Twenty-four hours after Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar jail, parties have turned it into a political issue. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray called the hanging a political move by the UPA government to distract people from serious issues.

On his statewide tour that started from Satara on Sunday, Raj sharpened the attack against the Congress saying, "This [hanging Afzal Guru] was done to distract people from more serious issues," Raj said. Questioning the delay over the execution, Raj asked why it took seven years for the Congress to hang Afzal when the Supreme Court had given the death penalty in 2006.

Raj's tour coincides with similar tours undertaken by other political leaders from the state, including Shiv Sena party chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and BJP leader Gopinath Munde also plan to visit drought-hit areas.

After concluding his Satara visit, Raj arrived in Sangli where he addressed party workers.

Raj spoke about a series of issues. When asked if he would join hands with Uddhav, Raj abruptly walked out of the press conference.