NEW DELHI: A couple of days after vouching for an alliance in the civic polls, the Shiv Sena and the BJP appeared to be at loggerheads over the development initiatives on the occasion of the completion of the state government in which both are coalition partners.
“The understanding of politics of some people is limited to peg, penguins and parties,” city BJP president Ashish Shelar said without naming Aditya Thackeray, son of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and president of the party’s youth wing. “They speak of night bazaar and rooftop parties. I wish them all the best,” he said referring to Aditya’s opinions regarding the nightlife in Mumbai and the decision to bring Penguins to Mumbai zoos.
Earlier, Aditya tweeted a salvo at the BJP. “We cannot let the east coast be sold for ‘residential’ and commercial activity to builders,” he tweeted while opposing plans to develop the huge land bank of the Mumbai Port Trust. “East Coast that can be made into open space equalling size of 50 Oval Maidans and 8 Marine Drives will be sold to builders. Such a shame,” Aditya wrote in his blog, while pleading that the open land of the trust should remain with the city council (where Sena is in power). He also tweeted that “the decisions are being taken from Delhi, to create housing development and monetise salt pans and East Coast of Mumbai are absurd. The city should decide”.
Instead of replying to the allegation, Shelar chose to enumerate several of the Mumbai-based infrastructure initiatives taken by the government in last two years. Aditya had also expressed concern over the development initiatives. “Declaring Aarey as ‘not a forest’, Arabian Sea as a creek, Salt pans and East Coast for residential purpose will only destroy nature,” he said.