Maharashtra
Vedanta-Foxconn bombshell: Shinde blames Uddhav, MVA says ‘treachery, bulldozer on Maharashtra’

Rattled by the political fallout of the Vedanta Group-Foxconn Rs 2.06 lakh-crore mega project choosing Gujarat, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde blamed former CM Uddhav Thackeray’s government for the loss. At the same time the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi allies slammed Shinde for “treachery, and bulldozing the state economy”, here on Wednesday.
Clearly taken aback by the political-economic bombshell with long-term ramifications, Shinde spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi late on Tuesday where the latter reportedly assured him of “giving even bigger projects to Maharashtra” in the future.
“We are finding out the details. We have come (to power) only two months ago but Vedanta-Foxconn did not get the desired response from the earlier (MVA) government,” said Shinde.
Both Shinde and Industry Minister Uday Samant confirmed the discussion with the Prime Minister and the reported promises, but there were no takers in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of the Nationalist Congress Party-Congress-Shiv Sena.
Virtually all parties have demanded a thorough probe into the sequence of events leading to Vedanta-Foxconn opting for Gujarat when more than 90 percent of its deal was finalised with Maharashtra, including allotment of 1,100 acres of land near Pune.
Leader of Opposition, NCP’s Ajit Pawar shot off a letter in which he has alleged that the project has gone to Gujarat due to high-level political pressure, and said Shinde must take steps to ensure it returns to Maharashtra.
Attacking the government, NCP MP Supriya Sule said Shinde must immediately catch a plane to New Delhi and ensure that the Vedanta-Foxconn project — “which had come to Maharashtra on merits” — is immediately restored.
She rejected the claim that “bigger projects” would be given to Maharashtra and demanded that first the Vedanta-Foxconn project must be brought back in the interests of the state’s youth and economy.
Shiv Sena’s ex-Minister Aditya Thackeray said that Shinde has again resorted to ‘treachery’ – first by toppling the MVA government in June with the help of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and now failing the people of this state by allowing the mega project to go to the BJP-ruled Gujarat.
Congress state president Nana Patole accused Shinde of being “a dummy CM” with Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah running the show, “which is a very serious matter and detrimental to this state”.
“Maharashtra had given a very attractive package to the Vedanta-Foxconn project, but it has chosen Gujarat due to the BJP’s ‘conspiracy’ to weaken Maharashtra economically,” said Patole.
In a virulent statement, Shiv Sena national spokesperson Kishore Tiwari said that the Shinde-Fadnavis government is running “a bulldozer in Maharashtra to crush the economy and aspirations of jobless youths in the state only to help Gujarat”.
“If Shinde’s allegations are true, then Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal must clarify how the MVA did not cooperate with him and also reveal if he was under any political pressure to shift the project to Gujarat,” Tiwari demanded.
Dismissing Shinde and Samant’s contentions, Congress state general secretary Sachin Sawant said that “Maharashtra is always No. 1 in industrialisation and doesn’t need any favours from the PM”, but called upon Shinde-Fadnavis to advise Modi to show less love for Gujarat.
Deputy Leader of the Shiv Sena Dr Raghunath Kuchik accused the Shinde-Fadnavis government of “a systematic conspiracy with all projects being diverted to destroy Maharashtra’s economy and boost Gujarat’s development agenda” with an eye on the upcoming elections there.
NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said “this is the price that Gujarat has extracted for making Shinde the CM” and he remained helpless as Vedanta-Foxconn slipped out of the state.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray said when the project was virtually wrapped-up by Maharashtra, “how could it go to Gujarat” and demanded an investigation into the matter.
Senior leaders from the MVA like Subhash Desai, Balasaheb Thorat, Atul Londhe, Jayant Patil and Ramdas Kadam (Shinde group) have issued tough statements in the matter.
Since the past two days, the Opposition has gone hammer and tongs at the Shinde-Fadnavis regime after it notched up what is considered its ‘biggest political-economic disaster’ as Vedanta-Foxconn ditched Maharashtra for Gujarat.
Crime
Navi Mumbai Crime: 38-Year-Old Jewellery Store Driver Arrested For Staging Fake Robbery, Stealing Gold Worth ₹5.9 Lakh In Panvel

