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Mumbai: The Political unrest took to the streets

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Afternoon Voice
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devendra fadnavis, fadnavis, bjp, morcha, bjp morcha, devendra, nawab malik, ncp malik, ncp, nawab malik protest, bjp protest, bjp mumbai
Mumbai: The Political unrest took to the streets 2

BJP rallies at Azad Maidan demanding Nawab Malik’s resignation

At a protest rally led by Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP pledged not to relent its agitation until NCP minister Nawab Malik, under ED scrutiny in a money laundering case, resigns from the cabinet. The protest was against the MVA government for supporting Malik and demanded his dismissal from the ministerial berth. The BJP has alleged Malik has links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and that he entered into a property deal and money transaction with a 1993 serial bomb blast convict.

BJP MLC Padalkar apologizes for making insulting remarks

Padalkar allegedly made some remarks while referring to Desai. As Desai objected to the remarks, senior NCP legislator Satish Chavan joined him and asked Padalkar to tender an apology, but the latter refused to budge. Despite Gorhe’s intervention, the ruckus continued, following which the House was adjourned twice for 10 minutes and seven minutes. Later, the Council has adjourned again for 15 minutes after an uproar from the opposition members over their demand for the removal of minister Nawab Malik from the state cabinet, as he has been arrested in a money laundering case.

Maharashtra Legislative Council was adjourned twice after BJP legislator Gopichand Padalkar allegedly made some insulting remarks against Minister of State for Home Shambhuraj Desai and Council’s Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe.

Council Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar first adjourned the House for five minutes and then Gorhe adjourned the House for another 10 minutes. Later, the opposition members staged a walkout, demanding Malik’s removal from the state cabinet.

NCP leader in judicial custody till March 21

NCP Minister Nawab Malik told the Bombay High Court that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), by alleging that he continues to have under his possession the property – Goawala Building in Mumbai’s Kurla – reportedly involved in a money laundering case, wants to keep him in jail by infringing his personal liberty. The ED arrested Malik on February 23 and remanded him by a special court to the central agency’s custody. On Monday, a special court sent him to judicial custody till March 21.

Probe into extortion charges against ED officials begins

The Mumbai Police on Tuesday initiated an enquiry into the allegations of extortion made against some ED officials and one Jeetendra Navlani. Sources said the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police will conduct the enquiry into the allegations made in a letter addressed to the Mumbai Police Commissioner.

Devendra Fadnavis, other BJP workers were detained during a protest demanding Nawab Malik’s resignation

Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders were detained by police at Metro cinema.

Meanwhile, BJP workers held a protest at Azad Maidan demanding the resignation of Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “False cases are never filed against anybody in Maharashtra. National agencies like NCB, CBI and ED get trained by the BJP and fabricate false cases, not Maharashtra police. Fadnavis should have patience; his sensational remarks are maligning state police.”

The enquiry is based on the eight-page letter written by one Arvind Bhosle titled ‘extortion/cheating/criminal conspiracy by Jeetendra Navlani and others’ In which he mentions seven companies which he alleges are held/closely controlled by Navlani who “is one of the conduits of Enforcement Directorate, Western Region”.

Mumbai Court: No prima facie money laundering case can be made out against Sachin Joshi

In its detailed order granting bail to actor-businessman Sachin Joshi, the special court has said that no prima facie money laundering case can be made against him. Joshi was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following allegations that he had received funds that were part of proceeds of crime linked to Omkar Group. The ED had alleged that of the Rs 410-crore loan taken by the realtor company from Yes Bank, Joshi had received Rs 80 crore.

