Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari’s remark equating Nitin Gadkari with Shivaji Maharaj has sparked controversy in the Maha Vikas Aghadi led by Uddhav Thackeray NCP leader Sharad Pawar. Both the NCP and AAP have made stern demand for the Governor’s resignation.
As a mark of protest against the controversial ridden remark, the MVA are taking to the streets today with a Morcha to voice their angst over the controversial remark made by the Maharashtra Governor.
To evade any untoward incidents, 2,500 cops have been deployed. BJP is also expected to stage counter protest.
Today, Saturday, 17 December, Mumbai is geared up to witness two protest marches today, one by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) ‘Halla Bol’ protest against Eknath Shinde’s government and the other one is a counter-protest by the ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Adequate number of police personnel has also been deployed on the route of the march to maintain law and order, an official said.
As many as 317 police officers, 1,870 constables, 22 platoons of State Reserve Police Force and at least 30 squads of Riot Control Police will be on hand to maintain law and order.
As per the two, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, one of the reasons for the MVA protest is the “insults” of the state’s icons like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. The other reasons for the protest include, “atrocities” against Marathi-speakers in border areas of Karnataka, industrial projects being taken out of the state and “injustice” meted out to Maharashtra.
Notably, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar will likely join the MVA’s ‘Halla Bol’ Morcha..He will then address a rally at the concluding point of the protest.
“The protest will showcase people’s anger against the government of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and BJP,” State Congress president Nana Patole said.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) ‘Halla Bol’ protest will start near J J Hospital and will end at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai.
The MVA protest is being seen as an attempt to rally the allies after the Uddhav Thackeray-led alliance government was toppled in June this year.
Whereas the BJP’s Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar on Friday announced that his party would also organise its own ‘Maafi Mango’ protest in Mumbai on Saturday demanding an apology from the MVA for “insulting” Dr B R Ambedkar and Hindu deities.
