A day after the death of the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar on February 06, Maharashtra BJP Leader Ram Kadam demanded a memorial be made for the singer at Shivaji Park. However, Kadam’s request sparked a controversy among the political circles in Maharashtra, quite unreasonably, with many parties opposing his demand to have a memorial dedicated to the late singer.
BJP leader Ram Kadam on February 07 wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asking him to erect a memorial for Lata Mangeshkar at the spot where she was cremated. Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole was also seen supporting Kadam over the proposal of a memorial for the Bharat Ratna. However, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut considered it a ripe occasion to take a swipe at his party’s political opponents. Taking an indirect jibe at Kadam’s demand, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut commented, “Some people are demanding a memorial for Lata Didi, there’s no need to involve politics into this.” He further added that a memorial for Lata Mangeshkar was a national issue, asking the Centre to take the initiative to build a memorial to her.
Meanwhile, Ram Kadam wrote separate letters to deputy CM Ajit Pawar and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar asking them to urge Thackeray to agree to his demand. He took on Twitter to ask “Will Maharashtra Govt. respect at least Sharad Pawar’s sentiments if he demands the same too?”
Maharashtra leaders opposing the move
Even as Ram Kadam demanded a memorial to Lata Mangeshkar, several leaders from the Shivsena, Republican Party of India and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navanirman Sena criticised his demand, calling it politicisation of the issue at a time when the nation was in the mourning on the demise of her beloved singer. Shivsena Leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the demand for the memorial cannot be made when the nation is mourning the singer’s death. “(In this regard), we will do whatever we can, but there is no such plan as of now,” she added. She said, “People like Ram Kadam are making an unnecessary demand when the whole nation is ridden in sadness.”
While arguing that there is no place for a memorial at Shivaji park which is primarily a space for sports activities, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande turned down the idea for the memorial to Lata Mangeshkar altogether. “Balasaheb (Thackeray) and Lata Didi being cricket lovers would also have wanted Shivaji Park to be dedicated only for sports activities. Earlier, there have been many attempts at encroaching this park in Dadar. Don’t threaten the fate of this park by your politics” he requested.
RPI Leader made a bizarre statement on the issue, stating that Shivaji Park should not be turned into a crematorium.
Balasaheb Thackeray Memorial at Shivaji Park
It is to be noted here that a small-scale memorial for late Balasaheb Thackeray already exists in a part of the ground which is built at the spot where he was cremated. While an elaborate memorial for him is being built at the Mayor’s House, many political leaders visit Shivaji Park every year, to pay their respects to Balasaheb Thackeray on his Birth and Death anniversaries.
As of now, the demand to build a similar memorial dedicated to Lata Mangeshkar at Shivaji Park has heated the politics in Maharashtra. From the Shivaji statue at the Arabian Sea to Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial at the Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai, the war over keeping legacies of the bygone greats is to continue in the rough and tumble of Maharastra politics.