 "Uddhav-led Sena defiant about holding Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park")
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Tuesday said it will hold the party's annual Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park ground here whether or not the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) gives its nod.
A delegation of Sena leaders led by former Mumbai mayor Milind Vaidya met civic body 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, he said. Both the Thackeray-led faction and the rival Shiv Sena group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have sought permission to hold a Dusshera rally at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai. The Shiv Sena has been holding its Dussehra rally at the venue since its inception.
The BMC has not taken any decision on the issue so far. Both factions, as an alternative, have also applied for permission to hold the rally at the MMRDA ground at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Last week, the Shinde faction got the nod for holding a rally at BKC.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar said the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena should get permission to hold the rally at Shivaji Park, and it should take recourse to law if the permission does not come through.
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, an ally of the Thackeray-led Sena in the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition.