Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman 51 Squadron will be awarded unit citation by Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria for thwarting Pakistani aerial attack and shooting down their F-16 fighter aircraft on Feb 27, earlier this year.
The award is slated to be received by commanding officer Group Captain Satish Pawar on October 8.
During Pakistan’s counter-attack on India in response to the Balakot airstrike, Abhinandan flew a MiG-21 Bison fighter into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Abhinandan was grounded due to ejection from his MiG-21 which was shot down in the aerial conflict with Pakistan Air Force F-16s.
Abhinandan was released by the Pakistan government after pressure was exerted by India and the international community. He was also conferred with the third-highest wartime gallantry award, Vir Chakra on the 73rd Independence Day.
Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal’s 601 Signal unit will also be awarded for their role in Balakot aerial strikes and foiling the aerial attack by Pakistan in February.
The number nine squadron, whose Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft carried out the Balakot aerial strikes on February 26 during ‘Operation Bandar‘, will also be awarded.
Maharashtra BJP has released the fourth list for the forthcoming assembly polls and has not issued tickets to top leaders Vinod Tawde, Eknath Khadse and Prakash Mehta. These three leaders have been involved in corruption. However, the party has issued ticket to Khadse’s daughter Rohini Khadse from Muktainagar seat. The decision to field Rohini Khadse indicates that the party has succeeded in placating her father who is one of its senior most leaders in the state but has been sidelined following charges of irregularities when he was a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government. Thus, BJP has taken calculated risk to win assembly polls scheduled on October 21.
When our correspondent Nikhil Sagare spoke to BJP spokesperson Vishwas Pathak he said, “Party conducts a survey of candidates and the candidate who has the maximum chance of winning is issued ticket. In a democracy any person can contest election. Despite hailing from Gujarat, Narendra Modi has won election from Varanasi and got elected as Prime Minister. A person can contest election from any place but winning is important.”
Sunil Rane has been allotted ticket in place of Vinod Tawde. Rahul Narvekar has replaced Raj Purohit from the Colaba seat. After Tawde’s name was missing from the first two lists he had met BJP State chief Chandrakant Patil but his efforts failed to yield the desired results. Tawde was once seen as a contender for the chief minister’s post. Allegations have been made against Tawde for issuing contract for purchasing fire extinguishing equipment without issuing e-tender. However Tawde claimed that he has not given a single pie to contractors and stalled the order after Finance department raised objections.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Amar Sable said, “BJP has not issued tickets to senior leaders because new candidates must be given chance for contesting election which helps in the development of the party. Such instances occur in cadre based parties. If Eknath Khadse and Vinod Tawde become star campaigner then BJP will derive benefit out of it.”
Allegations have been leveled against Prakash Mehta for irregularities in the slum rehabilitation scheme. Also allegations have been made against Mehta for transferring extra building rights in South Mumbai’s MP Mills compound under slum rehabilitation authority scheme. Parag Shah has been issued ticket from Ghatkopar (East) in place of Prakash Mehta. Supporters of Prakash Mehta angry over denial of ticket to him vandalised the car of Parag Shah. Mehta’s supporters were angry over denial of ticket to their leader from Ghatkopar (East), from where he won in 2014. They damaged the car’s glass and also other parts of the vehicle.
Khadse has filed nomination as Independent candidate from Muktainagar, Jalgaon. He had to resign as state revenue minister. He was once considered as a serious contender for the chief ministerial post. The final seat sharing formula between BJP and Shiv Sena has also been finalised. BJP is contesting on 150 seats while Shiv Sena is contesting on 124 seats and other allies get 14 seats. The BJP’s fourth list of candidates comes on the last day of nomination filing for the October 21 Maharashtra assembly polls. The BJP has released three lists earlier. Ahead of the release of BJP’s final list of candidates speculation was rife that Eknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde and few other senior leaders of the party might not be fielded in 2019 Maharashtra assembly election.
