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‘Bagged a contract from BJP to disturb peace in Maharashtra’: Sena’s swipe at MNS
The Saamana editorial also attacked BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. After Fadnavis said that he was present in Ayodhya when the Babri Masjid was pulled down, an editorial in Saamana questioned if he was an ‘invisible man’, who brought down the Babri Masjid.
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Tuesday launched an attack on the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), with Sena leader Sanjay Raut emphasising that the law-and-order situation in the state will not take a hit just because a particular political party had taken a “contract” to disturb peace.
In his Maharashtra Day rally in Aurangabad on Sunday, MNS chief Raj Thackeray reiterated his call to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 4. “From May 4 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 mosques,” Raj had said.
An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece, Saamana, said, “BJP’s ‘booster dose’ rally in Mumbai on May 1 was planned to target Shiv Sena, while BJP’s concubine MNS targeted Sharad Pawar in its rally in Aurangabad.” Elaborating further on the remark on MNS, Raut said, “Upavastra means using people to get something done. Some smaller parties are being used in politics to take on the Maha Vikas Aghadi.”
“The government must find out the political party that has given the ‘contract’ to the ‘Hindu Owaisi’ to disturb the peace and harmony in the state. The government is standing on solid footing. The ones who are giving threats do not have the capability (to disturb law-and-order). The force behind them is restless because they could not come to power in Maharashtra,” Raut told reporters in Mumbai.
The Saamana editorial also attacked BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. After Fadnavis said that he was present in Ayodhya when the Babri Masjid was pulled down, an editorial in Saamana questioned if he was an ‘invisible man’, who brought down the Babri Masjid. “Several Shiv Sena leaders and Shiv Sainiks are named in the charge sheet of the Babri case. Then was Fadnavis an invisible man to bring down Babri? His role will have to be probed again,” the Sena mouthpiece said.
Reacting to the editorial, BJP leader and former state minister Ashish Shelar said that Fadnavis was present in Ayodhya. “When the Babri masjid was demolished where was your party chief Uddhav Thackeray. Why did [former CM] Manohar Joshi and [Sena leader] Liladhar Dake reach Ayodhya after the structure was pulled down? Not even a non-cognisable (NC) offence was registered against you (Sena). Mr Raut, you are a person who shouldn’t be taken cognisance of. Don’t be under the impression that you can fool people by distorting and twisting the facts,” Shelar said.
The Sena MP further said if some people were under the illusion that they could create any law-and-order situation in Maharashtra, they must snap out of it. “The country does not run on an ultimatum. The government does not swing into action because some political party has given an ultimatum,” he said without naming MNS.
“Whatever decision is made in the entire country based on the Supreme Court order will be followed by Maharashtra. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is a strong leader, home minister Dilip Walse Patil is an able person, and Maha Vikas Aghadi’s Sharad Pawar is an experienced leader. So, if anyone is under the illusion that they can give an ultimatum and disturb the law-and-order in the state, they should snap out of it. The people of this state are sensible,” Raut added.
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