Within a span of thirty months, the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government has presented a textbook lesson in misgovernance. The state was forced into lockdowns under the garb of preparing health infrastructure. If “preparation” for the health crisis was the objective, we do not know what preparations happened. If experts tell us that the virus may not be so easily tamed — it will stay with us for quite some time and raise its head again and again, we do not know why lockdowns were being used as a quick-fix and millions of livelihoods were pushed to the brink, over and over. If citizens were asked to lock themselves inside their homes and if businesses were asked to pull down their shutters, we do not know why politicians in power were seen inaugurating memorials and party offices. What we know is that the long, extended and inhuman lockdown was being turned into an opportunity to penalize the political opponent and the citizen for being at the opposite end of the political spectrum.

When narrow politics dominates, governance becomes secondary and holding onto the government becomes the only priority. That Uddhav Thackeray lacks the leadership skills, capability and integrity to guide the state through a national emergency is not a new insight — it has been clear for months. But when the absolute mismanagement on the Covid-19 front and the staggering degree of incompetence and the lack of control over matters endangers the safety of the people, it becomes important to seek accountability. Asking questions becomes a responsibility.

The Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress alliance is both an ideologically and politically compromised one. It is becoming clear that Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA experiment will serve less as a legacy and more as a cautionary tale. The government’s unenviably lackluster term is riddled with indecision, lethargy, differences and divisions, and this, despite having a veteran like Sharad Pawar on their side to learn from and consult.

In the absence of leaders with legitimacy, Maharashtra is sinking under MVA’s incompetence and indifference. Every single citizen has had to pay a heavy price for MVA’s brand of misgovernance. The political elite has lost the capacity to comprehend, leave aside handle, the state of Maharashtra. But even if the elite were to understand the complication, they do not have the trust of the public or legitimacy to stay in government. Uddhav Thackeray might have flourished with the help of a compliant media busy in serving Sharad Pawar, but the citizen has only withered.  The citizen is fatigued by the government’s ineffectiveness; the constant prioritizing of a son’s ego over administration; and above all, the emptiness of a man who delivered so very little for a promise given behind closed doors — a promise which no one ever knew about. The people have already gone through tough times and are no longer prepared to enter a tunnel which shows no light at its end. To stem the rot of this squalid misgovernance, the citizen needs to come out of the mental-intellectual lockdown that it has willingly accepted. The citizen, long a mute spectator to its own plunder, needs to awaken and raise their voice against the injustices of the MVA government. Maharashtra cannot remain stagnant at this juncture. The continuance of the MVA is a cost that Maharashtra cannot afford.

Maharashtra needs Devendra Fadnavis to return. An icon of Maharastrian aspiration with an absolutely non-corrupt personality, the state again needs the massive development thrust that he delivered in his first term as the Chief Minister. Development was the only focus area under CM Devendra Fadnavis. The Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan had ensured that 17,583 villages have adequate water supply. Mumbai alone had 191 km of metro work planned. Similarly, Nagpur, Pune and Maharashtra had their share. The state received a whooping Rs 3,75,000 crores FDI during his tenure. Devendra Fadnavis is a man on a mission with focus on ‘transform, reform and perform’. He is a leader who inspires and a visionary who delivers. Devendra truly means development in today’s Maharashtra.

It is for the citizen now to assert their collective will on those we elected to serve us but who have betrayed our trust. The message to them must be unequivocal — govern or go. Considering how out-of-depth the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government has seemed, only a BJP government can ensure sushasan or good governance, and vikas.