Mumbai The Shiv Sena launched an attack on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Tuesday, with the party leader Sanjay Raut saying that just because they have taken a ‘contract’ from a political party, they cannot disturb law-and-order in the state.
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’ (upavastra) MNS targeted Sharad Pawar in Aurangabad.”
Further elaborating on the remark, Raut said, “Upavastra means using people to get something done. Some smaller parties are being used to take on the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVS).”
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut added, “The government must find the political party that has given the ‘contract’ to the ‘Hindu Owaisi’ to disturb peace and harmony in the state. The ones who are giving threats do not have the capability [to disturb the law-and-order]. The force behind them is restless because they could not come to power in Maharashtra.”
Without naming the MNS, he added, “The country does not run on the ultimatum. The government does not swing into action because some political party has given an ultimatum.”
The Saamana editorial also attacked BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis for his comment that he was present in Ayodhya when Babri Masjid was demolished. Asking if he was an “invisible man”, the editorial said, “Several Shiv Sena leaders and Shiv Sainiks are named in the charge sheet of the Babri case. Then was Fadnavis an invisible man, who brought down Babri? His role will have to be probed again.”
Meanwhile, reacting to it, BJP leader and former state minister Ashish Shelar said that Fadnavis was present in Ayodhya. “When Babri 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, don’t be under the impression that you can fool people by distorting and twisting facts,” Shelar said.
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 the mosques,” Raj had said.
