3 months ago
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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray connected Monday (February 9, 2026) said that if RSS main Mohan Bhagwat is of the sentiment that protesting for one's connection is simply a "disease", past a bulk of the States successful the state endure from it.
In a station connected X, Mr. Thackeray besides claimed that those who attended Mr. Bhagwat's programme successful Mumbai connected February 7-8 to people the RSS centenary did not travel retired of emotion for him but owed to the fearfulness of Narendra Modi's government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, dismissed the remarks, saying radical be Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) programmes voluntarily and with discipline.
On the contented of Marathi connection and identity, the ruling BJP said Marathi is simply a substance of pride, but stressed that a connection should stay a mean of connection alternatively than conflict.
Mr. Thackeray noted that the determination sentiment successful the confederate states similar Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is fervent. There is simply a akin sentiment successful Punjab, West Bengal and adjacent successful Gujarat.
When hordes of radical from four-five states successful the state spell to antithetic states, enactment arrogantly there, cull the section culture, insult the section language, make their ain ballot banks, it leads to resentment among locals, starring to outbursts, helium noted.
Will Mr. Bhagwat telephone it a disease? the MNS president asked.
During an lawsuit successful Mumbai implicit the weekend, Mr. Bhagwat interacted with radical from antithetic walks of beingness and responded to a bid of questions. On the connection row, helium had said the "localised disease" should not spread.
Reacting to it, Mr. Thackeray said, "If Bhagwat feels emotion for connection and authorities is simply a disease, past a bulk of the states successful the state endure from it."
Mr. Thackeray said Mr. Bhagwat did not springiness these "sermons" to Gujarat erstwhile thousands of radical from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were driven distant from there. Why were specified lessons not fixed to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab? helium asked.
"Bhagwat tin amusement the courageousness of making specified remarks due to the fact that Marathi manoos are tolerant, but much than that, those successful powerfulness are spineless," helium claimed.
Notably, the MNS and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) contested past month's municipal corp polls connected the plank of Marathi individuality and the 'sons of the soil' issue.
Mr. Raj Thackeray said, "For us, the Marathi connection and the Marathi radical are of paramount priority. Linguistic and determination identities volition stay successful this country, and truthful they volition successful Maharashtra too! This is our right, and whenever specified situations arise, Maharashtra volition emergence with afloat fury.”
"The MNS person further said helium respects the Sangh's work, but it should not indirectly instrumentality a governmental stand. And if it does, past it indispensable archetypal propulsion up the authorities that's "imposing Hindi (which isn't adjacent the nationalist language) crossed the country," and past travel thatch america astir harmony.
Mr. Raj Thackeray besides said Mr. Bhagwat should not thatch him Hindutva. When Hindus are attacked, the MNS volition bash immoderate it tin arsenic Hindus.
The MNS was the enactment that took retired marches against the Raza Academy "riots", protested against loudspeakers connected mosques, and took a basal against the monolithic loudspeakers and DJs during Hindu festivals that occupation citizens, helium pointed out.
"We telephone retired what's incorrect arsenic wrong. When volition you (Bhagwat) talk up similar that? When volition you talk astir the chaos successful the sanction of Hindutva crossed the state - the mode women are made to creation during kanwar yatras successful northbound India?" helium said.
In 2014, India was ninth successful beef exports, and contiguous it's second, yet the play of cattle slaughter authorities continues, inflaming sentiments. When volition Mr. Bhagwat talk connected it? Mr. Raj Thackeray asked.
Responding to the comments, BJP authorities main spokesperson Keshav Upadhye, successful a station connected X, said the MNS person needs to travel retired of his "misconception" that radical be RSS events retired of fear.
Mr. Upadhye said that Mr. Raj Thackeray should travel retired of the misconception. It's incorrect to presume that conscionable arsenic radical travel retired of fearfulness of MNS, the aforesaid indispensable beryllium happening elsewhere. People enactment successful RSS shakhas, rallies and astir events willingly and successful an orderly manner, the BJP person asserted.
He said galore RSS activities are held aboriginal successful the greeting oregon astatine dawn and truthful whitethorn not beryllium disposable to everyone.
"The RSS has gained societal acceptance implicit a 100 years of work, portion self-serving governmental parties similar the MNS person faded wrong a fewer decades. Thackeray should bespeak connected this," helium said.
Referring to the contented of Marathi connection and identity, Mr. Upadhye said Marathi is simply a substance of pride, but immoderate connection should service arsenic a mean of communication, not conflict.
He said that erstwhile insistence connected Marathi turned into hatred for different languages and led to nonaccomplishment of lives, credibility connected the contented was lost.
Mr. Upadhye besides said determination was nary request to connection proposal to the RSS, adding that the organisation stands for dialogue, not confrontation.
