Even as MNS chief Raj Thackeray, during his rally in Aurangabad on Sunday, warned the state government that it will not tolerate playing of loudspeakers in mosques from May 4, Imtiyaz Jaleel, the Aurangabad MP from AIMIM, has said that his party will not demand anything and hoped that the government and administration will act on their own.
Indicating that his party can organize a bigger rally than MNS, Jaleel said on Monday, “We are not demanding anything. We want the police and the government to act suo motu. We will not be going to the police with any memorandum or ask them to take action. Law is the same for everyone and if the police doesn’t act against him, they will have no right to take action against me. If they don’t act, then tomorrow perhaps, we may organize a rally and we can organize a much more bigger rally.”
While he criticized Raj Thackeray’s speech for instigating a particular community, Jaleel said he is appealing to people not to come on the streets or respond to what Thackeray said in his speech.
Speaking about AIMIM’s stand on issue of loudspeakers in mosques and Thackeray’s claim that no mosque has permission to install loudspeakers, Jaleel said, “The law says every Ganpati mandal and vehicle used in the procession has to be registered. Is every vehicle and mandal registered? Many are not. If there are a few masjids that don’t have permission, it is not such a major crime that it’s going to have a major impact on this country. You can give them deadline to get registered. But I want to ask, has the Supreme Court, while issuing the order, said that the implementing authority will be Mr Raj Thackeray of MNS?”
On Tuesday, Jaleel accused the Uddhav Thackeray government of going soft on Raj Thackeray. “Why has the government filed bailable offense against Raj Thackeray. Why have they not imposed sedition charges?” “When independent MLA Ravi Rana and his MP-wife Navneet Rana announced they would recite Hanuman Chalisa in front of Matoshree, they were arrested for sedition,” he said.
Referring to Raj Thackeray’s ultimatum that loudspeakers must be removed from mosques, he said, “…azaan is read in mosques by maulvis… which means MNS is talking of silencing them… MNS, through provocative speeches has tried to create communal tensions between two communities… Why has the state government imposed charges that are bailable?”
“Should we then perceive that the chief minister wants to go soft on his brother (cousin) Raj Thackeray? Else, why there are different rules for the Ranas and Raj Thackeray,” he asked.
— INPUTS FROM ENS, MUMBAI
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