Report from Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (RD/SP)
Mumbai, Aug 17: The Congress Party workers were irked and incensed by the high handed attitude shown by the Shiv Sena activists at Ville Parle (East) on Independence Day.
On Friday, August 14, Congress Party workers Jayendra Patel and Sanjay Shetty had made preparations for flag hoisting at Nityanand Road, Ville Parle (East). They were reportedly threatened by Shiv Sena’s Shakha Pramukh Anil Khandekar, Upa Shakha Pramukh and local corporator’s brother Ramesh Panchal, who asked the two, to remove the flag-staff.
Undeterred by this incident, the Congress Party workers carried on with their work and beautified the place, besides making necessary preparations. To their dismay, they found out on the next morning, that garbage had been scattered around the flag-staff.
The Congress workers then cleaned up the place again and proceeded to Sant Janabhai Road for another flag hoisting programme, organized there by the Congress Party. The Sena activists gate-crashed into the Congress Party’s flag hoisting programme at Nityanand Road and corporator Manohar Panchal hoisted the national flag. After threatening the people present there, and throwing garbage around the flagpole, the Sena activists hoisted the national flag.
‘We are happy that Independence Day has brought about a sense of national pride in them at last. We are hopeful that at least now they will indulge in constructive activities,” said Krishna Hegde, spokesperson of the Mumbai Congress, who was the organizer of both the flag hoisting programmes in Ville Parle (East).
“My office has done good work, we have commissioned eight new roads and toilet blocks for Ville Parle through MP Priya Dutt's funds,” he said.
“The Dahi Handi programmes organized by me yesterday have drawn tremendous response. The Sena is afraid of my growing popularity in the area and therefore, is using every trick in the book to stop the development works I have been undertaking for the people,” Hegde added.
Congress MP Priya Dutt had achieved an important lead in the Ville Parle assembly segment over the Sena-BJP combine, by over 9500 votes.
An FIR number 1954 under IPC section 504 / 505 has been lodged against the Sena activists in Andheri (East) police station, and a constable has been stationed at the flag hoisting site at the the request of the Congress Party.