Maharashtra Government Archives - Lokmarg

M’rashtra Govt Is Shameless: Uddhav On Jalna Incident

By LokMarg 4th September 2023

Shiva Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Monday took a dig at the Maharashtra government over the police lathi-charge on protesters in Jalna who were demanding reservation for the Marathas and called the government “shameless”.

“I had gone to Jalna to meet protesters…This state government is ‘shameless’…They have brutally beaten everyone including women…Now they are not taking responsibility and playing the blame game. This government is sending the message that if anyone protests for justice we will break their head,” Uddhav said.

Earlier on September 2, Uddhav Thackeray visited the Jalna and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give reservations to Marathas during the special session of Parliament called on September 18.

He also condemned the prevailing tension in Maharashtra’s Jalna over the police lathi charge on protesters demanding reservation for the Maratha community.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis apologized on behalf of the Government.

“Lathicharge by police was not right… I am apologising on behalf of the Government. CM has said that the action will be taken against those who are responsible for it,” Fadnavis said at a Maratha reservation meeting chaired by CM.

A meeting was called with Maratha agitation leader Manoj Jarange Patil for discussion on the matter, the Deputy Chief Minister’s office informed.

The meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet sub-committee on Maratha Reservation took place at 12 pm. The CM and both the Deputy CMs were present at the meeting.

Manoj Jarange Patil has undertaken umpteen agitations seeking reservations for the Maratha community.

Earlier on Friday, a clash had broken out between police and protesters in Jalna demanding reservation for the Marathas. Police resorted to lathi charges to disperse the protesters. (ANI)

M’rashtra: 13 Dead, Many Trapped In Raigad Landslide

By LokMarg 20th July 2023

As many as 13 people died, including one rescuer, after the landslide occurred at Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, police said.

“12 bodies have been retrieved from the debris in Irshalwadi, Raigad; also, one rescuer died of cardiac arrest. Total of 13 deaths till now,” police said on Thursday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde arrived at the scene of the tragedy in the morning to review and take stock of the relief and rescue efforts in the Raigad district.

He expressed grief over the landslide incident in Raigad that killed. He also announced an aid of five lakh rupees to the families of the deceased, said officials.

According to Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Maharashtra, CM Eknath Shinde announced an ex- gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the Raigad Police has set up a control room after the incident. The police said that so far they have rescued 22 people from the spot but many are feared trapped in the debris.

“We will get a better idea of the situation when the daylight comes. Presently over 100 people from Police and district administration are involved in the rescue operation and we are getting help from NDRF, locals and some NGOs too,” the Raigad Police said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after a landslide in Raigad district amid heavy rainfall while several are still trapped.

Shah said four National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to carry out the rescue operation. (ANI)

‘Not An Inch’ Will Be Ceded: Bommai On Border Row

By LokMarg 27th December 2022

Amid the ongoing Karnataka-Maharashtra border row, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that not an inch of land will be ceded to Maharashtra.

Bommai said Karnataka is confident of getting justice as the States have been organised on the basis of the States Reorganisation Act 1956.
“Not an inch of Karnataka will be ceded to Maharashtra at any cost. The Karnataka government is fully committed to protecting every bit of land. States have been organised on basis of the States Reorganisation Act 1956. Maharashtra politicians are doing such things as their case pending before Supreme Court is very weak,” CM Bommai told reporters here.

Bommai’s remarks came against the backdrop of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passing the resolution on the state’s dispute with Karnataka over border areas.

Karnataka CM said the resolution of the Maharashtra Assembly did not have any value and they are doing such things since their case pending before the Supreme Court is very weak.

“The resolution of the Karnataka Assembly is very clear and the State is clear in its stand which is constitutionally and legally valid. The people of both States are living cordially. The Maharashtra politicians are known for such tricks as they know well that their case is very weak. The Karnataka government is committed to Kannadigas living in the neighbouring state. We are right constitutionally and legally,” Bommai added.

Maharashtra Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday tabled a resolution in the state Assembly on the state’s dispute with Karnataka over border areas.

The state assembly unanimously passed the resolution which says that Maharashtra will fight the pending case in the Supreme Court with full strength for the inclusion of each and every inch of 865 villages including Belgavi, Karwar, Nipani, Bidar Bhalki in Maharashtra.

The resolution also condemned the Karnataka administration for its anti-Marathi stand in the border area.

According to the resolution the Maharashtra government will stand behind the Marathi people in border areas and will go for a legal fight in the Supreme Court to ensure that these areas become a part of Maharashtra.

The Central Government should urge the Karnataka Government to implement the decision taken in the meeting with the Union Home Minister and the government should be given the understanding to guarantee the safety of the Marathi people in the border areas, the resolution read.

