Uddhav Thackeray Vacates Chief Minister House

• Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole reaches Maharashtra Chief Minister’s residence
• “Hon’ble Uddhav Thackeray, every activist of the Indian National Congress Party is with you in this anti-constitution and anti-national politics of Bharatiya Janata Party!” Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole wrote
• Reports suggest that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar has urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to give the post to Eknath Shinde.
• The meeting between Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and party MP Supriya Sule concluded at Varsh Bungalow in Mumbai.
• The Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to address a press conference soon
• Addressing people via Facebook LIVE, CM Uddhav Thackeray said,”If you (MLAs) say, then I am ready to leave the CM post. It’s not about numbers but how many are against me. I will leave if even one person or MLA is against me. It’s very shameful for me if even a single MLA is against me.”
• If sources are to be believed, Eknath Shinde, has sought time from Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to show the MLAs with him in Guwahati via video conference.
• Koshyari was today admitted to a Mumbai hospital with Covid-like symptoms.
• Sena’s urgent meeting deferred.
• As many as 40 Maharashtra MLAs including 33 Shiv Sena and seven independent MLAs exhorted their support to rebel Shiv Sena leader and state Cabinet Minister Eknath Shinde by signing a letter. The 40 MLAs led by Shinde arrived at a luxury hotel in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam on Wednesday. The revolt in the Shiv Sena has given rise to speculations that Shinde along with other MLAs might join the BJP in a bid to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
• Amid the intensifying political crisis in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday hinted at the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly. “The ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra is heading to the dissolution of Vidhan Sabha,” said Raut in a Twitter post.
• Shiv Sena women workers in Aurangabad break down and weep as they protest against rebel leader Eknath Shinde who has led to ongoing instability in the MVA govt in the state.
•  A meeting of the Congress party was held at the residence of minister and party leader Balasaheb Thorat today.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also held a state Cabinet meeting virtually. The cabinet meeting continued for nearly an hour.
•  Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, an official said. Thackeray’s antigen test came out positive, the official from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.
• Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray will meet party leaders at 5 pm.

Since Eknath Shinde has repeatedly questioned him on the issue of Hindutva, Uddhav also addressed this, saying he was the only CM to speak on the floor of the Assembly on the matter (in Dec. 2019).

Nearly two decades back, in July 1992, faced with an unprecedented attack on his style of functioning from detractors within and outside the Shiv Sena, Shiv supremo Bal Thackeray had surprised many by publicly offering to step down and sever ties with the party. “Even if one Shiv Sainik stands against me and my family and says I left the Shiv Sena because of you or you hurt us, I am not prepared to continue as Shiv Sena chief for one moment,” Bal Thackeray wrote in the party mouthpiece Saamana. The article had the desired effect, with lakhs of Sainiks rallying behind Bal Thackeray outside the Shiv Sena Bhavan, consolidating his grip on the party, enough to ensure he faced no such rebellion till his death 20 years later. Now, three decades after that speech, son Uddhav Thackeray has fallen back on a similar appeal – as a last desperate bid to hold on to both his party and government with rebel Eknath Shinde claiming the support of more than 30 of the party’s 55 MLAs. His medium of appeal, appropriately, was more direct, Facebook Live. And while speculation was rife that he would announce his resignation as Chief Minister, Uddhav used the address to throw a challenge to the rebel Sena MLAs and invoked their loyalty, saying he would step down if they told him so face-to-face, recounting the steps his government took especially during the first wave of Covid-19, and promising to address their grievances regarding his running of the party.  With one complaint of MLAs being the Thackeray family’s total control over both the government and party, Uddhav recounted the events around the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition with the Congress and NCP, to show himself to be a reluctant CM. The first Thackeray to officially assume public office, unlike his father who left this part to party leaders, Uddhav said he was approached by NCP leader Sharad Pawar and that coalition partners still want him to stay on in the post. He never hankered for a chair or post or power, Uddhav said, adding that he was willing to give it all up if the Sainiks told him so. Thackeray also used the speech to address allegations of being an inaccessible and ineffective CM. He recalled his work during the pandemic, claiming that the work done by the state had won accolades, and said his inaccessibility was only on the account of his spine surgery and the long period required for recovery. Since Eknath Shinde has repeatedly questioned him on the issue of Hindutva, Uddhav also addressed this, saying he was the only CM to speak on the floor of the Assembly on the matter (in December 2019). Hindutva, in fact, found multiple mentions in his address, with Uddhav saying he need not be taught what his father’s legacy on Hindutva was or to be told what the Sena is. BJP leaders, who were also expecting Uddhav to announce his resignation, said his address had only delayed the inevitable when it came to government formation. They specifically underlined Uddhav’s statement that he was headed for his personal residence, Matoshree, from his official one, Varsha.

