The Maharashtra government on Thursday included the names of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray and his father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray in the list of eminent personalities whose birth anniversaries are commemorated in government offices.
The General Administration Department (GAD) issued a Government Resolution (order) containing a revised list with the addition of four names on Thursday.
Accordingly, Bal Thackeray's birth anniversary will be celebrated in government offices on January 23.
The GAD portfolio is, incidentally, held by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the late Sena chief's son, who heads a coalition government of the Sena, NCP and Congress.
His grandfather Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, better known as "Prabodhankar (reformer)", was known for his reformist views and harsh criticism of religious orthodoxy.
Bal Thackeray, on the other hand, was known for his Hindutva politics.
"Every year, the state government in December issues a GR listing the anniversaries which are expected to be celebrated. The GR issued on December 15, 2020, had 37 names, which was revised today with the addition of four names," an official said.
Besides two Thackerays, two other names that were added are Balshastri Jambhekar, founder of the first Marathi newspaper, and Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh who was agriculture minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet.
