What kind of game is this politics... ? Democracy on the faces, but only a matchbox in the hand...!

Last week, after storming out of Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, the Delhi visit of Shiv Sena chief leader and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the fury of MNS youth leader Amit Thackeray, politics ignited by Prime Minister Modi’s photograph, and the subsequent accusations and counter‑accusations… Maharashtra witnessed many shades of politics over the week. Yet the only question is whether, beyond the public’s concerns, the leaders are now more interested in fighting each other…?

In politics, differences, conflicts, and accusations are inevitable. However, when political ego outweighs the fundamental questions of the public, democracy falters. Some of the incidents that occurred in Maharashtra last week have brought this very question back to the forefront. On one side there were power‑center maneuvers; on the other, a political dispute that began with students’ meal trays and escalated into direct party confrontation—together these have held a mirror to Maharashtra’s politics.

The sudden trip to Delhi by Shiv Sena chief and Deputy Chief Minister, a key figure in the Mahayuti government, Eknath Shinde—leaving a cabinet meeting—also sparked political discussion. Leaders’ trips to Delhi are no longer novel. However, when the exact purpose of such visits is not clarified, speculation runs rampant. In political power equations, every move carries meaning; thus, a lack of transparency truly fuels rumors.

At the same time, the issue of substandard meals in the hostel of a government training institute in Pune surfaced. After students persisted, MNS youth leader Amit Thackeray visited the institute and questioned the officials. The matter was genuinely about providing quality food to students. However, during the same visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph was seen placed beside those of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, igniting a fresh controversy. The photograph was subsequently taken down, and the students’ concern in Pune instantly turned into a question of party prestige.

Even as the BJP’s regional leaders, officials, legislators, MPs, and senior workers were holding a national executive meeting in Pune, BJP youth‑wing workers in Mumbai staged a protest directly at Raj Thackeray’s ‘Shivtirth’ residence, making the atmosphere highly tense. Yet the question remains the same… where did the issue of the students’ meals go…?

Subsequently, the aggressive response of BJP state president Ravindra Chavan towards Amit Thackeray further inflamed the dispute. When political differences are expressed in personal‑level language, the intensity of the clash rises… but does this enhance the party’s reputation or lower the standard of politics? This is a consideration for every leader…