Month: June 2022

Beleaguered Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, whose government is facing a crisis due to revolt within his party, said on Wednesday that he was willing to give his resignation to party MLAs who can take it to the Raj Bhavan.

Thackeray, who addressed the people over Facebook, said he was also willing to quit as party chief if there is a demand from party workers.
Noting that a section of party MLAs was gunning for his ouster, he said instead of going to Surat, they could have conveyed their feelings to him. Thackeray said it is a matter of shame for him if “even a single MLA” is against him.

The crisis faced by Shiv Sena-led government deepened on Wednesday as party leader and state cabinet minister Eknath Shinde claimed that he has the support of 46 MLAs, including six to seven Independent MLAs.

Thackeray said he was willing to resign only on demand of party MLAs.

“If any MLA wants me to not continue as the CM, I am ready to take all my belongings from Varsha Bungalow (official residence of the CM) to Matoshri,” Thackeray said.

“I am ready to give my resignation to the MLAs, they should come here and take my resignation to Raj Bhavan. I am ready to leave the post of Shiv Sena party head also, not on the saying of others but my workers,” he added.

Thackeray said it is not about numbers but how many are against him and he will leave if even one person or MLA is against him.

“If you (MLAs) say, then I am ready to leave the CM post. It’s not about numbers but how many are against me. I will leave if even one person or MLA is against me. It’s very shameful for me if even a single MLA is against me,” he said.

Referring to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance that includes Congress and NCP besides Shiv Sena, Thackeray said when all three parties came together in 2019, NCP leader Sharad Pawar told him that he had to take the responsibility of the CM post.

He said Pawar and Sonia Gandhi helped him a lot and kept their faith in him.

“I didn’t even have prior experience. But I took the responsibility. Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi helped me a lot, they kept their faith in me,” he said.

“But when my own people (MLAs) don’t want me what I can say. If they had something against me, what was the need of saying all this in Surat, they could have come here and said this to my face,” he said.

Stating that the affection of the people is the “real asset”, he said that the Chief Minister post will “come and go”, and he was fortunate to get a “lot of affection from people”.

“CM posts will come and go but the real asset is the affection of the people. In the past 2 years, I was fortunate enough to get a lot of affection from people”

Thackeray said he could not meet people in the last few months due to his health condition but was now doing so.

“It’s true that I could not meet people in the last few months due to my surgery and health condition. But now, I have started meeting people,” he said.

Taking a dig at party rebels, he said Shiv Sena is rooted in Hindutva and is the same party as it was when run by its founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

“Some people say that it’s not Balasaheb’ Shiv Sena. They should tell what were the thoughts of Balasaheb. This is the same Shiv Sena that it was at his time ‘Hindutva’ is our life,” he said.

Shiv Sena had earlier issued a letter to party MLAs asking them to be present at a meeting at 5 pm noting that those not present will be considered to be out of the party.

The ultimatum was issued after the political crisis hit the ruling alliance.

Eknath Shinde said on Wednesday that numbers with them will rise.

“Right now we have 46 MLAs with us, including 6-7 Independent MLAs. This number will rise in the time to come. As of now we have neither received any proposal from BJP nor are we holding any talks with them,” Shinde told ANI over the phone.

Back-to-back meetings are being held by the three coalition partners Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena to end the crisis.

Shiv Sena’s Chief Whip Sunil Prabhu had issued a letter to all party MLAs, asking them to be present in an important meeting that will be held today evening.

The letter warned that if any MLA remains absent from the meeting without proper reason and prior information, action will be initiated to cancel their membership as per constitutional provisions.

Rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde arrived at a luxury hotel in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam on Wednesday morning. (ANI)

A video that has gone viral on social media shows Mahila Congress President Netta D’Souza purportedly spitting at police personnel in the national capital during a protest of party workers against the Enforcement Directorate questioning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.

The incident took place on Tuesday.
“While detaining Congress workers, one of the protestors Netta D’Souza, President-All India Mahila Congress, obstructed/assaulted the police personnel on duty and spat over them for which criminal case is being registered under appropriate sections of the law,” Delhi Police said in a statement yesterday.

Last week, Congress leader Renuka Chowdary came under criticism after she grabbed the collar of a police official while she was being detained in Hyderabad during a protest.

Mewnwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he was not affected by the Enforcement Directorate, which recently grilled him for five days over his alleged role in the National Herald case.

