MNS chief Raj Thackeray slams GST, Dahi Handi rules, Paryushan meat ban

Thackeray’s cousin Uddhav, whose party the Shiv Sena controls the BMC, has also been jittery about the GST over fears that it may take away the rights of Urbal Local Bodies. “The Sena’s stand has been very clear that we will not allow things that erode the autonomy of corporations,” Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray said earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, the MNS chief after meeting Govinda mandals said the judiciary should pay more attention to giving decisions than on commenting on issues. “The courts are there for looking into legal issues. They should be giving judgements and not making comments. They had reportedly asked the petitioners in the case whether the Govinda Mandals would get medals for the country. What is the need to say such things? They should concentrate on giving justice, rather than making such comments,” Thackeray said.

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Thackeray also said that Mandals that had been booked had technically not committed a crime, because they had broken the Dahi Handi at the prescribed height of 20 feet.

“The court had said that the Dahi Handi pot could not be more than 20 feet. The pot was broken at 20 feet. The nine tiers made by mandals were not for breaking the Handi. Technically, no crime has been committed,” Thackeray said.

Taking up another emotive issue ahead of urban local bodies’ polls due in major cities, Thackeray criticised the Jain community for seeking closure of abattoirs during Paryushan. He said that if abattoirs are not shut during Shravan, there was no need to shut them for Paryushan. “I have been saying this since 2008. They are constructing Jain Mandirs in housing socities, not allowing other communities to buy properties. This is a way of creating a vote bank. They want to reduce the Marathi-speaking population and also the number of Marathi elected representatives,” he said.

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The MNS chief also took on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for tweeting in Gujarati. “Why should a Chief Minister of Maharashtra tweet in Gujarati?” Thackeray said.

Thackeray has been one of the first senior leaders to speak out against the Dahi Handi restrictions, in a bid to woo Marathi voters and keep himself politically relevant.