Eknath Shinde will always remain a rubber stamp CM

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July 20, 2022

shiv sena, sena, uddhav, eknath shinde, shinde, maharashtra minister, sena, mlc, mlc elections, thackeray — Image: Agency

Eknath Shinde stooped all lows to dismantle Maha Vikas Aghadi government and re-established his new alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Reason he gave was ideological differences and unfair treatment by the Congress Party and NCP. If you remember the earlier days of formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi, when Supriya Sule was seen welcoming all the leaders of Shiv Sena-NCP and Congress to a mega meet, that time these leaders were seen cheerful. Not only had that but Eknath Shinde and other rebels accepted ministry in Maha Vikas Aghadi cabinet. If at all that alliance was unholy or unnatural, why did these Shiv Sainiks accept ministerial posts? Why did they accept this alliance in the first place, why were they not as aggressive as they are now? Why did they not stop Uddhav or threaten him to leave Shiv Sena then? Do you think alliance was an actual problem? NO! The problem was ED, IT and CBI haunting these corrupts.

They all wanted to save their soul and for that they mortgaged their integrity by joining hands with the atrocious BJP. They wanted to get rid of on-going searches against them. BJP’s Kirit Somaiya told media that he will continue to pursue case against ‘dirty dozen’; these dirty dozen are none-other than Yamini Jadhav and Pratap Sarnaik, Yashwant Jadhav, Eknath Shinde (his CA was on ED radar), Bhavna Gavali , Anand Adsul , Hasan Mushriff , Pratap Sarnaik, Ravindra Waikar etc. most of these Harrys are with BJP. Former Chief Minister Devendra fadnavis, now shakes hands with these corrupt ministers and there is no hesitation from Somaiya or any other BJP leader. Looking at the present scenario we can see how ED, IT and CBI were used to demoralise these ministers until they joined the BJP and brought them back to power. For now ED is assigned to Sanjay Raut, if tomorrow Raut joins BJP he would come clean from all enquiries.

Eknath Shinde’s fellow Shiv Sena members said that their complaints were ignored by Uddhav Thackeray and Uddhav favored Congress Party and NCP over his own Shiv Sena members. Why did none of the Shiv Sainik then objected or made it public as they are making it now? What must have drastically changed? Shinde gathered 2/3rd members from his party to support his request. What all Shinde has not done for BJP, he took all the rebels to Surat in BJP-governed Gujarat, throwing the coalition into a chaos. As a result of Shinde’s revolt, Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra and he also resigned from the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Shinde sworn in as the 20th Chief Minister with Bharatiya Janata Party’s Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister but in this entire bargain, Eknath forgot the fact that he will always remain a rubber stamp, nothing more than that.

Shinde took to the highest position, rebels got their bounty but when it comes to the future, they all know nothing much can come their way. Most of the Shinde camp leaders are now joining BJP. They don’t want to trust Shinde because they know Shinde in Shiv Sena and Shinde as migrant in BJP have vast differences. Some rebels silently wait for the miracle to happen, they believe in those media reports that one day Uddhav will surrender to BJP and all is going to be well. Most of the rebels portrayed Shard Pawar as a villain but they forgot the fact that they all are opportunists.

Let time come BJP will do the correct programme of Eknath Shinde, a leader who can trash the grand old political party of Maharashtra can do anything anywhere because their ambitions are bigger than their allegiance. BJP is a very brilliant political player, their leaders are survivors and they know where to pull the string or when to hold the string. Eknath would be strangled in his own plot one day, as all his rebel supporters are leaving him one by one and approaching MNS and BJP. Moreover BJP would be extra alert of this leader, if Eknath goes out of control they know how to chuk him. Eknath has no other option than acting as a rubber stamp CM in BJP’s hands.

In the meantime the Supreme Court is hearing the pleas relating to the Sena vs Sena legal battle over rebellion in the party. However, the court will decide on the matter during the next hearing, likely to be held on August 1. A bench headed by CJI NV Ramana asked both Thackeray and Shinde factions to frame issues they wanted to argue, make one compilation and submit it preferably by next Wednesday. It also directed the respondents to file a common affidavit if they want to deny any allegations. Disqualification proceedings, the election of Speaker, recognition of the whip and floor test among other issues are the subject matters of the dispute. A bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli granted time to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led camp to file an affidavit on the pleas filed by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray-led faction. Senior advocate Harish Salve for the Shinde camp sought time to file a reply on pleas filed by the Thackeray camp and asked the court to postpone the hearing next week.

Chota Shakeel’s associate has been arrested by Mumbai Police for extorting businessman

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PTI

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July 20, 2022

An ‘associate’ of fugitive gangster Chhota Shakeel has been arrested by Mumbai Police for allegedly trying to extort money from a businessman, an official said on Wednesday.

The Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Crime Branch arrested the 25-year-old accused, who had identified himself as “Billo”, from suburban Oshiwara on Tuesday, he said.

The accused allegedly called the businessman, who runs a chain of bakery shops in the city, many times between July 13 and 19, claiming to be an aide of Shakeel and demanding Rs 35 lakh.