Since the first list of candidates was out, Vinod Tawde was making rounds to Chandrakant Patil’s house. CM Devendra Fadnavis was not in a mood to invite him. Rather no one in BJP really bothered to entertain him. BJP released its fourth list of seven candidates for the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly polls, dropping cabinet minister Vinod Tawde. In a press conference, after being dropped by the BJP in the upcoming assembly election, Tawde said, “I’m also wondering why party didn’t give me a ticket to contest elections. This is not the time to discuss what went wrong.” He further added that, “I got a chance to prove myself and I did that.” He might pretend as if he does not know anything but reality bites and he knows he has not handled his portfolio well, that was the reason his ministry was given to Ashish Shelar.
Even senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse has become a source of embarrassment for the party due to his utterances. Khadse has been told that the party would give a ticket to his daughter Rohini Khadse, or any other candidate of his choice. With Khadse weighing his options, the BJP has kept everyone guessing. NCP leader Ajit Pawar met Khadse and asked him to join the NCP and fight on an NCP ticket from Muktainagar; Khadse has sought time to consider the offer. The decision to field Rohini Khadse indicates that the party has succeeded in placating her father, who is one of its senior most leaders in the state but has been sidelined following charges of irregularities when he was a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government. Eknath Khadse had to resign as the state revenue minister in 2016.
In Mumbai Colaba, MLA Raj Purohit has been kept waiting as the BJP wants a fresh face from the constituency. The other issue with Colaba constituency is that the BJP is trying to woo senior NCP leader Ramraje Nimbalkar who has apparently put out a condition that he would join only on the condition that BJP gives the Colaba seat to his son-in-law Rahul Narvekar. The party has also denied a ticket to former minister Prakash Mehta who was once close to home minister Amit Shah. Mehta, however, used all his clout in trying to get a ticket for himself or one of his sons but all failed. Mehta had been under a cloud due to a number of irregularities when he was the housing minister. The final seat-sharing formula between BJP and Shiv Sena has also been finalised. BJP will be contesting on 150 seats while Shiv Sena will contest on 124 seats and other allies will get 14 seats. Sunil Rane has replaced Vinod Tawde. Rahul Narvekar has replaced Raj Purohit from the Colaba seat. Parag Shah has replaced Prakash Mehta. Pradeep Padole has been nominated from the Tumsar seat and Rahul Dhikale will contest from the Nashik East seat. The BJP’s fourth list of candidates came on the last day of nomination filing for the October 21 Maharashtra assembly elections.
The BJP had released three lists earlier. Ahead of the release of the BJP’s final list of candidates, speculation was rife that Eknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde and few other senior leaders of the party might not be fielded in 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election. On the final day of filing of nominations, several big shots, including sitting and former ministers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), got a big shock after they failed to get a ticket for contesting the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Despite Tawde doing the rounds of the party office hopefully, his seat of Borivali has been given to Sunil Rane while Rahul Narvekar has ejected Purohit — a former minister, from Colaba constituency. Prakash Mehta’s Ghatkopar East constituency has gone to party corporator and developer Parag Shah. Shah, who contested 2017 civic polls had grabbed headlines for being one of the richest candidates in the state. He had then declared assets worth over Rs 650 crore.
Tawade, Purohit, Khadse, Mehta were named in one or the other scams/irregularities. So, is it a signal from the BJP’s high command that they are being under scrutiny and their work has been reviewed. According to reports, the reason behind dropping Tawde is not clear but there has been speculation of his initial rivalry with Fadnavis. Prakash Mehta had been dropped from the cabinet this year following serious allegations of graft against him in a slum rehabilitation project. Meanwhile, the BJP was looking for a fresh face after Purohit landed in soup over sting in 2015. In the sting operation Purohit was heard commenting about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah’s style of functioning.
