Amid demands by BJP and MNS for the removal of loudspeakers from the mosques, their move to target the Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadi government on the politically sensitive Hindutva issue and the arrest of Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana in connection with Hanuman Chalisa row, the NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday met the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at his official Varsha residence. The meeting went for one and half hours and they discussed strategies to counter BJP and MNS.
Authoritative sources told the Free press Journal, ‘’ Apart from the present political situation, Pawar has discussed with Thackeray BJP’s plan to rake up Hindutva and communal issues in order to destabilize the MVA government. This apart, the politics of loudspeakers played by BJP and MNS in a bid to divide Hindus and Muslims also came up for discussion. BJP’s attempt to put MVA in the wrong box on the auto fuel price issue was also discussed at length.’’ Both Pawar and Thackeray have decided to collectively retaliate BJP’s tirade.
Today’s meeting took place when BJP organised a Booster Rally on May 1 in Mumbai to be addressed by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis while MNS chief Raj Thackeray addressed the rally on the same day at Aurangabad. On the other hand, Shiv Sena president and CM Uddhav Thackeray will address a rally on May 14 at BKC and launch Shiv Sampark Abhiyan.
Both Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray have been firing salvos against Shiv Sena in particular and also against the Maha Vikas Aghadi over a number of issues ahead of the upcoming BMC elections. Raj Thackeray has stuck to his ultimatum on the removal of loudspeakers from the mosques by May 3 or his party will recite Hanuman Chalisa. As far as BJP is concerned, it has clarified that Hanuman Chalisa is not the party’s agenda but reiterated that the party will expose Shiv Sena’s move to part ways with Hindutva while adhering to secularism in order to stick to power with new allies NCP and Congress.
Against this backdrop, Pawar and Thackeray separately have already lashed out at BJP and MNS for polarising politics in the state and have appealed to the people not to fall prey to their tactics.
