If Mahatma Gandhi memorials can come up across India, why not Thackeray’s in Mumbai: Shiv Sena

mumbai

Updated: May 30, 2017 09:47 IST

Angered by the opposition to building Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray’s memorial in Mumbai, party leader and industries minister Subhash Desai on Monday said that Mahatma Gandhi held no constitutional posts but his memorials were built across the country, so why were there so many questions over Thackeray’s memorial.

“There were many politicians in the country, like Mahatma Gandhi, who held no constitutional positions but their memorials were built. We remember him as the father of the nation,” Desai said

He added that Thackeray was a great leader and was above the rules for building memorials. “People want a memorial dedicated to Thackeray and there is nothing wrong if the state government is determined to do so,” the industries minister said.

He was reacting over a public interest litigation filed against providing government land for the Thackeray memorial in Dadar.

Thackeray is the founder of Shiv Sena and the party wants to build his memorial at the Mayor’s bungalow at Dadar. After much wait, the state government decided to allot the plot to the trust formed for the cause. But the move has run in to legal hurdles after an activist Bhagwanji Raiyani filed a public interest litigation challenging the government’s decision while referring to a 2013 Supreme Court ruling, which said that no memorials should be allowed on government-owned houses. The Centre also issued a circular banning the conversion of government bungalows into memorials.