The arrest of Republic TV anchor Arnab Goswami, regardless of the merits of the abetment to suicide case, is a stunning political development. It would have been unthinkable until recently. This is an act of great daring by Uddhav Thackeray and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra that needs to be seen in its political context.
Leave aside the Narendra Modi government’s alleged backing to Arnab Goswami or how cabinet ministers and senior BJP leaders came out in his support. Even without it, Arnab Goswami is a very powerful man. He is India’s rabble-rouser-in-chief. He riles people up every night. No single journalist was as responsible for the downfall of Congress-led UPA-2 as Arnab Goswami. In a country where politicians face little to no accountability for mass riots under their watch, Goswami’s arrest comes with a huge political message and far-reaching ramifications.
Neutralising BJP’s prime weapon against MVA
The manner in which Uddhav Thackeray became chief minister and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) came about despite the BJP’s best attempts — including the 7.50 am swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis — has been a humiliation for the BJP. The party of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah has doubtless been trying to topple the MVA government just as it has toppled opposition governments in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, and came close to doing it in Rajasthan.
Arnab Goswami became a key player in the BJP’s effort to delegitimise the MVA government in Mumbai. As of now, with Goswami’s arrest, we can say the effort is backfiring on the BJP.
On 16 April, two sadhus and their driver were lynched in Palghar. BJP leaders, pro-BJP social media warriors and pro-BJP news media all tried to communalise the incident, trying to bring in a false Muslim angle one way or the other. Leading the pack was Arnab Goswami.
Also read: Arnab Goswami’s arrest exposes Right-wing hypocrisy on free speech and political vendetta
Uddhav 2.0
It was only last month that the Mumbai Police issued Arnab Goswami a show cause notice for his communally charged remarks on the Palghar incident. What happened between April and October is the story of the transformation of Uddhav Thackeray from Mr Nice Guy to the fighter who is ready to take on the Modi government at the Centre. In Mumbai’s political circles, he’s being called Uddhav 2.0.
As the Election Commission was not holding polls in May due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Uddhav Thackeray faced a peculiar situation of not being able to become a legislator within six months of his swearing-in. He had to make a call to the prime minister to make that happen.
The time has come to decide whether the opposition has to fight or cower in fear, Uddhav Thackeray said in an online meeting of opposition chief ministers with Sonia Gandhi in August. “Darna hai ya ladna hai,” he said.
Even if the BJP eventually manages to topple the Uddhav government, the chief minister has made it clear he’s not going down without a fight. That is the message in the arrest of Arnab Goswami.
Also read: Amit Shah, Jaishankar lead BJP protest against Goswami arrest, Congress calls out ‘hypocrisy’
Arnab’s miscalculation
Arnab Goswami famously decided to base himself in Mumbai rather than Delhi because he wanted to be away from the ‘corrupting’ influence of Lutyens’ Delhi. He didn’t want to hang out with politicians in Delhi so that he does not get entangled in the power corridors of the national capital. Ironically, he has trapped himself in Mumbai’s power games in a much more insidious way.
Goswami had been daring Uddhav Thackeray for a while. After the Palghar incident, there were protests by migrant labourers in Bandra, which again Arnab Goswami tried to communalise by linking it to a nearby mosque. There was the Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case in which Arnab Goswami tried to suggest the role of the Shiv Sena, referring to malicious and baseless rumours of Aditya Thackeray’s involvement. Goswami’s attacks would be directly aimed at Uddhav Thackeray: ‘You will lose your job,’ speaking in a manner harsher than any opposition leader does.
Hear it loud and clear Uddhav Thackeray#SushantCoverup #SushantSinghRajput #Warriors4SSR pic.twitter.com/R21e6LZfX0
— Arnab Goswami (@ArnabGoswamiRTV) August 7, 2020
Perhaps Arnab Goswami thought the Maharashtra government won’t be able to touch him. He was too big to be jailed. He had the backing of Delhi. Most of all, the Uddhav government wouldn’t arrest him for fear of looking vindictive. So he kept raising the stakes. Uddhav would look weak if he didn’t go after Arnab and he would look excessive if he did — this seemed to be his calculation. Uddhav has done what Arnab seemed to think was impossible: put India’s most feared TV news anchor in jail.
Also read: Republic TV, 2 other channels bribed households to manipulate TRPs — Mumbai Police
Preparing for the backlash
This is a message from Uddhav to Modi: stop messing with me. The message is daring to the extent that the Modi government is bound to react. Not only will the BJP do whatever it can to save Arnab Goswami, it could also strain relations in far-reaching ways between the Centre and the Maharashtra government. Isn’t Uddhav Thackeray afraid of the backlash? Has he chewed off more than he can bite?
The MVA government seems to be preparing for this backlash by playing the Marathi card, launching corruption investigations against the previous BJP government, and beginning to poach BJP leaders to weaken the party in Maharashtra. In other words, the MVA government is dealing with the challenges in the same manner that the Modi-Shah’s party does.
Marathi ‘asmita’
The Shiv Sena is presenting Arnab Goswami as an outsider who was hurting Marathi pride by attacking Uddhav Thackeray day in and day out. The more the Centre goes after the MVA government, the more it will strengthen the Marathi pride card of Shiv Sena, much like Narendra Modi used to speak of Gujarati ‘Asmita’ when he would face legal threats or media criticism from Delhi.
This is why associations of journalists in Maharashtra have refused to condemn Arnab’s arrest, while pointing out that he has been arrested in a case that has nothing to do with journalism or free speech. Even in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, Uddhav Thackeray responded to attempts to malign Aaditya Thackeray by playing the Marathi card: “Those crying for justice for Bihar’s son are indulging in character assassination of Maharashtra’s son,” he said.
From Bhagat Singh Koshyari of Uttarakhand to Kangana Ranaut of Himachal Pradesh, those attacking Uddhav Thackeray are, for the Shiv Sena, outsiders out to hurt Marathi pride.
Also read: Shiv Sena is ready with another ‘sons of the soil’ ploy — this time for poll-bound Bihar
Poaching mass leaders
The Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have been weakening the BJP in Maharashtra in other ways. The BJP had shed its Brahmin-Baniya image in Maharashtra by carefully cultivating an OBC leadership but then made a Brahmin, Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister. This helped the NCP in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly election. Now, the NCP has poached the BJP’s OBC leader, Eknath Khadse, a Leva Patel. The Shiv Sena is rumoured to be in talks with Pankaja Munde. Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar are doing to the BJP in Maharashtra what the BJP has been doing to opposition parties nationally: poach BJP leaders with some mass base.
Corruption investigations
The MVA government has already set-up a special investigation team to look into corruption charges in the Devendra Fadnavis government’s flagship scheme to raise ground water level in drought-prone districts, and has promised to investigate an alleged recruitment scam under Fadnavais’ watch.
When Arnab is out on bail…
What happens when Arnab Goswami gets bail, which he might get sooner than people ordinarily do, given that he can hire the best of lawyers who will also have the BJP’s support. Arnab Goswami will go back to his studio and continue his agenda against the Uddhav government. He’s practically the main opposition leader in Maharashtra now.
It is not as if Arnab Goswami wasn’t already attacking Uddhav Thackeray. He can’t do any more of it because he was doing that 24×7 anyway. The MVA government must be hoping that some cooling off time in jail will make Arnab Goswami wonder if it is worth it. It might help that a bevy of cases have been lined up against Arnab Goswami, and the Maharashtra government can keep arresting him.
Also read: If Uddhav Thackeray bows before Arnab Goswami’s dare, he will only weaken himself before BJP
Republic without Arnab
Putting Arnab Goswami away in jail for a single day also serves the purpose of hitting Republic where it hurts. The English and Hindi channels both have Arnab Goswami as their main attraction. It is Arnab’s screaming and shouting that gets the TRPs and thus the advertising. With Arnab in jail, there will be no prime time entertainment. With so much else on the news cycle, how long will people watch anodyne anchors play victim on behalf of Arnab Goswami? The story will bore people and Republic TV and Republic Bharat’s ratings, rigged or not, will crash.
