Tigress Avni was killed to 'save' Anil Ambani's project: Raj Thackeray
Mumbai, Nov 7: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray claimed Wednesday he had learnt that tigress Avni was killed by the BJP-led Maharashtra government to "save" a proposed project of industrialist Anil Ambani in Yavatmal, a charge denied by the corporate group as well as a district official.
A spokesperson of the Anil Ambani group, when contacted, said the group has no project in Yavatmal district.
A district official in Yavatmal also said the site of the proposed project by the Ambani group is far away from the area where the tigress was shot.
There is no connection between the project and the decision to kill the animal, the official said.
The tigress, which was believed to have turned a man-eater and killed 13 people in the district's Pandharkawada area in the last two years, was shot dead by a marksman hired by the government last Friday.
"I have learnt that Avni was killed to save Anil Ambani's project. The government has sold its conscience to Ambani," Thackeray told reporters here.
"I feel sad about the deaths of people (killed by the tigress). But it happens across the world. When people encroach on forest land and in the periphery of habitats of wild animals, they attack humans," he said.
"There was no need to kill the tigress. She could have been tranquilised. (Forest Minister Sudhir) Mungantiwar is making reckless statements which can cost him his cabinet berth," Thackeray said.
The killing of the tigress, officially known as T1, led to an outrage among animal lovers and wildlife organisation. Union minister Maneka Gandhi had lashed out at the Maharashtra government calling it a "ghastly murder".
A source in the Shiv Sena, a BJP ally, claimed that party president Uddhav Thackeray had asked Sena ministers to raise the issue in the next cabinet meeting.
Sena mouthpiece Saamna had slammed the government over the killing earlier this week.
The tigress was killed on November 2 by Asgar Ali, son of famous sharp-shooter Nawab Shafat Ali, in Borati forest in Yavatmal district.
She left behind two ten-month-old cubs.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
