Ever since the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance have formed the government in Maharashtra both the parties have been involved in power tussle. Sena which had always had an upper hand in the state politics is unhappy playing second fiddle to BJP. Sena is also unhappy with the step motherly treatment meted out against it by BJP. To express its displeasure, Sena had put up a poster showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi bowing before the late Balasaheb Thackeray at Sena Bhawan in Dadar. Through this poster Sena is trying to remind BJP and Modi of those days when Sena had dominated state politics.
The slogan on the banners was apparently a barb aimed at Modi. The slogan read: “Have you forgotten those days or were you just pretending when your proud heads were bowed at the feet of Balasaheb!”
Union home minister Rajnath Singh too featured in the banners, with an image showing him bowing before Bal Thackeray. Photos of the banners went viral on social media, drawing sharp reactions from BJP leaders.
The BMC took down the poster voluntarily as soon as they found out that it had been put up illegally. BMC allegedly told Sena workers that the poster was illegally put up as they had failed to obtain permission for it from the civic body.
“We only put up posters to remember our old days. It is not to disrespect any political leader,” said Shiv Sena MLA Rajendra Raut.
Shiv Sena President, Uddhav Thackeray issued a statement which mentioned, “The Sena has nothing to do with the banner, which is not an authentic one. It doesn’t reflect the party’s views. Workers may have put it (up) in a fit of rage. We request media persons to not have any more discussions over it.”
Sena had parted ways with the BJP ahead of the assembly election last year. After two months Sena joined the BJP led Maharashtra government after NCP withdrew outside support to the party. Sena had recently forced the cancellation of Ghulam Ali concert in Mumbai. It also had opposed the Kasuri book launch event but the show was held in the city amid tight security. Thus a tug of war between both Sena and BJP continues for supremacy.
Meanwhile the BJP has been sidelining Shiv Sena and did not invite Uddhav Thackeray for Modi’s functions in Mumbai. Modi laid the foundation stone for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s memorial at Indu Mills in Dadar and conducted ‘bhoomi pujan’ for two new Metro lines at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), where he also addressed a rally.
The invitation was sent only at the 11th hour and Uddhav decided to visit Marathwada to review the drought situation there. Meanwhile, a close aide of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said the poster is not one that has “official” endorsement of the party.
After entering the 69th Year of Independence, we Indians are still unable to adapt the Article 1 of our constitution which says “Bharat as a Union of states” and the principles of preamble (Equality, fraternity etc). Racist, harsh and discriminatory attitude towards the dressing, physical features, complexion is rampant in our society. Is this the future “that our forefathers thought of”? We are progressing superficially but nothing has changed much, Dalit are discriminated even today in some parts of the country. They are not allowed to enter in kitchen or temples. There is no social acceptance for down trodden people. On the other side in urban areas, Dalit youth needs reservations and they are fighting for it but they do not accept merits. They are seeking advantage in studies as well as jobs; however refuse to come in main stream through competition. We call ourselves citizens of independent nation; however lack the mental growth and human progress. I am upset with political leaders who are making their bread on ‘Dalit’ politics. They are just bothered about themselves and not about their community. They are doing politics in community’s name. If leaders like Mayawati, Ramvilas Paswan and Ramdas Athawale are following footsteps of Babasaheb Ambedkar then today this community would have been liberated and prospered in many ways.
Recently, killings of two Dalit’s children in Faridabad have shocked the world. Caste system and religious intolerance has become day to day politics in India. Earlier, angry locals blocked the Delhi-Agra highway demanding immediate action. Two-and-a-half-years-old Vaibhav and 11-month-old Divya were killed in Faridabad’s Sumped village after their house was set on fire allegedly by some upper caste men. Their mother Rekha, 28, suffered serious burns and is battling for life in a Delhi hospital. Their father Jitender, 31, also received injuries while trying to save them. Why such issues always occur before elections? No one knows, however common people get killed and politicians bake their bread on it. This is just a horrible thing, politicians are blaming each other. Words like Dalits, Brahmins, Muslims, Christians have become great selling topics for news channels to grab TRP and this is the reason why the politicians sell their fake caste ideologies. You have always seen politicians with the criminal background but no system has stopped them to reach parliament or assemblies. That’s another reason why crime is increasing. These crimes are happening because population of a 125 crores is being controlled by some 20000 odd politicians. We cannot call it democracy. The day India or rather the responsible citizens of India stand up against corrupt and sick minded politicians who have caste and religious ideologies; only then we can call ourselves as a civilised society.
