Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (55) stated on Tuesday that post-elections the administration of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be overhauled after the elections and the resistance within the civic body will be crushed. This statement is significant in the context of the perception that over a period of years, several persons sympathetic to a political party have been inducted in the BMC administration.
No Bifurcation of BMC
In a free-wheeling interaction with select journalists at his official residence ``Varsha" in Malabar Hill on the eve of the crucial elections to the BMC and other municipal bodies across Maharashtra slated for January 15, Fadnavis, who looked a tad tired at the end of hectic campaigning all over the state, said he will give a transparent and corruption-free civic administration. He denied that there was any move to have two municipal corporations for Mumbai. He also revealed that after the elections, the ongoing campaign to identify and deport Rohingyas and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh will be stepped up and the metropolis will be rid of these persons in the next four months. He said the state government is already in touch with the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, to develop an Artificial Intelligence-based method of tracking the illegal migrants and deporting them in close collaboration with the Union home ministry. He agreed to a suggestion that these illegal migrants, whose number is believed to be in lakhs, pose a serious threat to the law and order situation in the city.
Responding to a question about the municipal polls, he said the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) was certain to capture all the 29 councils barring three. He did not name the three councils though. As for BMC, he said the Mahayuti was certain to secure the majority and it will install a Hindu Marathi mayor. However, a large voter turnout was necessary and the alliance partners have worked hard towards achieving this goal.
Mahayuti’s Poll Confidence
Fadnavis said the coming together of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray will not have much of an impact on the polls outcome. He said Raj was a ``loser" and he will make no difference in the poll. He said unlike the late Bal Thackeray, who was a strong brand, Uddhav and Raj have no brand value. But PM Narendra Modi was a powerful brand popular with the masses. He said there was no sway of the Marathi manoos towards the Thackeray cousins. He pooh-poohed the claim made by the Thackeray brothers that the Marathi manoos were in danger in Mumbai and this might well be the last elections. He said the Marathi manoos have seen the track record of the BJP-led government with its heavy emphasis on development and had voted for it in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in a big way. Uddhav and Raj's parties had no presence beyond Mumbai and Nashik city. He said the BJP's vote share was constant and the important thing was to woo the floating vote.
He noted that the demoralisation of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS can be gauged from the fact that both the parties did not field a candidate against Neil Somaiya, whose father and ex-MP Kirit Somaiya had waged a relentless war against these two parties. He said there were certain problems during the seat-sharing talks between the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde), but these were resolved amicably with the BJP adopting an accommodative approach.
Third Mumbai Vision
Fadnavis said the ruling coalition was approaching the voters on a platform of speedy development. He said the coastal road, Atal Setu, Metro lines, Bandra-Versova sea link, and the Navi Mumbai airport collectively speak about the development agenda of the alliance. He said the Wadhavan port, an airport near it, the Virar-Alibaug multi-modal corridor and other mega projects are sure to change the face of the metropolis. The third Mumbai proposed in the metropolitan region will be bigger than Pune, which alone has emerged as the fastest-growing urban centre. He said massive data centres, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), international education hubs and other projects will transform the region in an unprecedented way and open up huge potential for employment. He said 60% of data centres of India would be situated in this region.
When pointed out that in the past the BJP had sought votes on the basis of its India Shining campaign, but it did not yield political dividend, Fadnavis replied that that programme was more about BJP shining. But now the ground situation has changed dramatically and the people are backing only those parties who can not only promise, but also deliver on a solid pro-development agenda.
NCP Joint Manifesto Downplayed
Asked about the two factions of the NCP issuing a joint manifesto for the Pune municipal corporation polls, Fadnavis said this appeared to be a one-off thing, which was not indicative of any political realignment. He said the BJP has emerged as such a powerful political force in Maharashtra that it would continue to play a pivotal role for many years to come.
When his attention was drawn to an exclusive report recently in the FPJ about the missing Rs 400 cr cash while in transit from Karnataka to Gujarat, the CM said he read the report but was not able to follow it up because of his hectic campaign schedule. The money apparently belonged to a Thane builder and a senior politician from that city who is his sleeping partner.
SIT Report on Sanjay Pandey
Asked about the SIT report which recommended the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against former director-general of police Sanjay Pandey, the CM said the outgoing DG had submitted the report to him a few days ago. There was even a suggestion that Pandey was acting at the behest of the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and planning to arrest Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde in connection with an alleged Urban Land Ceiling scam. Leaders of the BJP had even demanded an FIR against Uddhav Thackeray. The CM said would study the SIT report closely and would act on it if there were grounds to proceed against anyone.
RSS Support Acknowledged
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had played a crucial role in voter mobilisation during the last assembly election which majorly helped the BJP. Asked if the RSS was repeating its campaign during the BMC polls also, Fadnavis replied that several organisations affiliated to the Sangh were helping.
He also denied that state BJP president Ravindra Chavan had touched the feet of an MIM Muslim leader during a public meeting at Ulhasnagar recently. He said the person to whom Chavan paid respects was Chhotu Sai, a spiritual leader of Sindhis. He said vested interests were spreading a false narrative that Chavan was paying obeisance to a Muslim leader.
When his attention was drawn to the allotment of Wilson Gymkhana land to a Jain organisation even when the matter was pending in Bombay high court, Fadnavis said the land belonged to the government and the lease had expired. He noted that the high court had not granted any stay. In any case, the land will be taken back from the Jains if they violate the terms and conditions of allotment.
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