In what appears to be a change of heart, Shiv Sena has said it was okay if the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) constructs the memorial for its late president Bal Thackeray. The CM heads MMRDA.
According to sources in Sena, the party has no objection if MMRDA constructs the memorial instead of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). It only wants the memorial to come up at Mahalaxmi racecourse land.
The CM had on November 17 (observed as the Sena stalwart's death anniversary), announced that the state government would build a memorial befitting Thackeray's stature. Opposition leader in the assembly and Sena's Thane legislator, Eknath Shinde, had so far been maintaining that the party did not require help from the government in constructing the memorial.
However, following the MMRDA meeting on Thursday, sources in the party said Sena was not averse to the idea of the state agency doing the job.
"Today, we are on the opposition benches in the assembly. But we are not averse to the idea of the government constructing a memorial for saheb, provided it's built on Mahalaxmi racecourse land," said a senior Sena leader in BMC.
He added that activities like horse racing could be held outside Mumbai. "There is a racecourse in Pune and people from Mumbai who can afford to, go there to enjoy races. But Mumbaikars do lack a theme park of international standard," he said.
BMC standing committee chairman and Sena corporator Yashodhar Phanase, who attended the meeting chaired by Fadnavis, said: "We have put forth the demand before the CM that a theme park must come up at the racecourse. And he has said the government would look into it," Phanase said.
Sena has been demanding that a theme park be constructed in the name of Thackeray on the racecourse land, jointly owned by the state government and BMC, ever since the corporation's lease agreement for maintenance of the plot with Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) came to an end in May last year. BMC owns 2,58,245.44 sq m area of the racecourse; the remaining (5,96,953.34 sq m) is with the government.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}