Navi Mumbai: The Crime Branch Unit-3 has arrested a jewellery store driver for allegedly staging a robbery and siphoning off gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 5.90 lakh in Panvel.
The accused, identified as Shailesh Dilip Kamble (38), an employee of B.B. Banthia Jewellers, had falsely claimed he was robbed by two unidentified men near Khanda Colony railway bridge on September 11.
Police said Kamble was assigned to collect jewellery and cash from the company’s offices in Khanda Colony and Kalamboli. Instead of delivering it, he allegedly hid the valuables inside the dickey of his electric TVS iQube scooter.
Later, he fabricated a story that two men on a Pulsar motorcycle, wearing helmets, had accosted him at knifepoint and snatched the ornaments and money. Based on his complaint, a case of armed robbery was registered at Khandeshwar Police Station.
A parallel investigation was carried out by Crime Branch Unit-3 under the supervision of ACP (Crime) Ajaykumar Landge and Senior PI Avinash Kaldat. During the probe led by API Pawan Nandre, PSI Abhaysingh Shinde, and their team, several discrepancies were found in Kamble’s statement.
No suspicious movement or persons were seen at the alleged crime spot, further raising doubts. On sustained interrogation, Kamble confessed to staging the robbery and handed over the jewellery hidden in his scooter.
“The accused tried to mislead police by staging a dramatic robbery, but his version was full of inconsistencies. He finally admitted to the crime and the entire amount has been recovered,” said ACP (Crime) Ajaykumar Landge. Police said Kamble has been arrested and further investigation is underway.
Maharashtra
Provision of meager funds to Maharashtra State Sahitya Urdu Academy, a serious allegation of misbehavior by the state government, Ministry of Minority Affairs has not kept its promise: Raees Sheikh

rais shaikh
Mumbai: The Mumbai State Urdu Sahitya Academy is celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year and the Mahayuti government has not kept its promise by providing only Rs 1.2 crore in the Golden Jubilee year. Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Raees Sheikh has alleged that the state government is deliberately discriminating against minority institutions. MLA Sheikh has also demanded Rs 50 crore from Minority Affairs Minister Manekrao Kokate.
Giving details in this regard, MLA Raees Sheikh said that under the government decision on Thursday, a minor fund of Rs 1 crore 20 lakh has been distributed to the Urdu Sahitya Academy for organizing the Golden Jubilee program and a minor fund of Rs 11 lakh 76 thousand for the establishment of the academy.
I had a meeting with the then Minority Affairs Minister Dattatreya Bhar on July 8, in which a permanent fund of Rs 50 crore will be kept for the academy for a period of 50 years. It was also assured that the academy would be given a grant of Rs 5 crore every year. A letter was sent to the current Minority Affairs Minister Manikrao Kokate in August, demanding a fund of Rs 50 crore for organizing various programs for the golden jubilee year of the academy.
The state government has violated all the provisions of the meeting by providing meager funds in the government decision published yesterday. The number of Urdu speakers in Maharashtra is 75 lakh and 25 Urdu dailies are published. Urdu is an Indian language. While the Urdu Sahitya Academy is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, it has once again highlighted that the Mahayoti government is treating the minority community with contempt by providing meager funds. MLA Rais Sheikh said that in this regard, we will seek cooperation from Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Crime
Thane Railway Police Rescue Two-Year-Old Kidnapped From KEM Hospital In Swift Nighttime Operation

Mumbai: In a swift operation carried out by the Thane railway police, a two-year-old boy, kidnapped from nearby KEM Hospital, was rescued in several hours from the clutches of the abductor, while he was fleeing on the Tutari Express. The accused, Amol Udalekar, 42, had befriended the child’s family during their stay outside the hospital and later took the boy along on the pretext of a stroll, said the police.
According to the FIR, the child’s mother Antima was admitted to the ICU of KEM Hospital due to respiratory issues. Her husband, Ajaykumar Harijan, 25, who hails from Shastrinagar, Surat, and currently resides in Bhiwandi, was staying with his mother and two children, in an open area near the hospital’s old building.
On the night of September 16 around 9.30pm, Harijan discovered that his two-yearold son was missing when he returned after visiting his wife. His mother informed him that a man, who had been frequently playing with the child over the past few days, had offered them a food parcel and taken the child away on the pretext of a stroll. Despite searching the hospital and surrounding areas, the child could not be located, prompting Harijan to file a complaint at the Bhoiwada police station.
According to the police, Udalekar was nabbed following a tip-off – received by the railway control room at CSMT – reporting a suspicious man traveling with a child in S-2 coach of the Tutari Express, which runs between Dadar and Sawantwadi. Acting promptly under the guidance of senior inspector Archana Dusane, a team, comprising officers Dhumale, Tajne, head constable Gopal, and constable Tichkule, apprehended the suspect late night at the Thane station.
During interrogation, it was confirmed that the child had been kidnapped from the premises of KEM Hospital earlier that evening. A case had already been registered against Udalekar under section 137(2) [related to kidnapping] of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and he has been handed over to the Bhoiwada police for further probe. Following the rescue, the child underwent a medical examination and was then placed under the care of the Janani Ashish Charitable Trust in Dombivli.
Investigation revealed that Udalekar had planned to flee to his native village in Sindhudurg. Police are currently probing his background and motive behind the abduction.
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