MNS chief Raj Thackeray opposes Bal Thackeray's memorial near Mayor's Bungalow

Setting aside irritants in their ties, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today came together to pay tributes to Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his death anniversary and announced the plan to set up a grand memorial for him at the Mayor's bungalow in the Shivaji Park area here. He said that leader's memorials are usually built in their homes.

Addressing mediapersons here, Mr Thackeray, without taking the name of his cousin Uddhav, said "In the name of Balasaheb, people want to capture Mayor's bunglow".

"The Mayor's bungalow is a heritage site". It can’t be pulled down. "But Shivaji Park is the Sena's "karma bhoomi" and we accept the mayor's bungalow here for the Thackeray memorial", Uddhav Thackeray said on the occasion.

Fadnavis who was flanked by Uddhav said that the latter would be heading a trust along with other government officials that would be looking into how the memorial would shape up to be. "That bungalow is more nice than this", he said. "The broad framework of the memorial has been decided. The names of other members of this trust will be announced in 2-3 days".

The state government has already cleared the decks for a Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial on the premises of the now-defunct Indu textile mills in Dadar, which was owned by the National Textile Corporation.

"Will they construct a memorial in "Varsha" (Maharashtra chief minister's official residence in Malabar Hill)", he asked. "The memorial will remind the people of the values followed by Balasaheb and the work done by him in Maharashtra and the entire country", he added.

What has taken everybody by surprise is the decision taken by BJP government to hand over Mayor's heritage bungalow. The committee will be headed by Uddhav Thackeray. Shivaji Park was also the venue of his much-anticipated annual "Dussehra Rallies" which has set the tone for state politics for over four decades.