Action against corrupt politicians: Kirit proposes, realpolitik decides | Mumbai News

In yet another major embarrassment for BJP MP and former MP Kirit Somaiya, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Home Ministry gave Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Waikar a clean bill of health in a case against him for alleged irregularities in the construction of a luxury hotel in the suburbs. Somaiya had launched a sustained campaign against Waikar, who was then working with Uddhav Thackeray.

After Somaiya’s complaint, Waikar was summoned several times by the Enforcement Directorate and it looked like he would be arrested. Waikar himself publicly stated that he would be arrested and sent to jail if he did not join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The Economic Crimes Wing of the Mumbai Police had also started an investigation against Waikar and the EOW was in the process of framing charges against him for criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Worried about the possibility of bad days ahead, Waikar quietly joined the Shiv Sena. He was then surprisingly nominated for the Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai Northwest against Amol Kirtikar of the Shiv Sena UBT, who lost by a margin of 48 seats.

A speechless Somaiya declined to comment on Waikar’s bail, saying the whole matter was still before the court and commenting on it would be inappropriate.

For Somaiya, Waikar’s case is not the first one in which he has faced embarrassment. There are several such cases where he had taken the lead, following which the central and state authorities initiated investigations and the cases were later closed after the controversial politicians joined the BJP or Shiv Sena. Somaiya had clashed with veteran NCP leader Hasan Mushrif over alleged irregularities in a cooperative unit in Kolhapur district. He even visited Kolhapur to mobilise support against Mushrif and pressurise the central authorities to take strict action against him. Mushrif was summoned by the central authorities and after he joined the Shinde Fadnavis government, no one knows the current status of the case.

Somaiya must rethink his strategy before tackling his next target, otherwise he could face an even worse embarrassment.

Pat on the back for police officers

Both Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis heaped praise on the Mumbai Police led by Vivek Phansalkar and Special Commissioner Deven Bharti for their impeccable management of the largest-ever crowd that gathered to welcome the World Cup-winning Indian cricket team led by Rohit Sharma.

Fadnavis said that they had of course expected a huge crowd, but the attendance was unprecedented. There are different versions about the size of the crowd. Social media reports say there were more than a million people, while the mainstream media estimates the number to be around three to four hundred thousand. Significantly, both Shinde and Fadnavis observed the situation in person. Fadnavis says that had there been even a small mistake, his wicket would have been gone immediately.