A political storm has erupted in Maharashtra after former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai made a statement about Mumbai, calling it an "international city" and not merely a city of Maharashtra. The remark, made during campaigning for the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, has been seized upon by opposition parties, who accuse the BJP of undermining the city's status within the state.
The Controversial Statement and Immediate Backlash
While campaigning in the western suburbs of Mumbai, specifically in Malad West and Charkop's wards 35, 47, and 19, Annamalai addressed the media. He emphasized the development agenda under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In his statement, he said, "Modi ji at the Centre, Devendra Fadnavis at the state, and a BJP mayor in the BMC… because Bombay is not merely a city of Maharashtra, it is an international city." He further highlighted the city's massive budget of ₹75,000 crore, comparing it to Chennai's ₹8,000 crore and Bengaluru's ₹19,000 crore.
The opposition, however, zeroed in on the first part of his statement. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut launched a sharp attack, stating, "We have been saying this from the beginning…the BJP does not consider Mumbai a city of the state. It has been their design to break Mumbai from Maharashtra." Raut demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis file charges and have Annamalai arrested, calling the remark a "tight slap" on Eknath Shinde, who leads the rival Shiv Sena faction.
BJP's Defense and the Historical Sensitivity
State BJP leaders swiftly moved to control the damage, accusing the opposition of taking Annamalai's words out of context. State Revenue Minister and local body poll in-charge Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated, "Sometimes, you have to treat a remark in context and not just read the statement by words. I don't think Annamalai was trying to undermine Mumbai. What he was trying to indicate was the great significance of Mumbai."
The issue of Mumbai's identity is deeply sensitive in Maharashtra's political history. The city's status was central to the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement from 1956 to 1960, a massive agitation that led to the formation of the linguistic state of Maharashtra with Mumbai as its capital on May 1, 1960. For decades, parties like the undivided Shiv Sena used this emotive plank to connect with voters.
Opposition Revives Narrative Ahead of Polls
With the BMC elections scheduled for January 15, opposition parties have revived this narrative. Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal alleged that under the Modi-Shah regime, Maharashtra has lost major projects to Gujarat, undermining Mumbai's international financial status. Similar charges were echoed by Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray in their rallies.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the entire controversy as a "fake narrative." He said, "In every election, the Opposition raises this narrative: Mumbai will break from Maharashtra. It is imaginary. It is just a false alarm as the Opposition does not have issues to counter the BJP."
The controversy has undoubtedly added a new, volatile dimension to the campaign for control of India's richest municipal corporation, forcing all parties to clarify their stance on Mumbai's integral place within Maharashtra.
