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MNS’s Pune PM Modi Photo Row Reaches Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation: BJP has threatened to withdraw from the ruling coalition in KDMC
MNS Leader Amit Thackeray (Photo: ANI)
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit’s removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo from a government college office in Pune has triggered a major political crisis within the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC).
The BJP has threatened to withdraw from the ruling coalition in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation.
POWER EQUATION IN KALYAN-DOMBIVLI MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
In KDMC, the MNS is currently in an alliance with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction. Insulted by the forced removal of the Prime Minister’s portrait, the BJP’s Kalyan District Chief, Nandu Parab, sent a formal, stern letter to Shiv Sena’s Kalyan District Chief, Gopal Landge, questioning Shiv Sena’s alliance with MNS and demanding clear answers.
The controversy has severely strained local relations between the local MNS leadership and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Just days prior to this incident, Amit Thackeray had visited Dombivli and aggressively targeted the ruling Mahayuti coalition (and specifically Eknath Shinde’s son, MP Shrikant Shinde) over the terrible state of potholes and road conditions in Kalyan-Dombivli. With the photo controversy added to the mix, Shiv Sena local units are facing severe pressure from their senior alliance partner (BJP) to distance themselves from the MNS.
ONTO THE STREETS
The political row has spilled directly onto the streets of Mumbai and adjacent regions like Kalyan-Dombivli. BJP Yuva Morcha activists launched aggressive protests against Amit Thackeray’s actions, leading to physical altercations and scuffles between MNS and BJP workers. This local political turbulence has forced local police to drastically scale up security deployments across municipal boundaries to prevent full-scale party clashes
WHAT HAPPENED IN PUNE?
During his visit to the Government Polytechnic College in Pune, MNS leader Amit Thackeray ordered his supporters to forcibly remove a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the principal’s office wall.
The portrait of PM Modi was hanging on the exact same row and level as historic national icons, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Thackeray took strong exception to this arrangement, arguing that placing a modern, active political figure directly alongside revered historical figures amounted to equating them. He maintained that official government protocol dictates photos of current leaders should be placed on an entirely separate wall.
Following the massive political uproar that ensued, the college administration reinstalled the photograph to restore official government display protocol.
Following the incident, Pune Police registered a criminal case against Thackeray under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal trespass and unlawful assembly. Defending his actions, Thackeray stated he was “immensely proud” of the FIR, stating that it was done to protect the honor of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
WAS THE PHOTOGRAPH PUT BACK?
Following aggressive pushback and condemnation from the BJP—who labeled the act as “political immaturity” and an insult to a constitutional post—the college administration immediately reinstalled the Prime Minister’s photo back in its place to adhere to mandatory institutional protocol.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The BJP has threatened to withdraw from the ruling coalition in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), but the reporting does not state whether they will actually go through with the withdrawal. The threat was made after Amit Thackeray removed a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a government college office in Pune. In response, the BJP’s Kalyan District Chief sent a formal letter to Shiv Sena’s Kalyan District Chief questioning their alliance with the MNS.
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At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci…Read More
September 01, 2026, 7:34 PM IST
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