Leaders and party workers of the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday staged a sit-in protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, claiming that the condition of the ‘Samyukta Maharashtra gallery’ was `poor` and being ignored by the authorities.
The party also shared about the protest on its official X handle.
The gallery, located in Shivaji Park area of Dadar, showcases the history of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, was conceptualised by Bal Thackeray and later taken forward by Uddhav Thackeray.
The party leaders claimed that the gallery has fallen into disrepair and requires urgent attention.
The issue was presented before members of the media during the protest.
They stressed the importance of preserving the site, which reflects the historic struggle for the formation of Maharashtra.
Party leaders join the protest
Several senior leaders were present at the protest, including former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, Vishakha Raut, Sainath Durge and MLA Mahesh Sawant, along with other party workers and office-bearers.
They reiterated their commitment to protecting the legacy of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement.
Civic official responds
In the social media post, the Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed that a senior official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has assured urgent repairs following the party`s concerns.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ajitkumar Ambi, assured that repair work at the gallery would begin within the next two days, the post stated.
The assurance came after demands from party leaders for immediate restoration, it said.
Congress slams Sena (UBT) for accusing it of using regional allies as `crutches`
Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday hit out at the Shiv Sena (UBT) over the latter`s accusation that the grand old party was using regional outfits as “crutches”, and not treating them as “equal stakeholders” in the Opposition alliance, reported the PTI.
Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant criticised the editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece `Saamana`, alleging that the newspaper`s executive editor, MP Sanjay Raut, appears confused on several occasions between his roles as a politician and journalist.
In a strongly-worded post on X, he noted that while a journalist`s duty is to point out shortcomings objectively, a political spokesperson often targets opponents, and confusing the two roles leads to ignoring one`s own accountability.