“ED and such agencies don’t affect me, even the officers who interrogated me understood that a leader of the Congress party can’t be scared and suppressed,” the Congress leader said during an interaction with party workers at the AICC headquarters on Wednesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, Gandhi was summoned for the fifth time for another round of questioning. The ED had summoned Rahul last Monday and questioned him for three straight days.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Sachin Pilot alleged that the party’s leadership was being targeted. “Those in power are targeting the dissidents. It is clearly a politically motivated move. It is not just about Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, but the entire Opposition,” he said to ANI. “The Congress leadership is being targeted because they have been vocal against BJP,” he added.

Accusing the BJP-led government of weakening the armed forces with “new deception”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the government will have to withdraw the Agnipath recruitment scheme and the party is with the youth in the agitation to save the future of the country.

In a tweet, Gandhi alleged that China’s forces are sitting on Indian land and said the defence forces should be strengthened. He attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Agnipath scheme which allows youth to serve in the armed forces for a period of four years.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi left the Enforcement Directorate office in Delhi after 12 hours of questioning in a money laundering case on Tuesday.

Sonia Gandhi, who was discharged yesterday after treatment of post-Covid complications, has also been summoned by the ED but given time till June 23.

The ED is investigating the Gandhis’ role in what is known as the National Herald case. It involves the Young Indian’s takeover of AJL (Associated Journals Limited), the company that ran the National Herald newspaper, a Congress mouthpiece which has since transformed into an online-only outlet. (ANI)

Bollywood actor Kiara Advani posted a couple of pictures on her social media where she looks stunning in a white dress.

On Wednesday, the ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ actor took to her Instagram handle and dropped a series of posts where she looks jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
In the picture, Kiara gave a close and candid shot in which she can be seen wearing a white bodycon dress.

The outfit sported a tube neckline that matched her dress with golden pumps.

She flaunted her no-makeup look and left her hair open.

As soon as she shared the post, netizens bombarded the comment section with fire and heart emojis.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kiara is busy promoting her film ‘Jug Jugg Jeeyo’ along with their co-stars Varun Dhawan, Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Maniesh Paul and Prajakta Koli.

Apart from this, Kiara has many interesting films in her kitty. She will be seen with his ‘Lust Stories’ co-star Vicky Kaushal for the comedy thriller film, Govinda Naam Mera, which also stars Bhumi Pednekar in the lead. She also has a Telugu film, ‘RC 15’ alongside Ram Charan. (ANI)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out searches at one location in Uttar Pradesh and arrested one Myanmar national in a human trafficking case.

The anti-terror agency conducted these raids in Saharanpur’s Deoband and arrested Mazid Ullah, a resident of Myanmar for his involvement in the conspiracy of transportation of trafficked persons to different places in India. Ullah’s role had emerged during investigations of the case.
Digital devices (mobile handset, SIM cards, memory card) and other incriminating documents were seized during the searches conducted, said the NIA.

The case relates to illegal trafficking of Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims into Indian territory and settling them with forged documents in various parts of the country.

This case was registered suo-moto by the NIA on December 27 last year. Earlier, NIA had filed a chargesheet against six accused persons on June 4 this year in this case. (ANI)

In a first-of-its-kind, a blood test can detect breast cancer at very early stages. It has been launched in India on Wednesday and has been made available by Datar Cancer Genetics, a private company which has partnered with the Apollo group of hospitals.
As per reports, the blood test can help in detecting breast cancer at an early stage for those who are above 40 years of age. This is an innovative diagnostic technique that has been adopted by 15 countries including several countries in Europe. According to the team of experts, this blood test has 99 per cent accuracy.

“As cases of cancer continue to be reported in India, cost of care or treatment for the management of patients is a major cause of concern. The only way by which we can pull down (cost of treatment) is by detecting patients at an early stage. If women are detected at an early stage of breast cancer, they can be treated effectively, leading to an increase in life expectancy and a reduction in treatment woes. So, I think will have a significant impact,” said Dr Chirantan Bose, Director, Patient’s care services, Datar Cancer Genetics Ltd.

The blood test had been approved by World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Food and Drug Administration in November last year after seeing the benefits during the largest clinical trials.

The doctor said, “It provides the largest clinical trials ever submitted to the WHO. In these particular tests, data was collected on breast cancer wherein more than 8,000 asymptomatic women were screened and were followed up for a period of 12 months time. The study is also available on our website.”

