The convention so far has been that protest morchas start at Jijamata Udyan and culminate at Azad Maidan. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and legislator Sachin Ahir said the MVA letter seeking permission had stated the procession would start from JJ hospital and end at the TOI building, and they have accordingly been given permission.
However, a press note issued by the Mumbai police on Friday evening stated that the morcha will terminate at Azad Maidan.
While the 30th annual three-day Sunni Ijtema or congregation of Sunni Muslims has been scheduled for December 16, 17 and 18 at Azad Maidan, a spokesperson for the Sunni Ijtema told TOI on Friday evening that there will be no ijtema on Saturday at Azad Maidan. They will have it on Sunday.
Political parties have every right to organize protests and marches. But the government and the police in Mumbai and elsewhere should ensure that there is as little disruption of public life as possible and very little or zero inconvenience to citizens. The parties themselves, who profess to be the voice of the people and to express popular grievances, must keep concerns about people’s movement in mind while they go about registering their protests.
The MVA is set to erect a makeshift dais at the culmination spot for prominent leaders to address participants in the march. According to MVA leaders, over three lakh people are expected to turn up.
While Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, NCP leader Ajit Pawar and state Congress president Nana Patole will lead the procession, there is uncertainty over the participation of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
Former minister Naseem Khan, who is coordinating the morcha, said it will be the biggest ever in Mumbai. “We expect more than three lakh people to join the procession. It’s not only politics. Sentiments of people have been hurt by the uncalled-for statements of people holding high offices. Look at the statements of governor Koshyari. He is making statements against social reformers and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. When it was expected he would tender an apology, he sent a clarification to the union home minister justifying his comments,” Khan said. Koshyari triggered a controversy when he said that while Chhatrapati Shivaji was an icon of an earlier era, Dr B R Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari were icons for the new generation.
Sources said Uddhav Thackeray has been reviewing preparations for the morcha and has made it clear to the Sena (UBT) rank and file that it should be the biggest. A target has been given to all shakhas across the city. Ajit Pawar too has given a similar target to NCP heads in Mumbai. “No stone should be left unturned to make the morcha a grand success,” Ajit Pawar said.
State NCP president Jayant Patil said the march will be a wake-up call for the Shinde-Fadnavis government.
Source: https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifmh0dHBzOi8vdGltZXNvZmluZGlhLmluZGlhdGltZXMuY29tL2NpdHkvbXVtYmFpL212YS1tb3JjaGEtaW4tc291dGgtbXVtYmFpLXRvZGF5LWJqcC1zdGlyLWFjcm9zcy1jaXR5L2FydGljbGVzaG93Lzk2MjkwODM3LmNtc9IBeWh0dHBzOi8vbS50aW1lc29maW5kaWEuY29tL2NpdHkvbXVtYmFpL212YS1tb3JjaGEtaW4tc291dGgtbXVtYmFpLXRvZGF5LWJqcC1zdGlyLWFjcm9zcy1jaXR5L2FtcF9hcnRpY2xlc2hvdy85NjI5MDgzNy5jbXM?oc=5
