Raj felicitates govindas who broke rules

The MNS was in the news on Krishna janmashtami as they insisted on forming a 40-ft human pyramid, much higher than the 20-ft limit set by the SC, and became the first mandal to be booked by the police for violating its orders

Seeking to exploit the controversy surrounding the curbs imposed on dahi handi (August 25), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday met party workers from Thane who organised an event where the Supreme Court orders were defied. He also felicitated the govindas who formed a nine-tier pyramid at the event.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray in Thane on Sunday.(Praful Gangurde)

The MNS was in the news on Krishna janmashtami as they insisted on forming a 40-ft human pyramid, much higher than the 20-ft limit set by the SC, and became the first mandal to be booked by the police for violating its orders.

Talking to the media, Raj said the MNS stood firmly behind the revellers. “Cases are not new to us. The government does not have the courage to file cases against our govindas,” said Thackeray.

Thackeray called the restrictions gross interference with the Hindu tradition. “Accidents are reported along the railway tracks every day, but the government has not closed down the railways yet. Accidents happen everywhere, why target dahi handi only,” asked Thackeray.

For Thackeray, who has been at the lowest ebb ever since his disastrous performances in the 2014 parliamentary and Assembly elections, this was an opportunity to revive his outfit. In the past two years, the morale of the party has hit a low with mass desertion of top leaders.

The MNS had performed well in the 2009 elections riding on the wave of being a messiah of Maharashtrians. The 2017 elections are important to keep the MNS relevant.

According to political analysts, his attempt to woo the masses through dahi handi has not been successful. “It is a lame attempt to revive lost ground. His effort to rake up the issue has failed,” said Surendra Jondhale, a political analyst.

Prakash Bal, a political commentator, said the MNS has not been able to reinvent itself. “Thackeray needs to understand the Maharashtrian youth are cosmopolitan and their aspirations have grown manifold. They are no longer interested in smaller issues and have broadened their outlook,” he said.