Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray made a strong emotive appeal for the preservation of aircraft carrier Indian Museum Ship (IMS) Vikrant. In a series of tweets this afternoon, Thackeray Junior invoked patriotism and national interest to protect the historic warship that is to be scrapped soon. 'The BMC has asked the BMC Commissioner to adopt the erstwhile naval ship and give it the honor it deserves. It has defended our nation and its people,' the Sena scion tweeted.

The warship had been last saved from the scrapyard by his grandfather, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. Thackeray Senior got the Shiv Sena-BJP state government in 1999 to spend Rs 6.5 crore on its refit, but the project slipped into a limbo soon after.

(Must Read: How Bal Thackeray threw the INS Vikrant a lifeline )



Rahul Nawale, the chairman of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), wrote to BMC commissioner Sitaram Kunte today, asking for additional funds to preserve the warship. The Shiv Sena-controlled BMC has set aside Rs 25 crore for the warship museum project since 2009 but the funds lapsed after the state government failed to utilise it. Nawale has now asked the BMC to include the lapsed amount of Rs 100 crore.

The Sena has clearly stepped up efforts to preserve the warship following a defence ministry decision earlier this year to scrap the warship that was retired from naval service in 1997.

(FIRST REPORTED BY INDIA TODAY: "Shipped to the scrap heap" July 1, 2013 )





On December 7, Maharashtra state Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the state government had backed out of the Rs 600 crore public-private partnership project because it had been found unviable. The project which called for the warship to be converted into a permanent museum off Colaba. It would be cross-subsidised by running helicopter services off its flight deck.

This commercial operation, ironically, ran into opposition from the navy which also maintains a its largest naval helicopter base in Colaba. "Successive state governments of the Congress and NCP have failed to act upon the upkeep of INS Vikrant and now want it to be sold," Aditya Thackeray tweeted.



"The Vikrant can be a huge tourist attraction and inspiration to Indians," Shiv Sena spokesperson Rahul Narwekar said.