Shiv Sena leader and former Congress Member of Parliament, Sanjay Nirupam, has accused Muslim-owned construction companies of waging a 'housing jihad' in Mumbai by favouring Muslims in slum redevelopment projects. Nirupam said he made the charges based on a preliminary report from the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) the body administering slum redevelopment project. He suggested further investigations by the government into the issue.
Nirupam said that the purpose of the alleged jihad is to change Mumbai's demography and make it into a Muslim-majority city. He stated that Kurla, Bandra East, Chandivali, Sion-Koliwada, Malad East, and Goregaon East are being targeted for this purpose by companies. He asked the state government to scrutinise construction projects being undertaken by Muslim-controlled companies to ensure that Hindus are not displaced from these areas.
"Housing has no religion. However, the government should scrutinise the projects and find out how many Hindus were living in the localities and their numbers after the completion of the redevelopment projects," said Nirupam. "The government has to ensure that the city's current demography is maintained. We have to recognise this as a problem."
Muslim Leaders Slam Nirupam's Remarks
Muslim leaders condemned the statement. Syed Jalaluddin, national general secretary of Ajit Pawar-led NCP and president of the party’s minority wing, said, "His words are condemnable, objectionable, and deplorable. I am surprised how he worked in the Congress Party while holding such views."
Muslims have said that they face discrimination in purchasing or renting homes in many localities in the city. Reacting to Nirupam's comments, a former senior bureaucrat said, "The discrimination in housing is another matter, but to say something like this is disgusting. Did he say this when he was in Congress? Love jihad, vote jihad, and now land jihad. Why is anything done by Muslims called a jihad!"
Nirupam stated that he has proof of the 'housing jihad' campaign. In early 2025, he asked the SRA to investigate two cases in Jogeshwari West, where the Muslim-owned construction company inflated the number of slum units fraudulently. "In one case, a slum with 67 units mostly owned by Hindus, was fraudulently cleared for redevelopment by adding 56 more units, all Muslims. This complex with a Hindu name will be Muslim majority when it is completed," said Nirupam.
In another case, Nirupam said, a slum with 44 units, with three or four belonging to Hindus, was cleared for redevelopment with 51 extra flats, all Muslim. The few Hindus in the slum have left, making it entirely Muslim. Nirupam added that are around 600 ongoing SRA projects, of which 10 per cent are with Muslim-owned companies. "I agree that non-Muslim builders could also be fraudulently adding units. However, my concern is the change in Mumbai's demography because of this fraud."
Muslim Builders Denounce Politicisation of Housing
Muslims who manage construction business said that Nirupam's statement is not in Mumbai's interest. Sohail Khandwani of Khandwani Group, a member of the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing and Industry and National Real Estate Development Council, said, "This statement is not in the spirit of Mumbai. People should look for a company that provides good construction, not the religion of the builder. There is a regulatory body looking at the quality of construction," said Khandwani. "Nirupam needs to talk about affordable housing, premiums paid by home buyers, and single-window clearances for housing projects. Construction is purely business. Politicians should focus on development."
Allegations Spark Wider Debate on Urban Housing and Demographics
Citizens said that if Nirupam was serious about the city's welfare, he should have taken up issues about cleanliness. "He was a parliamentarian. He seems to be searching for some headlines in the media," said Furkan Shaikh from the citizens' group, We are Stronger Together. "Housing is a problem, not just for Muslims, but for Marathi speakers too. They are being forced to look for homes in faraway suburbs because Mumbai is not affordable for anyone, not just Muslims."
