Shiv Sena is currently going through an identity crisis. Sanjay Jog speaks with Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on the party’s challenges, strategies
After successive defeats in the Assembly elections, how crucial are the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls slated for February next year?
This is the third time in a row when the people of Mumbai have relied on the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance. We will take developmental works that we have done in the last five years to the people. We will take our positive agenda to them. The biggest achievement in five years is the setting up of virtual classrooms. At present, we have connected 80-plus BMC schools, and we plan to increase the number to 150. This was not been there in the party’s manifesto, but the idea was there.
There is a strong possibility of a division of votes, apart from the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance playing the aam aadmi card to lure dalits and minorities. How are you gearing up for the elections?
Elections take place every five years. They are a challenge and I have accepted this.
Is Shiv Sena still unable to effectively tackle the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) factor?
What is this about?
Will MNS continue to play a spoiler by dividing Shiv Sena’s traditional Marathi vote bank and affecting its poll prospects?
Even an independent candidate gets votes in the elections. People are regretting now. They are questioning the contribution of independents for their betterment. Voters know that they (MNS) are there to help the Congress. However, Shiv Sena has not changed a bit and it has never compromised its stand on the Marathi manoos. How can they (MNS) make any difference to us? Even in the case of mill workers’ march, we stayed there from the beginning and we will be there till the end.
By and large, Marathi-speaking people are looking forward for the reunion of Shiv Sena and MNS. Will it be a reality?
I haven’t heard anything in this regard. All Shivsainiks are with Shiv Sena from the beginning and they will always be with Shiv Sena.
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Incidentally, both Shiv Sena and MNS are engaged in one-upmanship over the issue of migrants? What is your party’s stand?
We have never said let the poor die. But we feel it is the local government’s responsibility to fulfil the requirements. Ever since Nitish Kumar became the chief minister of Bihar, I have heard the influx of Bihari migrants has substantially reduced. It should happen everywhere. The locals should have the first right, and that is our position.
Mumbai has limitations to grow horizontally due to its location. The infrastructure of Mumbai has reached its peak. The government does not provide any protection when BMC goes to demolish slums. In the past, the chief minister himself had started the campaign to demolish slums, but this was stopped suddenly. No one asks him for a reason.
Will voters accept the alliance of Shiv Sena-BJP combine with the Republican Party of India, representing the politically-crucial dalit community? Or, was it a desperate attempt to checkmate the Congress-NCP alliance?
We came together against the burning issues such as mounting corruption and soaring prices of essential commodities during the Congress-NCP regime. We will be together in the upcoming elections. We will fight against all odds. We are here to help the common man. We both have our own strengths and we are confident to ultimately help the people.
Will Anna Hazare be a major factor during the upcoming elections?
We have not opposed Anna personally in his crusade against corruption. Instead, we were the first to support him, though we have serious differences with his method to tackle the problem. We will continue to support Anna in his fight against corruption.
Was it a calculated move to make your son Aditya the head of Yuva Sena?
Everyone is looking towards yuva shakti these days. Why not us?
Mumbai is facing serious infrastructure bottlenecks, despite being the country’s commercial capital. What are the party’s plans to make the city a decent place to live in?
One of my aims is to make Mumbai a world-class tourist destination. Issues related to roads, toilets and water will be tackled through rigorous planning.
How crucial is the issue of recurring potholes every monsoon? Despite your party’s rule, why has no serious action been taken to develop all-weather roads in the metropolis?
I admit this is a problem. This problem arises every monsoon. Water-logging is not peculiar to Mumbai alone. The national capital also faces this problem. BMC cannot be held solely responsible for the present state of roads, especially during monsoons. There are multiple agencies such as the state public works department, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which cannot shirk the responsibility of maintaining proper roads and transport infrastructure.
All the mess they create becomes BMC’s responsibility. We are uniquely positioned with less power, but more responsibilities. The only thing the government is doing is permitting higher floor space index (FSI) to the realty sector, but not taking the due responsibility to improve the infrastructure.
My only sincere argument is do not blame BMC solely for the current situation. All those bodies working on the city’s roads should equally share the blame.
Why does Shiv Sena want to pass the buck to others when the party’s rule in the civic body has done little?
Try to understand first. What I am saying is all these organisations are working in the city on a number of infrastructure projects, including flyovers, metro rail and mono rail. Agencies such as MMRDA or MSRDC are not elected bodies but government undertakings, while BMC is a civic body comprising elected representatives of the people. Being elected by the people, we have to face their anger. But we are committed to improving city roads.
Mumbai continues to be a target of terrorists. Now, terror also stuck the the national capital recently. Does government need to do more?
It is very unfortunate that the Congress government at the centre and in Maharashtra are shameless. Every time terrorists strike, they just condemn the attack and wait for the next bomb blast to happen. The people have simply lost faith in the Congress-led governments for a lack of strong actions. It is high time that the government showed it would not buckle under the pressure of terror groups, but will remain firm on the execution of Afzal Guru and Kasab.