MNS chief Raj Thackeray reiterates call to remove mosque loudspeakers by May 3
During his speech at a rally in Aurangabad, Thackeray appealed to the police to stop mosques from broadcasting through loudspeakers.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray remained defiant on the May 3 deadline he has set for the MVA government to remove loudspeakers from mosques. Addressing a rally in Aurangabad on Sunday, Raj threatened to cause trouble if his demand was not met.
“From 4 May onwards we will not listen. If you continue to create nuisance with your loudspeakers, then we will also broadcast Hanuman Chalisa at double the volume in front of the mosques,” said Thackeray.
“I don’t want to create riots in Maharashtra nor do I wish so. However, Muslims need to understand this,” he said, questioning that “If Uttar Pradesh can remove the loudspeakers why not Maharashtra.”
“Loudspeakers of all religious places should come down. Loudspeakers should be removed even from temples but only after theirs (mosques) are removed,” he added.
During his speech, the MNS chief appealed to the police to stop mosques from broadcasting through loudspeakers. “I urge the police to stop them if they plan to broadcast during my speech. If they (Muslims) cannot understand simple language then let’s decide this matter once and for all,” he said.
Following reversals in successive elections, Raj Thackeray recently adopted hardline Hindutva for political survival. By doing so he is moving closer to the BJP which is the principal opposition party in Maharashtra.
In his Mumbai rally on April 2, he raised the issue of broadcasting ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside mosques that have loudspeakers for azan or daily calls for prayers. This was again repeated in his speech later on April 12, where he gave an ultimatum to the state government to remove them by May 3 to avoid law and order problems.
Aurangabad rally had grabbed headlines as the local police initially did not give the party permission for the same and later when it was given, it came with 16 conditions.
Aurangabad is a communally sensitive city and there were concerns about Raj Thackeray communalising the whole environment, especially during the month of Ramzan. Dozens of outfits like Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) had petitioned the police not to permit Thackeray to hold the rally.
Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil accused Raj Thackeray of trying to create a communal divide. “The loudspeakers are just an excuse. The real intent is to create hatred between Hindus and Muslims. We will not allow anyone to spoil the law and order of Maharashtra,” said Walse-Patil.
After a series of defeats in successive elections, Raj Thackeray in January 2020 reinvented his party by shifting towards Hindutva. He unveiled a new saffron flag with a rajmudra (seal) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with the party’s name below it. Last year, during Dussehra, the MNS put ‘Proud to be Hindu’ banners in many places across the city. Even the BJP which broke its alliance with the Shiv Sena in 2019 wants MNS as its partner in view of the civic polls scheduled in major cities across Maharashtra. It wants to use MNS to split the Sena’s Marathi vote bank while the MNS needs resources from the BJP. Since Thackeray has dropped the anti-North Indian agenda and adopted Hindutva, it has grown closer to the BJP.
Thackeray in his speech also trained his gun on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar accusing him of facilitating the caste divide in Maharashtra. Recently, Pawar, without naming Thackeray, had said he should read the writings of his grandfather Prabhodhankar Thackeray. Raj said he was very well versed in his grandfather’s writings.
“My grandfather was devoted to Hindusim. However, he exposed the flaws in Hinduism. In our household we don’t believe in the caste system,” said Thackeray. Thackeray said it was Pawar’s daughter (Supriya Sule) who in Lok Sabha claimed that her father was an atheist,” said Thackeray.
It is not clear yet whether the Aurangabad police are taking any action against Thackeray or MNS.
“The local police will first examine if any conditions laid for the rally were violated. If found so, they would book the concerned people,” said a home department official.