It is Corona times. Lockdown continues. Maharashtra’s record is too bad. Positive cases are on the rise every day. The overall prospects looks very alarming. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray looks extremely worried and tense. The journalist watching him from the Press Room at the far corner from the CM’s chamber couldn’t help but admire the earnestness visible on the face of the beleaguered CM seized of the matter confronting the state today. In his heart he appreciated how hard it is to handle a grave situation like this and the efforts he must be making to bring the pandemic under control. How much pressure the
CM must be under, to show some improvement in the situation, he thought, and sympathized with him for the hard time the virus is giving him. He prayed for some break-through to happen so that the poor guy could get some relief from the extreme pressure.
He was accused of inept handling and for not being visible enough to the public in a crisis situation like this. His detractors also alleged that he is hiding behind his desk not knowing what to do, due to lack of any administrative experience all his career, save for controlling the too obedient party cadre. They hold him solely responsible for the Corona mess in the state. Things couldn’t have been worse. The good news is that the CM has called for an urgent meeting. All senior ministers and officials are in attendance.
CM: I hope you are all aware of the seriousness of the matter and are working towards finding an immediate solution to the urgent issue.
Senior Minister: Yes boss. We are all aware of the gravity of the matter and are doing our best to find a solution to it. All our coalition partners are very concerned and are determined to tackle the issue and will not let things go out of hand. It is a matter of our prestige too. If we fail in our efforts, how can we face the people tomorrow!
Senior Official: We are all aware of the seriousness of the matter and are very much seized of the issue. We are all on the job day and night sir. But our efforts are not yielding expected results due to lack of response from the Centre. I even see some conspiracy. They have not forgotten that you have ousted their favourite CM through deceit and seems not to have forgiven you. I can see a deliberate delaying of central help to tackle this serious issue sir. If delayed any further, things can get out of hand. Time is indeed running out.
CM: I am not here to hear excuses. What are you all doing to tackle the emergency? This is the most important issue facing the state as of now. If we don’t find a quick solution within the given time frame it will be too late. It will not only give a bad name to the coalition, but to me personally as well. You know it wasn’t easy to get to the post. But if we mess it up just because we could not rise to the occasion when the situation demanded it – it will be matter of shame we will all regret the rest of our lives. Tell me exactly what have you done to tackle this emergency. It is a question of Maharashtrian pride – Marathi Asmita – the prestige of the Marathi Mannos, you know!
As usual, he was equating his party’s or his personal problem with that of the entire Marathi population. The CM was getting impatient and angry. His movements were getting more and more animated. He got up from his seat and moved towards a calendar hanging on the wall and was seen pointing to it agitatedly drawing everyone’s attention towards it. The journalist now keenly watching the proceedings from the Press Room could see the CM getting tougher and presumed he is now setting targets for the officials to perform or perish. Had he done it earlier, the Corona problem wouldn’t have turned this serious, he thought. The senior minister then got up to speak.
Senior Minister: Due to the seriousness of the matter we have already sounded Soniaji and Pawarji for help from Delhi. We have reasonable apprehension that the Centre is deliberately delaying help. They want our govt’s bad name to continue. But our leaders will not let that happen. So they are meeting the PM to sort out things. We are confident results will come soon. Have faith in our in-house Chanakya Pawarji. Just think of how he propped you up from nowhere and made you CM overnight!
Although the journalist couldn’t hear what was going on inside, he could see Uddhav getting more and more animated and agitated too. But what intrigued him was Uddhav’s sudden throwing of a heavy book at an official and moving towards him threateningly. Watching the scene, the journalist is now convinced he is not the CM he presumed he has become - meek, docile, non assertive, vis-à-vis the earlier fierce, roaring Tiger Cub! . He was happy that he is proving to be the worthy son of a Tiger after all. The Corona scene in Maharashtra is going to face a quantum change from now on with a more assertive CM taking charge. The CM probably thought against leaving things with cabinet colleagues and officials and perhaps decided to take charge directly, to control the Corona situation once and for all. Thought the journalist, with the admiration for the CM now growing every minute.
His journalistic instincts made him inquisitive about exactly what transpired in the meeting. He was hoping to have a meaty ’ breaking news ‘ for his publication and as he was planning his next move, as luck would have it , an official came out on a bath room break. A familiar face, the official smiled at him. The journalist praised the CM for calling the urgent meeting to chalk out an action plan to tackle the virus situation in the state and wanted some hints about the goings on in the meeting. Anything important on the Corona front, he asked. “Corona front! Who ever said the meeting was about Corona!” the official said looking surprised, the smile now turning derisive.“ This emergency meeting has nothing to do with Corona. It’s all about saving his chair. The emergency is about his election to the Assembly which if delayed any further he will simply cease to be CM. You know as per rules he has to win an election in six months to retain his chair. The six month period is getting over soon and time had become suddenly critical. Unless the election is held within the expiry date and he wins, it will be sheer disaster! Not only he will lose the CM chair, he can’t even enter the premises being not even an MLA! Due to Corona problem the elections got delayed and that’s why he threw the diary at the state election commissioner for not doing enough to hold it on time. Pawarji got the job done in Delhi and election date is announced on 21 May. Now Uddhavji is very relieved. Oh, the Corona problem – that he will deal with peacefully, now that his tension is over!” ******* OVERHEARD A journalist friend overheard this conversation between two senior officials in the Central Ministry premises in Delhi. He is not ready to disclose which ministry it is and I didn’t insist. It hardly matters. The conversation went something like this: “Sir, there is general criticism of allowing liquor shops to open when even roadside eateries small and big on which the poor floating population and large number of daily wagers depend for their food, remain closed. It is really hard to digest. Don’t you think it was an unwise move?” There was silence as no reply came. The journalist decided it was a question which can not elicit an answer easily, and was about to walk away when in a feeble but scratchy voice he heard the response. “ You are not an economy graduate, are you? “
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