Even the most tolerant person can never achieve open minded thought because, in a cognitive sense, each new experience must be amalgamated with the previous before it can be processed. Based on what has been learned about prejudice so far, human beings have a great deal to learn about each other before prejudice can be reduced. Even in the earliest civilizations, people felt that guilt and misfortune could be shifted from one man to another, known in modern times as projection. Discrimination helps to boost the self-esteem. One guaranteed way to maintain high self-esteem is by having someone to look down on.
Stereotyped characteristics are, in some cases, a displacement of personality traits which are undesirable. Guilt, fear, anger, anxiety and greed are some of the most prominent, but not the only emotions for which prejudice serves a functional significance.
The cognitive, social and humanistic perspectives rely heavily on each other to provide a full explanation of prejudice. Woman’s plight is even more pathetic, verbal abuse as well as accusing them of illegal and immoral trade exposed the mindset of our Nation. Only people who have experienced the horror and the brutalising effects of the caste system will understand what it means to be a Dalit in Indian society. A Dalit is considered to be untouchable, invisible, and unapproachable and even, in a way, unthinkable.
Dalits have been suffering, humiliated, martyr from the last two thousand years. Does the world know about this man-made tragedy? Even though untouchability was officially abolished by law in the 1950’s in India, the Dalits still experience the agony of untouchability very deeply in all walks of life: social, economic and political. For Dalit children, the future does not look much better. Fifteen million children are bonded labourers, working in slave-like conditions, and the majority of them are Dalits. Thousands of girls are forced into prostitution even before reaching the age of puberty. Devadasis, literally meaning “female servants of god,” usually belong to the Dalit community. These girls are pretty and have caught the fancy of a higher caste man. Once dedicated as a devadasi, the girl can become the playmate of such a man. Afterwards, she is cast aside and auctioned off to an urban brothel. As a devadasi, she is unable to marry forever.
Dalit women also suffer another form of abuse. They are often raped as a form of retaliation. Sexual abuse and other forms of violence against women are used by landowners to inflict political “lessons”, and crush dissent within the Dalit community. It’s really shameful for all of us that such activities are taking place in our country. After independence everybody was scared that how a country like India can remain united out of its diversity in all walks of life i.e. caste, tribe, religion etc. No religion or nation preaches intolerance or endorses the view to look down upon anyone. If we feel that looking down on someone who is not from our background is justified and flaunts our nationalistic attitude, then we must realize that it is time we review our understanding. A prejudice is a belief about a group of people based on their religion, ethnicity, race, gender, handicap or any other factors. It can be positive or negative, but as a prejudice involves passing judgement on a large group of people regardless of their individual qualities, it is considered to be unfair. Prejudice which causes unfair treatment is called discrimination, and in many cases discrimination can be illegal. Prejudices and discrimination can result in serious problems for both the people that hold them and the people that they are prejudiced against. Most of the people who discriminate against a group do so because of upbringing or societal reasons. However, some prejudices are due to a bad experience with a certain person or a traumatic life event that has caused an individual to stereotype an entire group. Many prejudices develop from fears or misunderstanding of a certain culture or race.
Conflict of interest in job and education are very unfortunate. It may start trust deficit among the Indian. Are we becoming a nation of bigoted folks? By committing hate crimes against the people of the north eastern states, we are sowing the seeds of dissension. If the police don’t apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice, we are putting our pluralistic structure of our country, of which we are so proud, in real danger.
The role of an acquaintance of former media magnate Indrani Mukerjea, who once worked for her husband, has come under the scanner of CBI which is probing the sensational murder of her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012.
CBI sources said the residence of the Kolkata-based acquaintance of Indrani, who is believed to be a former employee of her husband Peter Mukerjea, was recently searched by the agency team looking for material to corroborate claims of Indrani during her questioning.
The sources claimed the acquaintance had not surfaced in the investigations of Mumbai police and the central agency will dig deep into the new link as it could reveal some new facts about the case and possible motive as well.
They said the suspected involvement of the new lead could open a completely new angle of probe for CBI which is looking at the possible motives behind Sheena’s killing.