Rs 23 crore spent on roads for PM Modi’s brief visit to Bengaluru

The civic body also used the grants to repair the median, fix street lights and paint roads and kerbs

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which has been receiving flak for its delay in filling potholes, spent Rs 23 crore to asphalt 14 km of roads ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s short visit to Bengaluru.  The roads that were developed are Kengeri to Kommaghatta (7 km), Mysuru Road (0.15 km), a stretch after the Hebbal flyover (2.4 km), and Tumakuru Road (0.90 km) and roads in the Bengaluru University campus (3.6 km). The civic body also used the grants to repair the median, fix street lights and paint roads and kerbs. Interestingly, the quality of work executed on the 14 km stretch was far better than the BBMP’s regular road repair work.  Ravindra P N, special commissioner (projects), BBMP, told reporters that asphalting roads is part of the protocol ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit. “The PM’s visit was confirmed to us by the state government 15 days ago. We used the funds under the discretionary use of the Chief Commissioner for the work. The approval was given by BBMP administrator (Rakesh Singh),” he said. To a question on BBMP neglecting roads that are in a poor state, Ravindra said BBMP has so far fixed close to 14,500 potholes. “We have another 1,500 potholes to fix. The monsoon is delaying our exercise,” administrator (Rakesh Singh),” he said.

Karnataka High Court rejects BDS student’s petition seeking fee refund

The Karnataka High Court has rejected a petition filed by a student seeking refund of Rs 13.8 lakh fee paid to a dental college. The petitioner student was admitted to BDS course in 2014 and claimed that she couldn’t appear for the examination because of misrepresentation by the Admission Overseeing Committee and the college. The petitioner student, from Kollam in Kerala, had got admission to first year BDS course in Dr Shyamala Reddy Dental College Hospital and Research Centre, Bengaluru in June 2014. The petitioner sought a refund of Rs 13.8 lakh fee paid as tuition fee and hostel expenses and Rs 5 lakh as compensation. The petitioner claimed that it was because of the misrepresentation by the college management that she could not appear for the first year BDS examination. The college management, on the other hand, argued that the petitioner was one of the appellants in writ appeal in 2015 and her admission to BDS course was approved by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). The college argued that the petitioner had  completed first year BDS course and had left the course and had sought the migration certificate as well.  A division bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe noted that on December 8, 2017 itself, the high court had directed the college management to return the original migration and transfer certificate to the petitioner which was complied with. In view of the fact that the admission of the petitioner was not cancelled and she prosecuted the studies of first year BDS examination, the bench noted that the petitioner ought to have taken recourse to the appropriate remedy with regard to her grievance.

बाबा रामदेव बोले-मोदी को सत्ता से हटाने के लिए हो रहा अग्निपथ योजना का विरोध, योग करते तो हिंसा नहीं होती

योगगुरु बाबा रामदेव ने सेना में भर्ती के लिए शुरू की गई अग्निपथ योजना के विरोध को अर्थहीन राजनीति कहा है. उन्होंने कहा कि कुछ लोग इस विरोध के जरिए देश में अराजकता फैलाने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं. आठवें अंतर्राष्ट्रीय योग दिवस के उपलक्ष्य में बुधवार को दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय द्वारा आयोजित योग सप्ताह कार्यक्रम में बतौर मुख्य अतिथि शामिल हुए योगगुरु ने कहा कि राजनीति में तो योग होना चाहिए, लेकिन योग में राजनीति नहीं होनी चाहिए. बाबा रामदेव के साथ केंद्रीय संस्कृति एवं संसदीय कार्य मंत्री अर्जुन राम मेघवाल भी कार्यक्रम में बतौर विशिष्ट अतिथि उपस्थित रहे. योगगुरु बाबा रामदेव ने सेना में भर्ती के लिए शुरू की गई अग्निपथ योजना के विरोध को अर्थहीन राजनीति कहा है. उन्होंने कहा कि कुछ लोग इस विरोध के जरिए देश में अराजकता फैलाने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं. आठवें अंतर्राष्ट्रीय योग दिवस के उपलक्ष्य में बुधवार को दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय द्वारा आयोजित योग सप्ताह कार्यक्रम में बतौर मुख्य अतिथि शामिल हुए योगगुरु ने कहा कि राजनीति में तो योग होना चाहिए, लेकिन योग में राजनीति नहीं होनी चाहिए. बाबा रामदेव के साथ केंद्रीय संस्कृति एवं संसदीय कार्य मंत्री अर्जुन राम मेघवाल भी कार्यक्रम में बतौर विशिष्ट अतिथि उपस्थित रहे.केंद्रीय रक्षा मंत्रालय के मुताबिक, अग्निपथ योजना सशस्त्र बलों के युवा प्रोफाइल को सक्षम करने के लिए डिजाइन की गई है. अग्निपथ योजना के अंतर्गत युवाओं को सशस्त्र बलों में 4 साल की सेवा का अवसर मिलेगा. अग्निपथ योजना के अंतर्गत सशस्त्र बलों में भर्ती होने वाले युवाओं को अग्निवीर कहा जाएगा. केंद्र का कहना है कि 4 साल की सेवा के बाद युवाओं को नौकरी के अन्य नए अवसरों से जोड़ने और उनके उज्ज्वल भविष्य के लिए केंद्र सरकार, राज्य सरकारें और उद्योग जगत साथ मिलकर काम कर रहे हैं.

Ex-Pakistan cricketer Zaheer Abbas in ICU after being diagnosed with pneumonia

Advertisement