MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said he would lead a march to the Mumbai office of Adani Group on December 16, alleging that the Maharashtra government appeared to be favouring the business conglomerate which has bagged the Dharavi redevelopment project.
Talking to reporters, Thackeray also dared the BJP (the Union government led by it) to conduct the coming Lok Sabha elections using paper ballots instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Now that the BJP has swept the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, it should also hold the civic body polls in Mumbai which have been pending for more than a year, he added.
"Several suspicious decisions have been taken to favour the Adani Group in the Dharavi redevelopment project. It also includes a TDR (Transferable Development Rights) sale clause which will benefit the Adani group significantly. To protect the interests of the residents of Dharavi, the Shiv Sena will march to the Adani Group office on December 16. I will lead the march," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.
The Maharashtra government in July awarded the 259-hectare Dharavi redevelopment project to an Adani Group firm.
"Enough information is available about the redevelopment project which raises suspicion about whether the government is trying to give benefit to Adani at the cost of Dharavi residents," Thackeray said.
Notably, the Shiv Sena (UBT) ally Congress had last month organised a protest rally in Mumbai demanding the cancellation of the project contract, alleging discrepancies in the issuance of the work order.
The project, which reportedly has a revenue potential of Rs 20,000 crore, involves developing Dharavi in central Mumbai, located near the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) business district.
It was won by Adani Properties in November last year through a competitive bidding which also saw realty major DLF and Naman Developers competing.