Ajit absent as Shinde and Fadnavis visit RSS founder's memorial; 'optics' won't work, says NCP (SP)
Mumbai, Sep 01: NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday didn't join his Cabinet colleagues Devendra Fadnavis and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in visiting the Nagpur-based memorial of the RSS founder.
Taking a swipe, NCP (SP) leader and MLA Jitendra Awhad said people will not be fooled by Ajit Pawar's optics given that he shares power with the BJP, backed by the Sangh.
Shinde and Fadnavis visited Hedgewar's memorial in Nagpur ahead of a "Mazi Ladki Bahin" scheme function in Nagpur.
"Ajit Pawar is playing a game at a different level. He is politically sharing power with the BJP but has also been trying to project himself as a leader who will not visit the memorial (of the RSS founder). He (Ajit Pawar) acts differently in public as a politician and practices different politics behind curtains," Awhad alleged.
He rejected PM Narendra Modi's apology over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Sindhudurg district.
"Why did Modi raise the Veer Savarkar issue and demand an apology (for those who insulted) Savarkar while speaking about the statue incident? The Savarkar issue was over before the Lok Sabha elections. It means he (Modi) did not want to apologise. Why bring up an issue nobody was discussing?" Awhad stated.
He alleged the government's laxity in arresting the accused sculptor of the Shivaji Maharaj statue that crashed; suspects involved in Vishalgad fort vandalism, and the principal of the Badlapur school where two girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by an attendant.
The MLA from Mumbra-Kalwa in Thane district also alleged that the state government had promised to increase the monthly wages of ASHA workers by Rs 5,000 last December, but the payment has not been revised yet.
"Additionally, the portion of their payment that used to come from local governing bodies has now been completely stopped. As a result, the approximately 72,000 ASHA workers in the state are being exploited by the state government," the former minister claimed.
Awhad alleged that Shiv Sena leader and state health minister Tanaji Sawant's "nausea" remarks on the association with NCP was a fallout of Pawar- who holds the finance ministry- objecting to clearing Sawant's file.
"Sawant intended to purchase a vehicle for Rs 30 lakh despite its actual price being only Rs 3 lakh. This caused a stormy discussion at the last Cabinet meeting where Ajit Pawar objected to the inflated price. It was revealed that Sawant had already taken a 50 per cent commission, but, the file regarding the purchase is now stuck." he alleged.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