If the businessman did not pay up by Tuesday, he would shoot him, the accused told him. After the businessman approached the police, the crime branch laid a trap and arrested Billo. Further probe was on, the official said.

Mumbai reports 290 coronavirus cases and 1 death; the recovery tally tops 11 lakh

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PTI

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July 20, 2022

Corona Virus, Mumbai, Representative Image — Image for representative purpose

Mumbai on Wednesday registered 290 new coronavirus cases and one more death linked to the infection, while the cumulative patient recovery count crossed the 11-lakh mark, said the city civic body.

With these additions, the overall tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 11,21,836 COVID-19, while the death toll increased to 19,635, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a bulletin.

After a surge in May, Mumbai has been reporting daily cases in three digits (below 1,000) since June- end.

A day before, the financial capital had reported 284 coronavirus infections and two fatalities.

As per the bulletin, the new COVID-19 cases were detected after 10,853 tests, over 3,000 more than the previous day, were conducted in the last 24 hours. The number of coronavirus tests done so far surged to 1,77,23,576.

Mumbai’s overall tally of recuperated patients crossed the 11-lakh mark and rose to 11,00,198 after 382 more patients recovered from respiratory illness in the last 24 hours, the BMC said.

The city, which has a coronavirus recovery rate of 98 per cent, is now left with 2,003 active COVID-19 cases, the bulletin said.

Of the 290 new cases, only 17 patients were symptomatic, it said.

The growth rate of COVID-19 stood at 0.027 per cent between July 13 and July 19, while the case doubling rate was 2,621 days.

Mumbai has a positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 tests, of 2.67 per cent.

China conducts military exercise with attack choppers over Pangong tso

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ANI

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July 20, 2022

Pangong Tso — China conducts military exercise with attack choppers over Pangong tso 5

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out a military exercise with attack helicopters over Pangong Lake, a video telecast by the state media network CCTV shows.

The 33-second video was released hours after the two countries concluded the 16th round of Corps Commander-level talks held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China held on Sunday, reported Sputnik.

The video shows the army aviation brigade attached to the PLA Xinjiang Military Command carrying out an exercise over the world’s highest saltwater lake, Pangong Lake, at an altitude of almost 4,350 metres.

China’s state media reported that Z-10 attack helicopters joined the drills for the first time, unlike the past when only transport helicopters carried border defence troops for patrol missions.

Meanwhile, New Delhi and Beijing issued a joint statement on Monday, saying both sides had agreed to maintain the “security and stability” on the ground in the Western Sector along the LAC.

“The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest,” the statement added.

They said that it is likely that the Indian side could move from the friction point southeast towards the Karam Singh Hill feature while the Chinese could move north towards the point 5170 hill feature located on their side of the LAC.

“The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest,” the statement added.

They said that it is likely that the Indian side could move from the friction point southeast towards the Karam Singh Hill feature while the Chinese could move north towards the point 5170 hill feature located on their side of the LAC.

IAS officer Bhushan Gagrani a part of CMO during BJP is appointed as Addtional Chief Secretary in Eknath Shinde govt

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PTI

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July 20, 2022

eknath shinde 1 — Image: Agencies / Eknath Shinde

Bhushan Gagrani, an IAS officer who was part of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during the BJP government in Maharashtra headed by Devendra Fadnavis, was on Wednesday appointed as the additional chief secretary to the new CM Eknath Shinde.

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1990-batch will be the additional chief secretary to Shinde, who took oath of his new office on June 30, an official release said.

Gagrani previously served as the principal secretary to then-chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who headed the Shiv Sena-BJP government from 2014 to 2019. Fadnavis is now the deputy chief minister in the Shinde administration.

The senior bureaucrat briefly continued in the key post after Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray took over as chief minister in November 2019 when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was formed.

Gagrani was later moved out of the CMO in the wake of an RTI (Right to Information) query. However, the IAS officer was part of the COVID-19 task force formed by the MVA government in March 2020 to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Two women were rescued from flesh trade; a female agent held in Thane

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PTI

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July 20, 2022

Human Trafficking representative Image — Image for representative purpose

Police have rescued two women, who were allegedly pushed into the flesh trade, and arrested a female agent who was part of the prostitution racket from Thane city of Maharashtra, an official said on Wednesday.

The Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) of the city police’s crime branch near a mall took the action on Tuesday evening, he said.

“Acting on a tip-off that some women were being pushed into flesh trade, a police personnel acted as a decoy and later arrested the woman agent at Kapurbawdi locality,” senior inspector Mahesh Patil of the AHTC said.

The police rescued two women, he said, adding that a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act were registered against them.

“I carry my official work along, so don’t have to be in Mantralaya all time”: CM Shinde

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PTI

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July 20, 2022

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said that there was no need for him to sit at the Mantralaya all the time as wherever he goes, he carries his official work along and signs documents.

Shinde, who hails from Thane district, was speaking at a rally in Mumbai on Monday evening.

