Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai’s remarks that ‘Mumbai doesn’t belong to Maharashtra but was an international city’ has has sparked row and has given the Opposition an ideal moment to slam the BJP. Annamalai had made the remarks while interacting with the media on Friday amidst campaigning in Malad and Charkop for party candidates.
His another remark was
‘“People want a triple engine government,” (This is the) only city (metro) in the country where a triple engine is possible.
Modi is in Delhi, Fadnavis is the CM, now Mumbai will have a BJP mayor. The budget of this city is ₹75,000 crore. Chennai’s budget is ₹8,000 crore while Bengaluru’s budget is ₹19,000 crore. So you need good people in the administration to manage the finance, to manage the development.”
The Shiv Sena (UBT) lambasted the BJP for this. “We have been saying from the beginning that the BJP does not consider Mumbai a city of Maharashtra,” remarked Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut. “They have been planning to break it away from Maharashtra. Now some Annamalai has said this. What does Shinde’s Sena have to say now?” After the controversy blew up, Raut quipped that the BJP’s star campaigner had come to Mumbai and ended up slapping the BJP. He also demanded that Annamalai be arrested.
NCP (SP,) MP Supriya Sule voiced that “It’s completely wrong to say so. Mumbai is part of Maharashtra and nobody can separate it from the state.”
Marathi Ekikaran Samiti, an outfit, also demanded that Annamalai apologise for his remarks.
News Edit KV Raman