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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Shinde skips Cabinet meet leaving tongues wagged

Mumbai: The ruling alliance in Maharashtra is witnessing yet another formidable tremor as simmering tensions between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena threaten to boil over ahead of the crucial Legislative Council elections. The rift was blown wide open on Tuesday when Shinde, the Deputy Chief Minister, noticeably skipped the state cabinet meeting. While his office quickly attributed the absence to close family rituals and maintained that it occurred with the...

Shinde skips Cabinet meet leaving tongues wagged

Mumbai: The ruling alliance in Maharashtra is witnessing yet another formidable tremor as simmering tensions between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena threaten to boil over ahead of the crucial Legislative Council elections. The rift was blown wide open on Tuesday when Shinde, the Deputy Chief Minister, noticeably skipped the state cabinet meeting. While his office quickly attributed the absence to close family rituals and maintained that it occurred with the prior consent of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, political circles are buzzing with a vastly different interpretation. This absence is widely viewed as a calculated message of displeasure, arriving directly on the heels of a massive rebellion across six of the 17 constituencies heading to the polls for the Upper House of the state legislature. The prevailing unease within the coalition was forcefully articulated just a day earlier by senior Shiv Sena leader Abdul Sattar. On Monday, Sattar openly accused the BJP of systematically attempting to finish off his party. Highlighting the growing friction over seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming polls, Sattar asserted that the BJP was operating with a corrosive agenda to politically marginalise its regional ally. In a swift response, a visibly concerned Shinde immediately summoned Sattar to Mumbai. However, the optics of the ensuing journey only added more fuel to the fire. On Tuesday, enroute to the state capital via the Samruddhi corridor, Sattar held an impromptu meeting with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve. This rendezvous lent substantial credence to the swirling speculations regarding a potential merger of the estranged Shiv Sena factions. Shinde squarely denied any possibility of a retreat to the Uddhav Thackeray fold. He stated that his party remains the true torchbearer of the Hindutva ideology and the original roadmap laid down by late party patriarch Balasaheb Thackeray. As Maharashtra braces for the legislative council elections, the structural integrity of the ruling alliance is under severe scrutiny.

Omar welcomes Indus Water Treaty suspension, calls it “most unfair document” for J&K



SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday welcomed the Central government’s decision to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives. He also referred to the treaty as the “most unfair document” for the people of J&K.


“The Government of India has taken some steps. As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, let’s be honest. We have never been in favour of the Indus Waters Treaty. We have always believed it to be the most unfair document to people of J&K,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar after meeting representatives from the tourism, trade, and industry sectors. However, he noted that the long-term impact of this move is still uncertain.


The IWT suspension is part of India’s response to the brutal attack. Other actions include expelling Pakistani military attaches and shutting down the Attari land-transit point immediately.


When questioned about the impact of the April 22 attack on the region’s tourism industry, Abdullah dismissed concerns about monetary losses. “At this juncture, we are not counting rupees or paisa. Not one of the businessmen or stakeholders in the tourism industry who attended the meeting lamented the loss of business. Not one of them expressed any concern about what would happen to them.”


“Right now, our priority is to express solidarity with the bereaved,” he said, adding, “At some point in future, we may sit down to discuss the financial implications (of the attack) on J&K’s economy. But not a single stakeholder present in the meeting raised a demand for monetary relief for the losses they are suffering.”


Omar described the tourist exodus from J&K after the massacre as “heartbreaking”. The future of the Valley’s tourism sector remains uncertain, with widespread trip cancellations following the attack.

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