EC should not decide on Sena's symbol till SC verdict on disqualification of Shinde camp MLAs: Raut
Mumbai, Jan 17: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the Election Commission should not decide on the party's poll symbol till the Supreme Court gives its judgment on the disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs from the camp led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and CM Shinde are arguing before the EC over the "bow and arrow" symbol of the party, founded by Uddhav Thackeray's father the late Bal Thackeray.
Talking to reporters, Raut asserted there is no split in the Shiv Sena.
"Those who have won on the symbol of the Shiv Sena have split (off). This does not mean that there is a division in the party. This perceived split is like a mirage. Some MLAs and MPs have left, but the party is intact," he said.
He said till the time the apex court gives its verdict on the disqualification of the MLAs, the EC should not hurry in taking a decision on the matter (poll symbol).
Earlier in the day, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction told the poll body in New Delhi that the arguments placed by the Shinde camp (Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena) on the flaws in the party's amended constitution were full of contradictions.
The Thackeray faction also sought more time from the poll panel to complete its arguments in a case related to the control of the organisation, following which the next hearing was fixed for January 20.
The Supreme Court had said it would commence hearing on February 14 on a batch of pleas, including the one seeking the disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs from the Shinde camp, related to the Maharashtra political crisis triggered by the Shiv Sena's division.
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Rahul Gandhi calls Great Nicobar Island project a ‘major threat’ to environment, tribal heritage
Sri Vijaypuram (Port Blair)/ Nicobar: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the Centre’s development initiative in Great Nicobar Island on Wednesday, On his maiden visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gandhi alleged that the project will lad to large-scale environmental degradation and displacement of local communities.
The Rae Bareli MP, in a post on X after visiting the island, said the project would lead to extensive deforestation and adversely impact indigenous populations.
“So I will say it plainly, and I will keep saying it: what is being done in Great Nicobar is one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against this country’s natural and tribal heritage in our lifetime,” Gandhi added.
“The government calls what it is doing here a ‘Project’. What I have seen is not a project. It is millions of trees marked for the axe… It is communities that have been ignored while their homes have been snatched away,” Gandhi said.
Describing the initiative as “destruction dressed in development’s language”, he termed it one of the “biggest scams” against the country’s natural and tribal heritage and called for it to be stopped.
Gandhi also claimed that nearly 160 square kilometres of rainforest could be affected, raising concerns over ecological damage.
