Shiv Sena today denied involvement of party legislators in 'settlement' issues as alleged by NCP president and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

Pawar had yesterday alleged that the opposition parties in Maharashtra deliberately ask questions about builders' dealings in the assembly and later approach the same builders and 'settle' the issues with them.

NAGPUR: The stand of BJP and Shiv Sena leaders in other parts of the state is repeatedly causing embarrassment to the office-bearers of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) who have planned to set up a 420 MW plant at Bhandewadi. The main opposition party Congress is taking full advantage of this dichotomy.

NAGPUR: Even as uncertainty prevails over intra party elections of Congress, leaders of the party from all over Vidarbha will be meeting in the city on Sunday to deliberate on the party affairs and the proposed "Gaon to Sewagram' march on October 2.

MUMBAI: After the hefty pay hike for MPs, comes a proposal for over 60 per cent increase in the salaries of Maharashtra MLAs and MLCs.

The proposal has been mooted by the joint committee of legislators on salary and allowance. It said the total monthly salary and perks for a legislator, which now come to around Rs 44,000, should be raised to about Rs 70,000.

This was decided at a meeting of the panel held here in July, a senior Vidhan Bhawan official told PTI here today.

NAGPUR: About 12 Shiv Sena activists were booked for allegedly placing a piglet on the table of a civic official here to draw his attention towards pig menace in their area, police said on Sunday.

One Karan Tuli and his accomplice while trying to draw the attention of top civic officials towards swine menace in their area, placed a piglet on the table of deputy municipal commissioner of Nagpur Municipal Corporation here yesterday, they said.

Indeed they wanted to place it on the table of Municipal Commissioner, but he was not present in his chamber.

NAGPUR: Reiterating its stand on construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has said that it will ensure that the temple would be built either by "consensus or struggle".

"Ram Mandir is a matter of faith for crores of Hindus and cannot be built simply judged by a court judgement. We will ensure that it is built either by consensus or through struggle," RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said at a function here last night.

Political parties observed India's 64th Independence Day in several parts of the country on Sunday.

Leaders of India's federal ruling Congress party, including party chief Sonia Gandhi and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, gathered at their headquarters in New Delhi to mark the occasion.

[Sonia Gandhi, Congress Party Chief]:
"My wishes to all of you."

Meanwhile, the chief of India's main opposition party hoisted a flag in Nagpur City.

[Nitin Gadhkari, Opposition Party Chief]:

In yet another move which strengthened the criticism that he was still fixated with his home state Maharashtra, BJP President Nitin Gadkari today hoisted the national flag in Nagpur instead of the party headquarters in Nagpur. Gadkari, who has himself confessed on several occasions that he is new

to national politics, has often been criticised for spending less time in Delhi and more in Nagpur, where he is based.
On the first independence day celebrations today since he took over as BJP president, Gadkari hoisted the national flag at the local BJP office in Nagpur.

NAGPUR: Congress and NCP have managed to give an impressive performance in the gram panchayat elections held in Nagpur district on Sunday. Results for 31 gram panchayats in the district were declared on Tuesday. These elections are not contested on party lines and major political parties leave it to their grass-root workers to have their say in forming local level alliances to gain control.

Former Union minister and the sitting Congress MP from Nagpur, Vilas Muttemwar has come out openly against the moves to set up a thermal power plant in the heart of Nagpur. He urged Prime Minister to intervene and direct the Maharashtra government and ministry of environment to shift proposed thermal power plant outside the city.