Aaditya Thackeray Calls for Protest in Bandra West Over Open Spaces
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray announced that he will lead the ‘Mumbai Maidan Bachao Tiranga Andolan’ on Sunday, August 23, at the Neville D’Souza Football Turf in Bandra West, Mumbai. The demonstration is scheduled to begin at 5 pm.
In a post on social media platform X, Thackeray called for the protest against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra government. He accused civic authorities and the state regime of snatching away Mumbai’s open spaces, sports complexes, and playgrounds to hand them over to commercial development and favoured builders and contractors.
Thackeray urged citizens to take part in the protest and requested attendees not to carry political party flags. Instead, he asked participants to bring the national Tricolour and raise “red cards” in protest against what he described as the land loot of Mumbai by the BJP.
According to Thackeray, open spaces in Bandra West, Juhu, Andheri, and Mulund are being specifically targeted by the BJP-led government. He claimed that certain elected representatives are supporting proposals that transfer public recreational spaces to private builders and contractors, rather than protecting the city's future, environment, and playgrounds through the BMC and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
The call for the agitation follows the BMC’s recent approval of a proposal to build a convention centre at the Neville D’Souza Football Ground in Bandra West. The proposal involves changing the existing designated use of the ground.
The redevelopment plan has drawn opposition from local residents and members of the football community, who have voiced serious concerns over the loss of one of the city’s few dedicated football grounds.
