Confrontation with Sena likely as Shinde plans to hold Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park

Shivaji Park is becoming the venue for a potentially explosive political face-off this Dussehra

Shivaji Park is becoming the venue for a potentially explosive political face-off this Dussehra. The Shinde faction has announced that they will be holding the annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park this year.

Shivaji Park at Dadar HT Archives

On Friday evening, MNS general secretary Sandeep Deshpande also jumped into the fray and said his party chief Raj Thackeray should address the Dussehra rally this year. He had the ability to revitalise the Hindus and clear the confusion in the minds of the Marathi manoos, who had faith in the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, he claimed.

The Shiv Sena which started the tradition of the annual show of strength in 1966, is holding its ground saying that they are the original Shiv Sena and will hold the Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park and nowhere else.

In this moment of unprecedential crisis for the Shiv Sena, the focus on Shivaji Park shifted after Narayan Rane, former Sainik and at present, union minister from the BJP, spoke about Shinde holding the Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park. Earlier, the Shinde camp had claimed they had no intention to use the grounds to hold their show of strength on the festival.

Sada Sarvankar, legislator from Mahim, who has joined the Shinde group, said they have already filed an application with the BMC, seeking permissions to hold the rally. “[We] will do it [hold the rally at Shivaji Park]. This decision has been taken.”

There are chances that leaders from the BJP may attend this rally.

However, Shiv Sena has rigorously contested Shinde’s claim on Shivaji Park as the Dussehra rally venue.

“We organise the rally [here] and our claim has a basis in law. This public meeting has been held so far by Sena. The Election Commission of India has not taken a decision [on the Shinde group’s claim of being the real Sena] and hence, the [BMC] must give permissions to us,” Sena deputy leader and legislator Sachin Ahir said.

He warned: “Attempts to suppress Sena will backfire. The breakaway faction has not yet been recognised… If we do not get the permissions for the meeting and if Shiv Sainiks still come for it, then the government will be responsible for anything untoward that may take place.”

Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai had written to the BMC for permissions to hold the rally at Shivaji Park. But Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray had said that the BMC, which is being administered by the state, had not accepted their application.

Sena has a strong emotional link with Shivaji Park. It was born at the Ranade Road residence of party supremo Bal Thackeray on June 19, 1966 and it held its first public meeting at the ground on Dussehra day in October that year.

Bal Thackeray’s father, social reformer and activist ‘Prabodhankar’ Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, was among those who launched the public celebrations of the Navratri festival. Bal Thackeray and later his son Uddhav also held their public meetings at the ground. It was in a Dussehra rally (2010) that Aaditya was launched in politics as the head of the newly-formed Yuva Sena.