One of the lasting images ahead of the 2014 state polls was that Devendra Fadnavis and Vinod Tawde carried over 14,000 pages of irrigation scam papers in a bullock cart to hand it over to the Madhav Chitale probe panel. Five years down the line, no action has been taken against then accused former water resources ministers Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare in the multi-crore irrigation scam. Ahead of the state polls in October, the political temperature in the state has similarly been notched up with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filing a money laundering case against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank scam. The irony is that the MSCB scam, dates back to the Congress-NCP government in 2011 and the inter-rivalry between these parties, much like the irrigation scam. The first such money laundering case against Pawar, who controlled the Maharashtra’s sugar lobby for over two decades, just ahead of the polls, has, however, put a question mark on the motive of the probe. This is also because Pawar was not on the board of the MSC Bank as a director during the entire period that the scam refers to (from 2002 to 2017) and as such cannot be held directly responsible for any of its decisions.
But look at the tragedy, same Vinod Tawde is sidelined due to corruption and if not this time next time it’s the turn of Devendra Fadnavis, BJP leaders really need to understand that Modi is not tolerant to corruptions and scams. Everyone has to pay the price.
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Whenever ultra-nationalists combined with religious bigots get into power in any country, they in fact invited unwarranted hassles for their own nation by unnecessarily exhibiting hostility towards their friendly neighbours. Leaders of the radical Hinduist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and their political or ideological cronies are indulging into notorious attempts of terrorizing a friendly neighbour like Bangladesh by bringing up false claims and allegations admixed with threats of repressive actions.
According to an opinion editorial published in leading Indian English newspaper just a day before the official visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Kolkata seemed to draw equivalence between the citizens of Bangladesh and ‘infiltrators’ and said at a seminar, “All infiltrators will be thrown out.” At the same time, the police in Uttar Pradesh were ordered to identify and deport foreign nationals from Bangladesh. Commenting on Amit Shah’s remarks, a source said, “We do not yet know if these developments are giving a message to Dhaka and specifically to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but certainly, these comments are drawing attention to the issue of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the drive against the Muslim Bengalis”.
Ruling BJP’s blue-eyed-boy, Amit Shah’s comments came days after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met Narendra Modi in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where Prime Minister Modi categorically said that Dhaka should not worry about the fallout of the NRC process in Assam which left 1.9 million Indian citizens out of the citizenship list. Similarly, Dr. S. Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of Indian during his recent visit to Dhaka had described the NRC in Assam as an “internal matter” of India.
During her meeting with the Indian Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina has clearly told that the NRC has emerged as a “matter of great concern” to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in the India chapter of the World Economic Forum, where it will present the success story of Bangladesh in socio-economic field during the past eleven years, which has transformed Bangladesh into a major destination of international investments.
However, Ms. Hasina conveyed to Mr. Modi in New York that the NRC had emerged as a “matter of great concern”. The communication was confirmed by Foreign Minister Abdul Momen. Ms. Hasina will reach Delhi on Thursday to participate in the India chapter of the World Economic Forum where she is expected to present her country as a success story and a major destination for international investments.
While Bangladesh has already emerged into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world under the dynamic and magnanimous leadership of Sheikh Hasina, there is a sign of grave frustration within West Bengal and Northeastern states in India as they have been gradually drowning into growing economic crisis and unemployment. Hundreds and thousands of Indian nationals currently are flocking into in search of jobs. According to statistics, currently there are over one million Indians, who are illegally working in Bangladesh.
Indian policymakers are expressing grave concern seeing the steady and fast pace of economic growth in Bangladesh, as such a situation may ultimately lead to revolts by the residents in West Bengal and the Northeastern states in India, which may ultimately result in a massive political movement against the New Delhi establishment. Those pundits are even comparing the situation in West Bengal and the Northeastern states to that of erstwhile East Pakistan, which had reacted to West Pakistan’s repressive attitude and had finally started a war of independence.
Some of the key strategists in India are even suggesting some “urgent measures” in “stopping the fast growth” of Bangladesh economy and its growing cooperation with China, for the “sake of” India’s “sovereignty and integrity”. They fear, a prosperous Bangladesh has already become as issue of anger to the Indian nationals as they are becoming increasingly frustrated at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s failure in resolving the growing unemployment crisis and attracting foreign investments.
