Shiv sena chief's attack on mid-sea Shivaji memorial sends shock waves across state politics, but popular opinion against Rs 350-cr gimmick finds its strongest voice

He may be 83, but Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray certainly hasn't lost any of his bite. On Sunday, Thackeray, in an interview to the party mouthpiece, Saamna, said the idea of building a memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was completely foolish and there was no need for a memorial "Murkhapana aahe to.

Murkhapana!"

He went on to question the need for a memorial, as there was already a statue of Shivaji at the Gateway of India.

The statement has sent shockwaves across the rank and file of the Sena, but not a single party worker was willing to comment.

Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, however, went into damage control by downplaying Thackeray's statement. "Balasaheb's comment was not against the memorial.



It was against the Democratic Front. The idea of building the memorial is brought up during every election 2004u00a0 and now too. Balasaheb finds these announcements stupid, not the idea of the memorial.

Former MLC Vinayak Methe, who had first demanded and mooted a proposal for an international memorial of Shivaji spluttered, "How can Balasaheb forget that the whole proposal to build an international memorial was mooted during the Sena-BJP regime in 1995!

The then CM Manohar Joshi had also appointed a committee in 1996 to examine the project, which was headed by senior Sena leader Sudhir Joshi."

He added, "I can understand that Thackeray may have forgotten this fact due to his age.

But I don't think he would take such a stand, considering that he admires Shivaji Maharaj and his party is built on an ideology professing faith in Shivaji Maharaj."

CM shocked

A shocked CM Ashok Chavan said, "It is rather surprising that Balasaheb has said this.

We will stand by what we have announced and we will build a monument, which will be the nation's pride. I am shocked at his statement."

Kumar Ketkar, editor of Loksatta, whose house was vandalised by Methe's men for opposing the statue, said, "Bal Thackeray has just reiterated what he had stated earlier.
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