Shiv Sena to join BBM protest morcha

Despite the ‘dinner diplomacy’ between Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday, there was no indication that Sena would go soft on its ally BJP on every issue in the Assembly.

Shiv Sena will not only join a morcha led by Bharatiya Republican Party Bahujan Mahasangh. (BBM) on Tuesday, but will also ask the state government to probe the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan in Dadar. “Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met Mr Thackeray on Sunday and a one-to-one discussion was held between both leaders before they met at the dinner table,” said a senior Shiv Sena leader on condition of anonymity.

The leader further said as the meeting was held behind closed doors, it was impossible to say what they had discussed, but they certainly discussed cooperation between Sena MPs and MLAs in Parliament and the Assembly respectively.

BJP is seeking support for the passage of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Parliament, while in the state Assembly, it needs Sena’s support to ensure smooth conduct of the House and also defend its ministers against onslaught by Opposition leaders.

A day after the dinner, Mr Thackeray allowed party spokesperson Dr Neelam Gorhe to join a morcha against the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan. Dr Gorhe said she would join the morcha as Mr Thackeray told her to attend it. “‘On the one hand, we buy his house in London where Dr Ambedkar had stayed, and on other hand, we demolish the house and the premises which had a printing press used by Dr Ambedkar. We should support Ambedkar followers,’ Uddhavji told me in as many words,” said Dr Gorhe.

The Ambedkar Bhavan was demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC); however, BMC mayor Snehal Ambekar said the civic body had not given permission to do so.

A Sena insider said the BJP city president Ashish Shelar and Mr Fadnavis had supported the trustees in the demolition of the Bhavan. Mr Fadnavis had said that the state had approved a handsome amount for the construction of a new multi-storied building in its place.

Meanwhile, Mr Shelar on Monday demanded a probe be conducted against BMC officials who had announced that the Ambedkar Bhavan building was dilapidated.