The study has shown stage 0 and stage 1 breast cancer cases were detected with an accuracy of 99 per cent.

The test, being branded as EasyCheck Breast, will cost Rs 6,000. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in November last year and is indicated as an annual test for healthy women above the age of 40 years who may not have any symptoms.

The technology claims to have nearly 99 per cent sensitivity, which means it has less than 1 per cent of false-positive reports, with over 88 per cent specificity, which means that in about 22 per cent of cases there is a chance of false negativity though.

“It’s not the replacement of mammograms but women who test positive for breast cancer using the new technology can go for conventional screening examinations and can straight away go for a biopsy and plan their treatment for cancer,” said Dr Ramesh Sarin, a senior surgical oncologist with Apollo hospital in Delhi.

The doctor further suggests that if a women tests negative, then also she should go for other screening tests to rule out cancer completely.

“This is the first time in India that Apollo Centres in association with Datar Cancer Genetics brings this non-invasive blood test where it can detect breast cancers at an early stage in asymptomatic individuals with a high accuracy. This will help us save lives and preserve the quality of life,” said Sangeetha Reddy, JMD, Apollo hospitals. (ANI)

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution on Wednesday said major edible oil brands have lowered prices by Rs 10-15 per litre as the government made timely interventions on multiple fronts to control prices that spiked due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The wholesale prices and retail prices of vanaspati, soyabean oil, sunflower oil and RBD palmolein have decreased over the week. With the edible oil prices beginning to show a downward trend and are set to decline further, the Indian consumers can expect to pay less for their edible oils, the ministry said in a statement.

The falling edible oil prices will help in cooling the inflation as well, said Secretary Department of Food and Public Distribution Sudhanshu Pandey.

“All major edible oil brands have cut prices by 10-15 rupees,” Pandey said.

He added that this has been possible due to constant monitoring by the department, constant engagement with all stakeholders and multiple interventions by the government.

According to sources, the MRP of Fortune Refined Sunflower Oil 1 litre pack has been decreased to Rs 210 from Rs. 220. The MRP of Soyabean (Fortune) and Kachi Ghani oil 1 litre pack from Rs 205 to Rs 195. The reduction in oil prices comes in the wake of Central Government reducing the import duty on edible oils making them cheaper.

Partha S Das, Joint Secretary, DFPD added that in the surprise inspections conducted in Maharashtra Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana and Karnataka in phase-I and Phase-II at 156 and 84 entities respectively.

He said these inspections had a deterrent impact as the number of defaulting entities decreased in the Phase-II of the surprise inspections. In Phase-I, 53 entities and Phase-II, 12 entities inspected were found to be defaulting on the Central Stock Control Order.

The concerned State Governments have been requested to take suitable action under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 against the defaulting entities as per provisions made in the Act. However, while taking suitable action, the State Governments have been requested to ensure that the supply chain is not affected in an adverse fashion.

In its latest initiative to ease the prices of Edible Oils and provide relief to the consumers, the Government has issued a notification for allocation of Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) for import of 20 LMT of Crude Soyabean Oil and 20 LMT of Crude Sunflower Oil for the financial year 2022-23 and 2023-24 at zero import duty and zero AIDC. This has been done keeping in view the rising domestic prices of Edible Oils, average increase in domestic demand and uncertainty/decline in Global Palm Oil availability.

In a bid to control the continuous rise in the cooking oil prices since past one year, the Central Government had earlier cut the basic duty on Crude Palm Oil, Crude Soyabean Oil and Crude Sunflower Oil from 2.5 per cent to Nil. The Agri-cess on these Oils has been brought to 5 per cent.

The basic duty on Refined Soyabean oil and Refined Sunflower Oil has been slashed to 17.5 per cent from the current 32.5 per cent and the basic duty on Refined Palm Oils has been reduced from 17.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent. The Government has extended the free import of Refined Palm Oils for a period up to the end of this calendar year.

Stock limits on edible oils and oilseeds have been imposed for a period up to 31st December 2022 for ensuring the smooth availability of edible oils and oilseeds in the country. In order to ensure strict enforcement of the control order, Central teams from the Department of Food & Public Distribution were deputed to conduct surprise inspections of the stocks of edible oils & oilseeds held by Retailers, Wholesalers, Big Chain Retailers and Processors in major oilseed producing/consuming States to prevent hoarding and profiteering.

