In the war of Shiv Sena, Dharavi the latest flashpoint: Why Uddhav’s party is set to march in protest today

Given the prominence of the slum at the heart of Mumbai, and the difficult task of rehabilitating its residents, Shiv Sena (UBT) has found a line of attack against the Eknath Shinde government before polls.

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Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray

In the ongoing tussle between the two Shiv Sena groups, the Dharavi Redevelopment Project has emerged as another flashpoint. While the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) plans to march from Dharavi to industrialist Gautam Adani’s office in Mumbai on Saturday, Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assure him of the implementation of the project.

Dharavi falls under the Mumbai South Central Lok Sabha constituency that the 49-year-old Shewale, a two-time MP, has represented since 2014. Once considered close to Uddhav Thackeray, Shewale has been associated with the Shiv Sena for more than two decades now, having held several posts in the party organisation and winning elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) three times. He also served as the chairperson of the BMC’s standing committee and was in control of the purse strings of India’s richest municipal corporation.

Adani Properties won the bid to redevelop the 594-acre slum in July. The project is estimated to have a revenue potential of Rs 20,000 crore. Alleging that the Eknath Shinde-led state government had unfairly favoured the Adani Group, Uddhav announced the march on December 5 saying his party would not allow the state government to “gift Mumbai to Adani”. He also demanded that Dharavi residents must get 400-500 square feet of space each and that they must be relocated within Dharavi, considering their livelihoods mostly depend on manufacturing units in the area.

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When asked if the march was discussed with the PM, Shewale said, “(Modi) said that some people are trying to do politics over it but we must ensure the implementation of the DRP since it is the largest slum rehabilitation project in Asia and it must take place soon without any hurdles.”

Immediately after Uddhav announced the march, Shinde and BJP Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis targeted Uddhav, labelling him “anti-development” and saying he was trying to prevent poor people from getting housing. Shinde even said Uddhav was “terrorising big business houses and plans to drive out investments in Maharashtra”.

Though Uddhav has said he supports the redevelopment of Dharavi, he questioned the process through which the contract was awarded to the Adani Group and questioned the rehabilitation plans for Dharavi’s residents. “The electricity bill contract has also been awarded to Adani. How is everything given to Adani? If you are taking all the industries to Gujarat, what will you do to Mumbai?” he said.

Political observers in the state said the Adani Group’s involvement had given the Opposition ammunition to attack the government over allegations that it is favouring Adani, who is considered to be close to the PM. The project is electorally crucial for both the Senas as the project affects a large chunk of voters. Given the prominence of Dharavi, located at the heart of Mumbai, and the difficult task of rehabilitating its residents, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has found a way to corner the government ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

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The Congress, too, has attacked the government over the DRP, pointing to “major flaws” in the project. Mumbai Regional Congress Committee President and Dharavi MLA Varsha Gaikwad alleged the project was Asia’s “biggest construction scam” and claimed Adani stands to gain Rs 1 lakh crore from it. “The government cancelled the previous tender process just so that the best friend of the PM could get the dream project. Accordingly, a newly drawn tender was prepared to aid Adani,” Gaikwad recently alleged in the state Assembly.