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Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Turns Critic Of His Own Party; Questions Maharashtra’s Ladki Bahin Scheme Ahead Of Assembly Polls

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Mumbai: In a classic case of realpolitik, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has again turned critic of his own party, serving the Opposition on a platter as a talking point, neatly gift-wrapped for election. Gadkari, known for making discordant noises, has raised a red flag about the Maharashtra government’s Ladki Bahin scheme—an initiative aimed at providing financial assistance to women—that he feels might derail timely payments of subsidies in other sectors.

The irony is palpable as the opposition, with their well-trained radar for political missteps, has latched onto Gadkari’s comments. The Congress, the NCP (SP), and the Shiv Sena (UBT) wasted no time pointing out that if even those in power are admitting the state’s economy is in dire straits, perhaps we should all start panicking. Gadkari’s public take on the Ladki Bahin scheme and state finances is all the more significant considering the Maharashtra Assembly elections are slated after Diwali.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Expresses His Views

Speaking at a public event in Nagpur on Monday, he laid it all out: “Will investors get their subsidies on time? Who knows? We have to fund the Ladki Bahin scheme too!” In other words, he fears that funds previously earmarked for other subsidies will now be diverted.

As the Ladki Bahin Yojana rolls out, he bluntly warned “My opinion is that irrespective of the government, belonging to any party, keep the government at bay. Government is like a ‘vishkanya’ (poison maiden); whosoever goes along with it will doom themselves. So do not get into that matter,” he said in a lighter vein.

He went on to add, “If you are getting a subsidy, take it, but again, it is not sure when one will get it. With the Ladki Bahin Yojana being started, they have to use the funds allocated for subsidies for that work,” Gadkari said.

About Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana

Under the state’s shining new ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana,’ women aged 21-65, regardless of marital status, will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 — assuming their family income doesn’t exceed Rs 2.5 lakh. All this comes at a cool cost of Rs 46,000 crore to the state’s treasury, just in time for the Maharashtra Assembly polls. Naturally, the opposition is ecstatic.

Congress has seized the moment to slam the Mahayuti government for its apparent lack of fiscal responsibility, with General Secretary Jairam Ramesh noting that this Ladki Bahin Yojana looks like a desperate electoral ploy designed to distract from the state’s economic woes. He pointed out that Gadkari, a senior Union Minister, is now publicly acknowledging Maharashtra’s fiscal troubles, which is a twist worthy of a soap opera. Ramesh highlighted the “financial ruin” caused by what he termed the BJP’s “puppet” government.

After all, nothing says fiscal responsibility like cancelling aid for families of farmers who committed suicide due to “emergency fund shortages”—only to reinstate it when the opposition made a fuss. He also mentioned the 400+ contractors left unpaid for 15 months and a fiscal deficit soaring past Rs 1 lakh crore—while the state’s total debt now eclipses Rs 7 lakh crore, roughly 20% of its GDP. A real feather in the cap!

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Ticket Checker Forces Marathi Couple To Talk In Hindi, Gets Them Detained; Suspended After Incident Sparks Outrage

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Nalasopara: A ticket collector at the Western Railway was suspended after he forced a Marathi couple to speak in Hindi and was detained in the office of Railway Protection Force (RPF), the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti said. The couple was also forced to write on a paper, “We will never demand to talk in Marathi.” The incident has now sparked controversy and the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti members are protesting at Nalasopara station.

Commenting on the incident, the Western Railway spokesperson said that the TTE has been booked off duty and further actions will be taken after due investigation. Vasai GRP has registered an FIR under relevant sections and further investigation is on.

The incident came to light on Monday. However, the exact date of the incident is yet to be ascertained.

As per the initial information available, a couple with valid railway ticket was forced by an immigrant, non-Marathi speaking TTE , identified as Rakesh Maurya, demanded the couple to speak in Hindi and said, “If you are India, you should know Hindi.”

The couple was also forced to write on a piece of paper that they will never demand to speak in Marathi. The wife had recorded the incident on her phone, however she was forced to delete it. The couple was made to sit in the office for long time and later arrested by RPF, the media statement released by Marathi Ekikaran Samiti said.

The Marathi Ekikaran Samiti has called the incident a “disrespect to Marathi language” and have staged a protest at Nalasopara station’s railway master’s office.

