Estranged son attacks Shiv Sena on Bal Thackeray's death anniversary

On the first death anniversary of party founder Bal Thackeray, the rift between two of his sons occupied the headlines as one of them strongly opposed the building of a memorial in his honour in Shivaji Park. At a press conference yesterday, Jaidev, the estranged elder brother of Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, said there was no need for a statue or memorial to be built to honour his father. “There is no need for any memorial or statue of Thackeray at Shivaji Park - he lives in the hearts of the people,” Jaidev said. “I feel that those Shiv Sena leaders who have made it big in the party should contribute money and buy land somewhere in the city for the statue or memorial. They can even construct it in the mayor’s bungalow compound. Why should it be constructed at Shivaji Park?” Jaidev said. [caption id=“attachment_1235585” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Uddhav Thackeray (in white) along with other relatives at the function to mark the first death anniversary of Bal Thackeray. PTI[/caption] Jaidev said only a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji should adorn Shivaji Park. Going a step further, he added that there is no need for anybody else’s statue or memorial at the ground, including his father Bal Thackeray. “When the Shiv Sena leaders can get land for constructing resorts, why can’t they get a piece of land for a Thackeray memorial? If the party was really serious on it, they could have easily got some land for him in the past one year,” Jaidev said sarcastically. The entire top brass of the Shiv Sena and thousands of supporters was present at a garden memorial at Shivaji Park on Sunday to mark the first death anniversary of the party’s founder. Senior state officials, including the Maharashtra governor, were also present at the event. The Times of India reported that the garden had been constructed by the city’s civic body at a cost of Rs 11 lakh. Jaidev, who has been a recluse and never participated in politics, also hinted at the possibility of entering politics and said he would launch a campaign to unite Maharashtrians soon before taking further steps. While Uddhav Thackeray didn’t respond to the comments, other Shiv Sena activists alleged a political conspiracy behind the estranged brother’s comments. “The people will soon realise who has made Jayadev utter these words There is nothing to comment on this day,” a senior party leader was quoted as saying in an Indian Express report. While the Shiv Sena has hinted at the involvement of MNS chief and estranged nephew Raj Thackeray engineering Jaidev’s outburst, the MNS has denied the allegations. Incidentally, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who was present during Bal Thackeray’s funeral, chose to stay away from the function marking the death anniversary. with inputs from IANS