Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be invited for the bhoomipoojan of Balasaheb Thackeray memorial to be held at the Mayor Bungalow at Dadar Chowpatty by the end of this month.
A small ceremony for the handing over of land is going to take place on Wednesday, when Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will share the dais. The move to invite the CM and PM is being seen in political circles as Sena extending an olive branch to the saffron party.
“Our dream of building a memorial of late Balasaheb Thackeray is soon going to turn into a reality. We are waiting for one permission to come through. Then, we will hold the bhoomipoojan function there. For the ceremony of handing over of land to the trust and for Ganeshpoojan, we have invited CM Fadnavis,” senior cabinet minister and Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai told News18.
The late Shiv Sena leader’s memorial is soon slated to be built at the Mayor Bungalow at Dadar Chowpatty.
The building comes under CRZ 1(Coastal Regulation Zone), hence, governed by environmental norms. It is also a heritage structure. Any changes in its construction require nod from several agencies, including the Union environment ministry. The proposed construction has also been challenged in the Bombay high court for alleged flouting of norms.
“As of now, we are awaiting nod from the environment ministry. All other papers are in place. Once that permission comes through, decks will be cleared for the memorial,” an official told News18.
Public spars between the Shiv Sena and BJP have increased over the last few months. The Sena was particularly upset after the BJP did not extend invite to its ally during major infrastructure inaugural events. But these things seem to have been put on the backburner by the Sena now.
January 23 is the birth anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray. The Sena is keen to hold a symbolic function on this day, related to the memorial. Since all the permissions are not yet in place, it will hold a Ganeshpoojan on the day.
When asked if the Sena has invited the Prime Minister for the bhoomipoojan ceremony, a Sena functionary said, “It is obvious that if both of us are in power together, we will be seen on stage together.”
Thackeray memorial has emotional value for Shiv Sena. It already feels frustrated for not being able to fast-track the work of the memorial in the last three years. The trust, which looks into the matter of the memorial, is headed by Uddhav Thackeray.
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