Mumbai: Makes an attempt are afoot to create a rift between the Marathi and non-Marathi talking inhabitants of Mumbai, and any possibilities of an Uddhav-Raj Thackeray reunion on the ‘Marathi voters’ platform may have no impression on the upcoming civic polls, Ameet Satam, Bharatiya Janata Get together’s (BJP) Mumbai unit president has mentioned.

In an interview to ThePrint, Satam, who took over the reins of the BJP’s metropolis unit final week, mentioned the BJP’s marketing campaign will spotlight numerous main infrastructure upgrades that the “get together has applied” in Mumbai by means of the state authorities.

“There are some people who find themselves making an attempt to create a rift within the metropolis of Mumbai, a rift within the society on the premise of language, on the premise of group. They’re doing so to regain the bottom they’ve misplaced within the final so a few years within the metropolis of Mumbai. I feel the Mumbaikar is a mature and pondering citizen and the Mumbaikar is aware of very properly who has labored for town within the final 11 years,” Satam informed ThePrint.

On the potential of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) becoming a member of fingers for the upcoming civic election in Mumbai, Satam mentioned, “Each political get together and each political chief is free to do no matter she or he thinks is right for his or her get together. So, I’m no one to touch upon anyone else’s stand. We’ll concentrate on our agenda.”

He added, “It (Thackeray cousins coming collectively) has zero impression on the bottom as a result of the Marathi voter is aware of who has labored for her or him, and who has labored for town.”

The BMC elections, which have been pending since 2022 when the time period of the overall physique lapsed, are anticipated to be held early subsequent 12 months. BJP leaders, together with Satam, have mentioned on report that the get together will contest the ballot unitedly with its allies within the Mahayuti—the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Get together (NCP).

In the meantime, for the primary time since Raj Thackeray walked out of Bal Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in 2005, the Thackeray cousins have reached out to one another.

In July this 12 months, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray addressed a joint rally to oppose the “imposition of Hindi” in Maharashtra when the state authorities had proposed to introduce Hindi as a obligatory third language in main faculty training.

Since then the 2 events have drawn nearer, with each leaders having given indications that they’re prepared to think about a reunion for the sake of town’s Marathi inhabitants.

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BJP to kickstart BMC marketing campaign this month

Satam, a three-time MLA from Mumbai’s Andheri West constituency, mentioned the BJP will launch its marketing campaign for the civic polls this month.

The BJP’s Mumbai unit has deliberate a big gathering of its total rank and file, which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will handle. At this occasion, Fadnavis may even inaugurate a web based platform for all residents to register their strategies and inputs on what they anticipate the BMC, the nation’s richest civic physique, to do within the metropolis.

“With the assistance of that platform, we’re going to search strategies from Mumbaikars for the event of Mumbai. We’ll name upon the whole metropolis. All BJP staff will come knocking on the doorways of Mumbaikars, looking for their blessings, and likewise looking for their strategies and their views so far as the event strategy of town is worried,” Satam, who used to work as a human useful resource skilled within the personal sector earlier than turning into an energetic politician, mentioned.

He added, “After analysing all of the inputs which might be offered to us by the Mumbaikars, we’ll come out with our manifesto. And after we now have the Mahayuti mayor put in within the BMC, we’ll work in direction of the execution of that manifesto.”

The BMC was dominated by the undivided Shiv Sena for 25 years until 2022, with the BJP being a junior associate for probably the most half. In 2017, each events contested the elections independently and the BJP ended up successful 82 of the 277 seats, simply two in need of the undivided Shiv Sena’s 84. In final 12 months’s Meeting election too, the BJP, which swept the state, additionally emerged because the single-largest get together in Mumbai, successful 15 seats, adopted by the Sena (UBT) which gained 10 seats in Mumbai, half of its complete tally throughout Maharashtra.

Among the many Mahayuti companions, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena clinched 5 whereas the Ajit Pawar-led NCP obtained one seat.

On whether or not the BJP wants its Mahayuti companions to put in a mayor in Mumbai, Satam mentioned, “We don’t want it. Town wants it. The Mumbaikar wants it. Due to the type of improvement town has seen within the final 11 years, town and the Mumbaikar needs and goals of seeing the identical type of improvement by means of the BMC.”

Whereas the BJP got here to energy within the state in 2014, the Mahayuti alliance has been in energy because the Shiv Sena break up in June 2022.

“We have already got the state authorities contributing, and if the civic physique additionally comes into the image with a constructive position, and a clear administration, it might probably do wonders for town,” Satam mentioned, including that the interval from 1997 to 2022, was certainly one of “non-transparent and visionless administration” within the BMC.

‘Mumbai’s Marathi inhabitants with BJP’

Of the 15 seats that the BJP gained within the Meeting polls in Mumbai final 12 months, solely 4 had been from the island metropolis of Mumbai the place a number of pockets are thought-about to be the Marathi heartlands.

Satam mentioned, whereas the BJP has roughly equal distribution of elected representatives throughout town, there may be scope for enchancment. A number of housing tasks that the state authorities is driving in pockets of the island metropolis will assist the get together bridge that hole, he mentioned.

“With the type of work, particularly the work of offering 500-square ft properties to these residing within the Worli Bombay Improvement Directorate (BDD) chawls and the Abhyudaya Nagar Redevelopment Mission (close to Parel), and likewise with the choice of offering properties beneath the PM Awas Yojana to all these slum dwellers who’ve been residing within the constructions since earlier than 2011… I feel these housing tasks are going to additional our trigger so far as the south Mumbai area is worried,” Satam mentioned.

As per slum redevelopment norms in Mumbai, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) offers free housing in Mumbai just for constructions that had been constructed as much as 2000.

Satam mentioned, in its marketing campaign, the BJP will emphasise how its governments on the Centre and state have pushed showpiece infrastructure tasks such because the Atal Setu, the coastal highway and main Metro traces in Mumbai, highlighting how it’s constructing a Metro community of over 300 kilometres within the metropolis, with some traces operational and lots of others beneath development.

“It’s our imaginative and prescient that from any level to any level within the metropolis you must have the ability to cowl that distance in lower than one hour’s time, and I feel we’re quickly approaching the completion of that imaginative and prescient,” he mentioned, including that it simply takes political will.

In a veiled taunt on the Shiv Sena (UBT), Satam mentioned, there’s a “concerted try and spoil the picture of the Marathi manoos (particular person)” by pitting Marathi voters versus non-Marathi voters.

The difficulty of closing town’s ‘kabootarkhanas’, which Mumbai’s Jain group is in opposition to, is being made out to be a rift between communities by opposition events, when the difficulty is expounded to well being and surroundings, Satam mentioned.

He mentioned, “The Marathi manoos is a really large-hearted particular person. Any particular person coming from any a part of the nation who has been staying within the metropolis for a really very long time who considers Marathi as his mom tongue is a Marathi for the Marathi manoos.”

“They (opposition events) are simply making an attempt to divert these points, however the Marathi manoos and the Mumbaikar is a really pondering, accountable and understanding type of an individual, and therefore they won’t digress from the core points,” he added.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)

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