Chhath Puja being used as a show of strength: Raj

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray said he would not allow North Indians to ‘browbeat’ Marathi people.

Accusing North Indians of using their religious festival Chhath Puja in the metropolis as a means of show of strength, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray said he would not allow them to ‘browbeat’ Marathi people.

“I am not against Chhath Puja. But what I oppose is that it is used as a means of show of strength,” he said.

While hitting out at North Indians, Thackeray did not even spare Hindi and English channels and he barred them from covering his press conference, alleging they were giving a distorted picture about him.

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Thackeray alleged that while covering his news, the channels, especially the Hindi ones, were behaving in a partisan manner supporting North Indians in its coverage.

He also criticised them for speculating about his possible arrest. “The police have not taken any action against me, the court has not found me guilty, but these channels are reporting with preconceived notion that I am guilty. This is the reason that I have barred them from covering this press conference,” he added.

He denied that he had spearheaded the anti-North Indian agitation to checkmate his cousin Uddhav Thackeray and said such accusations are baseless.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the designation gives law enforcement “enhanced powers to combat a group that has instilled fear through violence and intimidation”.

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