MUMBAI BJP — TIME TO UNITE AND TAKE A LEAP
Today, even though the BJP has assumed power and installed its Mayor in the MCGM, I still felt the need to write this article. Why? Because not everything should be left to CM Devendra Fadnavis to solve. Let him concentrate on infrastructure, running the state, the drought situation, politics and Delhi. And if his hands are full, he has, fortunately, put Mumbai in the hands of the Mumbai BJP city chief, MLA Ameet Satam. Why do I say that? Read on.
BJP CORPORATORS — PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY.
There are 89 elected BJP corporators today, with four more BJP nominees in the House, and the people of Mumbai have placed immense faith in the BJP by handing the MCGM to you. This is not merely about Ameet Satam. I believe the entire BJP group must now take up the challenge and prove itself.
Mumbai has been taken for granted for years. People have been promised much and delivered much less. If the BJP fails to deliver this time, remember this: when you return to the people asking for votes, many may simply tell you that their doors are permanently closed.
You have made a good beginning by dismantling several age-old practices in the MCGM, including the old systems surrounding tenders and contracts. But a beginning is only a beginning. What Mumbai needs now is consistency. There are controversies too, they must be addressed and the old practices must not find their way back through another door.
You have a visionary leader in CM Devendra Fadnavis and an efficient taskmaster in Ameet Satam as Mumbai BJP chief. Add to that the guidance and experience of senior BJP MLAs, MLCs and former Mumbai BJP chiefs, along with an able administration headed by Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide.
The machinery is there. The political leadership is there. The experience is there.
If the BJP cannot make Mumbai work this time, then when?
Before I go further, the “EXPORTS” in the BJP need to understand one simple thing: just because one of their “friends” did not become the BJP city chief, it does not give anyone the authority to bypass, surpass or ignore the current Mumbai BJP president.
Yes, Ameet Satam may have done away with the old “understanding” committees and several forms of “dukaandari” at the BMC. But the important point for Satam to understand is this — the work is still happening. Business is as usual.
The non-Marathi lobby within the BJP is also working closely with Satam and under his control. CM Fadnavis may give an ear to everyone, but he listens to Satam.
That, however, does not mean Satam should operate in isolation.
One thing Satam deserves credit for is the respect he continues to show to former Mumbai BJP presidents such as Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Ashish Shelar. But somewhere, I still do not see the larger picture coming together clearly.
Both Shelar and Lodha are now occupied with their Cabinet responsibilities. But I strongly believe that if Satam approaches them, both would be more than happy to guide him whenever he finds himself asking, “Why is this happening?”
Imagine the three of them working together — Satam, Lodha and Shelar — along with the current Mumbai BJP MLAs and MLCs, representing the old and core BJP leadership of the city.
That combination could be extremely powerful.
The question is simple:
WHO WILL INITIATE IT?
Fortunately, the BJP is in power. Fortunately, Mumbai has an experienced Municipal Commissioner in Ashwini Bhide, supported by a strong team of Additional Municipal Commissioners.
The machinery is there.
The political leadership is there.
The experience is there.
What is needed now is simply better coordination.
It is not asking for the moon. Let all these Mumbai BJP stalwarts spend one evening together every month — the BJP MLAs, MLCs and senior city leadership — sitting across the table and speaking openly.
No camps. No egos. No “my people” and “your people”.
Just the organisation.
I genuinely believe such a meeting would help Satam identify and remove whatever small obstacles may be coming in his way. We all know Satam’s style of functioning and the agenda he is carrying. He wants to excel across the board and put the Mumbai BJP in a position where, in the years to come, the party is strong enough to stand on its own political feet in Mumbai and remain a dominant political force.
But that cannot happen through one man alone.
It has to happen through the organisation.
Maaf karna, salaah lena aur us par amal karna kisi ko chhota nahi banata.
Likewise, thinking, “Now Satam is the city president, let Mumbai BJP deal with its own problems,” will not solve everything either.
Leadership is not about doing everything yourself. Leadership is also about knowing when to ask, whom to ask and when to listen. And yes, keeping the CM away from every small organisational intricacy will not weaken the Mumbai BJP.
It will make Mumbai BJP stronger.
Let Deva Bhau focus on Maharashtra.
Let Satam build Mumbai BJP.
Let Lodha and Shelar provide their experience.
Let the Mumbai BJP MLAs and MLCs stand together and put their points across to Satam.
BJP has been given Mumbai. Now it has to prove that Mumbai was right to trust it.
MUMBAI BJP — TIME TO UNITE AND TAKE A LEAP.
Vikrant Meena Hemant Joshi
