As many as 17 lives were lost in the Sai Siddhi building collapse in Ghatkopar on Monday. On the face of it, these people were killed as they were buried in the debris. But in truth, they are victims of greed — that of Sunil Shitap who tried to make alterations to the building; of the local civic authorities who turned a blind eye to his activities; and of his political masters who condoned Shitap despite knowing fully what he was up to.

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Shiv Sena is now trying to disassociate itself from Shitap and his nefarious activities by claiming he is not their official member. But can Uddhav and Aditya Thackeray deny that Shitap's wife contested civic polls on a Sena ticket?

When one RJ made a parody blaming the BMC for citizens' travails during monsoon, the party and the civic machinery unleashed their fury against her — finding mosquito larvae in her house, accusing her of spreading dengue. When Kapil Sharma tweeted about civic corruption, the whole machinery started digging his illegalities and not the BMC officer who sought bribe.

Sena will do well to understand that the blame lies on its door and hence the party must engage in serious introspection as well as own house-cleaning. Shitap may not be an office worker, but there are hundreds of other Shitaps out there who have been patronized by the party at various levels. The Thackerays cannot remain in self-denial mode forever. It is in their as well as city's interest that they confront this ugly truth.

Last, but not the least, Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis will have to show that he means business. It is not enough that only Shitap or the officials who connived with him are punished. It's not enough that an example is made of Shitap. Fadnavis must crack down on Shitap-type elements in the state, regardless of their political affiliation.