Former Congress leader Narayan Rane announces his new party

Agencies
October 1, 2017

Mumbai, Oct 1: Nearly two weeks after quitting the Congress party, senior leader Narayan Rane on Sunday announced the formation of his new party, named Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha. While Rane was mum over whether he would back the ruling NDA,  he did announce his support for the bullet train project and backed the development agenda of the BJP. This pointed towards his possible support to the ruling alliance in the near future.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Rane took potshots at the Shiv Sena, while sparing the BJP from criticism. "Shiv Sena will never leave power until it has been voted out by the voters," Rane said on the party's constant threats to pull out of the Maharashtra government.

Criticising Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray for his salvos against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Rane said, "Who is Uddhav to talk about these elected leaders. Udhhav is just the leader of the Shiv Sena. He has no credentials to criticise them."

Slamming the Shiv Sena for playing the role of an opposition while still being in power, Rane said, "Shiv Sena does not want to think before speaking. They just want to criticise the BJP."

"If Shiv Sena wants to protest against BJP, then why are they coming on streets," Rane said adding that not a single Sena Cabinet minister raised any issue in the Assembly or in the Cabinet.

Recalling the Shiv Sena's stance over demonetisation and the GST rollout, Rane said, "Shiv Sena has a minister at the Centre but did your minister protest against it?"

Speaking on the Fadnavis government's farmer loan waiver scheme, Rane questioned Shiv Sena ministers and claimed that the party leaders has never given any assurance in writing on the loan waiver.

Rane also attacked the Sena over its doublespeak on corruption, drawing attention to the party's 25-year rule in the BMC.

"The BMC is the most corrupt institution in India. So, Uddhav has no right to talk on corruption," Rane said.

Rane claimed that the constant bickering between the Shiv Sena and the BJP is affecting Maharashtra's economic development.

The former Mahrashtra chief minister's political career with Congress party was always under a question mark after he gave repeatedly hinted of taking a "big decision" on his future. Finally on 21 September, Rane announced his resignation from the Congress, a party which he joined after the Shiv Sena shunted him out in 2005.

"I have handed over my resignation to party chief Sonia Gandhi at 2.30 pm today. I have quit as Congress MLC and resigned from all party posts," Rane said.

Rane blamed the Congress' deception for his move. Rane said, "The Congress party repeatedly assured that I will be made the chief minister of Maharashtra when I joined them 12 years ago. But they never fulfilled their promise."

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News Network
November 22,2025

Mangaluru: Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H has warned of strict action against individuals spreading rumours and attempting to create insecurity within the Muslim community and fuel hatred between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

Referring to a recent social media post alleging that police personnel had entered a masjid premises to check whether beef was being cooked, the commissioner said miscreants were attempting to push their communal agenda. 

“A group of people, both from Mangaluru and abroad, are trying hard to spread rumours. For the past 10 days, they have been attempting to rake up old issues, highlight routine matters as controversies, or fabricate news altogether,” he said.

He reiterated that any such attempts to disturb communal harmony would invite legal action. “Cases will be registered and the accused will be brought to book,” he stated.

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News Network
November 21,2025

Tejas.jpg

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet crashed on Friday, November 21, afternoon during its aerial demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, plunging to the ground at around 2:10 pm local time while performing a manoeuvre before thousands of spectators.

The IAF confirmed the incident, stating that a Tejas aircraft participating in the show had crashed and that further details were being gathered. An Air Force spokesperson said more information would be shared after initial assessments.

The crash sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky near the airport, causing panic among visitors, including families and children who had gathered to watch the display. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the pilot managed to eject before the aircraft went down. Emergency response teams rushed to the scene, and officials have not released information on casualties or damage so far.

The Tejas is a 4.5-generation, multi-role fighter aircraft developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Designed for versatility, it is capable of offensive air support, close combat, ground attack missions and maritime operations. The aircraft family includes single-seat fighters and twin-seat trainers for both the Air Force and Navy.

HAL describes the latest version, the LCA Mk1A, as the most advanced in the series, featuring an AESA radar, an upgraded electronic warfare suite with radar-warning and self-protection jamming, smart multifunction displays, a digital map generator, a combined interrogator–transponder system and a modern radio altimeter. These enhancements significantly improve the aircraft’s combat capability and survivability.

Further updates from IAF and UAE authorities are awaited.

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Local authorities say the Israeli military has expanded the so-called “yellow line” truce demarcation in Gaza City and repositioned its forces deeper into the territory in violation of a ceasefire agreement that came into force on October 10, besieging dozens of Palestinian families.

Gaza’s Government Media Office announced in a statement on Thursday that Israeli forces widened the boundary by shifting the markers, and advanced roughly 300 meters (984 feet) into the neighborhoods of Ash-Shaaf, An-Nazzaz and Baghdad Street.

The move pushed further into civilian areas, trapping families who were unable to flee as tanks rolled forward, it added.

“The fate of many of these families remains unknown amidst the shelling that targeted the area,” the office said, adding that the expansion of the yellow line shows a “blatant disregard” for the ceasefire deal.

On Friday, sources said the Israeli military carried out continued air and artillery strikes inside the so-called “yellow line” east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the reports, Israeli warplanes and tanks targeted areas within the zone. One Palestinian was reported killed and several others wounded in the strikes, the sources said.

The fresh aggression came only a day after 25 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis on Wednesday.

The media office reported that Israel has consistently violated the truce deal since its implementation last month, with near-daily attacks by air, artillery and direct shootings.

The office said over 400 violations have been documented. These breaches have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 Palestinians and left hundreds injured.

The Government Media Office in Gaza urged the guarantors of the ceasefire — the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — to take swift action to halt the ongoing violations and facilitate the delivery of food, shelter materials, medical aid, and infrastructure equipment.

The so-called “yellow line,” set out in the agreement between Israel and Hamas resistance movement, refers to a non-physical partition where the Israeli military repositioned itself when the truce deal took effect.

It has allowed Israel, which routinely fires at Palestinians who approach the line, to retain control over more than half of the Gaza Strip.

International bodies, including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and other rights groups, have concluded that the Israeli war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

In the attacks in Gaza since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 69,546 people and injured 170,833 others, leveling large swaths of the territory and displacing almost all of the population. 

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