INDIA front should hold meeting before Bihar elections: Uddhav
'The INDIA front has not held its meeting since the Lok Sabha election. I wish the meeting takes place as Bihar elections are approaching. Even Maharashtra is set to face local body elections. It is important that the INDIA front holds the meeting,' said Thackeray.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was formed before the 2024 general elections by all major Opposition parties in the country. The alliance was formed to contest the general elections together against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The INDIA front in Maharashtra comprises of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) — which formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
With local body polls approaching, the MVA is yet to finalise on whether to contest the elections in alliance or independently.
Reacting to the ongoing case of over the party symbol and name in the Supreme Court, Thackeray said that it is good if the case gets over in August. 'Our symbol was robbed. I have always maintained that Election Commission has a right to allot symbol but not to give the party name. It cannot change the name, that's not its right. Even the case is ongoing about its rights over changing poll symbol,' said Thackeray.
Congress to burn copies of Special Public Security Bill
The Opposition Congress on Monday announced that it will burn the copies of recently passed Maharashtra Special Public Security bill in all districts of the state. Party's state unit chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said, 'This law is draconian inside and out and is meant to suppress the common people. That is why the Congress opposed it from the very beginning. Despite the ruling party having passed the bill using their majority in the assembly, the Congress's opposition remains strong, and symbolic burning of this black law will be carried out in every district.'
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Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Bawankule real mastermind of attack on me': Pravin Gaikwad targets BJP again
Speaking at a press conference where he once again targeted the BJP and its minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, social wing chief of Sambhaji Brigade Pravin Gaikwad on Wednesday said his dream was to save democracy, save the Constitution and that he was ready to die for it. He held the BJP and Bawankule responsible for the 'murderous attack' on him in Akkalkot on Sunday. Gaikwad said he is a follower of Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi. 'I believe in the philosophy Ahimsa… I follow the the teachings of Buddha in letter and spirit which has brought peace in my life. I follow the ideology of and Gandhi have taught us to remain calm even in adversity,Z' he said. At the press conference held at Patrakar Bhavan, Gaikwad expanded on what he has been alleging since the 'black oil' attack on him by Deepak Kate, a BJP worker and his associates in Akkalkot. 'The attack on me was a murderous one. They wanted to kill me and crush my ideology… An agency appointed by the BJP video-recorded the attack on me and made it go viral, which reveals it was all well-planned,' he said. Gaikwad once again reiterated that the attack on him was sponsored by the state government. 'The BJP-led government has planned to finish off activists who do not follow its ideology, it wants to finish off organisations like BAMCEF, Sambhaji Brigade, Maratha Seva Sangh and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi who they consider as hurdles for remaining in power… They call themselves party with a difference. The same party has planned to do away with social activists who do not follow their ideology and do not want any posts. Even Mahatma Phule, Mahatma Gandhi, Shahu Maharaj and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar were attacked by such ideologies,' he said. Gaikwad said from 2014 to 2019, the likes of Dabholkar, Pansare, Lankesh and Kalburgi have been murdered. 'Those who killed Dabholkar were also criminals. Similarly, the activists were also killed by people who had criminal background,' he said. Gaikwad alleged that Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who belongs to BJP was the real mastermind of the attack on him. At the press conference, he played two videos to prove the close relations with Bawankule and Kate. Gaikwad said,'In one of the videos, it emerges that Bawankule is the godfather of Kate. He is backing and supporting criminals. Bawankule says he is proud of Deepak Kate. In another video, Bawankule is heard clearly saying that the previous government had filed cases against Kate, but he and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis fully supports him (Kate).' Gaikwad said videos are not the only proof of the BJP being behind the attack. 'There is no doubt that Bawankule and the accused are closely related. Bawankule openly said Kate is a BJP worker. It was Bawankule who was behind Kate getting bail for illegally possessing arms. He was arrested at Lohegaon airport with two pistols and 28 cartridges. The BJP managed to secure bail for Kate so that he could carry out their plans. Under Section 3 of The Arms Act, it is difficult to get bail in such cases. The prosecution in this argued that there was no criminal record though he had undergone jail term in a heinous crimes and several other crimes in his name registered with the police.' Gaikwad said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis holds the charge of Home Ministry as well. He said, 'Now that it is proved who is the mastermind of the attack on me… Will the Chief Minister take action again Bawankule?' Both BJP and Bawankule had earlier refused the allegations that they have any connection with the attack on Gaikwad. Gaikwad said BJP considers his ideology an impediment for coming to power. 'I have a progressive mindset but BJP's is not… I believe in equality… BJP is against equality. BJP wants one party rule, BJP wants dictatorship to thrive, it wants its anti-progressive mindset to hold upper hand. We believe in Constitution, we believe in democracy,' he said. Gaikwad said he suspects the entire event was managed by the BJP. 'I have a strongly feeling that the organisers of the event are hand in glove with the BJP. They invited me under the guise of a felicitation function. But when the attack on me happened, no one came forward, the organisers did not even file a police complaint. Several BJP leaders were present at the occasion. In the police station, my associates told me that some ministers called up and told the police not to charge Kate and his associates under stringent law,' he said. Gaikwad said the Maratha community leaders have planned a bandh in Akkalkot on July 18. 'The Maratha community will protest the attack on me by observing a bandh on July 18,' he said.
The Hindu
22 minutes ago
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The Hindu
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Social activist alleges negligence in Rahul Gandhi's security during U.P. court visit, seeks probe
Alleging a complete breakdown of law and order and negligence in the security of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his recent court visit in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh-based social activist and former Indian Police Service officer Amitabh Thakur on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) demanded a high-level inquiry and fixing responsibility over the issue. In a letter addressed to the Union Home Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Thakur said Mr. Gandhi was among the highest threat perception leaders in India and was given Z-plus security by the Home Ministry. On July 15, during his appearance in the MP/MLA Magistrate Court in Lucknow, there was not only a complete breakdown of law and order inside the courtroom but also massive bungling and compromise with his security when security personnel allowed hundreds of persons to enter the courtroom. People were present everywhere around Mr. Gandhi. Even the security failed to maintain the dignity of the court. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Thakur, a former 1992 batch IPS officer, said, 'Two family members of Mr. Gandhi, including his father, have been assassinated due to security lapse. In Lucknow, Mr. Gandhi's security was compromised for more than three hours.' Multiple videos of huge crowd inside the courtroom with Mr. Gandhi and within court premises went viral, with people even taking selfies. The Congress said the authorities should look into the matter. 'I was not present there, but the security of Rahul ji, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is the responsibility of the Home Ministry and the State government. Any breakdown in security is not acceptable,' said Imran Masood, Congress MP. On July 15, Mr. Gandhi appeared before the MP/MLA Special Court in Lucknow in connection with a case of allegedly making a defamatory statement against the Indian Armed Forces during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022. The Congress leader, who surrendered in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Alok Verma, was granted bail after the court allowed his application.
