All along, we were told SIR was an essential exercise carried out as part of the Election Commission's regular duties. But now that the ideological mentor of the ruling party has declared that SIR is a means of detecting infiltrators, one understands the unseemly haste with which it is being carried out, notes Jyoti Punwani.
Thackeray took the accused to Patil at his Malabar Hill residence because he believes that all of them were innocent and had therefore surrendered, MNS sources said.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday lashed out at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for his 'Bihari' bashing and asked the Centre to take strong action against him.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has refuted reports that indelible ink marks on voters' fingers were being wiped off during the ongoing civic polls. The BMC clarified that the Municipal Commissioner had not made any such statement.
A court in New Delhi on Monday directed Delhi Police to lodge an FIR against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for allegedly branding Muslims from north India as insurgents and threatening them to throw out of the state.
Additional Sessions Judge S N Sardesai, however, has said that the court's order will not be applicable until 5 pm on Friday to allow the police to approach the Bombay high court to appeal against the order.
It seems the Bharatiya Janata Party proposes but the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena disposes.
Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane criticizes Uddhav and Raj Thackeray's joint rally, calling it divisive and anti-Hindu. Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar offers a more conciliatory view.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday said he was not into politics for personal gains, but to fight for issues. "I am not bothered about any gains or losses that I might incur with my involvement in politics. I have taken up certain issues, and I will stick to them," Thackeray told newspersons during an informal chat in Nagpur.
Sharpening its attack on MNS chief Raj Thackeray over his agitation against toll collection, the Shiv Sena said it had "predicted" the outcome of today's stir.
"He (Raj) was very careful this time and it seems he has consulted some legal experts before making the speech. For taking action, the offence needs to have been complete. And it is difficult to find an explicit threat or provocation in the speech text," a senior police officer said amidst widespread demand for action against MNS chief.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has blamed "Bihari" migrants for the recent case of gangrape of a girl in New Delhi.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday supported cartoonist Aseem Trivedi and demanded that he be set free and the sedition charge against him be dropped.
Speculations about a rapprochement between Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray are gathering steam, but leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) acknowledge that personal ties and organisational synergy are significant hurdles that need to be overcome. While both parties have expressed a willingness to put aside "trivial issues" and unite, the prospect of a reunion is complex, involving family dynamics, ideological differences, and the potential for internal conflicts. The reunion buzz has come at a time when both parties are experiencing a political nadir, with the Sena (UBT) winning 20 seats and the MNS drawing a blank in the 2024 assembly polls. The prospect of the two cousins coming together has enthused supporters of both parties, but it might not be the case with a section of cadres and party leaders. Key concerns include seat-sharing agreements, potential conflicts in areas with strong bases for both parties, and ideological differences.
The Shiv Sena-UBT-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena panel has lost all 21 seats in the election to the BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society Ltd, a platform where the two parties came together, sparking buzz about a pan-Maharashtra alliance.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday defended actor Salman Khan, who came under fire for claiming that the 26/11 attacks were hyped because the 'elite' were targeted by the terrorists.
The development sparked off speculation that the MNS chief might be arrested and produced before the court in Vikhroli in suburban Mumbai.
Under attack for his campaign against north Indians, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday softened his stand on Chhat puja, saying that he was not opposed to the festival being celebrated in Maharashtra but warned against it being used as a show of political strength.
PIX: Lata Mageshkar, Sachin Tendulkar meet with Raj Thackeray
A local court in Mumbai will decide on November 18 whether Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray has to be present in the court while arguments on the application seeking cancellation of his bail are heard.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on north Indians, singling out the arrest of terrorists from Bihar, in the 13/7 serial blasts case.
Check out the star arrivals.
The ruling Congress party in Maharashtra is seeking party general secretary Rahul Gandhi's help to take on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray in order to consolidate its position by luring youths in the party organisation.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray anti-toll agitation brought Mumbai to standstill, almost. Here are some dramatic pictures from the agitation.
Welcoming the transfer of Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik following the August 11 violence in south Mumbai, MNS president Raj Thackeray on Thursday again demanded resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil, who he said was "ignorant" about his department.
Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers on Monday went on the rampage, vandalising toll plazas in different parts of the state following their leader's diktat not to pay the levy and "thrash" those who raise a voice against it.
The Delhi high court has quashed the summons issued to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray by a court in Bokaro in an alleged hate speech case, observing that faith and religion are more resilient and cannot be hurt or provoked by the views of an individual.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday charged the Centre and Maharashtra government with failing to rein in Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for his threat to throw Biharis out of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Navnirmkan Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday shot down the suggestion of his party joining the grand alliance of Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party- Republican Party of India to take on the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra and asserted his outfit will capture power in the state on its own strength.
Daring the Maharashtra government to take action against them, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers and supporters headed towards Pune on Sunday, without paying the toll, to attend a public meeting to be addressed by their leader Raj Thackeray.
Amid violence against Hindi-speaking people, Maharashtra minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashish Shelar on Sunday drew parallels between the Pahalgam terror attack and the beating of 'Hindus' in Mumbai, which he said is condoned by some leaders.
Expressing anguish over no breakthrough in rationalist Narendra Dabholkar murder case even after a month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday alleged the killing could be "state-sponsored" one.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said whatever the people of Maharashtra wish will happen, comments coming amid intense speculation over possibility of an alliance between his party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by his estranged cousin Raj.
A day after the Supreme Court asked him to desist from making provocative speeches targeting north Indians, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray chose to speak on Hindi saying the language should not be forced on the people.
The MNS chief demanded that videos of such people being thrashed be made viral on social media, to instill sense of "trust" among people.
The auto sector in Pune, which houses production centres of the most prominent auto manufacturers in the country, says that 60-70 per cent of its labour is already local. They were reponding to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray's call yesterday urging companies to reserve 80 per cent of all industrial jobs created for local Maharashtrians.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday warned his party cadres not to indulge in indiscipline or face his wrath.
Amar Singh said that he could, on behalf of Bachchan, state that the actor would leave Mumbai if it was proved that he has not done more for Maharashtra than for Uttar Pradesh.
'If you look at the average age of all our candidates, you will notice that their average age is between 35 and 40. It is a kind of revolution that the MNS is bringing in Maharashtra.'
Claiming that 70 per cent of new autorickshaw permits were given to non Marathis, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has threatened that his party workers will set on fire these autos if they are seen plying on roads.
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