Uddhav Thackeray launched a blistering attack on the BJP and the Modi government recently in his Dusshera speech. He said, “It has been a year now. From the day I became the CM, it was being said that the state government will be toppled. I challenge and say that if you have the courage, do it and show.”
The author is contributing editor to ThePrint. Views are personal.
Converting Aarey area to a Natural Forest the only best decision.
Moving the metro carshed .
This was a success to be honest .But other things went wrong apart from this.
Metro car shed in Mumbai to move from Aarey to Kanjurmarg
Not enough: The committee said the car shed site in Aarey colony has a buildable area of only 23 hectares.
Not enough: The committee said the car shed site in Aarey colony has a buildable area of only 23 hectares. |
Environmentalists welcome decision; 800 acres in Aarey declared as forest area; cases against protesters to be dropped: Maharashtra CM
Fulfilling one of its promises in the Shiv Sena election manifesto, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday announced the shifting of the Metro car shed from the Aarey forest area in the western suburbs to a government plot in Kanjurmarg in the eastern suburbs at “zero cost”.
“We all are aware of the Metro car shed construction issues at Aarey.
They were raised even before the Assembly elections last year.
I was not the Chief Minister then but was heading the party contesting the elections, and we opposed the plan at that time,” Mr. Thackeray said in a webcast.
“The car shed will now be moved to Kanjurmarg. So questions will arise as to who will bear these costs.
Let me make this clear today. The State government has allotted the land for Metro for “zero rupees”,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the move to build the car shed at Aarey had seen a lot of protests, agitations, cutting of trees at night, and charges filed against protesters.
“The Cabinet has decided to drop all charges filed against the protesters striving to protect the environment,” he added.
Mr. Thackeray said the building which has come up in the Aarey site will be utilised for some other public purpose. “About ₹100 crore expenditure was incurred for the purpose and it won’t go waste,” he said.
Nearly 800 acres in Aarey has been declared as forest area, making it the first extensive forest blossoming within city limits anywhere in the world, the CM said.
“The State government has ensured that the rights of the tribal communities, stable owners and other stakeholders in the area are protected,” he said.
In another move likely to benefit Mumbaikars, Mr. Thackeray announced that Metro 3 and Metro 6 lines will be joined, facilitating direct connectivity of the eastern suburbs with south Mumbai.
The 33.5 km fully underground Metro-3 line, being constructed by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., runs from Colaba in south Mumbai to Seepz in the western suburbs.
The 14.47 km Metro 6 runs from Lokhandwala to Kanjurmarg.
At the peak of protests by environment activists, students and residents over construction of the car shed in Aarey, the proposed site was cleared with the cutting of trees in the dead of the night.
The Shiv Sena, which was then an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ruling alliance in the State under Devendra Fadnavis, was vocal in its opposition to the construction.
Cases had been filed against several green activists, political workers and students who were detained for opposing the government action.
While Mr. Fadnavis remained undeterred, the Sena had promised to stop construction of the car shed if it came to power.
One of the first decisions of Mr. Thackeray, on being sworn in as head of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last year, was to stop work on the car shed.
The government also appointed a committee to study feasibility of the project. Last month, the Cabinet initiated proceedings to declare the Aarey site as a forest area.
Unfortunate, says Fadnavis
Mr. Fadnavis termed the decision unfortunate and one taken to satisfy the ruling party’s ego. “This decision will increase the cost of the project by at least ₹4,000 crore.
This cost escalation is assessed by the committee appointed by this government,” he said.
At the peak of protests by environment activists, students and residents over construction of the car shed in Aarey, the proposed site was cleared with the cutting of trees in the dead of the night.
The Shiv Sena, which was then an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ruling alliance in the State under Devendra Fadnavis, was vocal in its opposition to the construction.
Cases had been filed against several green activists, political workers and students who were detained for opposing the government action.
While Mr. Fadnavis remained undeterred, the Sena had promised to stop construction of the car shed if it came to power.
One of the first decisions of Mr. Thackeray, on being sworn in as head of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last year, was to stop work on the car shed.
The government also appointed a committee to study feasibility of the project. Last month, the Cabinet initiated proceedings to declare the Aarey site as a forest area.
Unfortunate, says Fadnavis
Mr. Fadnavis termed the decision unfortunate and one taken to satisfy the ruling party’s ego. “This decision will increase the cost of the project by at least ₹4,000 crore.
This cost escalation is assessed by the committee appointed by this government,” he said.
“The Kanjurmarg site was earlier considered by the government, but it was under litigation and stayed by the High Court. Some private individuals claimed their rights and the stay was requested to be withdrawn.
However, the court wanted the amount to be deposited if the claims got settled in future,” said Mr. Fadnavis.
He said that the amount was around ₹2,400 crore in 2015. “What is the status of that case today? And if someone moves the Supreme Court, who will be responsible for the delay?” he asked.
Moreover, since the site in Kanjurmarg is a marshy land, it will require at least two years to stabilise it, he added, claiming that all the previous tenders will have to be scraped and a new process will have to be followed now.
“This means that the Metro project, which would have been in the service of Mumbaikars just next year, has now been postponed indefinitely,” said the ex-CM.
‘Win for both’
Reacting to the announcement on Sunday afternoon, Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “Aarey Saved”.
Opposition BJP said the Chief Minister’s claims were misleading. “The land in Kanjurmarg in under litigation.
The expert committee had recommended existing Aarey land for the project,” said BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar.
Countering this, Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party and an MVA ally, said, “Maharashtra CM has made an announcement as he had promised during polls.
It is extremely wrong to question the authenticity of information he has provided.”
The move has been welcomed by environmental activists who thanked the MVA government.
“The blackmail of Aarey or Metro has finally ended. It’s a win for both Aarey and Metro today. We thank the government, especially CM and Environment Minister for the decision,” said Stalin D.
One of the leading green activists who had been fighting against the car shed and demanding that Aarey land be declared a forest.
More why important ?
The rainforests of Amazon are known as the ‘lungs of the world.’ Mumbai’s Aarey Milk Colony, with its 1,300 hectares of forest land, is called the ‘last lung of Mumbai.’ On the one hand, the Amazon rainforests continue to burn, and on the other, Aarey forest is in danger. Cutting of trees and indiscriminate deforestation are not just issues of the present, they have long-term implications for the future.
Here’s everything you need to know about the importance of Aarey Forest.
Scramble for Milk, Land, and Oxygen
After India gained independence in 1947, the city of Mumbai was launched into a world of rapid expansion.
“The Kanjurmarg site was earlier considered by the government, but it was under litigation and stayed by the High Court. Some private individuals claimed their rights and the stay was requested to be withdrawn.
However, the court wanted the amount to be deposited if the claims got settled in future,” said Mr. Fadnavis.
He said that the amount was around ₹2,400 crore in 2015. “What is the status of that case today? And if someone moves the Supreme Court, who will be responsible for the delay?” he asked.
Moreover, since the site in Kanjurmarg is a marshy land, it will require at least two years to stabilise it, he added, claiming that all the previous tenders will have to be scraped and a new process will have to be followed now.
“This means that the Metro project, which would have been in the service of Mumbaikars just next year, has now been postponed indefinitely,” said the ex-CM.
‘Win for both’
Reacting to the announcement on Sunday afternoon, Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “Aarey Saved”.
Opposition BJP said the Chief Minister’s claims were misleading. “The land in Kanjurmarg in under litigation.
The expert committee had recommended existing Aarey land for the project,” said BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar.
Countering this, Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party and an MVA ally, said, “Maharashtra CM has made an announcement as he had promised during polls.
It is extremely wrong to question the authenticity of information he has provided.”
The move has been welcomed by environmental activists who thanked the MVA government.
“The blackmail of Aarey or Metro has finally ended. It’s a win for both Aarey and Metro today. We thank the government, especially CM and Environment Minister for the decision,” said Stalin D.
