Raj Thackeray performs 'Maha Aarti' in Pune; Sena, NCP counter him with their own programs

Raj Thackeray. File Photo

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray and his estranged nephew and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray separately performed 'Maha Aarti' on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti on Saturday.

Elsewhere, the Nationalist Congress Party organised an 'all-religion' Hanuman Jayanti program along with an Iftar party.

The MNS chief had recently gave the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra an 'ultimatum' to remove loudspeakers from mosques before May 3, warning that his party would play the 'Hanuman Chalisa' at higher volumes outside mosques if the demand was not met.

Clad in his trademark white kurta-pyjama, Raj Thackeray also wore a saffron shawl as he performed aarti of Lord Hanuman at Khalkar Aali Hanuman temple, said to be one of the oldest in Pune, on Saturday evening.

He was joined by MNS workers along with a large number of devotees.

Not to be outdone, the Pune unit of the NCP organised an all-religion Hanuman Jayanti program at a temple in Karve Nagar where people from the Muslim community performed the aarti of Lord Hanuman along with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state NCP president Jayant Patil.

An Iftar party was simultaneously organised on the premises of the temple.

"India is a country where unity in diversity can be seen and here people of all religions, regions and castes live together and celebrate each others' festivals with great enthusiasm," Pawar said on the occasion.

He said there is nothing wrong if a person is proud of his or her own religion.

"But at the same time, it is not India's culture to hate another religion. In the last few years, the atmosphere is changing in the wrong direction which has endangered religious and regional harmony. Although this hatred started in the northern states, in the last few days some people in Maharashtra have been trying to do the same. So maintaining peace in this country is the responsibility of all citizens," he added.

In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena organized a Maha Aarti at Hanuman temples in Dadar and Girgaon in central Mumbai.

Sena leader and state tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray visited temples in his constituency of Worli and took part in Maha Aarti in Girgaon temple.

The Maha Aarti was organized "to highlight rising prices," the party said.

Aaditya Thackeray also told reporters that he will visit the temple town of Ayodhya soon to offer prayers.

To a question about how does he "look at" independent MLA Ravi Rana and his wife and Lok Sabha member Navneet Rana's demand that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recite Hanuman Chalisa at home, Aaditya Thackeray replied, "I don't even 'look at' them."

Ravi Rana had said if the chief minister did not recite Hanuman Chalisa on Hanuman Jayanti, they will recite it outside the Thackeray residence, 'Matoshree', here.

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