Amid the raging tussle between the rival Shiv Sena factions over who would hold the party’s annual Dasara rally in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, the Opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), backing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction, said that only a Dasara gathering presided by the Thackeray family could be said to be a ‘legitimate’ one.
Rebuking Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s rival Sena faction, NCP State President Jayant Patil on Sunday said that as the annual Dasara rally was a tradition begun by late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, the ‘real’ Dasara gathering in Dadar’s Shivaji Park could only be the one that was held by the Thackeray family.
“Balasaheb Thackeray started this tradition which has been carried on for the past several years by [Sena president] Uddhav Thackeray. So, only the Thackeray family has a right to hold it… This year’s rally will give a new direction to the Shiv Sainiks,” said Mr. Patil.
