The opposition Congress-NCP on Thursday attacked the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance for the waiver of entertainment tax and rentals to the British rock band Coldplay's much-hyped concert, scheduled to be held here on November 19.
The Congress has also complained to the State Election Commission demanding that the event — in which the Maharashtra government is a 'strategic partner' — be postponed till the completion of the ongoing civic elections.
The star-studded event, reported to be a total sellout, will feature performances by Jay Z and a host of Bollywood celebrities including Aamir Khan, A.R. Rahman, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar among others.
Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday shot off a letter to State Election Commissioner J.S. Saharia, pointing out that top politicians will participate in the event organised by the Global Citizen India as part of its inaugural Global Citizen Festival.
“The State has granted the organisers 75 per cent concession on the rent for the MMRDA Ground, Bandra East, and waived off entertainment tax. This is a waste of public money and such concessions are not granted to other organisations," Mr. Nirupam said.
