logo
Maharashtra Minister Defies Own Govt To Join MNS Rally, Gets Heckled By Protesters

Maharashtra Minister Defies Own Govt To Join MNS Rally, Gets Heckled By Protesters

Time of Indiaa day ago
TOI.in
/ Jul 08, 2025, 06:35PM IST
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has openly criticized his own government over the denial of permission for a Marathi rally in Mira Road. Sarnaik joined the MNS-led protest and challenged the police to arrest him. The Marathi Ekikaran Samiti and other groups had applied for the rally but were refused permission due to public safety and traffic concerns. This followed a viral video showing MNS workers slapping a food stall owner over a language dispute. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the MNS for defying police orders, urging all groups to follow democratic procedures. On July 8, MNS supporters resisted police, leading to several detentions, including party leader Avinash Jadhav.#pratapsarnaik #miraroad #mnsprotest #maharashtrapolitics #languagedispute #avinashjadhav #devendrafadnavis #marathipride #policedetention #toi #toibharat
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mizoram's Chakma council has had 7 heads since 2018. Why VK Singh won't have the 8th as BJP loses power
Mizoram's Chakma council has had 7 heads since 2018. Why VK Singh won't have the 8th as BJP loses power

The Print

time27 minutes ago

  • The Print

Mizoram's Chakma council has had 7 heads since 2018. Why VK Singh won't have the 8th as BJP loses power

The latest round of instability hit the council on 16 June, when a no-confidence motion was passed against CEM Molin Kumar Chakma, who had formed the first BJP-led executive committee of the CADC, which is made up of 20 elected and four nominated members, in February this year. The executive committee of the council, formed in 1972 under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for the welfare of the ethnic Chakma people, has been in a state of flux, with the Chief Executive Member (CEM), the head of the body, changing seven times since May 2018. New Delhi: Mizoram's Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC), which had emerged as a symbol of the region's ever-shifting political loyalties after the BJP joined hands with the Congress to govern it in May 2018, has been placed under Governor's Rule for the second time in just over three years, due to 'constant political instability'. The motion was passed as 12 BJP members of the council quit the party, switching over to the ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), which secured the support of 16 members—five more than the halfway mark of 11. Lakkhan Chakma of the ZPM staked claim to the post of the CEM. However, despite having the required numbers, the ZPM will not be able to govern the council, located in south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district, as Governor VK Singh took over. The ZPM had dislodged the Mizo National Front from power in Mizoram in December 2023. 'Hon'ble Governor is of the firm opinion that the constant political instability is extremely detrimental for the CADC, and is certainly not what is intended by the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India, which envisions the effective administration of the tribal areas for the good of the people,' read the 7 July notification of the Mizoram District Council and Minority Affairs, declaring the Governor's move. 'And whereas, opinion of the Council of Ministers was obtained and whereas, as provided under Para 16(2) of the Sixth Schedule, the Hon'ble Governor is satisfied that the administration of the CADC cannot be carried on in accordance with provisions of the Sixth Schedule.' The ZPM hit back at Gen Singh (Retd), with Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga calling the imposition of Governor's Rule a 'breach of democratic principles'. When contacted by ThePrint, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma's office said that Sapdenga had already spelt out the ZPM's position on the issue. Sapdenga told reporters that following a request from the Governor, the council of ministers held a meeting and unanimously disapproved the dissolution of the CADC. On 4 July, it also recommended to the Governor that the ZPM be allowed to form the next executive committee in the council. 'It is unfortunate that the Governor, despite seeking an opinion, made a decision ignoring the views of the council of ministers. Though we are fully aware of the governor's discretionary power over the ADC, we see his action as a breach of democratic principles,' Sapdenga said. According to the Sixth Schedule, 'if at any time the Governor is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the administration of an autonomous district or region cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Schedule, he may, by public notification, assume to himself all or any of the functions or powers vested in or exercisable by the District Council'. The last time CADC was placed under Governor's Rule was in December 2022. The 'constant change of administration due to political maneuvering is extremely damaging for the welfare of the CADC and its people, and is certainly not what is intended by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which envisions the effective administration of the tribal areas', read the notification then. The previous four years had been politically tumultuous for the CADC. The BJP-Congress alliance, formed in 2018, had lasted for about five months, collapsing a month before the assembly elections in the state in November 2018. Following that, the council went on to be led by four more CEM's. The CADC is among the 10 autonomous district councils spread across Sixth Schedule areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. In Mizoram, apart from one for the Chakmas, there are two councils for the Lai and Mara ethnic tribes. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Congress, TMC oppose EC's 'special intensive revision' of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar

MLA Will Go Scot-Free, Team Shinde Has Done It Before: Priyanka Chaturvedi
MLA Will Go Scot-Free, Team Shinde Has Done It Before: Priyanka Chaturvedi

