Will play Hanuman Chalisa at higher volume than azaan if loudspeakers not removed from mosques: Raj Thackeray

“If you are going to do nuisance by playing azaan on loudspeakers from mosques, we will recite and play Hanuman Chalisa outside that mosque loudly. I don’t want to cause riots in Maharashtra. Muslims too need to understand that very well. Earlier also I had said that loudspeaker is not a religious issue but a social issue. If you are giving a religious colour to the loudspeaker topic, then we will have to answer with religion,” he said.

He asked if loudspeakers can be removed in Uttar Pradesh, why the same could not be done in Maharashtra.

Stating that all the loudspeakers are illegal, he said, “The Supreme Court has said that loudspeakers cannot be installed or played without permission from local police. How many mosques have the permission? None.”

Thackeray said loudspeakers should be removed from all over the country, adding the rule should be same for all religions.

“Why should only we suffer…They can pray on roads. Who gave you the permission?” he added.

Reminding the state government of his May 3 “deadline” of removing loudspeakers, he said, “Today is May 1 and Eid is on May 3. I don’t want issues during their festival. But from 4th, we will not listen. I have requested all my Maharashtra Sainiks to play Hanuman Chalisa loudly in front of all the places where loudspeakers are played. If you can’t understand even after requesting, then we have no other option left. Loudspeakers are not allowed in your religion,” he said.

Reacting to an azaan call at a neighbouring mosque during his speech, Thackeray said, “I request police to stop the azaan immediately if they are playing it during the rally. If they cannot understand in simple language, then I don’t know what will happen in Maharashtra,” he said.

Thackeray also attacked Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, accusing him of spreading casteism in the state.

On Pawar’s comment that Thackeray should read his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray’s books, he said, “It’s not me…..It’s you (Pawar) who distinguishes people on the basis of their castes and divide them. I said Pawar is an atheist. This upset him and his supporters and they started objecting to it. But your own daughter (Supriya Sule) has said in the Rajya Sabha that ‘my father is an atheist’. He (Pawar) said that I should read Prabodhankar Thackeray’s book. I have read it but it’s you who should be reading it as you are reading it as per your convenience.”

Citing a few references on Hindutva by Prabodhankar Thackeray, the MNS chief said it was for Pawar to understand the thoughts of the late social reformer.

The city police had put forth around 16 conditions before Thackeray in lieu of giving nod to the rally. The police will now check CCTV footage to see if any condition was violated, an official said.

Over 3,000 policemen were deployed in the city in the wake of the rally with additional police officers and staff called in from various other districts of the state.

“Eight deputy commissioners of police, eight ACPs, a team of 350 police personnel and six units of SRPF were called from neighboring districts for the rally in Aurangabad. Apart from that, 2,000 police officers and staff were deployed in the city for security. Besides, 750 CCTVs have been installed all over the city for monitoring,” said Nikhil Gupta, Aurangabad police commissioner.