Sena slams AIMIM for opposing move to allot land for memorials

Shiv Sena today hit out at AIMIM for opposing Maharashtra government's decision to allot land for building memorials to historic figures and well-known personalities from the state, a move that the Muslim party has called a "waste of public money".

The Sena accused All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator of being "disloyal" to the state and sought its de-recognition, for not agreeing to its decision of making memorials to leaders like Chhatratpati Shivaji Maharaj, Sena supremo late Balasaheb Thackeray and BJP leader late Gopinath Munde.

AIMIM's Imtiaz Jaleel had recently threatened to move court against the state government's decision of "wasting public money" in building memorials and had said the government should instead use the money for public welfare like building hospitals. "AIMIM's comment on building memorials shows its disloyalty to Maharashtra. Staying in Maharashtra and opposing Balasaheb's memorial is the ultimate ungratefulness of what he has done for the state. A criminal case should be filed against the person (Jaleel) who made the comment and the party (AIMIM) should be de-recognised," the Sena said in an edit in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "Why do people who oppose a memorial for Balasaheb do not think that giving subsidy for Haj pilgrims is a wasteful expenditure? We say that this wasteful expenditure should be stopped and the money should be used to build hospitals and schools to make Muslim youths independent," the Sena said.

The Sena added that while the Hyderabad-based party opposed the construction of memorials of these leaders, it refrained from speaking against a memorial for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar for "political motives." "If this is not hypocrisy...what is it? All those following the ideals of Ambedkar should despise such kind of politics," the Sena said.