Analysts say, amongst the South Asian nations, currently Bangladesh is the best destination of foreign investments as the country has political stability and has greatly resolved political and labour unrest. Moreover, Sheikh Hasina government’s policies are extremely investor-friendly while the country also enjoys an advantageous position in comparing to its South Asian neighbours due to massive infrastructural development. Furthermore, Bangladesh’s being a key partner in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has already opened the prospect for Bangladeshi trade to expand further in the Asian nations as well as Europe and Africa, once this brainchild project of President Xi Jinping is fully implemented. Those large industrial projects shifting their establishments from China are now giving their top preference to Bangladesh and by 2030, Bangladesh is expected to witness a massive industrial growth with most of the least advanced districts transforming into an industrial hub. Economic experts are seeing several “Pudong” in Bangladesh within the next few years.
It may be mentioned here that, Pudong is a district of Shanghai located east of the Huangpu River across from the historic city center of Shanghai in Puxi. The name refers to its historic position as “The East Bank” of the Huangpu River, which flows through central Shanghai, although it is now administered as the Pudong New Area, a state-level new area that extends all the way to the East China Sea.
The traditional area of Pudong is now home to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone and the Shanghai Stock Exchange and many of Shanghai’s best-known buildings, such as the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, and the Shanghai Tower. These modern skyscrapers directly face Puxi’s historic Bund, a remnant of former foreign concessions in China. The rest of the new area includes the Port of Shanghai, the Shanghai Expo and Century Park, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the Jiuduansha Wetland Nature Reserve, Nanhui New City, and the Shanghai Disney Resort.
In 2001 when I was invited by the Chinese government to visit Pudong, I was spellbound seeing how a district with mostly agricultural lands was being transformed into an economic hub, attracting foreign investors from around the world. Bangladesh too has that prospect, and by 2030, we surely will witness the creation of similar economic hubs under the leadership of our Prime Minister.
In conclusion, I would like to say, we sincerely want a sweet relationship with India based on mutual respect and trust. Indian politicians should refrain from making comments which may jeopardize the existing cordial relations between Dhaka and Delhi. We believe, NRC is an internal affair of India, and the policymakers of that country only know how to deal with their own citizen. It is totally unacceptable that the policymakers would ever think of pushing their own citizen to a neighbouring country by falsely branding them as “infiltrators”.
(Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a multi-award-winning journalist and editor of Blitz)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
World Animal Day is a time to celebrate and appreciate our relationship with the animals that share the planet with us. Nine decades ago, the idea of World Animal Day was mooted by Heinrich Zimmermann, the German writer. He organised the first World Animal Day on March 24, 1925, in the Sport Palace in Berlin, Germany. Over 5,000 people attended. Initially, he found a following only in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia. But, Zimmermann worked on promoting World Animal Day. Finally, in May 1931 at a congress of the world’s animal protection organisations in Florence, Italy, his proposal to make October 4 World Animal Day universal, was accepted.
There are also other days linked to animals such as World Farmed Animals Day (October 2), World Day for Laboratory Animals (April 24), World Wildlife Day (March 3) and many more. However, World Animal Day is the one day of the year that embraces all animals and the unique concerns of each, in every country. It unites the animal welfare movement, mobilising it into a global force for change.
Ecosystems are extremely fragile and when any species becomes extinct, it has serious repercussions. So, it is important to conserve the balance in our ecosystems and protect the animals. It ensures that tens of thousands of people will maintain their farming and fishing livelihoods. Over the years, World Animal Day has seen great success in improving the lives of animals.
In Egypt, the day’s events have led to additional clauses in the Egyptian constitution that offer rights to animals. Similarly, in Sudan, the parliament has introduced new legislation meant to protect animals. Today, there are 89 ambassadors raising awareness, and encouraging participation in, 76 countries around the globe. So it is time to have a rational thinking on animals and to have a holistic approach in taking care of animals as well as birds.
Act for a cause includes:- Pet adoption drives, Fund-raising events such as concerts and sponsored walks, Film screening, Veterinary treatment camp, Peaceful protest march, Volunteer at a zoo or a park, Make your own pledge board to help our a noble cause.
