No meeting took place between Fadnavis and Aaditya Thackeray: Sanjay Raut
Raut was responding to media queries about Fadnavis and Aaditya present at the hotel in BKC at the same time on Saturday evening.
This comes days after Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya met Fadnavis at Vidhan Bhavan, where Uddhav handed over a book opposing the imposition of Hindi.
"What problem do you (the media) have if they are in one room? One is CM and the other is a leader from the opposition. But nothing of the sort (meeting) happened," Raut said.
Fadnavis' tongue-in-cheek remark directed at Uddhav on the "scope" for him in the ruling side set off speculation last week.
"Uddhav ji, there is no scope (for a change in government) till 2029. We do not have the scope to come to the other (opposition's) side. You have the scope to come here, and it can be thought about. We can think about it differently," the chief minister had said during a farewell function in the legislative council for the leader of the opposition, Ambadas Danve.
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
New Maharashtra Law Criminalises Expression, Expands State Power
Published : Jul 28, 2025 15:35 IST - 6 MINS READ The Maharashtra government has introduced a new law to deal with what it calls 'urban Maoists'. What is striking—and somewhat ironic—is that the same political party and government that insist so loudly on promoting Hindi, that are committed to the 'Hindi-fication' and 'nationalisation' of everything, have not been able to find a Hindi equivalent for the word 'urban' in the absurd term 'urban Maoist'. Perhaps 'shahari' or 'nagariya' do not carry the same ominous weight. The phrase 'urban Maoist' has a certain spectral ring to it: it signals danger, an enemy within. Such language serves a very specific purpose: it helps the BJP to frighten and confuse its voters. Alongside 'urban Maoist', we also hear the term 'urban Naxal'. But who exactly is a Naxal? Who is a Maoist? These terms are rarely, if ever, defined. They are categories designed for vagueness—elastic enough to fit anyone who dares dissent. Just a few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of speaking the language of 'urban Naxals', claiming that those who declare war on the Indian state cannot possibly understand the Constitution. If the leader of India's principal opposition party can be branded an 'urban Naxal', then anyone can. This category is so ill-defined that it gives the state the power to arrest or punish anyone simply by invoking the label. Also Read | Can courts protect free speech while designing its boundaries? Maoism bogeyman According to the Maharashtra government, Maoism is such a grave threat that existing laws are no longer sufficient to combat it. Even draconian laws such as the UAPA and the MCOCA are, it seems, inadequate. A reading of the new law's draft reveals that it punishes not just actions, but intentions too. And who will discern these 'Maoist intentions'? That is left to the will of the police. It will be enough for a police officer to say that they have smelt 'Maoist intent' in a person's words. Under this law, not only actual acts but even suggestive expressions can be considered 'unlawful activity'. A cartoon, or a painting, or a poem, or a story, let alone slogans or speeches, can be deemed subversive. All it takes is for the police to claim that these forms of expression may disrupt public order, spread hatred against the state, incite disobedience of governmental institutions, or instil fear among the public. The scope is vast enough that nearly any film, article, or artwork could be declared an 'urban Naxal' act. For instance, Shyam Benegal's Ankur or Satyajit Ray's Hirak Rajar Deshe could easily be labelled Maoist. Anything that the BJP government dislikes can now be designated as 'urban Naxalism' or 'urban Maoism'. And this is not hypothetical. Artists from the Kabir Kala Manch have spent years behind bars after their songs were deemed acts of 'urban Naxalism'. A few days ago, the Uttarakhand government filed a case against Garhwali folk singer Pawan Semwal for a song that asks the government: 'How much more of our mountains will you consume? You've turned them into dens of gambling, liquor, unemployment, and corruption.' Before him, singer Neha Singh Rathore faced sedition charges, while satirical video creator Madri Kakoti (famous on social media as 'Dr Medusa') was booked under sedition and other charges in April. This new law drives another nail into the coffin of Indian democracy by criminalising expression itself. Its goal is clear: to silence all dissenting voices within society. It is, in effect, a conspiracy to dismantle civil society altogether. Activists like Medha Patkar have repeatedly been branded anti-national. Opposition to big dams is framed as opposition to development, and then as opposition to the state itself. By this logic, Medha Patkar or Vandana Shiva can be called 'urban Naxals'. We have heard BJP leaders claiming that human rights is an alien concept and that those advocating it are, in fact, misleading people from the true path of duty towards the