Mumbai: The ruling MahaYuti has nominated Mihir Kotecha from Mumbai North-East. A serving MLA from Mulund, Kotecha has served as the BJP's city vice president and party youth wing president.
Kotecha, who was born and raised in Mulund, faces the Maha Vikas Aghadi's Sanjay Dina Patil, from the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Kotecha Lists Out Successes Of The Modi Government
At the debate, Kotecha listed the successes of the Modi government and shared his plans should he be elected to Parliament. He appreciated the Union government's work in launching more than 100 Vande Bharat trains and 75 airports. He also praised the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and said 18,500 additional villages were now connected to the electricity grid.
Kotecha Shares His Vision
Kotecha promised to shut down two dumping grounds, in Vikhroli and Mankhurd, by the end of 2025. He accused the Shiv Sena of sanctioning the Vikhroli dumping ground.
Kotecha said that he wanted to get a railway terminus constructed near Mulund station in order to cater to the increasing passenger load. Along with that, he also shared his wish to start a Konkan Express to provide transport facility to the Konkan population in the region.
The MLA also shared his plans to boost local tourism by constructing a cable car to the top of Mulund hills, where people can enjoy the view of Sanjay Gandhi National Park as well as the Tulsi Lake. He informed the audience about a bird park being set up in Mulund, for which the BMC has appointed a consultant and designer. With plans to execute work orders by August, the legislator said he wanted to see the bird park operating in the next two years.
“This is an ongoing project, which I started as an MLA, and will pursue even after being elected as the MP from this constituency. This will be a new attraction not only for our constituency but for the entire city, as it's going to be a world-class facility on a par with Singapore's Jurong Bird Park. It will be the citys second zoo after the Veermata Jijabai Udyan,” Kotecha said.
Kotecha Takes On Questions Regarding The Dharavi Redevelopment & PAP Project
Answering questions raised by the audience about the Dharavi redevelopment and the PAP project coming up in Mulund, Kotecha assured people that no land has been given for people relocating due to the project.
“The opposition has been making various allegations but no land has been given in Mulund for this project. The land sought by the Dharavi redevelopment authorities was the Mulund dumping ground. Since the waste at the Mulund dumping ground will be processed for the next six years, no development project can be done there,” he said.
Along with shutting down Mankhurd's dumping ground, Kotecha also shared his plan of making Mankhurd drug-free. Calling the area a drug den, and a hub of smuggled gutkha, Kotecha alleged that drug and gutkha dealers of Mankhurd are associated with his rival Sanjay Dina Patil.
“These people who are involved in illegal activities might not vote for me but the parents of children consuming drugs will do so. The illegal gutkha being sold in the city comes from Mankhurd and all the cheap drugs can be found here. A lot of these people have some kind of association with Sanjay Dina Patil. I will make sure that I destroy this drug den in Mankhurd,” he said.
Kotecha Alleges Opposition Of Inciting Violence
Kotecha said that he was attacked thrice in Mankhurd during the election campaign and blamed his rival for the attacks. He added that his opponents had no vision and therefore they were raising the issue of language and violence by invoking a debate about Gujarati versus Marathi. He also shared his vision of a slum-free Mumbai and his aim to complete slum redevelopment projects in his constituency.
“The Modi government has never discriminated against citizens on the basis of religion. These development schemes are for everybody. Since the opposition will hardly reach around 45 seats across the nation, they are having a hard time and are coming up with anything,” said Kotecha.
