Letters to the Editor: 25 February, 2020

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February 25, 2020

Pathological laboratories should be regulated

Presently there is a flood of SMSs on mobile-phones offering a complete package of so many blood-tests further reduced to just Rs 799 that too with facility to collect blood-samples from residences or work-places of desiring ones. But these SMSs do not give details and addresses of laboratories where blood-tests are to be conducted.

Either such offers do not come from recognised and government-approved laboratories, or normal pathological laboratories are looting public. Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should probe into the matter. Those offering such economical packages should be directed to give details of laboratories in SMSs with compulsion to have a proper website of such laboratories.

Union Health Ministry should also develop a software to be compulsorily used by all recognised and approved laboratories including in hospitals, government or private. Every consumer giving samples of blood, urine, stool etc should be given a unique ID and changeable password whereby complete record of tests conducted including done in past may be available from website of the concerned laboratory on click of mouse.

A reputed pathological laboratory of Delhi also covering other cities has dual pricing for medical-tests. Charges for ordinary patients are much higher than those having cards of Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). At least such dual pricing must not be allowed in health-services including for pathological and biochemical tests including blood-tests.

Madhu Agrawal

Waris Pathan issuing provocative statements

It refers to Waris Pathan following footsteps of Akbaruddin Owaisi by giving highly poisonous and provocative statements challenging non-Muslims in bitter-most words about might of minority Muslim community to overpower non-Muslims.

Enough is enough. Fear is being created that India may also one day become Islamic nation if demographic change and such provocative speeches are allowed to be continued. It is high time that India may take tough stand like has been taken by many countries including China, Sri Lanka and Myanmar to keep such fundamentalist elements in control, and to ensure existing demography. Any such tough stand will not be opposed by peace-loving Muslims like in Sri Lanka when Muslim community there whole-heartedly supported Sri Lankan government after strict-most measures were taken to prevent unfortunate future happenings following Easter-bombings on April 21, 2019 by some fundamentalist militants.

It is indeed a matter of curiosity why and how government tolerated closing of a road at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, the capital city of India, by some ones opposing a legislation passed by Parliament which in no way affected any Indian citizen of any religion or caste.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal

Provide halt for Shatabdi express at Dadar

The train number 12009 Mumbai Central- Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express forms as an excellent superfast connection towards Ahmedabad. It is further suggested to approve a two minute stop at Dadar Central (DDR) on Western Line for Shatabdi Express. As at present, it causes a lot of inconvenience to many Central/Harbour passengers who are only compelled to travel otherwise upto Mumbai Central in order to board the Shatabdi Express. The suggestion will otherwise benefit passengers coming from Central Line and Harbour Line to hop on to the only Shatabdi Express connection towards Ahmedabad at Dadar Central itself.

As also, the train has no other halts within Mumbai with the exception of only a brief halt at Borivali and thus proves to be of little help for many passengers from Central/Harbour Line. Hence this is a kind request to Western Railway authorities at Mumbai Central Division to urgently approve a brief stoppage at Dadar station on Western Line for the train number 12009 Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express.

Varun Dambal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Heartening news: Toll prices to surge from April 1

By

Hema Singh

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February 25, 2020

Mumbai Pune expressway toll plaza,Mumbai Pune expressway, toll plaza,Mumbai, Pune, expressway, toll, plaza,Mumbai Pune toll plaza,Mumbai toll plaza,Pune toll plaza — Representational Image of Toll plaza on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Tuesday morning lakhs of motorists got up with a heartening news that the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has decided to increase the toll fees of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway from April 1. This Corporation decided on the increase of the toll tax soon after it gave the toll collecting contract to IRB Infrastructure Developers.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is India’s first six-lane concrete, high-speed, access controlled tolled expressway. The expressway starts at Kalamboli near Panvel and ends at Dehu Road near Pune.

As per new toll rates, toll for cars will increase from Rs 230 to Rs 270. For mini buses it will raise from Rs 355 to Rs 420, for trucks and heavy axle vehicles, it will increase from Rs 493 to Rs 580. Bus drivers will have to shell out more as the rates have been increased from Rs 675 to Rs 797 while large trucks will attract a tax rate that will vary from Rs 1,165-1,555 to Rs 1,380 to Rs 1,835.