Exit Poll predictions: AAP to sweep in Punjab; BJP’s lotus to bloom in UP

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Afternoon Voice
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punjab, punjab elections, uttar pradesh, modi, yogi, yogi adityanath, congress, aap in punjab, aam aadmi party, punjab congress
Exit Poll predictions: AAP to sweep in Punjab; BJP's lotus to bloom in UP 4

All polls predicted that the BSP, which had won 19 seats in 2017, could fare worse in Uttar Pradesh. After the last phase of voting, Monday predicted the return of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh and a comfortable victory for the AAP in Punjab. The polls forecast a dead-heat race in Uttarakhand and Goa, both ruled by the BJP, signalling the possibility of hanging houses in the two small states. Pollsters also predicted a sweep for the BJP in Manipur, where it is the ruling party.

In Uttar Pradesh, most pollsters bore two forecasts that the ruling BJP may suffer losses but will still cross the halfway mark of 202 comfortably and retain power, bucking a trend of nearly four decades. Since 1985, the state has not returned a government to power. The SP-RLD alliance, which waged a spirited campaign, may make major gains as compared to 2017 but is likely to fall well short of the magic figure. The Congress, the polls predicted, would remain in single digits.

In Punjab, most pollsters gave the AAP numbers much ahead of the ruling Congress and the Akali Dal-BSP combine. If the exit poll predictions hold true and the AAP wins Punjab, the outcome has the potential to trigger a churning in Indian politics, especially in the Opposition space as no other party barring the BJP and the Congress are in power in more than one state now. The AAP surge in Punjab, if the pollsters are correct, is a major setback for the Congress which had played the Dalit card appointing Charanjit Singh Channi as Chief Minister, replacing Amarinder Singh just six months ago and projecting him as the CM face. A defeat for Congress could reignite the factional feud in the state.

In 2017, Congress stormed to power in Punjab, winning 77 of the 117 seats. The AAP, which made its debut last time, came second with 20 seats while the Akali Dal-BJP alliance, which was in power then, could manage to win only 18 seats (Akali Dal 15 and BJP 3). The BJP aligned with former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress.

In Uttarakhand, the opinion polls differed sharply. While some gave the ruling BJP an edge, others predicted that Congress would emerge as the single largest party. None of the polls gave either side over 40 seats. No party has retained power in Uttarakhand since its formation in 2000. If the BJP holds on to power, it will be a record of sorts. In 2017, riding the Modi wave, the BJP won in 57 of the total 70 Assembly seats while it limited the Congress to 11 seats. They won two of the remaining seats by independent candidates who were now with the ruling party.

In Goa too, pollsters predicted a dead-heat race with none of the polls predicting a comfortable victory for either the ruling BJP or the Congress. Most polls predicted the AAP could win a couple of seats. Incidentally, one poll (ABP-C Voter) predicted that the Trinamool Congress would win 5-9 seats which, it turned out to be true, would place it in a king maker’s role. In the 40-member House, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party in 2017, winning 17 seats but the BJP, which won 13 seats, managed to form the government with the support of the Goa Forward Party and the MGP which had won three seats each and two independents.

If Yogi loses in 2022, more chances are that Modi loses 2024

By
Vaidehi Taman
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bjp, bharatiya janata party, uttar pradesh, up elections, up elections 2022, uttar pradesh elections 2022, yogi, yogi adityanath, narendra modi, modi, narendra modi, modi in up, modi in uttar pradesh
If Yogi loses in 2022, more chances are that Modi loses 2024 6

Uttar Pradesh’s 2022 election result will be directly proportional to Lok Sabha’s 2024 results. If Yogi loses in 2022, more chances are that Modi loses in 2024. This will be a simulative package for the Opposition across the country. The efforts to unify the Opposition will get a boost. Also, if the defeat for BJP means Samajwadi’s victory, Akhilesh will become an important figure in the Opposition. If the BJP loses, that will be a setback for Adityanath since he was developing a hope to shift to the Centre in 2024. The BJP has made tall claims, high voltage market campaigns, but now everyone has seen everything about their marketing strategies repeatedly. The voters may teach lessons to these ignorant ministers who were found nowhere during public crises, be it pandemic or farmer’s agitation.

