Uddhav stresses need for opposition parties to come together, says there is no other alternative
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday stressed the need for opposition parties, including the Congress and regional players, to come together and said there was no other alternative to it.
Responding to a question by PTI Videos on whether the INDIA bloc exists, Thackeray said, "Probe a bit and check whether the INDIA bloc is there or not. This is right that we met only once after Parliament polls at Rahul ji's (Gandhi) residence."
He said the Congress unilaterally declared that it wants to form an alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) but not with those who are with it.
It is their decision, the former Maharashtra chief minister said.
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"(Sharad) Pawar saheb (NCP-SP) is with us (in the BMC polls). Congress is not with us. At the national level we want everyone to be together. We, other regional parties and Congress should be there. There should be an attempt to (come together). I don't see any other alternative to it," Thackeray asserted.
The Congress, an important player in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, decided to go solo in the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls citing Shiv Sena (UBT's) alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
The Shiv Sena (UBT) was, however, keen to have the Congress as part of the larger alliance to avoid division of opposition votes.
When asked whether the MNS will be part of the INDIA bloc in future, Thackeray, in a veiled dig at the Congress, said, "Currently, the Shiv Sena (UBT), the MNS have come together. Anyone else who wants to come can join us. It's their wish. We are not going to ask them if they want to come along."
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance was formed by several opposition parties to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
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Naval information leak case: Fourth accused held
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Udupi police have arrested another accused in a case involving the alleged transmission of confidential information related to the Indian Navy to Pakistan, taking the total number of arrests to four, officials said on Thursday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Alif Islam (21), a native of West Bengal, who was presently residing at Marayur village in Idukki district of Kerala, they said.
He was apprehended in connection with the alleged leak of a confidential list containing identification numbers of Indian naval vessels, police said.
According to investigators, the accused are suspected to have shared sensitive information through WhatsApp and Facebook with contacts in Pakistan without authorisation.
The case was registered at Malpe police station in 2025 following a complaint regarding the alleged illegal transmission of naval-related data, officials said.
Police said the investigation pertains to the alleged sharing of a classified list of ship numbers linked to the Indian Navy.
In November 2025, two accused -- Rohit and Santri from Uttar Pradesh -- were taken into custody in connection with the same case. Later, Hirendra Kumar from Gujarat was arrested in December 2025.
With the latest arrest, the number of persons held in the case has risen to four.
Police said one more accused is yet to be apprehended. The operator of the Facebook page allegedly used to transmit the information also remains at large.
Investigators suspect that Islam may be a Bangladeshi national, and efforts are on to verify his citizenship and other credentials.
Further investigation is under way, police added.
