Politicians encouraging slums for vote banks: Raj Thackeray

Mumbai, June 7 (IANS) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray Thursday blamed politicians and vested interests for encouraging slums in Mumbai to create vote banks.

"Slums do not crop up on their own, they are deliberately allowed to increase as they become political vote banks," Thackeray alleged after meeting Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte.

He discussed with Kunte pre-monsoon preparations in the civic corporation, ruled by the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Republican Party of India alliance.

Thackeray accused peoples' representatives like municipal corporators and legislators of allowing the slums to come up first and then bringing them under the government's rehabilitation policies like the Slum Rehabilitation Act.

"The infrastructure in this island city is simply insufficient to take care of the huge population (pegged at 18 million as per Census 2011)," Thackeray said.

Expressing dismay over political parties failing to take tough action against their corporators and legislators encouraging slums, Thackeray demanded a crackdown on such local leaders, civic and police officials.

He assured people that if anybody from the MNS was found indulging in this activity, he or she would be dismissed from the party.

The MNS chief suggested roping in private parties to help in developing the city.