Dear Mumbaikar

I have the following questions to ask you. I ask you these questions after condemning the ghastly act of terrorism, and salute you for the small uprising you have tried to create at South Mumbai. I commend you for that.

1. You never responded in this manner when there was blast in the trains across the city of Mumbai. Is it because it was not South Mumbai or is it because you have awakened now?

2. You never responded in this manner when innocent Indians were getting driven out of Mumbai because they were not Maharashtrians? May be in South Mumbai, you have too much of money and clout to be driven away.

3. You never responded in this way in the 1993 serial blast. Why?

4. Most of the people who have risen to this call are people who assumed that their life is safe and suddenly have realized that nothing is safer. Is each of you on a personal agenda?

5. Suddenly you find congress gives ticket to Mr. Deshmukh, and NCP gives ticket to Mr R R Patil, and Raj Thackeray decide to contest from Mumbai. Whom will you vote for? Will you not vote? If one of them gets elected what do you plan to do about it? Can you ensure as Mumbaikar you shall not vote for anyone, who does not deserve and does not get elected.

6. Thanks to television. Everyone is getting visibility. Are you not responding to the calls of the media for exposure with rhetoric’s?

7. Many of your Mumbai celebrities were and are in touch with the Dawood. Many of them have developed sympathy with the incident and are on air asking for action? How sure are you of your actions?

8. The economic recession of the financial markets and the turmoil in the stock markets, has given space to the South Mumbai residents to do what they are doing and are galvanizing crowds across Mumbai. Otherwise they should have woken up in 1993 blasts.

9. The insulation of the middle class from the political process in the country is visible for the last 60 years. Suddenly they come to the front. It is good. But will they be able to sustain it? How do they plan to ensure it?

10. India as a country has believed in “tolerance for nonsense”, for a long time. As a nation, we have witnessed ability of its citizens to talk a lot, emotion a lot, vent a lot, and then forget about it with a reason “ life has to go on” “ people will come and go” . Why should you not be doing the same?

11. Many of the corporate big wigs have come on air and have expressed themselves. But they have also done this in the past. What difference is it going to be today? Are they supporting the cause of Mumbaikar or talking against terrorism in the nation? Such actions should not get repeated in any part of the world, but if it does say in XYZ in India do they think they can participate their as well.

12. TV channels have done a good job in galvanizing the movement. Essentially it was good TRP rating move for them.