Uddhav Thackeray Announces Protest March Against Corruption in BMC; Desperate Measure, Says Fadnavis

The Shiv Sena-UBT will take out a protest march to BMC headquarters in Mumbai on July 1 to protest alleged irregularities in its functioning, party leader and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on Tuesday. The march will be led by senior leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray.

Addressing a press conference, Thackeray accused the Eknath Shinde-led government of “looting” public money and demanded that long-pending elections to BMC be held soon.

He said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) revenue was in deficit when the Shiv Sena took charge in 1997 but in the next 25 years, its fixed deposits rose to a whopping Rs 92,000 crore. He alleged Rs 7,000 crore to Rs 9,000 crore has been spent from these FDs now.

“Mumbai is left without any guardian and loot is on. Someone has to question the BMC because this is people’s money. The Shiv Sena (UBT) will take out a morcha against irregularities in the BMC,” he said.

India’s richest civic body was ruled by the Shiv Sena (undivided) from 1997 to 2022 and is currently under an administrator as the term of its elected corporators ended early last year and fresh polls are due.

The Shinde government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe “irregularities” worth Rs 12,024 crore in various works of the Mumbai civic body flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The irregularities allegedly pertain to the period when the undivided Shiv Sena headed the MVA coalition government with the Congress and NCP.

In a separate meeting of party workers, Thackeray said the Shiv Sena-UBT will fight elections alone if no consensus is reached at the Opposition meeting in Patna. “If all-party alliance happens in Patna, then nothing like it. But if it doesn’t get work out, we are capable of facing the election on our own. Remember, we won the last BMC election without Modi-Shah,” he said.

In the meeting, several Shiv Sena-UBT corporators reportedly complained that BMC officers were not cooperating with them while corporators from Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena and the BJP were receiving funds without any issues.

“They will try to lure you with some offers and try to deviate you. But don’t fall in their trap. Even if you are not getting funds, try to work for the people,” Thackeray is said to have told party corporators.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed the Shiv Sena-UBT’s protest a “desperate measure”.

“Uddhavji’s unease is understandable as the CM-appointed SIT is going to expose a gang in the BMC that was active because of his (Thackeray’s) blessings. The CAG, in its report, has already indicated the possibility of corruption in various procurement orders issued by the BMC,” said Fadnavis, who also handles Home and Finance portfolios.

Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar also targeted Uddhav Thackeray, saying: “When the CAG report was tabled in the state Assembly, why did Shiv Sena-UBT MLAs keep quiet? This means they also accepted that irregularities took place in the BMC. Everything will come out once the SIT is formed by the Chief Minister.”