MUMBAI: As his son Aaditya Thackeray’s ‘Night Life’ proposal got mired into controversy, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, in a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, renamed the proposal as ‘Mumbai 24 hours’.
Uddhav said that the tourism minister’s idea is good to keep open the malls, hotels and restaurants 24 hours.
“But I do not like the name ‘Night Life’. I will change the name. This move will not only generate revenue, but also employment in Mumbai,” he said.
Sources said the word ‘Night Life’ has different connotations.
“BJP was giving it a different colour, saying dance bars will be back in Mumbai. Wine and liquors shops will be open 24/7 resulting in a spike in crime. Therefore, Uddhav decided to give ‘Mumbai 24 hours’ name,” said a source.
Interestingly, NCP boss Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar has openly come out in support of Aaditya.
“As the opposition has nothing better to do with all their free time, they are talking negatively about the nightlife of a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai. This is a new experiment by the government and we should patiently wait for the results before commenting,” Pawar said.