At Worli, youngsters speak, Aaditya listens

This was a political meeting with a difference. President of the Yuva Sena Aaditya Thackeray, addressing young adults at Worli at an open house session, took the listener’s chair for a change.

“As politicians, we’re here year after year talking to the crowd, addressing them with our promises. But this is the time for you to stand up and ask me questions, give me suggestions or criticism of any sort,” Mr. Thackeray said to the crowd.

Mr. Thackeray, who has been travelling across Maharashtra for his ‘Aaditya Sanvad,’ aimed at understanding the hopes and aspirations of the youth, held a Mumbai edition at Worli. Promoting #YuvanchaAaditya, he urged the crowd to come up with questions and picked up some from a fish bowl.

The two-hour event began with a music performance by Rahul Vaidya, and led to the interaction with Mr. Thackeray, who was accompanied by Priyanka Chaturvedi. Ms. Chaturvedi recently quit the Congress to join the Shiv Sena, and took a few questions herself.

Mr. Thackeray addressed several issues, including safety for girls, nepotism, sports and Mumbai’s night life. “It is very essential that the youth interacts with the government. The most important thing about young people today is that they’re not afraid to speak their minds,” the youh leader said.

Mr. Thackeray also talked about the initiatives taken up by the Yuva Sena. “We have taken up six sports: boxing, karate, kabaddi, cricket, football, rugby for our tie-up with BMC schools. We train these children and put them into different levels,” he said.

The Yuva Sena chief mentioned that Marylebone Cricket Club and British Council were soon going to tie up with the BMC for cricket. Answering a question about the preservation of coastal regulation zones, Mr. Thackeray said, “We will definitely be working on that in the near future.”

‘Aaditya Sanvad’ was held in Nashik, Kolhapur before being organised in Mumbai. Mr. Thackeray will be taking the event to Maval in Pune on April 24.