MUMBAI, June 24: The Shiv Sena-backed State Bank Karmachari Sena today got a fillip when senior party leaders - Uddhav and Raj Thackeray - formally inaugurated the union at the Swatantra Veer Savarkar Sabhagraha at Dadar.

An unusually belligerent Uddhav told the gathering, ``There will be only saffron on your shoulders now, no other rags.'' He was referring to the alleged resistance to the union by the State Bank of India Staff Union (SBISU), which is the officially recognised union, affiliated to the apex body of all bank trade unions - the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE).

Equating certain unions with NRIs, Uddhav said there are people who claim to be Shiv Sainiks but work for whichever union is powerful. ``This will not do, we are not frogs or crows but tigers,'' he asserted.

Earlier, Raj Thackeray said that once an organisation is blessed by Sena leaders, there can be no further discussion on it. ``Lets decide who were are fighting against and get down to work.''

``Amhi Communist chya tatakhalchi manjra naahin,'' (we are not stray cats living off the Communists' plates),'' he said asserting that the Kamgar Sena will get the affiliation from the Centre soon.

The state minister for education, Sudhir Joshi, who presided over the inauguration, had announced the formation of the Kamgar Sena, on March 5.

``Today the State Bank Karmachari Sena has 600 members from Sambhajinagar, Pune, Ahmednagar and Kokan patti,'' announced Uttam Yadav, general secretary of the new union. Explaining the reasons behind the formation of a parallel union, Yadav said that unrest in the union (SBISU) had begun building up in 1978 and there was a split in 1989. In 1992, the union reunited, but resulted in certain unfair decisions. ``The workers who had slogged for the membership campaigns got no official posts. They also stopped garlanding the late Vitthal Chavan's photograph and we were told not to raise pro-Senaslogans,'' Yadav said.

He also asserted that there will be no discrimination in Kamgar Sena. Gajanan Kirtikar, the minister of state for home and one of the members who had nourished the Lokhadhikar Samiti also spoke on the occassion and assured that the Lokadhikar Samiti would extend all help required to the New Kamgar Sena. He advised the union officials to accept those members who were interested in working for the union, not just disgruntled employees of the Bank. Udhav asserted this union had the full support of the Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.