Sena’s cleanliness drive at Modi rally venue irks BJP

In an apparent snub to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena, on Sunday, cleaned the parking lot of the Mahalaxmi Race Course, where the BJP had held the rally a day before.

In an apparent snub to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena, on Sunday, cleaned the parking lot of the Mahalaxmi Race Course, where the BJP had held the rally a day before.

Around 20 Sena workers, armed with brooms and dustbins, started their cleanliness drive early in the morning.

According to Arun Dudhwalkar, the Sena candidate from Malabar Hill who led the campaign, the BJP workers are an irresponsible lot. “Despite Modi exhorting the BJP cadres to keep the place clean, they didn’t listen to him,” he said, adding that the place was littered with flags, pamphlets and other stuff.

Dudhwalkar said he saw the venue littered when he went for an early morning jog. “They have littered the city and this is unacceptable. The BJP does not practice what they preach,” he said.

The BJP, however, has called it just a stunt. “We cleaned the place after the rally got over and the Sena is just indulging in a gimmick,” said a BJP spokesperson, who refused to come on record. He also taunted the Sena by saying that it was ruling the Mumbai civic body for decades. “We know how much effort they have taken to keep the city clean,” he added.