Indrani, her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai have been arrested on the charge of murdering Sheena and disposing of her body in a forest in Raigad near Mumbai in April 2012.
24-year-old Sheena, Indrani’s daughter from her first marriage, was murdered on 24 April, 2012, and her body was burnt and disposed of the next day.
The Mumbai police had exhumed remains of a body from Raigad forest and later claimed that digital superimposition of the profile of Sheena had matched with the skull recovered from the forest.
Even as it remains adamant on not Pakistani artists and sports persons, the Shiv Sena., Wednesday, said that they will welcome Noble Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai if she visits India.
“If Malala comes to Hindustan the Shiv Sena will welcome it. Malala is child who fought terrorism in Pakistan, her fight is going on,” party spokesperson Sanjay Raut said.
“Her welcome in Hindustan will will act as a lesson to those who live in the country but love Pakistan, they will get the lesson that terrorism should be fought,” he added.
The Shiv Sena’s stand on Malala comes amid their strong protest against Pakistanis visiting.
Ghazal singer Ghulam Ali, former Pak minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and PCB chief Shahryar Khan had to face Shiv Sena wrath in recent days.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar appeared before the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with the alleged irregularities in irrigation projects in Raigad district during the Congress-NCP rule.
This was the first time a member of the Pawar family was grilled by an anti-corruption agency in Maharashtra.
Pawar, who reached the ACB office shortly before 5 pm, did not speak to the waiting media and went straight to meet ACB officials.
Last week, Pawar had said there was no need for him to appear before the ACB as he had submitted his replies to the agency.
The NCP leader had said he had all along cooperated with the ACB and would continue to do so. “I have, through my lawyer, replied to each and every question raised by the ACB.
And will do so in future too. But if they want me to appear before them, I’m ready to do so,” he had said on Monday.
ACB investigations into the alleged irregularities in irrigation projects in Raigad district had found several loopholes in the sequence of financial transactions.
On August 24, the ACB had registered the first FIR in the irrigation scam, booking 11 people in connection with alleged irregularities in awarding the contract for Balganga dam to FA Enterprises.
An NCP spokesperson said the party leaders will cooperate with the ACB fully. “They have done nothing wrong and we have nothing to fear,” he said.
Senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil met Maharashtra Election Commissioner J S Saharia and demanded strict action against the BJP for allegedly breaching the election code of conduct in the Kalyan-Dombivili Municipal Corporation polls.
Submitting “detailed proof” of the same, Vikhe also complained to the Commissioner regarding the “partisan role” of KDMC Commissioner Ravindran favouring the BJP.
The Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly also reminded the EC that no action had been taken regarding their previous complaint made against Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for violating poll code by declaring Rs 6,500 crore package for KDMC during his Dombivili campaign meeting, when election code of conduct was in effect.
“We all know that Fadnavis is a BJP star campaigner in KDMC polls, but BJP’s specially created Facebook page for KDMC polls blatantly uses KDMC Commissioner E Ravindran’s photo for their campaign, making him their star campaigner too,” Congress MLC from Kalyan, Sanjay Dutt, who accompanied Vikhe to the SEC, said.
“If this is not breach of model code of conduct, then what else is. Why is state EC not taking cognizance and appropriate action in the said matter?
“Is Ravindran a BJP functionary that his photo can be so misused by the BJP in their election campaign? Why is he quiet about it or has he given his silent consent for it. The question is can he,” Dutt asked.
His partisan behavior only reinforces doubts in the minds of people that he is permitting his office to be misused to favour the BJP, he said.
“His (Ravindran’s) action of targeting Congress’ district president and corporator Sachin Pote alone, without proper enquiry, for disqualification on alleged grounds of abetting unauthorised construction, when more than a dozen party corporators (mainly those belonging to BJP and Sena) who have been indicted on similar grounds, have been allowed to go scot-free, clearly proves his bias,” Dutt alleged.
“Congress is committed to seek justice from the highest quarters against such unfair prejudiced conspiracy to deprive our party leader of his fundamental constitutional right to seek public mandate through the democratic process of polls. From their such desperate actions, it is obvious, that the BJP wants to score in KDMC polls, through hook or crook,” he said.
The Bombay High Court issued notice to the Maharashtra government seeking its response on the increasing number of farmer suicides in the state due to drought.
