For the first time since the Shiv Sena's inception 56 years ago, two Dussehra rallies will be held in Mumbai on Wednesday evening by the party's rival factions -- led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray -- in what is being billed as a show of strength by both camps after a change in government in June.
Meanwhile, ahead of the scheduled rallies, Eknath Shinde took to Twitter to taunt the Thackeray faction and posted a couplet by famous Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, which said, "Just because they are my sons, they wont become my heirs; but my heirs will become my son."
"मेरे बेटे, बेटे होने से मेरे उत्तराधिकारी नहीं होंगे, जो मेरे उत्तराधिकारी होंगे, वो मेरे बेटे होंगे "- हरिवंशराय बच्चन," he tweeted.
Both the camps have claimed they are taking forward the ideals of Bal Thackeray, who was known to make fiery speeches at the Dussehra rallies at Shivaji Park year after year till his death in 2012.
Since then, his son Uddhav Thackeray, a former CM who lost power in June following rebellion by his once trusted aide Shinde, had been addressing the annual event.For the first time since the Shiv Sena's inception 56 years ago, two Dussehra rallies will be held in Mumbai on Wednesday evening by the party's rival factions -- led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray -- in what is being billed as a show of strength by both camps after a change in government in June.
The rallies have generated intense interest in political circles and also among common citizens and there will be more than just speeches by the two friends-turned-foes as the rival factions seek to present themselves as the 'real' Shiv Sena and try to claim the legacy of the party founder late Bal Thackeray.
While the Uddhav Thackeray faction will hold its rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Dadar in central Mumbai, a venue associated with the Shiv Sena since its inception in 1966, the rebel group led by Shinde has organised their event at the MMRDA ground at BKC in the suburbs.
The sprawling MMRDA ground is located close to 'Matoshree', the private residence of the Thackeray family in Bandra.
(With inputs from agencies)