One of the leading green activists who had been fighting against the car shed and demanding that Aarey land be declared a forest.
More why important ?
The rainforests of Amazon are known as the ‘lungs of the world.’ Mumbai’s Aarey Milk Colony, with its 1,300 hectares of forest land, is called the ‘last lung of Mumbai.’ On the one hand, the Amazon rainforests continue to burn, and on the other, Aarey forest is in danger. Cutting of trees and indiscriminate deforestation are not just issues of the present, they have long-term implications for the future.
Here’s everything you need to know about the importance of Aarey Forest.
Scramble for Milk, Land, and Oxygen
After India gained independence in 1947, the city of Mumbai was launched into a world of rapid expansion.
Known as the ‘city of dreams’, people from all over the country made their way to Mumbai to make money and name for themselves.
Historically, the city received a steady supply of agricultural produce from around the country. However, there were a few things that were locally sourced, including milk.
This drive for easily accessible milk resources led to the formation of the Aarey Milk Colony. This piece of land was handed over to the Department of Dairy Development, and a small part of it was reserved for cattle rearing.
Proposed by Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Dara N. Khurody, the Aarey Milk Colony was brought into existence in 1949.
Then-Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru officially inaugurated Aarey by planting a sapling there in 1951 – he believed he was ‘planting the future.’
Has that tree even survived the multiple attempts to cut into Aarey over the last 70 years?
While the current drive to cut over 2,700 trees and clear 33 hectares or 2% of the forested land to accommodate the Metro car shed proposed by the MMRCL has invited the ire of many Indians, the truth is that this is not the first time that Aarey has been targeted.
In 1977, around 200 hectares of Aarey forest were cleared to make space for the Film City. In 2010, the proposed plan to expand the Byculla Zoo to include a night safari route for tourists was put into action.
A further 40 acres of forested land was cleared to accommodate this expansion.
Where is the Air?
Greenpeace and IQAir AirVisual released their latest data in March 2019.
According to this data, Mumbai has the dubious honour of being the most polluted city in the state of Maharashtra, and the 27th most polluted city in the country.
The air quality within the city was measured as the worst in the last 20 years.
It is not just Aarey that is danger – it is Mumbai, the millions of hardworking people who call the city their home, and the teeming flora and fauna indigenous to Mumbai that is in immediate and deep danger.
The slow whittling away of forested land is how forests are diverted and destroyed.
The argument that the proposed deforestation clears a much lesser area than what has already been done before is a fallacious one because hacking away the tree cover in bits and pieces will not stop until Aarey forest, with its rich history, becomes history.
At the peak of protests by environment activists, students and residents over construction of the car shed in Aarey, the proposed site was cleared with the cutting of trees in the dead of the night.
The Shiv Sena, which was then an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ruling alliance in the State under Devendra Fadnavis, was vocal in its opposition to the construction.
Cases had been filed against several green activists, political workers and students who were detained for opposing the government action.
While Mr. Fadnavis remained undeterred, the Sena had promised to stop construction of the car shed if it came to power.
One of the first decisions of Mr. Thackeray, on being sworn in as head of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last year, was to stop work on the car shed.
The government also appointed a committee to study feasibility of the project. Last month, the Cabinet initiated proceedings to declare the Aarey site as a forest area.
Unfortunate, says Fadnavis
Mr. Fadnavis termed the decision unfortunate and one taken to satisfy the ruling party’s ego. “This decision will increase the cost of the project by at least ₹4,000 crore.
This cost escalation is assessed by the committee appointed by this government,” he said.
“The Kanjurmarg site was earlier considered by the government, but it was under litigation and stayed by the High Court. Some private individuals claimed their rights and the stay was requested to be withdrawn.
However, the court wanted the amount to be deposited if the claims got settled in future,” said Mr. Fadnavis.
He said that the amount was around ₹2,400 crore in 2015. “What is the status of that case today? And if someone moves the Supreme Court, who will be responsible for the delay?” he asked.
Moreover, since the site in Kanjurmarg is a marshy land, it will require at least two years to stabilise it, he added, claiming that all the previous tenders will have to be scraped and a new process will have to be followed now.
“This means that the Metro project, which would have been in the service of Mumbaikars just next year, has now been postponed indefinitely,” said the ex-CM.
‘Win for both’
Reacting to the announcement on Sunday afternoon, Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “Aarey Saved”.
Opposition BJP said the Chief Minister’s claims were misleading. “The land in Kanjurmarg in under litigation.
The expert committee had recommended existing Aarey land for the project,” said BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar.
Countering this, Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party and an MVA ally, said, “Maharashtra CM has made an announcement as he had promised during polls.
It is extremely wrong to question the authenticity of information he has provided.”
The move has been welcomed by environmental activists who thanked the MVA government.
“The blackmail of Aarey or Metro has finally ended. It’s a win for both Aarey and Metro today. We thank the government, especially CM and Environment Minister for the decision,” said Stalin D.
One of the leading green activists who had been fighting against the car shed and demanding that Aarey land be declared a forest.
More why important ?
The rainforests of Amazon are known as the ‘lungs of the world.’ Mumbai’s Aarey Milk Colony, with its 1,300 hectares of forest land, is called the ‘last lung of Mumbai.’ On the one hand, the Amazon rainforests continue to burn, and on the other, Aarey forest is in danger. Cutting of trees and indiscriminate deforestation are not just issues of the present, they have long-term implications for the future.
Here’s everything you need to know about the importance of Aarey Forest.
Scramble for Milk, Land, and Oxygen
After India gained independence in 1947, the city of Mumbai was launched into a world of rapid expansion.
So a good thing.
They failed to handle Covid 19 very badly and got involved in other issues.
COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra
200 days after, experts dissect State and Centre’s decisions to contain the virus
Maharashtra’s COVID-19 crisis is the result of many factors — failure of collective action between the Centre and the State, lack of Mumbai-specific approach to fight against the virus, and a blanket implementation of lockdown without a plan to utilise the time effectively and prepare the health system.
These are some of the observations of health experts and activists who have closely analysed the turn of events over the last 100 days, since Maharashtra recorded its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus on March 9.
The State is now a red zone, accounting for nearly 32% of India’s cases and 41% of the deaths. While the healthcare system continues to crumble under the pressure, a new wave of cases is anticipated as the State begins to unlock in phases.
Tragedy of errors
Virologist Dr. T Jacob John termed Maharashtra’s situation as a tragedy of errors. He said responding to such large-scale epidemics is the Centre’s job, as per India’s constitutional norms.
“I don’t think Maharashtra was properly advised, warned, and given a blueprint by the Centre to follow.
So, when the epidemic hit, Maharashtra was under-prepared,” Dr. Jacob John said, adding the Indian government was too slow to react and it should have acted before the virus came into the country in January.
“Our parliament was adjourned only on March 23. What message does this send to all States? That everything is normal.”
According to Dr. Jacob John, Kerala managed to take independent decisions while most other States did not. “Maharashtra should have activated its think-tank as Kerala did.”
He said that the lockdown gave a false impression of supreme confidence but the reality was that it was not going to work in extremely congested places like Mumbai.
“Mumbai is the economic engine and the city had to be protected with extra care. But a Mumbai-specific approach was never taken,” he said.
Long-term repercussions
Experts highlighted how the governments — the State as well as the Centre — had a casual approach about the upcoming threat.
“We knew about the possible threat since December end. Yet, at the airports, most people got a safe passage even as they were asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Why did not we implement compulsory quarantining of passengers?” questioned Soumitra Ghosh, a professor from the School of Health System Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
He said there continues to be a rise in cases because the epidemic could not be arrested in time. “In Wuhan, they managed to mobilise manpower of 43,000 in two weeks.
How many doctors, intensivists have been brought to Mumbai from other parts?
There is an absolute lack of collective action between the Centre and the State even as Maharashtra dabbles with the surge,” Mr. Ghosh said, warning that the mishandling of the situation has caused great disruptions and the long-term repercussions, especially in patients requiring non-COVID-19 treatment, would be worrisome.
