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Journalism of Courage
MNS chief Raj Thackeray was welcomed amid beats of dhols by party workers at Aurangabad on Saturday, where he will hold a rally on May 1 – on Mahatashtra Day – over the use of loudspeakers at mosques.
Before Raj Thackeray could reach Aurangabad, a poster war started between the city units of MNS and Shiv Sena. To counter a poster of Raj Thackeray draped in a saffron shawl, Sena workers put up hoardings in front of it with a photograph of late Bal Thackeray with the message – “Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray, Ya Sam Dusre Hone Nahi”.
The rally comes in the backdrop backdrop of the ultimatum given by Raj Thackeray to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3. If not done, Hanuman Chalisa will be played in front of mosques on speakers, he had said.
The venue of the rally is Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal, where, according to political experts, Bal Thackeray used to hold his rallies and had for the first time demanded that Aurangabad be renamed as Sambhaji Nagar. When The Indian Express visited the venue, preparations for the rally were in full swing with Raj Thackeray’s son Amit paying a visit too.
The Aurangabad Police had granted permission to the rally while imposing 16 conditions. “We are ready for the function tomorrow. Adequate personnel will be deployed at the venue as well as other places in the city. Monitoring will be done through CCTV cameras,” said Aurangabad Police Commissioner Nikhil Gupta.
Even as the police have given permission for the rally, Bhim Army’s national general secretary Ashok Kamble has warned of protest at the venue if any of the conditions imposed by the police are not followed. The police have also issued notices to all those who are opposing the rally.
Chandrakant Khaire, Sena leader and former MP from Aurangabad, said the rally is an attempt to destabilise Maha Vikas Aghadi government with the help of BJP but it won’t succeed.
“We have no opposition to any rally. But there are many more important issues, which should be talked about like inflation and unemployment among others. There is no point in talking on a subject that doesn’t matter to the common man.”
Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also reportedly reached in Aurangabad on Saturday. While AIMIM MP Imtiyaz Jalil had invited Raj Thackeray to an Iftaar gathering in Aurangabad, the MNS chief was seen directly going to his hotel on reaching the city.
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