Will deport Bangladeshi infiltrators, ensure Marathi-Hindu mayor in Mumbai: Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the BJP-led Mahayuti would identify and deport "Bangladeshi infiltrators" from Mumbai and ensure the country’s financial capital gets a mayor who is a Marathi and Hindu.

He also said the government would create a Rs 17,000-crore environmental budget for Mumbai to make it the most environmentally sustainable city in the country, and that details of the scheme would be announced soon.

Fadnavis was on Saturday addressing the first rally of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance for the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, which he said would determine the future of the metropolis and added that every Mumbaikar living in the city would have a home here.

“We will identify Bangladeshi infiltrators in Mumbai and send them back, making the city safer. In the last seven months, many Bangladeshis have already been sent back from Mumbai, and we will not stop until all such infiltrators are deported,” he said.

Referring to the mayoral post, Fadnavis said, “Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and I have made it clear that Mumbai’s mayor will be a Marathi and a Hindu. Some people spoke about a burqa-clad woman becoming mayor, but those who claim to champion Marathi pride did not object. We are clear. Mumbai’s mayor will be a Marathi-Hindu.” The issue had snowballed after Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam recently remarked that his party would not allow any “Khan” to become the city’s mayor, triggering sharp reactions from the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

After uniting with Sena (UBT) chief and his cousin Uddhav Thackeray, MNS president Raj Thackeray had declared that “Mumbai's mayor will be Marathi, and he will be ours”.

Fadnavis said the January 15 polling date coincides with the culturally significant Uttarayan period, when days begin to lengthen, and described the civic elections as one that would usher in a new phase for Mumbai.

“The BMC elections are about changing Mumbai’s image and future. January 16 marks the coronation anniversary of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, and it should symbolise Mumbai being won by the Mahayuti,” he said during the rally in the Worli area.

Elections to 29 civic bodies, including BMC, will be held on January 15, and votes will be counted on January 16. The BMC has 227 electoral wards.

Taking a swipe at Opposition promises, Fadnavis said voters were accustomed to “tall claims” ahead of elections, but the Mahayuti was offering a credible alternative.

Referring to assurances by Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS leaders on free electricity and property tax waivers, he said the BJP-led alliance believes in delivering on commitments rather than making unrealistic announcements.

Whenever elections approach, the BJP faces the allegations that it wants to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra, he said.

“I checked while returning to Mumbai whether it had been separated from Maharashtra. Mumbai is very much there and will remain so. Some people lose their balance when elections are near,” he said.

Fadnavis also criticised campaigns centred on linguistic identity, saying no one could detach Mumbai from the rest of the state and that Mumbaikars want development. “This election is about Mumbai and its people, who are awake and want progress,” he said.

He said thousands of mill workers were forced to leave the city due to inaction by those who previously controlled the BMC. Questioning the utility of the BMC’s large fixed deposits, he asked, “What is the use of Rs 70,000 crore in FDs if Marathi people had to leave Mumbai out of desperation?” Citing the redevelopment of BDD (Bombay Development Department) chawls in Worli in central Mumbai, Fadnavis said the state government had provided 500 sq ft homes to Marathi families, earlier living in 100 sq ft units, at no extra cost, benefiting around 80,000 people.

“This is the kind of work we want to do for Mumbaikars,” he said.

“We have resolved that every Mumbaikar living in the city will have a home in Mumbai. Slum dwellers, too, will be provided with good-quality housing,” Fadnavis added.

The CM said the government is building a 450-km-long Metro network, of which 150 km is already operational, making the commute more comfortable for Mumbaikars.

“Each year, we are adding between 50 and 100 km of Metro lines across Mumbai and the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) so that people can travel from one end of the MMR to the other in a maximum of 59 minutes. This is how the entire network has been designed and planned,” said Fadnavis.