Days after the BJP alleged "mafia raj" in Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Uddhav Thackeray-led party hit back today, saying the "land mafia within government" are behind the move to sell vacant salt pan land in city to private builders.
Sena MLA and chief whip in the Legislative Assembly Sunil Prabhu has demanded intervention of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to "thwart" the sale of salt lands to private constructors.
"There are attempts being made to sell vacant salt pan land in the city to builders by land mafia present within the government. I urge you to take note of the issue and ensure that the attempts are thwarted," Prabhu stated in a letter to Fadnavis.
The Fadnavis-led government recently decided to use vacant salt pan lands across Mumbai and its metropolitan region for housing projects, slum rehabilitation and infrastructure development.
The state has nearly 13,000 acres of salt pan land, with 5,000 acres in Mumbai, followed by around 2,000 acres in Vasai and 2,000 acres in Palghar district.
The acrimony between BJP and Sena, a junior partner in state government, has been on rise as the BMC, country's richest civic body controlled by Sena, will go to polls early next year.
In the game of political oneupmanship, a senior BJP leader had recently alleged that BMC was being run by a mafia raj which has unleashed corruption in the civic body.
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