Raj Thackeray may be fulfilling responsibility given by BJP: Pawar

Says he never mentions inflation, fuel price hike in his speeches and raises communal issues instead

Maharashtra Nanirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray seems to be fulfilling the responsibility given him by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by not talking about livelihood issues and raising communal issues instead, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday.

“I don’t know whether any deal has been struck between them. But he is not uttering a single word against the BJP. There is a possibility that he is fulfilling the responsibility bestowed upon him. People are suffering due to inflation, fuel price hike, but if a leader does not even mention it in his speech, then it is self-explanatory,” said Mr. Pawar.

He was interacting with the media, a day after Mr. Thackeray launched an attack on the NCP and Mr. Pawar in particular. The MNS chief asked the State government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, when Eid will be celebrated.

“I appeal to the people of Maharashtra to not get engaged with the communal politics. Issues of livelihood, inflation, price rise are more important,” Mr. Pawar said.

Referring to the writings of Mr. Thackeray’s grandfather and social reformer Prabodhankar Thackeray who had slammed religious extremism through his writings, the NCP chief taunted, “We read Prabodhankar. May be his family members don’t.”

Mr. Thackeray, in his speech on Tuesday, had attacked Mr. Pawar for infusing casteism into Maharashtra’s politics and accused him of not taking Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s name due to fear of losing Muslim votes. “What can I tell a person who doesn’t even read newspapers?” he asked.

He said he did not agree with the late Babasaheb Purandare who credited  Chhatrapati’s subordinate Dadoji Kondadev for the Maharaja’s upbringing. “In reality, it was Rajmata Jijau who transformed Maharaj into a warrior. It was Purandare’s reference which was mentioned in James Laine’s book which distorted Shivaji Maharaj’s history in an ugly manner. Purandare never clarified his position. So, I have no problem in saying that I have my differences with Purandare’s writings,” he said.