Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Wednesday chastised Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for his recent speech demanding the removal of loudspeakers from mosques. Making divisive speeches merely to secure political mileage was unacceptable in a Maharashtra formed on the bedrock of “Shahu, Phule and Ambedkar’s progressive ideals”, he said.
Speaking in Shirdi in Ahmednagar district, Mr. Pawar criticised the MNS chief’s speech delivered at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park last week delivered on the occasion of Gudi Padwa (Marathi New Year), commenting that Mr. Thackeray’s exhortations to his party workers to ‘combat’ the ‘azaan’ with Hanuman Chalisa was not accepted even by some MNS leaders.
“Making inflammatory speeches of this kind will not solve people’s problems. Despite ordinary people living in harmony, some leaders are deliberately trying to disrupt the peace…even his [Raj Thackeray’s] own corporators are raising objections at this speech and are saying that such statements will hamper their chances of winning the civic polls,” Mr. Pawar stated.