nation. Attack on free speech But what exactly counts as 'anti-state'? Is it permissible to criticise the Prime Minister? We used to believe that India was different or better than many countries because it allowed space for criticism of power. That belief rested on the active presence of civil society and the assurance that its voice would be heard. Yet, over the past 11 years, we have seen repeated assaults on members of civil society. In his first year in office, the Prime Minister warned the higher judiciary against being influenced by 'five-star activists'. Then, in 2021, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval declared that fourth-generation warfare would be conducted within the country, with civil society the frontier of the war. Wars, Doval said, have ceased to become an effective instrument for achieving political or military objectives. 'But it is civil society that can be subverted, suborned, divided, manipulated to hurt the interests of a nation. You are there to see that they stand fully protected.' For Doval, civil society is the enemy that has to be policed and disciplined. What Doval wanted was to remove the protection that civil society enjoyed. And that is exactly what the Maharashtra government's new law seeks to do. If one understands this context, the Maharashtra government's intent becomes crystal clear. Protecting democracy Democracy is not sustained by elections and political parties alone. True democracy lives in the belief that even a solitary citizen has the right to critique power. It is the grass-roots organisations working in the areas of land rights, water shortages, or factory pollution that keep democracy alive—not political parties and elections alone. For instance, movements against, say, a Coca-Cola plant that sucks water out of the ground, or against an increase in anti-Muslim violence, have been led not by major political outfits but by small civil society groups. The agitation in Niyamgiri Hills that led to the halt on bauxite mining was led by civil society organisations. The BJP government would like to neutralise all such organisations. What is truly alarming is that this ordinance was passed effortlessly in the Legislative Assembly. The Congress and its allies did not even mount an opposition. Only a single MLA, from the CPI(M), raised a voice against it. The opposition parties did try to correct the mistake in the Legislative Council later, where they staged a walkout. Also Read | Are India's liberal think tanks in trouble? The opposition's silence in the Maharashtra Assembly reveals a larger delusion that all political parties are part of—that democracy can be saved simply by participating in elections. The BJP, meanwhile, wants democracy to be reduced to just that—elections. And how fair even those elections are, we can judge from the recent actions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bihar. Again, if not for civil society organisations, concerned individuals, and media houses, the dangers of the special intensive revision (SIR) done by the ECI in Bihar would not have become public knowledge. For elections to be meaningful, democratic consciousness must survive in society. The people should have the confidence and assurance that they can express themselves freely and fearlessly. Maharashtra's new law seeks to extinguish this democratic consciousness. Apoorvanand teaches Hindi at Delhi University and writes literary and cultural criticism.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Mamata asks migrants harassed in other States to return to West Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (July 28, 2025) once again hit the streets to protest against the targeting of migrants from the State and urged them to return to the State assuring then of providing work in the State. 'Tell us the date, and we will arrange trains just like we did during COVID. Even if we have only one roti, we will share half. We will create more schemes and give you work. We have held a meeting today itself and such a scheme is underway. Why will you stay in a place where you are not loved or respected? Come back to Bengal,' the Chief Minister said. Earlier in the day during an administrative meeting Ms. Banerjee proposed to include migrant workers who returned to the state after 100 days of work under MGNREGA. Launching 'language movement' against targetting of migrants in the BJP-ruled States. Ms. Banerjee walked a three kilometre stretch in Santiniketan Bolpur waving a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore. 'I am against divisive we ever told any Hindi-speaking people to leave from here? But Bengali speakers are being harassed in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, and Maharashtra. Would you like that? No. That is why you [Hindi speakers] are here with me. Raise your voice from your own community,' the Chief Minister said. According to Ms. Banerjee said that there are 1.5 crore migrant workers in Bengal, there are 22 lakh workers from Bengal working outside. 'This torture on them must stop. If we can offer shelter to everyone, why can't you [BJP]?' Ms. Banerjee said. After the protests rally the Chief Minister in her speech made repeated references to Bengali icons. 