Dharavi Redevelopment project world's biggest land scam; MVA govt will scrap it: Gaikwad

Mumbai: Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad on Friday termed the Dharavi slum redevelopment project as the "world's biggest land scam", and said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will scrap it if it returns to power in the state.

She also said the political rivalry between Congress and the undivided Shiv Sena was a thing of the past and now her party and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) share a "deep and harmonious" relationship.

The opposition MVA has been alleging irregularities in the multi-billion Dharavi Redevelopment project. The Adani Group is executing the project.

In an interview to PTI, Gaikwad asked, "Why is 1,000 acres of land being given to Adani who is doing the Dharavi Redevelopment project?" Non-development zone land, salt pan land, dumping ground is all being given for the Dharavi Redevelopment project, the Congress MP from Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency alleged.

"The tender says that 7 lakh people will be rehabilitated outside of Dharavi. But the Dharavi redevelopment is an in-situ project, where the project affected should get rehabilitated there itself. But their own tender document says 7 lakh residents will be shifted out of Dharavi," she said.

Gaikwad, a four-time legislator of the Dharavi assembly segment, said, "We (Dharavi slum) are a Rs 100 crore microfinance industry and still we are not consulted." But after the MVA comes to power in the state, we will scrap the redevelopment project, she said.

"This project is the world's largest land scam. An inquiry should be carried out into it," she said.

Dharavi, located in central parts of the country’s financial capital, is a hub for several small-scale, unorganised industries that manufacture medicines, leather, footwear, clothes among other things. It is known as one of Asia's biggest slum cluster.

Talking about the relationship between the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), she said rivalries in politics are never personal.

"We did have ideological differences, but we have been working in harmony - be it during the MVA government and later during the COVID-19 pandemic. We helped each other during the Lok Sabha polls and people gave us a strong mandate. We have a deep relationship.

"We got maximum seats and we don't consider the Mumbai North-West seat, where the Mahayuti won by just 45 votes, as our loss. Everyone knows what happened," she said.

"Congress and Sena (UBT) have been unitedly fighting a failed state government, which has been on a decision-making spree in the cabinet in the last fortnight. In a single cabinet meeting as many as 80 decisions were taken," she said, and wondered if this functioning was appropriate.

Talking about the next month's assembly elections, Gaikwad said a decision has been taken on 75 to 80 per cent of the total assembly seats during the MVA's seat-sharing talks.

"We hope to announce the seat-sharing formula before October 22 when the nomination process starts. Winnability is our criteria," the former minister said.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress are raising issues concerning people of Mumbai unitedly.

"Shifting of the diamond trade business and the International Financial Services Centre, the bullet train project are all meant to benefit Gujarat. We hear that funds from the fixed deposits (FDs) of the Mumbai civic body are being used and its land is also being sold," she alleged.

The Congress leader also said that Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams were announced and cancelled several times.

"Can you imagine what the youth is facing?'' she asked.

The people of Mumbai want the politics of betrayal to stop, Gaikwad said.

"Law and order has deteriorated, while the authorities indulge in corruption even in the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," she said.

The Lok Sabha member brushed aside speculations of factionalism in the city Congress.

"We work together. A 'Nyay Yatra' was undertaken by the Mumbai Congress, in which all leaders participated," she said.

She said the Coastal Road, Atal Setu projects were not started by the Mahayuti government. These projects and the Metro Rail were conceptualised by the Congress and only their work got over now, she claimed.

"Instead of devising strategies to stop traffic congestion, this government is taking credit for these projects. Public funds are being given to the MLAs of ruling parties," she alleged.