Sena (UBT), MNS hold protest against Thane civic body 'corruption'; NCP (SP) takes part, Cong absent

Thane, Oct 13 (PTI) The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Monday held a massive protest against what it claimed was rampant corruption and mismanagement in the Thane Municipal Corporation.

While the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) took part in the "dhadak morcha", which began at Gadkari Rangayatan and ended at the TMC headquarters, the Congress was conspicuous by its absence.

Thane is the stronghold of the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Slamming Shinde, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Lok Sabha MP Rajan Vichare said the deputy CM was leading a group of "traitors".

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party's Thane unit chief Kedar Dighe said the protest morcha was just the beginning of several events that will be organised jointly with Raj Thackeray's MNS.

"Both parties have come together for good," added MNS Thane unit chief Ravindra More.

The goal was to rid Thane of corruption, said More's colleague Avinash Jadhav.

NCP (SP) MLA and former minister Jitendra Awhad told reporters that a BJP MLA from the region had called TMC as the "seat of corruption".

If Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis does not want to believe the opposition parties, he must take into account what his own party colleagues are saying about Thane's civic body, Awhad said.

The protest route saw heavy presence of police to ensure law and order.

While the Sena (UBT) and MNS have come closer over the past four to five months after nearby two decades of rivalry, a section of the Congress is opposed to any truck with Raj Thackeray. PTI COR BNM