Rout awaits those wanting to remove BMC's saffron flag: Sena
The people of Mumbai will defeatthose who are talking about removing the saffron flag from theBrihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Shiv Sena saidon Friday.
The Shiv Sena made the remarks in the editorial of itsmouthpiece Saamana, two days after BJP leader DevendraFadnavis exuded confidence that his party will win the 2022BMC polls, dislodging the Shiv Sena from power in Indiasrichest civic body.
Fadnavis had said the saffron flag will be hoistedagain in the BMC, but it will be of the BJP, a former ally ofthe Shiv Sena.
Taking a dig at the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, whichshares power with the Congress and the NCP, the formerMaharashtra chief minister had also said that the BJPsHindutva was not adulterated.
The Shiv Sena has been controlling the cash-rich civicbody, which has annual budget in excess of Rs 30,000 crore,for more than two decades.
In the editorial, the Shiv Sena said in the distantpast two Peshwas (key administrative figures during Marathaempire), Bala Natu and Chintu Patvardhan, had brought downsaffron flag from atop the Lal Mahal (a 17th century monument)in Pune and unfurled British Union Jack in the place of it.
The Marathi daily said the people of Pune were thenpained to see the saffron flag being removed from the LalMahal, while there were also some who were tranced due tooverjoy.
The people of Mumbai will rout the descendants of thetranced ones who are talking about removing the saffron flagfrom the BMC and hoist it (saffron flag) on their grave too.
The saffron flag on the BMC is radiance ofMaharashtras pride, the Shiv Sena said.
The party likened Mumbai to a perpetually eruptingfire, whose colour it added, is purely saffron.
“(You) will be destroyed if (you) touch the saffron(flag). It is evident throughout history.
“Those who are speaking the language of hoisting newEast India Companys Union Jack on the BMC should not forgetthis, the publication said.
The Shiv Sena claimed the BJP got associated with thesaffron flag only after it joined hands with the party foundedby late Bal Thackeray.
The Shiv Sena further said that the language ofremoving the saffron flag from the BMC also implies denyingMaharashtra its rights over Mumbai.
Removing the flag from the civic body will also meanshoving Mumbai down the throat of capitalists and enslavingMarathi “manoos” and labourers, the editorial claimed.
Those who are conspiring to bring down the flag ofMarathi pride and Hindu radiance are insulting the hardcoreHindutva of the country.
“They want to bring the saffron flag in Mumbai downfor political gains, the party alleged.
“…those who saw the dream of removing the saffronflag from the BMC disappeared forever from politics and publiclife, it added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)
