'Bole choodiyaan'... in the corporation

There’s never a dull day at the Corporation Council. Tuesday’s house proceedings seemed to be right out of a B-grade flick. There was drama, done-to-death tropes and ample muscle-flexing. Even a free-for-all.

It began with Rahul Shewale, Shiv Sena councillor from Mankhurd and chairman of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) standing committee, moving a notice of motion seeking acquisition of the plot of land owned by the civic body at the Mahalaxmi racecourse. The BMC had leased the plot to the Royal Western India Turf Club for 99 years. The 99 years were up on May 31.

Congress members kept demanding a discussion on the motion but the ruling Shiv Sena hurriedly passed it, solely on the strength of its numbers. That’s when decorum and logic flew out of the window. A smarting Sheetal Mhatre, Congress corporator, vented her ire on mayor Sunil Prabhu by resorting to a much-used trope: She offered him her glass bangles — a euphemism for emasculation.

Angered by the ‘insult’ to her party leader, Sena corporator from Mazgaon Yamini Jadhav flung Mhatre’s bangles back at her. That’s when all hell broke loose. Another Sena corporator, Kishori Pednekar, sprang into the mêlée. There began a huge ruckus on Prabhu’s dais with both Congress and Sena corporators raising slogans.

“The mayor represents 1.25 crore citizens of the city. Offering him bangles was an insult. We only reacted to her (Mhatre’s) action. We demand that she publicly apologise to Prabhu or we will not let her enter the House,” said Jadhav.

Prabhu said plot acquisition issue did not require any discussion as the proposal for passing a motion on it had been sanctioned by party group leaders at a previous meeting. “What Mhatre did on the floor of the House is a blot on democracy.”

Mhatre hit back at Jadhav and Pednekar. “Shiv Sena gave a glimpse in the House of its hooliganism,” she said.

Civic chief Sitaram Kunte has sought a report on the din. The fate of the resolution on acquisition is now in his hands.

A case on the ruckus has been registered with the Azad Maidan police.