Bhau Daji Lad trust violated contract, claims BMC

After a four-month lull in the tussle between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, the civic body has now decided to issue a rejoinder to the museum’s trust, claiming violations in its contract with the BMC. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which has vehemently opposed Tasneem Mehta’s stand and the functioning of the museum, believes this is a political move, made to appease the common man ahead of the BMC elections.

Sandeep Deshpande, leader of MNS in BMC, said, “The administration remained mum about the issue for the past four months, after receiving an explanation from Ms Mehta in April. It has woken up now and decided to send the museum a notice.”

The MNS has consistently paraded the issue as one of the elite versus the common man and of the Marathi manoos in Mumbai. In 2003, the BMC had signed a tri-party agreement with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation to maintain the museum, and take care of its day-to-day functioning. MNS had opposed the Lakme Fashion Week, scheduled to be held in the museum earlier in 2015, forcing the venue for the programme to be shifted abruptly. The party had said that the functioning of the museum distanced itself from the common man, discouraging common people from visiting the museum with family and kids.

Speaking to The Asian Age, Ms Mehta said, “I do not know of the civic body’s motive in issuing this notice. I cannot comment if it is political. The notice has not reached me yet, so I cannot comment about its contents. However, I have scrupulously ensured that all proceedings of the museum are clean. Decisions are made democratically, in consultation with all committee members.