On January 11, former MP and senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Somaiya alleged that Thackeray had concealed assets when he filed his affidavit ahead of the legislative council elections in May 2020. He said that the chief minister did not disclose 19 bungalows—valued at ₹5.29 crore—owned by his wife, Rashmi, and Shiv Sena legislator Ravindra Waikar’s wife, Manisha.
The complaint against Thackeray caused tremors in the state’s political establishment. Somaiya did what no other BJP leader had done—train his guns on the chief minister. For Somaiya, it was yet another salvo in his fight against corruption. Interestingly, all his targets so far have been Shiv Sena leaders and his fight is starting to look like a crusade against the Shiv Sena.
Somaiya exposed irregularities in the management of Covid-19 by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is controlled by the Shiv Sena. Somaiya then claimed that the BMC had bought land worth ₹2.6 crore in Dahisar for ₹354 crore. He also alleged that the BMC’s ₹3,000-crore plan to construct a 5,000-bed Covid-19 hospital in Mulund was a scam. He also went after Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, alleging that she had grabbed and occupied Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) land. “The mayor is running her business, Kish Corporate Services, from the ground floor of a Gomata Janata SRA Society flat,”he said. “This land was not allotted to her or her family members and is meant to serve as a social welfare centre.”In his complaint to Municipal Commissioner I.S. Chahal, Somaiya said that the mayor had given BMC contracts to her family members.
This story is from the February 28, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 28, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
