Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 17 (ANI): With two days left for the Maharashtra elections, All India Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala addressed a press conference on Sunday.
Attacking the BJP government, Surjewala called the BJP (B) party the ‘Bhagoda Jutao’ company and said that there four main M were- Mumbai mortagage, Mahayuti guns and Gundaraj, MMR’s Shinde and Mahayuti means ‘Mehangai’.
Addressing the media. Surjewala said “Maharashtra and Mumbai are under a designed attack by the Khoka Group vultures, also known as the B company. Mumbai and Maharashtra’s skill and resources are being plundered by invaders and masqueraded by Mahayuti and they have admitted to political brokerage.”
Further, he raised questions on how leading industrialist Adani became Mumbai’s biggest land developers.
Speaking on the first M–Mumbai Morgaged, Surjewala said “CBI and ED had raided GVK in June 2020 and in August 2020 GVK got clean chits from CBI and ED. Adani now owns Mumbai Airport, and also owns Mumbai’s electricity supply… Adani has been awared 6,600 megawatts of electricity till 2049, making him a owner of a large portion of power production. He is the beneficiary of Maharashtra’s biggest land deal –Dharavi Development Project…He is also allocated 990 acres of land in Mumbai. 429 acres of project area, 21.25 acres of Kola Dairy land, 140 acres of mud island and 255 acres of the Central government, and 125 acres of Bonar dumping ground, making it in all 990 acres.”
Surjewala spoke on the issue of how every builder has to compulsorily buy TDR from the Dharavi project and said “Every builder in Mumbai now has to compulsorily buy TDR transfer development rights from Adani. In November 2023, it was made mandatory for every builder of Bombay to buy 40 per cent of TDR from Dharavi project, which effectively says that any builder and the whole of Mumbai is completely dependent on Adani. Why are TDR rights to be bought only from Adani across Mumbai? The answer is a fresh survey.I ask as a citizen, if a fresh survey is being done, then how is it that a tender can be allocated? When the number of eligible beneficiaries, the area to be constructed or allotted or land required, cost of the project either to the state or to the developer is not known, then how have you allocated the tender? There is a dichotomy and that’s why I call it Mumbai mortgaged.This is what the Mahayuti is doing.”
Speaking on the second M –Mahayuti’s gunraj and gundraj, Surjewala alleged that under Mahayuti, Mumbai Metropolitian Region (MMR) had become badlands of crime remembering the recent murder of the political leader Baba Siddique by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
“Among India’s biggest cities, I am sure you know Mumbai is the highest in crimes, with 14 crimes reported in a day. The instances and the trail reveal a shocking pattern of complicity, collusion of the Mahayuti leaders with the gangsters and criminals. Shots are being fired at their residences bang in the middle of Mumbai, by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Mr. Lawrence Bishnoi, the dreaded gangster, continues to be lodged in the high security Sabarmati jail in Gujarat with Mumbai police not being permitted to interrogate him. What should I call it? Complicity, collusion or coincidence, you to judge… Now people are shooting each other, not outside where police can’t reach, but in the premises of the police station,” he said.
Attacking Eknath Shinde, he said “Shinde, despite being Chief Minister, runs and gives protection to gangs and booms and known criminals. All these instances rove the protection of gunraj and gundaraj culture by Mahayuti.”
Speaking on the third M –Mahayuti and Mehngai, Surejwala said “Eknath Shinde has been awarding contracts and tenders at breakneck speed without following procedures. Jayant Maheshar’s company MEP collects toll at five entry points and had gone into bankruptcy, goes to NLC… Is the Prime Minister going to share how much compensation is to be paid by Maharashtra government to MEP in a year? Is it not correct that MMRDA has taken a Rs 30,000 loan from the Power Finance Corporation on interest on which Maharashtra has to pay interest has also pay back the principal. Thirdly, is it correct that the MMRDA will now start collecting tolls starting the year 2029 in the MMR region for a period of 35 years to repay this 30,000 corrode and interest of loan taken by MMRDA. So how are we in Mumbai and MMR benefiting is a question that I asked myself. How many tenders and contracts have been awarded by Mr. Eknath Shinde and his government in the last one year, particularly in the last six months? On one side you say removal of tolls and on the other side you are imposing tolls up to 2064 to pay back this 30,000. So which one is correct? Are you imposing removing tolls or are you going to impose tolls between 2029 and 2064?…
Speaking of the upcoming elections, he said that there was always room for correction and introspection.
“There is scope for correction and introspection. With two more days of active campaigning left and one day of silence period, I am sure the people of Mumbai and people in MMR will consider some of the issues,” he concluded. (ANI)
, https://www.aninews.in/news/national/politics/mahayuti-means-mumbai-mortagage-congress-general-secretary-randeep-surjewala20241117150805
