Congress leader Aslam Shaikh blames BJP and Shiv Sena for using religion in BMC polls, says Mumbai’s poor face filth, traffic and pollution issues
MUMBAI — With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections drawing closer, senior Congress leader and former minister Aslam Shaikh has launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena, accusing them of dragging Hindu–Muslim politics into local body elections while ignoring the daily suffering of Mumbai’ residents, including a large section of Muslims living in poor conditions.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Shaikh said the city needs a mayor who can work for all communities and deal with real problems, not someone selected to please a party or push religious identity. “Mumbai does not need a mayor because his name is Khan, Shelar, Shinde or Shaikh. Mumbai needs a mayor who can solve problems,” he said.
Shaikh pointed out that every election season in the city follows the same pattern. Issues such as broken roads, overflowing drains, air pollution, unsafe housing and public transport failures are pushed aside, while loud debates on Hindu–Muslim and temple–mosque are promoted. “When elections come, the talk shifts away from development. People are made to fight each other on religion, while the city keeps sinking,” he said.
He said this politics hurts Muslims the most, as many community areas in Mumbai continue to suffer from poor civic services. “Go to Muslim localities in the city. You will see garbage, water problems and weak health facilities. These people pay taxes like everyone else, yet they are treated as second-class citizens,” Shaikh said.
Calling Mumbai the country’s economic capital only on paper, the Congress leader questioned the gap between image and reality. “We keep hearing that Mumbai is the pride of India. Then why do common people still live with pollution, traffic chaos and unsafe buildings?” he asked. “A mayor must be chosen on ability, not on caste or religion.”
Shaikh also accused the BJP of avoiding questions on development. “They do not want to talk about pollution levels, falling quality of life or the state of civic hospitals. Instead, they raise Hindu–Muslim issues to distract people,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the ruling party’s campaign style, Shaikh said senior BJP leaders spend most of the year campaigning. “For around 250 days, they are busy with elections. Work for people comes later. Winning polls seems to be the only aim,” he said.
On the issue of star campaigners, Shaikh said bringing the prime minister and several chief ministers into civic polls shows misplaced priorities. “Local body elections are about local issues. Big faces are used to hide failures on the ground,” he added.
Shaikh also spoke about concerns within the Congress over ticket distribution. He said some leaders believed victory was guaranteed and ignored ground workers. “Tickets were given on recommendations, not hard work. The results on the 16th will show what happens when workers are ignored,” he said.
Appealing to voters, Shaikh urged people not to fall for religious slogans. “This election is about clean air, safe homes, working drains and dignity for all, including Muslims. Vote for someone who can lead Mumbai with sense and fairness,” he said.
The Congress leader made it clear that the mayor’s post should unite the city, not divide it. “Mumbai belongs to everyone. Religion should not decide who runs the city. Work should,” Shaikh said.
