Mumbai Confidential: Shinde’s ‘Good luck’ to CM

When state BJP president and revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Devendra Fadnavis will continue as CM till 2034, it took many by surprise within his own party. What was intriguing was the response of Dy CM Eknath Shinde who with folded hands uttered one word, “subhechha” ( good wishes). Within the BJP, some dismissed it as political rhetoric, others applauded with joy and said that if Modi can continue in 2029, why not Fadnavis?

Plugging the leak

Miffed over the leak of a letter addressed to him, a BJP minister recently called up the Shiv Sena MLA who had written it. The MLA feigned innocence over the leak and promptly blamed the minister’s own office. The minister’s Personal Secretary came under pressure and hastily convened a meeting with the entire ministerial staff to get to the bottom of it. The staff failed to turn up on time, further infuriating the officer. Meanwhile, the hunt for the source of the leak continues.

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Duty Meets Conscience

When the Bombay High Court was recently pulling up the CID in the Badlapur encounter case, it assured the SP present in court that it did not intend to make him a scapegoat. The court urged him to disclose who in the agency was instructing him. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the officer requested time saying he would have to seek instructions on whether he could reveal that information.