Mumbai: Chaos prevailed on Wednesday at a function at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as BJP and Shiv Sena corporators indulged in sloganeering against each other.
The uncertainty over the compensation for octroi loss ended as State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar handed over the first instalment of Rs 647 crore to the civic body.
In the special event held at the BMC headquarters, the Shiv Sena and the BJP corporators once again displayed their bitter relationship.
During the chaos, a Sena corporator manhandled BJP corporator
Makarand Narvekar.
The BJP corporators were chanting “Modi, Modi”, while Shiv Sena corporators shouted “Chor hai, Chor hai”. The chaos took place in the presence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, BJP leaders and Mungantiwar.
The BJP corporators walked out as Thackeray was speaking.
Later, the Sena corporators tried to play down the matter by saying they raised slogans against Lalit Modi. Sena Leader of the House in the BMC Yashwant Jadhav said, “The Shiv Sena corporators’ behaviour was not wrong. The BJP corporators raised counter-slogans when we were hailing Balasaheb Thackeray.”
Narvekar shouted ‘Chor Hai’ when we were hailing Balasaheb Thackeray. That might have been why the Shiv Sena corporator manhandled him,” said Jadhav.
Manoj Kotak, group leader of the BJP in the BMC, said, “The Shiv Sena is in a precarious situation. Very soon, they will realise who Modi is.”
Mungantiwar handed over the cheque for Rs 647.34 crore to Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and civic chief Ajoy Mehta.
With the GST roll-out, the BMC, Asia’s richest civic body, has lost out on revenue worth Rs 7,000 crore that it collected in octroi every year. The state government has assured that all local bodies in the state will be compensated with a compounded increase of 8% annually in perpetuity.
