Dubbing the “cash-strapped” saffron alliance Government’s announcement to build a mid-sea Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial as a “mere gimmick” resorted to by the ruling BJP ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said on Monday that mere building of a statue in memory of the great Maratha warrior would result in ushering in “Shiv Shahi” (Rule of Shivaji) in the State.
Talking to mediapersons at Nashik after reviewing the Rs 112 crore worth development works carried by the MNS-ruled Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), Raj demanded to know if the BJP-led Maharashtra Government had Rs 3,600 crore to build the Shivaji memorial, especially in the light of the fact that the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation currently faced severe resource crunch.
The MNS chief said instead of spending such a huge sum of money on the mid-sea memorial off south Mumbai, the State Government should refurbish the dilapidated forts across the State.
“Building of another statue in memory of Chhatrpati Shivaji would not serve any purpose, because scores of such statues have already been erected across the State. The State Government has now chosen to spend crores of rupees on building a mid-sea memorial for Shivaji. The State Government is sadly mistaken if it thinks it can usher in Shiv Shahi by building a Shivaji memorial. Instead of spending such a huge sum of money on the Shivaji memorial, the State Government use some money for refurbishing the forts constructed by the Shivaji which are in a neglected State,” Raj said.
Charging the BJP-led saffron alliance Government following the suit of the previous Congress dispensation which would make announcements before the polls but would never keep them, the MNS chief said: “The Chief Minister makes mere announcements. His latest announcement about the Shivaji memorial is a mere gimmick that he has resorted to ahead of the BMC polls. I would like to know from the State Government if it really has money to build the memorial. In the past, Fadnavis had announcements about making available funds for Mumbai and the twin satellite townships of Kalyan and Dombvili. He has not kept any of his promises”.
Through his criticism of the saffron alliance Government, the MNS chief is trying to erode the ruling BJP’s major poll plank of building the mid-sea Shivaji memorial, in the BMC polls scheduled for February 2017.
Raj’s effort is apparently to drive a wedge between the BJP and Shiv Sena, by making the most of the Sena’s unhappiness over the manner in which its senior saffron alliance partner has gone about not only hogging the limelight but also trying to usurp the legacy of Shivaji. The MNS chief’s effort should be seen in the context of the fact that it is the Shiv Sena and not the BJP that has over the years been championing the legacy of the Maratha warrior.
Though the BJP and Shiv Sena have not officially ruled the possibility of their contesting the BMC independently, both the parties are preparing to go it alone in the polls. In the event of the BJP deciding to contest the BMC on its own strength, the Sena would not exactly be averse to teaming up with the MNS.
Their politically rivalry notwithstanding, the Thackeray cousins share fairly good personal relations, unlike in the past when they would criticize each other at public platforms. The MNS would stand to gain markedly, if it chose align with the Shiv Sena in the polls.
The Shiv Sena would also stand to gain -- albeit to an extent-- by severing its electoral links with the BJP and entering into an alliance with the MNS for the BMC polls, especially in the wake of the anti-demonetisation mood prevailing among sections of Mumbaikars. On its part, the Shiv Sena has made no bones about its displeasure over the manner in which the Modi government has implemented the demonetisation decision.
No wonder that Raj’s criticism of the BJP-led government’s announcement about building a mid-sea memorial for Shivaji is being seen a calibrated response in the State political circles.