Centre is using Mumbai as an ATM: Uddhav

The Shiv Sena on Friday accused the Centre of using Mumbai, the financial capital of India, as an ATM and said that if security arrangements made for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Mumbai are in place for the common man, there would be no terror attacks in the city.

Referring to Rahul's stop at an ATM en route to Andheri station, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said, "Mumbai has been made an ATM (Any Time Money) for Delhi. One can take away Mumbai's money anytime to Delhi. This is the mentality we are fighting against."

Ridiculing the heavy security arrangements organised in the city for Rahul's visit, Uddhav said, "Only Rahul felt insecure in Mumbai. Even if he was to travel without security, he would not have been harmed."

"The chief minister played the role of a policeman for two hours and the minister of state for home was looking after Rahul's shoes," the Shiv Sena leader said.

"It looked as if the Italian Mussolini had come to Mumbai. His schedule in the city was curtailed and he had to change his route plan due to the Sena threat," he said.

Claiming success for Sena's black flag protest against Rahul, he said, "We had planned to greet him with black flags and that we did that despite heavy security bandobast. Our protest was a success".

Photograph: Sahil Salvi