Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam has alleged on Friday that certain Muslim real estate developers are deliberately manipulating Mumbai’s Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects to alter the city's demographic balance. He claims that these developers are ensuring that Muslim residents outnumber Hindus in redeveloped areas, a phenomenon he terms “Housing Jihad.”

Nirupam asserts that a consistent pattern is emerging in Mumbai’s slum redevelopment projects, where original Hindu residents are gradually becoming a minority, while Muslim residents are allegedly being given preference. He specifically pointed to projects in Govandi, Mankhurd, Kurla, Saki Naka, Bandra, and other parts of the city where this shift is taking place.

The Shiv Sena leader has raised several concerns regarding Muslim developers' involvement in SRA projects stating that Muslim builders reject Hindu applicants for SRA housing and prioritise Muslim residents instead. He claimed that the goal is to change Mumbai’s demographics, particularly in the western suburbs.

According to him, 10% of the 600 ongoing SRA projects are controlled by Muslim developers, and all of them are engaging in this practice. He also claims that some Muslim developers are helping Bangladeshi nationals secure permanent housing by falsifying documents.

Raising his concerns, Nirupam wrote to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Housing Minister Eknath Shinde, urging an investigation into these allegations. He has specifically demanded scrutiny of two housing projects in Oshiwara, where he claims a Hindu-majority society was transformed into a Muslim-majority area.

He specifically highlighted the case of one Oshiwara housing project where a single individual allegedly received approvals for 19 housing units, despite SRA rules allowing only one unit per family. The number of eligible hutments in another locality reportedly increased from 45 in 2021 to 95 in 2022, raising suspicions of document manipulation.

Nirupam also claims that electricity bills were falsified to qualify ineligible beneficiaries for housing.His claims have sparked controversy, with AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan dismissing them as “complete nonsense.” He accused Nirupam of spreading communal propaganda, stating, “First, they accused Muslims of love jihad, then land jihad, and now housing jihad. Do they even know what ‘jihad’ means?”

The allegations have ignited a political debate, with calls for a thorough investigation into SRA projects. If proven, the claims could reveal serious fraud in Mumbai’s housing sector. However, critics argue that these accusations are politically motivated and meant to create communal tensions. The Maharashtra government is yet to respond formally to Nirupam’s demand for a probe.