Mumbai(PTI): Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday accused the BJP of conspiring to make Mumbai a Union Territory, saying that a presentation to that effect has been made to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Talking to reporters here, Raut alleged that former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya and a group of party leaders, builders, businessmen were part of this conspiracy.
"A presentation about making Mumbai a union territory has been made to the MHA (by this group). Meetings have been held and funds are being collected for this purpose. This has been going on for the last two months and I am saying this with full responsibility. I have proof to substantiate what I am saying. Chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray) is also aware of this development," Raut said.
In the next few months, the group led Somaiya is likely to move court saying the percentage of Marathi people in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, has gone down drastically and hence the city should be made a union territory under the central government rule, the Sena MP claimed.
Raut said Somaiya had earlier challenged the state government's decision to make Marathi a compulsory language in schools.
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Kaushambi (UP) (PTI): Four people were killed and another man was critically injured after a tractor-trolley collided head-on with a motorcycle near a village here on Thursday, police said.
Five people were riding on a single motorcycle when the accident took place at around 9 pm near Arka village in the Karari area, they said.
The deceased were identified as Rahul (14), Akash Saroj (25), Aman (22) and Chhotu (20), while Vikas Kaithwal (18) sustained critical injuries. All the victims were residents of Dhanpara village.
The victims were taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared four of them dead. The injured person is undergoing treatment, police said.
Following the accident, the driver fled with the tractor, leaving the trolley behind, they said.
Police are now examining CCTV footage along the route taken by the motorcycle riders.
The Circle Officer of Manjhanpur has been asked to probe the functioning of police pickets and Police Response Vehicles deployed on the route, a senior police official said.
The families of the deceased have been informed, and post-mortem examinations are being conducted, he added.
