{
  "id": 11250595,
  "title": "Row Over 'Mira-Bhayandar A Jain City' & 'Mini Rajasthan' Statement By BJP MLA",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/row-over-mira-bhayandar-a-jain-city-mini-rajasthan-statement-by-bjp",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T17:35:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/row-over-mira-bhayandar-a-jain-city-mini-rajasthan-statement-by-bjp-mla"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "BJP MLA Narendra Mehta sparked controversy by describing the Mira-Bhayandar city as a \"Jain city\" and \"Mini Rajasthan\" at a Jain community event. He claimed that the city has over 33 Jain temples and that its MLA and mayor are Jain. Mehta made these remarks while attending the event as the chief guest to mark the death anniversary of Dada Gurudev. The statement has triggered backlash from local groups and political parties like MNS, Shiv Sena, and Congress, along with Marathi Ekikaran Samiti, who strongly objected to the remarks. Mehta later issued a clarification, apologizing for any offense caused, emphasizing his association with Maharashtra and the Marathi community.",
  "summary": "Mumbai: BJP MLA Narendra Mehta has once again courted controversy with remarks on the religious and cultural identity of Mira-Bhayandar, describing the city as a “Jain city” and “Mini Rajasthan”. He claimed that it has more than 33 Jain temples and also cited that the city’s MLA and mayor belong to the Jain community. He was speaking at a Jain community event held in Thane on Tuesday to mark the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}