This is also an opportune time to talk about the humane treatment of farm animals and to advocate for protection of habitats of wild animals. This is now a social movement with the hope of raising the status of animals to improve their lives. To achieve this, animal welfare organisations, community groups, youth and children’s clubs, businesses and individuals organise events to draw attention to animal issues.
There are initiatives like Save Tiger day and this should spread to all animals in the horizon.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Dussehra is actually the festival of the Kshatriyas. But all Hindus observe this festival with great joy. Traditionally, in Indian culture, Dussehra was always full of dances, where the whole community mixed together, met and mingled. But because of external influences and invasions over the past two hundred years, we have lost that charm today.
Otherwise, Dussehra was always very vibrant. The Vijayadashami or Dussehra festival is of a tremendous cultural significance for all of us who live in this land – irrespective of caste, creed, colour or religion – and should be celebrated with gaiety and love.
Jubel D’Cruz
Government should monitor ODF program
The Government of India recently declared urban India as ‘Open Defecation Free’ (ODF) nation as a global benchmark and the same has made the headlines along side ‘Swachh Bharath Abhiyaan‘ and Single Use Plastic ban enforcement effective October 2. It is welcome to know that the government has wholeheartedly chosen October 2 as a symbolic day to engage the citizens and promote for a crucial social and environmental cause-with single use plastic ban now being added to the list.
While a proud citizen appreciates the efforts to declare India as ODF nation, there is an urgent need to monitor such environment programmes through extensive awareness, campaign management and effective program implementation. ODF status requires one to maintain high level of tidiness of the premises round the clock, adequate supply of water and timely upkeep by trained personnel. Unless there is a high level of cleanliness and hygiene ensured, ODF will only remain as a symbolic achievement .
Also Indian citizens aren’t quite used to cleaner public restrooms as practised in other countries and a clean sanitation remains confined only within household or establishment and is typically not followed in public spaces. ODF program should now have a mandate to provide adequate and clean access to public restrooms make use of the facility provided in a public space. Such a change should lead to a high impact on people’s otherwise casual approach towards a clean sanitation practises and also improve personal hygiene especially in a public space.
Further the government should strictly monitor ODF program implementation ideally through a Nodal agency or a new department affiliated under watchful eyes of a Ministry. Unless cleaner spaces are assured to access the public restrooms in both urban and rural spaces, ODF will otherwise require a greater push to achieve a complete success.
Varun Dambal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Extending its rate cut spree into the fifth time in a row, the monetary policy committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday slashed the repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 5.15 per cent. All loans, including home and car loans will be cheaper on account of this decision. It is a good news for common man during festive season.
Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank lends money to the commercial banks, in case of any shortfall in funds. Consequently, the reverse repo rate now stands at 4.9 per cent. Also, the central bank maintained its accommodative policy stance.
The six-member committee revised the GDP target for FY20 to 6.1 per cent from 6.9 per cent, earlier. Most analysts had expected the RBI to cut interest rates, although they were unsure of the quantum following an unconventional 35 basis-point easing last time.
While all 39 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had expected a reduction, their forecasts varied from 15 basis points to 40 basis points. India, which is Asia’s third-largest economy, expanded by just 5 per cent in the June quarter, its slowest pace since 2013. That had raised expectations the RBI will be forced to further downgrade its growth projection of 6.9 per cent for the current fiscal year.
“At the margin, fiscal activism could be seen as reducing the burden on monetary policy to lift growth. However, given the limited growth and inflation impact of corporate tax cuts in the near term, we do not expect the monetary policy path to materially differ. In line with this assumption, we expect the RBI to reduce the policy repo rate by more than 25bp (we forecast up to 40bp repo rate cut to 5%), owing to a sharp reduction of growth forecasts, CPI inflation within the 4% target, and to give a push to credit demand ahead of the festive season (given banks have linked their lending rates to policy repo rates),” analysts at Nomura had written in the policy preview note.
