The Mumbai police on Monday resorted to lathicharge to disperse agitating supporters of Member of Legislative Assembly Abu Azmi in suburban Govandi, protesting the assault on the Samajwadi Party leader in Maharashtra assembly by members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
Rediff.com brings you a combined update of the effect of Thursday's Bharat bandh, called by the National Democratic Alliance, Left parties and Samajwadi Party to protest against the latest hike in petrol prices, from various parts of the country.
Photographs of how Bharat observed the Bandh, from across the country.
The attack on North Indians in Maharashtra generated major uproar in the Lok Sabha on Monday, with demands that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray be detained under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act and that he be disenfranchised. Members from Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party, most of them belonging to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, expressed grave concern over the attack on North Indians in Maharashtra.
'These guys who are running away -- they are running away from all that the BJP stands for.'
A city court has reserved judgment for Saturday 2 pm on a criminal complaint against withdrawal of a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into alleged "benami" properties held by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh in the name of his two sons and daughter-in-law, Dimple, wife of MP son Akhilesh.
Setting aside their bitterness, both within and outside Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi shook hands at a function to felicitate NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who turned 75 on Thursday.
NCP sources also added that the smaller parties which had allied with the Congress-NCP coalition are also on board to having a tie-up with the Shiv Sena.
Sparks flew on the first day of the debate on the no-trust motion moved by the Congress with the Opposition on Tuesday asserting that it was forced to do so to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'maun vrat' (vow of silence) on Manipur and the treasury benches hitting back saying it was a no-trust vote against a 'poor person's son' who has worked for the welfare of the people.
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.
A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for assaulting Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi in the Maharashtra Assembly for taking oath in Hindi instead of Marathi.
The recent electoral drubbing seems to have forced the Left to search for space in 'leftover' electoral politics, as it struggles to find suitable allies in different states for quick-fix poll adjustments.
"For an apology to Muslims, a Muslim Prime Minister is needed," Singh, who recently quit all organisational posts in his party, said while campaigning for party colleague Abu Azmi's son Farhan, who is contesting Bhiwandi assembly by-election in Maharashtra.
Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan led a walk out by party MPs in Rajya Sabha after she was refused permission to raise the issue of anti-north Indians campaign in Maharashtra of which her husband Amitabh Bachchan was the most visible target. Jaya strongly objected to Shiv Sena MP Manohar Joshi's comment that there was 'no anti-migrant drive' in Maharashtra.
Taking cognizance of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's attack on Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi for taking his oath in Hindi, a local court has issued notices against party chief Raj Thackeray and four suspended party Members of Legislative Assembly.Chief Judicial Magistrate R R Badodiya issued notices on Wednesday against Raj Thackeray and four other MLAs -- Shishir Shinde, Ramesh Wanjale, Vasant Gite and Ram Kadam -- and asked them to appear before the court.
For the BJP, the RSS' organisational heft is a prized asset, considering the slew of elections it faces this year, ahead of the Lok Sabha election in 2024.
Known for its abhorrence of Samajwadi Party Member of Legislative Assembly Abu Azmi, Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is likely to back the Congress candidate in the by-election to the Bhiwandi assembly seat in Maharashtra against the SP leader's son Farhan.
Leaders from across the political spectrum came out and congratulated Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray after he was sworn in as the Maharashtra chief minister.
He is learnt to have discussed the formulation of a joint opposition strategy on the issue of Lakhimpur Kheri violence and the detention of prominent leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from Rampur Jaya Prada on Tuesday met Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan to seek pardon for actor Sanjay Dutt. Dutt, who has already spent 18 months behind bars, was on Thursday sentenced to five years imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.
Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, whose members assaulted Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Asim Azmi in the Maharashtra assembly, on Wednesday said they would apologise to the House for their action but not to the Member of Legislative assembly."We will apologise in the assembly as it was not our intention to malign the image of the House. However, there is no question of apologising to Azmi," MNS leader Atul Sarpotdar said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that after fulfilling Bharatiya Janata Party's poll promise on Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya, work has begun in Mathura and Vrindavan as well.
Before Maharashtra assembly commence its first session of Legislature, a political debate has started between the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and its rival Samajwadi Party with the SP MLA Abu Asim Azmi demanding the House agenda in Hindi.
Cong leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, former Prez Pranab Mukherjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav as well as CMs of six states to be present at the occasion.
Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi on Monday described Marathi as his mother and Hindi as his grandmother, and said he was learning the local language out of respect and not fear. "Marathi is like mother for me, but Hindi is like my grandmother. I am learning Marathi. (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief) Raj Thackeray should not think that I am learning the language out of his fear," he said.
The couple celebrated the big day with friends in the film industry.
Member of Parliament Abu Asim Azmi has announced the setting up of a helpline for north Indians and proposed to start self-defence courses for migrants
The rivalry between the two leaders began last year, when Raj launched an anti-north Indian campaign, demanding rights for sons-of-the-soil.
'To summarise, PM Modi's failures in the last nine years can be categorised under 'durniti' (bad policies), 'anyay' (injustice) and - perhaps most importantly - 'badniyat' (ill intention)'
Softening his stand against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said on Sunday that Raj's statement regarding migrants spreading Malaria was not from his heart.
Scores of Shiv Sainiks on Wednesday intensified their stir against Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Asim Azmi by courting arrest outside the Maharashtra legislative assembly.
With the Centre asking the state government to take proper steps to maintain law and order, Deshmukh said stern action would be taken against the guilty and there will be full protection for those living in Mumbai.
While the police denied any such incident, mediamen deployed outside Bachchan's bungalow, anticipating trouble in the wake of clashes between the MNS and Samajwadi Party supporters on Sunday, said they heard verbal abuses being hurled by the duo and also saw a bottle being thrown by them. Security was stepped up at Bachchan's residence 'Prateeksha' in Juhu, following MNS chief Raj Thackeray's attack on the superstar for "preferring Uttar Pradesh over Maharashtra".
In front of a 50,000 odd strong audience, which also had Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister on Sunday. Here's a glimpse of the big names that attended the big-ticket event.
Joining a list of leaders who made controversial remarks following the Delhi gangrape incident, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi on Tuesday said women should not go out with men other than relatives and agreed with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's view that most rapes take place in cities and not villages.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday said if north Indian-origin leaders in Mumbai did not stop making inflammatory statements, there would be "riots".
Opposition parties on Monday slammed the government for ignoring the interests of farmers and said funds allocated in the General Budget for agriculture ministry were not sufficient.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's bypoll win in four of the six seats it contested has invigorated the party ahead of assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Parliamentarians and legislators across the country voted on Monday to elect India's 15th president, choosing between opposition pick Yashwant Sinha and National Democratic Alliance nominee Droupadi Murmu who is favoured to win the battle to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Maharashtra assembly witnessed scenes of pandemonium on Monday as Members of Legislative Assembly of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena tried to prevent Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi from taking oath in Hindi.The MNS MLAs, who had earlier demanded that all legislators take their oaths in Marathi, created a ruckus the moment Azmi started taking his oath.Azmi was reportedly hit by MNS MLA Ram Kadam. The House was adjourned for 20 minutes following the ruckus.
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