Raj Thackeray, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief, on Tuesday reiterated his appeal to citizens to play the Hanuman Chalisa on May 4 (Wednesday) if they heard the loudspeakers playing the azan (Islam’s call for prayer).
In a long post on Twitter, shared in Marathi and English, Thackeray said, “I appeal to all Hindus that tomorrow, the 4th of May, if you hear the loudspeakers blaring the azan; in those very places, play the Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers! That’s when they will realise, the hindrance of these loudspeakers!”
His latest post on Twitter came hours after the Maharashtra Police registered an FIR against Thackeray over his ultimatum that he had issued days ago in Arungabad.
In his post, he urged the police force to “show the country is governed by law and order.”
“I appeal to CM of Maharashtra that years ago, Shivsena Chief Hindu Hriday Samrat Shri Balasaheb Thackeray had stated that ‘all loudspeakers need to silenced’… Are you going to listen to this? Or are you going to follow what non-religious Sharad Pawar who is responsible to keep you in power?” he wrote.
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The MNS chief cited a Supreme Court order that had set the time and decibel limits on usage of loudspeakers. According to this order, loudspeakers cannot be used from 10pm to 6am. “Every religion can use the loudspeakers only for the duration of their festival days. It is not supposed to be used for 365 days. If you need to use the loudspeaker, permission has to be taken on a daily basis,” said the MNS chief.
He wrote, “The issue is that loudspeakers are unauthorised. In fact, many of masjids too are unauthorised. How is it possible that the government has given authorised permissions to unauthorised masjids to use loudspeakers. And if permissions are being granted, then Hindu temples also need to be given permission to play the loudspeakers.”
He said this was not a religious issue but a social one. “People of every religion of this country are exposed to noise pollution. This very fact needs to be taken into consideration by all the governments of this country.”
He said if steps were taken to the social issue into a religion, he said “then we too can give a befitting reply”.
