Mumbai, Feb 13 (IANS) Two days after the unopposed election of BJP corporator Ritu Tawde as the Mumbai Mayor, Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Friday characterised the new administration as a “dark day” for Mumbai, alleging that the ruling party’s leadership will prioritise the interests of industrialists over the Marathi people, and will facilitate land acquisitions by major businesses.
The party said that this is despite Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissing such concerns, stating that the new leadership would bring a transparent administration and fulfil the dreams of Mumbai’s citizens.
The Thackeray camp in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, claimed that the BJP secured power by “creating a rift” among Marathi voters. “Money was spent like a dam bursting just to ensure a BJP Mayor was appointed. If the keys to the municipal corporation were in Shiv Sena’s hands, they would have stopped this looting of Mumbai. Therefore, a conspiracy was hatched to ensure there wouldn’t be a ‘pure Marathi’ Mayor from Shiv Sena. Just as Morarji Desai ruthlessly ordered firing on Marathi people during the United Maharashtra movement, the BJP is now tearing Mumbai apart piece by piece,” it alleged.
The editorial said that Mayor Ritu Tawade’s recent statements are both amusing and laughable. “She claimed she will make Mumbai pothole-free and corruption-free, throwing out “25 years of accumulated corruption” to make the city safe. While her intentions may be good, achieving this is no longer in her hands. She also says she will make the city safe for women, which implies that Fadnavis’s Home Department has failed in this regard. Her agenda includes deporting Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims, which is also a matter for the Home Department. Furthermore, while she wants to deport them, the Modi government has approved a special grant of 600 million rupees for Bangladeshi aid in the budget,” it added.
According to the Thackeray camp, the irony of the Mayor seeking to deport Bangladeshi residents is that the Central government has already allocated specific budget grants for aid to Bangladesh.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena said for four years, Mumbai was under the administrator’s rule, during which contractors from the “Gujarat lobby” allegedly looted the municipal treasury. “Bills worth thousands of crores were collected for uncompleted work, with a large “cut” sent to the Urban Development Department. The Mayor should expose this corruption,” it added.
The editorial said if the Mayor intends to put a stop to this corruption, she is welcome to talk about it. Otherwise, the duty of fighting this corruption should be left to the strong opposition. “The new administration should remember that there are nearly 100 opposition corporators in the municipal hall. While the tradition of a Shiv Sena Mayor has been broken this time, the responsibility of protecting the Marathi identity of Mumbai remains with the Shiv Sena created by its founder. Those who have seized control of Mumbai with the help of outsiders will have to pay a heavy price in the future,” it remarked.
Commenting on the shift in power, the Thackeray camp said after 42 years, a BJP corporator has become the Mayor of Mumbai. “Why did it take four and a half decades for the BJP to secure this post? Why did the citizens of Mumbai keep them away from municipal power for so long? This is a matter for them to reflect upon, especially since they did not achieve this post through straightforward means this time either. They accomplished this by creating a rift in the unity of the Marathi people. While mayoral elections took place across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, the Mumbai Mayor’s post is special,” it noted.
–IANS
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