As per the report, IRB to pay MSRDC upfront Rs 6500 Crores and a further staggered payment of Rs. 850 Crores in year 2, Rs 850 Crores in year 3 and Rs 62 Crores in year 4, aggregating to Rs 8,262 Crores for Sub-Concession Period of 10 years and 2 months.

Extortion mafia sent to police custody till 7 March

By

Hema Singh

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February 24, 2020

Fugitive notorious gangster Raviprakash Sulya Pujari alias Ravi Pujari, who was flown back to India in the early hours of Monday has been sent to police custody till March 7. Pujari was wanted for crimes like murder and extortion in several cities of Karnataka and Mumbai where as many as 100 cases have been registered against him.

Before his arrival, a heavy security blanket was placed all over Bengaluru’s Kempe Gowda International Airport by a team of officials including senior IPS officers who were there waiting to arrest him. After a long wait, Pujari came out of the Air France aircraft after all passengers de-boarded the aircraft. Pujari who had been on the run for nearly two decades was arrested in South Africa last week.

The Karnataka Police have 39 cases against him having as many as 36 cases registered against him in Mangalore, 11 in Udupi and one each in Mysuru, Hubli-Dharwad, Kolar and Shivamogga.

Apart from the Karnataka police, Mumbai Police has a total of 49 cases registered against him of which 26 cases are under the stringent MCOCA. There are around 75 cases of extortion registered against him in Gujrat.

Pujari is known for being an underworld don who operated out of Mumbai during the ‘90s and is a former aide of Chhota Rajan. He first struck the headlines in 2000 when he started extorting from well-known Bollywood personalities and builders. He was also involved in an attempt to murder case, aimed at killing a prominent lawyer of Mumbai. The police had issued a Red Corner notice against him in 2002.

In the year 2018, Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mewani, activists Umar Khalid, Shehla Rashid Dalit leader had allegedly received death threats from Pujari.

Reportedly, Pujari had settled in Senegal after Rajan was arrested from Bali, Indonesia in 2016. Before he was arrested, he had established himself as a hotelier with a different identity and was allegedly running his underworld racket from Senegal.

According to sources in Indian Intelligence, Pujari, who was hiding with a false identity of Anthony Fernandes, a Burkina Faso passport holder was located in a remote village in South Africa.

After he was arrested in Senegal in January 2019, he fled to South Africa. However, he was held again on Saturday. Pujari had filed an application before the Supreme Court of Senegal that he was not the person that India was looking out for. However, the intelligence agencies in coordination with Senegal authorities said that the noted gangster was trying to mislead investigators.

After that, the Supreme Court of Senegal rejected the plea last Wednesday in which Pujari had pleaded that he should not be extradited to India. Later on, a team of the Karnataka Police with the help of South African authorities and Senegal police detained Pujari.

After Chhota Rajan, Ravi the patriotic mafia returns to India

By

Vaidehi Taman

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February 24, 2020

After Chhota Rajan, it’s Ravi Pujari who has returned to the Indian soil. Politically connected and having rightwing ideologies, many suspect that the arrival of Rajan and Pujari are well planned. A court in Bengaluru remanded him to police custody till March 7, hours after he was brought to India from Senegal. Pujari is accused of murder, kidnapping and extortion. A team of officials including senior IPS officer’s escorted Pujari from an Air France flight. However, India doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Senegal but our intelligence got him back to India because of our bilateral understanding. Pujari has more than 200 cases registered across the country including 97 cases in Karnataka alone. He was arrested in Senegal in West Africa in January 2019, but he jumped bail and fled to South Africa where he was allegedly involved in drug trafficking and extortion rackets. Pujari was hiding under the identity of Anthony Fernandes, a Burkina Faso passport holder and was located in a remote village in South Africa. On a tip-off from India’s external intelligence agency, the Senegal police flew to South Africa and arrested the 52-year-old gangster.

