On 50th birthday, Raj Thackeray cuts EVM cake, Mumbaikars get 'cheap' petrol
Mumbai, June 14: On his 50th birthday on Thursday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray cut a special cake designed like an EVM while 36 petrol pumps in Mumbai and many more in the state offered disounts from Rs 4 to Rs 9 per litre, a party spokesperson said.
At the selected 36 fuel stations in Mumbai (one in each assembly constituency), plus 48 in the state (one each for every Lok Sabha constituency), there were serpentine queues of two-wheelers since dawn to take advantage of the scheme offering discounted petrol, with the MNS to recompense these pumps the difference from the official price on Thursday.
MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande compared the MNS's unique initiative to the 1930 historic 'Salt Satyagraha' of Mahatma Gandhi.
"This is like the Salt Satyagraha. People are not here to avail the discounts in petrol prices, but express their anguish against the government for the very high fuel prices," he told media persons.
Thackeray, on his part, made another statement - by cutting a large special cake designed like an electronic voting machine (EVM), which the MNS and almost all other opposition political parties are opposing.
As part of the celebrations, MNS activists helped provide some free comic relief to the people burdened under spiraling fuel prices and inflation - sporting printed T-shirts of some recent political cartoons created by Thackeray.
Hundreds of activists were seen thronging Thackeray's residence in Dadar west wearing these special T-shirts exhibiting his cartoons, many targeting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and other leaders, and his artistic views on many contemporary political developments in the country.
Meanwhile, Thursday's petrol price in Mumbai stood at Rs 84.3 per litre, down from the highest of Rs 85.6 in May, and the MNS 'discount' marked a significant relief for two-wheeler owners.
MNS will pay the owners the difference in the prices at the close of the day.
Though exact figures are not immediately available, it is estimated that several thousands of people took advantage of the MNS initiative at each of the selected outlets for the discounted fuel.
Elsewhere in the state, special prayers, aartis and poojas were held by local district leaders at prominent temples in Solapur, Pune and other places, praying for Thackeray's long life and prosperity.
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2 men dragged for 300 metres by truck in Agra; locals save their lives
Agra, Dec 23: A truck driver dragged two people for about 300 metres in Agra under his vehicle, police on Monday said.
Some locals forced the driver to stop the truck and extricated the men from under the vehicle.
Police arrested the driver and seized the truck.
The two men, both residents of Nunhai in Agra, were going towards Rambagh from Waterworks when they met with an accident around 11 pm Sunday.
The driver, instead of stopping the truck sped up, trapping both of them underneath, police said.
"In the accident, two youths were dragged by a canter driver for about 300 metres. Later, some residents saved the youths by stopping the driver using force," Chhatta Police Station Inspector Pramod Kumar told PTI.
"The youths were sent for treatment at a nearby hospital and are still being treated, but are in stable condition. The youths were from Agra. The canter driver was arrested and the canter seized after the incident," he said.
A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed the men shouting for help.
The video was purported to have been shot by a person passing by on a two-wheeler.
“पिछली पोस्ट में वीडियो में युवकों को मोटर साइकल सहित ट्रक वाला कई मीटर तक घसीटता हुआ ले जाता गया देखा था,
— Umashankar Singh उमाशंकर सिंह (@umashankarsingh) December 23, 2024
अब जनता द्वारा उस ट्रक ड्राइवर की ठुकाई पिटाई का समारोह देखिए।”#Agra@madanjournalist
pic.twitter.com/Qh5ncyWtEa
HORRIFYING!
— Sanjay Kishore (@saintkishore) December 23, 2024
In Agra, a truck driver dragged two men for 300 meters. Locals intervened, stopping the truck and saving the men. Both are stable but continue receiving treatment. The driver has been arrested and the truck seized.
pic.twitter.com/1ply5wemfX
