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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Questions on MVA unity rises

Mumbai: Cracks have surfaced within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after the Shiv Sena UBT announced the nomination of former leader of opposition Ambadas Danve for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections slated for May 12. Congress has announced that it will field its nominee in the elections, especially after Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray opted out of the polls after his present term in the Upper House ends on May 13. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president...

Questions on MVA unity rises

Mumbai: Cracks have surfaced within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after the Shiv Sena UBT announced the nomination of former leader of opposition Ambadas Danve for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections slated for May 12. Congress has announced that it will field its nominee in the elections, especially after Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray opted out of the polls after his present term in the Upper House ends on May 13. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshwardhan Sapkal announced that the party will field its candidate in the state council elections, expressing serious displeasure over Shiv Sena UBT’s move to nominate Ambadas Danve and not Uddhav Thackeray. Sapkal and State Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar last week declared that the party will support Uddhav Thackeray in the state council elections and will not put up its own nominee. However, both had hinted that if Uddhav Thackeray decides to opt out, the Congress will enter the electoral fray. For the election of nine seats, the quota is 29 votes. The present strength of MVA is 46, comprising Shiv Sena UBT 20, Congress 16 and NCP SP 10. The last date for filing nominations is April 30. Sapkal last week met Uddhav Thackeray while extending the Congress party’s support to him. Sapkal firmly endorsed Uddhav Thackeray as the key face of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, stating that the alliance will move forward only with him at the forefront. Following a recent meeting, Sapkal emphasised that if Thackeray contests the Legislative Council election, it would be welcomed. Sapkal declared that Uddhav Thackeray is the undisputed face of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra. He stated that it is a point of joy if Thackeray goes to the legislative council, stressing that the alliance will move forward only if he is leading it. Earlier, the BJP had already announced five nominees, while Shiv Sena has yet to declare its candidates. The NCP held a core committee meeting chaired by Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar on Wednesday morning and shortlisted some names. The party is expected to announce its nominee late Wednesday evening. Observers said that if the Congress decides to stick to its stand, the Shiv Sena UBT and NCP SP will have to strive to keep their respective legislators together to avoid cross-voting.

People praise Army for protecting

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah interacts with displaced border residents at a shelter camp.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah interacts with displaced border residents at a shelter camp.

Garkhal (J&K): Men and machines of the armed forces worked meticulously to ensure the interception of Kamikaze drones and missiles fired by Pakistani troops targeting Jammu, drawing widespread appreciation from people.


India on Thursday night swiftly thwarted Pakistan's fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles, including in Jammu and Pathankot, after foiling similar bids at 15 locations across the country's northern and western regions, amid a military conflict between the two neighbours.


Looking after the operational area of Jammu under the command of the 9 Corps, the 26 Infantry Division, nicknamed the "Tiger Division", had put in place a robust air-defence system, virtually carving out an Israel-type Iron Dome to protect Jammu from a Hamas-style attack by Pakistan.


An official who was privy to the developments said it was a meticulous combination of men and machines in defence that thwarted such a massive Pakistani attack.


In the dead of night, Pakistan unleashed its most audacious assault on Jammu since the 1971 war, deploying a swarm of more than a hundred Kamikaze drones and missiles in a sinister attempt to devastate the city. But what followed was a show of unmatched precision, courage and resilience.


"We are indebted to our armed forces who have saved Jammu from a major attack by Pakistan. We appreciate them for their missionary work. We never thought these bombs could be neutralised in the air," Garkhal resident Sikender Singh said.


Singh, whose family, along with more than 500 villagers, has shifted to safer camps set up by the government in Mishriwala on the Jammu outskirts, said had the bombs not been intercepted, they could have caused massive deaths and destruction.


Finest system

The Army, backed by one of the world's finest air-defence systems, intercepted the aerial barrage with astonishing accuracy -- virtually every hostile object was destroyed mid-air. Not a single vital installation was touched. Not a single civilian life was lost.


"Eight missiles from Pakistan were directed at Satwari, Samba, R S Pura and Arnia. All were intercepted and blocked by air-defence units. Visuals over Jammu reminded exactly of a Hamas-style attack on Israel, like multiple cheap rockets," an Army official said.


He said the Pakistan Army is operating and behaving like Hamas. "Drones were sighted at multiple places along the western front -- confirmed to be hostile. They are being effectively engaged by our air-defence systems. Pakistani drone attacks have been reported at various locations along the western borders and are being effectively countered by the Indian armed forces," he added.


The multi-tier air-defence system, with a twin technological security architecture of Russian and Israeli surface-to-air missile setups and the indigenous Akash, was a game changer against such attacks.


Former Jammu and Kashmir director general of police S P Vaid appreciated the armed forces and their technological security systems for effectively dealing with the Pakistani attacks.


He said 50 to 60 air attacks by Pakistan over Jammu and other places were neutralised on Thursday night by the impregnable air-defence system of the country.


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