Two Senas argue after Uddhav denied entry at Mumbra shakha

Thane: Attacking the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena for ‘bulldozing’ a ‘shakha’ (local level office) controlled by the Shiv Sena (UBT), its chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said those high on power will be taught a lesson. Thackeray, along with top leaders of the Sena (UBT), went to Mumbra in Thane to visit the razed shakha but had to face resistance from workers of the CM’s Shiv Sena, who also showed black flags.

As the situation turned tense, Thackeray and his party colleagues left the site, just metres away from the razed shakha. Mumbra is a Muslim-dominated area in Thane, which is the stronghold of CM Shinde.

Addressing party workers in Mumbra, Thackeray said, “Those who are high on power bulldozed the shakha. I have come here to show you the bulldozer. Our posters were torn. We’ll tear your arrogance into pieces in the polls.” Alleging that the administration had become helpless, the former CM said, “Our land (shakha) has been encroached upon. We have all the documents.” The shakha will be assembled, the Shiv Sena (UBT) asserted.

Thackeray along with his party colleagues Sanjay Raut, Anil Desai, Anil Parab and Arvind Sawant reached Mumbra in the evening. He was greeted by local MLA and NCP leader Jitendra Awhad at Kalwa and later their convoy reached the Retibandar area of Mumbra. There was a stage set up a few hundred metres from Shakha and police tried to stop Thackeray near and requested him not to go forward. But Thackeray did not accept it and moved ahead. As the police stopped Thackeray’s convoy again, there was a heated argument between senior police officials and leaders from the Thackeray faction. “We are here to just visit our shakha but you are stopping us. But why did the police not take any action when the Shinde faction illegally demolished our shakha and occupied it? You are providing protection to Shinde camp party workers and using force to stop us,” alleged Anil Parab.

When police officers said that they were concerned for the security of Thackeray, Parab said the party workers would take care of his security and allow Thackeray and a few leaders to visit Thackeray. At last Thackeray came out of his vehicle and expressed his determination to visit the shakha. “It is our shakha and they have demolished it and now keep one container with a board of shakha. Why did the police not take action that time and not remove that. We don’t want to get you in trouble and allow us to visit shakha for five minutes.” said Thackeray to the officer.

It was then decided that police would allow Thackeray and his colleague to go up to the next barricade but would not allow them to visit shakha as there could be law and order issues due to the heavy crowd of workers from both sides coming face to face there. Finally, Thackeray agreed to it and walked up to the barricade and came back to the stage.

Addressing the crowd from the stage Thackeray dared the CM Shinde camp to face his party workers without police protection. “I came back to avoid any violence during the Diwali as it will malign the image of Maharashtra. CM Shinde camp using the police help to illegally occupy the Shakha. If they have guts, face our party workers without using police protection and we will show our strength,” challenged Thackeray. He also warned that his party will tear the CM Shinde faction in coming elections. Thackeray also said that the fight for the right on Shakha will go on and local leaders will sit near it and will not rest till we get it back.

Meanwhile, party workers and leaders from CM Shinde faction celebrated the return of Thackeray without visiting the Shakha by raising slogans.

Cautioning the administration and the police, Thackeray said, “You are not slaves of the thieves. You have protected the thieves, but the thieves have disturbed the honeycomb. Now the honeybees will sting you.”Speaking to reporters later, Thackeray said this same government got the police to lathi-charge ‘warkaris’ as well as Maratha quota agitators.

Thackeray said he and his supporters did not break the police barricades kept at the site of the shakha as they did not want a law and order situation during Diwali as it would inconvenience people.

“However, it does not mean we will always be silent. The state government brought hired goons and gave them police protection. This is absolutely disgraceful,” he said.

Thackeray was accompanied by MPs Vinayak Raut, Sanjay Raut, Anil Desai, Rajan Vichare and Nationalist Congress Party leader Jitendra Awhad.

Earlier in the day, former Thane mayor Naresh Mhaske, who is part of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, had said the shakha was taken over and demolished as it was being used for illegal activities.

Thackeray refused to comment on questions based on allegations made by Mhaske and other leaders of the Shinde faction.