Known for its moral policing and conservative stands taken against ‘westernisation’ of celebrations, Shiv Sena seems to have taken a complete U-turn from its earlier stand.
Sena’s young leader and grandson of late Bal Thackeray, Aditya, has openly criticised the Maharashtra state government and Mumbai police for putting time limit on new year celebrations on December 31, calling it ‘foolish’.
“Killing people’s celebrations, businesses and now interfering in personal lives, this isn’t governance,” he said on a social networking site, asking the Government not to tone down New Year celebrations.
The Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh in a recently issued circular has asked all the hotels and pubs in the city to be closed by 1.30 a.m. Singh while supplementing his decision had said that, it was taken to avoid untoward incidents such as harassment and molestation. “The decision has been taken in the interest of the city,” he had said. Following his decision, Thane and Navi Mumbai too have invoked time limit for New Year celebrations.
Thackeray, however, came out protesting against the decision claiming ‘curbing on legal celebrations will only give rise to illegal ones, which is far worse.’
“Curbing New Year celebrations at 1.30 a.m. is outright foolish. This is a one night everyone celebrates together, around the world, hoping for a better year,” he told The Hindu.
He however declined that his stand on New Year celebrations is going against party’s position of all these years. “Government cannot curtail New Year celebrations in this manner, at a time when people go out with their families to celebrate,” he maintained, refusing to comment further.
The president of Sena’s youth wing, Thackeray had recently made a proposal to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to keep eateries in the city open for 24 hours. The move, as he said, was made to make night life in the city more ‘vibrant.’
Apart from Sena, AHAR, the representative body of Hotel owners are also opposing the government decision and have moved to Bombay High Court.
“The orders were issued at the last minute. We have made our preparations and have invested a lot of money in it. We have absolutely no clue as to why this decision was taken,” said Arvind Shetty, president, AHAR. The court will be hearing the petition on Tuesday morning.
(This news report was first published in The Hindu online edition .)