I will be the giant killer: Bhushan Patil, Congress man for Mumbai North
With voting just four days away, Patil had a freewheeling conversation with Hindustan Times, where he spoke of important issues in his constituency
Mumbai: Although the Congress fielded actor Urmila Matondkar from the Mumbai North constituency in the 2019 general elections, she was defeated by the incumbent BJP MP Gopal Shetty. This time, Congress has fielded local boy Bhushan Patil from the seat, opposite union minister and BJP leader Piyush Goyal. Patil, vice president of the Congress’ Mumbai unit, had contested the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Borivali. With voting just four days away, he had a freewheeling conversation with Hindustan Times, where he spoke of important issues in his constituency, delay in the announcement of his candidature and the Marathi-Gujarati divide.
Q. Your candidature was announced late, leaving little time for campaigning, while your opponent Piyush Goyal has been campaigning for quite some time now.
A: On the contrary, he (Goyal) has had little time to prepare for the election. I have been working tirelessly as a Congress party worker in the area for the past 32 years. I am aware of every gully and road within the constituency and the people know me. This is my ‘janma bhoomi’ as well as ‘karma bhoomi’. This is why the Congress chose me – the party wanted someone who is there among the people. So here I am, not as a neta but as a karyakarta. I will be the ‘giant killer’, and people will see it on June 4.
Q. But Mumbai North is a stronghold of the BJP. How are you dealing with this challenge?
{{/usCountry}}Q. But Mumbai North is a stronghold of the BJP. How are you dealing with this challenge?
{{/usCountry}}A: The biggest plus point for me is that I am a local resident. My opponent has nothing to do with Mumbai North. Please ask the BJP how many times he has visited the constituency in the past decade – there will be no answer. He might not even know the boundaries of assembly constituencies and the wards within. He became a minister after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha and does not understand what ‘jan seva’ (serving people) is. The BJP nominated him assuming this constituency is their stronghold. But they have forgotten that Shiv Sena was their ally in earlier elections. This time, they are fighting alone. It is the Congress, instead, which has the support of Shiv Sena, NCP, Samajwadi Party and AAP.
{{/usCountry}}A: The biggest plus point for me is that I am a local resident. My opponent has nothing to do with Mumbai North. Please ask the BJP how many times he has visited the constituency in the past decade – there will be no answer. He might not even know the boundaries of assembly constituencies and the wards within. He became a minister after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha and does not understand what ‘jan seva’ (serving people) is. The BJP nominated him assuming this constituency is their stronghold. But they have forgotten that Shiv Sena was their ally in earlier elections. This time, they are fighting alone. It is the Congress, instead, which has the support of Shiv Sena, NCP, Samajwadi Party and AAP.
{{/usCountry}}Q. But then, the Shiv Sena is part of Mahayuti, and they are campaigning with the BJP in this election.
A: The real Shiv Sena is not there with them. Senior leaders who joined the Mahayuti do not have the backing of corporators. But corporators in my constituency fully support me.
Q. The BJP’s base among Gujarati voters is very strong and they have been meeting business owners and leaders of trading communities as well.
A: I keep getting asked if I will get Gujarati votes. We have 32% Maharashtrian voters in the constituency, followed by Gujaratis at 28%, while north Indians and Muslims make up the other major chunks. The BJP follows communalism and caste politics. They keep talking about the so-called divide – between Hindus and Muslims, and now, between Gujaratis and Marathis. But my wife is a Gujrati-Jain, and I have been around Gujaratis for several years now. As for small traders and businessmen, they are hassled with the way goods and services tax (GST) was implemented.
Q. What are the prominent issues in your constituency?
A: Broadly, issues such as redevelopment of buildings, environment, rail travel, and problems at the Dahisar toll naka and of hawkers plague this constituency. For instance, redevelopment of old buildings around the Borivali National Park, the ordinance depot in Kandivali East and land owned by the civil aviation ministry in Dahisar is stuck. In Gorai and Manori, while villagers depend on ferry services, they are deprived of basic facilities like hospitals and clean drinking water; an underwater pipeline was proposed to be built at a cost of ₹170 crore to supply water to these areas, but it did not take off. Rail commuters have been awaiting improved stations and decongested entry/exits. Proper hawking zones need to be developed as well to create more space for pedestrians. Shifting of the toll plaza from Dahisar towards Mira-Bhayandar is also in limbo.
Q. You have eyes and ears on the ground, but your opponent is a national figure and many senior BJP leaders are coming forward to support him. Congress leaders are not seen campaigning for you. Is there a problem?
A: I was asked if I needed senior party leaders to campaign for me. I said no to it because I do not believe in conducting ‘sabhas’; instead, I am focusing on holding padyatras in every nook and corner of the constituency. It is believed that tall leaders will be able to influence common voters. But I connect directly with people, which matters a lot. The BJP is panicking and has realised that the contest will not be a cakewalk for them. Hence, top leaders from their party are flocking for campaigning.
Q. There are large slum pockets like Ganpat Patil Nagar and Poisar in your constituency. What are your plans?
A: Slum redevelopment is essential, but it should be in-situ. My opponent from the BJP has promised to transform ‘Uttar Mumbai’ into ‘Uttam Mumbai’ by removing all slums. They are claiming they will rehabilitate slum dwellers on salt pan land. So do they want to give away the land here, like they did at Dharavi? Instead, he (Goyal) should just go back to where he came from.
