News Reporter

Mukta Dabholkar at Vidhan Bhavan premises on Friday.  Dr Narendra Dabholkar’s daughter Mukta says that passage of the Bill will strengthen anti-superstition movement in Maharashtra  Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of murdered rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar, expressed gratitude towards Maharashtra Government for clearing Anti Black Magic Bill and said that it would strengthen anti-superstition movement in the State. “The Bill, which was pending for 18 years has been passed. It is real tribute to Dr Narendra Dabholkar,” said Mukta. Talking to reporters in Vidhan Bhavan premises after passage of the Bill by Legislative Assembly on Friday, Mukta said that the Opposition had given many recommendations and she respected that right. The Bill would put check on ‘Aghori’ and inhuman practices in the State. Asked about the amendments in the Bill, Mukta replied that she was unaware of them and would speak after detailed study. Replying to query about opposition from Warakaris...

AAP and Congress should support each other and share power in Delhi By Dheeraj Fartode  BJP leader Nitin Gadkari at Vidhan Bhavan  Firing salvo against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) former National President Nitin Gadakari dubbed AAP as B-Team of Congress party and charged it with “trying to malign image of BJP in the Delhi elections.” Congress and AAP have good internal relations. The party will be exposed in next 3-4 months,” Gadkari claimed while taking pot-shots at this political party which stunned all in Delhi elections by bagging 28 seats. Gadkari, who is also member of Legislative Council on Friday visited the Vidhan Bhavan. He further said that AAP and Congress should support each other and share power in Delhi. AAP’s reluctance to form governemnt was because they would find it difficult to fulfill tall promises made in their manifesto, he claimed. AAP can’t give so much water and reduce power tariff by 40 per cent. They can’...

Deputy leader of BJP in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde along with his daughter MLA Pankaja Munde and MP Ajay Sancheti at Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday.  NCP hits back, asks Munde to look within and mind his own party  By Dheeraj Fartode Deputy leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde on Wednesday called Union Agriculture minister and President of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as a ‘perpetual fence sitter’ for targeting Congress party over its so called weak leadership. “Pawar, who is enjoying power with Congress for past 15 years, suddenly discovered the weak leadership of Congress party. Was Pawar sleeping for past 15 years?,” Munde sarcastically asked only to evoke a sharp response from NCP State President Bhaskar Jadhav who blasted Munde for criticising NCP supremo. During his entire political career, whenever Munde wanted to hog limelight he had indulged in such jibes against Pawar, the NCP State President claimed. He also asked Munde to ...

Supporters of MLA Ravi Rana agitation at building on Wednesday.  Cops shoo away unruly protestors who climbed atop a building to hog limelight  By Dheeraj Fartode Demanding statehood to Vidarbha, supporters of independent MLA Ravi Rana climbed atop a building situated right opposite Vidhan Bhavan and threatened to jump, after Rana was suspended on Wednesday for a day from Assembly for his unruly behaviour. However, city police nabbed the agitators well in time and foiled their attempt to hog the limelight. Earlier, MLA Rana and his supporters protested at stair case of Vidhan Bhavan at 10.30 am and shouted slogans demanding separate Vidarbha state and immediate relief to farmers. Ususally, the sitting legislators and in exceptional cases former legislators are allowed sit-in at stair-case, but rank outsiders are not allowed to use this privilage. Adopting tough stance, Marshals of the Vidhan Bhavan forced Rana’s supporters to leave the spot. During th...

Yuvraj Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje  By Dheeraj Fartode Scion of Kolhapur royal family Yuvraj Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, who is descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on Saturday said that the political leaders cheated Maratha community over reservation issue and hence, 90 per cent of the community members continue to be live Below Poverty Line (BPL) status. “We are creating pressure group in the State to get reservation to Marathas,” said Sambhaji Raje. Addressing a ‘meet the press’ programme at Tilak Patrakar Bhavan organised jointly by Nagpur Union of Working Journalist (NUWJ) and Tilak Patrakar Bhavan Trust, Sambhaji Raje said, 56 pro-Maratha reservation organisations are with him for the cause and this issue is getting tremendous response across the State. Sambhaji Raje is on ‘Shiv-Shahu Yatra Rayat Jagar Abhiyan’. The yatra that started from Shivneri fort on November 23 arrived in city on Saturday. “We are not against reservation to Other Backward Classes (O...

General Manager of South Eastern Central Railway (SECR) Navin Tandon  By Dheeraj Fartode Authorities of Nagpur Division of South Eastern Central Railway (SECR) are blank about utilisation of Rs one crore given by SECR to Central Railway two years ago for development of narrow gauge platform at Nagpur Railway Station. Newly appointed General Manager of SECR Navin Tandon also kept mum over the issue and asked Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) S L Verma to clarify on the same. However, Verma had no concrete information about utilisation of money. He told the reporters that he would inform the media later. Tandon was on his maiden tour of Nagpur Division of SECR after being appointed as General Manager. SECR had given Rs one crore to Central Railway two years ago to develop basic amenities and maintenance of the platform at Nagpur Railway Station. However, Central Railway has not started any work till date and situation at the platform is the same. Addressing a pres...