Who humiliated D. B. Patil when he was alive ?
• Navi Mumbai Airport (Diba Patil Airport) Naming Controversy
A battle is now underway to name the forthcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (D. B. Patil Airport) after the late PWP leader D. B. Patil (“Diba”). Those who humiliated him when he was alive are at the forefront of the agitation, pretending to be his sympathizers. Ironically, those who once humiliated and sidelined him during his lifetime are now posing as his sympathizers.
Fertile land from Navi Mumbai, Panvel, and Uran (in the Kolaba area, which fell under the erstwhile Kolaba constituency in Raigad district) was acquired by CIDCO at a throwaway price. While setting up the Navi Mumbai satellite township, outsiders flourished, and the sons of the soil were left impoverished. It was D. B. Patil who fought relentlessly to ensure that those whose land was acquired for the project received 12.5 percent land in addition to monetary compensation.
Patil took the issue of the Project Affected People (PAPs) all the way to New Delhi. However, he was expelled from the PWP in 1996 at the behest of former PWP MP Ram Thakur. Ram Thakur’s son, Prashant (now a BJP MLA, Prashant Thakur), and former MLC Jayant Patil were all part of the same coterie. Ram Thakur was at the forefront of the campaign against D.B. Patil. At that time, what did the sons of the soil from Navi Mumbai, Uran, and Panvel do? Did they initiate any agitation in favor of “Diba”?
“Diba” represented the ethos of the people of Uran, Panvel, and Navi Mumbai. Ram Thakur could have used his influence to prevent his expulsion, but he himself viewed Patil with a jaundiced eye. Why didn’t the sons of the soil gherao Jayant Patil, Ram Thakur, and others as a token of gratitude towards “Diba” then?
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The unsung legacy of D. B. Patil
The two-time MP “Diba” wanted to contest the Lok Sabha election for a third term; in fact, he was the first claimant for the ticket. But his voice was suppressed. Ram Thakur got the ticket, contested the 1998 election, and won. Ironically, Ram, who voted against the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and toppled it, is today in the BJP, and his son Prashant is a BJP MLA.
The four-time MLA and two-time MP “Diba” decided to contest the election again in 1999, but his candidature was opposed by Ram Thakur. In the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, it was Shiv Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray who gave a ticket to “Diba”. He contested but lost by 43,097 votes due to a negative propaganda campaign by Ram Thakur, who emerged as the winner. Due to the shock of this defeat, “Diba” fell sick and suffered for a long time. The Shiv Sena was the last political party for “Diba,” as he never switched loyalties.
Now, there is a massive campaign on Facebook and social media in favor of “Diba” led by Ram Thakur and others. So why was he prevented from entering the Lok Sabha for a third time?
The sons of the soil should be awake to this ground reality. All others flourished, while “Diba” remained poor and helpless. Still, he continued to work for the cause of the project-affected people. All those responsible for his bad days will certainly meet their Waterloo sooner or later.
