"Biggest Issue For Mumbaikars Is Accountability": Milind Deora To NDTV

Accountability remains the single biggest concern for ordinary Mumbaikars, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said on Sunday, underscoring that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) must be answerable to the people it serves.

Speaking on NDTV's Power Play, Deora pointed out that the BMC is not only India's richest municipal body but also the wealthiest in Asia, a fact that Mumbai often takes pride in. He also noted that the civic body's annual budget is larger than the combined budgets of five Indian states.

The biggest issue for the common Mumbaikar is accountability. And the reason is very clear, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation is the richest municipal body in India and in Asia,” he said.

Without taking any names, Deora alleged that over the past 25 years, the BMC has been treated like an “ATM” by certain individuals and families, who, according to him, withdrew money from the civic body whenever it suited them. “Mumbai Mahanagar Palika has been used like an ATM,” he said.

Clarifying his party's stand, Deora said, “That is why wherever I go, I say that we also want to use the Mumbai Municipal Corporation like an ATM. But by ATM, we mean ‘Accountable To Mumbaikars'.” 

According to Deora, Mumbaikars want solutions to everyday civic problems, from poor road conditions and gaps in education to shortcomings in public hospitals. “The common Mumbaikar wants solutions to problems related to roads, education, public hospitals, BEST buses, electricity. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation must become accountable,” he said.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the high-stakes Mumbai, will be held on January 15, and votes will be counted the next day.

In the BMC elections held in 2017 for 227 seats, the BJP made giant strides in the Shiv Sena citadel of Mumbai, winning 82 seats, just two seats behind the estranged ally Shiv Sena (undivided).

The Congress was relegated to the third position with 31 seats, whereas the NCP (undivided) and Raj Thackeray's MNS were reduced to 9 and 7 seats, respectively.

AIMIM had won three seats on debut, Samajwadi Party six, Akhil Bhartiya Sena one, and Independents four.