevated tracks and 3.25 km of underground tracks. Out of 16 proposed stations, 13 will be elevated and three underground.

The project includes a 4.92 km integrated double‑decker structure over Vasai Creek connecting Panju Island, featuring a six‑lane (3+3) road alongside the metro line. A metro depot is proposed at Chikhal Dongri. The line will connect key areas including Mira Road, Vasai, Nalasopara, Naigaon, and Virar.

The metro line will seamlessly integrate with the Naigaon, Nalasopara, and Virar suburban railway stations, while offering an interchange with Metro Line 9 at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium. Feeder bus services are planned at all stations. The project requires 24.84 hectares of land acquisition and is scheduled for completion within five years from approval.

CM Fadnavis instructed officials to complete land acquisition and access road construction within the next six months. Daily ridership on Metro Line 13 is projected to reach approximately 4.49 lakh passengers by 2031.

The project is expected to cut travel time by 50 pc compared to road transport, reduce private vehicle usage and highway congestion, lower carbon emissions, and strengthen connectivity between industrial, logistics, and suburban centres.

Further, to mitigate traffic congestion in Pune, the government granted administrative approval for the revised cost proposal of Rs 10,502.36 crore for the eastern extension of the Pune Ring Road. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will implement the project.

A 31.805 km access‑controlled expressway will stretch from Sortapwadi (Valti) on the Pune‑Solapur Road to Varve Budruk (Shivare) on the Pune‑Satara Road. The project aims to divert interstate and intrastate transit traffic away from Pune city limits to ease urban bottlenecks.

Once integrated, the entire 168.981 km Ring Road network will form a continuous access‑controlled bypass. Land acquisition is 80 pc complete, with project completion targeted for June 2029. The expressway will feature six lanes (three on each side) with a design speed limit of 120 km/h.

Key structural features include one interchange, three major bridges, five minor bridges, 18 elevated structures or flyovers, and four tunnels, along with roadside afforestation and landscaping at interchanges, said the government release.

Mumbai: Anti-Narcotics Cell has claimed to have arrested a Bihari rickshaw driver-drug smuggler who was running a drug trafficking network in Mumbai. The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) received information about a 31-year-old Bihari rickshaw driver that a drug smuggler from Mumbai was going to come here to buy and sell drugs, on the basis of which the ANC Worli unit laid a trap and arrested a suspect from Bandra. When he was searched, 10 kilograms of drugs worth Rs 10 crore were recovered from his possession. The above accused had come here to sell drugs in Mumbai. After his arrest, the ANC has become involved in tracing his associates and drug network. He also has three children and is a resident of Bihar, so the police are investigating every aspect related to his connection to Bihar and Mumbai. This operation has been carried out by ANC DCP Pranima Chogle on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti.