Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
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| 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 look within and take care of his own party, where he himself was sidelined until last year.
It may be mentioned that Pawar had attacked the Congress leadership saying people want a “strong and decisive” leader like Indira Gandhi and not “weak leaders” in his blog on Monday after rout of party in four assembly election. Pawar said that weak leadership at various levels has given rise to “a bunch of pseudo activists who have no connect with ground reality”.
Talking with reporters during his visit to Vidhan Bhavan, Munde said that BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, had insisted on good governance and corruption free administration, and provided a wonderful and successful model at Gujarat. “Modi’s leadership is behind success of BJP in all the four states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi,” he said. Political scenario of nation will change after forthcoming general elections and BJP will get majority in the Lok Sabha, he asserted. Congress has lost its prestige in Delhi. This victory is a rehearsal for Lok Sabha polls, he added.
Praising Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the senior BJP leader said that AAP has shown its strength in the Delhi polls. He further announced BJP’s support for anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare’s fast and said that Union Government should discuss the issue of Lokpal Bill with Hazare. “Hazare is fighting for a noble cause and the government should table the bill in ongoing session,” he demanded.
When asked about social activist Medha Patkar’s allegations against BJP and NCP leaders for purchasing 40 sugar factories of co-operative sectors, Munde said that the factories were purchased through open tender purchase and claimed that the allegation was based on wrong facts. “BJP is not involved in the scam,” he said.
Munde reiterated BJP’s stand on separate Vidarbha and said BJP and he himself always supported separate Vidarbha. Member of Rajya Sabha Ajay Sancheti, MLC Pandurang Fundakar, MLA and daughter of Munde Pankaja Munde were present.
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