Shiv Vadapav from Shiv Sena — true blue Marathi burger
The MNS claims to capture the heart of the Marathi manoos, now the rival Shiv Sena wants to reach there via the stomach. So it’s organising a “Vadapav Sammelan” sponsored by McDonald’s and Coca Cola on Monday to let experts taste the “Marathi burger” cooked by 27 vendors to pick the best as the “Shiv Vadapav” brand which will then be launched on Bal Thackeray’s birthday on January 23.
The exercise aims to brand the “Marathi burger” as “Shiv Vadapav” by standardizing the recipe and provide a permanent means of livelihood to vendors, mostly Shiv Sainiks. The idea came after the Sena was stumped by the MNS campaign to woo Maharashtrians and the Sena is expected to use its power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation as it’s the BMC that provides licences to vendors.
“It’s a competition among the best vadapav vendors,” said Sanjay Gurav, president of the Maharashtra Vadapav Vikreta Sena, affiliated to the Shiv Sena. “We will select the best five vendors who will get prizes of Rs 5,000 each. Then we will monitor their consistency in taste and hygiene and finally select one for our Shiv Vadapav brand.”
Gurav is coordinating the event under the supervision of Sanjay Raut, Sena MP and executive editor of the party’s mouthpiece, Saamna. Raut said that though a majority of vadapav vendors were Shiv Sainiks, the party was also involving those affiliated to the Congress or the NCP, “the only condition being that he or she should be a Maharashtrian.”
Indian Express, 20 October 2008
We monitored and beat the examinees: Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena on Monday claimed that their party activists beat up and drove away scores of candidates from northern region candidates who came for railway recruitment exams in Mumbai.
The party mouthpiece 'Saamana' said that Shiv Sainiks were monitoring the movements of those who arrived in the metropolis throughout the night and beat the candidates.
Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray was quoted as saying that the Railway Board was not advertising jobs in local newspapers thus depriving Maharashtrians of an opportunity to apply for various posts.
An unapologetic MNS chief Raj Thackeray, addressing a function in Ahmednagar district on Sunday night, defended the anti-north Indians stir even as Railway minister Lalu Prasad described him as a ‘mental case’.
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