Vidhan Bhavan clash: People with criminal background being inducted into BJP, says Sanjay Raut
In midnight drama, police drag aside NCP(SP) MLA protesting detention of supporter
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Raut said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should dissolve his government, and the President's rule must be imposed in the State.
Supporters of BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar)[NCP(SP)] legislator Jitendra Awhad came to blows inside the Maharashtra legislature complex on Thursday (July 17, 2025.)
Maharashtra clears Bill to include drug peddling and narcotics-related offences
Shocking videos of the two groups pummelling each other and having to be dragged back by security personnel are doing the rounds on social media.
Mr. Raut said, "This was a gang war in Vidhan Bhavan. People with serious criminal offences such as murder, dacoity, or facing charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were present there." He further alleged that people with a criminal background were being inducted into the BJP daily.
Hindi as third language in Maharashtra schools receives flak, Opposition calls it 'betrayal'
"Is this the culture of RSS and the BJP? Does it suit the party's culture to induct people with criminal background?" he asked.
"Shiv Sena (UBT) feels that the President's rule must be imposed in the State. It is not only unfortunate, painful or shocking, but shameful for Maharashtra's political culture," he said The Rajya Sabha MP criticised Mr. Fadnavis, reminding him of his promise of maintaining the dignity of the State's political culture.
"Every day, there is a new blot to Maharashtra's image. Be it corruption, unethical behaviour or honeytrap, assault by an MLA or videos of Ministers," he said.
Maharashtra govt orders Mumbai's civic body to immediately shut down 'kabootar khanas'
He claimed, "If any other party had been in power in Maharashtra, Mr. Fadnavis would have demanded dissolving the State Government. If he introspects, he will realise that his government needs to be dissolved. I demand that the Governor, if he is truly the custodian of law, seek a report from the Home Department and recommend the President's rule in the State," he said.
He further said the ruling alliance does not want a Leader of the Opposition post in the Legislative Assembly so that questions are not raised about crucial issues. Mr. Raut also alleged that weapons were brought in vehicles to the Vidhan Bhavan and that there was a conspiracy to attack NCP(SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Jagdeep Dhankhar's turbulent innings: Face-offs with Oppn, judiciary; Janata Dal to BJP via Congress
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned late Monday night to 'prioritise health care and abide by medical advice'. He stated that his resignation, addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, comes into effect immediately. Dhankhar, 74, who is also the Rajya Sabha Vice-Chairman, is unlikely to attend the proceedings of the House during the ongoing Monsoon Session on Tuesday. In his resignation letter, Dhankhar thanked the President for her 'unwavering support' and the 'soothing, wonderful working relationship' they shared. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers for their 'invaluable support,' adding that the warmth and affection shown by MPs 'will remain embedded' in his memory. The resignation came just hours after what turned out to be his final sitting as the Rajya Sabha Chairman. There was no indication about it during the day. Dhankhar assumed office as the 14th Vice-President of India in August 2022. In the Vice-Presidential polls, as the BJP-led NDA candidate, he trounced the Opposition's nominee Margaret Alva comfortably by securing 528 votes against the latter's 182. He had not been a stranger to rows. His stint as the Rajya Sabha Chairman had remained turbulent, as he had runs-ins with the Opposition members on a regular basis. He also stridently took on the judiciary over the issue of separation of powers. Dhankhar has been the only Vice-President against whom the Opposition brought a notice of removal for 'partisan' conduct as the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The notice was rejected by Deputy Chairman Harivansh, even as Dhankhar