Of politics, parties, crime and monsoon

This article is an attempted tribute to Mumbai’s favourite columnist, Busybee — the man who simply loved Mumbai’s monsoon. So here goes:

Like I don’t understand what’s going on in the BJP. It has outsourced its role of opposition party to Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev. Baba has turned out to be a baby in politics and has made an absolute mockery of himself. BJP president Nitin Gadkari termed him the rock star of yoga. He should have stuck to it.

Like if the BJP is serious about drumming people’s support for the anti-graft agitation, it should have turned to its deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gopinath Munde, a veteran of stirs. He toured Maharashtra whipping up a storm over criminalisation of politics just before the 1995 assembly polls and made Sharad Pawar eat humble pie.

Like as it turns out, Munde is sulking and one really fails to understand why. He has a plum position in the party; his daughter is an MLA and his nephew an MLC. What more does he want? It’s a question his detractors in the party are asking, not me.

Like Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray deserves a round of applause for showing courage in swimming against the tide. His unqualified tribute to MF Husain was heartwarming and his support for the controversial artist, despite Raj’s Hindutva background, was a sign that he is a progressive thinker and not just a rabid politician. One just wished he had shown this side while Husain was alive. Too late, tch tch.

Like the death of his party MLA, Ramesh Wanjale, better known to Mumbai readers as the Gold Man, has come as a shock. Wanjale was huge and had a beefcake body. Raj was really fond of Wanjale, who would rustle up abhangas at political meetings to enthral his audiences and was often chided by his party chief for wearing so much gold. But for Wanjale, the gold was of brand recall value. So he would remove the gold while meeting Raj and put it on later.

Like why haven’t I said a word about J Dey, Mid Day journalist who was shot dead on Saturday evening? It’s a regret I will always carry that I could not befriend this gentle soul who had joined Mid Day around the same time in 1995 when I joined and then came back around 2007. He was a keeda reporter, a lingo for investigating journalists, and always wore a smile.

And finally, I quite liked what my ex-colleague, Viral Shah, observed. Before 26/7 happened, Mumbaikars rushed to Nariman Point, Marine Drive, and Worli Sea Face to enjoy the heavy rains every time there was a prediction of a downpour. Now they rush back home. We don’t enjoy the monsoon anymore.
Sad. Sad about the monsoon, Dey, and Wanjale.