Ravi Shulya Pujari was born in Udupi, Karnataka. He has two brothers and one sister. He is father of two daughters and one son. He came to Mumbai in his teens and started working in a restaurant. He remained a small time criminal till he killed rival Bala Zalte after which he made his identity in the underworld. He started his unlawful activities at Andheri, Mumbai. Those days, gangs of Dawood and Chhota Rajan were very active in Mumbai. Chhota Rajan got impressed with this newcomer and gave him entry in his gang. Rajan mentored Ravi in the underworld syndicate. Soon, he became the right hand person of Rajan. In the late 1990s, Pujari moved to Dubai to set up his own business. He earned money through extortion of real estate builders, owners of the hotel etc. In the mid-1990s, his men shot Om Prakash Kukreja of Kukreja builders in his Chamber office. Eight years later, a Navi Mumbai builder, Suresh Wadhwa escaped an assassination attempt by ducking under his office desk. When Chhota Rajan split with Dawood Ibrahim after the March 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, Guru Satam and Ravi Pujari cast their share with him. The trio set up base in South East Asia and continued their operations. While Rajan relocated to Kuala Lumpur, where a powerful local mafia protected him, Satam parked himself in Hong Kong while Poojari travelled extensively to South East Asia supervising the gang’s operations.

Satam and Pujari were trusted aides of Rajan, until a futile attack was made on Rajan’s life in Bangkok by a team sent by Karachi-based Chhota Shakeel, Dawood’s right-hand-man in September 2000. After the attack, Chhota Rajan was suspecting the involvement of his own people. Rajan’s sharpshooter called Rohit Verma who was killed in the Bangkok created misunderstanding between Rajan, Guru Satam and Ravi Pujari. Rohit Verma who was a small-time robber raised as sharp shooter, managed to be the right hand of Rajan. Angry Rajan got his own people and his associates like Vinod Shetty and Mohan Kotian were brutally murdered at Panvel and Bengaluru respectively by Rajan’s shooters in India. Unable to convince Rajan about their loyalty, Guru Satam and Ravi too separated and set up their own respective gangs. Both of them started operating from different world capitals.

Thereafter, Rajan became less active and his wife was allegedly carrying on extortion on behalf of him. Sujata Nikhalje got arrested by Chembur cops in several such cases. Devastated Rajan got busy bailing out his wife. His daughters were at the peak of their studies. Don had to tame down in such situations around him. Moreover underworld activities in Mumbai became difficult. His younger brother Vijay Nikhalje got into politics and during 2014; he rendered his support to the BJP. There was a rumour that because of this support, Chhota Rajan was tactically brought to India, since he returned his family having holiday time with him. He has been provided with a television in his cell, he plays loud music in it and this has been troubling many inmates. He is also provided with all sort of facilities from food to clothing, his family frequently visits him. Chhota Rajan’s deportation and arrest was a big political plot. Rajan, 60, is facing more than 70 criminal charges. The Indonesian police in Bali arrested him on October 25, 2015.

Dawood, who is believed to be out of Karachi somewhere in Pakistan and is sheltered by the country’s security forces round-the-clock, is likely to be succeeded by one of his brothers of whom Anees Ahmed is the front-runner. But keeping all the control in his own hand. Dawood’s trusted lieutenant Chhota Shakeel, often referred to as the gang CEO, has many connections in India. Dawood made his empire tech savvy. His return to India seems to be very difficult as he is one of the richest person in Pakistan and is also a mastermind in Pakistan’s act of creating unrest in India. Ravi Poojari always maintained that his mission was to eliminate both Dawood and Chhota Shakeel.

Ravi Pujari’s wife Padma and his 24-year-old son were detained at Mumbai international airport and the duo was deported to India. Padma was on a red corner notice. Former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma and now a Shiv Sena worker had arrested Padma in 2005 in a fake passport case. Padma had forged documents to obtain her passport and those of her two daughters. After a month, she was released on bail, but she fled the country within six months by secretly making another passport from Mangalore in the name of Sridevi Pujari. Since then, a lookout notice was issued against her. Padma got bailed out again and she and her kids are already having their life on Indian soil. Both the families of Rajan and Ravi will have new life on their own soil. Now it would be interesting to see who and when and how would Dawood be brought back to India.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Fire guts Bhiwandi powerloom

By

Web Team

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February 24, 2020

Is it a curse that Mumbai is facing these day? Since the last many days, several parts of Mumbai have been inundated by fire.

Last night, a fire destroyed a yarn manufacturing factory in Bhiwandi, a civic official said. There was no casualty however in the mishap, he added. The fire broke out around 10 pm in the factory located at Khokha Compound in the powerloom town Thane’s regional disaster management cell chief Santosh Kadam said.