He said his work continues irrespective of whether he is in the Mantralaya, the state secretariat located in south Mumbai, or elsewhere. “Yesterday, somebody alleged that there is no work going on in Mantralaya…But I want say that wherever I go, it becomes my Mantralaya. I sign documents and other papers on the move. My work continues wherever I go, be it Thane, Mantralaya or any other place,” he said.

“Even when I visit some function, my work does not stop. I do not have to sit at Mantralaya to read or sign papers. Once any document comes to me, I sign it immediately. One gets this kind of opportunity (to work as CM) rarely. I am not afraid of signing papers. Are we doing anything wrong?” Shinde asked.

Mumbai police arrested 4 people for cheating BJP MLA for Cabinet berth

By

PTI

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July 20, 2022

Political Security, Sada Sarvankar’s, — Representative Image

The Mumbai police have arrested four persons for allegedly trying to cheat a BJP MLA from Maharashtra’s Pune district by offering a cabinet berth to him in the newly-formed government in the state in exchange of Rs 90 crore, an official said on Wednesday.

The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai crime branch made the arrests based on the complaint lodged by the legislator, Rahul Kul, who represents the Daund Assembly constituency, he said.

The arrested accused were identified as Riyaaz Sheikh (41), Yogesh Kulkarni (57), Sagar Sangwai (37) and Jaffar Ahmed Rashid Ahmed Usmani (53), the crime branch official said. “Sheikh had contacted the MLA last week, but he did not respond to his call.

The accused then reached out to his personal assistant (PA) saying that he had come to Mumbai from Delhi to meet the MLA. On his request, they arranged a meeting between Sheikh and Kul at Nariman Point.

There, Sheikh offered a ministerial berth in the government to Kul, but demanded Rs 100 crore in exchange,” he said. The legislator pretended that he was ready for the deal and the amount of Rs 90 crore was later finalised, he added.

“Sheikh demanded 20 per cent of the amount, Rs 18 crore, in advance. Accordingly, Kul called Sheikh at a prominent hotel to collect the amount and also alerted the top Mumbai police officials. When Sheikh came to the hotel on Monday afternoon to collect the advance amount, he was nabbed. Kul, his PA and another BJP MLA Jaykumar Gore were also present there,” the official said.

During his interrogation, Sheikh named three other accused, who were then nabbed from Nagpada in south Mumbai and from neighbouring Thane early on Tuesday.

Kulkarni and Sangwai were arrested from Thane, they also named Usmani from Nagpada, the official said. The accused were arrested under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including cheating, and further investigation is underway, he said.

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey send to custody in a phone tapping case

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PTI

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July 20, 2022

Sanjay Pandey, Mumbai Ex Police commissioner , — Image: Agencies

A Delhi court sent former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey to nine days’ custodial interrogation by Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case related to alleged illegal phone tapping and snooping of stock exchange employees.

Special Judge Sunena Sharma allowed ED to quiz Pandey after the agency said he was required to be confronted with other accused in the case. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the ED, moved an application seeking Pandey’s 14-day custodial interrogation, saying the former Mumbai Police Commissioner committed an unlawful act of tapping of MTNL phones, for which purpose Rs 454 crore was paid, and becomes proceeds of crime. Pandey told the court that he never did any phone tapping or live monitoring.

He was arrested by the investigating agency on Tuesday in the case. ED had earlier arrested former NSE MD Chitra Ramakrishnan on July 14 after conducting her interrogation which was permitted by the court, where she was produced from jail on an order passed by the judge earlier. The judge had issued a production warrant against the accused on a plea moved by the ED.

Later, the ED arrested Ramakrishnan on the ground of non-cooperation and again produced her before the court and urged for her nine-day custodial interrogation. The court, however, had granted her four-day custody to the agency. Ramakrishnan was arrested by the CBI in a separate case and was currently in judicial custody.

NCST summons Maha chief secretary Manu Srivastava in the matter of Fake Caste Certificates

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PTI

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July 20, 2022

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has issued summons to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Manu Kumar Srivastava for not complying with its recommendation in a matter related to the issuance of fake caste certificates for jobs reserved for tribals.

Ralegaon MLA Ashok Wookie had earlier alleged that a number of people in the state got the jobs reserved for Scheduled Tribes by furnishing fake certificates.

He had also said that 11,435 posts reserved for tribals are lying vacant in the state. Taking cognizance of the matter, the NCST had issued a notice to Srivastava on April 25, asking him to submit facts and an action taken report within a week.

With Srivastava not replying to the notice, the commission exercised the power of a civil court conferred upon it under Section 8 of Article 338A of the Constitution and issued summons to the chief secretary, asking him to appeal before NCST member Ananta Nayak on June 1.

On behalf of the chief secretary, the secretary had appeared. The commission had asked the state authorities to provide a report on the number of the people in service holding fake caste certificates, people expelled from service and those who faced disciplinary action.

“Due to the non-compliance of these recommendations, the NSCT again issued summons to the chief secretary, asking him to appear before the panel on July 26,” an official said