Lulla and Sundaresan argue on a financial plank that fits with their corporate profiles. Mumbai contributes 35% of the direct tax revenues to the Central exchequer, and 60% to Maharashtra’s coffers, they point out. The city is home to the headquarters of India’s biggest banks, exchanges and companies.
“So doesn’t it deserve better?” Lulla asks, rhetorically. “If we can tell our bosses or investors that we’ll give them a 12% return, or a new product, why can’t politicians make a similar kind of commitment?”
And what if, as some sceptics say, nothing changes—if all this gushing anger exhausts itself in a month, or if no new promises are made, or if they are made and not kept? “Then, even if it is 40 years later, I’ll be wearing this black badge,” Lulla says. “It will be a symbol of the fact that nothing was done.”
Melissa A. Bell contributed to this story.
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