Calling the Dharavi redevelopment struggle a fight not just for a locality but for all of Mumbai and Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led state government. Speaking to party workers in the heart of Dharavi, Thackeray invoked his family legacy—his great-grandfather Prabhodhankar Thackeray and grandfather Bal Thackeray’s fight for a united Maharashtra—as he accused the current regime of betraying the people of Mumbai.
Thackeray dismissed BJP’s claims that the Dharavi redevelopment tender was issued during Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure as Chief Minister, stating that any plan under their government would have benefited only the residents, not corporations. The current multi-billion project, awarded to the Adani Group, according to Thackeray, is tilted in favour of private interests, not the people.
He questioned the opaque approval of the project’s master plan by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and revealed that the plan limits in-situ rehabilitation to only those residents who lived in Dharavi before the year 2000. The rest, he alleged, will be displaced to areas like Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Mulund, and even the Deonar dumping ground—far from their homes and livelihoods.
Drawing comparisons with other government-run redevelopment projects like the BDD chawls, where all residents are being allotted 500 sq ft homes, Thackeray demanded the same dignity for Dharavi’s residents. He argued that the benefits of the project should go to the people and the government, not to corporate entities like the Adani Group.
He also raised concerns about how traditional communities such as kumbharwadas (potters), koliwadas (fishermen), and micro-industries would be accommodated in the new plans, accusing the BJP of trying to “swallow Mumbai” and divide the residents of Dharavi.
Earlier this month, the state government revised conditions related to an 8.5-hectare plot in Kurla’s Mother Dairy compound to build schools, hospitals, and shops for ineligible slum dwellers. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, while 5 lakh families are eligible for rehabilitation within Dharavi, the remaining 3.5 lakh will be shifted elsewhere—raising concerns about forced displacement and social fragmentation.
Thackeray warned that any attempt by the BJP to divide Dharavi’s people must be resisted and called on residents to stay united in the face of what he described as an assault on their rights, identity, and homes.