The biggest mistake of the Uttar Pradesh BJP is that they simply ignore people’s problems, there is no local connection. Even for election work, they trusted outsiders but not the locals.  They invited pandal walas from MP, IT cell guys from Mumbai and Bangalore, campaigners from other states, hardly any role is given to Local people, and this is the reason local workers refrained from coming out to support BJP. 100s of women from Gujarat were brought to Uttar Pradesh to convince people to vote for Yogi Adityanath so that he can make UP a Gujrat model, those BJP voters who were supposed to vote, turned down the BJP because Gujrat Model scams were exposed on social media frequently.

Modi’s credibility is now under scanner as he is the face of the campaign but will not be proved to be a real loser as his chair will not be under any threat at this hour. The real loser will be YOGI, someone will evacuate forever him but at the cost of dismantling the whole UP BJP administration. Yogi is a larger force to reckon with but somewhere he is side-lined by the Central BJP. Yogi’s team will blame Modi’s team & Modi’s team will blame Yogi for the failures. Above all the state BJP also has divided in several groups, most of the BJP cadres have silently voted for opposition to teach the lesson to the party dictators. Yogi has lost credibility since BJP lost Panchayat Elections.

Let us assume that BJP loses the 2022 UP assembly election, then it will be an enormous setback for Yogi Adityanath. He is emerging as the poster boy of BJP and any defeat in UP may derail his political journey for some years. It will make way for Amit Shah to become the successor of PM Modi in BJP. But Yogi has age on his side and he is younger than Rahul Gandhi. So, he can make a comeback but it would temporarily halt his rise in BJP. This loss will also put pressure on Modi and he will have to do some course corrections to win the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Many economic reforms (which are already slow) will be derailed and the Government will start many populous measures (like freebies etc.).

BJP will have to reach out to make a coalition for the 2024 election as without 50-60 seats UP, they can’t even cross the 250 mark. BJP will have to cede some space to allies. This may end the single-party domination in India for a few decades. Meanwhile, the opposition camp will get energized and BJP’s loss in UP will be a boost for them. Then the 2022 Nov-Dec Gujarat election will be done and die for BJP (the most important assembly election in the Modi era). If BJP loses the next Gujarat election after UP then the Modi story may well be over. Once BJP loses Gujarat, then they cannot recover. In 2019 BJP overcame defeat in Rajasthan, MP, and Chhattisgarh, but Modi can’t survive a loss in the Gujarat and Uttarakhand elections.

Modi may have to face combined opposition in some states in the 2024 election. A grand opposition alliance like 1977 may be out of the question, but the opposition camp will come out with some sort of nominal anti-BJP alliance. We may see more agitations like Shahen Bagh, farmers protest, etc. We may have many confrontations on caste and religious lines as the opposition will try hard to create momentum against BJP. BJP may go for all-out decisions like Uniform Civil Code etc. for the 2024 election. This will galvanize BJP supporters and BJP haters. In summary, if BJP loses the UP election, then it would make the 2024 Lok Sabha election wide & open.

Further, it is now becoming increasingly clear that India and Indians have to be content with BJP for many decades irrespective of whether or not you like it. As of now, there are no national parties to take BJP head-on. Losing the largest and dandiest constituency is always a setback and irreparable loss to the ruling party and person. Yogi will be most affected and the entire onus will come on him as he got the best 5 years terms to gain voters’ trust. BJP will definitely get a setback in the assembly election as people will get other options open. People are getting frustrated due to fuel prices which is the most important commodity after food (whose prices are again affected by fuel prices) and during the Pandemic when fuel prices across the globe were at lowest and people were cash strapped due to loss in livelihood BJP had hardly anything to offer to commoners. People are smart enough to judge in electronic social culture. Hindutva’s ill imitation and secularism have nothing to do with Socioeconomic India in day-to-day life. If a section of Hindus breaks out due to economic conditions, then that is a dent in BJP’s vote share.

