Why should BJP respond to Rahul's query to EC, asks Raut
Mumbai(PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday slammed the Election Commission (EC), asking if the poll body had given a "contract" to the ruling BJP to clear doubts raised by the opposition parties about its functioning.
Raut's strong comments have come after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote a newspaper article on Sunday to counter Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegation about "match-fixing" and "rigging" in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls.
The Election Commission rejected Gandhi's charge, saying defaming the poll panel after an unfavourable verdict is absolutely absurd.
In response to Gandhi's claims, Fadnavis, in his article, said that the Congress leader has been constantly "insulting" the democratic process and the people's mandate.
Talking to reporters, Raut said, "Rahul Gandhi has asked questions to the EC and not the BJP. Why should Devendra Fadnavis respond? Has the EC given the BJP contract to wipe the dust off its face and clear doubts about its functioning?"
He said the issue is not just about elections but the EC's conduct in the last ten years.
"The poll body facilitated the split in the Shiv Sena and handed over the NCP to Ajit Pawar when its founder, Sharad Pawar, is still around. All this was done under pressure from Union Minister Amit Shah to win elections. The poll body will have to respond to these questions also," Raut claimed.
He alleged that the EC is a caged parrot that has sold its soul and was working as a branch of the BJP.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
