Uddhav: No Maha separation from Mumbai

Alleging the UPA government was conspiring to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena executive president, Mr Uddhav Thackeray, on Saturday said his party would oppose such a move and continue to take to the streets to fight and keep the state undivided.

“On the lines of a separate Vidarbha, the Congress government at the Centre is planning to carve out a separate Mumbai state aligning the metropolis with neighbouring Thane and Raigad,” he said here, adding the Sena would fight tooth and nail against the design to weaken and factionalise Maharashtra.

Mr Uddhav Thackeray who was speaking during his public interview by noted compere Sudhir Gadgil at S.P College ground, said his party’s stand against creation of separate Vidarbha was firm and undiluted despite the contrary view of its ally BJP on the issue. He alleged that the Congress-led UPA was planning to create a separate Mumbai state as the region generated maximum tax collection.