dubbed it as a 'rusted' vegetable-cutting knife which, he said, was used for a bypass surgery. Prior to the second highest constitutional office, Dhankhar had been the West Bengal Governor. Since July 2019, when the Modi government sent him to the Kolkata Raj Bhavan, Dhankhar had been at loggerheads with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government on a range of issues. For a leader known more for his face-offs with the Banerjee government as the Governor, and whom the TMC had often accused of acting as an 'agent of BJP', the first election Dhankhar contested was on a Janata Dal ticket, when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu in 1989. His next election was for the Rajasthan Assembly — this time on a Congress ticket. Having represented the Kishangarh Assembly constituency from 1993 to 1998, Dhankhar, a graduate from University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, who completed his LLB degree in 1978-79, was also a former president of the Rajasthan High Court Bar Association. 'From 1998, he was a full-time senior advocate practising in Supreme Court — until he was appointed the Governor of West Bengal in 2019,' according to his younger brother Randeep Dhankhar. After he joined the BJP, Dhankhar, a Jat leader, became the national convener of the BJP's law and legal affairs department in 2016. Born into a farmer's family at Kithana village in Jhunjhunu district in 1951, Dhankhar studied at a local government school before going to Sainik school in Chittorgarh. He is married to Sudesh Dhankhar and they have a daughter, Kamna. During his role as the Bengal Governor, Dhankhar had been virtually a one-man opposition in the state, having taken on the TMC government regularly over various issues. In fact, such acrimonious had been the relationship that CM Banerjee had even blocked Dhankhar on social media. From law and order situation in the state to post-poll violence, and from corruption charges to lapses in bureaucracy, Dhankhar was never short of issues to criticise the TMC government. The relation between Dhankhar and the Mamata government took a turn for the worse when the latter decided to replace the Governor with the CM as the Chancellor of the state universities. While the TMC had accused Dhankhar of not clearing various Bills and creating 'unnecessary hurdles' in the functioning of the state government, the latter claimed he had gone by the book and the Constitution in pointing out issues to the government and the state legislature. Dhankhar had often sought details, especially details of expenditure, from the state government on various issues. Interestingly, in the V-P polls, the TMC MPs had abstained from voting, not backing the Opposition candidate, which left many baffled given the protracted bad blood between the party leadership and Dhankhar. Dhankhar is said to be an avid reader, a sports aficionado — he has been president of the Rajasthan Olympic Association and Rajasthan Tennis Association — and loves travelling with his family. In 1989, the then Haryana CM Chaudhary Devi Lal had vigorously campaigned for Dhankhar when the Janata Dal had fielded him in the parliamentary polls from Jhunjhunu. Ranjit Singh Chautala, Devi Lal's son and former Haryana minister, had earlier told The Indian Express: 'Dhankhar is like a member of our family. He came into politics after being influenced by Devi Lal.' Ranjit had said: 'In 1987, Chaudhary Devi Lal had called for a rally of the Opposition at Boat Club in Delhi. Dhankhar brought as many as 500 vehicles full of people from Jhunjhunu to participate in the rally. Devi Lal patted him on the back. Devi Lal called him from his home and offered a ticket of Janata Dal to contest from the Jhunjhunu Lok Sabha constituency in 1989.' Dhankhar won the election and became minister of state (parliamentary affairs) in the V P Singh-led government when Devi Lal became Deputy Prime Minister. Ranjit Chautala had recalled that 'Following differences, PM V P Singh had dismissed Devi Lal in 1990. Then, Dhankhar was the only minister who resigned from the Union Cabinet standing by Devi Lal. It impressed Devi Lal who called Dhankhar a man of commitment.' Later, Devi Lal became Deputy PM in the minority government led by Chandrashekhar while Dhankhar also became a minister in his government.
The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Cost of promises: on the Bihar election and poll-eve welfare measures
It is raining welfare in Bihar. Nothing surprising: the stakes are high for the ruling National Democratic Alliance in the approaching Assembly elections. According to recent announcements, household consumption of up to 125 units of electricity per month will be free, with effect from August 1 this year. This scheme will cover around 1.67 crore households. Under the Kutir Jyoti Yojana, the government will provide free rooftop solar installations for about 58 lakh Below Poverty Line families. The welfare hamper of the ruling coalition also includes a promise of 35% job reservation in all State government jobs for women, an increase in social security pension from ₹400 to ₹1,100, the creation of a Bihar Youth Commission, and more. A new internship support scheme offers between ₹4,000 and ₹6,000 a month to youth (18 to 28 years) for undertaking internships, and based on their educational qualifications. The plan is to start supporting 5,000 youth in the first year and scaling it up to cover one lakh beneficiaries over the next five years. To promote religious tourism, the State has announced a ₹882.87 crore redevelopment plan for Punaura Dham Janki Mandir, said to be the birthplace of Lord Rama's wife Sita. Migrants from the State who live outside will receive government support to return home during festivals. All this follows a familiar pattern of governments using welfare as an instrument of election-eve management of popular sentiment. The absence of any serious planning or vision behind such sporadic announcements is evident. They are often in response to the promises of a political rival. In Bihar, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has said that the Nitish Kumar government's welfare catalogue is a forced reaction to its promises of similar measures if voted to power. Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Mahayuti government rolled out a cash transfer scheme for women which helped it win. Later, the new government pruned the list, admitting that there were undeserving beneficiaries. Free electricity schemes now exist in several States. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often questioned the rationale of 'freebies', but arbitrary new schemes continue to proliferate. In Bihar, the scramble among parties is also in the context of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's advancing age. His party, the Janata Dal (United), is smaller than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the election could further alter the dynamics of State coalition politics. The control of power had increasingly shifted from Mr. Kumar to the BJP in the last five years and the future of the JD(U) is set to decline. Competitive welfarism is all that remains in the toolkits of all parties to woo voters.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
After Chavan leaves NCP red-faced, party says it has taken note of Kokate's behaviour
After NCP youth wing chief Suraj Chavan and 11 of the unit's members were booked for beating up Chhava Sanghatna activists in Latur, Deputy Chief Minister and party's national president Ajit Pawar asked him to quit his post. Chavan was summoned to Mumbai and pulled up by the NCP chief 'for exceeding his brief and indulging in activity which harmed the party's image'. Though he has not shown the same kind of alacrity in the case of Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare made it clear that the party leadership has taken serious note of his behaviour. 'Our party leadership has taken serious note of the minister's behaviour,' Tatkare told The Indian Express on Monday evening. When asked whether Ajit Pawar will ask Kokate to resign, Tatkare said he wouldn't like to make any comment. 'I have already said our party leadership has taken serious note of Kokate's behaviour in the House,' he said. Both Kokate and Chavan's behaviour has caused embarrassment to the NCP. So much so that when Ajit Pawar was in Pune on Sunday, he spoke at length about different issues including the Hinjewadi problems. But when reporters sought a reply from him on Kokate case, Ajit Pawar quickly made a gateway. However, in Chavan's case, Ajit Pawar, wasted no time in clarifying that the party does not believe in any kind of violence and rude behaviour. He condemned the behaviour of NCP workers in strong words. NCP sources said in Chavan's case, the party acted quickly because there was no need for him to beat up the Chhava Sanghatna activists. 'The incident has tarnished the image of NCP. Chhava Sanghatna activists did not indulge in any kind of violence. They might have used objectionable language but why did Chavan and his supporters gets physical? The party's image has taken a beating,' an NCP leader said. In Kokate's case, NCP leaders said, Ajit Pawar has shown lot of patience. 'Kokate has caused the party embarrassment on several occasions. He has been convicted in a criminal case. He was sentenced to two years in jail in a document forgery and fraud case. Then he compared farmers to beggars. He had said that even a beggar doesn't take one rupee, but the government offers farmers crop insurance for Re one. Subsequently, he alleged that farmers take advantage of loan waivers by spending money on personal celebrations… I think the party's cup of woes relating to Kokate and his behaviour is overflowing now. The party will ask him to resign in next two days after consulting BJP,' said another NCP leader. Speaking in Nashik, senior NCP leader and Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said, 'I am not aware of what orders Ajit Pawar has given regarding Kokate. As far as playing cards in the House is concerned, I don't think that was an appropriate act.' Shiv Sena Minister Pratap Sarnaik however backed Kokate. 'I think everyone plays Rummy these days. Even Aamir Khan and Shahrukh play Rummy. It is shown on television,' he said.