Three fire engines were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control around 3.30 am on Monday, the official said. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, he added.

Trump arrives to a rousing reception

By

C K Subramaniam

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February 24, 2020

President Trump is now in India. After waiting for his arrival eagerly, it is a matter of great honour to welcome a foreign dignitary and that too one of a calibre as President Donald Trump.

We Indians take it as a pride to extend a red carpet welcome in a gala manner to Trump. This practice has been happening in the past too since the time of our first PM Jawaharlal Nehru. Now it is the turn of Modi- Trump meet.

We respect the foreign dignitaries coming to India and it is happening for centuries. However, we take lot of objections for Trump’s visit. Unlike what happened with China in the year 1962, India-US relations are not strained and progressing well. As a developed country, the US pays respect to a developing country like India. Why then should we face such a stiff opposition within inside despite having a fairly healthy relationship with the US. This was reflected in the best way by Trump and it is time to reciprocate the sentiments rather than showing black flags. Namaste Trump.

With massive decorations and elaborate security arrangements, Ahmedabad gave a rousing reception to Trump for a mega event held at the Motera stadium. Similar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Howdy Modi! rally held in New Hampshire last year, the US president took part in the ‘Namaste Trump’ event at the newly-constructed cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. From resurfacing roads and planting palm trees along the streets to building and a wall apparently to hide the slums, the Gujarat government made an elaborate arrangement.

This is the first time that any U.S. President did connect with the Indian people at large, an acknowledgement of the important space that people-to-people ties have played. While this is the first such public rally in Ahmedabad, ex US President Dwight Eisenhower did address a joint rally with PM Jawaharlal Nehru at Delhi’s Ramlila Grounds in 1959, which an estimated crowd of 5 lakh people had attended.

Both sides are expected to fast track the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), to be discussed during the defence talks in March. Once sealed, BECA (the third logistic agreement between the militaries) will ensure smooth flow of high-end technology from the U.S. to India.

Apart from the strategic and military aspect, both sides are expected to take up trade relationship especially since President Trump himself has announced that he will seal a big trade deal with India later this year. There are Indian concerns about the agriculture and dairy sectors in such a scenario that are yet to be clarified by the officials.

In Gujarat people from all languages spoke excitedly about the Trump visit, drawing a parallel between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ and Mr. Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ slogans. All said and done, the visit is aimed at showcasing India’s rich diversity.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Letters to the Editor: 24 February, 2020

By

Web Team

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February 24, 2020

The Goa Carnival

The carnival is the most famous festival and has been celebrated since the 18th century AD as a precursor to the abstinence of Lent. It is exclusive and unique to Goa and was introduced by the Portuguese who ruled the state for over five hundred years.

Huge colourful parades take over the state’s cities with bands, floats and dances. Although, the four-day festival is primarily celebrated by Catholics, it has also absorbed Hindu tradition revelry, western dance forms, and turned into a pageantry of sorts. Though it started as a celebration enjoyed only by the local population, it has today crossed the state frontiers and attracts thousands of people from all over the country as well as from other parts of the world.

The carnival is held either in February or March for four days (depending on when Lent starts) when the legendary king Momo takes over the state and the streets come alive with songs and dances.
The carnival is meant to be a feasting-drinking-merrymaking orgy just before the austere 46 days of Lent. Huge parades are organised throughout the state with bands, dances and floats out all night on the streets, and grand balls held in the evenings.

The history of the Goa carnival goes back to almost 500 years. It was essentially introduced in Goa by the Portuguese. The trend of celebrating the carnival with hedonistic pleasures dates back to ancient Rome and Greece. It came to be known to the Portuguese and Spanish people with time and when the Portuguese established their colony in Goa, they introduced the concept there. Since then, the carnival is regular feature every year and a time when people all over Goa take part in it with pleasure.

Jubel D’Cruz

Toilets on highways, a boon for travellers

The Kerala government has to be really lauded for an ambitious sanitation initiative drawn by its cabinet. The state government is planning to set up 12,000 pairs of public toilets on the highways. The government has decided to instruct local self-government institutions to identify three cents of land in their areas alongside the state and national highways for constructing these toilets.

