Mumbai: Escalating the political battle ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Mumbai BJP President and MLA Ameet Satam on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), alleging large-scale corruption worth Rs 3 lakh crore over the last 25 years. Addressing a press conference after UBT released its BMC election manifesto, Satam unveiled an ‘Aarop Patra’ (charge sheet), accusing the party of misleading Mumbaikars with a “fake development agenda.”
Satam alleged that despite spending over Rs 21,000 crore on road works, Mumbai continues to suffer from pothole-ridden roads due to irregularities in the tendering process, inflated contracts and the award of projects to blacklisted companies. He also accused the previous civic administration of major scams during the COVID-19 pandemic, including irregular contracts for jumbo COVID centres, inflated procurement of body bags, and alleged irregularities in oxygen plant purchases. According to Satam, these alleged lapses resulted in losses running into hundreds of crores.
Highlighting issues in the education sector, Satam claimed that 114 Marathi-medium schools have shut down in Mumbai over the past decade and alleged scams in tablet procurement and other education-related schemes. He further alleged financial irregularities in water projects, including the scrapping of the Gargai and Pinjal dam projects and repeated hikes in water charges.
The BJP leader also cited alleged scams in nullah cleaning, flood control projects, garbage transport, BEST bus procurement, housing schemes and delays in infrastructure projects such as the Mithi River rejuvenation. Satam claimed that these failures have directly affected the quality of life of Mumbai’s residents.
Accusing UBT of misgovernance and corruption, Satam asserted that Mumbaikars are disillusioned after 25 years of UBT rule in the BMC. “This time, the people of Mumbai will decisively vote them out,” he said, adding that the upcoming civic elections would mark a turning point in the city’s politics.
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