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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Jr ministers carp about their seniors, Sena ministers crib to Shinde about Ajit
MUMBAI: Junior ministers or ministers of state (MOS) in the Mahayuti government have sought the intervention of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the matter of delegation of powers by the cabinet ministers of their departments to clear files, hold hearings and other policy-related decisions. The state cabinet has six MOSes—three from the BJP, two from the Shiv Sena and one from the NCP—while the remaining 36 are cabinet ministers. The BJP's MOSes have written to the CM both independently and jointly for his intervention. Their gripe is that despite being sworn in seven months ago, the cabinet ministers have not delegated powers to them, and they have been left with trifling jobs such as receiving memorandums and giving replies to the questions during assembly sessions. 'Junior ministers like Madhuri Misal and Meghana Bordikar have written to the CM,' said a senior BJP leader. 'The departments they represent are mostly headed by Shiv Sena leaders who have not delegated any powers. For instance, as MOS of the urban development department, powers to hold hearings on town planning and policies related to some urban local bodies are expected to be delegated but Sena ministers have not done it so far.' The leader said that the MOSes had written such letters to Fadnavis in the past as well. 'The CM has assured the junior ministers that he will look into the matter at the earliest,' he said. 'The decision is likely to happen before the monsoon session, which begins on June 30.' The BJP leader added that this sort of thing happened in almost all coalition governments, but the tussle had intensified this time. 'The Sena ministers, particularly, have not delegated powers to their MOSes,' he said. 'Ministers of state from the Shiv Sena, on the other hand, have been given powers by the BJP ministers of their departments. For instance, minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam, a Sena leader, has been given specific powers by CM Fadnavis, who heads the department. Similarly, another Sena MOS, Ashish Jaiswal, has been given some powers by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in the finance department.' When questioned, Jaiswal said, 'The MOSes who have capabilities get powers.' According to Sena leaders, there is a lot for junior ministers to do in their departments if they have the capability and know how to use their powers. 'Jaiswal and Kadam have been working efficiently and have played a key role in the decisions and policies of their respective departments,' said a Sena leader. Meanwhile, senior ministers in the Mahayuti too have similar issues. A recent review meeting convened by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde to assess the performance of Shiv Sena-led departments before the local body polls turned into a litany of complaints against NCP leader and finance minister Ajit Pawar. The Sena ministers complained that the discretionary powers held by Ajit were being used to deprive their departments of budgetary funds. Shinde, however, assured his ministers that he would raise the issue with Ajit and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Gokhale bridge thrown fully open after 30-month wait
Mumbai: The southern arm of the reconstructed Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge in Andheri was thrown open to traffic by cultural minister and Mumbai suburban guardian minister Ashish Shelar on Sunday, nearly 30 months after the closure of the bridge in November 2022. The southern arm of the CD Barfiwala flyover, which was misaligned with Gokhale bridge earlier, was simultaneously thrown open to traffic. Local BJP MLA Ameet Satam, widely credited for accelerating the project's progress, shared the spotlight with Shelar during the inauguration ceremony which commenced at 5pm. In a light-hearted remark, the minister suggested that Satam should author a book titled 'Gokhale Bridge: A Success Story', showcasing the reconstruction of the crucial east-west connector as an example of speedy development in the city. Constructed in the 1960s, the Gokhale bridge was declared dilapidated in late 2018 after a portion of it collapsed, claiming two lives, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducted a structural audit. Constuction of a new flyover to replace the bridge commenced only in November 2021 and gathered pace after the old bridge was closed to traffic a year later, in November 2022. Recollecting the chain of events on Sunday, Satam pointed to delays under the then Shiv Sena-led civic administration, which he claimed pushed reconstruction back by 20 months. The delay was due to confusion over jurisdiction between the railways and the BMC, he noted. Once work commenced, the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA) played a key role in ensuring the project's progress by engaging with BMC officials and the local MLA and conducting frequent site visits. Active involvement of Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, who visited the site twice during his term as chief minister, also expedited the work. On February 27, 2024, barley 15 months after the bridge's closure, the northern carriageway of the reconstructed structure was thrown open to traffic. But a controversy erupted soon after due to a 2.8-metre height difference between the new bridge and the adjacent CD Barfiwala flyover. Abhijit Bangar, who assumed office as additional municipal commissioner (projects) in March 2024, took the lead in resolving the issue. The misalignment was corrected in a record 75 days and the northern arm of the Barfiwala connector was opened to traffic in July 2024. 