Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday (3rd January) said that he will deport all Bangladeshi infiltrators from Mumbai and ensure that the city gets a Mayor who is a Hindi Marathi. Fadnavis made the remarks during a BJP-Shiv Sena alliance rally at the NSCI Dome in Worli for the upcoming January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
“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,” Fadnavis said. He promised a Surakshit Mumbai, which will be free from illegal immigrants.
“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,” he added, emphasising that the polls would shape the future of the city.
Fadnavis’s remarks come after recently reunited MNS president Raj Thackeray and Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray announced after their reunion that Mumbai’s mayor would be a Marathi. Recently, Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam had remarked that his party would not allow any “Khan” to become the city’s mayor.
Taking a dig at the election promises made by the opposition, Fadnavis said that the BJP-led alliance does not make unrealistic claims and delivers on commitments. “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.
Fadnavis countered the opposition’s allegation that the BJP-led government was trying to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra and 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.”
Fadnavis said that his government would create a ₹17,000-crore environmental budget for Mumbai to make it the most environmentally sustainable city in the country. The details of the scheme will be announced soon.