'Maharashtra's enemies': Uddhav targets Shinde Sena, vows to scrap Dharavi project if it remains under Adani

In a high-stakes assembly election campaign, Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray pledged to scrap the multi-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project in Mumbai if his Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition secures power, targeting the Adani Group, which is managing the high-profile urban renewal project. 

Addressing a rally in Kolhapur, the former Maharashtra chief minister said he would scrap the Dharavi project if it remained under the control of the Adani Group. 

The Dharavi project, estimated to cost over $2 billion, aims to transform one of Asia's largest slums into a modern urban enclave, offering upgraded housing, infrastructure, and commercial spaces. Under the BJP-backed Eknath Shinde-led government, the redevelopment was awarded to Adani Group in 2023—a decision that has faced opposition from various quarters, including the MVA, which criticises the project for allegedly prioritising corporate profits over community welfare and affordable housing. 

In his first rally in the assembly polls, Thackeray intensified his attacks on the BJP and Shiv Sena, asserting that the two ruling allies were “enemies of Maharashtra.” He accused them of selling the state's interests to Gujarat, alleging his government had been toppled in June 2022 because he stood against shifting key industrial projects out of Maharashtra.

The former chief minister targeted both the BJP and his former Shiv Sena colleagues, accusing them of exploiting Maharashtra’s resources for political gain. "This election is between those who love Maharashtra and those who betray it," he declared, adding that the MVA — comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP) —is the “true defender” of Maharashtra’s interests.

Thackeray framed the November 20 assembly election as a choice between "those who love Maharashtra and those who betray it," attacking the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.

Earlier, Aaditya Thackeray had criticised the Shinde government for awarding the contract to Adani Group, alleging a lack of transparency in the bidding process and calling the move “yet another handover of Maharashtra’s resources.” He contended that the project risks displacing thousands of Dharavi residents, undermining their right to fair compensation and affordable housing.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, rejected all the charges, saying the Dharavi project was under the state government's control. "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 while speaking at India Today Conclave Mumbai.