Why so many rallies of Modi, Amit Shah if no Opposition challenge?: Shiv Sena
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Sunday sought to know why top BJP leaders held so many rallies for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis feels there is no Opposition left in the fray to challenge his party-led alliance.
In a column in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', party's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut also claimed that the poll plunge of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya Thackeray will change the state's "political dynamics" in coming years.
Hinting at the waning strength of the Opposition parties, Fadnavis recently said there was no "wrestler" left in the fray who can challenge the BJP-led alliance.
"The chief minister has been asserting that the opposition 'does not exist' any more in the poll campaign. The question then arises about the motive behind some 10 rallies of (Prime Minister) Modi, 30 of (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah, and Fadnavis himself holding 100 rallies across Maharashtra," Raut said.
The same question is being raised by NCP chief Sharad Pawar as well, which is not wrong, he said.
"Though Fadnavis said he is not facing any opposition challenge, in reality there is electoral challenge, which forced the BJP leaders to hold so many rallies," Raut, the Marathi daily's executive editor, claimed in his column 'RokhThok'.
He further said that Aaditya Thackeray's foray into elections was going to change the "political dynamics" of the state in coming years.
"He is contesting elections not to just sit in the Assembly, but the new generation wants him to lead the state," he claimed.
Aaditya Thackeray, the first member from his family to enter the electoral battle, is contesting the polls from Mumbai's Worli Assembly constituency.
Raut also said that his party is in the electoral fray to keep intact the state's "geographical boundaries". During the recent election campaign, Fadnavis said the demand for Vidarbha state is the "BJP's principled stand".
The chief minister said his party feels there should be smaller states, but when to take decision on this is upto the central leadership. The Sena has been opposing separate statehood for Vidarbha region.
Raut said issues like the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and demand for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya were for the first time raised during Maharashtra polls campaign, a move opposed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
The Sena, however, spoke about issues of the common man, he pointed out.
"The Shiv Sena has promised a full meal at Rs 10 for the common man and medical check-up at Re one. There should have been someone in the campaign to speak on issues of the state and the common man. What Fadnavis has done for the state in last five years is going to be tested tomorrow," he said.
Raut also claimed that the run up to Monday's state polls saw the highest number of political defections. "There are rebels in at least 37 Assembly segments.
Both the parties (BJP and Sena) had earlier prepared for contesting separately, hence many aspirants were disappointed and some of them decided to contest separately," he said.
"They are doing it to stay relevant in their constituencies, so I will not call them rebels," he added.
Polling for all 288 Assembly seats in the state will be held on Monday and counting of votes will take place on October 24.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