NDTV

timean hour ago

  • NDTV

MLA Will Go Scot-Free, Team Shinde Has Done It Before: Priyanka Chaturvedi

Seeking to draw a clear distinction between the actions of workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and a former MP from her party and those of the MLA of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena who assaulted a canteen worker over the quality of dal, Priyanka Chaturvedi, an MP from the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Sena, said comparing them would be wrong. Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha MP said the law had followed its course in the case of the assault of a shopkeeper by MNS workers for asking why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory while MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, who assaulted a worker in the canteen of the MLAs' hostel in Mumbai, would go scot-free. "The person who is beating the canteen worker is an elected representative of Maharashtra. He's an MLA, which comes with a whole lot of responsibility, and that responsibility and maturity should have come from him. And it's also different simply because Eknath Shinde's faction has been repeatedly indulging in this. If you remember, when stand-up comic Kunal Kamra had cracked a joke about Mr Shinde, a group of people had gone and broken down the studio, which was a means of livelihood for several people, several other stand-up comedians," she argued. The assault on a shopkeeper in Mira-Bhayender near Mumbai, she said, wasn't about language, but "disrespect". "There was an incident which went out of hand and there was a law-and-order mechanism which was followed. These people were detained and they were booked under some sections which were bailable and they got bail... In this particular case, you will not even have an FIR against this man, who is an elected representative. In this particular case, there will be no one to speak up against him... he will get away scot-free... I am not trying to justify anything, I am just trying to make you aware of the difference," Ms Chaturvedi said. 'Situation Escalated' On Rajan Vichare, former MP from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), at whose office some traders were slapped for allegedly not speaking in Marathi, Ms Chaturvedi said the incident had nothing to do with language. A Shiv Sena (UBT) worker, she claimed, had been beaten up because he asked for a prepaid mobile connection and Mr Vichare had called the attackers to his office to ask them why they had done so. The situation, she said, "escalated" and emphasised that Mr Vichare's constituency has a large north Indian population, which is something he celebrates. Thackeray Reunion MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray shared a stage last week, the Rajya Sabha MP said, because the BJP-led Maharashtra government had issued a government resolution (GR) making Hindi as a third-language compulsory in the state from Class 1. "The argument was why should a language be made compulsory and if Maharashtra is going to get Hindi as a compulsory third language, what is the third language in states which are Hindi-speaking? And the BJP was pressurised not just by political parties, but various people, various sections were also outraged about this. That imposing a language is not the right way of ensuring that people learn the language," Ms Chaturvedi said. "When the GR was taken back, that is when both brothers came on stage for that particular issue. Please understand, even I am Hindi speaking, we are not against the language. We have an entire Hindi film industry working out of Mumbai. We have an entire Hindi television industry working out of Mumbai. Out of 12 crore people in the state of Maharashtra, over one crore come from various states that are Hindi-speaking. Why is it that one or two incidents are raising so many eyebrows against one crore people happily coexisting with the people of Maharashtra. So, one or two incidents could also be due to a lot of provocation," she pointed out.

" Hindi Hai Hum, Watan Hai Hindustan Hamara": 26/11 Hero Amid Language Row
" Hindi Hai Hum, Watan Hai Hindustan Hamara": 26/11 Hero Amid Language Row

NDTV

timean hour ago

  • NDTV

" Hindi Hai Hum, Watan Hai Hindustan Hamara": 26/11 Hero Amid Language Row

Praveen Kumar Teotia, part of 26/11 counter-terrorist operation, chose Pakistan's national poet Allama Iqbal's patriotic poem to drive home the point of oneness amid a raging language row in Maharashtra. "The dream of a developed India will only come true when we will walk together with one language. And we say ' Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindustan hamara (Indians we are, India is our land)'," he told NDTV, in an interview, underlining the theme of oneness. Maharashtra has been in the spotlight for multiple incidents of targeted violence where the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena or MNS leaders went on a violent spree, singling out Hindi-speaking migrants and thrashing them brutally in public. "No, I am not angry with anyone. My mind is calm. Your emotions come to your mind when you see a poor person getting beaten up. And in that Mumbai, the Mumbai that we have considered our heritage, our economic capital, we shed our blood in that Mumbai. We served that Mumbai. And some people who do politics, only for their vote bank," said Mr Teotia. The former elite commando said he was in Mumbai in 2008 and the MNS workers did the same at that time also. "The North Indians, the people of UP and Bihar, the workers, the taxi drivers, they beat them up. And it went very badly. And even now, if you see, in February, the banks, their union had issued a circular in the name of MNS, that people like this are coming to the banks and threatening them," he said, adding he is privy to that information as several of his colleagues who are now retired are working in the banks in the city. The former soldier urged politicians to choose the "politics of development" and not create divisions in society. The controversy began when some traders in Mumbai were allegedly attacked by MNS workers for not speaking Marathi. The MNS had been demanding that traders and shopkeepers in the city speak Marathi, leading to tensions between the two groups. The police have been working to maintain law and order in the city and prevent any further escalation of the situation. The MNS has been advocating for the use of Marathi in public places and has been critical of those who do not speak the language. The party's chief, Raj Thackeray, has been vocal about the need for people to learn and speak Marathi, especially in Maharashtra. Citing the example of defence, Mr Teotia said it doesn't matter which state you come from, the language will always be Hindi. "Whether you are from Kashmir, or you are from Kanyakumari, or you are from Kutch, or you are from Kohima, it does not matter. Your language will always be Hindi. We keep India at the top," said the former soldier.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store