PUNE: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, in his first public appearance after putting off his visit to Ayodhya, on Sunday said that he did not want to walk into a 'trap laid by those opposed to his tour', by visiting Ramjanmabhoomi.
"Had there been any untoward fallout during the visit, they (the Uttar Pradesh administration) would have booked my party workers in criminal cases and kept them languishing in jails. Then no one from MNS would be in the state ahead of the impending (civic) elections," he said.
"I am ready to take criticism over my decision, but not to put my workers in such a situation," he added. Thackeray was speaking at an indoor public rally at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch in Pune.
"Fodder for the opposition to my Ayodhya visit was provided from Maharashtra," he said, referring to a section of political outfits opposed to his tour. Thackeray had announced a visit to Ayodhya on June 5 and his party workers had started elaborate arrangements, including booking of special trains for workers and supporters from all over Maharashtra accompany him on the tour.
His plan ran into a controversy after Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who represents the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency in UP, declared that Thackeray won't be allowed to put his foot in Ayodhya unless the MNS chief tenders an apology for the 2008 attacks on UP aspirants in Mumbai.
On May 20, Thackeray posted a tweet announcing that he was postponing his Ayodhya visit. The MNS chief is due for surgery on June 1 for a leg ailment and back spasms it causes. Thackeray made a specific mention of his ailment at the beginning of his speech.
Thackeray also Brij Bhushan Singh's demand for an apology over the MNS's 2008 attacks on the railway recruitment exam centres in Mumbai that targeted the aspirants from UP, and wondered why such a demand was being made after 15 years. The MNS chief drew a parallel with the 2018 Gujarat attacks on migrants from UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh over the rape of a minor girl and wondered who will be told to apologise for these attacks.
The MNS chief slammed chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for his 'childish' Hindutva claims and said he lamented political parties' and people's lackadaisical approach in letting outfits like the AIMIM grow in the state, particularly in Aurangabad. He said the MNS had always been on the forefront of taking up the cause of Maharashtrians and Hindutva and wondered if the CM can show a single case filed against him for taking up such a cause.
He criticised Shiv Sena for doing little to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar despite being in power for several years and urged the central government to take steps in this direction and introduce the Uniform Civil Code.
"Keeping the renaming of Aurangabad unresolved suits parties who play vote-bank politics, but it is leading to communal divide. It should be resolved once and for all," he said.
The MNS's stir over the removal of loudspeakers from mosques will continue till it meets the objective, he said.
