Hold assembly elections to end political crisis, says Raj Thackeray

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday said it pained him to see the fight for the name of Shiv Sena and the symbol between the two factions, and the solution to the current political crisis arising out of it would be to hold assembly polls immediately

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday said it pained him to see the fight for the name of Shiv Sena and the symbol between the two factions, and the solution to the current political crisis arising out of it would be to hold assembly polls immediately.

Mumbai, India - March 22, 2023: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray addressing massive gathering of party workers and supporters at the "Padwa Melawa" (Gudi Padwa rally) on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian New Year, at Shivaji Park, Dadar, in Mumbai, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

Addressing his party workers at Shivaji Park on Gudhi Padwa, Thackeray blamed his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for the desertions in the latter’s camp. “When I left Shiv Sena, I had no differences with Balasaheb but with the people surrounding him. I knew these people would sink the party and hence, I called it quits.”

He also had a piece of advice for chief minister Eknath Shinde. “He should work for the people instead of holding meetings to give rebuttals to Uddhav.”

The MNS chief also claimed that Narayan Rane, who is currently with BJP, did not want to leave Sena. “When Rane had differences with the party and he was on the verge of being thrown out, I called up my uncle (Bal Thackeray) and we fixed a meeting. But five minutes later, Balasaheb cancelled the meeting at someone’s behest.”

Claiming that the use of loudspeakers on mosques had begun again, he urged the CM and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis to look into this and to also withdraw cases against 17,000 MNS workers booked in an agitation over the issue last year.

Thackeray also showed a video clip of a Muslim religious structure coming up in the sea at Mahim. The clip was shot from a drone, he said, adding satellite images had proved that this structure had come up in the last two years.

He asked the police and BMC to handle this issue and warned that if it was not removed within a month, he would build a Ganesh temple next to it.

Soon after, city police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar asked joint commissioner (law and order) Satyanarayan and additional commissioner (central region) Anil Kumbhare to give a report on the alleged Mahim structure.

Earlier in the day, ad guru Bharat Dabholkar joined MNS in the presence of Thackeray. MNS general secretary Sandeep Deshpande, who was recently attacked by Shiv Sainiks, was promoted to the rank of leader.