Tragedy of errors
Virologist Dr. T Jacob John termed Maharashtra’s situation as a tragedy of errors. He said responding to such large-scale epidemics is the Centre’s job, as per India’s constitutional norms.
“I don’t think Maharashtra was properly advised, warned, and given a blueprint by the Centre to follow.
So, when the epidemic hit, Maharashtra was under-prepared,” Dr. Jacob John said, adding the Indian government was too slow to react and it should have acted before the virus came into the country in January.
“Our parliament was adjourned only on March 23. What message does this send to all States? That everything is normal.”
According to Dr. Jacob John, Kerala managed to take independent decisions while most other States did not. “Maharashtra should have activated its think-tank as Kerala did.”
He said that the lockdown gave a false impression of supreme confidence but the reality was that it was not going to work in extremely congested places like Mumbai.
“Mumbai is the economic engine and the city had to be protected with extra care. But a Mumbai-specific approach was never taken,” he said.
Long-term repercussions
Experts highlighted how the governments — the State as well as the Centre — had a casual approach about the upcoming threat.
“We knew about the possible threat since December end. Yet, at the airports, most people got a safe passage even as they were asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Why did not we implement compulsory quarantining of passengers?” questioned Soumitra Ghosh, a professor from the School of Health System Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
He said there continues to be a rise in cases because the epidemic could not be arrested in time. “In Wuhan, they managed to mobilise manpower of 43,000 in two weeks.
How many doctors, intensivists have been brought to Mumbai from other parts?
There is an absolute lack of collective action between the Centre and the State even as Maharashtra dabbles with the surge,” Mr. Ghosh said, warning that the mishandling of the situation has caused great disruptions and the long-term repercussions, especially in patients requiring non-COVID-19 treatment, would be worrisome.
Lockdown, a crude instrument
Public health expert Dr. Abhay Shukla said the generalised lockdown had a dampening effect than a precise outcome.
“Take the examples of South Korea or Kerala, where the entire focus was on intensive
Lockdown, a crude instrument
Public health expert Dr. Abhay Shukla said the generalised lockdown had a dampening effect than a precise outcome.
“Take the examples of South Korea or Kerala, where the entire focus was on intensive outreach, testing, contact tracing, isolation, and containment or micro containment,”
Dr. Shukla said, adding that with such strategies, the need for a blanket lockdown would have been less.
Errors in handling
Tragedy of errors in handling .
Virologist Dr. T Jacob John termed Maharashtra’s situation as a tragedy of errors. He said responding to such large-scale epidemics is the Centre’s job, as per India’s constitutional norms.
“I don’t think Maharashtra was properly advised, warned, and given a blueprint by the Centre to follow.
So, when the epidemic hit, Maharashtra was under-prepared,” Dr. Jacob John said, adding the Indian government was too slow to react and it should have acted before the virus came into the country in January.
“Our parliament was adjourned only on March 23. What message does this send to all States? That everything is normal.”
According to Dr. Jacob John, Kerala managed to take independent decisions while most other States did not. “Maharashtra should have activated its think-tank as Kerala did.”
He said that the lockdown gave a false impression of supreme confidence but the reality was that it was not going to work in extremely congested places like Mumbai.
“Mumbai is the economic engine and the city had to be protected with extra care. But a Mumbai-specific approach was never taken,” he said.
Long-term repercussions
Experts highlighted how the governments — the State as well as the Centre — had a casual approach about the upcoming threat.
“We knew about the possible threat since December end. Yet, at the airports, most people got a safe passage even as they were asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Why did not we implement compulsory quarantining of passengers?” questioned Soumitra Ghosh, a professor from the School of Health System Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
He said there continues to be a rise in cases because the epidemic could not be arrested in time. “In Wuhan, they managed to mobilise manpower of 43,000 in two weeks.
How many doctors, intensivists have been brought to Mumbai from other parts?
There is an absolute lack of collective action between the Centre and the State even as Maharashtra dabbles with the surge,” Mr. Ghosh said, warning that the mishandling of the situation has caused great disruptions and the long-term repercussions, especially in patients requiring non-COVID-19 treatment, would be worrisome.
Lockdown, a crude instrument
Public health expert Dr. Abhay Shukla said the generalised lockdown had a dampening effect than a precise outcome.
“Take the examples of South Korea or Kerala, where the entire focus was on intensive
Second wave just began in Europe with a lockdown .Lets see what happens here.
Republic Media is better than BBC, Sky News , CNN.
Now the reason for my high rating of Republic isn t because I actually like the news, I don’t. I have simply given Republic the High rating because it is doing exactly what a media house should do challenge within democracy.
You seem to imply the Maharashtra government is leading well.
They are not doing well. If you have to repress people you are not leading but dictating. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the actually facts about Mumbai .
The government has not been duly elected by the people Further I don’t share your bias that Arnab and Republic are targeting Maharashtra government. Not true.
A number of cases have occured whwre the conduct of police and government has been very suspicious and strange.
The arrest according to the magistrates court is illegal for the 2018 case you refer to was closed and wpuld require new or further evidence directly linking Arnab with the Suicide.
In fact a lawyer has reported that he has looked or gained access to the alledged suicide letter and suggests with investigation it should establish it was written by a woman and not the man who is deceased.
Your post overall is senseless and without insult pointless. For the idea should be to express your thoughts without appearing to take sides or in your case besmirch Arnab and his Channel.
Further like it not I am not into news at all but it is evident Republic is relevant to India right now and the other media houses cannot cut it. Reason they do not believe in people nor in the idea of serving people .
So the entire episode of Uddav and Param arresting Arnab illegally and re opening a case which should be done via the court law is 100% wrong.
Further their action are clearly maligned and vengeful.
I have listened to Arnab about the Maha Governenmt and I can see it is the truth because I don’t see malice or ill motive in Arnab, a nationalist yes, do I share that idea not really but he wants a better India.
Not one where media play to the narritive’s of corrupt politicians and mafia within the systems of Maharashtra.
So I am a fan of Arnqb and Republic and I think Maharashtra will pay the price legally for using laws, due process thrown aside. Constitution of INDIA mocked and your high courts , Supreme Courts and Magistrates Courts.
I don’t see why Uddav and Param are in these high profile riles. It certainly ain’t to serve people. It drunk on power over people .
What you have missed and quite important.
If anything happens to Arnab while in custody which we all hope he returns to his job and family and the viewers of Republic safely . India is on the verge of mass civil unrest and this is not BJP.
This people of India whom feels this channel represents them as opposed to India Today or other channels more middle class and upper.
Republic TV is a free-to-air Indian right-wing[1][2] news channel launched in May 2017. It was co-founded by Arnab Goswami
and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, before the latter relinquished his stake in May 2019, leaving Goswami the majority stakeholder.[3] Chandrasekhar was an independent legislator from the National Democratic Alliance
who later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and Goswami was the former editor-in-chief of Times Now.
The venture was funded primarily by Chandrashekhar through his company Asianet Network.
Every time questions have been raised about the state government’s failures, Uddhav Thackeray has blamed the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for not providing adequate funds to the state.
His lie was eventually exposed by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis with facts and figures, to which the CM or his government had no response.
The fact is that an alarmingly high number of migrant labourers did not get any ration from the state government during the lockdown, due to which most were forced into leaving the state for their native places.
The horrors that Maharashtra has witnessed on account of the state government’s apathy is going to remain etched in public memory for a very long time.
What made the situation unpardonably cringeworthy was Rahul Gandhi’s admission that his party is not the decision maker in Maharashtra.
In many ways, it was an admission that all the three parties in alliance are solely there to fill up their party coffers for the long years of hibernation that lies ahead of them.
The ‘unnatural’ alliance
The devastation that the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government has wreaked upon Maharashtra demands that we take a larger view of the situation.