The monetary policy expectation is not just limited to rate cuts. What’s perhaps more important at this stage is to ensure their quick transmission. While aggregate liquidity conditions have improved, transmission remains slow. The RBI’s assessment of the same will be critical. Apart from this, we would watch out for the central bank’s assessment of the NBFC situation and any regulatory developments thereof, Edelweiss Securities had said in a note dated September.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena’s poll contestants largely are those who have joined saffron brigade from Congress or NCP. Due to which there is unrest among party workers. Meanwhile, BJP has given its smaller allies a total of 14 seats and retained the rest of the 150 seats for itself for the Maharashtra assembly election. The Shiv Sena and BJP had finalised a seat-sharing agreement wherein the BJP, seen as a big brother, will retain the major share of 164 seats and the Shiv Sena will contest the remaining 124 seats. On the other hand, a section of local workers of the BJP and Shiv Sena have opposed the BJP’s decision to field Abhimanyu Pawar, personal assistant of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, from Ausa Assembly seat. Pawar would be making his electoral debut from Ausa in Maharashtra’s Latur district in the October 21 state Assembly elections. Some local workers of the BJP and Sena approached guardian minister and BJP leader Sambahaji Patil Nilangekar and expressed their unhappiness over the choice of candidate, Abhimanyu Pawar is being seen as an outsider. Sena workers want that the seat be given back to the party and a son of the soil be fielded from here. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena contested election from Ausa earlier, but it was ceded to the BJP as part of the seat-sharing agreement for the 2019 Maharashtra assembly election. The seat-sharing deal between BJP and Shiv Sena, the ruling combine that is seeking a second term in Maharashtra, has led to a lot of heartburn among the cadres of both parties and many of them are now threatening to either rebel or ensure that they do not work to canvass for the official candidates. The BJP seems to be the worst hit with many in the party upset at the seats exchanged with the Sena and also on the choice of candidates. They were angry, as Patil Nilangekar had sought the ticket for his brother Arvind Patil from Ausa. However, BJP has given the ticket to Abhimanyu Pawar, the personal assistant (PA) to Maharashtra CM.
In its first list of candidates, the BJP dropped 12 sitting MLAs. One of them was Sudhakar Bhalerao, MLA from Udgir, who had his own arguments. Several BJP leaders from Nagpur, who have not been given tickets, also made a beeline to BJP leader Nitin Gadkari’s residence in Nagpur asking him to intervene. BJP is also having problems in Nashik where Vasant Geete, a former MNS leader who had joined the BJP, is upset at being denied a party ticket from Nashik. Geete is now planning to quit the party and has approached the NCP to contest on its symbol.
Manikrao Kokate, a former Congress MLA who had joined BJP, is also upset at being denied a ticket from Sinnar in Nashik. Shiv Sena too also has been hit with rebellion. Shiv Sena leader from Nashik Vilas Shinde has announced that he would contest the elections independently. Shinde is upset that the Nashik west seat that he was demanding has gone to the BJP. Narendra Pawar, sitting BJP MLA from Kalyan West whose seat has been allocated to the Shiv Sena in the seat-sharing pact between the saffron allies, now Nagendra Pawar would contest as an Independent candidate from the constituency.
Sena declared the name of Vishwanath Bhoir as its candidate from the Kalyan
West seat. Bhoir is Kalyan city president of the Sena. Six BJP corporators from Kalyan, along with Pawar and some BJP office-bearers from the city, had submitted their resignations to state party chief Chandrakant Patil to protest against the grant of the seat to the Sena. His supporters among BJP activists had also protested outside his office and requested him to contest as an Independent.
They had accused the BJP’s senior leaders of weakening the party in an area once represented by the likes of Rambhau.
In the mean time, Devendra Fadnavis, will contest from Nagpur South West. It is to be noted that Fadnavis had contested from this seat in 2014 too. BJP Maharashtra Chief Chandrakant Patil has been fielded from Kothrud while Pankaja Munde will contest from Parli. Shivendra Singh, who is a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivji Maharaj, will contest from Satara assembly. Mukta Tilak, the daughter-in-law of Lokmanya Tilak, has been given the ticket from Kasba Peth. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who quit Congress and joined BJP recently, will contest from Shirdi. State Minister Girish Mahajan will contest from Jamner.
