'Not right': Eknath Shinde on BJP leader Annamalai's remarks on Mumbai

Eknath Shinde says Sena’s position on Mumbai and Marathi identity was clear and non-negotiable.

• Eknath Shinde criticized Annamalai's remarks about Mumbai's identity
• Shinde reaffirmed Mumbai's inseparable status as part of Maharashtra
• Shiv Sena's stance on Mumbai and Marathi identity remains unchanged

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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said BJP leader Annamalai was wrong to make remarks about Mumbai.

“What Annamalai said was not right. It was wrong and should not have been spoken in that manner. I have clearly conveyed this to the BJP, and they are looking into it,” Shinde told Indian Express.

He added that the Sena’s position on Mumbai and Marathi identity was clear and non-negotiable. According to him, Mumbai’s place in Maharashtra was not open to debate. “No one can separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. No one has that courage. Mumbai is not a railway coach that can be detached from one place and attached to another,” he told IE.

He also said the Sena’s position on Mumbai had always been clear and rooted in Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology. “The Shiv Sena has always stood for Mumbai being an inseparable part of Maharashtra. That stand has never changed,” he said.

What did  Annamalai say?

While campaigning for the January 15 civic body elections last week, former IPS officer and ex-Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai had said, "People want a triple engine government. This is the only metro city in the country where a triple engine is possible. Modi is in Delhi, Fadnavis is the chief minister, and now Mumbai will have a BJP mayor. Mumbai is not a Maharashtra city but an international city."

Annamalai called for the Centre, Maharashtra, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to align their vision for Mumbai, as he called it an “international city”.

“…because Bombay is not a city of Maharashtra, it is an international city. And this city has a budget of Rs 75,000 crore, which is not a small budget. Chennai has a budget of Rs 8,000 crore, Bengaluru Rs 19,000 crore. You need good people sitting in the administration to manage the finances,” Annamalai had said.