It was last monsoon. I was sitting behind my colleague’s bullet when he suddenly had to apply brakes. We both fell in the middle of the highway. Luckily, the pace of vehicles behind was slow and hence we were lucky not to be crushed. The culprit in this case was an inanimate pot hole which in a fit of suddenness had put itself in front of the vehicle. I was lucky but there are many who are not.
Potholes may symbolize pathetic roads but in reality they have symbolized the BMC. A corporator is the basic functional unit of governance in our democratic set up and the BMC in Mumbai is the richest civic corporation in India. It also holds the reputation of representing its financial capital and the ever populated cultural mincemeat of Mumbai.
However this city of dreams has witnessed a lousy, mismanaged, graft infested and to sum it up a nightmarish reality. BMC has been a bastion of the Shiv Sena for decades now. Even in 2017 municipal polls as the Shiv Sena unceremoniously lost everywhere, it still managed to hold its horses onto Mumbai and Thane. Politically, it’s battling the BJP for regional superiority but its function with respect to the BMC has many critics.
As the Shiv Sena on one hand is sulking with respect to the BJP, on the other hand it’s venting its ire on a popular RED FM radio jockey. Malishka, an RJ had apparently made a parody of a famous Marathi song. The song had references to the BMC, potholes, railways and issues like the traffic in the city. Although the song nowhere mentions the Sena, BMC controlled by the same was prominently mentioned.
RJ Malishka’s song takes a sarcastic dig at the pothole infested Mumbai roads and questions the Mumbaikars’ faith in the Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
As the song now has become viral, an upset Shiv Sena has called for filing a defamation suit of 500 crores against the RJ who on her part is ready to release more such parodies. It cannot be anything but co incidence as the BMC has slapped a legal notice under section 381-B as mosquitoes were found breeding in her flat after a so called ‘routine inspection’
Did the Shiv Sena over react as usual or was there a substance in RJ Malishka’s Parody? The Sena in the past has held extremist views on many aspects. Some of them even resonated with the masses. May it be opposing India Pakistan cricket matches and evoking ‘Marathi asmita’, the issues did inject patriotic fever in to the people. However, this time around they may have just over stepped their lines as the song has never mentioned or criticised the Sena directly.
There are basically four reasons as to why Shiv Sena filing a defamation suit on RJ Malishka is going to backfire on them.
- The Pothole Menace – potholes uttered in the song tell a very sad and disappointing story about the city of Mumbai. The people in the city of Mumbai are more concerned about it than the BMC or Sena raking national issues like relationship with Pakistan. According to the Ministry of transportation data, around 10,876 people died due to potholes and speed breakers on roads all over the nation in the last few years. The maximum fatalities were reported in Maharashtra. This is not all. The people in Mumbai have to bear other inadequacies too. The flooding of roads, problems of sanitation and the traffic woes have added to their ever going list of problems and the song actually struck a chord with the citizens.
- The Loosening Grip – The Sena retained the BMC by merely two extra seats. All over the state of Maharashtra, its political clout has diminished under the weight of the Modi wave. Its erosion from political circles needs introspection and better connection with the masses. This stand of filing a defamation suit will again portray it as reckless and aggressive and further loosen its hold at the grass root levels.
- Re-Elections – Looking at the bickering between the Sena and the BJP, there is a huge possibility of an impending snap poll or re elections for the assembly. The Sena needs to prepare itself and tap better issues which can help them consolidate the state. The Sena after Bal Thackeray is not that Sena anymore and its opposition or aggressive posturing does not get the same response it enjoyed earlier in the 1990s. In advent of a breakdown of ties, re elections in the BMC also cant be ruled out.
- Youth – it was the Yuva Sena too who demanded that an action should be taken against the RJ. Youth connectivity is already in doldrums with respect to the Sena and such outbursts against hugely popular RJ Malishka who itself is revered by the youth can back lash. In the advent of Modi Shah combine wanting to increase the membership of the BJP, the youth is already drawn towards them. Stands like these will further erode their prospects of tapping young blood for their party.
The Shiv Sena was quick to even deflect the sorry state of civic affairs on to the state govt and even agencies like the MMRDA. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the statutory and standing committees along with the mayoral position are with the BMC and they cannot escape the burden of responsibility. With the kind of budget the BMC enjoys, the city of Mumbai deserves better. The city of Mumbai was supposed to be like the new age Sanghai. Unfortunately, it has to be content with being a poor man’s Venice in Monsoon and being a Mogadishu with the kind of infrastructure it has harbored.
