The Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Mumbai wing has opposed the Shiv Vada Pav scheme to be launched by the civic body.

Sachin Ahir, party’s Mumbai district president, alleged that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is insulting Maratha leader Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by associating his name with the scheme.

During a meeting with civic commissioner Jairaj Phatak and other officials at the BMC headquarters, Ahir urged the municipal corporation not to implement this scheme. He said the scheme is a brainchild of the Shiv Sena, which is using Shivaji’s name and this is hurting sentiments of Maharashtrians.

“The scheme is nothing but Shiv Sena’s political game. These are tactics to attract common voters through the BMC’s scheme. This scheme is to rehabilitate only Sena activists and not for the benefit of the city as a whole,” he alleged.

On one hand the municipal corporation is removing hawkers from footpaths and other places in the city, while on the other it plans to allow some vada pav hawkers with hand carts under this scheme. In a situation where there is no space to accommodate the existing number of hawkers and the hawking policy yet to be finalised, this is logically not correct, said Ahir.

“The Supreme Court had banned four-wheeled hand carts on city roads and the BMC is allowing the same. This is contempt of court. We will ask to the state government not to allow implementation of this scheme,” said Ahir.