Opposition Parties and Citizens to Protest Open Space Allotments in Bandra

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray announced on Thursday that his party, along with the Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), resident groups, advanced locality managements, and citizen forums, will stage a joint demonstration to protect open spaces at Bandra's Neville D'souza Football Ground this Sunday.

The announcement came following Thackeray's visit to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sports Complex in Andheri West. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed allotting the Andheri West sports complex to Shri Vile Parle Kelawani Mandal, a trust led by Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Amrish Patel.

Speaking on the issue, Thackeray stated that the demonstration would be a non-political gathering where citizens will hold the Tricolor at 5 pm on Sunday to oppose the privatisation of vacant plots across Mumbai. He called on citizens to participate in large numbers to stop what he termed a plot scam.

Thackeray confirmed that discussions had taken place between multiple political parties, noting that both the Congress and the MNS agreed to join forces for the cause. He alleged that the current administration under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is transferring municipal land to associates, stressing that his opposition is directed at the corruption and the administrative process rather than individual legislators or specific organisations.

In addition to the allotment of sports grounds, Thackeray criticised the administration's plan to redevelop 22 out of 27 BEST bus depots under a public-private partnership model. He claimed that directives had been issued to clear plot handovers rapidly and questioned whether central leadership was monitoring the administration's actions regarding public land in the city.