A Westminster democracy often makes a mockery of numbers. We have seen it happen in 1996 when H.D. Deve Gowda, who wouldn’t have imagined himself being a national leader ever, overnight became prime minister of a grossly opportunist government, which derailed India’s development agenda.
What happened in Maharashtra in 2019 was far worse: stealing a mandate by swapping partners — a misadventure that drove Maharashtra into the tragic mess it finds itself in today.
We, therefore, ideally need a law — “Prevention of Subversion of Public Mandate Act” — to prevent such damage in future. In the absence of the prerequisite majority for a pre-poll alliance for whatsoever reasons, the threshold for government formation should be brought down to winning 40 per cent of the seats.
We have seen the minority government of P.V. Narasimha Rao perform remarkably well in 1991, whereas an unnatural alliance fail in 1996. The Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance is so unnatural that its partners are never sure it exists for real.
Is covering the news of palghar sadhus lynching a crime .
What arnab said is 100% true. Had this lynching happened on other community , then other news channels would have made all rona, blaming modi and cite india as unsafe.
Placards like muslim, dalit lives matter would be all over. When will other news channels understand that in a secular country All Lives Matter. If Akhlaq’s life matters , then, Kamlesh tiwari’s life also matters.
At the end NDA won in Bihar though it was a stiff fight.
Only one success to be honest .But other things went wrong apart from this.
Metro car shed in Mumbai to move from Aarey to Kanjurmarg
Not enough: The committee said the car shed site in Aarey colony has a buildable area of only 23 hectares.
Not enough: The committee said the car shed site in Aarey colony has a buildable area of only 23 hectares. |
Environmentalists welcome decision; 800 acres in Aarey declared as forest area; cases against protesters to be dropped: Maharashtra CM
Fulfilling one of its promises in the Shiv Sena election manifesto, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday announced the shifting of the Metro car shed from the Aarey forest area in the western suburbs to a government plot in Kanjurmarg in the eastern suburbs at “zero cost”.
“We all are aware of the Metro car shed construction issues at Aarey.
They were raised even before the Assembly elections last year.
I was not the Chief Minister then but was heading the party contesting the elections, and we opposed the plan at that time,” Mr. Thackeray said in a webcast.
“The car shed will now be moved to Kanjurmarg. So questions will arise as to who will bear these costs.
Let me make this clear today. The State government has allotted the land for Metro for “zero rupees”,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the move to build the car shed at Aarey had seen a lot of protests, agitations, cutting of trees at night, and charges filed against protesters.
“The Cabinet has decided to drop all charges filed against the protesters striving to protect the environment,” he added.
Mr. Thackeray said the building which has come up in the Aarey site will be utilised for some other public purpose. “About ₹100 crore expenditure was incurred for the purpose and it won’t go waste,” he said.
Nearly 800 acres in Aarey has been declared as forest area, making it the first extensive forest blossoming within city limits anywhere in the world, the CM said.
“The State government has ensured that the rights of the tribal communities, stable owners and other stakeholders in the area are protected,” he said.
In another move likely to benefit Mumbaikars, Mr. Thackeray announced that Metro 3 and Metro 6 lines will be joined, facilitating direct connectivity of the eastern suburbs with south Mumbai.
The 33.5 km fully underground Metro-3 line, being constructed by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., runs from Colaba in south Mumbai to Seepz in the western suburbs.
The 14.47 km Metro 6 runs from Lokhandwala to Kanjurmarg.
At the peak of protests by environment activists, students and residents over construction of the car shed in Aarey, the proposed site was cleared with the cutting of trees in the dead of the night.
The Shiv Sena, which was then an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ruling alliance in the State under Devendra Fadnavis, was vocal in its opposition to the construction.
Lets go back to History Books
When Punjab, Doab, Awadh, Malwa, Bengal, Gujarat and Rajputana had all fallen to the Mughals, the Marathas stubbornly held on and did not capitulate.
They did not send their Hindu daughters to get married to Muslim Emperors to buy peace. Heck, even the Deccan Sultans did not accept rule of Delhi. Aurangzeb has to spent the last 26 years of his life in the Deccan fighting pointless battles and finally dying a tired old man in 1707.
Interestingly both Nehru and Indira Gandhi, though powerful Delhi based leaders, were fondly looked upon in Maharashtra without the hostility that the Gujarati ruling duo seems to be bringing out now. Perhaps because Nehru and Indira were careful to not boss around the Marathas.
Marathas dislike egotistical, unscrupulous people – period. Shivaji, who was as Hindu as they come, never discriminated and never insulted a vanquished enemy. Honour is important in Maratha land – insults will not take you far. Modi (& Arnab) should take notes.
This coloumist don’t know real politics, if shiv Sena marata pride, then what about Sharad pawar and his family ready to sacrifice CM post when they have Supriya Sule, Ajith pawar and his son.
If Shiv Sena sacrifice CM post when they have Aditya Takrey, Uddav Tackrey and what about Prithvi Raj Chawan, Ashok chavan is they INC not greed power after losing every state, party needs money. In the name of Maratha pride all are not blind support family politics. Everyone pull each other different.
BJP is completely different they vote only for Modi, because of his trust on.
This coloumist writing one side of coin. The politics much far than that. Some points may write but not all. His dream Marta party not consolidate every time.
Stupid Article shows full Bias.. The Quality of the Print and its analysis is outdated, is at-least 19 years behind.
Well I can say that
Arnab Goswami has done great service to Indian journalism, and author’s poorly written article proves this point.
It is Arnab Goswami who has highlighted various issues which our highly dishonest left “liberal” journalists choose to conveniently ignore.
This includes issues such as triple talaq, the benefits of the CAA, the issue of the gruesome murder of Kamlesh Tiwari (which leftist channels falsely blamed on BJP/RSS workers), cases such as the murder of Nikita Tomar, the murder of sadhus, etc.
Were it not for Arnab, such issues would never have seen the light of the day. Let us not forget that leftists journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai indulged in false reporting during the Sohrabuddin encounter case, and were let go by the court for a mere apology.
Let us not forget that several UPA-allied government including the present Maharashtra government is preventing fair investigation by curbing the entry of the CBI.
As far as criticizing Arnab for his journalism, what has authordone other than his banal, poorly composed, repetitive rants against Narendra Modi
It is obvious to everyone who reads your biased and poisonous articles that you are a dalaal of Congie-Commie ecosystem. Such journalism harms the credibility of The Print , esepcially when it claims to be anbiased platform.
I was about to pay but will not pay anymore, as we want analytical unbiased insights, not the dalaals who are dancing to the tune of a corrupt ecosystem. Then I may as well go to NDTV platform.
Siva Sena leader Udhav Thakrey and the NCP and Congress coalition should have ignored Arnab Goswami and should have countered him through India Today or NDTV. Actually people like Republic TV, due to Arab Goswami’s oratorical skills and his way of challenging the corrupt fellows, irrespective of their political leanings. At present Arnab is supporting BJP as he is an ardent supporter of Hinduism and saviour of democracy. The day BJP or any political party starts appeasing other religions and goes against the Hindu religion, Arnab will roar against BJP and such other parties also. Udhav cannot keep Arnab in Jail as people will flood the roads in support of Arnab and the Courts will be forced to come to his rescue, as illegal arrests cannot stand the scrutiny of law. Further the police fellows will be reprimanded and punished in the Courts for making fraudulent arrest.
He clearly failed to handle Covid 19 in Maharashtra .Even though the first case was not reported in Maharashtra.So failure .
Second wave of Covid is coming as we can see from the European nations.
I find Uddhav Thackeray and family dignified. They have taken lots of patience as day in day out they were insulted on trumped-up serious charges. They wanted to tarnish the image of Maharastra government and the Maharastra Police. They wanted to punish them for the split. TV anchor and the actress are playing a lead role in this dirty game. People should not get fooled and they must see through this game so that everybody gets justice.
This is a dead analysis of the situation and it’s not far off when the print people may face similar situations…..its Maharashtra govt which has come out with bloody nose in the situation. The print is biased against Republic.
Moving the metro carshed .
