Thane: Rival Senas mark Diwali with political fireworks

THANE: The annual public Diwali celebrations in Thane acquired a political tinge this year as the rival factions of the Shiv Sena used their respective platforms to fire barbs at each other. Both factions, however, managed to draw in a huge crowd of mostly youngsters to their events, held in close proximity to each other.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde, who attended the get-together arranged by his faction at the Ram Maruti Road, struck a chord with the youth as he likened his rebellion with India's victory against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup game on Sunday. "Our Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena has reached Melbourne, where some youngsters displayed our party flag in the stadium. Three months back, we also won a match in similar fashion and brought about a positive change in the state. I am sure you all liked it, which is evident by your presence in large numbers here," he said.
Meanwhile, MP Rajan Vichare of the Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) took a swipe at the Shinde faction and pointed to the huge crowd at his event, saying it was a congregation of loyalists and reflected the city was still loyal to Sena and Anand Dighe.
A few other leaders held public Diwali celebrations within their areas, including former BJP corporator Sanjay Waghule.