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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Rallies across state back CJP

Several protesters gathered at Dadar, Mumbai, on Monday in support of CJP's Delhi protest. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Endorsing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s massive agitation near the Parliament in New Delhi, lakhs of youth, students and social organizations took to the streets with angry protests, marches and demonstrations almost all over Maharashtra on Monday. Opposition parties in the state including the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and...

Rallies across state back CJP

Several protesters gathered at Dadar, Mumbai, on Monday in support of CJP's Delhi protest. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Endorsing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s massive agitation near the Parliament in New Delhi, lakhs of youth, students and social organizations took to the streets with angry protests, marches and demonstrations almost all over Maharashtra on Monday. Opposition parties in the state including the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT), along with other smaller outfits either voluntarily joined the protestors or wholeheartedly supported them. The political parties expressed full solidarity with the CJP, flayed the forced hospitalization of environment activist Sonam Wangchuk and expressed anger at the purported undermining of major public examinations beset with multiple leaks of question papers in recent years. The demonstrations attracted thousands of collegians, unemployed youngsters, professionals like lawyers, social activists, civil society members, farmers and others, including a large number of women, as the local police deployed strict security to prevent any untoward incidents. The protestors, carrying banners, placards, the National Tricolour and in some places, copies of the Constitution marched or assembled at various central locations in different cities, including Dadar in Mumbai, respective district headquarters since morning, braving showers or heavy rains in many areas. They ranted anti-government slogans, vociferously demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister of India Dharmendra Pradhan, seeking what they termed as ‘accountability by those holding public offices’, ‘transparency’, ‘safeguarding their democratic rights’ and ‘mutual dialogue’ to resolve such contentious issues. In some districts, the gatherings also condemned the forcible eviction of Wangchuk to a government hospital two days ago, and lashed out the Delhi Police for lobbing teargas shells and mild lathi-charge on the protestors who reached very close to the Parliament – where the Monsoon Session 2026 opened on Monday. Constitutional Rights Speakers at the venues accused the government of allegedly suppressing the Constitutional right to peaceful protests through high-handed means, warning it could deepen public resentment rather than solving the problems the masses raised. Though the emotionally-charged protests in the state remained largely disciplined and peaceful, in some places like Mumbai, a few demonstrators were detained in the afternoon for not adhering to police directives. In Mumbai, the participants included mostly students, young professionals, retired citizens and civil society groups, while the district-level rallies elsewhere drew significant presence of the local youth, farmers organisations and social activists. The vigorous campaigns were carried out in the capital Mumbai and second capital Nagpur, besides Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Akola, Amravati, Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Washim, Yavatmal and Buldhana. Thackeray slams Centre Ex-Chief Minister and SS (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray took potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government saying “they can hold talks with Pakistan, but not our youth”. His party MP Sanjay Raut alleged that ‘one word’ by a top judge had sparked a nationwide unrest for the past two months, igniting the youth to question the BJP governments at the Centre and in states. Many irate youngsters told the media that the exam reforms centric campaign has now transformed into a broader nationwide movement for debates on civil liberties, dissent and democratic rights of the citizens, and they would continue till their aims are achieved. Hundreds gather in Nagpur to support CJP Hundreds of students, youth and senior citizens staged an agitation in Nagpur on Monday in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party's protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Chanting anti-government slogans over alleged exam paper leaks, angry demonstrators, including students and senior citizens, gathered at Samvidhan Square and vowed to press ahead with their agitation until the education minister steps down. Protesters expressed outrage over the forcible removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar in the national capital and the lathi-charge on students during their march to Parliament. Holding placards, banners and photos of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, demonstrators gathered at the site amid heavy police deployment. One of the young demonstrators said that their agitation will continue till the education minister resigns.

The friendship files

Updated: Mar 21, 2025

Love for gym and films brought Morea, Pancholi, Aaditya together

Morea, Pancholi, Aaditya

Mumbai: Otherwise poles apart, the trio – Aaditya Thackeray, Dino Morea and Sooraj Pancholi – have two things in common, passion for gym and cinema. This passion brought them together and created a strong bonding among them.


Aaditya has always enjoyed the company of film stars since many of them used to visit his grandfather the late Balasaheb Thackeray at their Bandra residence, Matoshree. Aaditya developed friendship with Morea during one of such meetings when he was a teenager. The friendship grew over the years irrespective of 20 years of gap in their age.


In 2016, when Morea opened an open-air gym in Marine Drive, Aaditya was the one who had inaugurated it along with actor Jacqueline Fernandez. Several pics of the duo posing together dating back to 2014 can also be found online. Aaditya is reportedly a regular visitor at Morea’s house in Bandra on almost each of his private celebrations.


Their friendship is in spotlight again since Satish Salian, the father of deceased Disha Salian, has named them as prime accused in her death case in a petition filed in the Bombay High Court on Wednesday. Salian has demanded that the trio should be probed for their role in his daughter’s “gang-rape and murder”.


The names of Morea, Pancholi and Aaditya began doing the rounds on various social media platforms right after Disha Salian’s death on June 8, 2020. In hush hush tones, their friendship became the talk of the town. People started adding two and two together. Salian used to work as an executive with a company which managed Rajput’s Public Relations. Salian and Rajput had a professional connection and Morea, Pancholi and Aaditya had a personal connection.


Salian has alleged that the trio has attended a ‘party’ at Disha’s Malad house where she died under mysterious circumstances. Salian believes that the trio are eye witnesses to what happened on that fateful night and there should be a thorough investigation into their role in covering up Disha’s “murder” as a “suicide”.


When asked about his friendship with Morea and Aaditya, Pancholi had told a TV news channel in 2020, “Dino is a friend of mine, whom I meet at the gym sometimes. It has been a long time since I have met him. Aaditya Thackeray sir, I have no connection with. I have never interacted with him.” Sooraj’s ex-girlfriend Jiah Khan had committed suicide in 2013,

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