Amid loudspeaker row, Raj Thackeray tweets old clip of Sena founder and uncle Bal Thackeray

On Tuesday evening, Raj Thackeray issued a statement to reiterate his plans to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers near mosques where they have not been removed.

A screengrab of the video posted by Raj Thackeray. (Twitter/@RajThackeray)

MNS leader Raj Thackeray Wednesday tweeted an old clip of his uncle and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s father, Bal Thackeray, talking about loudspeakers at mosques.

Raj Thackeray’s tweet came after the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief on Sunday said the state government should remove the equipment from outside mosques otherwise “Hanuman Chalisa will be played at a louder volume (than azaan) in front of the mosques”. He had also handed a May 3 “deadline” for removing loudspeakers from mosques across the state and urged Hindus to play Hanuman Chalisa outside mosques from May 4 if the loudspeakers were not removed.

“When my government comes in Maharashtra, I will not rest till offering namaz is not stopped. Religion must not come against the progress of a nation. People must not feel that religion is a nuisance. If our Hindu religion is a nuisance to anyone, people must tell us and I will take care of it. The loudspeaker on the mosques must come down,” Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena founder, is heard saying in Marathi in the 36-second clip tweeted by the MNS chief.

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On Tuesday evening, Raj Thackeray issued a statement to reiterate his plans to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers near mosques where they have not been removed. “I appeal to all Hindus that tomorrow, the 4th of May, if you hear the loudspeaker blaring with azaan; in those places, play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers. That’s when they will realise the hindrance of these loudspeakers,” he said in the statement.

pic.twitter.com/S0t3vi9X48

— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) May 4, 2022

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A senior MNS leader and former MLA Nitin Sardesai said, “On one side, the Shiv Sena constantly says that this government is being run on the thoughts of late Balasaheb Thackeray, but in reality, their acts are contrary to the thoughts and the ideals of Balasaheb. The government must tell us what they want to do.”

Raj Thackeray has also been booked by the police for allegedly violating the terms and conditions imposed by the police while granting permission for the massive Aurangabad rally on Sunday. According to the police, the MNS leader has been named the main accused in the case as he allegedly made provocative statements at the rally and “instigated” his supporters.

Read | Loudspeaker row: Heavy security deployed in Mumbai, neighbouring areas

Meanwhile, the police have stepped up security in Mumbai and other places in the state as all senior officials, including Mumbai police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey, took stock of the security deployment. Police teams were also deployed outside mosques at some places and blockades were placed in various areas.

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