Prepare for Sena-MNS tussle to bring Mumbai to a halt

Commuter grief and city paralysis may be the core concerns of the Mumbaikar, but the turf tussle between the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) promises to be the major sideshow of Monday’s bandh by the opposition parties.

With both parties aggressive on asserting their influence over Mumbai, the bandh — called to protest escalating prices across the country — may get reduced to a show of strength with supporters from both sides resorting to a crude display of muscle power.

The Sena has displayed boards across the city reading, “Bandh honarch (We will enforce bandh).” That the party has taken the challenge seriously was evident when its senior leaders Sanjay Raut, Subash Desai, Ramdas Kadam, Manohar Joshi and Anil Parab came together on Sunday to get their strategies for Monday right.

The party realises that it would be a severe loss of face if it allows the MNS to dominate the proceedings.

“It is a litmus test for the party ahead of the 2012 BMC polls,” said a senior leader.

On Sunday night, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray held closed-door meetings with party leaders on the action plan.

According to reliable sources, every Sena shakha has been issued specific directives to come out on streets at 7.30am and bring the transport system to a standstill.

“We will not allow any auto rickshaw or taxi to ply anywhere in city,” said a Sena worker.

The MNS, on the other and, is keen to prove a point. “We will show our strength tomorrow,” party chief Raj Thackeray said in a veiled threat. The MNS workers will carry lathis in their hands and move in small groups to bring shutters down in all commercial establishments.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has taken the lead to unite the splintered opposition, will also be keen to redeem its identity across Maharashtra. According to BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde, “When the BJP was founded, the cadre was trained to take to streets to air the concerns of the public. We are reverting to basics.”

State BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar said, “Tomorrow, the people of Maharashtra will teach the ruling Congress the lesson of their life.”

The top leadership of the party held last-minute discussions on Sunday to redeploy manpower across Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Aurangabad to ensure maximum impact.

The Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) chief Prakash Ambedkar said, “The Congress is living in fool’s paradise. They are totally oblivious to the unrest among the common people on all fronts.”

According to BJP leader Madhav Bhandari, “The unity within the opposition can be compared to that of the pre-emergency era where corruption and price rise were the main issues.”