Sena, NCP activists clash during museum inauguration

Mumbai, Jan 4 (UNI) The Shiv Sena and NCP activists today clashed during the inauguration of the newly renovated Bhau Daji Lad Museum, in Central Mumbai.

The NCP activists were agitated because local party corporator Mangesh Bansode was not invited for the museum's inauguration, which was peformed at the hands of Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde.

Mr Bansode's name was not mentioned in the guest list, and the NCP workers took strong objection to this. Group leader of the NCP Niyaz Ahmed Vanu said, ''According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation protocol, whenever a civic programme is organised, the local corporator has to be invited as the chief guest.'' The issue was resolved after Mr Bansode was called on the stage.

The Bhau Daji Lad museum was under renovation for the past five years due to lack of funds and had been completed with funds from corporates and completed last year. The inauguration had been postponed many times after President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could not come for the same.

A trust has been formed for maintaining the museum with many corporates on the board with the BMC Commissioner and Mumbai Mayor being chairpersons.

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