Ncp

Imposing Hindi under NEP at cost of Marathi won't be allowed, says Sule

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Saturday said that undermining Marathi in the forceful implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Maharashtra would not be tolerated. Sule's statement comes amid the opposition's outcry over the Maharashtra government's decision to make Hindi a mandatory third language for students of Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the state, in a departure from the practice of studying two languages. Speaking to reporters in Pune, the Baramati MP said, "I was first to oppose the education minister's statement about making the CBSE board compulsory in Maharashtra. What is the need to replace the existing state board with CBSE? Before discussing the language issue, we must talk about the basic education infrastructure in the state." Citing the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released by the NGO Pratham Foundation, referred to by the Centre, she stressed the need to evaluate students' performance in mathematics, .

Ladki Bahin scheme to continue, no question of scrapping it: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said the government's flagship Ladki Bahin scheme to provide financial assistance to women will continue and that there is no question of scrapping it. Under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which is believed to have played a key role in the victory of the ruling Mahayuti (comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP) in the state polls last year, women are provided Rs 1,500 every month. Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, Pawar, who is also the state's finance minister, said, "The budgetary allocation for the implementation of the scheme has been made and there is no question of scrapping it." Earlier, state Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare on Tuesday said no change has been made in the amount of assistance paid under the scheme, but some 7.74 lakh women already getting Rs 1,000 under another scheme are being paid the difference of Rs 500. She was responding to media reports claiming the aid unde

Sule, Rohit Pawar called man held for extortion bid on minister: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has alleged key leaders of the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (SP) were involved in a "conspiracy" against his cabinet colleague Jaykumar Gore in a case involving a woman. Replying to a motion initiated by the opposition in the state assembly on Tuesday, Fadnavis said there was proof of communication between NCP (SP) leaders Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar, and one of the accused in the case where three persons, including the woman, have been arrested for trying to extort money from Gore. The CM, who holds the home portfolio, said the entire episode will be probed. BJP MLA Gore, who represents the Man constituency in western Maharashtra's Satara district, is the minister for rural development and panchayati raj. Last week, the BJP minister claimed the woman, who had accused him of harassment, tried to extort money from him to settle the matter. According to police, the woman had demanded Rs 3 crore from Gore to end "everything". "S

Rajya Sabha disposes of disqualification petitions of 3 NCP, NCP-SP members

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday disposed of petitions seeking disqualification of three MPs belonging to the NCP and NCP-SP from the House after the two parties sought no further action in the matter. A petition under Rule 6(2) of the Members of Rajya Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985, was presented on November 20, 2023 by Praful Patel as regards Vandana Chavan and Fauzia Khan, another member Rajya Sabha (3rd April, 2020 to 2nd April, 2026), for the Chairman's consideration. On November 21, 2023 another such petition was presented by Chavan regarding Patel. Both petitions were in essence under Tenth Schedule of the Constitution- provisions as to disqualification on ground of defection. During the morning session, Dhankhar informed the House that while the issue was engaging his attention, two even dated communications were received (February 3, 2025) one from Sharad Pawar, leader of NCP-SP, and the other from Praful Patel, leader of NCP b

Disha Salian case: NCP-SCP leader alleges govt using SSR's name for polls

Rohit Pawar further claimed that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is only looking to "tarnish" Aaditya Thackeray's image and diverting from the real issues which are in Maharashtra

Don't act against women for one murder': NCP(SP) leader's bizarre request

Rohini Khadse, president of the women's wing, addressed a letter to the President stating that women seek to eliminate oppressive mentalities, rapist mindsets, and ineffective legal system in India

Munde resignation eyewash, he'll be back after case cools down: Sena UBT

Neither Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis nor his deputy Ajit Pawar, who heads the NCP, can claim that resignation was sought on moral grounds,

Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde resigns after aide held in murder case

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed the news, saying he had received the resignation of Dhananjay Munde

As Modi and Sharad Pawar grow closer, Maharashtra's political cauldron bubbles

Fault lines within MVA deepen as NCP (SP) warms up to BJP-Shinde, and Thackeray charts solo path for ensuing local body polls in the state, explains RADHIKA RAMASESHAN

Sharad Pawar should not have felicitated Eknath Shinde, says Sanjay Raut

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday expressed strong disapproval of its ally and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar felicitating Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at an event in Delhi. It was Shinde who split the Shiv Sena with the help of Amit Shah, and felicitating him was akin to honouring the BJP leader, said Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut. Shinde was on Tuesday honoured with the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar at the hands of Pawar and in the presence of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on the occasion of the 98th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan. Pawar heads the reception committee of the literary meet, scheduled to start next week. Raut said Pawar should not have attended the event, as Shinde toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led government of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress in Maharashtra in 2022 by resorting to "betrayal". "Certain things should be avoided in politics. Yesterday, Sharad Pawar did not felicitate Shinde, but he felicitated Amit Shah. Thi

Ego clashes within INDIA bloc led to BJP's Delhi win: NCP MLA Rohit Pawar

The BJP will form its government in Delhi after a gap of more than 26 years as it won 48 of the 70 seats in the assembly polls, the results of which were announced on Saturday

