Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye on Monday urged Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to cancel his party’s annual Dussehra rally and instead direct the event’s expenditure towards flood relief efforts in the Marathwada region, news agency PTI reported.

Responding to the BJP, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that the national party had no authority to advise his outfit. He added that the Dussehra rally is a decades-old tradition that has taken place even in the aftermath of heavy rains in the past, and this year’s event will continue as planned.