Amid demands from his partymen for him to be declared as chief ministerial candidate, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said he respects their sentiments but has not given a thought to the issue.
The premises of Uttar Pradesh-based liquor baron and businessman Ponty Chadha were on Wednesday searched by the income tax department in the state and at locations in Delhi in connection with alleged tax evasion.
The BMC polls will be held on February 21, and results will be announced on February 23.
'Why should we disclose how and from where we will get these numbers?'
'Initiatives taken by the government and security forces had resulted in a drop in the number of local youths being radicalised and taking to insurgency over the last few months.'
The street-fighter attitude is what keeps Rane going even at 69. The expectation is -- at least in the BJP camp -- that he will be itching for a battle royale with the Shiv Sena in its bastions.
Warning that partial revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from Jammu and Kashmir will create "terrorist sanctuaries", Army chief General V K Singh has said dilution of the controversial Act will be 'detrimental' to national interest. the Army chief said, "Just one summer of peace does not mean normalcy. Diluting of AFSPA in any form will be detrimental to national interest."
'When you read that for the first time, areas in Gujarat dominated by Patidars/Patels have been declared 'sensitive' for the civic polls that were held this week, you sit up and take note,' says Jyoti Punwani.
'He has been made CM of Uttarakhand because everybody thinks he is not a challenge to anyone.'
'Mumbai's killings in January 1993 came at the tail end of two outbursts of vicious communal violence, whereas today, it's peacetime in a 'new India'.' 'At that time, the perpetrators warned onlookers to keep their mouths shut.' 'Today, the perpetrators take videos of their attacks, such is their confidence.' 'The mobs have succeeded in terrorising an entire community and indeed, all those dealing in the transport of cattle, whatever their religion,' says Jyoti Punwani.
A recap of events that occurred in India in the past week.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday presented the Budget for 2021-22 in the Lok Sabha that is expected to provide relief to the pandemic-hit common man as well as focus more on driving economic recovery through higher spending on healthcare, infrastructure and defence amid rising tensions with neighbours, As India emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, the ninth Budget under the Modi government, including an interim one, is widely expected to focus on boosting spending on job creation and rural development, generous allocations for development schemes, putting more money in the hands of the average taxpayer and easing rules to attract foreign investments.
'In the end, it was possibly Pawar's pow-wow with Modi that helped her to come to a decision,' says Amulya Ganguli.
'Raj will have to do a lot more to win over the public and overcome the trust deficit. It is a lot of work and needs political patience, which can come with maturity and understanding. All of these seem to be lacking in the man.'
This was not Sharad Pawar or Prithviraj Chavan speaking. It was Uddhav Thackeray, the undisputed chief of the Shiv Sena!
'Initially the ad-breaks were strictly adhered to: In between overs, during drinks-break and dismissal of a batsman. Then the ad time increased, and cricket became what you saw between ads,' says M P Anil Kumar.
The 29-year-old next-gen Thackeray, whom his party wants to be the deputy chief minister in the BJP-Sena alliance government, won with a thumping majority from Mumbai's Worli constituency.
Shiv Sainiks on Sunday made a beeline to Matoshree, the residence of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray in Mumbai to greet him on his 84th birthday but the veteran leader did not meet any of them owing to security reasons.
We celebrate January 26 as Republic Day because that's the day on which we adopted the Constitution in 1950. Yet, in the days preceding and following Republic Day 2021, three different courts violated the Constitutional rights of citizens, observes Jyoti Punwani.
The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, whose elected members assaulted Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi in the Maharashtra assembly for taking oath in Hindi, on Tuesday warned him on speaking against Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.
Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut last week met NCP chief Sharad Pawar requesting him not field a candidate against Aaditya Thackeray in Worli.
Intensifying its protests against Shah Rukh Khan for speaking in favour of Pakistani cricket players, Shiv Sena activists on Sunday held a demonstration outside the actor's residence Mannat in suburban Bandra. "Shah Rukh should go to Pakistan if he wants to speak in favour of Pakistani players," said Shiv Sena leader and Member of Legislative Council Anil Parab, who led the protest. Sainiks displayed a travel ticket from Mumbai to Pakistan.
A day after joining the Congress, former Shiv Sainik Sada Sarvankar on Friday alleged that party executive chief Uddhav Thackeray ordered the recent attack on the residence of former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi. "Uddhav gave us the orders to attack Joshi's house," said Sarvankar, who was elected to the Maharashtra assembly in 2004 on a Sena ticket. On September 20, Sarvankar's supporters demonstrated violently outside the senior Sena leader's Shivaji Park residence.
'The BJP is the most progressive force within Hinduism today.'
Six persons were killed and four injured after a portion of a house collapsed on its adjacent structure on Thursday at Mumbra in Thane district of Maharashtra. The incident took place at approximately 4.30 pm at Sainik Nagar when the brick wall on the upper side of the house collapsed on the single-storied chawl located on the lower level. The wall collapse has been attributed to soil erosion which may have been worsened by the mild tremors.
Some Shiv Sena veterans say, "The Sena is eroding on its own, we don't have to quit this party. It breaks our heart to see the end, but it is inevitable." Neeta Kolhatkar on the crisis confronting the Shiv Sena.
Sunil Raut, brother of Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut, was on Wednesday remanded to police custody till November 27 for allegedly masterminding the attack on the office of Marathi news channel IBN-Lokmat. Raut had surrendered on Tuesday at the Parkside police station in suburban Vikhroli. On November 20, a group of alleged Shiv Sainiks ransacked the office of IBN-Lokma' in suburban Mumbai and beat up the staff members.
Shiv Sena activist Sunil Raut was on Tuesday arrested for allegedly masterminding the attack on the office of Marathi news channel IBN-Lokmat in Mumbai, the police said.
The Ram temple at Ayodhya is a symbol of Sena's sacrifice for Hindutva and the party would fulfil the promise of constructing it fully, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has said."The Ram temple is a symbol of Sena's sacrifice for Hindutva," an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana said on Thursday. Thackeray is the newspaper's editor.
Four school students were arrested for allegedly smearing colour on posters of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati during Holi, and a local court in Lucknow on Wednesday freed them on bail even as she chided the police for taking such harsh action for a 'petty mistake'.
'The impact of this delay and the breach of trust will be felt in the 1.5 million active serving personnel of the Armed forces, as they will also become part of the ex-servicemen for eventually,' ex-servicemen tell the finance minister.
Why did Pakistan sign a cease-fire without acquiring Kashmir, which was the sole purpose of the 1965 War, asks Ahmad Faruqui.
The Maharashtra Minister enjoyed SRK's latest release, MNIK.
India should observe October 22 as Kashmir Martyrs Day to pay tribute to those who lost their lives to Paakistan's State terrorism, suggests Brigadier Narender Kumar (retd).
The authorities urged the people to maintain peace and tranquility and do not allow the miscreants to create any trouble in their respective areas.
Virtually conceding that his party was whittling down its agitation against Shah Rukh Khan and his latest film My Name is Khan, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Friday said "those who want to see the film could do so."
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has termed the raking up of Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad's visit to his residence five years ago as "Goebbels' propaganda", saying an anti-Mumbai virus has spread, but it would have no impact on his party.
There's no telling how long this government will last or how cordial the relations between the alliance partners will be, but it tells us that while constancy and fealty pay, timing is everything, points out Aditi Phadnis.
As Uddhav Thackeray consolidates his hold over the Shiv Sena, conflict within the ranks seems inevitable, says Neeta Kolhatkar.