Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Dharavi redevelopment snowballing into poll issue

Mumbai: One of the world’s biggest slum clusters, Dharavi always finds place in the news and films.

Whether it is Om Puri-starrer Dharavi, Deewar with magnificent roles of Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor, Rajinikanth’s socio-political action drama Kaala, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay or Danny Boyle’s Oscar award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, the backdrop is Dharavi.

Spread across 2.1 sq qm and having a population of over seven lakh, Dharavi is expected to see a major makeover.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL), a joint venture of the Maharashtra government and the Adani Group, is executing the redevelopment.

However, it has emerged as one of the biggest issues for Mumbai in the run up to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.

In March, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi, who is now Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and his sister Priyanka Gandhi concluded the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra hitting out Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani. Before that, Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray, along with Mumbai Congress President Prof Varsha Gaikwad, who is now Mumbai North-Central MP, had led a morcha against the Adani Group.

Now as the DRP gathers steam, it has become a poll issue with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) claiming that it is a Rs one lakh crore scam.

Addressing the Dussehra rally, Thackeray said: “I am fighting for all of you. They sold Dharavi to Adani and the people of Dharavi are facing many problems. I assure all of you and promise you that when we come to power I will cancel this project of Adani in Dharavi.”

However, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has retorted saying: “You were in power for 25 years but never prioritised people's happiness. You built bungalow after bungalow while Dharavi's residents remained in slums.”

The Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP (SP) recently released ‘Gaddarancha Panchnama’ (Panchanama of Traitors), in which the Rs one lakh crore scam claim was made.

Thackeray’s son and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray said: “Around 1,080 acres in Mumbai, given free of cost to AdaniGroup in the name of Dharavi redevelopment. Construction of almost 7,00,000 sq ft outside of Dharavi, will earn almost 1,00,000 crores from this, with no revenue for Mumbai. 1.5 lakh families in Dharavi to be ineligible and to be made to buy homes in Mulund, Kurla, Deonar, Madh, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup.”

“Only because Eknath Shinde and BJP cannot win Mumbai, their best way is to hand over Mumbai free of cost to their owner. Maharashtra has to realise how Mumbai is being handed over to Adani, only because they can’t directly break it away from Maharashtra, or win politically,” he said.

Refuting the allegations, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a recent conclave, said that the Dharavi project was under the government's control and that the Adani Group will have to do whatever the government wants. "If they do not do it, we will take back the contract from them," he said.