Latest news with #MaharashtraNavnirmanSena
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) protests KDMC's garbage tax hike; warns of agitation ahead of Raj Thackeray's visit
MNS protests KDMC's hike in garbage charges from Rs 600 to Rs 900 KALYAN: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) organised a major protest rally against the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation's (KDMC) plan to increase the solid waste charges under property tax from Rs 600 to Rs 900. During the protest, a delegation led by MNS's Thane District President, Avinash Jadhav, met KDMC officials and demanded the cancellation of the increased garbage charges. KDMC Commissioner Abhinav Goel explained to the delegation the benefits of the newly launched cleanliness drive for the city. However, Jadhav insisted the additional charge must be scrapped. He warned, 'If you are going to take money from citizens' homes for the benefit of contractors, we will oppose it. Don't expect peace from us.' Ulhas Bhoir, MNS's Kalyan City President, added, 'We have given KDMC time to withdraw the increased charges before MNS Chief Raj Thackeray's visit on 16 June. If not, we will protest in true MNS style.' Earlier, UBT leaders and citizen activist Shrinivas Ghanekar had also opposed the hike in garbage tax. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
NDTV
2 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Raj Thackeray Says "Only Marathi, English Should Be Taught From 1st Grade"
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray on Wednesday appealed to state School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse to issue a written order "as soon as possible" stating that only two languages, Marathi and English, would be taught from the first grade and Hindi would not be made compulsory as third language. "We have information that based on the earlier decision to teach three languages, including Hindi, the printing of Hindi language textbooks has already begun. Now that the books have been printed, is the government planning to backtrack on its own decision? I assume there is no such plan, but if something like this happens, the government will be responsible for the agitation that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena will launch," the MNS chief said. "Many states in the country have adopted only two languages from the first grade and rejected the imposition of Hindi, the reason being their linguistic identity. You (addressing Bhuse) and your fellow Cabinet members are also Marathi by birth; when will you act like the leaders of other states who oppose Hindi and protect the identity of your language, and how will you nurture it? We expect the government to show the same strong sense of identity as those other states," he said. For the past nearly two months, there has been confusion regarding the teaching of the Hindi language starting from the first grade in Maharashtra. Initially, it was announced that students would be taught three languages from the first grade, with Hindi being the third mandatory language. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena raised its voice against this, which led to the formation of strong public sentiment. "This public sentiment was so intense that the government declared that Hindi would not be made mandatory as the third language," Raj Thackeray said. "Fundamentally, Hindi is not a national language; it is just one of the languages spoken in other states of the country. Why was there an insistence on making it mandatory to learn? It is unclear why the government was wavering under some pressure. However, the core issue remains: why force children to learn three languages from first grade? "Regarding this, you also announced that in schools following the Maharashtra State Education Board curriculum, only two languages would be taught from the first grade. But why has the written order for this announcement not been issued yet?" asked Thackeray. His letter comes at a time when the government has backtracked on its move to make Hindi language compulsory after Marathi and English in Classes 1 to 5 amid strong opposition from various stakeholders. Although Mr Bhuse last month announced that the government would take a decision on making Hindi a third language compulsory after talks, it has not yet issued any government notification.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Jailed drug peddler hoodwinks police escorts, threatens bizman
Mumbai: An alleged drug peddler currently lodged in Arthur Road jail visited the Saat Rasta locality in central Mumbai on May 16 without any authorisation while he was on his way to court. The accused, Imran Khan, told the two policemen escorting him that he was going off to meet a friend. He then visited businessman Amit Matkar's office in Saat Rasta on a bike and allegedly threatened him before returning to the prison. Khan's movements were captured on CCTV cameras and the two escorts attached with the local arms unit were suspended following an internal inquiry, said police. According to the police, both Khan and Matkar are residents of Saat Rasta. Khan was arrested by the Mumbai police crime branch in December 2024 for allegedly possessing 40 kilos of marijuana while Matkar owned a logistics business and was associated with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). In his complaint to the Agripada police, Matkar said that on May 16, while he was sitting outside his office in Saat Rasta, Khan paid him a visit. He was riding pillion on a bike, wearing a mask, and threatened Matkar, saying, 'Tu idhar kyun baitha hai, idhar baithane ka nahi, nahi toh tu samajh ja (Why are you sitting here, you're not supposed to sit here, understand what I am saying).' Matkar suspects that the statement was actually a threat pertaining to a 2017 case, when he and his brother were assaulted by a group of men. One of the assailants was the juvenile who was convicted in the 2013 Shakti Mills gangrape case, Matkar told HT. The juvenile was sentenced to three years in a reform school in July 2014, including the time in custody. 'The assault on me and my brother happened after he (the juvenile convicted in the Shakti Mills case) was released,' Matkar said. 'Subsequently, he began demanding extortion money from me and threatening me to withdraw the case.' The threats increased after the businessman identified the person during a recent identification parade, said Matkar. 'I complained about the threats to the Agripada police in February itself and asked for police protection. But the police did not pay any heed to my complaint or my plea for security,' he said. Matkar lodged another complaint with the Agripada police regarding Khan's May 16 visit to his office and the veiled threat. This was after he found out that Khan was actually in judicial custody in a narcotics case. 'When I complained about the May 16 threat, senior police inspector Sanjay Nimbalkar dismissed the matter and asked me to submit a fresh application,' he said. 'Fortunately, the CCTV cameras in my office had captured Khan and I shared the footage with the police.' On Thursday, the Agripada police registered a non-cognisable offence against Khan under section 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. Amol Sarkhale and Sandeep Suryawanshi, the two policemen attached to the local arms unit who were escorting Khan on May 16 were also suspended after an internal inquiry, said an officer.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Five dead as car plunges into dry riverbed near Khed
