When the very soul of Mumbai is under threat, should we stay divided?’: Uddhav Thackeray on reunion with cousin Raj

While addressing a protest gathering at Azad Maidan, Uddhav asked, “We could have continued our political battles, but when the very soul of Mumbai is under threat, should we stay divided?” “Our grandfather Prabodhankar, Balasaheb, and Shrikant Thackeray fought for Samyukta Maharashtra. Today, if the Marathi manoos is being pushed out of the very city he built, do we remain silent? No, we’ve buried our differences.”

The protest, led by government school teachers, became the backdrop for a sharp political statement against the state’s handling of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project — a project Uddhav claims is displacing original residents while turning over public land to corporate hands.

Uddhav accused the government of evicting Dharavi’s residents under the pretext of redevelopment. “People were left in neglect for decades. No one looked at Dharavi — it was treated like a junkyard. But now, that same land is being handed to Adani. The state has given away 1,600 acres — including Dharavi, salt pans, and the Deonar dumping ground — to one corporate group.”

He alleged that the redevelopment model favours large corporations at the expense of local communities. “Development must not mean eviction. These people are not illegal occupants — they are Mumbai’s foundation.”

Thackeray also drew parallels with the fate of mill workers in Mumbai. “Generations of workers still await what they were promised. What they got instead were towers built over their rights. The land went to mill owners. The ones who built this city — they were pushed to Shelun and Vangani.”

He demanded that these workers be allotted homes within the city. “We demand housing for mill workers on Dharavi and Kurla Mother Dairy land. Let Adani go to Shelun and Vangani. Let him develop the Deonar dumping ground if he must, but not displace those who belong here.”

“Mill workers, sanitation staff, and police personnel are not just contributors — they are the pillars on which Mumbai stands,” Uddhav said. “If our government had been in power, you wouldn’t be forced to protest today. But sometimes people are blinded by the illusion of progress.”

He reiterated that justice lies in equitable redevelopment. “This is not anti-development — this is pro-people.”