The news on Wednesday Nov 10: PM meets 7 NSAs, Nykaa IPO, Jinnah Politics & more

In a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, the Maha Vikas Aghadi led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has praised Minister Nawab Malik. Sources told Republic that all the three parties comprising the MVA government - the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena- have backed Nawab Malik for 'raising important issues in the past few days.'

Punjab AAG Mukesh Beri resigns in revolt against the resignation of AG APS Deol over Navjot Sidhu's tantrums. 

Thunderstorm with heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places with extremely heavy falls at one or two places is very likely to occur over Cuddalore, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Chennai, Tiruvallur & Ranipet districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. 

Thunderstorm with heavy to very heavy rain is very likely to occur in Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Tirupattur and Salem districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal area.

Thunderstorm with heavy rain at isolated places is also very likely to occur in Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Pudukkottai, Coimbatore, Erode and Tiruchirappalli.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid makes provocative remarks against Hindutva, likens it to radicalism and jihadi ideology of ISIS and Boko Haram. 

After hearing both sides, a Mumbai court adjourned the Wakhede-Malik defamation case till November 12. Both Wankhede and Malik have been asked to file affidavits before the next hearing. 

 Delhi High Court dismissed a petition seeking to allow Chhath pooja celebrations in the national capital on the banks of River Yamuna. The bench of Justice Rekha Palli noted that the ban of the celebration was in line with the orders of the NGT passed from time to time in connection to the Yamuna River. 

In a massive road mishap on Wednesday, a private bus, loaded with passengers, caught fire after colliding with a tanker trailer near Bhandiyawas on Jodhpur Highway of Pachpadra police station area of ​​Barmer district in Rajasthan. At least 5 persons are said to have died, according to news agency ANI. The bus had a total of 25 passengers on board when the tragedy occurred, said reports. Several people faced severe injuries and have been admitted to Nahata Hospital in Balotra, according to reports.  

PM Modi meets NSAs of seven countries including 5 Central Asian countries and Russia and Iran National Security Adviser Ajit Doval today chaired the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan in Delhi

"It is due to the friendship between Sameer Wankhede and Devendra Fadnavis that criminal activities flourished in Mumbai and Maharashtra during the BJP government," Nawab Malik said. 

"Rs 25 crore was sought to release Aryan Khan when the cruise ship was raided, but later, the parties settles for Rs 18 crore. Why was Aryan Khan invited on the cruise in the first place," the NCP leader said. 

"Asking for ransom is a crime, but paying money to free their innocent son is not a crime. I will request everyone to come forward and cooperate with the SIT to unearth the truth behind the cruise ship raid," he added.

"I don't want to say anything about any woman. She is accusing me of hoarding black money, but what about those who have flats worth Rs 200 crore in Worli? I am ready to cooperate if cops want to probe me, but the other party too should give proper answers when I start asking questions," Nawab Malik said about Devendra Fadnavis's wife Amruta Fadnavis.

National Spokesperson of NCP Nawab Malik's live broadcast of press conference

Senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar mocked Malik's claim to drop the 'hydrogen bomb', saying, "Those who claimed hydrogen bombs could not even burst sparklers. Yes, Munna Yadav, Haji Arafat and Haider Azam are party workers but there is not a single case against Arafat and Azam. They were included only after checking. None of this happened during Fadnavis' time. 

"Nawab Malik has taken the names of Haider Azam, Imran Alam Shaikh, younger brother of Haji Arfaz Shaikh and Munna Yadav. none of them had any criminal cases. Munna Yadav had political cases against him and he will speak out about this himself soon. The MVA government has been in power for two years but could not register any case or offence against these people," the BJP leader added. 

"Nawab Malik's allegations are baseless. The face value of counterfeit notes seized in 2017 was around 10 lakh not around 14 cr. 3 persons were arrested in the matter. At that time DRI had approached the NIA to probe the matter, but NIA didn't take over the case," Sameer Wankhede, NCB-Mumbai told ANI. 

Following grave allegations inculpated by NCP leader Nawab Malik, Devendra Fadnavis shared, "I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides the pig likes it!"

"I still have a lot of bombs left with me. Will drop some in the Vidhan Sabha too," NCP leader said. 

Malik alleges "Riyaz Bhati was held at the airport with two passports."

"Why was D-gang man Riyaz Bhati present at BJP events?" he added. 

Refuting Fadnavis' allegations of links to Dawood Ibrahim, Malik said, "Speaking about Salim Payel and RR Patil link. Salim Patel passed away 6 months back. He was the son of a watchman there. He had put his name in 7/12 documents."
 

"Nagpur's notorious criminal Munna Yadav was appointed chairman of Construction Workers' Board by Devendra Fadnavis during his govt. One Haidar Azam, involved in illegal immigration of Bangladeshis, was appointed chairman of Maulana Azad Finance Corporation by Fadnavis," Malik said. 

"One Haider Azam, involved in illegal immigration of Bangladeshis, was appointed chairman of Maulana Azad Finance Corporation by Fadnavis," Malik added. 

