Mumbai
The Maharashtra unit of Congress has claimed that the upcoming special session of Parliament has been called with the agenda of dividing the country and separating Mumbai from Maharashtra. State Congress president Nana Patole stated that no agenda has been announced for the September 18-22 session so far. Patole questioned why the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called this session without consulting anyone, including the Opposition and the Parliamentary Affairs Committee. He noted that no such special sessions were called during the Covid-19 crises, demonetization, or the Manipur violence, so why now? He alleged that the session’s purpose is to divide the country and push through the Modi government’s plans to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra and declare it a Union Territory. Patole emphasized that Mumbai is a city of global importance, the country’s financial nerve center, and the pride of the state and nation. He accused the BJP of systematically downgrading its importance over the past nine years. Patole further claimed that this downgrading was not possible during the rule of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena (UBT)-Congress-Nationalist Congress Party, led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. This, according to him, was the reason the government was toppled with the help of the Centre and the then state Governor.