India has recently witnessed how BJP stalwarts including PM and HM of India located themselves for an entire month in West Bengal just to defeat Mamata Banerjee and unleash Corona’s 2nd wave on a much larger nation especially economic superpower Maharashtra. For PM it was winning election in Bengal then lives of voters gasping for breath and voters well-memorized vaccine diplomacy failure. Just like the UPA govt collapsed under efficient MMS, so will BJP failing under MODI. Modi has just 2 years to perform to at least gain sizable votes to continue the 3rd term and it should be entirely in poor and middle-class favour. In election-going Uttar Pradesh, candidates and campaigns of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are being chased away by the people and their campaign vehicles are attacked. It does not limit these unprecedented incidents to western Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, youth protests which started in Patna against alleged irregularities in the Railway Recruitment Board – Non-Technical Popular Categories (RRB-NTPC) examination have spilt over to UP. Meanwhile, BJP campaigners, including Union Home Minister Shah and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, are campaigning to polarize the voters along religious lines, but they have met with little success. Going by the viral videos posted on social media. So the change is inevitable.

MVA govt to unveil new women’s empowerment policy announces CM

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PTI
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cm care fund, uddhav thackeray, thackeray, cm care, fund, anil galgali, rti activist, rti, galgali
MVA govt to unveil new women’s empowerment policy announces CM 8

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said his government is committed to ensuring that the schemes for women’s upliftment reach the targeted beneficiaries and said the new women’s empowerment policy will be unveiled soon.

Greeting women on the occasion of International Women’s Day at an event here, Thackeray said women are not just confined to the kitchen and child-rearing but have gone beyond these duties to be equal to men in all spheres.

”As political leaders, it is our duty to see how we can help and support women,” the chief minister said.

Laws, facilities and health infrastructure for women need to be adequate and awareness needs to be created about them, he said.

Thackeray further said that the new women’s empowerment policy will soon be unveiled and the MVA government is committed to the welfare of women by implementing schemes for them.

Women have all the abilities, but only need opportunities. Women police personnel, Anganwadi workers, health workers, doctors and nurses worked hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

The state government has reduced the working hours for women police officials to eight hours, the chief minister said.

India holds a better future for women 15 years from now

By
Vaidehi Taman
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women in india, females, girl child, children, women workers, National Commission on Population
Image: AFP

The National Commission on Population under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed that the Girl child has a better future and people’s mindset is drastically changing. In 1994 Indian government has passed the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT) to ban and punish prenatal sex screening and female foeticide. It is currently illegal in India to determine or disclose the sex of the foetus to anyone. Then the abortion laws were made strict. Most of the abortion centres got closed. Governments campaigned to save female children and after so many years of efforts, India saw a historic change.

Those days, the population of women came down in the greed to have male children but no female child and save dowry money, and additional responsibilities. When the law became strict and abortion became illegal, the same families gave birth to several girls expecting at least one son. The increasing practice of female foeticide was clear by the decreasing male: female ratio in most parts of the country. These male-dominant power dynamics constructs the rationale which planned a kind of validation in the social psyche for gender disparity and even for gender-based crimes. It also created a social mindset that considered boys’ be an asset and girls nothing more than a burden.

In rural India, you will find many families having multiple daughters for one son. In many Indian states, there is an uneven number because the families won’t stop having children until they get a boy or are too old to have children. For a long time in those communities and states, men were the only ones who could work and bring honour to their families or many other things, so if they couldn’t have a Boy, then they were dishonoured. In other religions, it leads to a lot of families having multiple wives in order to have kids to try and get a boy, and having a ton of daughters and only 1 boy to carry on the family name.

Another reason is that because of incomplete birth registration, sex ratios in young children are used as a proxy measure, showing that improved health care and general conditions for females have been offset by increased recourse to sex-selective abortion. However, distinct geographical differences in sex ratio have appeared across the country; several states in the north and west have very high population sex ratios.