Often road travellers face inexplicable problem and remain clueless to find a loo while travelling by road. They have to either go to public toilets which are normally unmaintained and in pathetic conditions or they have to visit hotels and order for food simply because they have to use the toilet there.

The initiative to have toilets on the state and national highways, crisscrossing Kerala, will be a boon to short and long distance travellers. Lack of public toilets on highways cause inexplicable difficulties for people, especially women and children, while travelling by road. The government has further stated that those agencies willing to cooperate with the project would be made partners. The land of the government, public sector undertakings and cooperative institutions would be utilised for this purpose. There is also an idea to start small shops and snack parlours along with these complexes which in turn can give employment as well as give a boost to economy.
The project is really a good one, truly humanitarian and therefore the public will have to use and maintain them properly. It is really a good initiative which other states can follow.

M Pradyu

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Mumbai zoo being revamped with bringing in lots of animals

By

Afternoon Voice

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February 24, 2020

After years of having hardly any animals around, the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan is finally getting its act together. The stunning space gained the country’s first and biggest walkthrough aviary, existing enclosures et all are getting a facelift, new ones are being created to house leopards, hyenas and tigers.

While the revamp is welcome, one hopes the accent is not just on decorative, beautiful enclosures but also educative ones. When asked the 15-year old Manjushree said, “The stress should be on safety and cleanliness. Good sanitation facilities are a must and the washrooms within must be hygienic. Often aesthetics take precedence over important aspects like cleanliness, clear directions, good lighting and safety. Signboards in the space, must also warn people of the dos and don’ts of zootiquette. Moreover, the important thing is that the whole experience should be educative.”

The recently got in two Royal Bengal Tigers Shakti and Karishma that were brought from the Aurangabad zoo have been quarantined and visitors can expect to see them only by the end of March, as their enclosure is currently being done up. Everyone thinks that the zoo must regain its previous glory and bring back the animals that had disappeared for one reason or the other.

“The Rs 50 entry fee should not go higher as the entry must be accessible to all, that was one of the best parts about our zoo. Here is to Byculla’s iconic, changing Mumbai facility. We wish it grows in strength and visitors treat new infrastructure and the animals with the respect they deserve,” adds Manjushree.

Buddha in queue; After Lord Ram and Hanuman RPI demands Buddhist temple in Ayodhya

By

Afternoon Voice

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February 23, 2020

With the way things are moving, looks like Ayodhya is likely to be a converging point of religions. With Hindus, Muslims and Hanuman bhakts already in queue, it is now time for Buddhists to lay a claim for a land to construct a Buddha Temple in the holy city. The Union Minister of State (MoS) for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale has demanded 20 acres of land for the construction of a Buddhist temple in Ayodhya.

Athawale told Afternoon Voice that he is soon going to meet all BJP leaders including CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath to demand land for a Buddha temple. “Nearly 20 acres should be allotted to Buddhists and a grand Buddha temple should be constructed in there,” he said.

In its verdict last year, the Supreme Court gave the disputed land in Ayodhya to the Hindus for the construction of Ram temple in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit verdict. The apex court directed the UP government to give 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board as an alternate place in Ayodhya to build a mosque. However, Ramdas Athawale has demanded 10 to 20 acres of land for the construction of a Buddha temple. “If my demand is not considered, those of us who believe in the Buddhism will form a trust. We will acquire a piece of land in Ayodhya and construct a Buddha temple there,” Athawale observed.

During the reign of Emperor Ashoka, there were many Buddhist temples in India before the influence of Hinduism increased. Many temples were constructed at several places with the influence of Guru Shankaracharya and Hindu religion. “After the arrival of the Mughals in India, they demolished temples and started building mosques. The government has now decided to pursue the construction of Ram Temple after the Supreme Court’s decision,” added Athawale. On Thursday, the members of Shri Ram Bhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust (or Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and invited him to lay the foundation stone of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Champat Rai was appointed as the general secretary of the Trust. Later, it was said that the Prime Minister has urged the ‘Sangh Parivar’ to avoid controversial statements.