'Despite multiple challenges, including delays by the railways in launching girders, the team worked tirelessly to meet the April 30 deadline,' Bangar said on Sunday, recalling the chain of events. 'In fact, we completed the project four days before the deadline.' The opening of the second carriageways of Gokhale bridge and CD Barfiwala flyover will ease peak-hour congestion on the Western Express Highway and in areas like Juhu, SV Road, and Andheri, Bangar said. While the inauguration was underway, HT saw workers undertaking minor patchwork on the northern arm of CD Barfiwala flyover, which was opened to traffic in July 2024. 'The patchwork was essential to prevent the emergence of potholes,' said an official from BMC's roads department. 'Some scratches were noticed on the flyover due to the stacking of steel girders used for supporting the old Gokhale bridge, which were rectified as per standard practice.' Full resurfacing was not required as the northern carriageway road was still in good condition, the official added. Commuters welcomed the inauguration of the entire Gokhale bridge and Barfiwala flyover, saying it would help cut down travel time significantly. 'With both arms of now open, the bridge serves as a case study in overcoming civic and administrative hurdles through collaborative efforts by citizen and the MLA,' said a commuter.
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mumbai comedy club ransacked after performer's joke about local politician
A mob violently ransacked a Mumbai comedy club and its building has been partly demolished after one of India's most prominent comedians performed a satirical song about a local ruling politician during a performance there. Kunal Kamra has a reputation for his acerbic comedy which often pokes fun at political figures. Few comedians in India dare to make political jokes for risk of a backlash. Kamra's standup routine, performed in Mumbai's well-known Habitat comedy club on Friday night, included a parody song about Eknath Shinde, the second most powerful figure in the Maharashtra state government. The song referred to the deputy chief minister as a 'gaddar', meaning traitor, a reference to him switching his political allegiance in 2022 and helping to bring down the previous state government. An online video of the routine prompted criticism from the leaders of Shinde's Shiv Sena party. On Sunday night about 20 Shiv Sena supporters descended on Habitat and began to smash it apart, throwing chairs, tearing down posters and breaking light fittings. The police have arrested about 12 people for the incident, including the leader of Shiv Sena's youth faction, Rahul Kanal. The Shiv Sena-led government sought to blame Kamra for the violence. Maharastra's chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, claimed in the state assembly on Monday that people were free to perform standup comedy but added that 'freedom of expression has its own limitations. You cannot insult anyone.' 'There is no need to spare them,' said Fadnavis. 'We will not tolerate this and we will teach them a lesson.' The state home minister, Yogesh Kadam, said the police were trying to trace Kamra and that the government would investigate Kamra's phone records and look into his bank account transactions to prove whether there was a 'mastermind' or political conspiracy behind his jokes. Shiv Sena said they had also filed a police report against Kamra. Kamra did not directly respond to the allegations. However, hours after the attack he posted a picture on Instagram showing him holding up a copy of the Indian constitution on stage, captioned: 'The only way forward…' Ministers also claimed that the Habitat comedy club was 'illegal'. A demolition team from the local municipal council arrived at the venue on Monday and began demolishing part of the building on the grounds that part of it had been illegally constructed. In a statement on Monday the venue said it was 'shocked, worried and extremely broken by the recent acts of vandalism targeting us. We have never been involved in the content performed by any artist.' The venue said it was shutting down until 'we figure out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy'. Comedians and comedy venues have increasingly been caught in the crosshairs of India's shrinking space for freedom of expression since the rise of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party which has ruled for more than a decade. In Maharastra, Shiv Sena rules the state government in coalition with the BJP. In 2021, a Muslim comedian was detained by police for weeks for alleged 'vulgar' jokes insulting Hindu gods despite never performing the standup routine. In the same year, the comedian Vir Das faced a backlash and police reports after a comedy monologue that dealt with politically sensitive issues. Opposition politicians in Maharashtra condemned the violence and retaliation against Kamra. Shinde's former political ally, Aaditya Thackeray, said 'only an insecure coward' would react in such a way to a comedy song.