Women always played an important role in shaping the destiny of our civilization, yet the girl child, very often, not only faces disregard and disparity but sometimes the gravest forms of violence/crime. Even today, nothing would change much despite their growing numbers. In India, traditions/rituals undermine the very existence of girl children. Despite tremendous hue and cry about gender equality and the enforcement of laws for achieving the same, numerous newborn girls are still being dumped in the garbage, while the unborn female foetuses continue to be sniffed in the womb.

Our society has often dealt the young girls/women with a rough hand, beginning even before their birth and following through infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood (including pregnancy and lactation) until the last leg of their life. The long-standing tradition of son preference will never allow most of the families to stop production after one or two female children; they will keep on giving birth until they have one male child to their kitty. These growing numbers of females are coming from this want of a son and unwanted approach for them. Tomorrow, they will have fresh challenges; the deprived male population may try many cases of abuse to overpower the outgrown female population. Many women have touched heights in various fields, both at the national and international levels. Urban India has already settled with female children but ruler India has yet to change a lot. We can celebrate gender equality when abuse of women stops when no acid attacks and rape cases. India is amongst the most unequal countries in the world to be a woman.

The latest annual Global Gender Gap Index released by the World Economic Forum places India 17th from the bottom, with Afghanistan being the lowest. Unlike most nations in India, discrimination starts in the embryo, and each year over 46 million “missing women”. Every day, it reminded us in no uncertain terms that India is no country for women — within or outside the home. How can one really celebrate the growing number change in the female population?

Any suggestions, comments or disputes with regards to this article send us at feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com

More girls abandoned, remains hugely as a choice for adoption

By
Afternoon Voice
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girl child, girls education, children, adoption, beti padhao, beti padhao beti bachao, modi
Image: Pixabay

The latest government data says approximately 60% of couples going for adoption in the Thane district have shown an inclination towards a girl child. We can see this as a big shift in the orthodox Indian mindset that preferred a male child to carry a family legacy. While international celebrities such as Mandira Bedi, Sushmita Sen, Raveena Tandon and Sunny Leone, have adopted girls, parents from the Thane district, too, are increasingly opting for adopting daughters.

Aditi Vinay who adopted two daughters said, “Becoming a parent is a lifelong assurance. If you don’t already have kids, be sure you are ready for all that is involved with adoption. If you do have kids, be sure you have the time and the space to care for another child. The number of homeless children will decrease to zero if each family adopts one child.”

Five-year data compiled by the Thane district women and child welfare department and accessed by Times of India shows that of the 213 child adoptions registered and executed since 2016, around 122, or roughly 60%, were for a girl child. Social workers engaged in counselling prospective adoptive parents said a majority of couples, including those who are childless or already have boys in their families, preferred a daughter believing that girls are more likely to settle in easily with the family and look after them when they’re old. Officials also said there were almost negligible cases of adopted girls being returned over not being able to bond with their foster families.

CARA CEO, Lt. Col. Deepak Kumar, said Indian couples desired girls for adoption. If 10,000 people want to adopt boys, there are 15,000 who want to adopt girls”.

Child rights activists claim that more girls are available for adoption, and subsequently, more girls are being adopted. Nothing much has changed in society.

Zenobia Khodaiji a social worker said, “There are many more girl children that are abandoned than male children. Most of the orphanages have more girls than boys. So, the modern couple chose a girl for adoption. Remember, people’s mindset has not changed but the availability of choices forces them to adopt girls.”

Vandana Patil, deputy director of Janani Ashish charitable trust in Dombivli, one of the registered agencies for adoption in Thane said, “Not just childless couples, even those who already have sons in the family go for adopting a baby girl as they feel she will be more emotionally attached to parents. Surprising as it may seem, it’s a welcome change.”

While citing case studies, experts said a few years back, an affluent family had insisted on a girl child despite having three baby boys, while another couple working in the IT industry adopted a baby girl even after they already had a boy. A childless couple from Thane also adopted two girls back-to-back recently. “The family told us they were keen on adopting a second daughter within a few years of bringing home their first,” said Patil.