“Timely interventions taken by the Government along with cutting down of import tariff on soyabean oil and sunflower oil and the removal of export ban by Indonesia has made an enabling environment for edible oil companies to cut retail prices,” the ministry said.

“More price reductions can be expected as the global supply improvements and the operationalisation of the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) start reflecting on the landed cost of crude edible oils. The recent decision of the Government to reduce the excise duty levied on petrol and diesel has further helped in cooling down the prices of all commodities,” it added. (ANI)

High voltage political drama intensified in Maharashtra as rebel Shiv Sena leader and state cabinet minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday claimed that he has the support of 46 MLAs, including six to seven Independent MLAs.

“Right now we have 46 MLAs with us, including 6-7 Independent MLAs. This number will rise in the time to come. As of now we have neither received any proposal from BJP nor are we holding any talks with them,” Shinde told ANI over the phone.
Shinde said that the rebel MLAs are not in talks with the Shiv Sena or CM Uddhav Thackeray.

“As far as the current political situation is concerned, I would say that we are Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sainiks and will continue to be Shiv Sainiks. As of now, we are not holding any talks with Shiv Sena or the Chief Minister. We have not decided on the future course of action,” added Shinde.

Forty MLAs led by Shinde arrived at a luxury hotel in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam this morning.

The revolt in the Shiv Sena has given rise to speculations that Shinde along with other MLAs might join the BJP in a bid to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The MLAs are now staying at Radisson Blu Hotel in the city. “A total of 40 MLAs are present here. We will carry Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva,” said Shinde after arriving in Guwahati.

40 Maharashtra MLAs including 33 Shiv Sena and seven independent MLAs have lent their support to Shinde by signing a letter, said sources.

These MLAs were received by BJP MLA Sushanta Borgohain and BJP MP Pallab Lochan Das at Guwahati airport.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena issued a letter to party MLAs asking them to be present at a meeting to be held this evening.

The meeting is scheduled at 5 pm in the evening.

Shiv Sena’s Chief Whip, Sunil Prabhu issued a letter to all party MLAs, asking them to be present in an important meeting that will be held today evening.

The letter stated that if anyone remains absent, it will be considered that the said MLA has decided to quit the party voluntarily.

The letter also warned that if any MLA remains absent from the meeting without proper reason and prior information, they should keep in mind that action will be initiated to cancel their membership as per constitutional provisions.

Amidst the crisis in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chaired a cabinet meeting today.

Uddhav Thackeray who tested positive for COVID joined the meeting via video conferencing.

State cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh said only the cabinet agenda was discussed in the meeting and not the current political scenario.

“Only cabinet agenda was discussed. No discussion on the present political situation took place at the cabinet meeting. Subhash Desai and Shankar Rao Gadakh were physically present. Chief Minister Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray, Anil Parab and several others joined the meeting in virtual mode,” said Aslam Shaikh.

Asked about th speculations over Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation as the CM, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said no decision will be made until the MLAs are back in Mumbai.

“I am going to Varsha Bungalow. I will meet Chief Minister but whatever has to be done will be decided by Maha Vikas Aghadi together. Unless the MLAs are back in Mumbai, no decision will be made,” Raut told reporters.

Earlier today, a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was held in Mumbai. The meeting was held at the residence of Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Balasaheb Thorat. All India Congress Committees (AICC) observer Kamal Nath was also present at the meeting.

Following the meeting, Kamal Nath said, “41 out of 44 MLAs attended the meeting here while 3 are on the way. The politics BJP has started is of money and muscle power. It is against the constitution. I have seen this a lot. Unity will prevail in Shiv Sena under Udhhav Thackeray. I have talked to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and he said that as of now there is no proposal to dissolve the Maharashtra Assembly.”

He also informed that Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray tested COVID positive.

Pertinent to mention, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has tested positive for COVID-19. He has been admitted to HN Reliance Foundation hospital, Mumbai on Wednesday for treatment purposes.

Earlier today, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday hinted at the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly.

“The ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra is heading to the dissolution of Vidhan Sabha,” said Raut in a Twitter post.

Back-to-back meetings of Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are taking place in Mumbai over the rapidly changing political developments in the state.

Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal however, ruled out midterm polls in the state. “Midterm elections? There have been no talks yet. What can I say?,” Bhujbal said.

On the other hand, when Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was asked about the crisis in MVA, he termed the turmoil “an internal matter of the Sena”. Pawar also said he remains fully committed to the three-party government. He also ruled out any tie-up with the opposition BJP.