With Dalit power in hand, Athawale demands land for Buddha temple

By

Vaidehi Taman

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February 23, 2020

Dressed in dark blue kurta-pyjama, a yellow jacket and a turban, Ramdas Athawale ended his speech by shouting ‘Jai Bheem, Jai Bharat’. Though he looks a joker and a hysteric but he has very much weight in Maharashtra politics. After Ram Janmabhoomi Temple issue, he has demanded a piece of land for a Buddha temple in Ayodhya. His demands can’t be ignored because Dalit votes really matter for BJP; they have already lost to Pawar in the state, now it’s time for Bihar elections. A leader who is known to be a party hopper now has come in the news with his demand. Let’s see how the BJP takes it.

In Maharashtra, Dalits constitute 10.8 per cent votes. In Mumbai, the Dalit population is 16 per cent. This is where that the party feels that will work to its advantage in the 227 wards in the BMC elections. There are at least 60 BMC wards in Mumbai with a Dalit population ranging from 10,000 to over a lakh. Athawale is expected to help in vote transformation of Dalits in favour of BJP candidates in the BMC polls. Athawale is a Dalit leader and is a member of the Rajya Sabha. His party, the Republican Party of India, is an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra. Some are even speculating that he can merge his party with the BJP in the coming future. Anyways, Athawale has not proven his stand yet as leader or he did not do much for his community or state. He is poet and very famous for his four liner stand-up comedy speeches. He is also known for his fashion statement of wearing gaudy colours and combinations with all sorts of odds. His public speaking has generous spoons of laughter mostly due to his poetry. He is an extempore at poetry and very promptly, he cracks jokes and anything contemporary. One good thing about him is that he is fearless and always tells his alliance they are strong because he is with them, if they don’t behave, he can quit. He is good at mocking anyone.

Athawale, the president of the Republican Party of India has represented the Pandharpur constituency of Maharashtra. He also represented the Mumbai North Central in the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998-99. He left the NCP-Congress alliance in 2011 after having lost the 2009 Lok Sabha election. Athawale led the RPI party, joined the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in 2011 and contested the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections together. He lost in the Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency election in 2009. In 2014, again he joined the BJP and left the Shiv Sena. He is one political leader who has tried aligning with all political parties which he himself agrees too. Whichever party he feels strong at that point of time, he forms an alliance with it. In the 1970s, he was a firebrand activist who, under the banner of Dalit Panthers, rose in the political scenario.
His mother wanted him to do some work or job, but he refused that and joined social revolution and meanwhile joined causes that are dear to the Dalit constituency. Athawale was one of the only two politicians in Maharashtra, the other being Sharad Pawar, who could call out his karyakartas (workers) and followers by their first name wherever he went in the state.

Athawale married a Brahmin woman and as result of which he wants inter-caste marriages to be encouraged by the government. He appealed to the state government to give government jobs to a person who marries out of his caste and give him some financial help to curb the caste discrimination in society. He wants that the Dalit youth should marry Brahmin girls and Dalit girls to Brahmin boys. Athawale is arguably the most potent mass leader in Dalit politics in Maharashtra. His rivals viz B.R. Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar and Vidarbha-based Jogendra Kawade never compared well with Athawale in terms of popularity with the Dalit masses. Yet, political observers in Maharashtra who have followed Dalit politics insist that Athawale has bargained a great deal for the Dalit cause for his own gains. His commitment to the Dalit cause is always limited to symbolism and political exigencies of the day. Power politics has made him a white-collared politician like it has other Dalit leaders in Maharashtra. Still, he retains a rare personal warmth and openness no other Dalit leader has. There is nothing much to talk about his achievements as leader or his contribution to society as a Dalit neta. He always lived in his fancy world with his whimsies.

Athawale was one of the Dalit activists in 1972 when Namdeo Dhasal, a formidable revolutionary poet and Dalit activist along with others founded Dalit Panthers. The said party later spilt into several splinter groups and Athawale went with Arun Kamble, a Buddhist scholar and one of the founders. It was the issue of renaming of Marathwada University after B.R. Ambedkar in 1977 that provided a boost to Athawale. Those days, he used to fight street battles with Shiv Sena which was against the renaming. This was also the time when Athawale travelled across Maharashtra to mobilise support. He still retains many of the followers and supporters he enrolled during this period. In the mid-80s, the then Maharashtra chief minister Sharad Pawar spotted Athawale’s talent as an organiser and leader of the Dalit masses. After much persuasion, Athawale became a minister for social welfare in the Pawar government. This was the beginning of his end as a raw, activist politician.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)