The Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray said on Tuesday that it would stage its yearly Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park grounds in Mumbai regardless of whether the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) grants its approval or not, PTI reported. Former Mumbai mayor Milind Vaidya led a team of Sena leaders who met BMC officials to inquire about the status of their application seeking permission to hold the rally.
"Whether we get permission or not, Balasaheb's Thackeray's Shiv Sena workers will gather at Shivaji Park for the rally. The administration must either give us permission or refuse it. We are very firm on our decision (to hold the rally at Shivaji Park). If we don't get an answer, Balasaheb's Shiv Sena workers will gather at Shivaji Park for the Dusshera rally," PTI quoted Vaidya as saying.
To organise a Dusshera rally at Shivaji Park in the heart of Mumbai, both the Thackeray-led side and the Sena group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have applied for permission.
The Shiv Sena has been holding its Dussehra rally at the venue since its formation. The BMC has not yet made a judgment about the matter.
As an alternative, both groups have requested permission to organize the rally at the MMRDA site at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The Shinde group received approval last week to stage a rally at BKC.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar said the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena should obtain permission to organise the rally in Shivaji Park. Pawar said the Sena should take the legal route if the permission is not received.
"If BKC ground has been made available for the Shinde faction, then the Uddhav Thackeray-led group should be allowed to hold a rally at Shivaji Park. Let the state hear the views of these two sides (at their respective rallies)," said Pawar whose party is an ally of the Thackeray-led Sena in the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition.