A month after Maharashtra Minister Pratap Sarnaik's action against Rapido, company features as sponsor for son's commercial event
In July, Sarnaik booked a Rapido Bike using an alias to show that the bike service was being offered in the city, despite being declared illegal due to a lack of proper regulations. After catching the bike driver, he announced action against the company.
मंत्रालय येथूनचं ट्रॅप ऑपरेशन – अनधिकृत रॅपिडो बाईक टॅक्सी सेवांवर थेट कारवाई…#PratapSarnaik #TransportMinister#MaharashtraTransport #ActionAgainstIllegalBikeTaxi@rapidobikeapp pic.twitter.com/K81GiHydIb
— Pratap Baburao Sarnaik (@PratapSarnaik) July 2, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
In a statement, the minister said it was 'wrong to connect Pro-Govinda sports with politics'. 'I had taken action against the company on July 2, whereas the sponsorship was given on May 26. I fearlessly took action against the company that was sponsoring the pro-Govinda event organised by my son, Purvesh Sarnaik. Instead of praising the action, some people are opposing it for the sake of it,' he said
Sarnaik's son Purvesh also denied any link with his father's actions, and claimed that the sponsorship was confirmed a month before the action against Rapido Transportation. 'We had appointed a professional agency to look after the issues of sponsorship and publicity. They brought Rapido on board in the month of May. The episode of the minister taking action against Rapido happened in July,' said Purvesh.
He said Rapido fitted as a sponsor because it would provide employment to the Govindas who will take part in the competition. 'There will be 3,200 Govindas who will participate in it. If even 10 per cent of them got employment, then my aim of organising the event will be fulfilled,' he said.
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar slammed Sarnaik, and called it 'blackmail'.
'The minister caught the Rapido Bike. He got the publicity through the media. And then he rapidly changed the position and brokered a sponsorship. It just proves that this government works for itself and not for the public. I want to ask whether this is not a misuse of the ministerial post,' said Pawar.
Rapido did not respond to queries.
Pro-Govinda League is dedicated to the sport of human pyramid formation, traditionally known as Dahi Handi. Govinda teams form human pyramids to break a pot filled with curd, celebrating Lord Krishna's birthday. It has been marked as an adventure sport in Maharashtra.
West Indies cricket player Chris Gayle is the brand ambassador of the league, which started on August 7, and will continue until August 9 in Worli. The Pro Govinda league is in its third year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
UK police arrest 150 pro-Palestinian protesters amid rising Gaza death toll from malnutrition
Police in London have arrested around 150 people after protesters defied a new law banning public support for the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action, according to the Associated Press (AP). The Metropolitan Police said officers moved in after seeing placards expressing support for the group, which Parliament designated a terrorist organisation in July. 'Officers have moved in and are making arrests,' police posted on X. Arrest update: We've now arrested 150 people in Parliament Square. While many of those remaining in the Square are media and onlookers, there are still people holding placards supporting Palestine Action. Officers are steadily working through the crowd making further arrests. — Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 9, 2025 Supporters of Palestine Action had gathered in Parliament Square on Saturday, saying the ban limits freedom of expression. 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action,' read some of the signs. The group Defend Our Juries said on its website: 'Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment… then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning.' The UK government banned Palestine Action after activists entered RAF Brize Norton in June, damaging two tanker aircraft with red paint and crowbars. The group has previously targeted sites linked to Israel's military. Meanwhile in Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said 11 more people have died from malnutrition, bringing the total to 212, including 98 children, BBC reported. The ministry also said at least 38 people were killed and 491 injured in Israeli military action in the past 24 hours. The UN says aid entering Gaza is 'far below the minimum required' and warns of famine conditions. Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza, accusing UN agencies of delays in collecting and delivering aid.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
NCP (SP) kickstarts Mandal Yatra in Nagpur
Ahead of the upcoming local body polls, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) on Saturday launched 'Mandal Yatra' from Nagpur, recalling it was former Chief Minister and current party chief Sharad Pawar who implemented Mandal commission in the state extending reservation benefits to OBCs. 'The yatra will be taken across the state. It will address issues faced by OBCs, hold public rallies and focus on strengthening organisation of OBCs. Our aim is to create public opinion against the government over the issues such as condition of Maharashtra's farmers, the issue of suicide, economic troubles faced by banks,' said Pawar. The yatra will travel across all the districts of the state over the next two months. According to sources, one of the reasons cited by the party for its loss in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections was OBCs deserting the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. The yatra is also seen as the party's bid to regain lost base. When asked whether the party was specifically targeting OBC community, NCP (SP) state chief Shashikant Shinde said, 'Our party is not limited to a particular caste or community. We work for all and address concerns raised by every community. The yatra is an attempt to address issues of OBCs and the party will keep on raising issues concerning every citizen of Maharashtra,' said Shinde. NCP (SP) ally's Congress too is currently attempting to focus on the OBC leadership. In its recently announced state executive committee, the party gave preference to OBC leadership. Not only the opposition, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis too attended a programme organised by OBC Mahasangh at Goa. 'I was targeted for speaking up for OBCs. Irrespective of how much I am targeted, I will keep speaking for the OBCs,' Fadnavis had said.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Over 150 detained in London for defying ban on Palestine Action support
London police have arrested more than 150 protesters for defying a new law banning support for Palestine Action. The arrests come amid a surge in protests across the UK over Gaza, immigration, and government policy. read more Police officers patrol during demonstrator during a protest in support of the Palestinian People in Gaza, in Parliament Square, in London. AP Police in London detained over 150 individuals after protestors purposefully broke a new rule prohibiting support for a pro-Palestinian group, claiming that the legislation unlawfully restricts freedom of expression. London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement on X, that officers are methodically working their way through the crowd, making further arrests. Palestine Action supporters have held a series of rallies around the United Kingdom since early July, when Parliament proscribed the group and forbade anybody from openly supporting it. After demonstrators stormed into a Royal Air Force facility and vandalised two tanker planes, lawmakers outlawed the group as a terrorist organisation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Police in London started making arrests after hundreds of people intentionally violated a new law banning support for a pro-Palestinian group because they say the legislation improperly restricts freedom of expression. Backers of Palestine Action have staged a series of protests across the U.K. since early July, when Parliament outlawed the group and prohibited anyone from publicly showing support for it. Lawmakers banned the group as a terrorist organization after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker aircraft. Protesters gathered Saturday afternoon in the square outside Parliament, with dozens displaying signs reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' That was enough for police to step in. 'Within this crowd a significant number of people are displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action, which is a proscribed group,' the Metropolitan Police Service said on X. 'Officers have moved in and are making arrests.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper moved to ban Palestine Action after activists broke into a British air force base in southern England on June 20 to protest British military support for Israel's war with Hamas. The activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes at the RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and caused further damage with crowbars. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Palestine Action had previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in Britain that they believe have links with the Israeli military. Supporters of the group are challenging the ban in court, saying the government has gone too far in declaring Palestine Action a terrorist organization. 'Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead,' the group Defend Our Juries said on its website. The arrests outside Parliament came amid what is expected to be a busy weekend of demonstrations in London as the war in Gaza and concerns about immigration spur protests and counter-protests across the United Kingdom. While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has angered Israel with plans to recognize a Palestinian state later this year, many Palestinian supporters in Britain criticize the government for not doing enough to end the war in Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pro-Palestinian protesters were gathering Saturday afternoon in central London for a march that is scheduled to end outside the gates of No. 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence and offices. On Sunday, a number of groups are scheduled to march through central London to demand the safe release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Palestinian militants have held the captives since they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Police are also preparing for protests outside hotels across the country that are being used to house asylum seekers. Protesters and counter-protesters have squared off outside the hotels in recent weeks, with some saying the migrants pose a risk to their communities and others decrying anti-immigrant racism. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the scale of the events would 'put pressure' on the police department. 'This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence,' Adelekan said before the protests began. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
