Pradeep Mehrotra 
In Maharashtra, rain fury has increased the misery of Mumbaikers and Pawar- PM meeting has raised political temperature and alleged un easiness in political circles. ED's raid at former home minister's ancestral house in Nagpur also raised some questions.
It rains furiously now
Heavy downpour has taken at least life of 25 people in Mumbai. In spite of the monsoon’s onset last month, there was an anxiety among the people in Mumbai whether there would be enough rainfall to fill up the lakes and dams which provide water to the inhabitants of the city. However, rainfall has now picked up more energy but with abundant rainfall, it has brought with itself waterlogging , evacuation of the people and at some places tragedy. Media reports say that at least 25 people died after they got buried under the rubble of their home due to landslides in Chembur and Vikhroli during heavy rains that lashed the city for several hours late last night and also early Sunday morning. A residential building collapsed in Vikhroli in the in the early morning hours killing three people. Fifteen people have been rescued from Chembur’s Bharat Nagar area and nine from Vikhroli’s Suryanagar. Injured people have been taken to nearby hospitals and rescue operation is on in both these areas. Water logging was reported in several areas including Chunabhatti, Sion, Dadar, Gandhi Market and Kurla LBS Road. According to India Meteorological Department, Mumbai will continue to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next five days.
Pawar Meets PM
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday had a fifty minute meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The timing of meeting has raised questions, two day ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament. But NCP spokesperson Majeed Memon said that unnecessary yarns were being woven about the Pawar-Modi meeting. He said that Pawar raised various questions from the Ministry of Cooperation, farmers’ agitation, Maratha reservation and so on and the meeting should not be viewed from political perspective alone. About a month ago, during his New Dekhi visit, CM Uddhav Thakrey also had a one-to-one meeting with PM Modi and since then other partners of ruling alliace were reportedly not confortable.And now Pawar's meeting with the PM has again started the restless ness among partners in the state politics. Though , Observers are busy to find out the real motive of the two bigwigs but the close door meeting has certainly raised the political 'Gup Shup"
ED's raid at Deshmukh's house
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday morning raided former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh’s ancestral house in Wadvihira and Katol in Nagpur district in connection with the Rs100 crore extortion case. ED sleuths accompanied by a team of armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) reached Deskhmukh’s two houses and started a search operation, Raids continued for hours. The houses have been cordoned off by the CRPF. It is said that Deshmukh or his close relatives were not present in the houses at Katol and Wadvihira. The said action of ED is being seen as politically very senstive because Deshmukh is a NCP leader and was home minister of the state before he resigned. It is said that Deshmukh or his close relatives were not present in the houses at Katol and Wadvihira. Deshmukh had earlier skipped ED’s summons for questioning in the case.
