Republican Party of India (A) criticised NCP chief Sharad Pawar for asking his party workers to vote twice and asked the Election Commission to check his statement and take appropriate action.

“We will not tolerate bogus voting. We will strongly oppose them (NCP). The Election Commission of India (ECI) should check his statement and take action accordingly,” said RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale.

RPI(A) is an ally in the ‘Mahayuti’ in Maharashtra. He however, said that the Maratha strongman usually does not make such “illegal statements.”

Athawale’s party colleague and ex-IPS officer PK Jain said, “The statement made by Pawar was a serious one. Action could be taken against him.”

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar kicked up a storm today with his comments on bogus voting at a function in Navi Mumbai.

Mr Pawar asked workers of his party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), to take advantage of the multi-phase polling in Maharashtra by voting twice – first at their hometowns and then at places of work.

While addressing a gathering of “mathadi” workers (head loaders) who hail from Satara district in Western Maharashtra, the NCP chief said, “Last time (in 2009), the polling in Satara and Mumbai was on the same day and people went to their hometowns. But this time, polling in Satara is on April 17 and here on April 24.”

Mr. Pawar went on to warn them to take necessary precautions. He added, “Do erase the ink mark which will be put when you vote first”.

Later in the day, Mr. Pawar clarified by saying, “My quote has been pulled out of context. This meeting was not a political meeting or a rally. This gathering was to commemorate the death anniversary of Annasaheb Patil, their late leader. The head-loaders are a community from Western Maharashtra, who live in Mumbai. It was a comment in jest. My remark was with an intention to encourage people to vote. I request people to take the right message from my quote and abide by their duty of vote.”

The Opposition was quick to attack Mr. Pawar for his controversial comments. BJP Spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, “It shows how they have won seats in the past. It’s a violation of code of conduct. We shall complain to the Election Commission but we are waiting for the waiting for the Election Commission to take cognizance of it. Not only is this a violation but it is also a crime to motivate or ask someone to vote in two constituencies.”

Mr Pawar, who is a veteran politician, will find it difficult to explain his comments. Sections 171D and 171F of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which deal with offences related to personation at elections, terms this as a cognizable offence and lays down a punishment of one year’s imprisonment or fine or both. The law says, “who having voted once at such election applies at the same election for a voting paper in his own name, and whoever abets, procures or attempts to procure the voting by any person in any such way, commits the offence of personation at an election.”

Voting for the General Elections in Maharashtra will be held in three phases on April 14, April 17 and April 24. Satara district will vote in the second phase while Mumbai and surrounding areas will vote in the third phase on April 24.

With three more persons succumbing to injuries on Sunday, the death toll in the fuel tanker mishap in Dahanu in the district has gone up to 10.

Fourteen-year-old Anjali Bobha and Sunil Umbarsada, 30, who had been admitted to Thane Civil Hospital, succumbed to injuries, police said, adding the third deceased was yet to be identified.

Anjali had suffered 90 per cent burns in the incident, they said.

The tanker, said to be carrying petrol, had gone up in flames after overturning and exploding near Chaori check-post on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway at around 3 PM on Saturday. Seven people were charred to death on the spot, while thirteen others were injured.

A policeman, who saved the lives of many people in the incident, is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Police constable Bhushan S Shanke, 33, attached to the Thane district rural police, who was at the site when the incident happened, sprung into action and saved the lives of many people around.

“However, he himself suffered burn injuries in the act and is now being treated at the National Burns Hospital at Airoli in Navi Mumbai,” Inspector of the local crime branch (LCB) of Thane police, Kishore Khairnar, said.

Railway’s research arm RDSO is likely to issue ‘speed certificate’ to the much-awaited Mumbai Metro this week, sources said.

This will now pave the way for the operator Reliance Infra obtaining safety certificate from the Railways, they said.

“The process of issuing speed certificate for the Mumbai Metro is almost over. The trial report is nearly ready and we may give the clearance to the operator of Mumbai Metro One as early as this week,” sources at the Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) said.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and the operator Reliance Infra have been saying that the metro services will be thrown open to the public this month-end.

Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) is a joint venture between Reliance Infrastructure, French firm Veolia Transport and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

While Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Infra, which is the execution agency, owns a 69 per cent stake in the project, the state-run MMRDA and Veolia hold 26 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.

The RDSO is a statutory technical body, which certifies rail system for safety based on international standards.

After carrying out the oscillation and emergency braking distance trials under the monitoring of the RDSO, the MMRDA is now undertaking proper trial runs on the entire first phase of the 11.4-km long Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar section of the Mumbai Metro for the last couple of days.

In a country where traditional medicine is a virtual no-no, a Kuwaiti princess is aiming to buck the trend by learning acupuncture so that she can take its benefits to the four million citizens back home.