Udyan Raj Bhonsle has been nominated to contest from Satara for Lok Sabha by-poll. Notably, BJP has been given both assembly seats of Navi Mumbai, seats that Shiv Sena had been eyeing for its contestants. Aditya Thackeray has been fielded from Worli assembly constituency, a party stronghold in south-central Mumbai. Aditya will be the first member from the Thackeray family to enter the electoral fray after Shalini Thackeray, the wife of Jeetendra Thackeray, a cousin of MNS founder Raj Thackeray, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Shiv Sena is expecting to win maximum seats so that Aditya can be chaired as CM of Maharashtra.
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The battle of Maharashtra Assembly elections has already started after notification by the Election Commission of India. With the nomination of Abhimanyu Pawar, Personal Assistant (PA) of CM Devendra Fadnavis, from Ausa Assembly seat as BJP-Shiv Sena candidate, protests have erupted. Local leaders and workers of both BJP-Shiv Sena have opposed the candidature of an outsider Abhimanyu Pawar. They have demanded the BJP leadership to change the candidate and field a ‘son of soil’ from Ausa Assembly. For a single man the party has disappointed its cadres of Latur district. Here BJP is following a strategy like that of Congress.
It is remarkable that the first lists of the ruling alliance BJP and Shiv Sena include 27 candidates from opposition parties, 18 from NCP and 9 from Congress. This has also disappointed their cadres as many genuine leaders of BJP-Shiv Sena are deprived of tickets for contesting election. October 4 is the last date of filing nominations. Voting for 288 seats of Maharashtra Assembly will be held on October 21 and results will be declared on October 24.
Abhimanyu Pawar is contesting assembly election first time. His name figured in first list of the BJP from Ausa seat in Latur district. He will file nomination papers on Friday.
When our correspondent Nikhil Sagare spoke to Bajrang Jadhav chairman of Latur Zilla Parishad Agriculture Committee said, “The BJP party leaders have taken a wrong decision. Both Shiv Sena and BJP are raising their voice against this decision. Seat must be allotted to local candidate. If Abhimanyu Pawar’s nomination is not cancelled then any untoward incident will happen.”
According to sources, Abhimanyu Pawar managed to get the ticket for assembly election on account of being PA of Chief Minister of Maharashtra while local leaders of Ausa Assembly are disappointed due to this decision of the BJP. Some leaders of BJP and Shiv Sena of the constituency met the Guardian Minister of Latur Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar and registered their protest on fielding Abhimanyu Pawar from Ausa on Wednesday. Arvind Patil Nilangekar, brother of Guardian Minister confirmed this.
Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said, “BJP leaders have become more aggressive. When two parties form alliance they have discussion pertaining to various issues and decision is taken accordingly. In order to calm down the situation party leaders are taking efforts.”
Shiv Sena leader and former MLA of Ausa Dinkar Mane said that Abhimanyu Pawar is being seen as an outsider in the area. Ausa is traditional seat of Sena. He represented this assembly seat twice in 1999 and 2004. Therefore, Sena workers are demanding that Ausa seat should be given back to the party so that a son of soil could be fielded from this seat. This time, Shiv Sena left Ausa Assembly seat for the BJP under seat sharing agreement.
BJP and Sena workers went into the streets on Wednesday and protested the decision to field Abhimanyu Pawar from Ausa. Protesters also blocked the road. They expressed their anger over this. They demanded to replace Abhimanyu Pawar by either Bajrang Jadhav or Dinkar Mane.
Bajrang Jadhav is a prominent BJP leader of Ausa constituency. He is chairman of Latur Zilla Parishad Agriculture Committee. Jadhav also said that Abhimanyu Pawar is an outsider. He said that if the party will not hear their voice, one of them will fight election. This indicates that Bajrang Jadhav can be rebel candidate from Ausa Assembly. Jadhav clearly said that if their demand is rejected by the party, he or any son of soil can contest polls from Ausa seat.
