Raj Thackeray set to skip Uddhav Thackeray all-party meet amid loudspeaker row
Raj Thackeray's remarks on use of loudspeakers at mosques had triggered a controversy in the state.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray is set to skip an all-party meeting on Monday called by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray amid a controversy over the use of loudspeakers at religious places. The row over the loudspeaker use has been one of the top controversies brewing in the state in the last few days. Raj Thackeray had objected to the use of loudspeakers for azaan (Muslim prayer) in mosques.
The 53-year-old leader won’t participate in the all-party meeting called by the state government for resolution over the matter, news agency ANI quoted MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande as saying. Deshpande and his party colleagues - Bala Nandgaonkar, and Nitin Sardesai - will be present in the meeting though, he added.
Last week, the state government had started looking at framing the rules amid the controversy as state home minister Dilip Walse Patil warned action against troublemakers trying to stir tensions.
The home department is expected to make permission for loudspeakers at religious places mandatory. According to previous judicial orders, permission to use loudspeakers at religious places is mandatory and the managements of these sites are expected to adhere to permissible decibel levels.
Raj Thackeray last week said his party did not want to disrupt peace. "But if you do it on loudspeaker, then we will also use loudspeakers for it. Muslims should understand that religion isn't bigger than the law," he had said.
The all-party meeting also comes after Mumbai saw a weekend packed with high political drama. An MP-MLA couple - Amravati MP Navneet Kaur and her husband Ravi Rana - was arrested for allegedly trying to incite the public after they warned they would chant Hindu hymn - Hanuman Chalisa - outside Matoshree, the chief minister’s home.
The BJP’s Kirit Somaiya who had backed the couple alleged attack by nearly “100 Shiv Sena goons” shortly after their arrest. He has raised the matter with the centre, he said.
(With inputs from ANI)