Last week, a Mercedes driven by a female chauffeur halted outside a small 1,000-sq.ft. clinic, located in a narrow lane in the congested Dadar area of south-central Mumbai. The chauffeur asked her distinguished passenger, Sheikha Alia Salem Alsabah, the wife of Interior Minister Mohammad Al Khalid Al Sabah: “You have come here to meet a doctor?”

“Yes, since I have come here, you can well imagine what he must be…” the guest smiled, stepping inside the eight-bed clinic run by internationally-acclaimed acupuncturist Dr. P.B. Lohiya.

Expecting his visitor, Lohiya, 63, founder of Indian Academy of Acupuncture Science (IAAS), was well-prepared, despite a large crowd of patients in the clinic.

“I want to learn acupuncture as I have great faith in its curative success and benefits,” Sheikha Alia, 55, smiled, interacting at the clinic full of patients with problems ranging from back pains, irregular menstrual cycles, cardiac problems and cancer.

In her home country, with Indians and Egyptians comprising the largest chunk of expatriates, traditional medicines are virtually a no-no, she explained.

“Yes, we have a small acupuncture department in a government-run hospital run by Chinese medicos, but there is lack of proper diagnostic systems and cures,” Sheikha Alia said.

In fact, along with her daughter, Sheikha Alia recently travelled to China to get basic knowledge of acupuncture, but after a week of grappling with the local language problems and lack of diagnostic systems, she gave up her efforts.

In China, a medico informed her that she could learn a lot from renowned Aurangabad-based acupuncturist Lohiya, the only Indian visiting professor at the prestigious Beijing Meridian Research Centre and vice president of the Beijing’s World Association of Chinese Medicine. (Lohiya spends the bulk of his time in Aurangabad but attends the Mumbai clinic for one week every month. He also devotes time to his clinics in cities like Pune, Kolhapur, Nagpur and Hyderabad, besides travelling abroad.)

“Well, with a little research and help from some officials I contacted Dr. Lohiya and took the next flight to Mumbai,” said Sheikha Alia, a qualified aerospace engineer from the US.

At present she spends hours carefully observing Lohiya as he treats patients for various ailments, including those relating to the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, muscles, bones, paralysis and tissues and brain disorders by pricking tiny needles at strategic points on his patients.

After a week-long sojourn in Mumbai, Sheikha Alia will travel with him to Aurangabad for a similar experience, and a fortnight-long intensive lectures-cum-practical sessions in acupuncture in Hyderabad.

“After I return to Kuwait, I want to start full-fledged acupuncture departments in hospitals or clinics for the benefit of my countrymen as I feel this ancient form of treatment has tremendous healing and curative potential,” she added.

Lohiya has tentatively agreed to help start a clinic under his supervision in mid-2014 and even train Kuwaiti doctors in acupuncture along with other branches of traditional medicine.

Sheikha Alia said that within her family, her husband and daughter, who suffered from severe neck and back pain, got tremendous relief by acupuncture-cum-ozone treatments.

“A friend was advised to undergo a heart-lung transplant, but after an acupuncture-ozone session in Mumbai, he does not need any transplant,” Sheikha Alia said.

When asked how an aerospace engineer developed an interest in ancient medicine systems, Sheikha Alia, who loves Indian vegetarian cuisine, said it was because of a desire to help people overcome their big and small medical problems.

A former assistant and student of Lohiya, Dr. Shubhangi Deshmukh, said that in her independent practice, she cured some of the “worst cases, given up as gone cases by top allopathic doctors”.

Endorsing Deshmukh’s views, Lohiya explained that the modern allopathic system provides only symptomatic relief for problems without treating the root causes.

“I felt disgusted by fooling patients and quit allopathy in 1983 to study the ancient systems of medicines – I was labelled a lunatic by the people,” said Deshmukh.

Explaining her experiences, the down-to-earth Kuwaiti princess said it was ironic how traditional medicines are the last resort for people after allopathy shuts its doors on them.

“I was surprised to see people spending huge amounts for medical tests, X-rays, MRIs, CT-Scans and even preparing to spend more on expensive and complicated surgeries. But, when they finally come for acupuncture or other traditional medical systems, they haggle over prices,” Sheikha Alia observed, as Lohiya nodded in agreement.

Sheikha Alia said she is keen to implement techniques pioneered, perfected or innovated by Lohiya in Kuwait. “I am sure my people will love all this,” she said with enthusiasm.

In the Aurangabad session, Lohiya has assured Sheikha Alia that she would get some “real hands-on training” on pricking needles on dummy patients to make her India trip truly worthwhile.

“I am ready and yearning, sir,” she acknowledged.