Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday alleged that there was a conspiracy to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra, and said those plotting it were trying to weaken the city at all levels by subjecting it to constant attacks.
Talking to reporters here, he said his party will not let anyone harm Mumbai or turn it into a Union Territory.
"Be is my party or past chief ministers of Maharashtra belonging to the Congress - from Vasantdada Patil to Vasantrao Naik - all tried to protect Mumbai," the Rajya Sabha member said.
But attempts are on even today to make Mumbai a slave of capitalists, he alleged.
"Even in the past, the industrialists were from Gujarat and now it can be noticed very prominently because those who are ruling are from that state," Raut said in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"There are constant attacks on Mumbai to weaken it economically, geographically and socially. This is a conspiracy to break Mumbai from Maharashtra," he added.
Businesses and projects are being taken out of Mumbai, he said.
"This means that Mumbai should not be a part of Maharashtra in future, and even if it remains in the state, then it should be very weak," Raut said.
He claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) neither played any role in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement nor in the freedom struggle.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Shiv Sena Approaches High Court Again Over Disqualifying Team Uddhav MLAs Balasaheb Thackeray Dazzles In Portrait Made With 27,000 Diamonds PM Modi Not Our Enemy, If He Makes A Mistake...: Shankaracharya Centre Fact-Checks Mamata Banerjee's Mic-Off Claim, She Hits Back At Olympics Opening Ceremony, Drag Parody Of 'The Last Supper' Draws Flak Children Of Indian-Americans Face Deportation As Time Runs Out Fake Billing Scam Worth Thousands Of Crores Unearthed: Punjab Minister 'What Kind Of Democracy?' Court Raps Cops For Seeking Action On Professor 11-Year-Old Chinese Boy Writes 600 Lines Of Code To Build Rocket Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.