Will Centre and Maharashtra call a truce over Metro imbroglio?

The Metro3 project is going to be one of the planks for Mumbais civic polls With a year to go for the elections the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party BJP have started playing a deeprooted political game which doesnt appear to be ending soon CM Uddhav Thackeray has appealed to the Centre to discuss the Kanjurmarg land issue across the table instead of fighting legal battles over its titleHowever Thackerays appeal came with a rider that the Centre should also think about the possibility of the state stalling a national project being built on stateowned land He also said a titfortat wouldnt do any good for the people who want development Will the Opposition accept his appeal Will there be any political bargaining to resolve the stalemate that if continued for long is bound to delay the citys first underground MetroThackerays posturing might win him some brownie points because the MVA has been creating propaganda that the BJPled Centre motivated a legal case in the Metro3 car shed construction at Kanjurmarg stayed by the court till early next year The BJP has said that the car sheds shifting from Aarey to Kanjurmarg was driven by Thackerays ego a charge the CM has accepted saying that his ego was all about the development of Mumbai and Maharashtra Some projects need to be changed or altered to accommodate the growing needs of the future Development that comes quickly and without application of thought is rendered useless and redundant after some years Remember Bandras skywalk It had to go after some years because no thought went into building it Thackeray said on Sunday while addressing the state He said the Aarey land would turn out to be insufficient for a car shed in the coming years and the project would need more trees to be cut to make more land available Kanjurmarg will be sufficient for the next 50 years he claimedAlso ReadThane may get Chhota Metro with 26 stationsThe Shiv Sena president who upset the BJP by forging an alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party is ready to give the Centre full credit for the project if Kanjurmarg is cleared through an amicable solution Why did the Centre move court After all it is public land and not owned by the Centre and State People benefit from it Why should there be a tug of war Thackeray asked The BJP maintained the line that the CM make the Saunik Committee report public claiming that the government has ignored its recommendations against Kanjurmarg and in favour of Aarey The BJP has blamed the stalling the resultant delay cost escalations and the court case solely on Thackeray and in the coming days it wont stop using the accusation to paint Sena as antidevelopment The BJP has been reminding people of Senas opposition to bigticket projects like Metro3 in Girgaon Samriddhi Corridor Nanar refinery bullet train etcThe Congress collectiveAs the two major parties the BJP and Sena prepare a battleground for civic polls the Congress took a step ahead albeit late but a necessary one to appoint a fulltime head for its Mumbai unit MRCC New president Bhai Jagtap has been tasked to lead a cosmopolitan pack of leaders who will chair important committees There will be six leaders including Jagtap as the unit head carrying out tough organisational work before and during the civic polls In fact all the chairmen were contenders for the top post A former MRCC president and MP is learned to have convinced Rahul Gandhi to implement an idea he had floated last year to give leaders in warring factions responsibility thus making the unit a collective However the new body is missing the representation of the important vote block of north IndiansAlso ReadMumbai Metro depot at BKC will increase project cost Devendra FadnavisIn getting his plan executed the exMP has also ensured that he will be a decisive force in the citys organisation without being a part of it Expect him to be the eyes and ears of Rahul who is tipped to be the Congress president yet again However with a new system being introduced the city Congress has both scepticism and hope The good news is that the leaders drafted in the unexpected roles will be watched for their performance including faction politicsIn wakeup mode Congress has cautioned the Senaled government against ignoring it in MVA schemes and policies Sonia Gandhis letter to the CM in this regard has given the partys aggressive ministers and workers a boost The announcement of Sonias demand was made in New Delhi making it clear that the party high command isnt happy with the leaders who were expected to plan and work to get a better deal in government policies Were told the Maharashtra Congress committee will be given a new president an aggressive one very soon Speaker Nana Patole and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Satav are said to be in the zone of considerationDharmendra Jore is political editor midday He tweets dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news