The Western Railway said, “For us passengers of all religions, languages, regions are equal and our aim is to provide them with the best service. The matter will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken if any fault is found.”

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Maharashtra

Who Is Sanjay Verma? 1990-Batch IPS Officer Replacing Rashmi Shukla As New Maharashtra DGP

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IPS Sanjay Verma to be next Maharashtra DGP

IPS Sanjay Verma has been appointed as the new Maharashtra Director General of Police by the Election Commission of India. The poll body, a fortnight before the Maharashtra Elections 2024, had ordered previous DGP Rashmi Shukla’s transfer after receiving a complaint from state Congress chief Nana Patole. 

Following her removal, ECI had sought from the state government names of three senior-most IPS of Maharashtra cadre of which Verma was one. The other two senior officers were Sanjeev Kumar Singhal and his batchmate Ritesh Kumar. 

IPS Sanjay Verma is a 1990-batch officer and is currently serving as DG of law and Technical. He is set to retire in April 2028 and was topping the list of consideration for the Maharashtra DGP post. 

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Manoj Jarange-Patil Won’t Play Poll Spoiler; Asks His Candidates To Withdraw Their Nominations

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Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Manoj Jarange-Patil Won't Play Poll Spoiler; Asks His Candidates To Withdraw Their Nominations

Pune: In a dramatic move, the top leader of the Maratha reservation agitation, Manoj Jarange-Patil, announced on Monday that he had decided to stay away from active electoral politics and asked all his candidates to withdraw their nominations for the assembly polls on November 20.

Around 17 candidates had filed nominations as Independents, calling themselves supporters of Jarange-Patil in the Marathwada region; the exact number of candidates is not known. It was widely expected that these candidates would eat into the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s voter base and would indirectly benefit the BJP-led Mahayuti. Now, with Jarange-Patil’s withdrawal, Maratha candidates fielded in Marathwada by the Sharad Pawar NCP and Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena will benefit, as a division of the Maratha community votes will mostly be avoided.

Statement Of Maratha Quota Activist Manoj Jarange-Patil

“There is no point in fighting elections as we have realised that the chances of our candidates winning are slim. I don’t want my young candidates and the Maratha community to be disappointed with losses. Our candidates not winning will be a psychological blow to our people. I have taken the decision to withdraw from the polls as I feel electoral politics is not our business, But our agitation for the rights of the Maratha community and our fight for the demand of reservation for the community will continue. I have decided to ask all my candidates to withdraw their nominations. Now I am not supporting any candidate or any party. People should vote as they wish. But they should ensure that those who are against our demand for reservation are defeated,” JarangePatil told the media at a conference held on Monday morning, hours before the deadline to withdraw nominations.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, it was evident that the Maratha reservation agitation had caused a lot of damage to the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance. All of the Marathwada region was fired up by the Maratha reservation agitation and the Mahayuti lost all but the one seat of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where Eknath Shinde’s candidate, Sandipan Bhumre, won the polls. This time, the Mahayuti has been cautious, going mainly with Maratha candidates in most of the 46 seats in Marathwada.

The Shinde Shiv Sena is contesting 16 of these 46 seats, with almost all candidates being Marathas, while the Sharad Pawar NCP is contesting 15 seats, having fielded all Maratha faces. It is obvious that now, with the possibility of Maratha votes staying undivided, Shinde and Sharad Pawar will be the biggest gainers of Jarange-Patil’s decision to withdraw from the race. The BJP has fielded a combination of Maratha and OBC candidates in the region, while the Ajit Pawar NCP has mainly focussed on western Maharashtra in their candidate list.

In the initial days of Jarange-Patil’s agitation, he was flanked by Rajesh Tope and other leaders from Jalna who are close to Sharad Pawar; however, in recent phases of the agitation, some of Eknath Shinde’s leaders have been seen discussing strategy with Jarange-Patil, giving rise to speculation about whether he was influenced at various times, by Sharad Pawar’s deputies and Eknath Shinde.

Both Sharad Pawar and Eknath Shinde have repeatedly denied in the media that they have had anything to do with the agitation. NCP leader Ajit Pawar has been keeping away entirely, even avoiding visits to Jarange-Patil’s agitation sites. The Maratha quota stir has gained a lot of ground in the past two years, with its impact majorly seen in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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