Won’t tolerate ultimatums by those trying to spread divide in state: Ajit Pawar on loudspeaker row

Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar blamed the media for creating a frenzy around the agitations by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief.

“Initially, he launched a ‘UP, Bihari Bhagao’ agitation, which led to a certain section of the labour force leaving the state. This adversely affected the construction work and the builders had to persuade labour contractors into bringing them back,” said Pawar, without naming Thackeray.

“He then announced an agitation against toll tax on highways. Nothing came out of it because taxes are necessary for construction of highways. You would hear (Highways Minister) Nitin Gadkari talking about this all the time,” Pawar said.

Thackeray then launched an agitation against hawkers but that too fizzled out, Pawar added.

“All his agitations in the past have hurt the state. Why are you creating division in the society?” Pawar asked, adding that if rules pertaining to use of loudspeakers are applied to all then “politicians too will end up suffering because they will not be able to give speeches over loudspeakers in the current fashion, especially in the evenings”.

Pawar said that due to the row over loudspeakers, the ‘kakad aarti’ (prayer at dawn) at Shirdi’s Saibaba temple on the loudspeaker has stopped. A similar thing happened at Lord Vitthal temple in Pandharpur, he added.

“In our villages, jagran-gondhal take place very often in the night. Organising these will become a nightmare because if rules are to be imposed, they will be same for everyone,” he said.