‘Entire Maharashtra will burn if Raj Thackeray is hurt’: MNS poster issues warning to protestors
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has put up a controversial poster in wake of the protests against party chief Raj Thackeray’s visit to Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, issuing a warning to those who have “threatened” Thackeray over his remarks.
A poster put up by the MNS in the Lalbaug area of Maharashtra reads, “If Raj Thackeray is harmed, the whole of Maharashtra will burn.” This warning comes after MNS claimed that Thackeray has been receiving threats over his comments on the loudspeaker issue.
There has been tension in the MNS camp over threats that Raj Thackeray will be attacked after protests erupted in Maharashtra against his visit to Ayodhya. The MNS poster reads in Marathi that the entire state will “rise up” in support of Thackeray.
Further, the regional party has been demanding Z or Y+ security for the party chief amid rising threats over the loudspeaker issue but the Maharashtra government, which is led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, has rejected the demand so far.
Though top security has not been provided to the MNS leader by the state government, the number of constables and inspectors in his security team has been increased, according to sources. The Shiv Sena-led-Maharashtra government, however, has not initiated any security protocols for Thackeray yet.
The loudspeaker controversy was sparked by the MNS chief himself, when he issued the warning, “If the loudspeaker outside the mosque is not removed, then hanuman chalisa will be played on the loudspeaker.”
Weeks after this statement and warning by MNS party workers, a threat letter was sent to Raj Thackeray in the midst of the loudspeaker row. Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil and Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Panday also looked into the matter.
BJP MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh had also said earlier that Thackeray will not be allowed inside Ayodhya, after which MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar had said, “If something happens to the Chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, we will burn Maharashtra.” A similar warning was mentioned on the MNS posted in Lalbaug.