Speed-breaker politics: Milind Deora on Uddhav Sena’s plan to scrap Adani project

A day after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray vowed to scrap Adani’s Dharavi slum redevelopment project, Shinde Sena leader Milind Deora said that the move driven by “personal ego must be rejected.”
Reacting to India Today’s report, Deora called it a “speed breaker politics,” and said, “Disdain for those leading Maharashtra and India shouldn’t come at the expense of housing and progress for our people.”
On Thursday, Shiv Sena (UBT) released the poll manifesto, promising free education for all students of the state and stabilising prices of essential items, among others.
The opposition has accused the Maharashtra government of orchestrating a major scam around the Dharavi Development Project, claiming it was tailored to benefit Gautam Adani. Initially introduced in 2004, the plan to transform Dharavi, one of Mumbai’s most densely populated areas, has encountered multiple setbacks. Despite years of failed attempts to attract bidders, the Adani Group won the contract in November 2023 to redevelop 645 acres of land in central Mumbai.
However, since then, concerns still hover over how the Adani group was able to procure the contract, its ability to complete the project, and if it looks at the initiative as a resettlement project or a real estate venture.
Milind Deora is challenging Aaditya Thackeray in the upcoming Maharashtra elections, vying for the Worli Assembly seat in Mumbai. Thackeray, the sitting MLA, secured a decisive victory in the 2019 election, winning by over 68,000 votes. The contest in Worli is expected to draw attention, as it pits Deora, a prominent Congress leader, against Thackeray, who represents the Shiv Sena (UBT) and is a high-profile figure in Maharashtra politics.