Will CM Uddhav Thackeray take charge soon?
All of you go back to my blog written on the 22nd November 2021 and pat my back. When officers told me after reading the blog that CM Uddhav Thackeray is attending the next Cabinet meeting, I had a hearty laugh ! Just to prove my point, I interviewed a famous personality on my YouTube channel who had undergone the same spinal cord surgery when he was 32 years old, with no other health issues back then. After the surgery at 32, this person took 1.5 months to be back on his feet; here our CM is 61 years old today and plus he has 8 to 9 stents in his chest which makes it a delicate case. No doubt that our CM is recuperating well, but to expect him to control the reins of Maharashtra within 15 days of his surgery, let’s not be too optimistic and try to create a stir. He is fine, but he needs rest for good 3 to 4 months. Period!
So as per what information I have received from a source, CM’s one leg still has some kind of numbness. Even though he appeared in front of bureaucrats in a video call without wearing the neck belt (correct word is Cervical Collars or Neck braces), it is advised by the doctors that the CM needs to wear it continuously for a year or so. The appearance made by the CM via VC without wearing that neck belt, is just to put in confidence in the state machinery and to say, ‘All is well’. Also for information, he has been advised not to take any kind of air journey or helicopter rides. A short spin in the car here and there is OK but that too with absolute care. So long car journey’s is also not advisable. ‘Do not take any kind of stress at any cost’ is the mantra that CM Uddhav Thackeray needs to abide by at any cost.
On the other hand, veteran and NCP Supremo celebrated his 81st birthday. While we wish him best of health and a long life always, heard he is due for a small surgery of some sort which he is planning to get done either here in Mumbai or in the States (in States depending on the Omicron variant situation as there are 1 lakh cases in the US everyday now).
One important piece of information: It is likely that NCP and Shivsena in the coming time will be going hard on the Congress, its ally in the MVA government. Most likely NCP, as what is learnt is that Sharad Pawar is in no mood to take Rahul Gandhi as his leader. It has to be either Sonia Gandhi, or our Maharashtra’s thespian is ready to join hands with Mamta to form a third front and fight the BJP. News is confirmed, if Rahul Gandhi is made in charge of the INC, Sharad Pawar and Shivsena will come down heavily on their partner in Government. And all the rumors on whether it will be Supriya Sule or Aditya Thackeray or any other Sena leader if Uddhav Thackeray decides to step down, my source says it is a distant thought. It will be only Uddhav Thackeray who will lead the government. If time comes to change the CM and give NCP a chance, Uddhav Thackeray will shake hands with the BJP. Another 100% fact–even PM Modi is convinced that Uddhav Thackeray is not serious with his talks of coming together again with the BJP midst of what we also keep on hearing that ‘Shivsena has surrendered to the BJP at the Centre’. It is clear in PM’s head that Thackeray never wants to leave the post and in fact using words like ‘I will step down after this work is done, that work is done’, he in fact gets his work done with the PM and surely does not keep his side of promise, claims a highly placed source.
Moving on, Pravin Darekar filed a complaint against Loksatta’s reporters Sandeep Acharya and Nishant Sarvankar for maligning his image and also mentioned that Acharya was threatening Darekar to remove defamation cases that he had filed on his paper. One, is it easy to threaten a personality like Darekar? Number 2, even if we assume Acharya was involved in threatening, why did it take Darekar so long to pursue this? Does not strike a chord for me.
Just going back few years and FYI- an ex health Minister in front of his Private Secretary once did cry in front of me and baba citing some journalists doing ‘bhaigiri’ and taking undue advantages and blackmailing him for tenders of some supplies to be awarded to his contacts only; secondly some of the bureaucrats (IAS too) in Mhada and SRA too have told me about how a message is given by a certain reporter covering the infrastructure beat. ‘Clear the file, else I will have to write against you’. Many bureaucrats and Mantri’s fell to this pressure as both of these reporters belonged to a prestigious Marathi daily. Just thought of sharing with you, that they are not journalists, they are normal reporters, readers. They don’t own the paper and their editor is their boss. One complaint in writing to their management will solve your woes permanently, if your complaint is genuine.
Vikrant Hemant Joshi.
