Mumbai Cong opposes MPCC move to celebrate Mahatma's return from S Africa

Even as Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) plans to celebrate the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s arrival in India from South Africa, the party’s Mumbai unit has opposed the move.

MPCC President Manikrao Thakre had yesterday announced organising a ‘Prerna Yatra’ from Gateway of India to Gandhi statue near Mantralaya, the state Secretariat, to commemorate the event on Friday.

However, at the extended executive committee meeting of the party’s Mumbai unit yesterday, several members voiced their disapproval of the programme saying that there was no directive from the AICC regarding the same, sources said.

“The centenary of Gandhiji’s arrival in India at the Apollo Bunder in Mumbai is a programme organised by the National Democratic Alliance government for the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas being held in Ahmedabad. Why should we endorse it when there is no directive from the AICC to hold programmes?" sources quoted former MP Eknath Gaikwad and city unit’s minority department chairman Nizammuddin Rayeen as asking during the meeting chaired by city unit chief Janardhan Chandurkar.

They said the meeting endorsed Gaikwad and Rayeen’s disapproval of the programme and decided not to issue any circular for participation.

“Those who wish to attend the programme can do so,” they added.

The city unit is yet to make up its mind on organising a morcha against the alleged corrupt practices in the Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-run Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday or Friday.

“If the morcha is on Friday, the differences between the state and Mumbai unit would be out in the open again in the backdrop of the recent electoral defeats. We may hold the morcha on Thursday,” the party sources said.

“Members in the extended executive committee also voiced disapproval of the state unit president Manikrao Thakre’s attempt to control the Mumbai Congress, which is independent of the state unit,” sources added.