Mumbai, Apr 8 (IANS): The Shiv Sena again claimed on Friday that there is a strong move among a section of Bharatiya Janata Party to make Mumbai - the country's financial capital - into a Union Territory.

Sena MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut claimed that a group of BJP leaders including ex-Mumbai MP Kirit Somaiya are chalking out a plan to the effect with the help of some businessmen, realtors, and others.

"This has been going on for the past couple of months or so. A detailed presentation has also been made to the Union Home Ministry in this regard," he said, adding he has evidence in the matter.

Raut said there is a possibility that this group is likely to move the courts citing that the percentage of Marathi-speaking people in Mumbai has gone down and hence it should be made a UT under the direct control of the Centre.

On several occasions in the past, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has accused the BJP and Centre of making attempts to carve out Mumbai from Maharashtra to bring the megalopolis under its jurisdiction as a UT.

In January 2021, BJP-ruled Karnataka's then Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi had sparked a major political row by demanding that Mumbai should be handed over to Karnataka and until then its status should be changed to a UT.

However, the MVA allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress had slammed the proposal and said Mumbai has always been an integral part of Maharashtra, will remain so, and any plans to dilute it would be resisted stiffly.