Row over BJP leader ‘laughing at deaths’ in Mumbai infra mishaps, Raj Thackeray wants Fadnavis to act

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has sharply criticized Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accusing him of remaining silent over a controversy involving a BJP leader's viral video. The video allegedly shows BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam laughing in the wake of two recent deaths linked to infrastructure mishaps in the city.

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But has this contagion now spread to our state? And are you letting it spread?

In an open letter posted on X, Thackeray addressed Fadnavis, questioning if the perceived arrogance of the BJP's central leadership had spread to Maharashtra. He contrasted the state's traditional political maturity and civility with a perceived decline in recent years, suggesting it was becoming comparable to "backward-thinking states up north."

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One of your MLAs and office-bearers laughs gleefully over people's deaths, and not a single step is taken against him.

Thackeray referred to the incident without naming Satam directly, stating that a BJP MLA and office-bearer was seen laughing gleefully over people's deaths, yet no action was taken. He invoked the adage "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," lamenting the lack of regret or remorse and the Chief Minister's silence, which he felt contributed to widespread shamelessness.

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Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The MNS chief also questioned Fadnavis's image as a sensitive leader, stating that such inaction forces one to question his sensitivity. Recalling Maharashtra's past political tradition where leaders did not shield colleagues for mistakes, Thackeray accused the current BJP government of doing the opposite, allowing ministers to make absurd statements and display insensitivity without consequence.

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Devendra Fadnavis was seen as a cultured Chief Minister, a sensitive one, that's what Maharashtra thought, and so did I. But when things like this happen and you express no regret whatsoever, it forces one to question your very sensitivity.