Loudspeakers in mosques: Pawar says Raj Thackeray toeing BJP’s line, Patil hits back

A day after he appealed to the state government to pull down loudspeakers in mosques across Maharashtra by May 3, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday faced a barrage of criticism from ruling party leaders

A day after he appealed to the state government to pull down loudspeakers in mosques across Maharashtra by May 3, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday faced a barrage of criticism from ruling party leaders.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar addresses a press conference on Wednesday. Satish Bate/HT Photo

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said Thackeray was toeing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) line, while Shiv Sena called him “BJP’s loudspeaker”.

“He [Raj Thackeray] may have got some responsibility from BJP, which he seems to be trying to fulfil… I don’t know about the understanding between them [BJP and MNS] but he [Raj Thackaray] did not utter a single word on the most important issues in the country — inflation, unemployment etc. The one who claims himself to be a political leader is not uttering a word on issues related to common people. What does it mean? It is clear, he is following BJP’s line,” Pawar said at a press conference in Mumbai.

The NCP chief also issued a warning to those trying to foment communal trouble. “If anyone tries to disturb communal harmony, the state government will take stern action against them irrespective of their affiliation to a political party or group, and ensure peace is maintained.”

“Attempts are on to create a situation in Maharashtra where social unity can be disturbed by encouraging communalism. Deliberate attempts are being made to incite communal strife. I urge people not to fall into this trap,” he added.

In a bid to revive the political fortunes of his party, the MNS chief has adopted the Hindu hardline agenda. In his Gudhi Padwa rally in Mumbai on April 2, he called upon his party workers to chant Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques if the loudspeakers put up on those places of worship were not removed. This came days after a similar demand made by the Mumbai BJP to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. Following his rally, home minister Dilip Walse Patil cautioned political parties against creating communal tension for furthering political agenda. Undeterred, Raj Thackeray at a rally in Thane on Monday went a step ahead and set May 3 (the day when Muslim community’s holy month of Ramzan is expected to end) for removing the loudspeakers that are used for Azan or call to participate in daily prayers.

Coming down on chief minister’s estranged cousin, Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said, “There is an atmosphere being created around the loudspeakers in mosques. Some people have started speaking on it; it seems they are BJP’s loudspeaker. This loudspeaker started working after BJP gave him a reprieve from action by ED [Enforcement Directorate],” he said, adding, “The parties, which cannot openly take on the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi [MVA] and Sena, employ such tactics, and give ammunition to such people to fight us.”

Countering the allegations made by the NCP and Sena, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said MNS could not be ‘team B’ of BJP.

“Raj Thackeray is an independent politician and cannot come under the influence of any other party. The ruling parties have been creating such a narrative. Hindutva has become an agenda now, but BJP and [its parent organisation] RSS have been following the ideology and propagating it for years. We have been raising the issues related to Ram temple, uniform civil code, and abrogation of Article 370 for years,” he said.

Patil said he would not advocate the stand taken by Raj Thackeray, but the responsibility of law and order was with the state government. “We are not against any religion or its prayer. Hindutva does not mean attacks on Muslims, but at the same time we do not accept the appeasement of the community. Muslims should restrict their Azan to mosques,” he added.

Taking potshots at Pawar, Thackeray on Tuesday questioned his frequent meetings with prime minister Narendra Modi and also said houses of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and his close relatives were raided but no such action was taken against Supriya Sule.

Sule is Pawar’s daughter and Ajit is his nephew.

The NCP chief said, “Who decides about the raids, I or the Central agency? Will he [Raj Thackeray] be satisfied after ED raids on all of us? His speech was childish. If something happened to Ajit, it means it happened to me. Do you think I and Ajit are different? Aren’t Supriya and Ajit siblings? It was not a political question but a silly accusation.”

The veteran leader said he was a Member of Parliament and asked what was wrong in meeting the PM over the issue of non-appointment of Members of Legislative Council by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for two years.

On April 6, Pawar met Modi and both the leaders had over 20 minutes of discussion. The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of a rise in cases of action by Central agencies against MVA leaders.

Pawar also dismissed the MNS chief’s statement that he played caste politics and did not take the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He said last week, at an event in Amravati, he spoke extensively on the contributions of the Maratha warrior king. Pawar also said he visited temples but did not believe in showing off.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Ajit Pawar said, “Don’t give so much importance to Raj Thackeray. I will respond to all his questions at an appropriate time.”

Meanwhile, ahead of the key municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, Sena targeted MNS saying it had let go of its Marathi agenda.

Raut said Thackeray, who called himself the only saviour of Marathis, was defending BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, who had allegedly crowd-sourced funds worth crores of rupees to save decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikrant from being scrapped.

“He came to politics saying he was the only saviour of Marathi manoos. He should have supported what I said [against Somaiya] because it was said with Marathi pride; then his love for Marathi manoos would have been true. Had he understood the reason behind my use of such language against Somaiya he would have understood my pain as a Marathi person,” Raut said.

The NCP chief also said at the press conference that the Central government should have raised objection to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remark on the rise in human rights abuses in India.

“The statement made by the US [in front of our ministers S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh] that there was severe violation of human rights in India is damaging for the country. When the heads of two countries were having a discussion, this issue should have been raised by India and our displeasure should also have been expressed,” Pawar said.

Blinken on Tuesday said they were monitoring some recent concerning developments in India including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police, and prison officials.