BJP leader told me about my phone being tapped by govt: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut
Mumbai, Jan 24: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Friday said that a BJP leader had informed him that his phone was being tapped by the previous Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra.
On the NCP's allegation that the Centre has withdrawn party chief Sharad Pawar's security at his official residence in New Delhi, Raut said it could have been because Pawar was instrumental in forming the Shiv Sena-led government in the state.
"A BJP leader had told me that my phone was being tapped. I said if anybody wants to listen to what I am saying I welcome it. I am Balasaheb's chela (disciple), whatever I do, I do it openly," Raut told reporters here.
"In spite of the phone-tapping, we formed the government in Maharashtra," he said.
Raut's remarks come a day after state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh alleged that the Fadnavis dispensation misused government machinery to tap the phones of opposition leaders, especially during the formation of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
"The cyber cell of Maharashtra police has been asked to look into the various complaints of snooping/phone tapping that came in during the previous government," Deshmukh had said on Thursday.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had earlier also alleged that phones of opposition leaders were tapped by the Fadnavis government. He had also raised questions about the involvement of officials in the phone-tapping episode.
On the NCP's allegation about withdrawal of Sharad Pawar's security, Raut said, "It could have been because Pawar was instrumental in the formation of the Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra. A few years ago, he was attacked in Delhi. Even the Gandhis' SPG security was withdrawn recently."
The Rajya Sabha MP was referring to the Centre's recent move of withdrawing the Special Protection Group (SPG) cover of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul and Priyanka.
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Pune airport runway restored after IAF aircraft snag; ops resume
Pune (PTI): The runway at Pune airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational, the Air Force said on Saturday.
The authorities at the Pune International Airport had earlier said that around 10.25 pm on Friday, a fighter aircraft experienced an undercarriage failure during landing, causing the runway to be blocked.
As many as 91 flights of airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Akasa, and Air India Express, were affected due to the incident, they said.
Earlier on Friday night, the Air Force had stated that the runway at Pune airport was temporarily unavailable following an incident involving one of its fighter aircraft. The aircrew are safe, and there is no damage to civil property, it had said.
"The runway at Pune Airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational. All necessary safety inspections and clearances have been completed. Operations are resuming in a phased manner," it said in a post on X.
Flight operations at Pune airport are being gradually restored. The situation has been brought under control with the highest priority given to the safety of citizens, a Defence PRO said.