Activist alleges Rs 88 cr 'scam' in agriculture dept under Dhananjay Munde

Activist Anjali Damania on Tuesday alleged a Rs 88 crore 'scam' in the agriculture department when NCP leader Dhananjay Munde held the portfolio in the previous Mahayuti coalition government in Maharashtra. Despite the Union government's 2016 directive to transfer money directly to farmers' bank accounts under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), the agriculture department purchased equipment and fertilisers for distribution to farmers at inflated rates, she claimed. Reaction from Munde's office to the allegations was awaited. The NCP leader, now minister for Food and Civil Supplies, is already under fire over the arrest of his aide Walmik Karad in an extortion case related to the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district. Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat told reporters that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will "certainly take notice" of the allegations and order an inquiry. Speaking at a press conference here, Damania presented documents related to the alleged scam. "These

Ajit Pawar warns party workers against involvement in extortion rackets

Amid the political row over the murder of a sarpanch, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday asked NCP workers in Beed district not to get involved in extortion attempts targeting development projects. Asking his party workers to maintain a "clean character", the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief said political interference will not be tolerated in the administration. His remarks come against the backdrop of the arrest of Walmik Karad, a close associate of state NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, in an extortion case linked to the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district. The opposition has been demanding Munde's ouster in the wake of the arrest of his associate and to facilitate an impartial probe into the murder of Deshmukh. Pawar arrived in Beed on Thursday morning, his first visit since becoming the district guardian minister. Addressing a gathering of NCP workers, he said, "Maintain a clean character. Everybody should take care not to mingle with

Zeeshan questions link of Slum Rehab projects in Baba Siddique murder

Zeeshan's statement forms part of the chargesheet filed by the police earlier this month in the Siddique murder case

Money laundering case: SC junks ED plea against bail to NCP leader Bhujbal

In a relief to senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of the Enforcement Directorate challenging the bail granted to him in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan however rejected Bhujbal's plea challenging his arrest in the matter saying the petitioner was released on bail in 2018, and it was not necessary to go into the question of illegality of his arrest at the present stage. "Impugned orders granting bail have been passed way back in the year 2018. Therefore no case for interference is made out at this stage under Article 136 of the Constitution. The SLPs are dismissed," it held. The Bombay High Court on May 4, 2018, granted bail to Bhujbal in the money laundering case. The former Maharashtra deputy chief minister was arrested after an ED inquiry revealed he and his associates had allegedly misused their office and caused financial loss to the government. According to the ED, Bhujbal awarded contra

Ajit Pawar may have taken up Beed guardian ministership, says Jayant Patil

Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil on Sunday said that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar may have preferred to take up the guardian ministership of Beed district considering the prevailing situation in the aftermath of a sarpanch's murder. Ministers in Maharashtra are given responsibility for one or more districts. As per a list released by the state government, Pawar has been allotted Beed district in addition to Pune, his home district. Talking to reporters here, Patil said there was no point in criticising the appointment of guardian ministers, and people now have to see how they perform. He said the situation in Beed is complicated, so Ajit Pawar may have preferred to go there. Minister Dhananjay Munde, MLA from Parali in Beed, was the guardian minister of this central Maharashtra district in the previous government. But he has been in the eye of the storm over the brutal murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in the district. Walmik Karad, Munde's associate, has been ...

Baba Siddique's son Zeeshan alleges police inaction, seeks help from CM

Zeeshan further raised concerns about the protection of builders allegedly involved in the case and the swift narrative pinning the blame on Lawrence Bishnoi

Ajit Pawar-led NCP trying to poach rival faction MPs, claims Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed that the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was trying to engineer defections in the rival NCP (SP), promising its leaders berths in the union cabinet. Raut's comment came after NCP leader Amol Mitkati said that some Lok Sabha members from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP were in contact with Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. NCP (SP) MLA and former state minister Jitendra Awhad also alleged that Sunil Tatkare, state chief of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, had asked MPs of the rival faction to "leave the father and daughter". Tatkare's reaction to these claims was awaited. Speaking to reporters, Raut alleged that senior NCP leader Praful Patel and Tatkare had been assigned the task of engineering defections in the Sharad Pawar-led faction. At present, the Ajit-led NCP has only one Lok Sabha MP, Tatkare, while the rival NCP (SP) has eight Lok Sabha members. "The party (NCP) will not get any post in the Union ...

Ladki Bahin scheme affecting Maharashtra's farm loan waiver plans: Minister

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate has said the Ladki Bahin Yojana is creating a burden on the state coffers, affecting its ability to implement the farm loan waiver scheme. The Ladki Bahin scheme, launched by the previous Eknath Shinde-led government in August last year to provide a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to eligible women, is likely to cost the state around Rs 46,000 crore annually. The scheme is said to have played a key role in the ruling Mahayuti's win in the state assembly elections held in November 2024. Speaking to reporters in Pune on Sunday, Kokate said the financial strain caused by the Ladki Bahin Yojana has disrupted the state's ability to form a surplus that would otherwise be allocated for waiving the loans of farmers. "The burden created by the Ladki Bahin scheme has affected our ability to set aside funds for the farm loan waiver. We are reviewing the financial situation, and once the state's income increases, we will move forward with the loan

Beed murder: Jarange booked for defamatory remarks against Dhananjay Munde

Beed police have booked Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde over the murder of a sarpanch in the district, an official said. Following a complaint by one Tukaram Aghav, the Parli police here on Sunday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Jarange over the remarks and on charges of creating a divide in the society. During a rally in Parbhani on Saturday, Jarange targeted NCP minister Munde over the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district. The activist had said the Maratha community wouldn't allow Munde to roam on the streets if Dehmukh's family was harmed. His remarks upset Munde's supporters, who demanded that a case be registered against Jarange. They had also protested against the activist outside the Shivajinagar police station in Beed. Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, apparently because he tried to thwart an attemp