Uddhav and Raj Thackeray spar on festival ban

MNS chief Raj Thackeray speaks to mediapersons at his home on Tuesday. Pic/Ashish Raje

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said his government is not against any festival and the Opposition is playing politics over Covid-19 restrictions. His estranged cousin Raj Thackeray accused the government of enforcing curbs to create a situation beneficial to the ruling parties and raised questions over works worth thousands of crores that were approved under the "garb" of the pandemic.

Inaugurating an oxygen plant in Thane, Uddhav took potshots at the Opposition, after the BJP and MNS insisted on celebrating the Dahi Handi festival on the city's streets on Tuesday. BJP had organised a state-wide protest on Monday demanding the reopening of religious places and given Govindas a call to celebrate their favourite ‘human pyramid' sport on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami. In many places, the leaders and workers were detained by police on Monday and Tuesday.

MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar breaks a handi at Kalachowki. Pic/PTI

The CM's explanation came in response to the BJP and MNS's charge that the Thackeray government was anti-Hindu. After Shiv Sena's alignment with secular Congress and NCP, the BJP and MNS have been trying to form a new Hindutva axis in Maharashtra. CM Thackeray said the Coronavirus wasn't a government programme, but a strict protocol is needed to bring it under control and yet parties conducted aashirvad yatras and violated Dahi Handi ban despite concerns over a third wave. "They put the people's lives in danger in the name of seeking blessings," he added. He reminded the protesters of missives from the Centre which specifically cautioned against crowding during the festivals like Dahi Handi.

He said the Sena believed in doing 80 per cent social work and 20 per cent politics, but some parties in the country were doing 100 per cent politics. In another veiled attack on the BJP leaders who had given deadlines for collapsing the Thackeray government without any success, the CM said, "Some people announce dates after dates, but actually do nothing."

Govt loves lockdown: Raj

Raj's MNS defied the ban on Dahi Handi in Mumbai and Thane. The leader said he had directed party workers to go ahead with celebrations. Former MNS legislator Bala Nandgaonkar and workers were detained at Kalachowki for violating the ban.

Cops deployed at Bhagwati school ground to prevent MNS activists from celebrating the festival in Thane on Tuesday. Pic/PTI

Raj slammed the government for being selective when every other thing was full on. "Remember P Sainath's book ‘Everybody loves a good drought'? I say the government loves a lockdown and has been deliberately creating fear among the people that there will be a third wave," he said, adding that works worth thousands of crores were approved, but not questioned.

"Morchas are not allowed, protests are not allowed and temples are shut. Tell me where we don't have crowds? Rallies are on. The yatras are held. Street fights between political workers are on. We have seen it over Narayan Rane's yatra. Sena legislator Bhaskar Jadhav's son visits a temple, but others are not allowed. Why?" the MNS chief asked.

In a comment that may cause Sena heartburn, he added, "The number of cars that bring in the developers to the old Mayor's bungalow hasn't reduced. The number of vehicles that bring in people for government work hasn't reduced either. When nothing is restricted, how come only the festivals are curbed?"

He said the Centre advisory the CM mentioned wasn't only for Maharashtra. "It is okay if Jan Ashirvad Yatra is conducted, but festivals are restricted. It seems only festivals spread diseases, not political yatras and party conventions. They open what is beneficial to them and shut other things," said Raj, dismissing worries over the increasing number of police cases that have been registered against his party workers. "We are like a bear which doesn't count fur. I know the cases are vendetta politics. One fine day, when they are prepared and others not, the (local self-government) elections will be announced," he added.