Summary:
Nashik, Apr 16 (PTI) In a veiled barb at Raj Thackeray who has taken an aggressive stand against loudspeakers on mosques, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday termed the MNS chief a "new Hindu Owaisi" and his party a "new Hindutva MIM".
Alleging the BJP"s hand behind the demands for removing loudspeakers from mosques and reciting Hanuman Chalisa, Raut claimed that Intelligence inputs suggest that a conspiracy is on to create communal tension in Maharashtra and recommend President"s rule dismissing the MVA government.
In an ultimatum to the state government, Raj Thackeray recently said that loudspeakers on mosques should be removed by May 3 or else "Hanuman Chalisa" will be played in a higher volume outside mosques.
Raising the pitch for Hindutva, Shiv Sena has organised the recitation of "Hanuman Chalisa" in Dadar in Mumbai this evening on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, while the MNS chief is scheduled to perform a "maha aarti" in Pune later in the day.
"The demand for removing loudspeakers on mosques and the reciting Hanuman Chalisa are parts of an effort to create a communal hatred to topple the MVA government by BJP in collaboration with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)," Raut alleged.
He alleged that BJP is "frustrated" as its efforts to win over MLAs from MVA parties- Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress- have failed while the people have rejected the bid to create a communal discord.