"Want to ask Fadnavis why he made some of these people with a criminal background as heads of commission. Munna Yadav was made head of the construction workers board. Haider Azam was made the head of Maulana Azad Finance. Haider Azam relocates Bangladeshi people to Mumbai illegally. "

"One Riyaz Bhati, a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested at Mumbai airport with a fake passport. He was allowed bail in 2 days only. Why was Riyaz Bhati in close contact with you (Devendra Fadnavis)?. Bhati has been seen with many big leaders in pictures." Malik stated. 

"No fake notes were recovered from Maharashtra for a year after demonetisation. The Devendra Fadnavis government was providing protection to those running fake notes racket," Malik added. 

"Rs 14.56 crores worth fake notes seized at BKC. Only Rs 8.80 lakhs was shown as recovery to hide the matter. Imran Alam Sheikh and Riyaz Sheikh Bail were allowed bail 'quickly'. The matter was not handed over to National Investigation Agency (NIA)

"He (Imran Sheikh) was made the Chairman of the Minorities Commission by Fadnavis," Malik added. 

When the case took place at BKC, Haji Arafat's brother’s case was being looked at by Sameer Wankhede.

"Sameer Wankhede was DRI officer when this happened," Malik stated.
 

"I am fighting against a man who is framing innocent people in fake cases. Devendra Fadnavis is not only diverting my issue but also trying to defend one officer (Sameer Wankhede)," Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader, Malik. 

"Devendra Fadnavis is trying to shield Wankhede. He is here for 14 years. He hasn’t left the city," he added. 
 

Raking up demonetisation in the year 2016, and attempting to establish the probe on fake notes' nexus to Pakistan', Malik said, "Fake notes of 500,2000 were caught in different states. There was no case of fake notes in Maharashtra. It was under the leadership of then Chief Minister Fadnavis, that these fake notes were being circulated in Maharashtra

"14.56 crores worth fake notes seized at BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex)," he said. 
 

A significant amount of Rainfall (from 0830 hrs IST of yesterday to 0830 hours IST of today): (mm): Tamilnadu, Puducherry & Karaikal: Nagappattinam-310, Karaikal-287; Atiramapattinam-129, Cuddalore-98; M.O Pondicherry-95, Tiruchchirappalli-54, Chennai-18, Tondi-17, IMD stated. 

Netizen shares images of rains in Kumbakonam. 

Taking to Twitter, the NCP leader has shared, "उनकी नींद खो गई है, अब चैन खोने का वक़्त आ गया है, मिलते है आज सुबह 10 बजे" (they have lost their sleep, Now is the time to lose your peace, See you today at 10 am)

On the other hand, BJP's Devendra Fadnavis had shared, "Mr Nawab Malik, WHY DID YOU DO BUSINESS WITH THE KILLERS OF MUMBAI?"

Tamil Nadu to provide free food through Amma Canteens till the rainy season (current intense rain spell) ends: Chief Minister MK Stalin announced on November 9. 

CM Stalin visited the food affected areas and took stock of basic amenities available for people. Netizens share images and visuals of Chennai flooding. 

Waterlogging due to heavy rains continues in Chennai. Visuals from the Kolathur area. IMD has issued red alert in Cuddalore, Viluppuram, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Karaikal, for today. 

Heavy rain lashes Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu

CM MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government has declared local holidays on November 10th and 11th for nine districts -Chennai, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and Mayiladuthurai in wake of heavy rain forecast. 

Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, currently heading the western naval command, is set to be the next Chief of the Naval Staff, the Centre stated. His tenure will commence on November 30 as he prepares to succeed incumbent Admiral KB Singh upon his superannuation after a thirty-month tenure. 

"The Government has appointed Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar as the next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of November 30. The present Chief of the Naval Staff retires from service on November 30," Defence Ministry spokesperson A Bharat Bhushan Babu said in a statement. 

Sameer Wankhede's sister-in-law Harshada Dinanath Redkar on Tuesday filed a complaint in the Goregoan Police station against Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik. In the complaint, Harshada Dinanath Redkar had invoked Section 354, 354 D, 503 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women Act, 1986.

his comes in view of the recent tweet by Nawab Malik against Sameer Wankhede's sister-in-law  Harshada Dinanath Redkar. In the tweet, Nawab Malik wrote, "Sameer Dawood Wankhede, is your sister-in-law Harshada Dinanath Redkar involved in the drug business? You must answer because her case is pending before the Pune court. Here is the proof.” The NCP leader also posted a snapshot of a document related to that case.

The low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is very likely to concentrate into a depression soon and bring widespread rainfall across Tamil Nadu for the next couple of days, the Meteorological department said here on Tuesday. 

Comparatively, though there was a decline in rainfall in Chennai and nearby districts like Chengelpet on Tuesday, regions like Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam and Karaikal in the Union Territory of Puducherry received heavy to very heavy rainfall as per official inputs available here.

"Steps have been taken to release surplus water taking into consideration the inflow and the safety of dams," Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said. 

In view of the advisory, the government declared a holiday for schools and colleges on November 10 and 11 in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai districts. 

