Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, NCP (SP) MLA Ashok Pawar's son has alleged he was kidnapped by a group of persons who demanded Rs 10 crore from him, police said on Sunday, reported news agency PTI. The police on Saturday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against three men and a woman in this connection, they said. The accused allegedly asked Rushiraj Pawar, the son of the Shirur MLA in Pune district, to come with them for a meeting with some persons who wanted to join the NCP (SP), as per the FIR, reported PTI. The accused them took him on their motorbike to a bungalow, as per the FIR registered on Rushiraj Pawar's complaint. He was also forced to film an obscene video with an unidentified woman, the complainant claimed, reported PTI. The accused allegedly demanded Rs 10 crore for not circulating the video on social media, the FIR said. Rushiraj came out of the bungalow on the pretext of arranging the ransom money and escaped. He later approached police and lodged a complaint against the accused, reported PTI. Based on the complaint, the Shirur police registered the FIR against four persons under relevant legal provisions. "As per the complaint received, we have registered a case and further probe is on," Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh said, reported PTI. The state assembly polls are scheduled on November 20. (With inputs from PTI)
10 November,2024 02:27 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentUnion minister Nitin Gadkari has said the Congress made amendments to the Constitution when in power but makes an "emotional pitch" now that the BJP will make changes to it, reported news agency PTI. Speaking at multiple campaign rallies in Wardha district of Vidarbha region on Saturday ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections, Gadkari also said the BJP is a party of workers, while the Congress indulges in dynastic politics, reported PTI. "They make an emotional pitch that if the BJP gets 400 seats (in the Lok Sabha), the Constitution will be changed. They lie," he said at Deoli, reported PTI. As per the Supreme Court judgement in the Kesavananda Bharti case, the salient features of the Constitution cannot be changed, said the Union road transport and highways minister. The Congress government led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had amended the Constitution, he said. "They changed the Constitution, and they blame us. The Janata Party rectified it. How many times was the Constitution amended during Indira Gandhi's tenure? But the Congress does not want to respond to this," the BJP leader said, reported PTI. Speaking at a rally in the Arvi assembly constituency in the district, Gadkari said that had the Congress given priority to rural India, farmers would not have died by suicide and there would have been less poverty in villages. The BJP is neither a party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Nitin Gadkari but it is a party of workers who dedicated their lives to it, the Union minister said, hailing the contribution of party workers in his political journey. "The BJP is a party of its workers. Here, a PM is not born to another PM, MP is not born to an MP, MLA is not born to an MLA," he said, reported PTI. The Nagpur MP recalled his days as a party worker when he visited the Wardha district on a scooter, riding 'triple-seat'. Vidarbha or eastern Maharashtra elects 62 of the state's 288 MLAs. "In 75 years of India's history, the Congress never gave priority to the development of the country's rural areas. There were no roads in villages, and no drinking water. Congress never seriously thought of the development of rural India. Had rural India got priority, farmers would not have committed suicide, there would not have been poverty in the villages," the Union minister said, reported PTI. The former BJP chief said the Congress gave a call to eradicate poverty, but it did not happen in reality. Gadkari also said he was not opposed to reservations, but would never use religion and caste for politics. Those who are socially, economically and educationally backwards should get a reservation to become economically and educationally capable, he added. Speaking at a rally in the Wardha assembly constituency, Gadkari claimed that in the last 10 years, his ministry pumped about Rs 20,000 crore in various projects in the Wardha district alone. He also argued that there was a deterioration in the level of politics. (With inputs from PTI)
10 November,2024 12:16 PM IST | Wardha | mid-day online correspondentDelhiites woke up to toxic air on Sunday as the air quality remained in the 'very poor' category. Delhi continued to battle with air pollution for the 10th consecutive day post-Diwali as a dense layer of smog blanketed parts of the national capital on Sunday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 335 as of 8 am today, categorised as 'very poor.' Some areas, including Alipur, Anand Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Rohini, and Bawana, continued to experience 'very poor' air quality. At 8:30 am, the humidity level was 91 per cent, according to the India Meteorological Department. Several parts of the national capital recorded very poor air quality levels on Sunday morning as per the data issued by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India). Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 351, Bawana 383, CRRI Mathura Road 323, Dwarka Sector 8 at 341, IGI Airport at 326, ITO 328, Lodhi Road 319, Mundka at 358, Najafgarh at 341, New Moti Bagh at 394, Okhla phase-2 at 339, RK Puram at 368 and Wazirpur at 366, as per SAFAR-India data. Visuals from Delhi's Kartavya Path showed the area surrounding India Gate engulfed by a layer of smog. The AQI in the area was recorded at 357 as of 7 am. High-rise buildings were covered in smog in the Kalindi Kunj and surrounding locality as the AQI was recorded as 323 in the area. Delhi's Dhaula Kuan was also concealed in smog as the AQI in the area fell to 394 categorised as 'very poor' according to the CPCB. An AQI is considered "poor" between '200 and 300', "very poor" at '301 and 400', "severe" at '401-450," and 450 and above is "severe plus." As the air pollution levels in the national capital reach "very poor," doctors say that even people with no history of respiratory diseases are suffering from breathing issues. Dr Nikhil Modi, Senior Consultant for Respiratory Critical Care at Apollo Hospital, said that apart from the regular patients, those who don't have any respiratory issues in the past are showing up with symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, coughing and have increasing difficulties in breathing, reported news agency ANI. The Apollo doctor further suggested that the government close the schools for children as they remain vulnerable. Whenever the pollution levels have gone beyond a certain limit, the government has opted to close the schools, Dr Modi said, reported ANI. "For the last few years, we have been seeing that the government has taken action. Whenever this pollution level has gone beyond a certain limit, they have opted to close the schools. This is important because children are from a vulnerable group. As an adult, we are masked and can protect ourselves better, but children usually are not that effectively taking these measures. Secondly, their lungs are still in developing stages, so they are bound to have more harm due to this pollution," the doctor said, reported ANI. (With inputs from ANI)
10 November,2024 11:28 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentCongress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is making her electoral debut with the November 13 Wayanad Lok Sabha seat bypoll, is making her final push on the last two days of campaigning with a series of public meetings and events, including two roadshows with brother and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi has been in Wayanad since last Sunday and has held several meetings and interactions with the voters across the constituency since then, save on Saturday. She was joined by Rahul Gandhi, the former MP from Wayanad, for a joint public meeting last Sunday itself and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday. Since then, she was been crisscrossing the constituency which spans seven Assembly constituencies - three each in the Wayanad and Malappuram districts and one in the Kozhikode district. On Sunday, she will begin with a reception at 2/4 Edavaka in the Mananthavady-ST Assembly segment of Wayanad at 12.20 p.m., and one at Tharuvana in the same constituency at 12.50 p.m., and then Venniyode in the Kalpetta Assembly seat, also in Wayanad, at 1.30 p.m., followed by a similar event at Kambalakkad in Kalpetta only at 2 p.m. Priyanka Gandhi is then slated to hold a corner meeting at Naikatty in Sultan Bathery-ST segment at 3 p.m., followed by a reception at Chulliyode in the same constituency only at 4.15 p.m., before calling it a day after returning for a reception at Vaduvanchal in Mupainad of the Kalpetta seat at 5.10 p.m. On Monday, she will be joined by Rahul Gandhi for a joint roadshow from the Assumption Junction to Chungam Junction in Sultan Bathery, slated to begin at 10.15 a.m., and then another joint roadshow from the Gram Panchayat Office to the Bus Stand in the Thiruvambadi constituency of the neighbouring Kozhikode district, from 3 p.m. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 November,2024 10:47 AM IST | Thiruvananthapuram | IANSReferring to BJP's victory in the Haryana assembly polls, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that Congress and its INDIA alliance partners misguided the people during the Lok Sabha elections "by spreading lies" and people have understood it now. Addressing a gathering here, he also lashed out at Congress and its INDIA alliance partners over the resolution passed by Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for restoration of special status. "... The mandate of Haryana was a warning for the Congress-INDIA Alliance. They misguided the people during the Lok Sabha elections by spreading lies. But now the people have understood that they are playing with the emotions of the people... The Congress-INDI Alliance got exposed when they passed a resolution in the J&K assembly, to restore Article 370," he said. The BJP could not perform to its expectations in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year with Samajwadi Party winning the maximum number of seats. The Chief Minister said BR Ambedkar never wanted Article 370 to be a part of the Indian constitution. "But Congress made it happen and the country had to pay the price for it by facing terrorism," he said. He said Kashmiri Pandits were forced to migrate. He said Modi government abrogated Article 370 and is seeking to create a sense of security among people. Earlier in the day, CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the third edition of National Book Trust (NBT) India's Anushthan Gomti Book Festival 2024 in Lucknow. The Gomti Book Festival is being organised at Lucknow's River Front Park from November 9 to 17. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 November,2024 10:45 AM IST | Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) | ANIThe Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police on Saturday arrested a man after five firearms and 90 rounds of live cartridges were seized from his possession, an officer said. The STF seized three single-shot firearms, two 7 mm semi-automatic pistols, 50 rounds of 8 mm cartridges and 40 rounds of 7.65 mm cartridges from the possession of Md Ismail Khan, a native of Chatra district in Jharkhand, the officer said. The seizures and arrest were made by the STF from a place near the busy Sealdah railway station on specific intelligence input, he said. The arrested accused will be produced before the court on Sunday, he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 November,2024 10:40 AM IST | Kolkata | PTIA lack of coordination between two