Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray would attend the foundation stone laying ceremony for Chhatrapati Shivaji's memorial, to be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on an island in Arabian sea on December 24, days after Sena tried to make it a 'prestige issue' demanding an "honourable invitation" for their leader.
Earlier today, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sent two of his seniormost cabinet colleagues Chandrakant Patil and Vinod Tawde to extend the official invitation for the function to Thackeray at 'Matoshree', his residence in suburban Bandra.
"The CM personally spoke to the Sena president and deputed two of his senior ministers to extend a personal invitation to Thackeray who has confirmed to attend," a BJP leader said.
Last year, Thackeray was not invited for 'bhoomipujan' (ground breaking) ceremony of the grand memorial of B R Ambedkar here, performed by Modi, over 'protocol' reasons, which angered Sena, the junior alliance partner of the ruling BJP in Centre and Maharashtra.
According to sources, Sena had demanded that Thackeray be made part of the official entourage which will accompany the PM in a hovercraft to the island off Mumbai coast for the event.
During recently concluded winter session of state legislature, Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik and others had demanded that Thackeray be extended an honourable invitation for the event.
According to the BJP leader, Sena was bent on Thackeray's participation in the view of the high-stake BMC elections, scheduled early next year.
"Sena apparently sensed the political mileage it could lose (if Thackeray left out of the event) considering upcoming elections to BMC, other municipal corporations and Zilla Parishads due early next year," he said.
Construction of Shivaji memorial is an emotive issue given the Maratha king is revered by all sections in society in Maharashtra.
"...Moreover, the Sena leadership is mindful of the Sambhaji Brigade (a Maratha organisation) deciding to contest forthcoming BMC polls, and would not have liked a anti-Maratha perception to be generated against it," he said.
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Thackeray will also attend the public function to be addressed by Modi on December 24.
Proposed on around 15-hectare island, the memorial will be as high as 210 metres of which 60 per cent would be the height of the statue alone. The total cost of the project is Rs 3,600 crore of which first phase would cost Rs 2,500 crore.
Eyeing the political dividends, the BJP has sought to claim the credit for the project, touting it as fulfillment of the electoral promise.
Meanwhile, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned for the event and is launching a mega advertising blitz all over the state.
State unit BJP president Raosaheb Danve has credited Fadnavis for securing required clearances for the project from the Central government.
"...The previous Congress-NCP government had failed to obtain these permissions from the Centre," he said today.
In a statement issued here, the BJP has asked its cadres to organise processions in their respective districts.
The party cadres were directed to collect soil from Shivaji's forts and water from rivers for the event.