'Who showed the way in the freedom movement? The people of Bengal. Who wrote the national anthem?' she asked. She also vowed to continue her fight for the Bengali language. 'If necessary, I will give my life. I will not let anyone take away my language,' she said. This was not the first time that the Trinamool Congress chairperson hit the streets in protests of targeting Bengali migrants and accusing the BJP of unleashing an attack on the Bengali language. Ms. Banerjee had on July 16 held a similar protest march in Kolkata and on July 21 during her party's Martyrs Day rally called for 'language movement'.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urges migrant Bengalis to return, vows livelihood plan
Kolkata: Saying that she is ready to give her life for Bengali 'asmita', language and people, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged the Bengali migrant workers in other states of the country to return to Bengal and announced that a new scheme will be floated for their livelihood. The CM also held her first rally against " linguistic terrorism " in Bengal's Bolpur today, kicking off the second language movement, from the land of Rabindranath Tagore . In a bid to facilitate the Bengali-speaking migrant workers, Banerjee also instructed the state administration to start the process of bringing back the migrant workers from other states by formulating the scheme. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Design Thinking Data Analytics Management Finance Operations Management MCA Leadership MBA others Artificial Intelligence Degree Project Management Data Science PGDM Product Management Cybersecurity Public Policy CXO Technology healthcare Digital Marketing Data Science Others Healthcare Skills you'll gain: Duration: 22 Weeks IIM Indore CERT-IIMI DTAI Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 25 Weeks IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK PCP DTIM Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Banerjee urged the workers outside to come back to Bengal. "We will bring you back by train as was done during the COVID period. We have opened a police helpline. We will create a scheme for the migrant workers. Come back from Gujarat, UP, Rajasthan, Haryana and Assam, as they don't want and work here. I will urge all migrant workers' unions to request all to come back and you will live well in Bengal," Banerjee said, as she addressed people, after kicking off the language movement related rally in Birbhum's Bolpur. She directed Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, Judicial Minister Moloy Ghatak and Migrant Welfare Board Chairman Samirul Islam to formulate the scheme for the Bengali-speaking workers. She also held her first rally against "linguistic terrorism" in Bengal's Bolpur today. 'In the land of kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore, we have kicked off the " Bhasha Andolon " in Birbhum today and it will be taken to all districts. The red soil of Bengal is known as 'Rangamati' . People from all walks of lives have supported our protest. Hindi-speaking people have supported the protest today,' Banerjee said. 'Where the head is held high and mind is without fear," quoting Tagore, Banerjee said, 'Bengal is a land of renaissance and reformers like Ram Mohan Roy, Vidyasagar and in the freedom movement, people of Bengal showed the path to the country. Tagore is a universal icon. Gandhiji also loved the land of Bengal,'Banerjee said. Kindling Bengali 'asmita', Banerjee said,'Don't forget your own motherland, Bengali 'asmita' and culture Bengal is a holy land. Have you forgotten the contribution of Rabindranath Tagore, poet Nazrul or Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose?' 'I will give my life but not allow anyone to take our 'asmita', language, and culture,' she said. The CM said that across Bengal, in different districts, there are different accents and Birbhum's accent is different from Murshidabad. But that cannot be a reason for labelling someone as Bangladeshi. The CM has raised concern about alleged reports of detentions of and atrocities on the Bengali-speaking people from different districts of West Bengal in Gurgaon, Haryana. There have been reports of illegal deportation of West Bengal citizens with all proper documents to Bangladesh directly, Banerjee pointed out. 'I am shocked to see these atrocities of double-engine BJP governments on Bengalis in India. If Bengali-speaking people are found, why will they be tortured, despite having valid documents, Ration, Aadhar and PAN cards,' Banerjee said. She urged Hindi speaking to come forward and raise their voice for Bengali speaking people in other states. 'I am not against any languages or divisive policies. We want unity in diversity. I have never told any Hindi speaking brother to leave Bengal. But if speaking in Bengali, there is torture unleashed in Rajasthan, UP, Haryana and Assam, it is unfortunate.' Banerjee said that the central government will not last till 2029. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
