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Correspondent

21 August 2024 at 3:50:16 pm

Static Warfare

Maharashtra’s politics has long resembled a murky theatrical production, but its latest act has descended into farce. A purported audio recording released by Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, allegedly discussing a staggering Rs. 500-crore payment routed to him through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has plunged the ruling Mahayuti into fresh turmoil. While the recording’s authenticity remains unverified, the political fallout has...

Static Warfare

Maharashtra’s politics has long resembled a murky theatrical production, but its latest act has descended into farce. A purported audio recording released by Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, allegedly discussing a staggering Rs. 500-crore payment routed to him through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has plunged the ruling Mahayuti into fresh turmoil. While the recording’s authenticity remains unverified, the political fallout has already exposed the fissures beneath the coalition’s carefully cultivated façade of unity. The first imperative is to establish the facts. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a forensic examination of the recording, including the identities of the speakers and the circumstances in which it was made. The investigation must go beyond determining whether the audio has been manipulated. Its provenance, completeness, context and circulation must also be established. The allegations are extraordinary. Jarange claims that the purported conversation points to efforts to blunt his influence ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections, when his agitation for Maratha reservation had become a significant political force. The recording allegedly refers to Rs. 500 crore being delivered through Shrikant Shinde. Both Eknath Shinde and his son have rejected the allegations, with the latter responding sarcastically that the money never reached him. Jarange, for his part, has denied receiving the sum and demanded an investigation. The recording has surfaced nearly two years after the alleged conversation, reportedly dating to October 2024. Fadnavis has himself questioned why it has emerged now and who stands to benefit. The allegations have become a test of trust within the Mahayuti itself. The BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena remain partners in government, but their relationship is hardly free of friction. Shinde’s transition from chief minister to deputy chief minister after the 2024 Assembly election underscored the BJP’s ascendancy within the alliance. The latest controversy has revived questions about whether competing ambitions and suspicions are undermining the partnership. The danger lies in the ease with which political intrigue can displace governance. An allegation involving Rs. 500 crore is not a routine exchange of partisan accusations. If substantiated, it would raise grave questions about the use of money to influence a social movement and electoral outcomes. The Maratha reservation agitation has had profound consequences for Maharashtra’s social equilibrium. To reduce such a movement to an instrument of electoral management, if that is what occurred, would be a serious indictment of the political establishment. There is a further question that Maharashtra’s political class must confront: why does every major public controversy so quickly become a contest over factional survival? The state’s politics has grown increasingly transactional, shaped by shifting loyalties and the compulsions of coalition management. The government must therefore ensure that the inquiry is independent in substance, not merely forensic in name.

Youths await Dipke’s cautious ‘ghar-wapasi’

Quaid Najmi
Jun 5
2 min read

 

Mumbai: Nearly a month after unleashing a tsunami on social media, Abhijeet Dipke – who launched the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ – is likely to return home early tomorrow (June 6) from the USA where he had gone to study and hunt for a job.

 

In a departure message before boarding the flight, Dipke said: “On my way to India… Leaving my fate in the hands of the Constitution. #JaiBhim,” amid speculation that there could be repercussions for his recent statements which have earned him millions of hits, views and followers and enraged many in the corridors of power.

 

As a fresh wave of support erupted with thousands indicating they would go to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi to welcome him, Dipke himself shooed them off – with a fervent appeal, “Please don’t come…!”

 

In a video plea, he informed that after landing he would proceed to the Parliament Street Police Station to seek permission for holding a protest at the Jantar Mantar grounds demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the wake of the recent NEET exam paper leak.

 

Appeal to Supporters

“Please avoid coming to the New Delhi Airport. We don’t want to inconvenience the people or the security forces. Instead, reach the police station where I shall apply for permission to carry out a peaceful protest strictly in accordance with the Constitution,” he said.

 

Indicating the anticipated repercussions, Dipke warned that ‘they’ (the authorities) want just one opportunity to defame and dismiss the CJP movement, and hence “we all must act carefully, responsibly and within the laws”.

 

The communications specialist Dipke’s ‘homecoming’ is being closely monitored by the ruling and opposition political parties, as also various government agencies after his retaliation on the ‘parasites and cockroaches’ comment by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant garnered unprecedented support.

 

Though the CJI later clarified on his remarks, apparently there were more takers for Dipke’s hit rejoinders, with his legions of followers, especially the Genzers and the GenAlphas – who are struggling against huge odds to enter the job markets – scurrying behind him.

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