Mumbai, May 24: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday claimed that many leaders from various parties in Maharashtra are ready to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) soon.
"Several leaders are enthusiastically queuing up to join the BJP. Just wait and watch," Fadnavis said, while welcoming former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Niranjan Davkhare to the party fold.
He added that the BJP was always ready to accommodate people who were doing good work for the people and society and the entry of a youth leader like Davkhare "would be an asset to the party".
"What Maharashtra has achieved in the past four years was never seen in the earlier two decades. Similarly, in the past 25 years, the one government that has stood behind the people like the Himalayas is the present (Modi) government," Fadnavis said.
Today's development came amidst fresh political speculation that another NCP legislator and Mathadi labour leader, Narendra Patil, was likely to cross over to the BJP soon.
On Wednesday, jolted by Davkhare's move to quit the party and his membership of the Legislative Council, the NCP retaliated by suspending him from the party membership for six years for anti-party utterances and activities.
Davkhare, 39, is the son of the late NCP leader Vasant Davkhare, who was among the closest aides of party President Sharad Pawar, and a former Deputy Chairman of the Upper House, besides holding other important posts.
"Sharad Pawar is a great leader. However, I wanted the opportunity to work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Davkhare said as BJP state President Raosaheb Patil-Danve formally inducted him into the party.
On quitting, Davkhare had on Wednesday said he was "feeling very sad to leave the NCP", whose birth and growth he had witnessed along with his father, "but I am totally fed up with the local intra-party politics".
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has announced another round of elections to two Graduates and two Teachers Division constituencies in the Upper House to be held on June 8.
The four retiring members are: Apoorva P. Hiray (BJP) from Nashik Division Teachers constituency, Kapil Patil (JD-U) of Mumbai Division Teachers constituency, Deepak Sawant (Shiv Sena) from Mumbai Division Graduates constituency and Davkhare from Konkan Division Graduates constituency.
However, it is not clear if Davkhare will be given BJP ticket to contest the bye-polls to the Upper House next month.
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Tel Aviv, Jul 27 (AP): The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday.
The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military “violently intercepted” the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday.
“All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade," the group said in a statement.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore.
It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when it was seized by the Israeli military in June.
The ship's interception comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with concern growing over rising hunger in the territory amid Israeli restrictions on aid.
A regional human rights group, Adalah, said the raid on the vessel violated international law. It demanded the immediate release of the 21 activists, including lawmakers and human rights campaigners, from 10 countries.
“The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognised under international law," Adalah said in a statement. “Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority over the international waters in which the vessel was sailing.”
Adalah demanded immediate disclosure of the activists' location and legal status.
Lawmaker Nicola Fratoianni, of a left-wing environmentalist party, called on the Italian government to ensure the safety of the two Italians on board.
Also on board were seven US citizens, including a human rights attorney, a Jewish US war veteran and a Jewish-American activist, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.