Raj Thackeray alleges plan to strip Mumbai of wealth, land

In a scathing revelation during the second part of the joint interview in Saamana with Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS chief Raj Thackeray alleged a deeprooted ldquostrategic plotrdquo to strip Mumbai of its wealth and territoryHe warned that the threat to Mumbairsquos autonomy is now more serious than during the Samyukta Maharashtra movement of the 1950sObjective has shifted from wealth to carving up MumbaiRaj Thackeray said that while earlier attempts focused on controlling Mumbairsquos wealth the present agenda is to physically break off parts of the cityReferring to historical opposition to Mumbairsquos inclusion in Maharashtra he claimed that the number of vested interests eyeing the city has multiplied manifoldMMR infrastructure projects questionedRaj Thackeray raised concerns over large infrastructure projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region questioning their true intentHe asked why airports are being planned near the Vadhavan Port close to the Gujarat border suggesting an attempt to realign Maharashtrarsquos economic geographyNavi Mumbai airport Vadhavan Port part of larger planRaj Thackeray alleged that the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport and the Vadhavan Port is aimed at hollowing out Mumbairsquos core infrastructureHe claimed the process of shifting cargo operations from Mumbairsquos existing airport has already begun and will eventually extend to all flightsMumbai airport land eyed for massive real estate playldquoThe current Mumbai airport area is so vast that at least 50 Shivaji Parks could fit inside itrdquo he said alleging plans to sell the land once operations are movedRaj Thackeray claimed the ultimate goal is to divert Mumbairsquos economic wealth to a select class and eventually to GujaratMove termed lsquostrategic dismantlingrsquo of MumbaiHe concluded by framing the alleged plan not as development but as a calculated dismantling of Mumbairsquos assets to benefit specific business and real estate interestsBJP repackaged expired product its time is up Uddhav and Raj Thackeray in joint interviewShiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS president Raj Thackeray on Friday claimed that the BJP has exhausted its ideological appeal and is now relying solely on financial power and administrative pressureThe BJP has reached a point of political saturation and is now surviving on borrowed time said the two leaders in an interview in Shiv Sena UBTs mouthpiece SaamanalsquoRepackaged expired productrsquo Uddhav Thackerayrsquos sharp analogyIn the second part of the interview Uddhav Thackeray said the BJPrsquos politics in Maharashtra has crossed its expiry date and accused it of masking decay using central agencies