Mumbai: Five persons were killed and two others were injured when their speeding car plunged into a dry riverbed in Ratnagiri district in the early hours on Monday. The group was on its way to Devrukh in Ratnagiri to attend a funeral. According to the police, the group of seven passengers from two families left for Ratnagiri from the Indraprasth building in Poonam Sagar complex in Mira Road around 11.30pm on Sunday. They were travelling in a seven-seater car via the Mumbai-Goa highway. Between 5am and 5.30am on Monday, while the car was crossing the Jugbudi river bridge near Khed, it went out of control and crashed into the side wall before plunging into the gap between two carriageways of the bridge. Local residents and the police rescued the passengers from the mangled vehicle and rushed them to the hospital where five persons were declared dead on arrival. They were identified as Megha Paradkar, 42, Saurav Paradkar, 22, Mitali More, 45, Nihar More, 19 and Shreyas Sawant, 25. Parmesh Paradkar, 51, who was driving the car, sustained severe injuries and is under treatment while Vivek Shriram More, 47, suffered minor injuries. The latter told the police that they were travelling to Devrukh to attend the last rites of his father-in-law. 'We have registered a case of accidental death (ADR) and are investigating the matter,' said an officer from the Khed police station. Ranvir Bajpai, a neighbour of the deceased and a Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader, said the entire housing complex in Mira Road was saddened by the sudden deaths. Parmesh Paradkar, who was driving the car, was a resident of Nalasopara and a family friend of the Mores who reside in the Indraprasth building, he said. 'On Sunday night, Parmesh Paradkar, his wife Megha and relative Saurav had picked up the Mores from their residence and set out for Ratnagiri,' said Bajpai. 'After we heard the news of their accident, we informed the relatives of the Mores in Ratnagiri. They visited the spot and arranged to bring the bodies of the deceased to Mira Road.' The last rites of the five deceased would be performed in Mira Road on Monday night, he said. Meanwhile, in videos of the accident circulating on social media, local engaged in rescue efforts are heard saying that at least 14 accidents had occurred at the same spot on the bridge in the past one year due to a flaw in design. When speeding vehicles pass the spot, they tend to bounce due to which drivers lose balance and plunge into the gap between two carriageways which is not visible from a distance, the locals are heard saying. 'After seeing the videos, we have sent letters to the concerned authorities to rectify the blackspot and avoid more loss of lives,' said Bajpai. Vaibhav Khedekar, a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader from Khed, told HT that he had participated in a protest against frequent accidents at the spot in 2019. 'When some civic officials visited the protest site, we explained to them what the problem was in detail. But since they were unwilling to acknowledge it, we tied up one the officials,' said Khedekar. He was imprisoned for a month and a half later for tying up the civic official and released after he moved the high court, he said. Dhananjay Kulkarni, Superintendent of Police in Ratnagiri, said the entire stretch of road near the accident spot was accident prone. 'We installed blinkers and radium lights along the route today. We also barricaded the sides of the bridge with concrete blocks which will serve as early warning for speeding drivers speeding,' he said.
News18
17-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Raj Thackeray's 'Learn Or Leave' Message Over Marathi Row: 'If Migrants Want To Feed Family...'
Last Updated: Raj Thackeray's reaction came after a pizza delivery person in Mumbai was allegedly harassed by a mother-son duo, who refused to pay him for not speaking in Marathi. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray seems to have added a new spark to the language row by categorically mentioning that Maharashtra is the land of 'only Marathi people", and those who cannot learn the language will have to 'leave the land". His reaction came after a pizza delivery person in Mumbai was allegedly harassed by a mother-son duo, who refused to pay him for not speaking in Marathi. 'Maharashtra is the land of only Marathi people! Migrants come only to feed their families, if they want to feed their families, they will have to learn Marathi. Otherwise, leave our land. (sic)," Thackeray wrote while sharing a poster of himself that quotes him: 'If you can't support the language of the state you live in, then live in a state that supports your language." The MNS chief's message was an extention of his X post on May 15 that shows workers of his party allegedly forcing the pizza delivery person to apologise for arguing with the mother-son duo over the language. The man can be heard saying on camera, 'Mai Marathi seekhunga bhi aur bolunga bhi (I will learn Marathi and speak the language)." Maharashtra is the land of only Marathi people! Migrants come only to feed their families, if they want to feed their families, they will have to learn Marathi. Otherwise, leave our land. #RajThackeray #Marathi #Maharashtra — Raj Thackeray (@raj4maharashtra) May 16, 2025 An Army veteran, @CaptPKRajRif, asked Thackeray if the same logic can be applied to Marathas working elsewhere in India. Some netizens asserted that the language of communication should be one that is used by a larger group. 'If you are living in India you should speak indian language and the common language is Hindi… If you can't speak Hindi then learn Hindi otherwise leave our India," user @Sumalika2000 wrote. Another user, @NavinS27, claimed that Thackeray's reaction seems out of all-India push for the Hindi language. 'All the Hindiwalas should acknowledge the reactions their hindi thrust has caused. Hindiwalas want hindi, regional leaders want their own languages to dominate in reaction. The very policy of pushing Hindi should be scrapped else we will end up creating barriers amongst us," he wrote. (details to follow)
