Mumbai is already the financial capital of India and its real estate costs are among the highest in the world. It is altogether a different matter that the pathetic infrastructure of the city is not at par with any Third World city of the world as yet. Some developmental initiatives have been taken up recently but, the anarchic governance and the presence of Thackerays have nullified all these initiatives.

This is not a new phenomenon and the goons have always had an upper hand over the administration. Bal Thackeray has been a terror for more than 40 years now. No one can dare to defy his diktat. Even the police and the administration avoid inviting his intemperate anger. Bal Thackeray, however managed to give his outfit, a political legitimacy and became a major political force by whipping the rightist ideology and spreading hate towards the minorities. To his credit, he rid Mumbai off the criminal mafia but in the bargain his understudy, Raj Thackeray spread his influence all over the underworld.

The hate campaign spread against the South Indians proved very effective for Bal Thackeray because of the emotive issue of Belgaum. Both Karnataka and Maharashtra claim the city and Bal Thackeray exploited this issue by targeting the South Indians.

Mumbai was beginning to look like a normal city when suddenly Raj Thackeray started aping his uncle absolutely in substance and style. The target this time became the North Indians.

Bal Thackeray idolises Hitler and wielded enormous influence in Mumbai. Raj Thackeray was the perfect understudy of Bal Thackeray and was even more feared by the masses. Raj Thackeray shrewdly kept spreading his parallel channel of influence and amassed unimaginable wealth. When Bal Thackeray appointed his own son Uddhav Thackeray as the head of his party Shiv Sena, Raj Thackeray split and formed his own outfit which he calls the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

All the dreaded goons and dubious personalities joined his outfit and became the curse of Mumbai. Congress led government used him to neutralise Shiv Sena and encouraged his activities. Raj Thackeray is so influenced by his mentor that he started dressing ,walking, talking, behaving like his mentor. He targeted the biggest film star of India, Amitabh Bachchan and made him kneel before him literally. Emboldened, Raj Thackeray went berserk and started doing whatever he liked. The government in office did not dare to ask him to mellow down a bit, ever. So when recently north Indian students were beaten up mercilessly, there was a huge protest all over the country and the parliament was stalled. To save face, the Maharashtra government was forced to act and took Raj Thackeray under custody.

The government was not willing to enrage Raj Thackeray any further so it allowed his goons to vandalise the city the way they wanted. Mumbai came to a standstill for two days and the administrative measures of the city were exposed to the whole world.

This kind of open violence and impotent policing would have certainly spread far and wide and no sane corporation would like to relocate into a lawless zone. The existing corporation must regret their decision to choose this city. If not now then they will do that when they receive the order to fulfil certain demands. Knowing the clout of the person, no one would defy his order but they would pass this pathetic situation to other corporations.

There have been many dons in north India who wielded enormous influence but were neutralised by either the rival gang or the government.

But in Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray has become a political necessity to counter the influence of Shiv Sena. This political-criminal nexus has made Mumbai the only place on this earth where “Hitlership” is the rule. MNC goons are ruling the city and citizens are helpless. The city has become more dangerous and can not ever become the “Shanghai" of India. Dr Manmohan Singh would be disappointed but he himself is responsible for persisting with the present Vilasrao Deshmukh government of Maharashtra, which acted hands in glove with Raj Thackeray for some petty political benefits. There is still time to put the house in order and put these goons behind bars but will he muster enough courage for that brave act remains a question.