Soul of Bal Thackeray would have been hurt: Union Minister Ashwini Kumar on Hanuman Chalisa row

Pune: Union Minister of State for Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Friday launched a scathing attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray by saying that soul of Bal Thackeray (Uddhav's late father) would have been hurt over arrests for reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa' "Of late, I have seen here that arrests were made for reciting the Hanuman Chalisa or taking the name of Lord Ram. The soul of Thackeray saheb (late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray) would have been hurt," Kumar told reporters in Pune.

Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana had earlier announced their plan to recite Hanuman Chalisa in front of Uddhav Thackeray's private residence `Matoshree' in Mumbai. Following their announcement both were arrested over the charges of sedition on March 23.

The Union Minister further urged the state governments to follow norms regarding loudspeakers adding that "people are facing several problems due to noise pollution." "Norms and rules are available to combat it. Loudspeakers should not be used late at night or early in the morning. If any state government is following the norms, then it is good," he said.

He was making a reference to the Uttar Pradesh government's data which claims that nearly 11,000 thousand loudspeakers have been removed from religious places and the volume of 35,221 has been lowered.

The row started after the MNS chief stoked controversy by asking the state government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3 while warning that if the demand isn't met, his party members will put loudspeakers to play 'Hanuman Chalisa'.