Mumbai: “We didn’t consider Mumbai as a golden egg,” said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at an event organised at Abhyudaya Nagar in Kalachowki. He emphasised that Mumbai is home to people who have worked hard and built their houses, but some of them have used Mumbaikars as vote banks for elections for the last 25 years. The event, ‘Thank You Devendraji’, was organised by Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar and BJP MLC Pravin Darekar.
“For the last 10 years, we have been making decisions in favour of Mumbaikars so they don’t have to leave the city as it belongs to Marathi manoos. We will do whatever it takes to get him a rightful home here,” Fadnavis said, adding, “I don’t want to thank you, I want your blessings,” he said.
Residents Not Happy With Govt's Plan
The residents of Abhyudaya Nagar, however, were not interested in the event, with 70% evidently invited from other parts of Mumbai for which buses were arranged.
Interior designer Nikhil Mishra said, “We thought the deputy CM will discuss the long pending redevelopment of Abhyudaya Nagar but he started patting his own back by counting the list of redevelopment works and projects done in Mumbai. So there was no point attending it.”
Meanwhile, Fadnavis said that when he was invited for the event, he did not want to accept felicitations. “We were not in power in 2019 and all projects came to a halt as at that time the government was not bothered to look into the matter. But now under the leadership of CM Eknath Shinde all projects will accelerate and Mumbaikars will get their homes in the city,” he said.
About The Core Issue
The redevelopment of Abhyudaya Nagar is a major issue for which meetings with CM Shinde are underway, he said, and a fruitful decision will be taken. “In the next cabinet meeting, this issue and that of police colonies will be resolved. Mumbaikars will get double FSI,” Fadnavis said.
MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar, housing minister Atul Save, education minister Deepak Kesarkar, skill development minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha also spoke on this occasion, which the residents of Abhyudaya Nagar called the Mahayuti’s poll plank.
