With Covid 19 situation in Maharashtra becoming very serious and Govt pondering over about very strict lockdown to control the pandemic. But politics in the state has reached such an ugly situation that to expect something concrete from these politicians is like asking for the moon. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) alliance govt is reeling under the petty politics of these poliicians, and biggest problem is govt’s inabilty to convince the main opposition party BJP about any of their action plan. It is very surprising that when the state is going under the worst pandemic scenario, the politicians are busy in scoring brownie points. There is big tussle going on between CM Uddhav Thackeray and leader of opposition Devendra Phadnavis.The root cause of the problem started about 18 months back, when both Shiv Sena and BJP who were earlier running the alliance govt in state, fought the Oct 2019 state election as alliance partner. After the election results both parties combinedly won the absolute majority in the assembly to form the govt once again. But they had a fall out over power sharing, went their separate ways. Shiv Sena started negotiation with NCP and requested Sharad Pawar to rope in Congress to support their govt so that BJP is unable to form the govt. BJP tried to make govt with bteak away faction of NCP, but that attempt failed, and Shiv Sena succeded in forming a coalition govt with NCP and Congress. Uddhav Thackeray.
By the time CM took the oath, and Devendra Phadnavis became leader of opposition, a starnge event was taking place in the world, which was going to change the face of the world in 2020. That even happened in Wuhan in China, and event was the onset of Covid 19 pandemic, which started taking global centre stage.
By early 2020, the world was turning upside down, the central govt, as an authority took many decision , many of them were proven right afterwards but some even turned wrong. But what was happening in Maharashtra was politics on Palghar lynching of 2 Sadhus, and subsequent action against Republic TV chief editor Arnob Goswami and in both the cases Maharashtra govt lost their face in the court of law. This went for few months, and the case of actor Sushant Singh’s death took the centre stage, there also state govt had a tiff with central govt regarding handing over the case to CBI. Here also state govt lost in the court of law and the case was eventually assigned to CBI. After that the state govt got involved in actress Kangana Ranaut’s alterations in her home and office area. Here also High court judgement went against the state govt and Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Most recently case of Sachin Waze and threat to industrialist Mukesh Ambani.
Mr Phadnavis’s role in bringing into limelight about the murkiness behind the Ambani threat incident and shady dealings of Mumbai police is praise worthy. Simultaneously ex Commissioner of Mumbai Police made an allegation against extortion demands of the state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. So for last one year the state govt is involved in many controversies, and govt’s maximum time was spent on defending their role in these contrvesies.
CM Uddhav Thackeray has tried his level best in battling this pandemic, but did not get enough support from his coalition partners, and sometime even hos own partymen. All of them are busy fighting BJP in the state’s politics. Even Mr Devendra Phadnavis also went too far in maligning the govt. Take the recent case of him barging into police station in defence of the director of big phama co, who was geing questioned by Mumbai Police in case Remdesivir medicine imbroglio. His intention may be right, but the incident only heightened the intense politicking that’s been going on since the installation of MVA govt.
It is high time that BJP and Shiv Sena set aside their differences and worked together. All the state citizens cares about is :
1 Will I or my loved ones get a bed in hospital, if got infected by Covid virus?
2 Will my family members get the vaccine soon?
3 Is there enough oxygen to service the sick population of this state and city of Mumbai?
Now if these 2 politicians come together now, forgetting their differences- the woes are not beyond Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Phadnavis, if they decide to work together, and prove that at the time of calamity ruling and oppoaition parties can work together. Put aside your differences till the Covid pandemic is over. You may resume your fight at an later date. You have to think about the welfare of the people benonging to this state, a state that have given both of you very much. There is request from 12 Cr citizens of the state, please sit down and call a truce, and give the hope to people. Hope better sense prevails.
Waiting for your comments and views.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
20th April 2021.