rail employees during a shunting operation led to one of them getting stuck in the buffers of the engine and a power car, causing his death in the Barauni Junction of Bihar on Saturday, a preliminary inquiry has found. The joint report, signed by five rail officials, said the two pointsmen -- Amar Kumar and Mohd Suleman -- failed to properly coordinate with each other due to which Suleman gave the wrong signal to the loco driver, resulting in 25-year-old Kumar's death. A clip of the body stuck between the buffers has become widely circulated on social media. A pointsman's job is to detach train engines from coaches. The preliminary report has held Suleman responsible for the incident. However, Suleman has defended himself in his written submission and held the loco driver responsible for the accident. Suleman said he and Kumar disconnected the engine and the power car by detaching the centre buffer coupler -- a device that connects the engine with a coach. He further said that the engine moved a bit away from the power car and, when Kumar went to close the buffer coupler, the driver reversed the engine without any hand signal from him (Suleman). "Due to this, Amar (Kumar) got sandwiched between the two buffers," Suleman said. A buffer is a shock-absorbing device on both ends of a train's engine and coaches, designed to reduce the impact of collisions between bogies. According to the joint report, the 15204 Lucknow-Barauni Express terminated at Barauni Junction at 8:10 am and the station master assigned the task of detaching the engine from the power car and the rest of the train to Kumar and Suleman. "While detaching the engine and the power car, pointsman Kumar got stuck between the two and died on the spot," the report said. After reviewing footage from CCTV cameras installed at the station, they found that the accident occurred around 8:29 am. Kumar's body was retrieved after separating the engine and the power car at 10:15 am and sent for post-mortem. According to rail officials, another senior-level inquiry had also been ordered. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 November,2024 10:38 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIA woman working in the paddy fields was gunned down by suspected hills-based militants in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Saturday, officials said. The incident took place in Saiton area when the woman, along with other farmers, went to tend to the crops when militants opened fire from hill-based positions on the low-lying farmlands in Imphal Valley. The woman died on the spot, the officials said, adding the incident sparked tension in the village with the locals alleging that the central forces deployed in the area were not taking action to thwart such attacks. Additional security forces have been sent to the area. The killing came two days after a 31-year-old woman was killed in an attack by unidentified persons on Zairon Hmar village in Jiribam district on Thursday night. Six houses were burnt in the incident. The woman’s charred remains were found by villagers on Friday afternoon. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 November,2024 08:08 AM IST | Imphal | AgenciesThe Income Tax Department on Saturday conducted searches at multiple locations in poll-bound Jharkhand, including on the premises of a person linked to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, as part of a tax evasion probe, official sources said. A total of nine premises in the state’s capital Ranchi and Jamshedpur are being raided in an operation that started early morning. A security team of the CRPF is assisting the I-T sleuths, the sources said. The locations linked to Sunil Shrivastava, an aide to the chief minister, are also being searched, they said. The action is linked to recent probes launched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over alleged illegal liquor trade and mining in the state, the sources said. The assembly elections are scheduled for November 13 and 20, and the counting of votes will take place on November 23. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 November,2024 07:54 AM IST | Ranchi | AgenciesDeputy Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday asserted that 'vote jihad' in the state must be countered with a 'dharma-yuddha (religious war)' of votes, as he campaigned for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024. According to news agency PTI, Fadnavis, while addressing a rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in support of Mahayuti coalition candidates Atul Save (Aurangabad East), Sanjay Shirsat (Aurangabad West), and Pradip Jaiswal (Aurangabad Central), spoke strongly about the political landscape in the state. “No one can change the name of this city now. At an AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) rally here, someone asked who was Sambhaji Maharaj. Sambhaji Maharaj remained undefeated for nine years. So, we have given his name to the city,” Fadnavis said, referring to the recent renaming of Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar in honour of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire after his father, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. According to PTI, the BJP leader then pointed to the issue of 'vote jihad' that he claimed had affected previous elections. “A vote jihad has begun in the state now. We saw that in the Lok Sabha elections. In Dhule, we were ahead by 1.90 lakh votes, but the Malegaon (assembly segment) had 1.94 lakh votes, and we were defeated by only 4,000 votes. This Vote Jihad was the reason for our defeat there because we were not united,” he alleged. Fadnavis also cited the words of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, who had said 'Batenge to katenge (divided we perish)', and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had said 'Ek rahenge to safe rahenge (united we remain safe)'. “This election is an opportunity to show that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was a