Shiv Sena (UBT) president and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday demanded that the disputed areas be declared as Union Territory.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Thackeray said, “We supported today’s resolution. Whatever happens in favour of Maharashtra, we will support it. But there are some questions. For over two years, people (living in border areas) have been demanding to include them in Maharashtra. What are we doing about that?”

Thackeray stated that the Opposition stands in support of the resolution.

“Today government replied that the disputed area cannot be declared as a Union Territory as said by Supreme Court in 2008. However, the situation is not the same now. The Karnataka government is not following it. They are doing an Assembly session there and renamed Belagavi. So we should go to Supreme Court and ask SC to declare it as UT,” added Thackeray.

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar condemned the Maharashtra Assembly resolution and called it a political gimmick.

“There is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in both States and in the Centre. There was no need to pass the resolution. It is done because of elections. We know how to protect our people. They might speak Marathi but live in Karnataka. We condemn this resolution,” Shivakumar told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka legislature said that the state’s stand over the border issue is a settled one and not an inch of land will be given to the neighbouring state.

Notably, the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka dates back to the implementation of the State Reorganization Act, of 1956. The then Maharashtra government had demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka.

Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states. The Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer 260 predominantly Kannada-speaking villages, but the proposal was turned down by Karnataka. Both governments later approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter. (ANI)

Saibaba To Remain In Jail: SC Stays Release Of Ex-DU Prof, 5 Others In Naxal Links

By LokMarg 15th October 2022

Supreme Court on Saturday stayed the release of former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and five others in an alleged Naxal links case.

In a special hearing today, Supreme Court suspended the October 14 order of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court which discharged former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and others in an alleged Maoist links case.
The Maharashtra government on Friday approached the Supreme Court challenging the decision.

Supreme Court issued notice to the accused in the case on the Maharashtra government’s plea challenging the High Court order. The apex court has listed the matter for hearing on December 8.

A bench of Justices MR Shah and Bela M Trivedi heard the case today.

On Friday, the High Court allowed an appeal filed by Saibaba and five others challenging a 2017 decision of the trial court convicting and sentencing him to life imprisonment under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). They were arrested in 2014.

The High Court ordered the immediate release of Saibaba and the other accused.

They were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sessions Court at Gadchiroli, Maharashtra in March 2017 for offenses under various sections of the Unlawful Prevention of Atrocities Act (UAPA), and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code for alleged association with the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), which was alleged to be an affiliate of outlawed Maoist organization.

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Friday acquitted the alleged Naxal ideologue and former Delhi University’s Professor GN Saibaba and his five accomplices of the charges of having links with banned extremist outfits.

The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court on July 28, 2020, rejected the bail application of the former Delhi University Professor on medical grounds.

On May 22, 2020, the Bombay High Court dismissed Saibaba’s parole application, which sought to be released on the grounds of his ill health and to visit his mother, who was suffering from cancer in Hyderabad and passed away in August that same year. (ANI)

‘Those Pitting Hanuman Chalisa Against Azaan Aren’t Pious People’

By LokMarg 6th May 2022

Based in Mumbai, eminent filmmaker Anand Patwardhan shares his views on the current Hanuman Chalisa controversy in Maharashtra and the political ploy behind the issue

Indeed, whether it is Hanuman Chalisa, the ban on Hijab for school girls in Karnataka, violence during Ram Navami procession or Azaan on loudspeakers from mosques, none of these issues really has anything to do with religion or religious identity. Instead, they have everything to do with the rise of majoritarian assertions and certain politicians trying to cash in on such controversies.

None of those inciting trouble in the name of public recital of Hanuman Chalisa to ourperform Azaan from mosques are pious people. They are politicians and their indoctrinated followers for whom spilling the blood of innocents by stirring the religious cauldron is an easy way to gain attention. That is how they think they can remain relevant.

In my opinion, the Maharashtra government, to my knowledge, is simply implementing the law of the land to keep order in the state without allowing blood to be spilled by unscrupulous hate-mongers. And this is no mean achievement in the current situation.

Certainly, those vitiating communal harmony and co-existence in our social fabric, as I have pointed out, are not really religious people, but cynical politicians who have lost their political base and are trying to retrieve it by any means necessary. All that certain section of the news outlets and print media has to do is to put out for everyone to see, the speeches of the same politicians now, and, contrast it with their statements a few years ago.

Such portrayal will expose their dual speech, the hollowness of their stands. One only needs to hold the mirror. This opportunism has become transparent.

But I have not given up hope. I am optimistic and believe that the city of Mumbai and its citizens will take things in their stride. People know what the game is and what political forces are behind it.

As told to Amit Sengupga