This was a success to be honest .But other things went wrong apart from this.
Metro car shed in Mumbai to move from Aarey to Kanjurmarg
Not enough: The committee said the car shed site in Aarey colony has a buildable area of only 23 hectares.
Not enough: The committee said the car shed site in Aarey colony has a buildable area of only 23 hectares. |
Environmentalists welcome decision; 800 acres in Aarey declared as forest area; cases against protesters to be dropped: Maharashtra CM
Fulfilling one of its promises in the Shiv Sena election manifesto, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday announced the shifting of the Metro car shed from the Aarey forest area in the western suburbs to a government plot in Kanjurmarg in the eastern suburbs at “zero cost”.
“We all are aware of the Metro car shed construction issues at Aarey.
They were raised even before the Assembly elections last year.
I was not the Chief Minister then but was heading the party contesting the elections, and we opposed the plan at that time,” Mr. Thackeray said in a webcast.
“The car shed will now be moved to Kanjurmarg. So questions will arise as to who will bear these costs.
Let me make this clear today. The State government has allotted the land for Metro for “zero rupees”,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the move to build the car shed at Aarey had seen a lot of protests, agitations, cutting of trees at night, and charges filed against protesters.
“The Cabinet has decided to drop all charges filed against the protesters striving to protect the environment,” he added.
Mr. Thackeray said the building which has come up in the Aarey site will be utilised for some other public purpose. “About ₹100 crore expenditure was incurred for the purpose and it won’t go waste,” he said.
Nearly 800 acres in Aarey has been declared as forest area, making it the first extensive forest blossoming within city limits anywhere in the world, the CM said.
“The State government has ensured that the rights of the tribal communities, stable owners and other stakeholders in the area are protected,” he said.
In another move likely to benefit Mumbaikars, Mr. Thackeray announced that Metro 3 and Metro 6 lines will be joined, facilitating direct connectivity of the eastern suburbs with south Mumbai.
The 33.5 km fully underground Metro-3 line, being constructed by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., runs from Colaba in south Mumbai to Seepz in the western suburbs.
The 14.47 km Metro 6 runs from Lokhandwala to Kanjurmarg.
At the peak of protests by environment activists, students and residents over construction of the car shed in Aarey, the proposed site was cleared with the cutting of trees in the dead of the night.
The Shiv Sena, which was then an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ruling alliance in the State under Devendra Fadnavis, was vocal in its opposition to the construction.
Cases had been filed against several green activists, political workers and students who were detained for opposing the government action.
While Mr. Fadnavis remained undeterred, the Sena had promised to stop construction of the car shed if it came to power.
One of the first decisions of Mr. Thackeray, on being sworn in as head of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last year, was to stop work on the car shed.
The government also appointed a committee to study feasibility of the project. Last month, the Cabinet initiated proceedings to declare the Aarey site as a forest area.
Unfortunate, says Fadnavis
Mr. Fadnavis termed the decision unfortunate and one taken to satisfy the ruling party’s ego. “This decision will increase the cost of the project by at least ₹4,000 crore.
This cost escalation is assessed by the committee appointed by this government,” he said.
“The Kanjurmarg site was earlier considered by the government, but it was under litigation and stayed by the High Court. Some private individuals claimed their rights and the stay was requested to be withdrawn.
However, the court wanted the amount to be deposited if the claims got settled in future,” said Mr. Fadnavis.
He said that the amount was around ₹2,400 crore in 2015. “What is the status of that case today? And if someone moves the Supreme Court, who will be responsible for the delay?” he asked.
Moreover, since the site in Kanjurmarg is a marshy land, it will require at least two years to stabilise it, he added, claiming that all the previous tenders will have to be scraped and a new process will have to be followed now.
“This means that the Metro project, which would have been in the service of Mumbaikars just next year, has now been postponed indefinitely,” said the ex-CM.
‘Win for both’
Reacting to the announcement on Sunday afternoon, Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “Aarey Saved”.
Opposition BJP said the Chief Minister’s claims were misleading. “The land in Kanjurmarg in under litigation.
The expert committee had recommended existing Aarey land for the project,” said BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar.
Countering this, Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party and an MVA ally, said, “Maharashtra CM has made an announcement as he had promised during polls.
It is extremely wrong to question the authenticity of information he has provided.”
The move has been welcomed by environmental activists who thanked the MVA government.
“The blackmail of Aarey or Metro has finally ended. It’s a win for both Aarey and Metro today. We thank the government, especially CM and Environment Minister for the decision,” said Stalin D.
One of the leading green activists who had been fighting against the car shed and demanding that Aarey land be declared a forest.
Mumbai Live
More why important ?
The rainforests of Amazon are known as the ‘lungs of the world.’ Mumbai’s Aarey Milk Colony, with its 1,300 hectares of forest land, is called the ‘last lung of Mumbai.’ On the one hand, the Amazon rainforests continue to burn, and on the other, Aarey forest is in danger. Cutting of trees and indiscriminate deforestation are not just issues of the present, they have long-term implications for the future.
Here’s everything you need to know about the importance of Aarey Forest.
Scramble for Milk, Land, and Oxygen
After India gained independence in 1947, the city of Mumbai was launched into a world of rapid expansion.
Known as the ‘city of dreams’, people from all over the country made their way to Mumbai to make money and name for themselves.
Historically, the city received a steady supply of agricultural produce from around the country. However, there were a few things that were locally sourced, including milk.
This drive for easily accessible milk resources led to the formation of the Aarey Milk Colony. This piece of land was handed over to the Department of Dairy Development, and a small part of it was reserved for cattle rearing.
Proposed by Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Dara N. Khurody, the Aarey Milk Colony was brought into existence in 1949.
Then-Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru officially inaugurated Aarey by planting a sapling there in 1951 – he believed he was ‘planting the future.’
Has that tree even survived the multiple attempts to cut into Aarey over the last 70 years?
While the current drive to cut over 2,700 trees and clear 33 hectares or 2% of the forested land to accommodate the Metro car shed proposed by the MMRCL has invited the ire of many Indians, the truth is that this is not the first time that Aarey has been targeted.
In 1977, around 200 hectares of Aarey forest were cleared to make space for the Film City. In 2010, the proposed plan to expand the Byculla Zoo to include a night safari route for tourists was put into action.
A further 40 acres of forested land was cleared to accommodate this expansion.
Where is the Air?
Greenpeace and IQAir AirVisual released their latest data in March 2019.
According to this data, Mumbai has the dubious honour of being the most polluted city in the state of Maharashtra, and the 27th most polluted city in the country.
The air quality within the city was measured as the worst in the last 20 years.
It is not just Aarey that is danger – it is Mumbai, the millions of hardworking people who call the city their home, and the teeming flora and fauna indigenous to Mumbai that is in immediate and deep danger.
The slow whittling away of forested land is how forests are diverted and destroyed.
The argument that the proposed deforestation clears a much lesser area than what has already been done before is a fallacious one because hacking away the tree cover in bits and pieces will not stop until Aarey forest, with its rich history, becomes history.
Whoever the writer, is joke a journalist. Article is neither a news report nor an opinion piece, just a random wavering thought of what could/would/might happen.
It sheds no light on thought process of either Uddhav or Arnab. Is neither fact based or opinion of the writer. Would do better to learn how to write, right side or left doesn’t matter, first learn to write
Indeed a very good Article. Today, people are blinded and deafened by Godi Media both TV and newsprint and hence articles like this make us aware on the truth, what is shown on TV is all good marketing by BJP, a country with poor economy and poor GDP is shown as having the Best PM, Indians were fooled by British and now Bhakt Indians are fooled by Modi-Shah and Media, God Save My Country from this deadly combination, we South Indians are more sensible and logical, we can see through the things more clearly,
Godie media is NDTV, Quint, Wire, Scroll, to an extent print, almost all news papers, Youtubers / comedians that manipulate edit content to peddle lies and propoganda. God save my country from people like you. And stop speaking for South Indians.