Exposing Nawab Malik's underworld links, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said, "The first character is Sardar Shah Wali Khan who is a convict of 1993 blast who was working with Tiger Memon. He is currently serving life imprisonment. Another character is Salim Patel who was Haseena Parker (Dawood's sister)’s frontman and bodyguard who was arrested along with her in 2007. All the land grabbing was done in Parkar's name after Dawood fled India, for which Patel had power of attorney," he said.

Detailing the alleged land deal between Malik's son and Salim Patel, the BJP leader said, "There is a land in Bandra-Kurla area (BKC) - Goawalla compound owned by Sardar Shah Wali Khan. This 2.8 acre land at LBS road was sold to Solidus investments Pvt Ltd in September 2005 - which is Nawab Mallik’s family company. One of the signatories in the deal is Faraz Malik (Nawab Malik's son). Once made a minister in 2019, Nawab Malik resigned from the company but it is still in his family's name." 

Alleging that the land was bought at undervalued rates, Fadnavis added, "The land rate was Rs 2000/sq ft at that time and cost Rs 3 crores. But this was sold at Rs 30 lakhs and payment of only Rs 20 lakhs was made. This deal happened when Nawab Malik was a minister in the state govt. Rs 15 lakh was paid to Salim Patel, 15 lakh went into Khan's account. There were TADA charges against them and the property of the accused is taken by govt. So was the property transferred to you so that it is not seized?"

Rebutting Devendra Fadnavis' allegations, Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik vowed to expose the former's links with the underworld at 10 am on Wednesday, 10th October. Revealing that he will drop a "hydrogen bomb", he stated, "I will expose the game of Devendra Fadnavis underworld in Maharashtra and how he kept the entire city hostage through the underworld while being Chief Minister". While owning up to the land transaction with Haseena Parkar's driver and bodyguard Salim Patel and 1993 bomb blasts convict Sardar Shah Wali Khan, the NCP leader denied having any links with the underworld. 

Explaining the history of the land in question, Nawab Malik remarked, "At present, Madinatul Aman cooperative society is there. The building constructed there in 1984 is known as Goawala Compound in which Munira Plumber gave development rights to Rasiwalla, constructed 140-250 houses and sold them to people. There is a slum behind this. Our godown is there which was on lease from Munira for the last 30 years. We also had 4 shops on that property".

The ex- Maharashtra CM alleged that NCP minister Nawab Malik's son was involved in an alleged land deal with one Salim Patel who had links to Dawood Ibrahim. He further alleged that Malik's son Faraz Malik had bought a 2.8-acre land which was owned by Sardar Shah Wali Khan - a convict of the 1993 Mumbai blast case, during Malik's tenure as minister in 2005.

Sharing documents for all his allegations, Fadnavis claimed that he will submit them to Sharad Pawar and competent authorities.

Detailing the alleged land deal between Malik's son and Salim Patel, he said, "There is a land in Bandra-Kurla area (BKC) - Goawalla compound owned by Sardar Shah Wali Khan. This 2.8 acre land at LBS road was sold to Solidus investments pvt Ltd in September 2005 - which is Nawab Mallik’s family company. One of the signatories in the deal is Faraz Malik (Nawab Malik's son). Once made a minister in 2019, Nawab Malik resigned from the company but it is still in his family's name." 

Last Monday, NCP minister  Nawab Malik alleged that ex-Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis had links with 'drug mafia'. Tweeting a photo of one Jaideep Rana with Amruta Fadnavis, he pointed out that Rana had recently been arrested in a drug trafficking case. Stating that Jaideep Rana was 'financial head' of the River song which features both Fadnavis and his wife, he demanded CBI or judicial enquiry in this issue.

Retorting to the 'drug mafia' allegations, Fadnavis shunned all relations with Rana. Stating that Rana had multiple pictures with the entire team including himself, he clarified that the private firm had been employed to shoot the River song has itself refuted links to Rana. Considering criminal defamation, he alleged that Nawab Malik had links with the underworld and he would present all facts - post-Diwali.

Addressing a press briefing, Fadnavis alleged that Solidus Investments Pvt. Ltd.- a company allegedly controlled by Malik's family members, had purchased a 2.8-acre land in Kurla, Mumbai in September 2005 from Mariyambai Goawala, Munira Plumber and Sardar Shah Wali Khan. Claiming that the land was sold cheaper than the market rate at Rs.30 lakh, he said that Rs.10 lakh and Rs.5 lakh were paid to Salim Patel and Khan.

Refuting all allegations by ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, NCP minister Nawab Malik's son Faraz Malik claimed that the land deal was legitimate. Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, Faraz Malik said that he had bought the piece of land from Salim Patel and the evaluation of the land was done prior to the deal. Refuting every meeting Haseena Parkar (Dawood's sister), Faraz Malik said that there were 400 tenants currently residing in that land.

Speaking to Republic TV, he said, "Around 400 people live (tenant) here, I have a list of all who live here on this land. His allegations are wrong. Salim Patel was the landlord. I was a tenant here, then I bought this land from Salim Patel. Evaluation of land has been done before we bought it. This land is not illegal and has not been bought even at work cost. I do not know Haseena Parkar and have never met her."