OFF THE RECORD review on some of todays headlines…/Vikrant Joshi
1. 120 die in worst rail accident in 6 years.
When the new Government announced it’s ambitious plans of connecting India with bullet trains, every normal person who travels by trains, was of the opinion that the Government should first make the existing railway system of our country, the tracks, the facilities inside the trains, the bookings and all related activities a notch higher than the current situation and than think of investing in the mega project of bullet trains. Such is the condition of todays railways that, forget the commoners, but whenever MLA from Solapur Praniti Shindi boards the train to come to Mumbai, she has to spot a rat running haywire for which many officials get pulled up regularly and it becomes news. If this is the condition an MLA faces, forget we commoners! So first instead of showing us far fetched dreams, government should first set the basic infrastructure in an organised manner. But yes, yesterdays accident was devastating. Another failure of Railways. Prayers for the deceased !
2.Videocon and Shivsena-85 crore ?
Videocon gave Rs. 85 crore donation to Shivsena? Today “bechaara” Anil Desai has been put in a spot of bother for giving wrong figures. Surely a scapegoat. 85 lakhs can be easily explained by the Videocon to the agencies than Rs. 85 crores. And they say there is no horse trading in Shivsena for choosing even a Corporator…”समझनेवाले को इशाराही काफी है “…haha…now you know why Uddhav Thackrey was the first one to speak against PM Modi’s drive of demonetisation? From what I understand in politics, Shivsena and MNS, both believe only in “incoming”. They don’t know what is “outgoing”. Meet any of the party-man who is a MLA or a corporator, let him cross his heart and not admit to this. All the elections and campaigns are to be fought with no help from the top. But all this is done by the party leaders as a tribute to the great BALASAHEB, who has actually done favours on Maharashtra far many times.
3. Traders turn to Shivsena
I usually go out for dinners without even looking at the right side of the menu in Mumbai compulsorily on every Friday evening and Saturdays with my wife and our friends. Please, unlike other journalists, I don’t call the authorities and ask them to make my bill in 5 star hotels “free”. I spend my own money. Anyway point is, being from upper middle class family, due to PM MOdi’s drive, If a regularly party goer like me can stop his BASIC activity of dinning out, who is going to come to expensive shops and purchase goods? only if the client is an NRI, then no difference… Else demonetisation has crumbled the economy to a big extend! Wait for sometime. Let the currency inflow in the economy be regularised, and let people’s mindset get adjusted, everything will fall in place. Business will be back to regular fold in 6 months. Viren Shah, the troublemaker and owner of Roopam, is asking the government to reduce taxes. Isn’t it funny? It’s not even been a month for PM Modi’s announcement and traders (Gurjatis) are showing no faith in their Prime Minister. Inspired from anyone Viren?
4. Pawar slams Modi.
PM Modi graced Baramati & Pune twice with veteran Sharad Pawar. Just a week ago I read somewhere Pawar was praising Modi & a lot of “bhaichaara” was happening on stage. Pawar saheb has been quoted when demonetisation took place in late seventies, the party who introduced this, couldn’t even win 1 seat from Mumbai. If this happens, I certainly want BJP to be free of the Darekar’s & the Lad’s and the non performing MLA’s of the city, who just won under the Modi wave. By the way a lot of MLA’s from Mumbai of BJP cant even manage to keep their staff’s happy, forget the constituency. Three popular MLAs from Mumbai from the suburbs, once upon a time partners & friends, can’t even stand each other now.
5. मुंबई काँग्रेसची एकाधिकारशाही -अतुल कुलकर्णी -लोकमत
Very good piece by Atul Kulkarni on current Mumbai Congress. But don’t know why, based on the previous records, again it looks more like a Supari against Nirupam than feedbacks from actual leaders.
