It was politics as usual for Maharashtra's bickering ruling alliance partners BJP and Shiv Sena, as the former sought to pin the blame for the Mumbai fire tragedy on the Sena which controls the city's civic body.
Fourteen people were killed and 21 others injured after a major fire broke out at '1 Above' pub, located on the terrace of a building in Kamala Mills compound on Senapati Bapat Marg in Lower Parel shortly after midnight last night.
BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said he had asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BMC commissioner to order a special fire audit of all such pubs and hookah bars in Mumbai.
"Around a fortnight ago, there was a similar type of fire at a 'farsan' outlet in Sakinaka area in suburban Mumbai, where a dozen people had died," the BJP MP said.
"It is understood that several such establishments at Kamla Mills compound are illegal, part of which was regularised lately, the place where fire took place was illegal," he alleged.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's son and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, who visited the site today, said his party, which controls the BMC, will act against those found guilty of irregularities.
"We will act against all those guilty. I had visited this area recently and had expressed my apprehension that a blaze may break out here," he said.
The two parties have been at loggerheads despite being in government in the state and at the Centre.
The year began with a keen tussle between BJP and Shiv Sena for control of the Mumbai civic body in the February election to the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the country's richest civic body.
Shiv Sena won 84 seats. BJP was close behind, winning 82, while Congress was a distant third with 31 seats.
The two major parties failed to achieve the majority of 114 seats, which led to a deadlock over election of the Mumbai mayor.
After days of speculation and backdoor negotiations, Fadnavis made a surprise announcement saying the BJP won't field candidates for the post of mayor, deputy mayor or standing chairman in the civic body.
After bypolls later, the BJP now has 83 corporators while the Sena is marginally ahead with 85.
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