Shah performs Bhoomi Pooja of BJP Mumbai office; Raut calls it ‘major scam’

Union minister Amit Shah on Monday performed the ‘bhoomi pooja’ ceremony of the new BJP Marine Lines office which is scheduled to come up near the Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai, in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state unit BJP president Ravindra Chavan as well as other senior party leaders.

The multi-storied BJP Marine Lines office building will be constructed along the lines of BJP’s party headquarters in New Delhi.

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“As per the plan, the new BJP office building will come up on the plot near Churchgate. The new BJP office building will have various security features like biometric technology and state-of-the-art communication infrastructure. The new BJP office will be technologically advanced, spacious, and serve as a central hub for BJP’s Maharashtra operations as well as have all requirements needed for the party’s expansion,” a BJP leader said.

However, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief party spokesperson Sanjay Raut tweeted on X, a letter written by him to Shah, alleging that there is a “major scam” in the allocation of the land for the BJP’s new office at Marine Lines, whose bhoomi pooja was performed on Monday.

“Today, as you are going to perform the bhoomi pooja of the BJP office, I am presenting to you information about the secret which lies beneath that land,” Raut said in his open letter to Shah, tweeted on X, alleging that the land was reserved for residential purposes.

“Nearly 1,377.79 square metres of land was allegedly leased to the Vasani family (46%) and Maharashtra State Co-operative Finance Corporation Limited (54%) for 99 years from February 11, 1902, till February 12, 2001. On April 1, 2025, an application was made to the property department by a construction company, Eknath Realtors, to buy 46% of the land.

“This was immediately approved on April 4, 2025. Then, the remaining 54% of the land was quickly taken over and an application was immediately made to transfer this entire plot (46% and the original mortgaged 54%) to the BJP’s main office,” Raut alleged in his open letter to Shah, which he tweeted on X.

“The application for a ‘correction’ was approved the very next day on May 22, 2025. The final property transfer was allegedly completed on May 31, 2025. The land for the office you are inaugurating was acquired by bending rules and many files were fast-tracked with the speed of Rafale jet aircraft and decisions were taken at jet speed,” Raut stated in his open letter tweeted on X.

Raut claimed that administrative procedures were bypassed to expedite the land transfer to favour the BJP and alleged that the BJP took possession of a South Mumbai plot near Marine Lines Exide, previously owned by Eknath Realtors, within merely 11 days of initiating the process.

He alleged that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is presently run by administrators “favourable to the BJP,” acted with unusual haste on the file related to the plot of the BJP’s office, even as several civic development proposals remain pending.

Raut alleged that the premium South Mumbai plot was originally owned by the Maharashtra State Cooperative Finance Corporation (MSCFC), which had leased 46 per cent of the land to Eknath Realtors. The realtor later applied for the remaining 54 per cent and received swift approval.

He alleged that Eknath Realtors paid a transfer premium of over Rs 21 crore and that the Mumbai Suburban (Reform) Committee chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved the transaction on May 29, 2025, after which the BJP completed the plot transfer within 11 days, paying around Rs 3 crore as stamp duty.

Alleging that “transactions took place in a hurry at midnight,” Raut accused administrative officials of colluding with Eknath Realtors to hand over premium South Mumbai land to the BJP “under political pressure” and demanded that Union Minister Amit Shah must take cognisance of the alleged irregularities.

However, reacting to allegations made by Sanjay Raut, BJP Mumbai spokesperson Navnath Ban said, “If Sanjay Raut has the courage, he should declare the accounts of Matoshree-2 and his bungalow in Alibaug. We do not build five-star bungalows and houses for ourselves by ripping off other people’s land but build offices for BJP workers.

“Maharashtra has seen how the files of Matoshree-2 and Alibaug bungalow were moved at the speed of the Brahmos missile. So do not deceive people by making false accusations against the BJP. Those who have committed scams by grabbing the land of common people should not teach the BJP. The purchase of land for the new BJP office is transparent,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to BJP sources, besides his regular official schedule in Mumbai, Shah is also expected to hold discussions with BJP as well as ruling Mahayuti alliance partners to iron out internal disputes and chalk out broader strategies to contest Maharashtra’s local body elections.

The home minister will also examine major factors like the coming together of the Thackeray cousins and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition making “vote chori” a major issue.

Significantly, Shah’s visit to Mumbai came hours after Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. Shinde remained cryptic about his meeting with the PM but sources stated that central BJP leaders disapprove Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s growing assertion as well as the conduct of some of its ministers and MLAs, which have affected the image of the Fadnavis government, besides also increasing disputes within the ruling alliance.

Earlier on Monday, he distributed state-of-the-art deep-sea fishing vessels to fishermen at Mazagon Dock, Mumbai, in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol.

According to the Ministry of Cooperation, the vessels were distributed under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), with each unit costing Rs 1.2 crore, supported jointly by the Government of Maharashtra, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) and the Government of India’s Department of Fisheries.

Presently, most Indian fishermen operated traditional fishing vessels within 60 nautical miles from the coastline using conventional vessels. The introduction of technologically advanced deep-sea fishing vessels is expected to enable sustainable harvesting in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and high seas, especially around Lakshadweep and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The new vessels will be equipped with advanced navigation and digital systems to enhance traceability, safety, and operational efficiency, aligning India’s practices with global standards of responsible fishing.