"No One Can Separate Mumbai From Maharashtra": E Shinde On Thackerays' Charge

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who had to yield the driving seat to ally BJP for the Mumbai civic polls, hit back at the Opposition today, declaring that no one can ever sever Mumbai from Maharashtra. 

"I say it again, no mai ka lal can break off Mumbai from Maharashtra," he thundered at a rally at Mumbai's Shivaji Park. "Mahayuti's saffron flag will fly at the BMC (Brihanmumbai Corporation) and our Mayor will be a Marathi," he added.

He was seconded by his boss Devendra Fadnavis, who declared that "No one's father can divide Mumbai from Maharashtra". 

The rebuttal was to Thackeray cousins' allegation that the BJP's long-term gameplan is to carve Mumbai out of Maharashtra and add it to Gujarat. 

During a rally at the same venue on Sunday, Maharashtra Navnirman chief Raj Thackeray said, "The Vadhavan port is being developed. The BJP wants to take control of Palghar and join Mumbai to Gujarat. That is their long-term plan". 

The allegation was seen as fuel for their "Marathi Manoos" (Son of the soil) plank for the polls. Raj Thackeray raised the issue at the rally also, saying the coming election for the Mumbai civic body will be the "last" for the Marathi people.

Fadnavis said today that it was not Mumbai but their own political survival that the Thackeray brothers were trying to ensure. "Your own survival is at stake. This is not the last election for Mumbai and Marathi people. Your own survival is at stake," he said.

It was a recurring theme at the rally, where Shinde said, "This is not a 'Milap' (union) of hearts; it is a 'Vilap' (lament) of those who fear losing their last bastion. Two people who couldn't stand each other for 20 years are now holding hands because the ground beneath them is shifting".

The undivided Shiv Sena had dominated the BMC for around 25 years. Shinde, who split the party three years ago, is now playing second fiddle to the BJP, which is out to run the civic body - the richest in Asia - and enjoy the power and prestige that comes with this victory.

Elections to the 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Pune Municipal Corporation, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, will be held on January 15. The counting of votes will take place on January 16.