Raj holds roadshow on his way from Pune to Aurangabad

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday organised a roadshow between Pune and Aurangabad. Thackeray will hold a rally at Maharashtra Sanskrutik Mandal ground in Aurangabad on Sunday evening where he is expected to voice his opposition to the use of loudspeakers in the mosques.

Thackeray drove from his residence in Pune to Aurangabad in the morning, covering about 230 km along with his party workers. On the way, he visited the historic Chhatrapati Sambhaji memorial in Vadhu, Pune.

Upon reaching Aurangabad in the evening, he paid tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the statue in Kranti Chowk.

Thackeray recently adopted hardline Hindutva and has taken up the issue of loudspeakers that are put up on mosques for daily azan (call for prayers). He has threatened that his party workers will chant Hanuman

Chalisa in front of mosques if the loudspeakers are not removed by May 3.

State home minister Dilip Walse Patil has already ruled out any such action but has asked the home department to issue a detailed guideline on allowing loudspeakers at religious places in accordance with the law and various court orders on the issue.

Thackeray addressed two rallies in Mumbai on April 2 and in Thane on April 12 in a bid to heat up the atmosphere over the issue. His next target is communally sensitive Aurangabad city. Significantly, all these cities will have civic polls in the next few months. “We are not against any religion or their prayers, but they should not trouble others by not abiding by the rules,” he had said earlier while opposing the loudspeakers in mosques.

Thackeray’s son and party leader Amit and other party leaders are accompanying him in Aurangabad. The banners and hoardings welcoming Thackeray and campaigning about the rally have been put up along the arterial roads in the city.