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MNS-Shiv Sena in Wifi tug of war

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Wifi is getting precedence over Mumbai-centric issues like potholes, poor infrastructure, pending reconstruction
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With the state assembly elections fast approaching, the Shiv Sena and the MNS are locked in a battle of claiming credit for setting up a WiFi network at the Shivaji Park grounds at Dadar.

However, party insiders regret that the real concerns of the Marathi manoos and the common man at large are being ignored during these superficial battles.

On Tuesday, the Shiv Sena launched its free WiFi service at the Shivaji Park, whose precincts house the Maharashtrian cultural elite, just sometime before the MNS. The two parties, who compete for the same sons-of-soil vote base are also engaged in claiming credit for the service. The MNS also launched a similar WiFi service at another Maharashtrian stronghold — Vile Parle (East) on Sunday.

“Putting up routers in houses and allowing people access — is this public WiFi?” questioned MNS corporator Sandeep Deshpande, who led his party's wireless-internet trust in Shivaji Park.

However, Yuva Sena leader Samadhan Sarvankar, who is former Dadar MLA Sada Sarvankar's son, said that it was the Sena's plan to provide free WiFi access to people. The same was mentioned in their BMC election manifesto. 

“Politics has reached its nadir. It cannot go lower,” admitted a senior Shiv Sena leader. “Any political party has to focus on life and death issues bothering the common man like affordable housing, access to basic necessities and jobs,” he added, noting that such WiFi projects served only urban, middle class Indians.

“This is a shallow political competition. There is no substance in this,” noted Surendra Jondhale, professor, University of Mumbai. He added that issues like inflation, water scarcity, agrarian crisis, distress seasonal migration to cities from villages, and even Mumbai-centric issues like potholes, poor infrastructure, pending reconstruction of old buildings and the cleaning of Mithi river were being neglected.

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