‘Congress-NCP an unholy alliance to loot city’

Raj Purohit, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mumbai unit chief, said the sole purpose of the Congress and the NCP getting together for the BMC elections was to rob India’s richest municipal corporation. In an interview to Amberish K Diwanji, he said he was confident that the people would vote for the Mahayuti (grand alliance) comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the RPI(A). Excerpts of the interview:Do you think the Congress-NCP alliance will make a difference in the BMC polls?This is an unholy alliance made for the sole purpose of looting Mumbai. Those two parties have emotion for Mumbai and no shared history in the city. They only have a vested interest. Look at them in Maharashtra; the state is in doldrums. There is no power, industry is fleeing the state. If they claim they can improve the city, it is laughable and the people realise that.There is a perception that you have been sidelined within the BJPThat is not true. I have been involved with every aspect of party work for the BMC elections, be it selecting candidates or the campaigning. I am busy campaigning across the city. But you must remember that I am the Mumbai unit leader and when the state unit leaders get together, I won’t be present. What about the Sena? There are complaints that it is taking the BJP for granted.At every stage of the preparation, the Sena has consulted us. See all their posters, you will find pictures of BJP leaders also. With the entry of the RPI into the BJP-Sena alliance, will the traditional BJP voter continue to back your party?Before the RPI was inducted, we have had a number of meetings with them. I must say the RPI has been a most reasonable party in our negotiations. They asked for 30 seats and agreed for 29 when there was no other way out. Gujarat CM Narendra Modi was to campaign in Mumbai. With just four days left, there is still no news on whether he’ll turn up.We have requested all the national leaders to campaign for us in Mumbai and in the other cities. I have personally written to many of them, including Modi, Advani and  Nitin Gadkari. But because of the Uttar Pradesh elections, most of them are busy.So will Modi visit Mumbai?I don’t know. He might come, he might not!