Day after Raj thackeray remark: Auto union to write to Devendra Fadnavis

Shashank Rao, president of the union, said, “To call for burning of vehicles to enhance one’s political interest has no place in a democratic country.”

[related-post]

Mumbai Police officials said they had taken a copy of Thackeray’s speech that he delivered at an event marking 10 years of MNS. “We are going through the contents of the speech and are seeking a legal opinion to see whether it was inciting in nature to decide further action,” said a senior police official.

Thackeray had Wednesday attacked Shiv Sena, saying that Transport Minister Diwakar Raote, who is from Sena, did not care ‘for Marathi manus’ and gave away over 70,000 new auto-rickshaw permits to migrants.

On Thursday, Raote said, “I am a Shiv Sena leader and I insist on Marathi. The rule that auto-rickshaw drivers should know Marathi is not new. It’s an old rule and I am just implementing it. All those who turned up for interviews and could not speak Marathi have not been allotted permits.” He said nearly 9,000 such applicants were turned away. Raote also said Thackeray’s information was incorrect and the transport department had re-issued 41,000 old permits that had lapsed, and not 70,000, as the MNS leader had claimed.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik called Thackeray’s statement a political stunt. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam demanded immediate action against the MNS chief.