BJP leader Arvind Patil Nilangekar said that party workers have expressed their feelings. The Guardian Minister assured them to convey their feelings to the party leadership. He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not only the family but our mother and we are children of this family. We should stand by the party. During the last 20 years, they have added members to the party one by one here. Earlier, Latur district had been Congress dominated. But under the leadership of Guardian Minister Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar, Latur became stronghold of the BJP in last five years.
On the other hand, Abhimanyu Pawar expressed his gratitude to the BJP leadership for giving ticket from Ausa and thanked Sena for supporting him. He said that he will win election and leave no stone unturned in serving the people. Congress’ sitting MLA Basavraj Patil is going to give Abhimanyu Pawar a tough fight in Ausa. Apart from this, he has to face opposition within the party and alliance, which is more challenging than Basavraj Patil. It is a million dollar question that will Abhimanyu Pawar break ‘Chakravyuh of Ausa Assembly’?
India is a secular country and after getting our independence on 15th August 1947, we have the right to express our views and nobody can stop us from giving valuable suggestions. Newspapers play a positive role in bringing the views of the readers by including them in Letters to the editor column. It gives an opportunity to the reader to give their free and frank opinion.
“India is my country and all the Indians are my brothers and sisters” goes a long way. The Government is by the people of the people and for the people. Pen is mightier than sword is true. National Integration is the hall mark of Indian sub-continent.
India is a linguistic country and we have many newspapers in different languages to express our views. We need not get feared for exposing right things and try to provide solutions in a right way. Gandhiji brought freedom for India and it is up to us to preserve our independence in the best way possible.
Mahatma Gandhiji’s spirit for freedom struggle came from the cricketing field. Gandhiji, when requested for an autograph “played with a straight bat”, quite forgetting that he was engaged in a mighty and bloodless revolution with the British-and thereby became a member of an official in England Team. How he was chosen could not probably have been explained even by the MCC selectors.
Cricket might not have affected Gandhi, but Gandhi certainly affected cricket. The political movements he led and the social changes he sought to bring about had their consequences on how the game was played in the sub-continent. Mahatma’s classmates at Alfred High School, Rajkot. This man, Ratilal Ghelabhai Mehta, remembered Gandhi as “a dashing cricketer” who “evinced a keen interest in the game as a school student. He was, it seems, good both at batting and bowling and had an uncanny understanding of the game’s uncertainties as well.
Requested for his autograph Gandhiji turned over the pages and put his signature as the 17th player of the MCC team led by Douglas Jardine in 1933-34. The autograph book is one of the treasured possessions of the Marlybourne Cricket Club ( MCC ) at Lord’s. Not only Gandhiji signed autograph book but also played for the team comprising of Indians of British origin. Mahatma Gandhi played for a team of British origin against a team of Indian origin at London and scored 21 runs with 3 boundaries. He took one wicket also. He was wearing pant and shirt while playing.
Gandhiji was not only a cricket enthusiast but he also wielded the willow. R.G. Mehta, a boyhood friend and schoolmate wrote” It is not commonly known that Gandhiji was a dashing cricketer and evinced keen interest in the game. Once we were watching a cricket match together. In those days there were ding-dong battles between Rajkot city vs Rajkot Sardar (camp area). At a crucial moment, as if by intuition, Gandhiji said that a particular player would be out and hey presto the batsman was really out. There is no doubt that the freedom spirit of Gandhiji came from the cricketing field.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
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The battle of Maharashtra Assembly elections has already started after notification by the Election Commission of India. With the nomination of Abhimanyu Pawar, Personal Assistant (PA) of CM Devendra Fadnavis, from Ausa Assembly seat as BJP-Shiv Sena candidate, protests have erupted. Local leaders and workers of both BJP-Shiv Sena have opposed the candidature of an outsider Abhimanyu Pawar. They have demanded the BJP leadership to change the candidate and field a ‘son of soil’ from Ausa Assembly. For a single man the party has disappointed its cadres of Latur district. Here BJP is following a strategy like that of Congress.