In a scathing revelation during the second part of the joint interview in 'Saamana' with Uddhav Thackeray, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday alleged a deep-rooted "strategic plot" to strip Mumbai of its wealth and territory.
He warned that the threat to Mumbai’s autonomy is now greater than it was during the Samyukta Maharashtra movement of the 1950s. Raj Thackeray noted a significant shift in the motives of those opposing Mumbai’s interests. While past conflicts were primarily about the city's wealth, he claimed the current objective is to physically break off pieces of the city.
“During the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a few non-Marathi wealthy elites wanted Mumbai to go to Gujarat. Today, those five people have grown into five hundred," he stated. He emphasised that the manner in which the Central and state governments are coordinating projects suggests a level of danger never felt before.
Questioning the intent behind infrastructure projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Raj Thackeray asked why airports are being planned adjacent to the Vadhavan Port near the Gujarat border. He suggested these are not just development projects but "strategic manoeuvres" to connect Maharashtra’s economic hubs more closely with Gujarat while hollowing out Mumbai’s core.
Raj Thackeray claimed that the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport and the Vadhavan Port are part of a larger plan to vacate prime land in the heart of Mumbai. He alleged that the government has already begun the process of shifting cargo operations from Mumbai’s "rightful" airport to Navi Mumbai.
He predicted that eventually, all domestic and international operations would be moved out. "The current Mumbai airport area is so vast that at least 50 Shivaji Parks could fit inside it. The plan is to move all flights to Navi Mumbai and then put this massive tract of Mumbai's land up for sale," he claimed.
“The math is clear: they want the wealth of Mumbai to flow to a specific class and eventually to Gujarat, while the physical land of the city is carved up for real estate exploitation,” he said. Thackeray framed this move not as urban development, but as a "strategic dismantling" of Mumbai’s assets.
He suggested that by shifting the city's core infrastructure, the administration is clearing the way for a specific class of developers and business interests to take over Mumbai’s most valuable real estate.