Will make Mumbai a vibrant city: Arvind Sawant

Arvind Sawant, 62, is easily one of the most articulate leaders of the Shiv Sena and he was fluent in Marathi, English and Hindi. He has been heading the MTNL employees trade union for the past several years and has been with the Shiv Sena since its inception in 1966. He had two terms as a member of the legislative council. He has been fielded by the Sena as its candidate in the prestigious South Mumbai Lok Sabha constituency where he is engaged in a triangular fight with sitting MP and Union minister Milind Deora and Bala Nandgaonkar of the Maharashtra Navirman Sena (MNS). In between his hectic campaign schedule, he spoke to dna. Excerpts:

In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, your party candidate, Mohan Rawle, was number three in the race. Your party was behind the MNS. Given this background don't you think you are facing an uphill task? Won't Rawle's hostility to the Sena complicate matters for you?
The situation in 2014 is different from what it was in 2009. People did not accept Rawle in the last polls and because of that my party suffered. Now, there is a different atmosphere in this constituency. In the Shiv Sena, the party organisation is more important than any individual and this applies to Rawle. In the past when Rawle won several times, the people voted for the Shiv Sena and not for Rawle. So, his absence this time will make absolutely no difference to my party.

In the 2009 polls, the presence of the MNS in the fray divided the votes of the Marathi manoos and the Congress won as a result. Won't history repeat itself?
The MNS was a new organisation then. It was like a clean slate. People thought why not give it a chance. But over the past few years the Marathi manoos have seen the real nature of the MNS as a party which has taken a contract to divide votes and help the Congress. Marathi manoos have realised that a vote for the MNS is a vote for the Congress. The recent agitation launched by the MNS against toll booths completely exposed the party. It was clear that there was an understanding between MNS leader Raj Thackeray and the Congress. Marathi voters have been very alert now and they are determined to teach the MNS a lesson. This time around the MNS will face a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Marathi manoos. After the last LS polls, the political atmosphere has turned in favour of the Shiv Sena and fared well in the BMC polls. Out of 38 corporators in my parliamentary constituency, as many as 23 are either from the Sena or from its allies.

The BJP was very keen on entering the fray in South Mumbai and the seat was not given to it by the Sena. There are reports that BJP workers may not campaign for you. Please comment.
The BJP did stake its claim to this seat. But after the amalgamation of South Mumbai and South-Central constituencies, the picture has changed drastically. The Sena is in a dominant position here. It is but natural that we contest this prestigious seat. I am confident that BJP workers will work for my success. I am receiving tremendous support from Marathi-speaking, Gujarati-speaking and Hindi-speaking voters.

Why do you think the people should vote for you?
They should vote for me because I am promising to bring vibrancy to this great metropolis. Mumbai has developed over the years, but I do not see any vibrancy in the city. I want to make Mumbai a vibrant city. I am all for implementing the cluster development policy because that is the only workable solution to make the island city a better place to live in. We can generate acres of open space if this policy is implemented. My first task after I get elected it to have the hugely ugly skywalk at Nana Chowk dismantled. Nana chowk has now become the ugliest part of Mumbai because of this skywalk. I also want to develop the harbour area. Also, I want the Worli sea link to be extended to Nariman Point. There is no need for the Peddar Road flyover. The need is to create multi-storied parking lots in South Mumbai. Mumbai contributes Rs75,000 crore annually to the central exchequer, but receives hardly anything in return. I want to change that.

Textile workers form a sizable section of the electorate in your constituency. But the Sena did nothing when they were on a long strike under the leadership of Dr Datta Samant.
When the mill workers approached Balasaheb Thackeray he warned them against a prolonged strike. But they were misled by Dr Samant. The result was the textile industry simply perished rendering lakhs of people jobless. Thackeray was of the firm opinion that factories and mills should not be shut because the biggest sufferers would be the workers. But we have taken up the issue of housing for mill workers in a big way.