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State govt ‘secretly scrapped' Marathi theatre museum project: Aaditya Thackeray
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday alleged that the state government has 'secretly scrapped' a Marathi theatre museum project at Girgaum Chowpatty that was announced by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in 2021.
Thackeray accused the government of sidelining Marathi identity and questioned whether the project's cancellation was politically motivated or linked to commercial interests.
In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Aaditya accused the BJP of pursuing an 'anti-Marathi agenda' by quietly scrapping the Marathi theatre museum project at Girgaum Chowpatty.
'We have no opposition to any language, but we will always oppose linguistic imposition,' he wrote.
Referring to ongoing protests around Marathi language, Thackeray alleged that the BJP government was systematically trying to dilute Marathi cultural identity — first by cancelling the 'Marathi Rangbhoomi Dalan' announced by former CM Uddhav Thackeray, and then by attempting to shift unrelated offices into the Marathi Language Bhavan, delaying its completion in the process.
'Who exactly is opposing Marathi at Girgaum Chowpatty?' he asked, suggesting that neither locals nor the Marathi-speaking public had raised objections. 'Was it the local BJP MLA? Or is the land being earmarked for a builder friend?' questioned Aaditya, demanding answers from what he called the 'Maharashtra-hating BJP.'
Thackeray ended the post with a call to Mumbaikars to recognize what he termed the BJP's ongoing attempts to sideline Marathi identity through bureaucratic and political manoeuvres.
The plan, announced by Uddhav Thackeray, involved revamping the defunct Birla Krida Kendra into a museum chronicling the history of Marathi theatre, with an auditorium, amphitheatre and exhibition space showcasing rare memorabilia and archival footage. Spread across 7,000 square metres, the Kendra has remained shut since 2000.
