BMC opposition wants Matoshree to be Bal Thackeray memorial

Opposition parties in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), led by the Congress, are up in arms against chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's decision to convert the Mayor's bungalow in Shivaji Park into a memorial for the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. Instead, the corporators across party lines, want Matoshree, the Thackeray residence in Bandra (E), to serve the purpose.

During the civic general body meeting on Wednesday, Congress' Devendra Amberkar said, "Matoshree would be more apt for a memorial for Balasaheb. Taking over the Mayor's bungalow is not fair. Balasaheb's memorial should be grand. Every part of Matoshree has Balasaheb's memories."

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) Sandeep Deshpande said ideally, there should be no controversy. "Would the chief minister give away his own bungalow for a memorial?" he questioned. MNS chief Raj Thackeray has already opposed the move, calling it a bid to usurp prime property.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, claimed the decision to select the Mayor's bungalow was taken by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. "The Congress is trying to create a controversy. Balasaheb shared a special bond with Shivaji Park. "A high-level panel finalised the site. We welcome CM's decision and it will serve as a tribute to Balasaheb," BJP's Manoj Kotak said.

Matoshree, located in Bandra's Kalanagar area, has been the Thackeray residence since 1970s. Known to be the city's most high-profile home, the quaint bungalow is seen as an extension of the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar.

WhileThackeray's son Uddhav and his family live here, the late Sena supremo hosted everyone from pop-star Michael Jackson to Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad at Matoshree.

Kalanagar was developed as a colony for artists and writers. Thackeray was already on his way to political power when he moved in, and soon Matoshree turned into the city's political nerve centre.

A senior Sena leader said that in 1997, the state government had urged him to move to a Malabar Hill bungalow. There were few bungalows left in Kalanagar by then. With tall buildings coming up, the government was worried that people out to attack Thackeray could use them as a vantage point. But Thackeray refused to move. He moved out of Matoshree only for a short period, when the original single-storey bungalow was demolished and the current three-storey structure came up in its place.