What is wrong in inviting Salman Khan to RSS chief Bhagwat's event, asks Dy CM Shinde
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has defended the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for inviting actor Salman Khan to an event addressed by its chief Mohan Bhagwat, and sought to know what was wrong in having the Bollywood actor at the function.
Khan was among some of the Bollywood celebrities who took part in the event held over the weekend, where Bhagwat delivered a speech. The programme at Mumbai's Nehru Centre was organised as part of the RSS' centenary celebrations.
Shinde said Khan is an Indian national and believes in the country's tradition and culture.
"What is wrong in inviting Salman Khan for the RSS event," Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena, asked on Tuesday.
RSS is a patriotic organisation, the deputy CM said, adding that patriotism is imbibed in every cell of the RSS activists.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut took a dig at the RSS after Salman Khan was seen interacting with Bhagwat at the event.
"Was it a welcome for Bollywood star Salman Khan or (a message that) Muslims are also welcome in the Sangh and its shakhas?" the Rajya Sabha member had asked.
However, state BJP minister Nitesh Rane on Tuesday slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, claiming that Salman Khan was "more Hindu" than him, and praised the actor for showing the courage to attend the RSS chief's programme.
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Wait for DGCA probe to conclude in Ajit Pawar plane crash case, says CM Fadnavis
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said a crucial probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is underway into the plane crash that killed Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, and urged that conclusions be drawn only after the investigation ends.
Fadnavis said the aircraft's black box had already been recovered and that investigations on all fronts had commenced.
Pawar and four others were killed when the Learjet aircraft crashed near the Baramati airstrip in Pune district on January 28.
Describing the DGCA inquiry into the incident as "very important", Fadnavis stressed the need to wait for its findings.
The CM was talking to reporters here in response to a question about Ajit Pawar's nephew and MLA Rohit Pawar's claims and concerns regarding the plane crash.
Rohit Pawar on Tuesday raised several questions regarding the sequence of events leading up to the plane crash. He alleged that there was a reason to suspect sabotage in the tragic incident that killed his uncle Ajit Pawar, and demanded a comprehensive probe by multiple expert agencies.
Fadnavis said, "I have not personally seen what Rohit Pawar said. I am somewhat aware of it. I believe that if anyone has any doubts, they should be addressed. From this perspective, the investigative agencies available under Indian law have already begun the kind of investigation expected in such cases."
The chief minister said he was the first to write to the Union aviation ministry seeking a detailed probe into the accident that claimed the lives of Pawar, the pilot, the co-pilot and two others.
"If we can learn from the errors or shortcomings in our civil aviation sector, we can fix them and make it safer for civilians and leaders as well," he said.