The court took suo moto cognisance of the issue following media reports stating over 600 farmers have committed suicide this year in the state.
“Tell us what steps you are taking and what is the ground level situation,” a bench of justices Naresh Patil and S B Shukre said.
The government pleader informed that counselling rounds are being held for farmers by psychiatrists. He said loans and electricity charges are waived, banks and cooperative societies have been told not to recover loans and water is released for drinking purposes.
The bench said the government must come up with long-term measures to address this socio-economic issue.
The court also sought to know about the condition of the family members of those farmers who have committed suicide.
“Visit them and take note if their grievances,” it said.
The bench appointed senior advocate Ashutosh Kumbhakoni as amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter and posted the hearing on October 8.
Maharashtra government has declared 14,708 villages in the state as drought-hit.
The Bombay High Court suggested that the Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner form a team of officers to investigate cases where the sale deeds of flats are prepared on the basis of forged and fabricated documents by builders, and where people are being duped of their money.
A division bench of justices A S Oka and V L Achiliya was hearing two public interest litigations by residents Rajiv Mishra and advocate Mayura Maru raising concerns over illegal constructions in Navi Mumbai.
The bench had last week taken a stern view of the issue and said the police has to initiate criminal action against the builders.
The court was today informed that FIR has been registered and an inquiry is on.
“This is a serious issue. The Navi Mumbai Commissioner should form a team of officers to be headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). We will ask MIDC, Cidco and other civic authorities to inform the police if they come across any illegal construction. The police can then go to the site and see the sale deed agreement. If the documents are forged then criminal action can be taken,” the court said.
The court also suggested that the police can give the public a notice, calling for people to come forward and lodge complaints against builders.
The court has posted the petition for hearing on October 28.
The state government last week informed the court that it was planning to regularise all illegal constructions in Navi Mumbai, and said it will be framing a policy on this soon.
The court had, however, said that even if such a policy is formed it shall not be implemented until the court gives permission.
“The state formed a similar policy for Ulhasnagar. That is still understandable as there were lot of refugee camps there in the past. But not for Navi Mumbai,” the court said.
The Bombay High Court dismissed an application filed by a social worker urging the court to suo motu hear a petition challenging the discharge of BJP president Amit Shah in the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh.
Justice Anuja Prabhudessai, while dismissing the application filed by Rajesh Kamble, observed that he was not an aggrieved party in the case and, hence, has no ‘locus’.
Kamble filed the intervening application after Sohrabuddin’s brother Rubabuddin Shaikh moved a plea to withdraw a petition he had filed earlier challenging a special CBI court’s order discharging Amit Shah from the charges levelled against him.
In his application, Kamble claimed that even if the applicant (Rubabuddin) wants to withdraw his petition, the court can continue hearing the case suo motu (on its own).
Another social activist Harish Mandal made an oral plea to the court seeking to intervene in the case. The Judge, however, refused to hear him.
The HC yesterday gave one month’s time to Rubabuddin to think again on withdrawing his petition.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) MI-17 chopper on Wednesday made an emergency landing at the Bandra Kurla Complex following a technical snag, a Defence spokesperson said. “A MI-17 aircraft of the IAF was on a routine training sortie during which it developed a technical snag,” he said.
He said the aircraft carried out a precautionary landing at the Bandra Kurla complex in suburban Mumbai this afternoon. “The aircraft and all the four passengers on board are safe while a technical support team has been dispatched to the spot to assess the aircraft,” the spokesperson added.
Ever since the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance have formed the government in Maharashtra both the parties have been involved in power tussle. Sena which had always had an upper hand in the state politics is unhappy playing second fiddle to BJP. Sena is also unhappy with the step motherly treatment meted out against it by BJP. To express its displeasure, Sena had put up a poster showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi bowing before the late Balasaheb Thackeray at Sena Bhawan in Dadar. Through this poster Sena is trying to remind BJP and Modi of those days when Sena had dominated state politics.
The role of an acquaintance of former media magnate Indrani Mukerjea, who once worked for her husband, has come under the scanner of CBI which is probing the sensational murder of her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012.
Even as it remains adamant on not Pakistani artists and sports persons, the Shiv Sena., Wednesday, said that they will welcome Noble Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai if she visits India.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar appeared before the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with the alleged irregularities in irrigation projects in Raigad district during the Congress-NCP rule.