Mumbai: The Shiv Sena is caught in a Catch-22 situation on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary, also called the Shiv Jayanti. The NCP has demanded that Shiv Jayanti be celebrated only on February 19, instead of on a ‘tithi’ (date) in the Marathi calendar.
Every year, the official Shiv Jayanti celebrations are held on February 19, as this date was certified by a committee of historians a few years back.
The Shiv Sena, however, celebrates the birth anniversary as per the Marathi calendar on Falgun Vadya Tritiya -- the third day of Falgun month, which can vary and falls sometime between February and March. This time, Shiv Jayanti will be on March 12 as per ‘tithi’.
Well-known orator and NCP leader Amol Mitkari has appealed to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to celebrate Shiv Jayanti only on February 19. This has put the Sena on the horns of a dilemma as it is presiding over the MVA government.
In the past, when the Congress and the NCP government had taken a call on the date, the Sena had put its foot down; the latter continues to celebrate the birth anniversary on ‘tithi’.
During the Fadnavis dispensation, every year, Shiv Sena ministers demanded that the occasion be celebrated on ‘tithi’, but to keep up the official façade as partners in the government, these ministers would also attend the official Shiv Jayanti programs.
Responding to the fresh demand by the NCP, the Shiv Sena has made it clear that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will be celebrating the official Shiv Jayanti function on February 19 whereas the Shiv Sena will celebrate it as per ‘tithi’.
So, a distinction is being drawn between the party and the government stand. "However, we will set up a committee which will take a call on this issue, so that a single date can be documented for future reference," said minister Anil Parab. With that, the Sena has found a middle ground, at least for time being.
