Cancel Dussehra rally, redirect funds for flood victims: BJP to Uddhav
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra BJP's chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye on Monday demanded that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray cancel his party's annual Dussehra rally and utilise the expenditure for flood relief in Marathwada.
When Thackeray was the state's chief minister, he "failed to act and remained at home", Upadhye alleged, adding that this is the time to "atone".
Several parts of Maharashtra, including the usually drone-prone Marathwada region, have been battered by heavy rains, causing floods and widespread damage.
Holding the Dussehra rally is a long-standing tradition for Thackeray and the Sena. This year, he is also slated to address the rally at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai on the occasion of Dussehra on October 2.
"Marathwada is reeling under severe floods, with people losing everything. Thackeray has already toured five districts for three hours and expressed anguish at the pain and suffering of the affected. Now is the time for action. He should cancel the Dussehra rally and spend that amount for flood victims. That would give meaning to his expressions of sympathy," Upadhye said in a post on X.
The BJP leader charged that when in power, Thackeray had "failed to act and remained at home".
"This is the time to atone. Cancelling the rally and diverting the funds will show genuine concern for the people," he added.
Upadhye also criticised the content of Thackeray's annual rally, saying that in the past, under Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, the event was known for its ideological direction.
"Now, it has been reduced to repeating the same script of calling others traitors and alleging that his party was stolen. Why should ordinary workers be burdened with lakhs of rupees for such theatrics, when the same lament continues daily in (Sena-UBT mouthpiece) 'Saamana'," he remarked.
Thackeray recently visited flood-affected areas in five districts of Marathwada, where he met the affected people and heard their grievances.
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Advocate found dead in car on Nainital court premises
Nainital (PTI): A 55-year-old advocate allegedly died by suicide after shooting himself inside his car at the Nainital district court parking lot here on Monday, police said.
According to the police, Puran Singh Bhakuni, a resident of Mallital, was found in the rear seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his temple.
Police recovered a licensed pistol from his hand and a suicide note from the car’s dashboard. The note stated that Bhakuni was unwell and suffering from depression.
"We received information through lawyers around noon. The deceased was lying in the back seat with a pistol in his hand and blood near his ear," Circle Officer Anjana Negi said.
Forensic teams and ballistic experts reached the spot to collect evidence, as no witness reported hearing the gunshot.
Government counsel Sushil Sharma stated that Bhakuni left home at 9 am and was found dead at 9.30 am.
Sharma raised concerns over the circumstances, noting that the body was in the rear seat, and demanded a thorough probe to rule out foul play. Bhakuni, who worked as a notary, had married six months ago, he said.
Police took the body into custody and sent it for a postmortem to confirm the cause of death.
The forensic laboratory will examine the suicide note and the ballistics of the weapon, the police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
