Daijiworld Media Network - Ratnagiri

Ratnagiri, Aug 20: BJP MLC Pramod Jathar on Thursday took a sharp dig at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray amid the ongoing Supreme Court hearing over the Shiv Sena name and bow-and-arrow symbol, saying that Thackeray had failed to “carry” the party symbol while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had managed to do so.

Jathar was speaking at a press conference held in Dapoli as part of the BJP's Seva Samanvay Abhiyan. BJP district president Satish More, former district president Kedar Sathe, Panchayat Samiti member Bhau Idate, BJP state executive committee member Akshay Phatak and taluka president Jaya Salvi were among those present.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing the dispute over the Shiv Sena party name and election symbol. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued on behalf of the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction, which has sought the freezing of the bow-and-arrow symbol.

Reacting to the development, Jathar said, “Uddhav Thackeray has now realised that the bow-and-arrow symbol is also going to Eknath Shinde, and that is why he has demanded that the symbol be frozen. This shows that he could not carry the bow and arrow. Eknath Shinde, who was groomed under Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, has carried it. The symbol will ultimately go to the person who is able to carry it.”

Jathar also criticised Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, claiming that they had run out of issues and were therefore targeting the BJP and Shiv Sena.

Taking a swipe at Raut's repeated statements about a possible change of chief minister, Jathar said that just as a milkman delivers milk every morning, Raut was now bringing up the issue of changing the chief minister because he had no other subject left to raise.

The BJP leader also focused on employment opportunities for local youth in the Konkan region. He said that young people from Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg should receive priority in government recruitment, arguing that their future had become a serious concern as villages were losing their young population and houses were increasingly being left vacant.

Jathar said his party's principal demand was that 80 per cent of recruitment in government departments, including teaching posts, should be reserved for local youth from Konkan. He also demanded that the district cadre system in government recruitment be revived and that a bill providing for such reservation be introduced during the forthcoming winter session of the Maharashtra legislature.

He said the BJP's Seva Samanvay Abhiyan was being conducted on the instructions of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Several representations and grievances had been received from citizens through the campaign and the party would pursue them with the government, he said.

Jathar also said he would pursue the development of memorials and local development projects through the cluster scheme in the native villages associated with prominent personalities from Konkan. These include Murud in Dapoli, associated with Bharat Ratna Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve, Murde in Khed taluka, associated with Bharat Ratna P V Kane, and Palgad, the native village of Sane Guruji.

Speaking about development in the region, Jathar said fisheries had been accorded the status of agriculture and welcomed the upcoming shipbuilding project in Sindhudurg. He also mentioned the proposed water taxi project in Mumbai and praised state minister Nitesh Rane, describing him as a “dynamic minister”.

Jathar was also asked about senior Shiv Sena leader Bhaskar Jadhav, who had reportedly been offered entry into the BJP but has since been criticising the BJP through the Ramraksha agitation in the Guhagar Assembly constituency.

Responding to the question, Jathar made a suggestive remark, saying that when someone criticises a particular party excessively, it should be understood that the person is moving closer to that party.

On the possibility of former Ratnagiri MLA Bal Mane joining the BJP, Jathar said Mane was a senior leader and that any decision regarding his entry would be taken at the state level. Asked whether BJP state president Ravindra Chavan had blocked Mane's entry, Jathar said nobody had stopped it, but maintained that the decision would be taken at the state level.

The remarks come amid continuing political and legal contestation over the Shiv Sena's identity, while the BJP is simultaneously seeking to strengthen its organisational presence and address employment and development concerns in the Konkan region.