Thane: Amid disquiet buzz in Mahayuti, BJP Minister to hold 'janata darbar' in Shinde's stronghold

Maharashtra Forest Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party BJP leader Ganesh Naik will hold a lsquojanata darbarrsquo in Thane a stronghold of Deputy Chief Minister CM and Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde on Monday reported news agency PTI This development comes amid buzz of disquiet in the ruling Mahayuti allianceLarge hoardings have been put up for Naikrsquos event set to be held near the collectorrsquos office in Thane city which some political circles are viewing as a direct challenge from the BJP to Shiv Senarsquos influence in the areaTalk of unease in the ties between the BJP and Shiv Sena has surfaced over the past few weeks resurfacing with Shindersquos ldquodo not take me lightlyrdquo warning on FridayldquoThose who took me lightly were toppledrdquo Shinde whose rebellion brought down the Uddhav Thackerayled Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA Government had statedldquoThose who have to understand must take the hint I will continue to do my workrdquo Shinde one of the deputies of CM Devendra Fadnavis had said when asked by reporters about the target of his warningIncidentally the rivalry between Naik now the guardian minister of neighbouring Palghar district and Shinde dates back several years PTI reported When Shinde was chief of the undivided Shiv Senarsquos Thane district which also included neighbouring Palghar Naik was with the undivided Nationalist Congress Party NCP and controlled Navi Mumbai Both parties vied to increase their influence in a region known for its proximity to the commercial capital Mumbai and its high urban concentrationWhy should we take objection when people are going to meet political leaders to address their issues Shiv Sena MPNotably Naik had introduced the lsquojanata darbar public hearing concept in the state in the 1990s aiming to connect people with the administration to address grievances On February 3 he held a lsquojanata darbarrsquo in Vashi Navi Mumbai and in Palghar district on FridayEarlier when asked about the political implications of such an event Naik emphasised that the sole purpose of the lsquojanata darbarrsquo was to resolve public grievancesShiv Senarsquos Thane Lok Sabha Member of Parliament MP Naresh Mhaske who is a close aide of Shinde downplayed Mondayrsquos event ldquoWhen Eknath Shinde comes to Thane thousands of people come to meet him to get their work done An MP like me sits in Anandmath the office of Shindersquos mentor Anand Dighe and 400500 people come and we call officers Even that is called durbar You donrsquot need to make a palace for itrdquo Mhaske said ldquoWhy should we take objection when people are going to meet political leaders to address their issuesrdquo Mhaske a former mayor of Thane questionedAccording to PTI Naikrsquos son and former MP Sanjeev has held several meetings with Thane BJP leaders to oversee preparations for Mondayrsquos event During his visit to the venue on Saturday Sanjeev dismissed speculation that his fatherrsquos event was aimed at challenging Shiv Senarsquos dominance He said such ldquobaseless rumoursrdquo were being spread by opponents and reiterated that the ruling Mahayuti alliance comprising the BJP Shindeled Shiv Sena and Deputy CM Ajit Pawarrsquos NCP remains strong and united Sanjeev also emphasised that the event is being held under the directions of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who has asked all ministers to hold lsquojanata darbarsrsquo at various locations in the stateldquoThe idea is to bring governance closer to the people Instead of 5000 people travelling to Mantralaya state secretariat to get their grievances addressed the minister will meet them locally and resolve their issuesrdquo Sanjeev told reportersWith PTI inputs