It is sad that The Print is supporting anti Arnab groups. Republic TV is there in all our hearts. I request Print to be Impartial in its journalistic approach. I respect the Print like any other e paper. Please uphold the journalistic Standereds for the betterment of Indian vibrent democrecy.
I think Arnab was successful in brainwashing u by screaming and shouting the lies and hiding the Truth. He is no way a True Journalist, he is Central Govt Spokesperson or else u can say a Pet Dog
Aruna Lasrado I think you are born brain washed and perceive everything in opposite direction.
In my country a good 20% of the population is born brainwashed no amount of truth and facts can convince them or help them see things clearly.
I was just wondering what would have been reaction from you and Rajdeep, Shivam , Barakha and others had NAMO/BJP had arrested RS or BD. Would you have supported him? Let us face it, your hatred of NAMO is the cause for opposing Arnab.
One can say that Congress over 60-65 years through school history books and college etc brainwashed you to believe that Sun rises in West.
Where are they hiding today
This coloumist don’t know real politics, if shiv Sena marata pride, then what about Sharad pawar and his family ready to sacrifice CM post when they have Supriya Sule, Ajith pawar and his son. If Shiv Sena sacrifice CM post when they have Aditya Takrey, Uddav Tackrey and what about Prithvi Raj Chawan, Ashok chavan is they INC not greed power after losing every state, party needs money. In the name of Maratha pride all are not blind support family politics. Everyone pull each other different.
BJP is completely different they vote only for Modi, because of his trust on.
This coloumist writing one side of coin. The politics much far than that. Some points may write but not all. His dream Marta party not consolidate every time.
What ever is Uddhav Thackrey’s calculations he has been trapped now. Arnab is going to get bail eventually, and he will be more humiliating to Uddhav. The marathi card i becoming old, also he really cannot play marathi card sitting in lap of Sonia Gandhi.
Hunter is hunted now. The way he was begging, crying and cowering, it was a sight. I wonder why aren’t they using their other techniques to fix him up? Like suicide in cell, encounter while running away, other cell mates attacking, mob lynching etc?
Dude all of what u said is fine…but wjatvhave your parents done that u to hide your original name..was it so shameful and disgusting that can’t be told…..??
“referring to malicious and baseless rumours of Aditya Thackeray’s involvement……….” the writer already knows these are baseless . What??? Is that a joke ?
Clearly the imprint of “THE PRINT” on this article
Nation has no other expectations !!! 🙂
Well, that is right kind of Journalism, you know. 🙂
Indians are now sick of reading leftist agendas. We are sick of always having to behave, write and speak in a politically correct manner.
Looks like you are perfectly OK to be treated this way , if your views doesn’t align with views of power. Don’t cry foul when it happens.
It’s funny that nobody is talking about BJP’s sheer incompetence in this matter. Right from their decision to fight alongside Sena ( despite having internal disputes ) when they got 303 seats themselves in the Centre, to their complete botch up and shameless breakup, and now to them resorting to gossip matter to put pressure, this is an absolute fiasco. And this comment is specially for BJP voters, why aren’t you talking about their incompetence? Does Modi want to win a nobel peace prize by staying mum? What the hell is Amit Shah doing? Let’s be very clear, these guys do not care about what is happening in Maharashtra, they are focussed on Bihar ( which they are losing ) and WB ( which, they are most likely to lose ). The decline has already begun, and when you shamelessly betray your hardcore voters, one day the people will respond. Beginning of the end for NDA 2.
They have betrayed the people who are pushing their agenda. Wake up guys, wake up. Don’t let your hate for left blind you. It’s time to stand up and start questioning the people you voted in.
Who will be the CM of Bihar?
Good english with zero knowledge.
Knowledge is Power. Power is MODI.
I excuse you. Dont write stupid predictions. You look baby. Be that.
Were u born like this or aquired it with the age…
Well you predictions didn’t pan out in bihar and will not in west Bengal.
BJP swept the bypolls too.
Shiv sena is like a renegade militia has no right to rule maharastra as they won on someone else’s popularity. Hope the nxt elections they will be wiped out.
Shame on The Print. Rather than opposing the illegal and out of revenge acts of Maharashtra government, you are trying to portray it in a different way.
times now is worse than republic. and TOI Jain group always have sided with powers that be. toi channels virutually have become the mouthpiece of rss and bjp
Biased messages put in a liberal form. You are either unaware of reality or trying to hide the reality. Arnab Goswami speaks the truth. Satyamev Jayate.
So according to this writer, the way for a politician to show their muscle is by arresting people who support the opposition? What idiotic nonsense is this?
They know they fall and they cannot get up again for next 20 years.
Fear of losing position. It’s that simple.
This article and ThePrint is a joke for the country….showing Uddhav Thakrey as a leader who is using all his muscles through the back of the Paramvir, Sanjay raut, Sharad Pawar and others without daring to say one word. How you could call yourself a newspaper – whose entire focus is only on maligning the image of the nation. It it was a newspaper it is best suited to be used as a toilet paper.
India support Arnab……
What an one sided article? How biased and insensitive? Why the murder of SSR , Disha and tei sadhus & their driver is trivialized? Why the sting operations where witch hunt on Arnab is clear ?
Even if we dont like his style, he is lion if Indian media and more importantly, one among you, the media fraternity.. tomorrow it can be you…so try not to celebrate but fight for Arnab. Fight him by growing your credibility and nationalistic news and less paid media…You will also be Lion . Support Arnab..its a dangerous trend
Emergence of Udhav 2!!!Lil- This must be a joke.A guy who is busy getting every YouTube jailed for calling him names.He is not bothered about governing the state.He doesn’t understand how Chanakya is systematically degrading him while being his ally and preparing solid ground for his daughter.
As for print,Their editor is famous for taking money in lieu of friendly articles .Udhav must have made some huge amount.
A very balanced article. Karma has its role. The way Arnab unnecessarily suppressed everyone through his mindless shouting is coming to him. Hope justice is done. Arnab should not get free in the garb of powerful media goon. Though its political and very dangerous for the unified fabric of Indian society but masses should understand that such venomous characters are polarizing their society. For a better democratic India, such people need to be banished from this noble profession of journalism. See the case is a pure criminal one and the victim suicide should not go in vain.. Peace
I don’t live in India nor am I an India national. I can to know about Republic via the SSR MURDER CASE. I actually don’t think your post is unbias. I also think your perspective is somewhat misguided and doesn’t tell the story with accuracy.
I see Arnab and Republic as the best INDIA has got in a media House. In fact Republic Media is better than BBC, Sky News , CNN.
Now the reason for my high rating of Republic isn t because I actually like the news, I don’t. I have simply given Republic the High rating because it is doing exactly what a media house should do challenge within democracy.
You seem to imply the Maharashtra government is leading well. They are not doing well. If you have to repress people you are not leading but dictating. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the actually facts about Mumbai . The government has not been duly elected by the people Further I don’t share your bias that Arnab and Republic are targeting Maharashtra government. Not true. A number of cases have occured whwre the conduct of police and government has been very suspicious and strange.
The arrest according to the magistrates court is illegal for the 2018 case you refer to was closed and wpuld require new or further evidence directly linking Arnab with the Suicide. In fact a lawyer has reported that he has looked or gained access to the alledged suicide letter and suggests with investigation it should establish it was written by a woman and not the man who is deceased.
Your post overall is senseless and without insult pointless. For the idea should be to express your thoughts without appearing to take sides or in your case besmirch Arnab and his Channel.
Further like it not I am not into news at all but it is evident Republic is relevant to India right now and the other media houses cannot cut it. Reason they do not believe in people nor in the idea of serving people . So the entire episode of Uddav and Param arresting Arnab illegally and re opening a case which should be done via the court law is 100% wrong.