However, officials and experts also pointed out that while the volume of girls being adopted is encouragingly high, the count of daughters being abandoned or surrendered by their biological parents is also quite high. Though no official data was available, experts said approximately 65% of children at various child care institutes in the district were girls.

These days, even transgender couples and those single parents who have a desire to have children are adopting a female child from various sources. They believe daughters need care; boys have little challenges.

Gauri a Trans-female told Afternoon voice, “I and my partner adopted a girl child since our PM said “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao“. We will raise our daughter and educate her.”

Money laundering case: Special PMLA court gives Nawab Malik 14-day judicial custody

By
Web Team
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nawab malik, malik, ncp, malik, ed, enforcement directorate, ed court, pmla court, pmla, money laundering
Money laundering case: Special PMLA court gives Nawab Malik 14-day judicial custody 12

A special court on Monday remanded Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik in 14-day judicial custody in a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.

Malik was arrested on February 23 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after being questioned for about five hours at the probe agency’s office in south Mumbai.

The NCP leader was produced before special judge R N Rokade at the end of his ED remand on Monday.

The court sent him in judicial custody as no further remand was sought by the probe agency. The ED’s case is based on an FIR filed recently by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Dawood Ibrahim and others. The NIA had filed its criminal complaint under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Mumbai civic body issues notice to Narayan Rane for ‘unauthorised’ alterations in his bungalow

By
PTI
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narayan rane, bmc, mumbai civic body, narayan rane bungalow
Mumbai civic body issues notice to Narayan Rane for 'unauthorised' alterations in his bungalow 14

The Shiv Sena-controlled BMC has sent a notice to Union minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane’s bungalow in Mumbai for alleged unauthorised alterations carried out there, sources in the civic body said on Monday.

In the notice, issued on Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked the bungalow owner to show “sufficient cause” within seven days as to why such alterations should not be removed.

The BMC’s notice has mentioned an “unauthorised” change of use in the basement and seven of the eight floors of the bungalow (except the seventh floor).

A team of civic officials had last month inspected the bungalow, named ‘Adhish’, in the upscale Juhu area here for alleged violation of the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms.

The notice has been served under section 351(1) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, 1888. In the notice, issued by a designated officer of the K-West ward, the BMC said the changes carried out at the bungalow were not in line with plans approved by the civic body.

“…I, in the exercise of powers conferred upon me by section 351 (1A) of the said act, direct you to show sufficient cause, by a statement in writing subscribed by you or by an agent duly authorised by you in that behalf and addressed to the undersigned and delivered within 7 days from the receipt of this notice, as to why the said building or work shall not be removed or altered or pulled down or the use of restored,” the officer said.

The notice asked the bungalow owner to show sufficient cause to prove that the work/s mentioned is/are carried out in accordance with provisions of sections 337/342 and 347 of the MMC Act.

“It should be noted that if you fail to show sufficient cause as directed above, the said building or work will be removed/altered/pulled down/use of premises restored, at your risk and cost, and you may be prosecuted under section 475A of the said Act, which is punishable with imprisonment and fine,” the notice said.

Narayan Rane, a former Shiv Sena leader, is a bitter critic of his former party and its head, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Russia to open humanitarian corridors in Ukraine on March 7

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Web Team
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ukraine, russia, flee, humanitarian corridor, russia ukraine conflict
Image: Reuters

The Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv at 1000 Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Monday, Russia’s defence ministry said.

The corridors, which will also be opened from the cities of Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy, are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron and in view of the current situation in those cities, it said.

According to maps published by the RIA news agency, the corridor from Kyiv will lead to Belarus, and civilians from Kharkiv will only have a corridor leading to Russia. Corridors from Mariupol and Sumy will lead both to other Ukrainian cities and to Russia.

