Dharmendra Jore dharmendra. jore@ mid- day. com DAYS after claiming the saffron title on his late uncle, Bal Thackerayu2019s birth anniversary, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena ( MNS) chief Raj Thackeray reiterated that he wanted illegal migrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh out, and appealed to the Modi government to implement the Citizenship ( Amendment) Act ( CAA) and conduct the National Register of Citizens ( NRC) at the earliest. He asked the Muslims why they were protesting without understanding the law, and why they wanted Muslims from neighbouring countries to be given Indian citizenship. He also warned that the Hindus would counter a stone with a stone, and a sword with a sword, meaning that triggering communal violence would be responded to in a befitting manner.
Thackeray was addressing a huge gathering of saffron flag- carrying party workers and sympathisers whom he led from Hindu Gymkhana to Azad Maidan on Sunday afternoon.
u201c I donu2019t understand why Muslims are showing strength by holding morchas. Not many people understand the CAA and NRC. What is wrong with the CAA? The law came into force in 1955 when the situation was different. Why do they want Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh to be given Indian citizenship? Why will Muslims who are here for generations go out?u201d he said. He said fears over the NRC were baseless.
The massive morcha boosted the Bharatiya Janata Partyu2019s ( BJP) pro- CAA, NRC campaign, but Thackeray steered clear of extending direct support to the party. He said he appreciated the Centre when it took good decisions like revoking Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and appointed the Ram Temple trust and criticised it for bad decisions. u201c If you criticise the Centre, you are anti- BJP and if you appreciate the Centre, you are pro- BJP. Isnu2019t there something in the middle?u201d he asked.
u2018 Put CAA, NRC in placeu2019 He said the CAA and NRC must be in place at the earliest because India wasnu2019t a dharamshala and must get stricter in dealing with illegal and dangerous migrants. u201c Other countries have strict rules about illegal migrants. I warn the Indian government against using the CAA and NRC to divert attention from serious economic issues. If the Centre were to implement the law, it must start sooner,u201d he said.
Thackeray questioned the sympathy for Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants. u201c Who engineered the terror attacks? Who sheltered Dawood ( Ibrahim)? Let me tell you that the communal riots donu2019t happen in Marathi Muslim localities because they are one of us. Bangaldeshis were involved in the Azad Maidan riots where women police were assaulted.
If they can hit the police, they can hit you. And now we have Nigerians who sell drugs. They harass our women and we cannot do anything because we canu2019t enter their localities,u201d he said.
The MNS chief said the police were not given a free hand to deal with illegal migrants. u201c I know of places where our police can be given a free hand for 48 hours. They will clear the country of illegal migrants and bring down the crime rate to zero.u201d Warning for Hindus While giving Marathi and u2018 Bharatiyau2019 Muslims a clean chit, he appealed to them to alert the police and administration about suspected anti- national activities. And he also had a word of caution for Hindus. u201c You are Hindus only when the riots happen. Look at the awareness of the people who are conspiring against the country. I know of a place where clerics from outside are involved in planning something serious against the country.
You Hindus flash candles every time there is a blast and then wait for another bomb to explode.u201d He told the Muslims that they should respect the freedom that India has given them. u201c You have no such freedom elsewhere in the world. And yet you work to destroy the country that has given you so much.u201d Cousin speaks Shiv Sena president and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray told his ministers, MLAs and senior leaders that the party and he didnu2019t need to prove their Hindutva.
He met them when the MNS was gathering strength for the morcha.
u201c The Shiv Sena never changed its flag and I will never give up the bhagva ( saffron) till my last breath, u201c Uddhav said.
He said it was wrong to pursue that the Sena has abandoned Hindutva by going with the Congress and NCP. He said he is a Hindu and he doesnu2019t need to prove his credentials. He said, u201c Did I change the party flag? It is Balasahebu2019s Hindutva. We have a policy on one- man one- flag. The entire world knows what our Hindutva stands for.u201d u2018 Implement CAA- NRC at earliest, India isnu2019t a dharamshalau2019 MNS chief Raj Thackeray announces a u2018 stone- for- stone, sword- forswordu2019 counter policy against those who he says are out to destroy the country that has given them so much Raj Thackeray addressed a huge gathering of saffron flag- carrying party workers whom he led from Hindu Gymkhana to Azad Maidan on Sunday. PIC/ Ashish Raje Workers claim crowd was less While thousands of people were seen in the march, there were talks among some party workers that the crowd was comparatively less compared to the morcha held by Raj Thackeray in the year 2012 against the Azad Maidan violence.
From 12 noon, private buses ferrying MNS party workers started reaching the Hindu Gymkhana at Marine Lines from where the protest was going to start. Buses, bikes and private vehicles with MNS flags were also seen. Many party workers from Nashik, Pune, Navi Mumbai and Thane came for the morcha.
There was heavy police bandobast on the route right from Hindu Gymkhana to Azad Maidan. Party workers were also seen with the national flag. They raised slogans such as u201c Vande Mataram,u201d u201c Pakistanis go back,u201d u201c Har Har Mahadev,u201d and u201c Jai Shreeramu201d. Ranjeet Jadhav MNS workers participated in the morcha in large numbers. PIC/ ashish ra je 4,000 cops ensure Raju2019s rally is peaceful The police on Sunday deployed massive security during the long rally organised by MNS Chief Raj Thackeray against illelgal immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Police said the rally started from Hindu Gymkhana, Marine Lines, and went on to Azaad Maidan, and had around 20,000 MNS workers.
Thackeray organised this massive rally against illelgal immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh and in support of the controversial Citizenship ( Amendment) Act ( CAA). The police, who granted permission to Thackeray, had deployed 4,000 police personnel from Hindu Gymkhana to Azaad Maidan. u201c Adequate security arrangements were made,u201d said DCP Pranay Ashok, spokesperson, Mumbai Police. Also, special branch officers were deployed to keep tabs on anti- social elements and cops installed temporary metal detectors at both gates of Azad Maidan to scan everyone entering the venue.
The cops also cleared the maidan of stones realising they had potential to be used as weapons.
Faizan Khan