The developments came up after suspected cross-voting in Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged five seats, in a major blow to the MVA alliance government. NCP and Shiv Sena won two each while Congress was able to clinch one seat out of the total 10 seats in Legislative Council that went to the polls on Monday.

After the MLC elections, Shinde along with some other Shiv Sena MLAs was staying at Le Meridien hotel in Surat. A Shiv Sena delegation comprising Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s close aides Milind Narvekar and Ravindra Phatak had also met Shinde and other party legislators in Surat.

Alleging that efforts are being made to topple the MVA government, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday had confirmed that some Shiv Sena MLAs and Eknath Shinde were currently “not reachable”. He said that Shiv Sena MLAs were in Surat and they were not being allowed to leave.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, however, said that his party would “definitely consider” a proposal if it comes from Sinde to form an alternative government.

Amid the drama, Shinde took a veiled dig at Shiv Sena for joining hands with Congress and NCP to form the government in the state and tweeted, “We are Balasaheb’s staunch Shiv Sainiks … Balasaheb has taught us Hindutva. We have never and will never cheat for power regarding Balasaheb’s thoughts and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Saheb’s teachings.”

Shinde has also dropped “Shiv Sena” from his Twitter bio. He has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation in the Thane region and was made the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2014 after the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP. Shinde was appointed as a cabinet minister in the MVA government.

However, sources said Shinde has been feeling sidelined since the formation of the MVA government. His son Shrikant Shinde represents the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat.

Amid these developments, Shiv Sena leaders met Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly Narhari Zirwal and handed over him a letter requesting to remove Eknath Shinde from the Legislative party leader’s post and replace him with Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena Legislative party leader.

Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut has claimed the rebellion has been engineered by the BJP to topple the ruling MVA alliance a claim denied by the BJP.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil claimed that “technically” the state government is in “minority” as Eknath Shinde and other Shiv Sena MLAs have gone.

He said that the BJP was presently in a “wait and watch” mode and added that there has not been any proposal regarding government formation neither from the BJP nor from Shinde.

“BJP got support from independents and small political parties for Rajya Sabha and MLC elections. As per our information, Eknath Shinde and 35 MLAs have gone. This means technically state government is in minority but practically it will take some time for the government to be in minority,” he said.

“It’s too early to say anything, we are currently waiting and keeping an eye on the situation. So far, there has not been any proposal regarding government formation neither from the BJP nor from Eknath Shinde but anything can happen in politics at any time,” the BJP leader added.

There are a total of 288 members in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. So the halfway mark is 145 to form the government. With 106 MLAs, BJP is the largest party in the House. Shiv Sena has 55 MLAs, NCP 53, Congress 44 and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) has three MLAs in the assembly.

After the death of a Shiv Sena MLA, currently, 287 MLAs are there in the Assembly and 144 MLAs are now needed to form the government.

Before the rebellion, the Shivsena-led MVA government enjoyed the support of 169 MLAs, while the BJP-led Opposition camp had 113 MLAs besides, five other MLAs.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena used to be allies until 2019 when after contesting the Maharashtra Assembly elections together both parted ways over the issue of the chief ministerial’s post.

Following days of the political impasse and high-voltage drama, the Shiv Sena finally formed the government along with the Congress and the NCP, with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray heading the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance government. (ANI)

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan arrived in Hyderabad for his film shooting and participated in the Green India Challenge 5.0 along with Rajya Sabha MP and Green India Founder J Santosh Kumar on Tuesday.

Accompanied by his film crew, Salman planted saplings at Ramoji Film City.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that every person should take the responsibility for the plantation programme and also take adequate care of the saplings until they grow big trees. It is unfortunate that human loss due to natural calamities, heavy rains and floods is immense. The only solution to check human loss is to promote massive plantations.

Salman praised the TRS MP Santosh for taking up the big task of the plantation programme. He said that the MP’s Endeavour to improve Green Cover in India will help to safeguard the Earth and future generations. He called upon his fans and followers to join Green India Challenge and plant saplings on a large scale.

Santosh Kumar thanked the Bollywood star for accepting his request and joining the Green India Challenge. He said that the Bollywood star’s initiative to plant saplings will definitely inspire crores of his fans. Apart from the film crew, Green India Challenge Co-Founder Raghava, Karunakar Reddy was also present. (ANI)