Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is set to give Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mumbai visit a miss this Sunday, as the friction between the saffron allies continues.
As the BJP gets ready to welcome Mr. Modi, Mr. Thackeray has planned a programme in drought-affected Beed district of Marathwada. On Sunday, Mr. Modi will perform the bhoomipuja for two events: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s planned memorial at the Indu mill in Central Mumbai and the two metro corridors.
The memorial issue has been pending for many years and the BJP had made it one of the main issues during the Assembly elections last year. Several factions of the Republican Party have been campaigning for the memorial and are now claiming credit. The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which were a part of the previous regime, too claim that they initiated the process during their tenure.
The new development has ensured that the stone-laying ceremony will not pass without a controversy. “Sena is holding programmes in drought hit districts. The Beed programme was planned well in advance and Uddhavji will be attending it. Farmers’ issue is an important one. We have collected money through his [Uddhav’s] photo-exhibition and will be distributing it among the farmers,” said a senior Sena leader.
It is Sena’s problemBJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said that it was Sena’s problem and not his party’s. “It is a government programme and invitations will be sent in accordance with the protocol. The Sena has joined the BJP government in the State and they should decide their moves,” he told The Hindu .
Despite being allies both in the State and at the Centre, the saffron parties have failed to reach consensus on many issues. On Wednesday, after the Sena opposed renowned ghazal singer Ghulam Ali’s concert in Mumbai, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said adequate police protection would be provided if the organisers decide to go ahead with the show.
On Thursday, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray taunted the Chief Minister questioning the need for such entertainment shows at a time when soldiers were dying on the border. “Instead of providing security to Ghulam Ali, there is a need to increase the number of Army men on the border,” Mr. Thackeray said.
