It rains pleas at Varsha, the official residence of the Maharashtra chief minister in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill. The sprawling bungalow brims with people, some coming in with grievances and others with appeals from far-flung areas. Aided by a team of efficient bureaucrats, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde tries to resolve issues on the spot.
The day Shinde agreed to meet THE WEEK for an interview was a relatively lean day. The interview was supposed to happen a day earlier, late in the night after he had finished work. But Shinde had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah that day and hit the bed at only around 2am. So, he invited us for lunch the next day. We were more than happy—meeting the chief minister in a relaxed setting is always better than a hurried, late-night meeting.
Politicians rarely get to sleep in. And, on the day of the interview, Shinde is up by 6am, as he has events lined up since 7am. Talk about having a lean day!
When we reach Varsha, we are ushered into a big, but simply done waiting room. A platter of fruits is served and an aide informs us that the chief minister will see us shortly. Ten minutes later, we are taken to the dining room, where Shinde, 59, stands waiting for us. Dressed in his trademark white outfit and sporting rimless glasses, Shinde greets us with a namaste. “Sorry for the delay,” he says, warmly, and we sit down for lunch.
“The doors of this house are open to everyone, 24x7,” says Shinde. “I know I am here because of the people. I am here to serve them, so I will never close my doors on them. You know how the situation was earlier (when Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister). There was no access; people were not allowed, not even our party legislators.”
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