‘History won’t remember Eknath Shinde kindly’: Varsha Gaikwad on selective release of funds to ruling MLAs and corporators

Q: There are talks of all kinds of pulls and pressures being applied on party leaders to switch sides. Do you think this will lead to more desertions?

A: There has been action against opposition leaders like Rajan Salvi, Ravindra Waikar by ED, IT and even Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) now. What about cases against the likes of Hasan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Abdul Sattar who joined them. So that pressure is 100 per cent there. Apart from that, now there is a kind of different politics happening in the allotment of funds. Funds are given to the guardian minister who just allots funds to those from their own parties or BJP and opposition leaders get nothing. We also mentioned this before the courts. Distribution of funds should depend on the area and requirement of the constituency and not whether the MLA there is from our party or not. This is a dangerous trend that has never been seen in Maharashtra in the past. The decision of allocating funds to an area should be done through proper examination and reports, rather than being selective about where the councillor is from. In my area, the councillors who were with me did not get funds. But now that they have shifted to the Shiv Sena, with the Shinde faction, they have. I don’t believe that History will remember Eknath Shinde kindly. Because all our past Chief Ministers have been deemed ‘Ajatashatru’ but there will be another name for him now. He has also been in politics since a long time but history will not be kind to him. This process that he has started now (partiality in disbursing funds) is going to set a bad precedent for the future. Whoever will now get elected in the future will also follow this model. How can they do this type of favouritism to suppress the opposition? This is not his personal money. This money has been collected through taxes of Mumbaikars. To spend this money, you have appointed an authority but that doesn’t make you the custodian of the money. So, I will just say that history will never forgive you. People call you ‘Gaddar’ but as a member of the Congress party, I will just say that his vision is not for the benefit of Mumbaikars. His vision and agenda are solely on how to strengthen his party and how to lure people in the party. He has broken an FD of Rs 6,000 but nobody is asking him any questions. There are neither people’s representatives nor a standing committee. A spending of Rs 1,700 crores has been done on the beautification project which is a big corruption in the system. If they are so confident about themselves, why do they actually conduct BMC elections? If you are there alongside Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, then why don’t they conduct elections?

Q: What do you think made Deora leave the party? Was it only the fact that he is not going to get a Lok Sabha seat?

A: Everyone has political ambition and I am not saying that it is wrong to have an ambition. But everything does not work on my wishes and talks. Sometimes, the situation is such that the party also has to make a decision and accommodate everyone to run the party. On the question of what his grievance with the party was, through AICC, he had been made the joint treasurer and he was there in that committee. He has direct relationship with the central leadership as well as with Uddhav Thackeray. So there was never an issue of no communication.

Q: Does it weaken your position vis a vis Sena in terms of seat bargaining?

A: If there is a political alliance, we have to sacrifice as well as gain but that does not mean that one party has to sacrifice. After Sanjay Raut’s statement staking claim on 23 Lok Sabha seats, Uddhav Thackeray had personally called me and said there will be no statement from his party in that regard henceforth. If you see, there is no statement by them on that issue. Because we had told them that if such statements are made, we will have to react at some point. Our aim is to win, so whoever can do that on merits, we can give that candidate. We can discuss it, which is supposed to happen in future and all Mumbai seats will be discussed in front of the high command.

Q: How difficult it is and what are the challenges you are facing in terms of issues, planning and strategy as Mumbai Congress chief?

A: I feel am very lucky as I have come from the ground, and I do not like to be in air-conditioned room for long and like to be within people as zameen ki neta. When I took charge of MRCC, I went to every leader’s house and requested them that I am younger than them and require their support as a sister and together we shall strengthen the party to regain its past glory. Nowadays, people think politics is a dirty game and it is all about money. Yes, money is a part of it, but politics is not about money alone. It is about thoughts, opinions and ideology and your work. Now all that has become secondary. Even if we have differences on certain issues, our priority is party.

Q: Do you find MVA losing momentum in Maharashtra?

A: I don’t think so. Had it been the case, they would have taken the civic elections. The ground reality is different. People too are fed up and they know how things are twisted. They even understand how media narrative is being created. Ultimately, we will fight, be it Adani or anyone else.

Q. What are your main grounds for opposing the redevelopment in Dharavi?

A: Firstly, there are concerns about the tendering process. With 19 contenders during pre-bidding, questions arise about the substantial alterations made to favour Adani. The proposal to relocate seven lakh people, considering family members, totals around 1.15 lakh families. Most importantly, the plan to shift shops, including leather stores like 90 feet road, for railway line expansion raises questions about how these businesses will operate. The potential relocation to Mulund and Korba, owned by Adani, adds to the distress. Despite facing pressure and meetings with local influencers, we won’t be subdued. I am not against development, but one person is being given monopoly on entire real estate market of Adani. Tomorrow he will have complete monopoly and other builders like Godrej, Shapoorji Pallonji will have to purchase TDR from him. The people of Dharavi are not getting anything more in return. Be it 350 square feet home or 56,000 legal tenants, it was already there. Had it been government, it would have at least listened to us. Now, we don’t even have that right as well. The police are also operating under their influence. Each residence here hosts a distinct business, yet discussions neglect the aspects of industrialization and employment. Concerns arise about the potential displacement of the seven lakh residents; the purpose of the area’s development becomes uncertain if their needs and livelihoods are not prioritised.

Q: Are you planning to contest Lok Sabha?

A: I am a Congress loyalist. I want our alliance to sustain and based on merit, I want the alliance to choose a candidate and I hope we win. My fight is not against Rahul Shewale, my fight is against Modiji because he is supporting them, and I am standing with the people of Dharavi. My father has always taught that party comes first, as my career started with a party refusing me a ticket. My father had then asked me to work harder. I will work equally hard if someone else contests the election against Shewale and I want our alliance to win all the six seats in Mumbai.