BMC chief visited bette noir Mohit Kamboj’s residence

Mumbai: This was one Ganesh Chaturthi where all was forgiven and forgotten between Mumbai’s civic chief IS Chahal and controversial BJP leader Mohit Kamboj, it would seem. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administrator until the elections to the civic body are held, Chahal’s visit to the Kamboj residence--ostensibly seeking darshan of Lord Ganesh-- has caused chatter in civic circles. While the BMC chief responded with a summary “No comment” to First India’s inquiries on the issue, civic circles expressed surprise over the apparent rapprochement considering the serious allegations that the BJP leader had levelled against Chahal just months ago. “Chahal also presented the BJP leader with a statue of Lord Rama when he visited his residence to seek blessings from Lord Ganesh,” a person familiar with the issue told First India.

In March 2022, back when the MVA government was in power, Kamboj had accused Chahal of impropriety and corruption after being served notices by the BMC over alleged irregularities and violations of civic norms at his Mumbai duplex. Right after the Maha Yuti government was installed, the BJP leader accompanied erstwhile Congress minister in the MVA alliance Aslam Sheikh on a late evening visit to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s residence.

This visit created much controversy coming only hours after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde publicly stated that politicians facing scrutiny by central revenue intelligence agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) should not be entertained or taken into its fold by the new dispensation that he led. The issue had also led to a furore at the BJP’s Nariman Point office as Kamboj had courted Sheikh, who was under ED scrutiny, and facilitated his meeting with Fadnavis even though the BJP leaders like Kirit Somaiya had exposed the Congress leader’s alleged corruption. Somaiya, BJP MP Gopal Shetty and other BJP leaders subsequently even held public protests in the Mumbai suburb of Malvani over films studios which were alleged constructed illegally at the behest of Sheikh during his tenure as minister. These structures even faced demolition action by the BMC following the protests. Chahal’s visit with Kamboj has similarly drawn parallels on the propriety of the BMC chief--who the BJP leader accused of corruption for allegedly being complicit with Yashwant Jadhav, Shiv Sena’s Standing Committee Chairman in the BMC. After all, Kamboj had claimed that Chahal held properties in the US while demanding an Income Tax department probe against BMC’s current administrator.