BJP hijacking Maharashtra government programme?

Mumbai: The foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial is a state government event, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) doesn’t want it to remain so. The state government is organising the inauguration of various infrastructure projects by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bandra-Kurla Complex on Saturday.

A message sent out by leaders of the BJP reads, “Though various channels will show what Modiji is speaking, he will clarify issues like demonetisation, black money and others. However, people are requested to come by 1 pm, as once the event starts, it would be difficult to enter.”

The ceremony has been hit by several controversies, as the Shiv Sena said it wouldn’t attend unless party chief Uddhav Thackeray was given respectable seats and the Nationalist Congress Party wanted Sharad Pawar to be invited for the inauguration.

However, it is being said that the BJP wants to turn the ceremony into a party event and the chief minister has already held meetings with various BJP leaders.  “For last two days two meetings have already been held and hence we are seeing to it that the function is a success,” said a leader from BJP.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Niranjan Shetty dismissed the notion that the function was being turned into a BJP event, and maintained that people from the party would turn up as everyone wants to listen to Mr Modi.