Those who want to leave Kyiv will also be able to be airlifted to Russia, the ministry said, adding that it would use drones to monitor the evacuation and “attempts by the Ukrainian side to deceive Russia and the whole civilised world… are useless this time”. Two planned evacuation operations from Mariupol and the nearby city of Volnovakha have failed over the last two days as the sides accused each other of failing to stop shooting and shelling. In Mariupol alone, Ukrainian authorities have said they planned to evacuate over 200,000 civilians or half of the city’s population.

Raj Thackeray walks the talk, Maharashtra’s ‘Blueprint’ ready

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Afternoon Voice
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raj thackeray blue print
Raj Thackeray walks the talk, Maharashtra's 'Blueprint' ready 17

Raj Thackeray’s Political Party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has launched its ‘Blue Print’ of its political vision. The MNS party has created a website www.mnsblueprint.org ahead of BMC elections.

The Blue Print consists of

  • Basic needs are food, water, shelter and tribal uplifting.
  • Women’s Safety and their financial security and Law and order in the State.
  • Focusing on Town planning, his priorities are health, sports and recreation, Child Parenting, Primary Education and employment, Transport, electricity, Water Canalization, Metro creations, solid waste management, sanitize, recreation grounds, internet connectivity and Biological Environment.
  • The administration part focuses on developing Strong local admins, public work projects, people initiatives, union and state relations, State taxation policy, digital governance, law commission, foreign policy, regional balance, public representative progress card.
  • Progress opportunities will have provincial Industrial policy, Trade and Merchandising, building government organizations, Agro-advantage, Tourism, High Education, Business diplomacy.
  • Marathi language and Forts, as well as sports education, would be given priority. The blueprint is youth-centric.

Madhav Bhandari, Spokesperson of Maharashtra BJP told Afternoon Voice, “Our Agenda is Hindu and our motto is to keep India Shining.  We are a National Party and our Hinduism is glazed from our work for the Country.  The Campaigns of a tie-up with MNS is not new by now, in politics, no one is a friend or foe forever. Hinduism should not be taken for granted. Otherwise, you won’t be able to recognize yourself. Our activists have laid their lives for the formation of Religious National. We won’t change our thoughts. We befriend once and for all time.”         

Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi said, “Mumbai isn’t only of Marathi Manoos or Maharashtrians it’s a Universal city.’ They take the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Rajashri Shahu. They should know that 50 % of reserves include 35% of Muslims of Phule and Ambedkar. I am working only to outclass the BJP because their Politics is not nationalist but is religious politics. Hindu- Muslim politics play for elections by dividing people. Chanting the name of Lord Ram and doing no work is unacceptable.”

Member of Legislative Council of NCP Vidya Chavan quoted, “Raj Thackeray has vision and he should unite with Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. The Thackeray brothers should put aside their differences & come together with INC and NCP. Shiv Sena has grown in the rural politics of Maharashtra. So, they should stay away from the BJP. Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city. The labourers are from UP and Bihar the MNS should show fluctuation in thoughts and be Liberal. Raj Thackeray can expand his views and express his thinking mindfully.”

The former CM of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan doesn’t like to comment on Raj’s personality. He said that “I do not like personal politics. Raj isn’t a Statesman as yet. To win the Maharashtra CM’s Cabin one needs a lot of hard work. Looking at him I don’t think he is ready for that. I don’t like this local level group politics. It takes years to gain the governance of a State. A Party should put efforts to grow from Rural to Urban. The Metro politics remain Metropolitan and the province is regional. Party Chief expands his Party across the length & breadth of a State.”                 

The Shiv Sena official spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant remarked on this blueprint saying, “Raj Thackeray an MNS has no consistency of thought. They wanted to be with the BJP then why don’t they go with them.  MNS had no calculations or planning of the electoral process. They eat some votes and try to make pressure groups, what kind of Politics is this? This is just a blind game without ambition or aim. No target in the local booths. For over a decade MNS has been sullying without a compass.”

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