saffron fortress,” he added. Without naming Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis remarked, “Late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray gave the name 'Sambhajinagar' to this city, and now some people are ashamed to call Bal Thackeray Hinduhriday Samrat (ruler of Hindu hearts). They even call him 'Janab' Bal Thackeray.” Rs 1600-crore water pipeline scheme sanctioned in just eight days: Devendra Fadnavis PTI reported that continuing his criticism, Fadnavis attacked the AIMIM and its supporters. “This is an election for crushing the dreams of those who are trying to bring the rule of Razakars to the city,” he said, referring to the infamous militia of the Nizam of Hyderabad, who were associated with Aurangabad before it became part of Maharashtra. “If they are doing vote jihad, Sambhajinagar should be ready to do dharma-yuddha of votes,” Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, said. Speaking on issues related to development, Fadnavis elaborated the Mahayuti government’s accomplishments. He mentioned the sanctioning of a Rs 1600-crore water pipeline scheme in just eight days and said that although the local administration lacked the funds to contribute Rs 600 crore to the project, the Maharashtra Government had covered the cost. “The Maha Vikas Aghadi government stopped it, but the Mahayuti resumed it, and the city will have enough water in every home within the next three months,” he said. Fadnavis also highlighted other infrastructure projects, including the resolution of issues related to garbage, sewer lines, and roads. “We also built the (Nagpur-Mumbai) Samruddhi highway, which helped bring Rs 73,000-crore worth of investments to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar,” he said, adding that the state had also sanctioned Rs 740 crore for expanding the local airport. Fadnavis also promised the development of a sports university and a cricket stadium in the city if the Mahayuti wins the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024. (With PTI inputs)
09 November,2024 09:32 PM IST | Chhatrapati SambhajinagarCongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central Government and said demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) harmed the poor, farmers, and labourers in India. According to news agency PTI, while speaking at a rally in Jamshedpur ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024, Gandhi claimed that the BJP's economic policies were designed as "weapons to kill the poor," and alleged that demonetisation and GST had caused widespread unemployment. “The policies of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi are responsible for unemployment spreading in India. Demonetisation and GST are weapons to kill the poor, farmers, and labourers,” Gandhi said. The Congress leader further accused the BJP and its ideological affiliate, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), of playing divisive politics based on caste, religion, and language. “The BJP and RSS are trying to divide India, while the Congress aims to protect the Constitution. The BJP-RSS is determined to destroy it,” he claimed. According to PTI, Gandhi also criticised Prime Minister Modi for "funding capitalists who invest their wealth abroad". However, he did not provide further details on this claim. Expressing confidence in Congress’s victory in the Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024, Gandhi assured supporters that the party would defeat Modi and focus on the welfare of the people. Tax structure designed to loot poor: Rahul Gandhi In a brief moment during the rally, Gandhi paused for two minutes after Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta informed him that the ‘Azan (call to prayer)' was in progress. Meanwhile, in another rally at Baghmara in Dhanbad, Gandhi took aim at the Central Government’s tax structure, accusing it of being designed to “loot the poor", PTI reported. “The Indian tax structure is designed to loot the poor. (Industrialist Gautam) Adani pays the same taxes as ordinary citizens. The land in Dharavi, Mumbai, worth Rs 1 lakh crore, is being handed over to him,” Gandhi alleged. Taking a dig at Modi, Gandhi mocked the Prime Minister’s lavish lifestyle and said, “Modi travels in seaplanes and goes into the sea, while the poor and women bear the brunt of rising prices.” He also said that the Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) do not have enough representation in government institutions. “STs, SCs, and OBCs make up 90 per cent of India’s population, but they are not properly represented in government bodies,” he said. The Congress leader promised that if his party comes to power after the Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024, they would provide funds equivalent to the amount of debt that has been waived off for capitalists. “We will give to the poor the equivalent of the money the capitalists got from Modi,” he added. On the issue of reservation, Gandhi reaffirmed Congress’s commitment to a comprehensive overhaul of the reservation system. "If we are voted to power in Jharkhand, we will ensure a caste census and remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations," he promised. He further vowed to increase reservations for various communities, including raising the reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) to 28 per cent from the current 26 per cent, for Scheduled Castes (SCs) to 12 per cent from 10 per cent, and for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to 27 per cent from 14 per cent. Gandhi concluded by stressing the importance of conducting a caste census to accurately assess the participation of tribals, Dalits, and OBCs in India's institutions and share of the nation’s wealth. "A caste census is essential to understand the participation of these communities in various sectors and to ensure their rightful share," he said. (With PTI inputs)
09 November,2024 08:20 PM IST | Jamshedpur | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
