(with photo)
Mumbai, November 16 (Language) Workers of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) came face to face on Thursday and raised slogans against each other at the memorial of party founder late Bal Thackeray.
Bal Thackeray’s 11th death anniversary will be celebrated on Friday.
An officer said that the police dispersed the crowd.
Workers of the Shinde-led faction raised slogans that the party was theirs while members of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party responded by raising slogans of “traitors, go back”.
The incident took place when Chief Minister Shinde reached the memorial at Shivaji Park in Dadar to pay tribute to Bal Thackeray.
The Chief Minister said, “It is everyone’s responsibility to maintain law and order.” I pay homage a day earlier to ensure that there are no law and order problems. I condemn the attempt to disturb peace.
He said, “As soon as I left from there, Anil Desai and Anil Parab (leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction) reached there with their supporters and raised slogans against me. An attempt was made to disturb the peace unnecessarily.
Earlier, the Chief Minister told reporters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled the dream of the late Shiv Sena founder to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
He told that it will be inaugurated on the eve of the birth anniversary of late Bal Thackeray.
Thackeray was born on January 23, 1926, while the consecration of the statue at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will take place on January 22.
Shinde said that his government is working to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of Bal Thackeray.
Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde said that like last year, Chief Minister Shinde paid homage at the Shivaji Park memorial on the eve of the death anniversary to avoid any confrontation.
The spokesperson said that Shinde was also accompanied by senior leaders.
Hegde alleged, “We saw (Uddhav Thackeray faction) MP Anil Desai and Legislative Councilor Anil Parab coming. Everything was peaceful until his arrival. They had come with a group of people to disrupt this peaceful and important occasion. This was a deliberate attempt to create ruckus and law and order situation.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satyanarayan Chaudhary and additional commissioners of all zones of Mumbai are at the spot to maintain law and order, an official said.
He said that a large contingent of police has been deployed in Shivaji Park to maintain law and order.
Language Surbhi Avinash
Avinash
