Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai’s recent remark on Mumbai has stirred up a controversy in the city, where municipal elections are scheduled for January 15, with the Opposition now demanding a clarification from the party as to whether the city is a part of Maharashtra or not. They have also accused the BJP of deliberately undermining Mumbai’s status.
While campaigning in the western suburbs, Annamalai said, “Bombay is not a city of Maharashtra. It is an international city.” The remark has irked the Opposition, with leaders urging the BJP to clarify its stand.
“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. Now, one Annamalai from Tamil Nadu has said it. Mumbai is not a city of Maharashtra,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said.
“Annamalai’s remark is a tight slap on Eknath Shinde, who boasts of leading the original Shiv Sena. Why are they silent on this remark?” Raut asked, demanding that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis immediately file charges and have Annamalai arrested.
Annamalai was in Mumbai to campaign for BJP councillors ahead of the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls and was focusing on wards with a sizeable Tamil-speaking population.
On Friday and Saturday, Annamalai campaigned in wards 35, 47 and 19 located in Malad West and Charkop in western Mumbai.
Speaking to the media, Annamalai explained the significance of the upcoming BMC polls and emphasised the development agenda under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Fadnavis in Maharashtra.
“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. This city has a budget of ₹75,000 crore—not a small budget. Chennai has a budget of ₹8,000 crore, Bengaluru ₹19,000 crore. You need good people in the administration to manage these finances,” he said.
State BJP leaders underplayed the controversy, saying the Opposition was trying to give a twist to his statement by quoting things out of context.
“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,” state Revenue Minister and local body poll in-charge Chandrashekhar Bawankule said.
Mumbai and its right to remain the capital of Maharashtra have always served as an emotive plank in successive state elections.
During the reorganisation of states based on linguistic populations, Gujarat staked its claim over Mumbai (then Bombay), while Maharashtra insisted the city should remain with it. The Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, which lasted from 1956 to 1960, saw prominent leaders across political parties and social organisations unite, setting aside sharp ideological differences to fight to keep Mumbai in Maharashtra.
Finally, on May 1, 1960, Maharashtra was carved out as a separate state, with Mumbai as its capital.
The undivided Shiv Sena, led by Bal Thackeray, consistently used Mumbai as an emotive plank to strike a chord with voters during elections. Over the years, however, the issue was relegated to the back burner. With the BJP at the Centre, state Opposition parties have revived the campaign.
“It is BJP leaders who are undermining Mumbai’s status by making irresponsible remarks. Under the (Narendra) Modi-(Amit) Shah regime, Maharashtra has lost several important big-ticket projects to Gujarat. The international financial status of Mumbai has also been undermined by the central leadership,” Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal alleged.
Similar sentiments were echoed by the Thackeray brothers—Uddhav and Raj—in poll rallies. “They want to break Mumbai from Maharashtra. From diamond border to international financial capital, BJP leaders have given Gujarat greater preference over Mumbai. Why are mega projects relocated from Mumbai to Gujarat? Their actions give scope to raise questions about their commitment to the city,” Uddhav had said.
Fadnavis, however, dismissed the remarks as a fake narrative by Opposition parties. “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,” he said.
Curated by Aisha Patel