Further their action are clearly maligned and vengeful. I have listened to Arnab about the Maha Governenmt and I can see it is the truth because I don’t see malice or ill motive in Arnab, a nationalist yes, do I share that idea not really but he wants a better India. Not one where media play to the narritive’s of corrupt politicians and mafia within the systems of Maharashtra. So I am a fan of Arnqb and Republic and I think Maharashtra will pay the price legally for using laws, due process thrown aside. Constitution of INDIA mocked and your high courts , Supreme Courts and Magistrates Courts.
I don’t see why Uddav and Param are in these high profile riles. It certainly ain’t to serve people. It drunk on power over people . What you have missed and quite important. If anything happens to Arnab while in custody which we all hope he returns to his job and family and the viewers of Republic safely . India is on the verge of mass civil unrest and this is not BJP. This poorer people of India whom feels this channel represents them as opposed to India Today or other channels more middle class and upper.
By this write up of yours you hv actually proved you know nothing about the reality of this country and especially by supporting someone like Arnab you hv proved your own ignorance. It was high time someone taught Arnab a lesson for believing himself to be no less than God and deciding to pass judgements on his own whims n fancies without bothering about the facts at all. So better for you to observe from far and give kudos to the state government for having the guts to stand up to the most divisive n incompetent central government.
I am not sure about what Mr Stompp has to say, But I think you are the same Bombay cool super cop who announced about most important scam of the nation TRP scam that affects majority of the population. True poor state govt that cant help it self has simply bulldozed one highly illegal building and just caught media channel in biggest scam of the century. thanks for teaching this ignorant out of country.
They failed to handle Covid 19 very badly and got involved in other issues
Errors
COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra
200 days after, experts dissect State and Centre’s decisions to contain the virus
Maharashtra’s COVID-19 crisis is the result of many factors — failure of collective action between the Centre and the State, lack of Mumbai-specific approach to fight against the virus, and a blanket implementation of lockdown without a plan to utilise the time effectively and prepare the health system.
These are some of the observations of health experts and activists who have closely analysed the turn of events over the last 100 days, since Maharashtra recorded its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus on March 9.
The State is now a red zone, accounting for nearly 32% of India’s cases and 41% of the deaths. While the healthcare system continues to crumble under the pressure, a new wave of cases is anticipated as the State begins to unlock in phases.
Tragedy of errors
Virologist Dr. T Jacob John termed Maharashtra’s situation as a tragedy of errors. He said responding to such large-scale epidemics is the Centre’s job, as per India’s constitutional norms.
“I don’t think Maharashtra was properly advised, warned, and given a blueprint by the Centre to follow.
So, when the epidemic hit, Maharashtra was under-prepared,” Dr. Jacob John said, adding the Indian government was too slow to react and it should have acted before the virus came into the country in January.
“Our parliament was adjourned only on March 23. What message does this send to all States? That everything is normal.”
According to Dr. Jacob John, Kerala managed to take independent decisions while most other States did not. “Maharashtra should have activated its think-tank as Kerala did.”
He said that the lockdown gave a false impression of supreme confidence but the reality was that it was not going to work in extremely congested places like Mumbai.
“Mumbai is the economic engine and the city had to be protected with extra care. But a Mumbai-specific approach was never taken,” he said.
Long-term repercussions
Experts highlighted how the governments — the State as well as the Centre — had a casual approach about the upcoming threat.
“We knew about the possible threat since December end. Yet, at the airports, most people got a safe passage even as they were asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Why did not we implement compulsory quarantining of passengers?” questioned Soumitra Ghosh, a professor from the School of Health System Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
He said there continues to be a rise in cases because the epidemic could not be arrested in time. “In Wuhan, they managed to mobilise manpower of 43,000 in two weeks.
How many doctors, intensivists have been brought to Mumbai from other parts?
There is an absolute lack of collective action between the Centre and the State even as Maharashtra dabbles with the surge,” Mr. Ghosh said, warning that the mishandling of the situation has caused great disruptions and the long-term repercussions, especially in patients requiring non-COVID-19 treatment, would be worrisome.
Lockdown, a crude instrument
Public health expert Dr. Abhay Shukla said the generalised lockdown had a dampening effect than a precise outcome.
“Take the examples of South Korea or Kerala, where the entire focus was on intensive outreach, testing, contact tracing, isolation, and containment or micro containment,” Dr. Shukla said, adding that with such strategies, the need for a blanket lockdown would have been less.
Udhav is emerging as the leader who can compete
BJP at the center. As a non-maharastrian ,I think Udhav using his Marathi background against BJP is completely fair since BJP is using its so called “Saffron” image at the centre.
Udhav will be successful in the cente in the future because he knows how to tackle BJP’s false politics. He has been only politician who is showing guts to stand alone in front of BJP.
Surely he is going to be next big thing in Indian politics.
ThePrint has also joined the bad, ugly, and worst media group. Portraying Arnab Goswami as criminal.
You all will face the music in coming years.
Is covering the news of palghar sadhus lynching a crime . What arnab said is 100% true. Had this lynching happened on other community , then other news channels would have made all rona, blaming modi and cite india as unsafe. Placards like muslim, dalit lives matter would be all over. When will other news channels understand that in a secular country All Lives Matter. If Akhlaq’s life matters , then, Kamlesh tiwari’s life also matters.
Arrest of Arnab will make him much stronger and his way of journalism is far more ethical than the rest of left liberal media.
Poor journalism by shivam , anyways country will standby nationalistic journalists..
India for arnab.
To this fabricated piece that the journalists of this condemnable paper. You have proven over and over again of your hypocrisy. You may have called the left liberals ‘saints’ and the right wing ‘hypocrites’ but really your reporting is proof that you are really the ones who are hypocrites. And you know what is worse? You know that. You know that you are hypocrites and you are reporting news inthis way because either you are in just as much as corruption as much the system in this country used to be in or you are just that much spiteful towards the number news anchor in this country or both. Call me names bhakt or andhbhakt. But that’s all these commenter so are able to do. Your frustrations against Arnab Goswami is clearly seen through every one of your article and your horrifying and blatant hypocrisy is clear as glass. Even without investigation you have put him behind bars in Taloja jail. But that doesn’t matter. He will come back with a stronger force and remember at that time, he is going to peel everyone of your damn hypocrisy.
Sad, very Sad! In this game of polictics, Maharastra is isolating itself (emotionally) from rest of India and Udhav is playing that card. This is dangerous for a country and should be stopped. If we have learnt anything from Khalistan topic in India, we should avoid to repeat that as Mumbaikar movement. Mumbaialso needs to realize, it is largest economy because rest of India is its consumer. It is a lose-lose situation and I urge the editor to avoid encouraging such topic.
The Print, not enough to just know to write, for good journalism it is required to be unbiased and vocally righteous. Like Arnab Goswami if you dare to stand by truth, you dont have to beg for financial support for survival. In the eyes of only an Indian Citizen representing common public with absolutely no political exposure.
Having failed in every front such as Corona management and administration, Udhav try to cover up failure by going against Arnab saying about Maratha pride . Actually he is belittling image of Maharashtra. Remember Sivaji maharaj fought against Aurangazeb, not against a streetfighter from Poona.
The exact words ‘pro-BJP social media warriors ‘ ‘false muslim angle ‘pro-BJP news media’ and describing Uddhav Thackrey as a “fighter” proves the sheer hipocracy of the Print media and the writer of this article. The very things they accuse Arnab of, they do is themselves. Fake muslim angle? And what would be the reaction when some muslim guy dies at the hands of mob? Muslims in India are under threat!!!
Please have some shame. Journalists should be unbiased. And the Print seems to be pro-Congress, anti-Hindu. And nothing but another means of spreading Congress propoganda.
I’m not a supporter of BJP and certainly not some “pro-BJP social media warrior”. I’m just a normal youth who is greatly saddened by the degrading standards and vanishing morals of Indian Media. Which includes this media outlet too.
I was here to get some news on current situation in India. But greatly disappointed.
I enjoyed your way of writing a lot. I don’t think you are taking sides. You’re just describing the play and in a very good manner. People shouldn’t hate the writer. Isn’t it better to point out issues without being rhetoric?