BMC polls: Thackeray cousins accuse BJP of trying to remove Mumbai from Maharashtra, divide Marathi voters; warn on unopposed elections | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: In their first rally for the BMC polls at Shivaji Park ground, where the Shiv Sena was founded, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday accused BJP of trying to remove Mumbai from Maharashtra and also attempting to divide Marathi people, revealing their main electoral plank for the polls.They said they came together to save Mumbai and Maharashtra. The cousins also emphasised how the Adani group received the bulk of projects in the country and the state.

Uddhav said that when his party was in power in the BMC, they created deposits worth Rs 3 lakh, but BJP created a scam worth Rs 3 lakh crore. He also claimed that most of the projects in the city used cement from the Adani group.Raj alleged that BJP’s long-term game plan was to join Mumbai to Gujarat. “The Vadhavan port is being developed. BJP wants to take control of Palghar and join Mumbai to Gujarat. That is their long-term plan.”The MNS chief further alleged that BJP wants to control municipal corporations so it could control land transactions more easily. “They will then be able to give Adani more land.”Pointing out that the number of projects given to the Adani group shot up both in the country and the state from 2014, before PM Modi came to power, to 2024, Raj said: “The Adani group had projects in cement, ports, airports, power, real estate, data centres. Why was one corporate group favoured so much?” On the spate of unopposed elections to municipal corporations in which Mahayuti candidates are set to win, he said, “As many as 66 elections are unopposed. BJP is taking away your right to vote.”He also said that BJP was trying to divide Marathi people in Mumbai and edge them out of the city. “This is the last election for Marathi people. If you miss this opportunity, who will you go to?” asked Raj.He said that the martyrs of the Samyutka Maharashtra movement saved Mumbai from being given to Gujarat. Uddhav said the Jan Sangh was not involved in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, and mentioned that patriotic Muslims, like Shahir Amar Shaikh, were part of it. He challenged CM Devendra Fadnavis to conduct a poll campaign without bringing in a communal divide.“If he can conduct one election without bringing in Hindu-Muslim issues, I am willing to give him Rs 1 lakh.” Uddhav also questioned BJP’s electoral alliances with the MIM in Akot and Congress. “When you do it, it is ‘Amar Prem’, and when we do it, it is ‘Love Jihad’?”