Recite Chalisa anywhere but won’t tolerate bullying, says Uddhav

An aggressive Uddhav Thackeray also said that he would soon address a public rally and speak on the current situation.

MUMBAI Breaking his silence on the Hanuman Chalisa row, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Monday that he would welcome anyone to his house to chant the prayers, but won’t bow down to any kind of bullying.

Breaking his silence on the Hanuman Chalisa row, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Monday that he would welcome anyone to his house to chant the prayers, but won’t bow down to any kind of bullying (HT PHOTO)

Talking to reporters at a programme to launch the National Common Mobility Card, the chief minister said, “Reading Hanuman Chalisa is not a problem. You can come to my house and read it but we won’t tolerate bullying. If anyone resorts to dadagiri (bullying), we know how to do the same.”

An aggressive Thackeray also said that he would soon address a public rally and speak on the current situation.

Talking about people questioning his brand of Hindutva, he said, “I have learned Hindutva by visiting the shakas. Who was present when Babri Masjid was demolished or when the court ordered the construction of a Ram mandir at the Babri site? Shiv Sena has taught us Hindutva,” said Thackeray.

Further talking about ‘neo-Hindus’ in a veiled attack on his estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, Thackeray said, “Shiv Sena’s Hindutva is ‘Gadadhari’, while anything else is ‘Ghantadhari’. There are a few fake neo-Hindus who want to show off how saffron they can get.”