Shiv Sena leader Rahul Kanal yesterday took to Twitter to mock BJP’s Kirit Somaiya for raising concern about the growing number of coronavirus cases in the Worli neighbourhood of Mumbai. The Former MP Somaiya had taken a swipe at Shiv Sena’s “Worli Model” gimmick in a tweet claiming that the COVID-19 cases in Worli, which are already more than 800, will soon reach 1000, a highest for any containment zone in the country.
However, the harsh reality of the bungled handling of coronavirus in Mumbai by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government did not sit well with Shiv Sena leader Rahul Kanal who derided Somaiya by mocking him for his lisp.
Kanal tweeted, “Aleeee tumhi ghali zopha ho, kasa saathi tumhi kay pan boltat, tilit tomaiya ji zala tumchya kamala baga ani amchya baga diffelence aahe naa, telhi (delhi) madhe kakana victhara,aamhi kaam kartoye acting aani setting nahi, tumhala patnaar nahi, water boy aaahat tech Kara!(
Aleeee tumhi ghali zopha ho, kasa saathi tumhi kay pan boltat, tilit tomaiya ji zala tumchya kamala baga ani amchya baga diffelence aahe naa, telhi (delhi) madhe kakana victhara,aamhi kaam kartoye acting aani setting nahi, tumhala patnaar nahi, water boy aaahat tech Kara! https://t.co/uiQQ8zAYYA
— Rahul.N.Kanal (@Iamrahulkanal) May 4, 2020
The translation to the above tweet says, “You are inconsequential, why are you bothering to comment? See the difference between your work and our work Tilit Tomaiya (Kirit Somaiya), ask uncle(PM Modi) in Delhi, we do work, not acting, you won’t like it, you are a water boy and you should stick to it”
Many users on Twitter were incensed with Kanal’s shameful conduct of mocking someone for his speech disability. One of the Twitter users, Amruta Joshi, posted a tweet condemning lisp shaming by Kanal. Urging him to argue on facts, she advised Mr Kanal to have a modicum of respect for dissenting voices.
However, instead of feeling apologetic for his actions, Kanal brazened it out claiming that the BJP leader was indulging in a propaganda campaign and therefore he was compelled into responding in a manner that reflected the characteristics of the individual.
Mam exactly what I meant give respect take respect, but not botched up Nos,this is the time to be positive and get constructive, if he just wants a propaganda out of anything,dnt like this either but characteristics of an individual force you to reply in their language…
— Rahul.N.Kanal (@Iamrahulkanal) May 4, 2020
“Mam exactly what I meant give respect take respect, but not botched up Nos, this is the time to be positive and get constructive, if he just wants propaganda out of anything, don’t like this either but characteristics of an individual force you to reply in their language…,” Kanal responded.
The sham of Worli Model
Of late, an attempt is being made by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra to tout the Worli Koliwada Model as a perfect example of the containment zone in the country to cover up its apparent shortfalls in dealing with the raging coronavirus crisis in Maharashtra. Recently, a five-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), headed by an additional secretary, Manoj Joshi, was on a two-day visit in Mumbai on April 21 to assess the state’s preparedness in battling the coronavirus outbreak.
Besides visiting Kasturba hospital and the BMC headquarters, the team paid a visit to G-south ward, comprising of slum pockets of Worli Koliwada and Jijamata Nagar, the zone with the highest number of positive coronavirus cases in the city.
However, as the IMCT visit in Mumbai was about to conclude, a spurious report was published in the Times of India claiming that the IMCT team which was in the city to review the state’s readiness in fighting the spread of the coronavirus “felt” that Worli Koliwada can be a perfect model for the rest of the country in containing the coronavirus outbreak.
The article published in the Times of India cites a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to claim that additional secretary, Manoj Joshi hailed the Worli Koliwada model as the best example of the coronavirus-free zone in the country, asserting that the model is worth replicating in other areas to break the virus chain.
Essentially, this means that the article published in the Times of India was based on the inputs from the Maharashtra state government and not from the additional secretary Manoj Joshi himself. OpIndia spoke to a few officials who denied the knowledge of any such model existing and had expressed apprehensions that Joshi could have been misquoted. While our attempts to reach Mr Joshi failed, sources have claimed that Times Of India has misquoted the official, presumably, due to the press release by the state government.
